Friday 9th January 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

A very happy New Year to you all. We look forward to taking Barrow Hills that bit further in 2026. A sincere welcome to the girls and boys, and their families, starting in Kindy, Nursery and Year 5 this week.

Over the break, we carried out extensive replanting across the gardens, continued with the lighting refurbishments, and commissioned a Barrow Hills and Royal Bridewell flag for the Chapel – as I feel we deserve a good banner on our march forward in education.

Staff returned on Monday to warm the school building, and their brains, as we welcomed specialist trainers to develop colleagues’ knowledge of the latest research in phonics and reading development. We also refreshed first aid certifications. Heads of Department worked to integrate our AI tools thoughtfully across critical thinking and knowledge acquisition in subjects such as Maths, Science and English for our older pupils.

January has begun at pace. We have had a series of bracing fixtures starting this week. Some of our older pupils tackled the Townsend Warner History Prize, giving them the opportunity to flex both their essay-writing skills and subject knowledge. Next week, we take on the Charterhouse Robotics and Science Competition, alongside a theatre visit for Year 4 and a French petit déjeuner for Year 6 as part of their language studies.

We have sent out an extra-curricular club sign-up sheet. Clubs will start on Monday, and there are still places available on most days after school, so please do sign up here.

Warm regards,
Mr Towers, Head

News from Upper Prep

Happy New Year and welcome back to the spring term! It has been lovely to catch up with all the children this week and to hear about their Christmas holiday adventures. 

It has definitely been a chilly start to 2026 with plenty of ice and snow showers around. Our new smart Barrow Hills school coat will be compulsory from September next year, but in the meantime, children may wear any dark coloured coat.

Year 8 got straight down to work on Tuesday morning by creating some revision timetables for their CE 13+ mock exams at the beginning of February. Mr King and I have suggested that the children revise little and often, building in plenty of breaks. It is also very helpful to specify exactly which topics they are going to revise, rather than just writing “maths”. The children have their exercise books and text books to help them prepare and there are plenty of resources available in their Year 8 Revision Google Classroom. We will continue to develop the children’s study skills during form times this half term.

The Year 7 children have made an excellent start to 2026 and I have been impressed with their energy and enthusiasm. Several of them have completed their Peer Mentor training this week and will shortly be assigned a younger child to support over the coming weeks. 

Dates for your diary:
Tuesday January 13th: Swimming Gala (please check the team sheet for details!)
Thursday January 15th:  Charterhouse Science Competition 

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

Best wishes,
Mrs Mason, Head of Upper Prep

News from Prep

Welcome Back – Spring Term & Happy New Year

It has been such a pleasure to welcome all of our pupils back this week after the holiday break. The children have returned full of energy, focus, and enthusiasm, ready to embrace all the exciting opportunities that the new term brings. It is always wonderful to see how quickly they settle back into school routines and approach their learning with curiosity and determination.

A particularly warm welcome goes to all our new families joining us this term. You are a wonderful addition to our school community, and it has been lovely to see your children settling in so confidently. We look forward to getting to know you all better in the weeks ahead.

The start of a new year is always full of promise. We have many exciting events and activities planned for this term, from sporting competitions, creative projects and performances, to STEM workshops and reading initiatives. I am confident that, with the dedication of our staff and the enthusiasm of our pupils, this term will be full of achievement, learning, and memorable experiences.

I look forward to sharing in all of the children’s successes over the coming weeks and to celebrating the many moments of curiosity, kindness, and creativity that make Barrow Hills such a special place.

Wishing you all a happy and healthy start to 2026!

Kind regards,
Miss Tyrrell, Head of Prep

News from Pre-Prep

Welcome to the new year and indeed the new term here at Barrow Hills. While our children enjoyed a final day at home on Monday, the staff fully embraced their INSET day with the first of their two day phonics training by Ruth Miskin’s Read Write Inc. Reading is the foundation for learning and such training truly highlights our investment in further enhancing our strong support for early reading and writing skills, fostering confidence and enjoyment in reading, right from Early Years and beyond.

Reception have done very well as they returned to school and started coming in independently via the front door with the older children in Pre-Prep. It’s been wonderful to see such smiling faces on the door and to hear all about your Christmas break.

Each year group has embraced new topics, from penguins in Reception, where the children have already begun creating craft items to sell as part of their fundraising to sponsor a penguin. Year 1 have begun their Castles work while Year 2 are exploring the Romans, with a trip planned to Butser Ancient Farm later in the term, and themed dress up days for both Year 1 and Year 2. Whole school house meetings resumed this week and clubs will begin next week. There is a huge range of clubs on offer including Gymnastics Club, Handwriting Club and Larks, and also specialist clubs such as Ballet and Little Kickers, so please do have a look at our Clubs and Activities brochure here if you haven’t already done so.

Congratulations to Millie from Kindy, Freddie from Reception, Sophie from Year 1 and Holly from Year 2 who received Work of the Week awards in assembly this morning. Their attitudes to learning have been exemplary and it’s wonderful to see such a strong start to the spring term. We also had Silver Awards to present to children for their house points achieved to date. Very well done to Leo and Sophie from Year 1, and to Luke, India and Kit from Year 2 who all picked up their Silver Awards from our Head Boy this morning.  

Have a great 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.

 

Early Morning Cross-Country Club

Barrow Hills Parents’ Association

Bacon Butties were a welcome treat this morning, and helped raised £200. 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.

We also raised over £100 in bobble hat sales…very much needed in this weather!

On Friday 16th January at 9am in the Refectory, after assembly, we will be having the Barrow Hills Parent Association (BHPA) Committee meeting. All welcome – refreshments provided!

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

 

Bridewell Schools Dry Cleaning & Launderers

 

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