This week in STEM science club, senior pupils have been working towards their CREST Awards, the British Science Association’s scheme for STEM projects that inspires young people to think and behave like scientists and engineers. As part of the awards, they have to complete a 10 hour project – with different groups running experiments on bath bombs, tea bags and lemonade.
Our Year 8 pupils battled it out in the Grundy Hall last week, contesting the motion ‘This house believes nothing is more precious than independence.’ After some rousing speeches and thoughtful questioning from the floor, the motion was defeated by a miniscule margin. Well done to all our speakers, along with our super-efficient timekeeper and Chair. We are very proud of you all.
Scholarship season is well under way and we are thrilled to bits with the news that five of our pupils have been awarded scholarships to King’s Bruton. These awards sit alongside Stella’s Sports Scholarship to Blundell’s and Lucy’s Art and Drama Scholarship to Wellington School, and are a testament to the rich tapestry of opportunities we provide at Perrott Hill. Very well done to you all and we look forward to announcing more scholarship news over the coming months.
Years 1 and 2 have been honing their survival skills in Forest School this week, with workshops on fire lighting and shelter building; the children made a ‘blobster’ to leave in their shelter until next week, when they will find out how efficient it was. Others were using the bow saws and hammers to finish their owls and they all came together to tuck into some toast and eggs – wrapped in foil and baked on the fire, of course!
Many thanks to Rob Woodman, Head of Cricket at King’s College, Taunton, who ran a brilliant coaching session for our pupils in the Sports Hall yesterday. Rob specialises in batting and fielding, having played for Somerset and Gloucestershire, and it was great to see our boys and girls benefiting from his skills and experience. Thanks, Rob!
The whole school took part in a Hunger Lunch (soup and bread) last week, to raise money for and awareness of the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. The idea was put forward by our Year 6 children, who have been looking at the conflict and the devastating impact it has had on the country’s children, who are facing a triple threat of bombs, disease and hunger. They have been learning about all the work Save the Children are doing to help those in need and have created some incredible pieces of art showing Yemen’s beautiful architecture in collapse, but each with a glimmer of ‘hope’ – that with all our help, the sun will shine again. Keep up the amazing work Save the Children; the entire Perrott Hill community is very proud to support you.
Congratulations to our show jumpers who enjoyed a very successful day at Moreton recently. They were joined for the NSEA event by debutants Nia and Lucy who both rode well in the 70cm individual event. In the team event Ted, Lola, Anouska and Poppy (pictured) came 6th in the 80cm class in a very competitive field and went on to gain 3rd in the 90/95cm Royal Windsor qualifier. They missed out by just one second! In the individual event with no fewer than 91 riders competing, Anouska, Lola and Ted came 2nd, 4th and 5th respectively. Well done, team – what incredible achievements – and good luck at Bicton in February.
Very well done to brothers Harry and George, who have qualified for the British Schools’ Modern Biathlon Championships 2019. Well done to you both – and good luck in March!
Every week, our senior pupils go down to the Pre-Prep to help the younger children with their reading. It’s such a joy to see, and helps both the older and the younger pupils grow in confidence. As Old Perrott Hillian Daisy, who is now Head Girl at Taunton School, told us recently: “Reading to the children in Pre-Prep and helping with playtime was such a formative experience and one which improved my patience and communication skills. Not only that, but it made me realise that the experience of being looked after by your peers is precious. They provided a role model for me and I know now that I tried to emulate some of these figures when I was a senior pupil at Perrott Hill myself.” What lovely words! It’s wonderful to see it in action.
Our Eco Team visited Carymoor Environmental Trust last week, which is one of Somerset’s two landfill sites. It is home to 48 years’ worth of rubbish, some of which will take thousands of years to decompose. ‘Standing on huge hills with 15 metres of rubbish beneath you is a real eye-opener,’ said Mr Coverdale, our Head of Geography, Year 8 Tutor and Eco Team Leader. The team have been learning about the vast amounts of rubbish we send to landfill and the many environmental issues this creates. They’ve also been looking at how we can improve the situation through recycling, reusing and reducing. Some excellent learning, both in and out of the classroom.
