A leading independent prep school in Somerset, offering excellence in education for 2-13 year olds
Our Nursery and Reception children welcomed a very special visitor last week – none other than the Nick (aka the Bugman) from the brilliant Bugfest. Armed with his troupe of many-legged friends, Nick showed off his selection of minibeasts, including giant centipedes, scorpions and tarantulas, and talked to the children about their characteristics and natural habitats. The visit consolidated the children’s learning about minibeasts as part of the EYFS curriculum and was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Thanks for another entertaining and educational morning, Nick.
We finally broke our duck in style on Wednesday afternoon with the long-awaited return of competitive sports matches against other schools. Many thanks to Hazlegrove for a great afternoon of cricket – big smiles all round!
Our Pre-Prep tennis players have been in fine fettle this week. Under the watchful eye of coaches, Richard Douglas and Jan Vincent, the children have been practising their volleying at the net. Great work Years 1 and 2; keep it up!
Year 7 have been encouraged to unleash their inner architect in ICT with Mr Andrews, using Sketchup to design their dream house. Last week, their designs were sent off for judging and we are delighted to reveal the winners. In 3rd place is Rosie for her farmhouse style with paddock; in 2nd place is Magnus for a well thought out design and clear labelling of spaces; and in 1st place and being crowned the winner is Barnaby, who impressed with his contemporary design and great use of materials. Very well done to you all and we look forward to seeing what you achieve in the future!
4H had great fun making water filters in science yesterday, as part of their work on separating techniques. Meanwhile, Year 5 are investigating the reaction between acids and alkalis (in this case, vinegar and bicarbonate of soda). They learnt first-hand how it can produce enough carbon dioxide gas to pressurise a film canister and launch it 30ft into the air! A great few days of practicals with Mrs Layfield.
It was all about minibeasts in EYFS last week! On Wednesday, the Reception children went on a minibeast hunt around the school and found tadpoles, bees, ants, flies and woodlice, before returning to the classroom to write about their adventure. Meanwhile, in Nursery the children read Eric Carle’s ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ and made their own caterpillars using recycled egg boxes. Many thanks to our wonderful Pre-Prep staff for a great start to the term.
We are extremely proud to introduce our new Head Boy, Head Girl and Prefects. The team enjoyed a Prefects’ Tea in the Headmaster’s Study on Friday, where they discussed their roles and responsibilities for the term. Beau and Ashtyn had their first official duties as Head Boy and Head Girl this week, as they took part in some filming for our upcoming Virtual Open Mornings.
Our Director of Music, Mr Shortman, wears many harmonious hats at Perrott Hill; yesterday, he took on the role of a crocodile for his music lesson in Nursery! What a lovely sight – we can’t wait to (hopefully) hear our youngest children sing at Celebration Morning later in the term… In yesterday’s assembly, we celebrated the success of Prep pupils Harry, Willoughby and Mia, who recently passed their ABRSM Grade 1 music results on the clarinet and cello with merit and distinction. Excellent news and even more so considering they’d prepared for their exams remotely! Very well done to you all.
In true Perrott style, pupils wasted no time getting stuck into the summer term this week… The Headmaster’s assembly on Monday was about footwear, with Mr McCullough bringing along a selection from his own wardrobe. The children discussed the suitability of each item for the job at hand – from golf shoes and flip flops to slippers and wellies. They then discussed the expression ‘Don’t judge a person until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes’, with Year 7 pupil, Magnus, explaining the meaning behind this. The children also observed a minute’s silence to remember His Royal Highness Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, and were played in by Year 6 pupils, Evie and Ruby, on the violin. We’re looking forward to a lively and energetic term!
We are back and are delighted to share a glimpse into our latest Review magazine, which went home with parents and pupils on the last day of term. Fifty pages packed full of the latest goings on at Perrott Hill, from book clubs and boarding to current affairs and community action. We are always proud to celebrate a breadth of excellence at school and this year’s successes (so far) include the Leweston Cross Country Competition, the King’s Taunton Prep School Strava Challenge, the Forde Abbey RDA Short Story Competition and the prestigious BSA Awards where we were crowned the winner of the Supporting Junior Boarders award! Bravo to our brilliant pupils for rising to the challenge of the past two terms – we’re looking forward to even more sport, music, art, drama, academics and boarding when term starts next week…
