Pre-Prep Reflections Week 36 July 2024

Diary Dates

Saturday 6 July – Play Olympics at Exeter Junior School

Monday 8 July 3.00pm – Parent drop-in 

Tuesday 9 July 2.30pm – Summer showcase

Wednesday 10 July – Summer term ends at 3.30pm

A list of term dates for the academic year 2024-25 is available on the school website. 

Spotlight on Year 1

We have had a busy final full week of term in Year 1. A highlight has been our trip to Clyst St George Fire Station on Wednesday morning, at the end of our history topic on the Great Fire of London. We met several firefighters and saw lots of equipment used by the fire service in an emergency. The children were able to sit inside the fire engine and enjoyed spraying water through the powerful hoses. We also spent some time in the control room to see what happens when a 999 call is received. We learnt what to do if we see a fire and how we can protect ourselves. The children asked lots of sensible questions and were very enthusiastic. Their behaviour was also excellent. 

In our English lessons this week, we have been learning about poetry and we enjoyed lots of different poems from The Puffin Book of Fantastic First Poems. We identified their features and the children practised writing their own rhyming couplets. Our mathematics lessons have focused on measure this week. We have been discussing different units of measure and solving calculation problems. The children have done very well with this. We enjoyed our final computing lesson using the ScratchJr program on Friday and the children enjoyed revisiting everything they have learnt over the half term. We are so proud of the children’s hard work this year and the progress they have all made.

Miss Lawrence, Mrs Thomas and Mrs Tyler

See the photos from the fire station trip here

End of year events

Parent drop-in

On Monday, we will be holding our final parent drop-in of the year from 3pm. All parents are welcome to come into your child’s classroom and look at a selection of their work from this year. You will then be able to take most of their books and folders home, so please bring a strong carrier bag to carry heavy items.

Summer showcase and prize giving

On Tuesday, all children will be taking part in our annual summer showcase in the hall, which parents are invited to attend. This starts at 2.30pm and will include performances from each class, soloists and whole school singing. We will also be presenting every child with a personalised certificate recognising their individual achievements this year, as well as saying farewell to our Year 2 pupils. This event is not to be missed!

Final day of term

On the last day of term, Wednesday 10 July, our drama club leader Ruth Lawrence will be running her usual end of year party for all children in the hall, which should be lots of fun! At the end of the day, families are welcome to bring a picnic and play in the school grounds from 3.30pm. The school site will be closing at 5.30pm.

After School Clubs

Please note that all after school clubs stopped running today, Friday 5 July. There will be no clubs next week. However, Late Room will be running as normal until 5.30pm every evening.

Thank you

We would like to express our deep gratitude to the Year 2 parents for their leaving gift to the school, a donation towards the purchase of some new playground equipment. We are in the process of asking the Year 2 children what they would like to ‘leave’ and we will then place an order over the summer holidays. So far, we have got stilts and digging tools on the list! We hope the children will enjoy using the new equipment outside for many years to come.

Class Reps

Thank you to this year’s class reps who have done a sterling job! If you would like to put yourself forward to be a class rep next year, please let me or the current rep know. I try to meet briefly with the class reps each term to discuss a range of topics and hear general feedback from parents. The reps also act as a point of contact for other parents, particularly when new families join the school. It would be great to have a rep in place for each class before the end of term if possible. Please remember that if you have specific questions, comments or concerns, our door is always open and we would encourage you to contact staff directly, so that the reps are not overloaded with messages. 

Mr Ayling

Early Years funding

The government currently provides funding for all 3 and 4 year old children to attend early years provision for up to 15 hours per week. While this is due to be increased to 30 hours in September 2025, as an independent school, our funded hours will remain at 15 hours per week. This funding starts the term after the child’s 3rd birthday and runs until the end of the term in which they turn 5.

School photographs

Following Pret-a-Portrait’s recent visit to take the whole school and class photographs, the image gallery is now ready for parents to access. A viewing card explaining how you can view and order pictures will be sent home with your child today. Pictures are available to order at a discounted price before the Early Bird Deadline of 18 July. If for any reason your viewing card hasn’t made it to you, please go to the Pret-a-Portrait website and enter the relevant ‘sitting ID’ code below: 

Nursery – EXSB20001RNJ

Reception – EXSB20002WFX

Year 1 – EXSB20003PJS

Year 2 – EXSB20004GBL

Whole school picture – EXSB2008DZQ

If you need to contact Pret-a-Portrait directly, please call 0800 021 7626 or email customerservice@pret-a-portrait.net.

School ties

We have recently taken delivery of a new batch of elasticated school ties. Please note that the school tie is an optional item, which is not available to purchase from our uniform supplier, Thomas Moore. If you would like to place an order, please contact AJ in the school office on AJ@exeterschool.org.uk stating the number of ties you require. We will then give these to your child and add the amount to your next invoice. Ties are sold at the cost price of £6.75 each.

Summer Reading Challenge

We are proud that children at Exeter Pre-Prep love to read. Every year, we invite them to take part in the summer reading challenge, an annual initiative run by libraries across the country. We encourage you to visit your local library to borrow books and have fun reading them over the summer holidays. This year, you can also download and print the ‘Holiday Bingo’ challenge. We will share this with the children before the end of term and, for every five challenges they complete, they will receive one house point. If you would like to take part, please return the completed form to school in September. Happy reading!

Get your holiday bingo card here