Junior Reflections Week 25 March 2025
Dear parents,
Monday started with a baa…rilliant time for the junior school pupils when Dr Commin, from the senior school, brought in his three lambs for us to see. Questions were asked, hands were washed and it was amazing to witness so many of the school community coming out to see the new additions to the junior school; it certainly lifted the spirits of the community and Dr Commin shared that the lambs were exhausted from all the cuddles that they had during the day. What a start to the week!
Upper Two Virgin Money Success
This week saw the climax of the Upper Two Virgin Money: make £5 grow challenge. Each pupil was given £5 and formed a small team with other pupils to develop products and experiences which they had the opportunity to sell to the school community. We saw fidget toys, monkey noodles, earrings, bracelets, framed artwork, games, mystery boxes and more on sale. Pupils raised over £1,200 which will be donated to our three chosen charities: Hygiene Bank, Blue Cross and Hospiscare. On top of all that hard work, nine out of the 20 teams were selected to take part in a Dragons’ Den-style competition to determine which teams had the best branding, displayed the best team-work, produced the best products and made the most profit. Pupils presented with incredibly impressive confidence and poise. Adam Cunningham, Upper Two Form Tutor and Head of Junior School Maths who led the project, said that it was fantastic to watch the development of their ideas, enthusiasm and passion throughout the project, with it culminating in some remarkable presentations. The pupils exceeded all expectations to raise a significant amount of money for our three charities. I am incredibly proud of all of the pupils and the way in which they worked so hard to create a magnificent sale week.
Extra-curricular
It was our finale of Dr Who club on Tuesday; Ted very kindly brought in items from his Dr Who collection and we read a script from one of the episodes, aptly named Daleks. I have to admit I have learnt a huge amount doing this club, and I am looking forward to watching the new series which I believe is coming out very soon. The new clubs have been shared for the summer term; do have a look and sign your child up for the many exciting clubs that are on offer.
During this morning’s final House meeting of the term, the House Esports Final took place. This was a new and exciting event to the House calendar introduced by Mrs Russell and Mrs Morgan and after today’s success, it is sure to become a regular event in the House calendar!
After several weeks, where teams were able to plan their ‘classroom of the future’ and enter their design to become their House Esports team, it was down to the staff to select the winning teams to represent each House. It was an exciting event with all pupils watching in their classrooms as the event was streamed to the large screens for them to cheer on their houses. Rev. Close was our judge and took his place virtually within the Esports arena to view the builds and judge which was the best classroom of the future. With Mrs Morgan commentating on the events and flying around the virtual arena as the build challenge took place, each of the teams worked to build their classroom of the future. After a competitive 20 minutes build challenge, it was down to Rev. Close to announce the winning team and this year’s Esports Champions are Gilbert. It was a fun event and we hope that more pupils have been inspired to enter the competition next year!
Founders’ Day
Founders’ Day was a wonderful service and a huge well done to Benjy Taylor for reading a poem during the service, and to our junior choir who took to the stage. This event is a tradition that has stood for many, many years and one that I hope continues for many more.
Sports fixtures
Huge congratulations to the U11 girls who finished joint 3rd in the U11 Girls West of England Schools Hockey finals on Wednesday. The girls played against 12 other schools to secure their position as the joint 3rd best U11 school team in the whole of the West of England. Really well done girls – you made us all very proud. A big thank you to Mrs Wopshott and Mr Skinner for travelling with, and coaching, the girls.
Looking to the future
On Thursday, I spent a productive day with the SLG team and governors, reviewing the school’s strategy and discussing the direction in which we are heading. A lot of useful discussions took place, focusing on how we can continue to enhance our provision and ensure that our pupils thrive both academically and personally. It was inspiring to see such a shared commitment to maintaining the high standards of our school while also exploring new opportunities for growth and development.
And so as I finish my last newsletter for the spring term, I want to wish you all a very happy Easter break when it arrives and I look forward to seeing many of you at the cross county and spring concert next week.
