A leading independent prep school in Somerset, offering excellence in education for 3-13 year olds
The first week of remote learning is sailing by, and we are bowled over by the energy and enthusiasm our pupils (and staff!) have put into this new way of working. From setting up their own Forest Schools and art studios to getting stuck into sport, music and a whole range of extra-curricular activities, we are so proud of you all. Keep it up!
As we close the doors on Perrott Hill for the foreseeable future, we are reminded of what a caring and compassionate community we are part of, and how very proud we are of our school. Last week, parents and staff rallied to help each other and pupils were busy writing letters to the residents of the West Abbey Care Home in Yeovil, as well as painting pictures for their walls. “I know you are probably sad because your family can’t see you,” wrote Zac. “I really hope this will all blow away soon so they can come and visit.” “If you need any help, please do not hesitate to get in touch,” wrote Sebastian. What kind and thoughtful words from our pupils. Stay safe, everyone; we’ll be back before you know it.
Congratulations to our brilliant Year 6 children, who acted their hearts out in the stage adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s war novel, ‘Private Peaceful’, last night. It was incredible! A big thank you to the Year 5s for their superb musical accompaniment, to Melanie Stamp, Taunton School’s Head of Drama, for lending her expertise with the rehearsals last week, and to Mr Shortman and all the many staff involved behind the scenes. Finally, a special thank you to the show’s director and the driving force behind it all, Mr Silk. Well done, everyone.
Congratulations to Year 6 pupil, Lily, who was this week crowned the winner of the St Mary’s Shaftesbury ‘Born to Write’ creative writing competition (Junior Category) – and to Harry, Katya and Ollie, who were each awarded Highly Commended in their categories. “I was astounded by the level of entries we had this year,” says St Mary’s Librarian, Min Edmonds, who is also a judge for the Radio 2 500 Words competition. “The clever interpretations of this year’s theme, ‘Earth’, were truly impressive and showed such wonderful imagination. The prize winners should be very proud of their achievement.” Many thanks to Mrs Byrne and Mr Silk for their encouragement and guidance in the run up, to author and Achievement for All ambassador, Joffre White, who had the pleasure of judging this year’s competition, and to all at St Mary’s Shaftesbury for a brilliant and hugely inspiring event.
Many congratulations to Alistair, who has been awarded an Academic Scholarship to King’s College, Taunton. Alistair is something of a trail blazer as last year he became our first finalist in the St Mary’s, Shaftesbury ‘Born to Write’ competition – which this year featured not one but four Perrott Hill pupils as finalists. Very well done on your scholarship success, Alistair; it is thoroughly deserved.
We are delighted to share the news that Perrott Hill has been shortlisted for the Branding Impact Award at the upcoming AMCIS Awards 2020. Not only does AMCIS (the UK body for Admissions, Marketing and Communications in Independent Schools) have over 500 member schools across the country, but its Board of Directors is made up of senior staff at some of the top schools in the country – so this is high praise, indeed (and we must say a huge thank you to our friends at Coastline, who we formed a partnership with in 2017; they are an excellent local design agency by the sea who are doing incredible things). Once again, we are the only standalone prep school in the category and are up against our friends from Sherborne School and Sherborne Girls, as well as Burgess Hill Girls, Cardiff Sixth Form College, Haberdashers’ Monmouth Schools and Wolverhampton Grammar School. What excellent company to be in! Proud to be Perrott.
Children and staff from Nursery to Year 5 dressed up in their finest literary attire to celebrate World Book Day this week – and we had everything from the BFG and Charlie Bucket to Harry Potter and Snow White. The children thoroughly enjoyed taking part in activities across the school, with Mrs Layfield’s shadow puppets in the science lab being a particular hit. A brilliant day celebrating the joy and wonder of books!
Human rights lawyer and founder of Reprieve, Clive Stafford Smith, gave a thought provoking talk to Years 7 and 8 this week. Clive, who founded Reprieve in 1999 in order to help people who suffer extreme human rights abuses at the hands of the world’s most powerful governments, challenged the pupils’ perceptions on the use of torture and implored them to ‘question everything’ in their dealings with authority. It was a fascinating talk and full of insight. Many thanks, Clive.
The latest edition of our termly school magazine, Review, is out now and brimming with news and events from last term. From our community action morning and the Christmas Show to Deborah Johnson’s incredible masterclass in lighting (the results of which are featured on the front cover), we can scarcely believe we packed it all in!
A brilliant afternoon of sport for our Prep pupils last Wednesday, with netball matches against Sherborne Girls, football with Port Regis and a great rugby sevens training session led by Sherborne School’s Director of Rugby Coaching, Jack Howden, with Sherborne Prep. A top afternoon of prep school sport in the sunshine; many thanks to all involved.
