Friday 13th March 2026

Welcome to the Barrow Hills Bulletin, your weekly newsletter with a snapshot of life at School.

Message From the Head

Dear Parents,

Sports Day Poster

The flow of the week improved (pun intended – and thank you for your patience on Monday with the Witley water washout!) as our STEM events on flora and fauna provided some excellent cross-curricular creativity and depth. We enjoyed a paramotor workshop (thank you to Hannah’s dad, Mr Middleton), entered a team in the National Science Quiz, and engaged with a range of activities including engineering challenges, a wetlands visit, hedgehog conservation, STEM at Charterhouse, and our fascinating visiting speaker, Sacha Dench, who enthralled us with the tale of her swan flight.

It was also a strong week for sport, both on the field, with fixtures down to Year 2 in rugby and football, and more cerebrally with the IAPS Chess Tournament.

Today we keep the energy high with a Netball Masterclass for our local primary schools and, of course, our School Disco, with thanks to the Parents’ Association.

Have a great weekend.

Warm regards,
Mr Towers, Head

News from Upper Prep

It has been STEM week at Barrow Hills and what a fabulous, varied range of events we have had! It has been  fantastic to see the Upper Prep Children engage so enthusiastically with all the activities. Our STEM Captain, Henry, and our DT captain Reuben have shown excellent leadership skills in helping Mr Behan organising events and supporting the younger children. Well done boys!

Our Head Boy and Head Girl, Dylan and Delilah, represented Barrow Hills at Bridewell Day in London on Tuesday and I know they really enjoyed the service and their lunch afterwards!

Finally, I know many of the Upper Prep children are very excited for tonight’s disco. Thank you to the team who organised this superb event.

Dates for your diary:
Wednesday 18th March: High School Musical at KESW  7pm
Thursday 19th March: High School Musical at KESW  7pm
Thursday 26th March: Yr 8 trip to The Globe Theatre

Have a lovely weekend everyone,
Mrs Mason, Head of Upper Prep

News from Prep

It has been an incredibly busy STEM Week, with this year’s focus on flora and fauna. The children have enjoyed a wide range of STEM-based activities, investigations, and talks from visiting speakers, all designed to spark curiosity and deepen their understanding of the natural world around them. It has been wonderful to see their enthusiasm as they explored new ideas, asked thoughtful questions, and boldly approached new challenges.

Monday brought an unexpected twist to the week when a water outage meant we needed to adapt our plans for the afternoon. Fortunately, we were able to head over to KESW where the children enjoyed lunch and activities on site. They took the change completely in their stride and made the most of the opportunity, showing just how adaptable and resilient our pupils are.

Parent consultations have also been taking place this week and have provided a valuable opportunity for parents and teachers to have those all important conversations to celebrate the children’s progress and look to the future goals for their learning journey.

Meanwhile, High School Musical rehearsals are going extremely well. The children, along with staff and our fantastic parent helpers, have been putting in a tremendous amount of effort behind the scenes to bring the production to life. The energy and commitment from everyone involved has been wonderful to see, and I cannot wait for you all to experience the performance next week. Please ensure you book your tickets by close of play on Friday 13th March.

 

Today we rounded off the week with a non-uniform day in support of the Place2Be charity, followed by the Prep Disco, kindly organised by our Parents’ Association. The disco was a fantastic way for the children to celebrate the end of such a busy week together, and we are very grateful to the BHPA for putting on such an enjoyable event.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support, and I wish you all a restful weekend.

Kind regards,
Miss Tyrrell, Head of Prep

News from Pre-Prep

Cali Wood, (Toto’s Mummy), kicked off Pre-Prep’s STEM Week on Monday morning when she came to talk to Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. Mrs Wood works with an organisation called TechSheCan to encourage young children, particularly girls, into STEM subjects. She was able to bring to life some areas of STEM and what it means in the wider world. This focused on ways STEM is helping people including the emergency services and we looked at examples including robotic surgery and jet suits for paramedics to locate and stabilise a patient in difficulty in undulating peaks and valleys, such as the Lake District. The children were mesmerised at the ability of the bots described and were challenged to go and design their own robot which could help people in some way. Some of Reception’s initial designs were very useful including a robot who makes the breakfast! We look forward to seeing more of what the children come up with. 

STEM Week underpinned daily activities across the school while we also continued to welcome visitors, this time from the fire service visit on Tuesday morning, to the great delight of our pupils (of all ages). The children were fascinated by the water pumps that can move thousands of litres per minute and seeing some of the enormous ladders on board. From having a go with the especially powerful hose to climbing aboard the fire engine, there were huge smiles on everyone’s faces! Meanwhile, on Thursday morning we welcomed Graham from Saint Francis Animal Care with two hedgehogs, Harry and Henry. Graham told the children about many different aspects of the hedgehog’s life including habitat, food chain, life cycle, hibernation, dangers they face and how to encourage them into our gardens. It tied in really nicely with our flora and fauna theme by hearing all about one of our garden visitors.

Year 2 hosted a netball and tag rugby fixture against Pennthorpe on Tuesday afternoon. The staff all commented on how cohesive the children were as a young team, and they really gave their very best in each of their games. The match tea, always a highlight, was enjoyed with the opposing team in the refectory afterwards. A lovely afternoon for all involved.

Congratulations to Magnus (Kindy), Oliver (Rec), Luca (Year 1)  and Luke (Year 2) who were presented with Work of the Week certificates in this morning’s assembly. Silver Awards were achieved by Isla, Toto, Alice and Josh in Reception, while Gold Awards were reached by Luca and Ariella in Year 1, and by Austin, Holly and Luke in Year 2. Mr Smith awarded a number of Pre-Prep children with certificates for their work in IT this week. Certificates were presented to Alex, Leo, Luca, Alexander, India, Rocco, Sophie and Teddy. Very well done all of you.

Have a lovely weekend.
Mrs Barnett 

School Notices

Music Lesson Timetables

Music lesson timetables are published every Friday via the School Portal. While our music teachers endeavour to attend on their designated days, there may be occasions when adjustments are necessary. We kindly ask parents to check the published timetables each week to ensure that students bring their instrument and music to school on the correct day.

International Women’s Day

The next event in the Bridewell Speaker Series is in celebration of International Women’s Day, and will be held on Wednesday 18th March. We have five incredible Old Witleian females who will discuss their varied careers here in the UK and abroad, and what developments have occurred over the years to support a more diverse workforce.

These include a retired CEO of Berkley London, the current Europe & Central Eurasia Media Director at Mars Wrigley, an Angel Investor and CEO, the Managing Director at Caring for Cambodia, and a Senior Policy Advisor within the Central Strategy Directorate of the Home Office. Doors open at 5:00pm, with our panel beginning at 5:30pm. From 6:15pm there will be ample opportunity to network and ask questions, and the opportunity to freshen up before heading across the walkway to see the Year 5 and 6 production of High School Musical (commencing at 7:00pm).

Please register your attendance for the Bridewell Speaker Series, and book tickets here: https://www.trybooking.com/uk/GAVH

Spring Concert

We warmly invite our Bridewell Community to join us for our annual Spring Concert in the Chapel at King Edward’s on Friday 20 March at 7pm.

As ever, a broad and exciting programme of musical magic awaits, delivered by our inspiring and talented young musicians and immaculately curated by our passionate Director of Music, Mr Sliwka and his expert team.

We look forward to welcoming you.

Year 2 – 8 Easter Sport Camp

From Monday 13th April – Friday 17th April, 9.00am – 4.00pm, the Barrow Hills sports team will cover coaching in Cricket, Tennis and Athletics. Children will need a packed lunch and the cost is £40 per day. Click here to book your spot!

Tree Tots at Barrow Hills

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From February we’re thrilled to invite little ones to a new baby & toddler class – Tree Tots @ Barrow Hills!

Tree Tots welcomes girls and boys aged 6 months – 3 years for a magical hour of play. Babies can relax in our baby sensory corner as toddlers take on themed activity stations – we’ll then all come together for songs, games and story time.

The classes will meet every Wednesday at 9am during term-time – the first two classes will be free to attend, or £5 thereafter, and include a hot drink and snack for both carers and their little ones!

Please do bring along any children and spread the word with friends – tickets must be booked in advance, through the Happity website.

Early Morning Cross-Country Club

Sallys Swim School – Easter Swimming Course

Looking for a fun and confidence-boosting activity this Easter? Join Sally Swim School for our popular Easter Swimming Course!
📅 Dates: April 7th – 11th (4 days of tuition)
⏰ Lesson Times: Between 9:00am – 11:00am
📍 Venue: King Edward’s School, Witley
This course is designed to build confidence and improve technique over four days in a supportive and fun environment.
👶 Minimum age: 4 years (no upper age limit!)
👥 Small class sizes with experienced teachers in the water to support weak and non-swimmers.
🌊 Perfect for beginners and those looking to improve their skills!
🔗 For class ability levels and booking forms:
👉 www.sallyswimschool.com
📧 Or email: info@sallyswimschool.com

Barrow Hills Parents’ Association

Bacon Butties were a welcome treat this morning, and helped raised £196.22. The Bacon Butty stall runs every Friday from 7:45am, serving a selection of delicious breakfast treats and hot drinks, and is a fabulous meeting point for everyone to catch up at the end of the school week.

Thanks to our amazing team and the community for your support!

 

Non Uniform Day for Charity Place2Be

Today we had our Non School Uniform Day and are very pleased to announce that we have raised £109.40 for Place2Be. For those of you who were not able to bring in cash, please do visit the website and make your donation here.

 

Bridewell Schools Dry Cleaning & Launderers

 

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