The dorms were ringing with laughter last night as our first ‘Grab a Bed’ night of the year took place. It was so lovely to see all the Prep children, from the youngest in Year 3 up to the seniors in Year 8, come together for fun and games across the school. Many thanks to our brilliant boarding staff for yet another great experience!
Our U8 and U9 teams enjoyed a cracking start to the season this week, with rugby and hockey matches against Sherborne Prep. It was a pleasure to host you all! Well done to all the players for their energy and commitment.
Year 8 read an extract from Daphne du Maurier’s gothic novel Rebecca in English this week, before looking at how atmosphere had been created in the script. They then wrote a short piece of text and, using some of Pie Corbett’s poetry rules, they chopped and changed their prose into a piece of poetry. Mrs Catchpole was blown away by the resulting pieces of work, including this (pictured) by Nia.
Year 7 pupils went to London with the Headmaster and Director of Music yesterday, where they enjoyed a guided tour of the Royal Albert Hall followed by a trip to the brilliant Wonderlab at the Science Museum, where they immersed themselves in more than 50 hands-on exhibits (special mention to Erica, who assisted in the Rocket Show!). The day culminated back at the Royal Albert Hall where the children watched the incredible Prom 72: Symphonie fantastique, as part of the BBC Proms. A truly unforgettable day and we only wish the Royal Albert Hall could have been filled with children, so they could all have left as fired up about Berlioz as ours did! Our biggest thanks to the magical Aurora Orchestra for inspiring the next generation – and to the children, whose behaviour and conduct outside of school was impeccable.
It was lovely to see the Year 6 pupils in Pre-Prep this week; they’ve each been allocated a reading buddy in Years 1 and 2 and will spend time with them every Tuesday morning, providing support and encouragement as they build their literacy skills. Many thanks to Ms Williams, Mr Edgar, Miss Fussell and Madame Brooks for fostering such a strong link between the children; we’re excited to see their progression across the year!
After the summer break, our friendly and relaxed Parent and Toddler Group for 0-3 year olds returns this Friday afternoon. It is run by the wonderful Miss Becky and takes place from 2pm to 3.30pm in our Nursery, providing the perfect introduction to the school for those who may be interested in the future. If you’d like to come along, please email Camilla on admissions@perrotthill.com or call 01460 72051.
We are thrilled with our latest review in the brilliant Tatler Schools Guide 2020 – on sale today! “One parent tells how they fell in love with this school as soon as they set eyes on the boot racks filled with muddy wellies,” it begins, before reporting that children are ‘well-mannered but full of adventure’. It continues: “After one year in post, Head Alex McCullough has much to be proud of: his first term saw the highest number of admissions enquiries in the school’s history and 2019’s leavers won 24 scholarships and awards, including a rugby scholarship to Millfield.” Many thanks to all at Tatler; once again, we are proud to be Perrott!
We were honoured to have Dr Dominic Luckett, Headmaster of Sherborne School, as our Guest Speaker at last term’s Prize Giving. Dr Luckett spoke about the joy and wonder of events like this but also the importance of recognising that you don’t have to be one of life’s big prize winners to achieve greatness. It was an inspirational speech with a strong message – thank you, Dominic.
As well as waving off our senior pupils at the end of last term, we also said goodbye to these valued members of staff (along with Mr Meadley, Mrs Nagel and Mrs Goss, who are not pictured). Mr Kane deserves a special mention, having been with the school for an incredible 17 years and serving as the Joint Acting Head alongside Mr Silk last year. One particularly memorable moment, according to Mrs Dare on our domestic team, was when he hid in a cupboard in the maths room one day and jumped o…ut on her while she was cleaning the room. “I remember that,” laughs Mr Kane. “It must have been over a decade ago…” So what is he going to miss the most? “Everything!” he says. “From the changing seasons to the actual manor house; I have a great respect for how old it is and how well it has looked after generations of children, staff and parents. Most of all though, I will miss the people – the children, the staff, the parents and the community of North Perrott.” Thank you for everything, Mr Kane, and thank you to each of our departing staff members for playing their part in making Perrott Hill the small but mighty school it is today. We are now looking forwarding to welcoming new staff and families for the start of the academic year on Monday!
Our Year 6 pupils enjoyed the most incredible Latin trip to Hadrian’s Wall at the start of the summer holidays. As well as visiting Segedunum and getting to see the excavated fort from the 35 metre high viewing tower (wow!), they experienced what life was like at one of the Roman Empire’s most northern outposts and took in some amazing Roman reconstructions at Arbeia Roman Fort in South Shields. They also visited the wonderful Housesteads Roman Fort and were at Vindolanda (The Roman Army Museum, where they had a Latin lesson with holographic teacher from the past, Velius Longus!) when the team uncovered a beautiful little oil lamp from the Antonine excavation. What a phenomenal week of bringing Latin to life… Our biggest thanks to Mr Patrick, Mr and Mrs McCullough and Ms Williams – and to all at Mowden Hall School for letting us stay there. A truly unforgettable four days.
