Friday 16th October 2026

News from Upper Prep

It has been a very busy week here as the children in Upper Prep race towards a well deserved half term break. 

The Year 7 children enjoyed a very interesting history trip to the St. Albans Museum on Monday with Mr King and Mrs Wallace. Year 8, your history trip is to the Bosworth Heritage Centre is on Friday November 13th!

Thank you to Elliott, Hermione and Eddie who spoke so eloquently to parents about their experience of Upper Prep at our ‘Life at the Top’ meeting on Wednesday. It was also a pleasure to welcome back past pupils, Alfie and Delilah, now at King Edward’s Witley and Charterhouse, who talked confidently about how Barrow Hills had prepared them for the next step on their school journey. 

Friday was Admissions Day at King Edward’s Witley. Mr King and I were so proud of the Year 7 children and the sensible way they received their charge at this very solemn occasion.  

Congratulations to Lydia who is the winner of our Upper Prep half termly Amazon gift voucher. Lydia, you have worked so hard this term in all subjects and this has been noticed by the Upper Prep teachers. Well done!

Finally, the children will receive their half termly grade cards this week. Please encourage them to look carefully at their effort grades and consider how they can build upon the good work they have done so far this term when they return in November.

Here are some dates for your diary:
Tuesday October 27th 11am-3pm: Year 8 rehearsal: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

I hope you all have a wonderful, restful half term!
Mrs Mason, Head of Upper Prep

News from Prep

What a final week of the half term we’ve had! 

Orchestral Day brought a wonderfully spooky soundtrack to King Edward’s, with the children having the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of music and experience the joy of playing together as an orchestra. There was certainly plenty of musical talent on show, and it was lovely to see the children embracing the opportunity with such enthusiasm!

Year 3 also treated us to a wonderful assembly all about colour and the emotions we associate with each one. It was a thoughtful and engaging exploration of how colours can make us feel, from the happiness of yellow to the calmness of blue and creativity of purple. The children spoke with such confidence and enthusiasm, reminding us all that there is often a whole spectrum of feelings behind the colours we see everyday. Very well done Year 3, for such a colourful and thought-provoking assembly!

As we reach the end of a busy half term, I hope the children are looking forward to a well-deserved rest. It has been a fantastic few weeks, full of learning, laughter and plenty of memorable moments.

Wishing you all an enjoyable half term, we’ll see you in a fortnight!
Miss Tyrrell, Head of Prep

News from Pre-Prep

Year 2 enjoyed a fantastic science-focused trip to Bracknell Look Out Discovery Centre, where they enjoyed a range of exciting, hands-on experiments and interactive activities.

The children were captivated as they explored scientific concepts linked to their current topics of Electricity and, Magnets and Forces. Having the opportunity to investigate, experiment and discover things for themselves sparked some excellent questions, tested their ideas and they were able to think like real scientists!

This week, our new Head of Maths, Mrs Dalton, visited our Pre-Prep maths lessons and thoroughly enjoyed seeing the children immersed in their learning. Through practical activities, mathematical discussion and opportunities to explain their thinking, the children demonstrated their understanding of concepts and strategies, and some children applied these to problems too. 

Our Open Classroom event this afternoon was a wonderful opportunity for the children to welcome their parents into their learning environments. The children proudly showed their parents around the classroom, sharing their books, explaining their work and drawing attention to the displays that celebrate their learning and achievements. It was a lovely opportunity for our Pre-Prep children to articulate some of the things they have learnt and enjoyed this half of term, and take pride in their efforts.