Welcome back to a rather wet start to the Summer Term 2012! I do trust that you all had a good break, whether abroad in the sunshine (Rome was even wetter than London…) or in the U.K. Despite the weather, sunhats are now available to order from our uniform suppliers, www.perryuniform.co.uk.

Just a few dates to put in the diary:

Bank Holiday Monday: 7^th May
Parents’ Charity Cocktail Evening: 18^th May
Sports Day: the morning of Monday 18^th June
Parents’ Evening: 26^th June (and possibly 28^th June for some)
End of term: 12 noon Thursday 12^th July

Clubs will begin next week, 30^th April and will end in the week of 2^nd July unless you are notified otherwise by the staff running the clubs.

Please note the term dates: 26^th April to 12^th July (Half term is the week of 4^th June). I would urge you very strongly to book holiday dates around these times. If trips with your children are absolutely unavoidable, please let me know in writing. I must also urge you to ensure your children are at school no later than 8.45 am, and that you collect them promptly at the end of the day, either at 3.30 or after clubs.

As ever we look forward to a hard-working, positive term, with plenty to do both academically and socially. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

With best wishes

Mr R. Greenwood
Headmaster

I do hope that everyone had a most enjoyable and relaxing break. It has been lovely welcoming the boys back to school so full of energy and enthusiasm for the term ahead.

Staff News
We warmly welcome Jo Darley who is the new Form Teacher for 1A.

Diary Dates
You will see from the Summer Term Calendar that we have a stimulating and busy few weeks ahead of us.  Please do check the dates carefully – particularly important ones to note are:

You will also find a copy of the calendar and other useful information, such as this term’s lunch menus, on the school website.

Parents’ Evenings
We are going to trial holding our Parents’ Evening on two consecutive evenings, this term.  Appointments will start at 4.00 pm for all form teachers, apart from those running clubs, as they will be running as normal for both afternoons.  Appointment slots will be increased from ten to fifteen minutes, so that there will be more time to discuss your son’s progress and welfare with the last appointment at 6.45 pm.  There will be a crèche facility for boys and siblings from 4.00 – 6.00 pm in the Creative Playroom.  Miss Rebecca will be available to talk to parents until 6.00 pm, on both evenings. 

Summer Uniform
Boys may wear white, short sleeved shirts and green ankle socks, to school this term (except on 21st June when we have class photos).  They should also have their sun caps at school to wear for Games and for play on hot days, so please make sure that it is clearly named.

Sun Screen
Please would you apply sun screen to your son, on very sunny days, before he comes to school.  We will apply a top up on Games afternoons.  Please inform your son’s form teacher if your son is allergic to sun screen or you wish to provide your own.

Should you have any queries or concerns please do not hesitate to get in touch.

With best wishes,

Mrs P T M Cawthorne
The Headmistress

I do hope you all had a most enjoyable Easter break and that the girls have recharged their batteries ready for another very busy term.

News from the Spring Term
The last few days of the Spring Term saw a hive of activity in the Girls’ School. Our Spring Music Concert saw many of the girls performing solos and the Choir sang beautifully. The F1 girls walked around Clapham Common in aid of Walk for Water, raising an impressive £1340 in the process – well done to everyone involved!

Unlike the recent rainy weather, the last Wednesday of term dawned bright and clear and the sun shone down on the girls during the Easter bonnet parade. I was amazed by the fabulous creations and by the work done in the four houses to produce banners and props for the parade – well done to Arundel girls for winning the overall prize.
That afternoon we held our Cross Country Competition. The girls made short work of the route and the first girls over the line recorded some excellent times. Miss Charlotte has totted up the scores and I am pleased to announce that Balmoral was the winning house for both the Junior and Senior races!

Our Prize Giving at the end of term is always a special event for the girls. Arundel proved to have won the most house points over the term, and this was greeted by a deafening round of applause. We are fortunate to have a number of silver cups and trophies presented to the school by current and past parents which we award, together with books and certificates.
We would love to be able to award more cups and if you are interested in presenting one please do get in touch. In particular we would really appreciate cups for History, Geography, Junior and Senior Drama and many of the House events. Well done to everyone who was awarded the Form, Subject and Effort prizes last term and particular congratulations to the following girls who were awarded external prizes:

Summer Term News
We are delighted to welcome Mrs Louise Nickalls to the staff this term. Miss Louise has previously taught at Burntwood School for Girls and Prospect House and she takes on the role of Head of Science. I am sure the girls will benefit greatly from her experience and enthusiasm for her subject.

We are also pleased to welcome one new girl into the school this term. Miranda Holroyd joins us from The Family School and will be in 1B.

I hope the girls have enjoyed taking part in the Readathon for Harrison’s Fund over the holidays. Please may I ask that all sponsorship money is in by Monday 30th April. We are hoping that Harrison’s father, Alex, will be able to join us for an assembly later this term to award t-shirts and certificates to classes who have reached their target.

Please do peruse the term dates which accompany this letter carefully – we have a lot of exciting events planned for this term. Particular dates for your diary are:

As always, please do not hesitate to get in touch should you have any queries or concerns.

With very best wishes

Mrs Sarah Segrave
Headmistress

I hope you all had a restful break and that the boys are looking forward to the new term. Much went on at school in the second half of the Spring Term and I share with you some of the boys’ splendid achievements from February and March.

13+ London Day School Entrance Examinations
Two Year 8 boys sat entrance examinations to a number of London day schools last term and I am delighted to report that they both performed superbly in the examinations and were in the happy position of having a choice of senior schools. Many congratulations to the following boys:
Toby Morrison :  Whitgift
Oles Morris :  Emanuel (also awarded a music scholarship by Royal Russell School)

Senior Play: “Macbeth”
An abridged version of “Macbeth” was performed by boys from Years 7 and 8 at the end of March. It was a brave choice of play and the boys rose to the challenge manfully. There were some excellent performances and, in particular, we congratulate Milo Osborne-Young (Banquo) and Charlie Broad (Lady Macbeth) who were awarded Drama Prizes in Final Assembly. Many thanks to the boys who made up a highly efficient technical team and Miss Allen who offered invaluable help with the props and backdrop. To Mr Rixham we say “Bravo!” for having the courage to offer the boys the chance to tackle serious drama in their Prep School years.

Young Art Competition
Once again the boys have worked hard on their entries for the annual Young Art competition organised by the Royal College of Art. Young Art is now the largest annual exhibition of its kind in London where young artists have the opportunity to exhibit their work at one of the UK’s most prestigious venues. The following eight boys are to be congratulated on having their work selected to be exhibited at the Royal College in May:
Peter Gilbey (4AW), Ben Walsh (4KF), Aman Shirgaokar (4KF), Pedro Azagra (5JL), Henry Darell-Brown (5JL), Mikhail Fedotov (7KJ), Philip Kaddaj (7KJ) and Max Lieberman (7KJ).

Final Assembly
At Final Assembly prizes were awarded to the following boys:

The following cups were awarded to pupils who made a positive contribution in all areas of school life last term:

Many congratulations to all those listed above.

House Music Competition
After the House Singing competition in February, we enjoyed the second part of the House Music Competition in March – for House Ensembles as well as individual performers – which provided a fantastically varied repertoire for an appreciative audience of parents and family members. The individual winners of the different sections were Hugh Spaughton (piano), Tom Klafkowski (singing) and James Tamlyn (cello). The winning House Choir was Balmoral and Windsor’s Ensemble was victorious, with the overall prize going to Arundel.

Many congratulations to Arundel and well done to all who took part from all four Houses. Particular thanks must go to Mrs Newbery and Mr Freer who masterminded everything so efficiently.

General Knowledge Challenge
Our junior and senior teams acquitted themselves very well in the national Satips General Knowledge Challenge last term. Nicholas Hamber was awarded the General Knowledge Cup in Final Assembly and we offer congratulations to the five scoring members of both teams:

Senior Team

Nicholas Hamber (top scorer), Charlie Broad, Oliver Vincent, James Tamlyn and James Maidment.

Junior Team
Rory Muirhead (top scorer), William Richards, Gaspard Baroudel, Luke Player and Oliver Gordon-Brown.

Sports Round-Up
The cross-country races in March brought bright sunshine and excellent support from parents as the boys raced around Clapham Common. Oliver Fox won the senior event in a new school record, with Gaspard Baroudel in 2nd place and James Sloan 3rd. Sam Smith won the junior event, with Kit Bellman in 2nd and Christopher Sloan 3rd. The rugby and hockey matches were keenly contested throughout the term, with victories hard to come by for some of the teams, but notable rugby successes were chalked up by the 1st XV against St Philip’s (31-5) and the under-9s against Ibstock Place (10-0) and James Tamlyn was awarded the Rugby Excellence Cup.

House Chess Competition
The House Chess competition came to an end in March and we congratulate our overall winner, Nikita Gurbatov (7SA), who retained his title for the fourth time, and the year group winners – Jasper Sodha (Year 4), Oliver Gordon-Brown (Year 5), Max de la Guerra (Year 6) and Alexander Spencer (Year 8).

Staff News
We welcome Mrs Louise Nickalls to the staff this term. She has joined us from Prospect House School and will be teaching maths within the Learning Enrichment department and will also teach science in the Prep School from September.

I am sure parents and boys will be keen to congratulate Miss Worthington who got married on 31st March and will now be known as Mrs Hardwick.

Summer Term Events
I trust your son has brought home the new Summer Term calendar for you. I expect you will be highlighting a number of key dates, but I would like to draw your attention to a few events:

I wish the best of luck to the Year 8 boys doing their Common Entrance “mock” examinations next week.

I say “Bon Voyage” to the boys heading off on residential trips next week (Year 6 to France and Year 5 to Osmington Bay in Dorset). As well as being great fun, these trips are so important in developing the boys’ collaborative skills and teaching them how to work and live together harmoniously. My thanks, as ever, go out to the organising members of staff.

The Year 4 boys will be performing “Wind in the Willows” in the Theatre on Thursday 10th May at 6.00 pm. I hope you can be there to support them and I look forward to seeing you all then.

Please note that the Charity Quiz Night takes place on Friday 25th May at 7.00 pm in the Theatre – an occasion when parents and staff can get together and have a bit of fun, whilst raising money for Trinity Hospice. Tickets can be reserved through Jane Doxford and I do hope you will be able to come along.

I hope that the boys have a happy, successful term and that the weather improves very soon!

Best wishes,
Jeremy Edwards

I hope you had a wonderful Easter and a lovely break.

Miss Victoria’s baby boy arrived on April 21st, he is called Ray. Miss Gabi has returned from her maternity leave and is looking forward to meeting her new class in the Yellow Room.

We really appreciate and encourage parents to help out with reading stories, cooking mornings and coming on outings and hope you continue to do so throughout the term. Please see your class teacher if you would like to volunteer.

We have a new white board before you enter the nursery under the lean to. Please check it daily for information. We have an open door policy and encourage constant communication between you and ourselves. I will continue to send letters via email and home with the children. Please let me know if you are not receiving emails.

We have a busy term ahead. Please see your nursery calendar for the full terms events. Parents evening will be held on Thursday 21st June, our nursery fundraiser will be Wednesday 4th July, details to follow.

May I remind all parents to sign the daily sign in sheets at the door of each classroom, we need these to show the exact hours of attendance in accordance to our previous inspection.

Myself and all the nursery staff are looking forward to a busy, fun and hopefully sunny term!

Kind regards
Miss Roosha

It has been an action-packed start to the year and the boys have been very busy over the last five weeks.

Eton College Music Award
I am delighted to report that James Tamlyn, Head Boy, has been awarded a 13+ Music Exhibition by Eton College after completing a demanding audition in front of a panel of musical experts – an experience that James likened to appearing in front of the X-Factor judges!  Many congratulations to James and we look forward to hearing more of his ‘cello playing before he leaves us in July.  However, we offer commiserations to Joseph Pryor who just missed out on an award, but whose superb trumpet playing was singled out for special praise by the Eton music department.

Satips Challenge (General Knowledge Quiz)
As preparation for the Satips Challenge, the Prep Schools’ General Knowledge Quiz competition, we had the whole school sitting a general knowledge test in the middle of January.  The top ten performers in Years 4, 5 and 6 were invited to make up the Junior Team and the top performers in Years 7 and 8 were invited to join the Senior Team.  The twenty boys sat the Challenge on 2^nd February and we should hear how the boys got on at the end of term.

Public Speaking Competition
I was entertained and enthralled by the range and power of the boys’ performances in the finals of the Public Speaking Competition last week.  In this Olympic year, every boy had been asked to learn an inspiring speech related to the theme of sport and the finalists rose to the occasion brilliantly.  The joint winners of the Year 8 section, Milo Osborne-Young and James Maidment, gave two very contrasting speeches and both were brilliant in their own ways.  James delivered an erudite speech written by himself full of thought-provoking images, whereas Milo chose to recite that hilarious speech by Boris Johnson about the countdown to the 2012 Olympics.  There were many excellent performances to savour from boys of all ages and the following were selected as winners of their respective year groups :

Year 4 : Otto Jonas
Year 5 : Max Haigh & Cameron Piedra
Year 6 : Benedict Griffin
Year 7 : Oliver Fox
Year 8 : James Maidment & Milo Osborne-Young

We offer congratulations to the winners, of course, and every pupil who spent hours choosing a suitable piece and preparing for his performance.  The boys have been given tremendous support from their English teachers and parents and I particularly wish to thank Ms Lively for co-ordinating everything so efficiently.

House Bake Off Competition
A splendid new competition was proposed this term by our resident Master Chef, Mr Rixham, and the boys had great fun testing out their culinary skills.  In the Grand Final, Arundel’s team of chefs (led by Charlie Davies) saw off the significant challenge of Balmoral (led by Daniel Halstead) with the final scores being 98 – 95.  I can personally confirm that all the muffins produced by the boys were very tasty indeed!  Many thanks to Mr Rixham and our judges, Mr Clayton Snr and Mr Clayton Jnr.

Sports News
The weather has not been ideal for sporting events over the last few weeks, but there have been some great performances from our boys in the first half of term.  Highlights include our 1^st XV rugby players’ emphatic 31-5 victory over St Philip’s and our under-10 “A” team hockey players’ narrow 3-2 victory over Newton Prep.  On a freezing day in late January, Oliver Fox competed in the London Schools’ Cross-Country race on Parliament Hills in Hampstead and finished in 6^th place even though he was up against older boys – a hugely impressive performance.

Year 7 Residential Trip : 27^th February – 2^nd March
The Year 7 boys are heading off to Flatford Mill on Monday 27^th February, returning on Friday 2^nd March, with Mrs Williams, Miss Allen and Mr Jeans.  I am sure they will learn a great deal from the trip, as well as having the opportunity to complete their research for their Common Entrance geography coursework.

World Book Day : 1^st March
On Thursday 1^st March we will be celebrating World Book Day and I hope your sons will come to school dressed up as a character from a favourite book.

Cross-Country Races : 13^th and 14^th March
All boys will compete in the school cross-country races on Tuesday 13^th March (for Years 4 & 5) and Wednesday 14^th March (for Years 6 – 8 ) at 2.30 pm.  Please come along to support and feel free to jog the last half mile with them, if you are so inclined!

Year 8 Parents’ Evening : 19^th March
I hope Year 8 parents have noted from the school calendar that there will be a Parents’ Evening on Monday 19^th March and we will be able to update you on your son’s progress this term ahead of the Common Entrance “mocks” in late April.  Further details will be sent home after half-term.

Senior Play (”Macbeth”) : 22^nd March
The senior boys from Years 7 and 8 will be performing an abridged version of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” at 6.30 pm on Thursday 22^nd March and I hope you will come along to support.  Pupils, parents and family members are all most welcome.

House Music Competition : 27^th March
The House Singing competition takes place this afternoon, but the House Singing is just part of the wider House Music Competition and we shall hear individual singers, instrumentalists and bands in the second part of the competition at 6.00 pm on Tuesday 27^th March, which I hope you will be able to attend.

I look forward to seeing you again at 8.30 am on Monday 20^th February.  Whether you are on the slopes, on the beach or staying at home, I wish you all an enjoyable half-term break.

Yours sincerely,
Jeremy Edwards

Welcome back, I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and here is to a happy and healthy 2012.

Miss Georgina has returned from her travels and is looking forward to getting to know her new class.

Miss Laura has a training placement until half term so Miss Emily will be with Miss Victoria in the Blue Room.

The children love inviting their mummies, daddies and other family members to read or help with cooking. Please feel free to continue to volunteer for these as it is such a special and important event for the children. Could you please come and see me beforehand as I am required to fill in a Volunteer Risk Assessment form, thank you for your help in this matter.

I have finally received the Pixy Treasure delivery. I am very sorry for the delay.

I would like to bring your attention to the date of our Parents Evening this term, which will be held on Thursday 15th March.

We will also be holding our very first Valentine Cake sale on Friday 10th February, we would greatly appreciate any cakes or biscuits for this occasion. If anyone would like to help, please let me know.

The nursery doors open at 8.40am. The morning session finishes at 12.00, the doors will be open at 11.50 to ease congestion. Children who stay for the afternoon can be collected at 3.30pm. If anyone other than you is collecting your child, or you drop off late or collect your child early please sign the registration book hanging on the classroom door. Please continue to sign in the daily sheets located by the entrance to your classroom.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to come and see me. I am based in the Green Room.

Kind regards,

Miss Roosha
Head of Nursery

I hope you have enjoyed the Christmas and New Year celebrations and feel refreshed and rested. Before looking ahead to the Spring Term, I will reflect for a moment on some of the school events that took place in the last few weeks of the Autumn Term.

Mind Over Manor Quiz
A splendid Mind Over Manor Quiz Competition came to a dramatic climax at the end of November, with Stirling defeating Balmoral in the final. Congratulations to the victorious Stirling team – Ben Walsh, Cameron Piedra, Harry Broad, Oliver Mawdsley and Harry Broad.

“Bugsy Malone” : Year 6 Play
On 29th November the Year 6 boys gave us a tremendous production of “Bugsy Malone”. Double-breasted suits and flouncy dresses were the order of the day and the boys clearly had enormous fun performing for us. It was a super team effort, but we congratulate Rory Muirhead, in particular, for his excellent portrayal of Bugsy. Many congratulations to Miss Allen for the wonderful back-drop and the director, Mr Rixham, for all his hard work with the boys. Bravo to all involved!

Music Concert
Our Christmas music concert took place on 8th December in the Theatre and there was a wonderfully diverse selection of pieces from the boys, with all age groups represented, and I know the boys loved playing to a full house! Thank you for your support and well done to all the performers.

Carol Service
The whole school attended our Carol Service at Holy Trinity Church on 14th December and it was a delightful occasion, with the Year Group choirs, the Chamber Choir, the Vocal Ensemble and all the readers performing brilliantly. Mrs Newbery, ably assisted by Mr Freer, deserves particular praise for her tremendous work in masterminding the concert and carol service.

Final Assembly
At Final Assembly on the last day of term prizes were awarded to the following boys :

The following cups were awarded to pupils who made a positive contribution in all areas of school life last term:

Year 4 Industry Cup : Jasper Sodha
Year 5 Quaich : Henry Darell-Brown
Year 6 Discipilo Egregio : Jack Maidment
Year 7 Deputy Head’s Cup : Freddy Campbell-Gray
Year 8 Headmaster’s Cup : Jamie Allen

Choir Cup : Charlie Broad
Drama Cup (Year 6): Rory Muirhead
Good Show Cup : Alexander Spencer
Junior Footballer of the Year : Jude Russell
“Golden Boot” : Jack Hunter-Lees (15 goals)
Footballing Excellence Cup : James Sloan
Senior Footballer of the Year : Alexander Spencer
House Points Cup : Arundel

Many congratulations to all those listed above.

New Staff for 2012
We welcome this term the following new members of staff :
Mr Saddington (gap student), Mrs Mann (piano / theory teacher) and Miss Wyatt (violin teacher).

Year 8 Examinations in January
The examinations went very well at the end of November and, for the boys in Year 8 only, there are more practice CE papers to sit on Monday and Tuesday next week; the boys should already have brought home a timetable.

Spring Term Calendar
I hope your son has brought home the new Spring Term calendar and that he is excited by the many events planned for this term.

Competitions
Over the next five weeks the boys will be able to enjoy many competitions at lunchtime or after school, including Public Speaking, Baking, General Knowledge, Chess and Singing !

In this special Olympic year, I hope the boys have selected an inspiring sporting piece for the Public Speaking competition and that they have started to learn it off by heart. They will be asked to perform their piece to their classmates over the next few weeks, as the finals take place on 31st January (Years 4 – 6) and 7th February (Years 7 & 8).

Year 7 Trip to Flatford Mill
The Year 7 boys will be heading off to Flatford Mill (in Constable country) from Monday 27th February until Friday 2nd March. The boys will be able to combine their geographical explorations for their Common Entrance fieldwork with some sketching and painting during the week.

It promises to be an exciting start to the New Year! I hope the boys work hard and have a happy and successful term.

Yours sincerely,
Jeremy Edwards

Happy New Year! I hope you have had a wonderful Christmas holiday and that the boys have had a chance to re-charge their batteries ready for the term ahead. As usual we have much planned for the forthcoming term.

Staff
Miss Naomie, who is teaching French in the Pre-Prep while Miss Anouska has been on maternity leave, will be leaving us at half-term, as Miss Anouska is returning to work. We thank Miss Naomie for all the hard work and dedication she has displayed in the short time she has been with us. Apart from teaching stimulating French lessons, she has been a great asset to the school and has even got to grips with re-organising books in the library.

We welcome Nic Marot as our new GAP assistant. He is from Australia and will be working in the Pre-Prep for a whole year, which is wonderful.

Important Dates
You will see from the Spring Term Calendar that we have a stimulating and busy few weeks ahead of us. Please do check the dates carefully – particularly important ones to note are:

25th January – 8+ Examinations
27th January – Scholarship interviews and practicals
3rd February – Second Hand Uniform Sale at 8.30 am
13th – 17th February – half-term
27th February – Book week begins
29th February – Costume Day – boys to come to school dressed as a character from a book
15th March – Spring Fair
29th March – End of Term

You will also find a copy of the calendar and other useful information, such as this term’s lunch menus, on the website.

Advance Warning
This year Sports Day will be held on Wednesday, 4th July starting at 10.00 am, at the Battersea Millenium Stadium. Please note that there will be no afternoon school on this day.

If you have any queries or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

With very best wishes to you all for the New Year and the term ahead!

Yours sincerely,

Mrs P T M Cawthorne
The Headmistress