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Barrow Hills Bulletin
5 December 2025

Friday 5th December 2025

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

Message From the Head

Dear Parents,

Assessment can be a formative driver for success, and it has been lovely to see that in action recently, whether in our dance studio with the recent ballet exams, where we have very high hopes, or in Pre-Prep where we observed our pupils being put through their phonics paces this week. Enthused dancers, writers, and readers – good work.

This week the hot tickets ranged from the Nativity performed by some of our youngest pupils to the production of Shakespeare in Love by our teens. It is wonderful to see the arc of development: from cute confidence to assured skill and poise in public speaking and expression.

Tonight, the Parents Association is hosting a fun Quiz Night at 7pm. Please come along, join or make a team, and enjoy some food and drink. Do not let the teachers win (again)!

Looking ahead, our Carol Service at 7pm on Tuesday evening will be one to enjoy. We also have our inaugural Santa Run for the older pupils on Wednesday from 3.30pm to raise funds for charity, parents may like to come along and cheer. Much more is happening next week, from theatre visits to Christmas lunches, so please check the calendar.

We finish the Autumn Term next Friday (Pre-Prep at 11.45am and Prep/Upper Prep at midday), and this will be our last bulletin of 2025. It has been a super year for our community, from sport to the arts, to exam success, to recognition in The Good Schools Guide, we are on the up. On the community front, it was great to welcome around 500 families to our Christmas Craft Fair last weekend. We are already planning bigger and better for next year in all ways.

Thank you for your kind support, and I hope you enjoy some festive peace and joy with your families

Mr Towers, Head

News from Upper Prep

I can hardly believe that next week is already our final week. This term has flown by! It has been packed with lessons, sporting events, trips, craft fairs, and drama productions, and the children in Upper Prep have approached everything with their characteristic energy and enthusiasm.

Year 8 (plus Bertie and Hermione!) performed Shakespeare in Love to Year 6 and Year 7 on Tuesday, and to their parents on Thursday evening when the hall was transformed into the Rose Playhouse.  The children have worked incredibly hard on this challenging production and I was so delighted with their final performance. Well done, everyone! I am very proud of you all!

The children in Year 7 have really been enjoying their reading lately.  We cannot put down our class reader: Raven’s Gate by Anthony Horowitz. We are in a race against time to finish it before the end of term as I don’t think any of us can wait until January to find out what happens to Matt! I have made sure all the children in Upper Prep have a book to read over the holidays so please encourage them to read regularly. It is not only enjoyable but will improve their comprehension skills and vocabulary as well as their reading pace, fluency and accuracy.

Finally, Year 8 went to Leicester today with Mr King and Mr Hinds to visit the Richard III Museum.  I know they had a very interesting day!  Thank you, Mr King, for organising this fantastic trip.

Dates for your diary next week:

Monday December 8th: Turkey Trot

Tuesday December 9th: Carol Service 7pm

Wednesday December 10th: Santa Glow Run

Thursday December 11th: Christmas Jumper Day and Christmas Lunch

Friday December 12th: Finish at 12pm

Best wishes,
Mrs Mason, Head of Upper Prep

News from Prep

This week began with a truly beautiful Christingle service, a moment of calm, light, and reflection during this busy festive season. The children were exemplary in both conduct and participation, and a special thank you goes to our readers, who spoke with clarity and confidence.

Monday also saw the eagerly anticipated return of Buttons, our mischievous school elf, who has already been spotted getting up to cheeky antics around the building! The children are delighted to have him back and are watching keenly to see what he gets up to next.

On Tuesday, we had the great joy of watching the Pre-Prep Nativity. The performance was full of charm, warmth, and festive spirit, and it was especially lovely to see older siblings in the audience beaming with pride. These moments of family connection really do make this time of year feel magical.

Year 6 also enjoyed a special treat this week as they were invited to watch the Year 8 production of Shakespeare in Love. The performance was inspiring, and it was wonderful to see the older children showcasing such impressive talent and teamwork.

As we head into our final week of term, we have a number of festive treats and celebrations planned. I look forward to enjoying these special moments with the children as we round off what has been a busy and joyful half-term.

Wishing you all a restful weekend as we prepare for the final festive flourish!

Kind regards,
Miss Tyrrell, Head of Prep

News from Pre-Prep

Our Pre-Prep children brought the Nativity story, A Little Bird Told Me, to life with charm, humour, and wholehearted participation on Thursday morning. A special event in the calendar for every parent as the children proudly showed our audience how hard they’ve been learning lines, practising songs, and growing in confidence, and their efforts truly shone in the Chapel yesterday. As we move towards the final week of term, the Pre-Prep children certainly added sparkle to the start of the festive season. 

On Thursday afternoon, after their fantastic performance earlier in the day, Year 2 welcomed Mrs Withers from the Food Tech room and together they enjoyed baking some delicious treats. The children baked Christmas themed gingerbread men and, of course, incorporated endless opportunities for mathematical discussions around weight and measures, fractions, geometry, temperature and time! I am sure they were even more delicious than they looked!

Thank you to all the children who have posted Christmas cards via our Pre-Prep Christmas Postal Service. The Year 2 Elves have thoroughly enjoyed delivering cards to the children in all of the classes. The post box will remain open until the final day of term.

Congratulations to Freddie J (Kindy), Arnold (Rec), Parker (Year 1) and Rocco (Year 2) who each received certificates for ‘Work of the Week’ this morning. In the same week that the children put on a splendid nativity performance, these children have also been busy writing detailed diary entries set during the Great Fire of London, showing great ability with addition in Maths and demonstrating excellent teamworking skills in Forest School to successfully create bug hotels. Lockie and Isla (Rec) have been working hard to collect house points and achieved their Bronze Awards this morning, as have Matthew, Mia, Rocco and Sammy (Year 2) who earned their Silver Awards in assembly today. Special congratulations to Sophie (Year 2) who was awarded the Pre-Prep Playtime Award in our final assembly of the term. Sophie plays kindly and respectfully, joining in with a wide range of children. She has also been a great role model, looking after the Reception children to make them feel involved and welcome when they have been recently joining the main garden for lunchtime play.

On Monday, our Nursery and Kindy children welcome back Sam from Happily Ever After for a theatrical story-telling workshop, while our children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 look forward to a visit from the Cat’s Grin Theatre Company on Wednesday for their adaptation of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Our Carol Service takes place next Tuesday evening, to which Pre-Prep children and their families are warmly invited. It will take place in the Chapel at 7pm, with refreshments being served from 6:30pm. Thursday is Christmas Jumper Day  and Christmas Lunch, while Pre-Prep also has a special visitor due to make an appearance at Forest School in the morning!

Wishing you all a lovely weekend,
Mrs Barnett, Head of Pre-Prep

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.

 

Barrow Hills Parents’ Association

Bacon Butties were a welcome treat this morning, and helped raised £105.08. The Bacon Butty stall runs every single Friday, 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!

 

Early Morning Cross-Country Club

Hockey Christmas Camps

Hockey camps at Guildford Hockey Club during the Christmas holidays are fast approaching, (22nd, 23rd, 29th & 30th December). They are running from 10am – 3pm and are currently offering a 15% discount with code SCHOOL15 when you book via this link.

Bridewell Schools Autumn Term Offer

 

Newsletter Archives

Barrow Hills Bulletin - 5 December 2025
Barrow Hills Bulletin - 28 November 2025
Barrow Hills Bulletin - 21 November 2025
Barrow Hills Bulletin - 14 November 2025
Barrow Hills Bulletin - 7 November 2025
Barrow Hills Bulletin - 17 October 2025
Barrow Hills Bulletin - 3 October 2025
Barrow Hills Bulletin - 26 September 2025
Barrow Hills Bulletin - 19 September 2025
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