The Year 7 girls took over the top floor for their ‘Loft Night’ last Friday and had a blast with bubbling blueberry facemasks, hand massages and popcorn, courtesy of Mrs Layfield and Miss Hand. This week also marked the return of the much-loved talent night, with lots of singing, dancing and laughter in the Lower Den! Many thanks to our brilliant boarding staff for yet another great week in the dorms.
Our choristers enjoyed a fantastic trip to Milton Abbey on Monday for a Choral Workshop and Concert alongside five other choirs. The children worked together on excerpts from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’, finishing with a wonderful performance in the abbey to an audience of parents and friends. Our biggest thanks to Milton Abbey’s Director of Music, Nikki Budd, and to everyone we met for giving us such a warm welcome and an inspirational day.
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.
