A leading independent prep school in Somerset, offering excellence in education for 2-13 year olds
Year 5 have been studying the Roman way of life in Latin with Dr L-C. As part of their work on the Roman Baths they have learnt all about defixiones (or curse tablets), which were often left in Roman bathhouses in an attempt to punish thieves who stole clothing and property from the baths. The children then had a go at creating their own defixiones using the formula found on curse tablets at Aqua Sulis (Bath, Somerset). Labor optime… but don’t try this as home!
Children in Years 3-8 were captivated by a reading from ‘The Wind in the Willows’ on Wednesday, courtesy of Perrott parent and actor, Harry Hadden-Paton – the first speaker in our new series of ‘Stories from the Orange Chair’. Harry’s extract followed the fortunes of the incorrigible Toad who is on the run, having escaped imprisonment disguised as a washer woman. Thank you to Harry for giving up his time and for helping to reveal the magic of the written word.
We were delighted to welcome four local primary schools to Perrott Hill last week for our Year 6 Mock Trial, an annual event involving a fictional court case and a team of magistrates from the Yeovil Magistrates’ Court. Very well done to the children in competing teams from Preston, Hambridge, Chilthorne Domer, Ash and Perrott Hill, who all performed brilliantly and should feel very proud of themselves indeed! This year we entered two Perrott teams, with each achieving success: 6Y won their trial against 6G by successfully acquitting the defendant, alleged fly tipper Lee Smedley, while 6G went on to win the competition for their overall team performance. Well done to 6G’s resident Court Artist, Piper, who was named the winning Court Artist! Our thanks go to Mr Silk for organising the event, to the trio of Yeovil Magistrates who adjudicated the trials, and to former Perrott parent (and Managing Partner at Humphries Kirk Solicitors) Victoria Pearson, who helped the children with their preparation in the run up.
We recently published a limited edition book of songs written by Perrott Hill pupils over the past few years, which is now proudly on display in the Grundy Hall. Initially started as a lockdown project, the pupils (and Dr Berkeley!) became so inspired by their newfound passion for song writing that they continued into 2021 and beyond, with the children being encouraged to compose their own songs based on a particular passion of theirs. From ‘The Dinosaur History Song’ by Eliza to ‘Donuts’ by Scarlet, the book is a journey through different melodies and genres, and we couldn’t be prouder to have brought it to print. Very well done to all the pupils who contributed.
Factory farming was the hot topic at Friday’s Year 7 debate, as pupils argued the pros and cons of intensive agriculture. Very well done to both teams who presented their ideas with poise, and to the chair and timekeeper for leading the proceedings. Following some fervent questioning from the floor, the motion to ban factory farming was carried by 52 votes to 26. Very well done to everyone who took part.
Well done to our Year 5 boys who competed in the recent U10 Rugby Festival at Queen’s College, Taunton. It was a brilliant event and the boys enjoyed playing matches against Blundell’s, Millfield Prep, King’s Hall and West Buckland. The festival followed hot on the heels of two earlier tournaments: our U11 boys took part in the IAPS Rugby Tournament at Sherborne a few weeks ago and our U11 girls played in the IAPS Girls’ Hockey Tournament at Millfield earlier in the month. Many thanks to Queen’s, Sherborne and Millfield for hosting.
Calling all Old Perrott Hillians! If you haven’t yet signed up to receive our termly Review magazine and other occasional news and invites, you can do so via Libby Kind on oph@perrotthill.com. Libby is aiming to build our network of OPHs over the coming months and we’d love to hear from you. Former parents and staff members are very welcome too, of course, and please share with anyone else you know who’d like to join our club.
Some of our Year 3 boys boarded for the first time on Friday night and, judging by their smiles, we’d say it was a success! They had great fun painting personalised mugs with the rest of the boarders, courtesy of the brilliant Lizzie from Pot Doodles in Yeovil, before settling down for some hot chocolate and games.
It was a pleasure to welcome our friends from Feltonfleet School this weekend, to play our annual Remembrance fixtures and to celebrate the strong bond between our schools. During the Second World War in 1940, the staff and pupils of Feltonfleet School were evacuated to what was then the North Perrott Manor where they stayed for the duration of the war. Following their return to Surrey in 1946, one of the Feltonfleet teachers, Mr Bill Grundy, along with his wife Nora, returned to the manor and Perrott Hill Prep School was born. Alongside our hockey fixtures on Saturday morning, the children also competed in The Haddock Cup, a cross country race named after the late John Haddock who was one of the Feltonfleet pupils who spent the war years in North Perrott and remained a regular visitor until his death in 2018. Very well done to all the pupils from both schools for coming together this weekend with such joy and pride, and an extra special thank you to those families who played host. Proud to be Perrott.
