A leading independent prep school in Somerset, offering excellence in education for 2-13 year olds
Just before half term, we hosted a corker of a lecture for Years 3-8 by none other than actor extraordinaire, James Purefoy. James spoke to the children about his 40-year career, which has included more than 250 hours of television, 32 feature films, 33 plays, nine radio plays, seven short films, three commercials and one pop video. He talked about how he got into acting, told some hilarious stories about stunts gone wrong and gave tips on overcoming stage fright. He then let pupils handle his prized props, took them on a whistlestop tour of the world in accents and got the whole Theatre singing a sea shanty to tie in with his latest film, ‘Fisherman’s Friends: One and All’. Thank you, James, it was a real treat.
Do you know your Howgate Wonder from your Blenheim Orange? Last week the children were invited to identify eight varieties of apples all grown within a stone’s throw of the school by the Hoskyns family in their orchards besides Willis Lane. The first two winning entries picked at the end of the week won bottle of the Hoskyns’ delicious Parrett brand apple juice. Well done to our Year 4 pupils who ran the quiz at morning break times all week, and to all those who took part.
Year 2 stepped back in time in their history lessons before half term to explore what life was like in 17th century London. Using a range of historical sources, such as excerpts from the famous diary of Samuel Pepys and maps (a big thank you to Willow’s Dad for sharing his artefacts with us), the children discovered how the Great Fire of London began and why it lasted five whole days! They were also inspired by artists of the time as they created their own dramatic scenes. Great work, Year 2.
There were some seriously spooky goings on in school on Monday, as our boarders gathered in the gruesome Grundy Hall for a Halloween feast and party games. Big thanks to our amazing catering and boarding teams for a frightful night of fun!
Many thanks to Canford for hosting a fantastic science workshop for Year 6 pupils before half term. Running as part of their annual ‘Festival of Ideas’, the stand-up science show by Ian B Dunne featured a range of experiments (including sparks, bangs and levitating objects!) and was great fun.
Our EYFS Celebration of Work took place in the Theatre and was on the topic of ‘all about ourselves’. The children talked about all the lovely things they’d learnt so far in class and sang some wonderful songs. They also showed off their mixed media self-portraits and their ‘what makes me special’ rainbows. Well done, Nursery and Reception; Miss Becky, Miss Jo and Mrs McCullough are very proud.
The first debate of the academic year took place recently, with Year 8 pupils debating the motion ‘This House believes that digital devices should replace paper and books in school’. Following some fervid arguments from both sides and questions from the floor, the motion was defeated by 49 votes to 40 – a surprise result and one which left Mr Silk and Mrs Byrne breathing a sigh of relief! We were particularly pleased to have Years 3 and 4 with us and hope it inspired them to get involved when their time comes. Very well done to the speakers (Ellie, Ruby, Oliver, Daisy, Alice and Kai), chair (Harry) and timekeeper (Rose).
Perrott Hill was named as one of only six finalists for Small Independent School of the Year at last night’s Independent Schools Awards in London. We didn’t win (congratulations to St Ives School Haslemere) but it was an honour to be up there with some of the biggest and best schools in the country. Very well done to all the winners and finalists!
The Perrott Young Farmers paid a visit to Old Perrott Hillian Edward Bowditch’s dairy herd at Knowle Farm near Beaminster last Thursday. A brilliant tour of the milking parlour, the calf pens and the silage clamp was crowned with a delicious home-baked sponge cake! Thank you to everyone involved.
Years 6-8 Book Clubbers arrived to Thursday’s meeting to find the the Loft converted into a forest glade courtesy of Mrs Byrnes’ foraging skills! Her box of pine cones and leaves helped to set the scene for an animated discussion on Katya Balen’s Carnegie Medal winning book, ‘October, October’. The children were left to wonder what lies in store on Thursday 24th November when Helen Rutter’s ‘The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh’ will be under the spotlight…
