Prep Positive Press

Nursery – What is your Superpower?

Starting Nursery is an exciting time for the girls and for their parents, but it does not come without challenge. Many of the girls are experiencing their first time away from the familiar faces of home and some of the girls have experienced a change of setting. For the girls who are familiar with our school, change has been in the form of some of their friends moving to Reception and welcoming new girls to the school.

During the first few days, some girls were eager to explore straight away while others needed a little more time to adjust. The Early Years team has been working closely with each child, offering reassurance and encouragement and it has been wonderful to see the girls becoming more familiar and relaxed in our setting enabling their curiosity and their smiles to shine through.

Parents have also shown bravery during this settling in period. Letting go for those first few days can be just as challenging for adults as it is for the children. We want to extend a special thank you to all the parents for your trust and cooperation as we navigated these first steps together.

The first few weeks have been incredible, and it has been wonderful to see how much the youngest members of the school have already grown in confidence and adaptability. The girls have explored their classrooms and the outdoor space in Fernwood House, fully enjoying the wonderful resources and activities available. PE lessons have been held in the Sports Hall and on the MUGA and it was wonderful to see the children experiencing their first few Swimming lessons in school, during which every girl received one-to-one attention in the pool. It was fantastic to see the joy on each girl’s face as they peered out from the LookOut, enjoying the views of the school site and watching the birds flying through the sky.

Starting Nursery is a big milestone, and it requires bravery. With that bravery comes the reward of success and there is no doubt that every girl in Nursery has achieved so much in these first few weeks.

Here’s to many more weeks of growth, joy, and discovery!

Reception – Our AMAZING Brains

Did you know….

Brains Matter is an initiative we have been running at Sutton High Prep School for many years. We even got short listed for a TES award, which is the teacher version of The Oscars (well, almost…. but it is a night out at a Park Lane hotel).

Our Brains make you, you and learning about our brain means we ensure that our pupils appreciate a) to look after their brain by drinking water, eating nutritious food and b) making sure we stretch our fantastic elastic brain. Our theory is that if they understand the basics of how the brain works the girls will become braver at making mistakes as they discover effort and practice will ensure the pathways to success become stronger. It is indeed quite easy to become ‘Smart’ and discover that your brain likes organisation, it likes colour. It will try to always keep you safe and scary Amy the amygdala will do this at any and every opportunity and you have to be the boss of Amy because she is a bossy being.

Amazing Brains is a club which runs after school and this term, has welcomed over 20, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 Children. Each week we begin by reading a book about the brain…. some good ones so far, include:

Your Fantastic Elastic Brain by JoAnn Deak

Goodnight to Your Fantastic Elastic Brain by JoAnn Deak

The Brilliant Brain by Dr Roopa Farooki

Hey Warrior by Karen Young

Next follows a brain related activity, such as drawing what you are thinking, right now…. that was quite revealing for a teacher in the middle of a lesson. We also drew a diagram of our brain, and next steps were creating a model brain from modelling clay, after all, we are teaching the neurologists of the future! We then move onto some calming mindfulness colouring, what every teacher needs on a Monday afternoon at 4pm. Finally the bag of mind games and as tempting as Mrs White’s home corner is in classroom NS, I manage to persuade (possibly bribe them, it is a magnificent home corner, Dayelsford shop standard) and to come and play memory games….remember happy families or the party game of objects on a tray?

Our aim is to use our magnificent brain to the full and learning about them is a step in the right direction to achieving this important goal….plus you become very good at memory games, which is handy for any 4 to 7  year old at a future party event as well as in the classroom!

Year 2 join Reception at Amazing Brains club below

Year 1 – Undivided Reading Lessons

 We are all the same. but different.

We are a diverse community at Sutton High School. It is important that our girls see themselves represented in the resources we use. This conversation is now changing, and we want the girls to read and discuss books which reflect this. These lessons are developing a depth to our comprehension lessons.

Year 1:

At Sutton High Prep School, we are committed to diversity, inclusion and real change, and social justice will be even more of a golden thread that runs through our work. From a very young age the girls know that there are ‘No outsiders’ in our school and that it is imperative that we have the strength of character to be ‘Be You!’

Through assemblies, PSHE lessons and through positive modelling we know that the girls understand that we need to be kind and understanding of others and to accept that our differences are what makes us who we are and therefore should be celebrated.

This year, we have chosen a selection of diverse books to introduce to the girls and to encourage them to build discussions around the topics. In Year 1 we are focussing on ‘The Proudest Blue’ inspired by the experiences of Olympic medallist Ibtihaj Muhammad. It is a beautiful and powerful story about the bond shared between siblings and being proud of yourself and your beliefs.  The playful illustrations capture the imagination of the younger sister and complement the poetic text. There is a message at the end from the authors about the background of the story, and this promoted questions and discussion about living in a multicultural world.

We began our journey by exploring the meaning of the title and what it is to be proud. The girls were asked to think of a different title that they felt encapsulated the meaning of the story. They came up with titles such as ‘Be You Whatever You Do’ (Mishika) ‘Sisters’ (Alice C) ‘The Girl with Hijab’ (Maya) and ‘Family Love’ (Summer). Following on from this by exploring the relationship and the emotions between the two sisters. This is explored through discussion, drama and creative writing using inference to help us develop a deeper understanding of the themes. Together we considered questions using evidence from the text to consider the sister’s personality as being courageous, kind, proud. Arissa suggested that the sisters ‘love each other very much because they hold hands, hug and smile at each other. They look out for each other.’ Ffion stated that, ‘The hijab looked so lovely, and it must lovely to wear.’

We look forward to our continued exploration of this engaging book and to celebrate who we are whilst appreciating and understanding the beliefs of others.

Year 2 – Facts and Fluency in Mathematics

Mathematics it is a subject that always provides a response and at Sutton High Prep School we love our Maths lessons. Whether it is number, shape or measurement, we are teaching the girls to stretch their fantastic elastic brains. So, what are our Facts and fluency lessons all about?

Adapted from Math Fact Fluency by Jennifer Bay-Williams and Gina Kling:

Just as a concrete foundation must be poured before a house can be built, some facts must be known to help solve for other facts. Otherwise, pupils are left to simple memorisation, a practice that has been shown to be ineffective. Fortunately, for most pupils, foundational fact sets are easier to learn. For example, students understand the concept of “more,” having had life experiences asking for more or noticing more (“Can I have one more?” “She has two more than I do!”). Therefore, a good place to begin foundational fact work is with adding and subtracting 0, 1, and 2.

Foundational facts can be developed from beginning ideas of number and operations, offer suggestions for how to sequence the learning of foundational facts, and provide activities for meaningful practice of foundational facts. Mastery must focus on fluency. The foundational facts are critical building blocks for the types of fact strategies fluent pupils create. Thus, pupils must develop rich, flexible understandings of the foundational facts.

1. Fluency develops in three phases. Activities such as quick looks and games are explored to help students move from Phase 1 (counting) to Phase 3 (mas-tery) of foundational facts.
2. Foundational facts must precede derived facts.
3. Timed tests do not assess fluency. Monitoring fluency with foundational facts includes noticing if pupils are quickly counting or actually have auto-maticity, a distinction that requires better forms of assessment.
4. Students need substantial and enjoyable practice. Engaging and meaningful games are provided for each set of foundational facts. Games provide opportunities for meaningful practice.

So, in our Maths Facts and Fluency lessons we begin with the foundational facts appropriate to that stage of learning, develop knowledge of derived facts and then use sustainable and enjoyable practice through games, no wonder Maths is a number 1 lesson!

Year 3 – Coaching: Our cheer leader at school

Journals – who cannot love our new journals with an image of our beautiful Fernwood doors on the front cover by illustrator Hannah McVicar. We listened to pupil voice and redesigned them, more opportunity for mindfulness colouring, a workbook for practical lessons such as PSHE, Breathe the Wild Air, a reading journal and a way to record your trophy cabinet.

Another reason to develop these journals was to create a document which supports our Brains Matter – Coaching lessons for Year 3 to Year 6. Each pupil will work in a small group once per week and spend time with their coach, to ‘learn how they learn best’ They will talk about their reading books, discuss a ‘thunk’ a philosophical question, learn about executive functioning skills too.

So, what is executive functioning, well this article is very helpful:

Executive function is the brain’s air traffic controller, intercepting a tangle of thoughts and impulses and steering them toward safe, productive outcomes. Executive function allows children to improve their abilities to stay focused, plan ahead, regulate their emotions, and think flexibly and creatively.

Cultivating these skills, the research suggests, should be a priority from elementary school through high school—and perhaps even into college—and executive function remains one of the most reliable predictors of success in academics and in life, beating out test scores, IQ, and socioeconomic status. We reviewed several studies and papers as we produced this piece, including 2012 and 2014 papers from the Harvard Center on the Developing Child, 2013 research from the Encyclopaedia, 2016 research from Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, and 2017 research from Psychological Science and the Journal of Food Science Education. We also cited papers and research addressing executive function from sources here, here, and here.

Across the year, beginning with a whole school assembly on the Monday, we will look at the 11 executive functioning skills:

Task initiation, Response inhibition, Flexibility, Organisation, Goal Directed Persistence, Metacognition, Sustained Attention, Planning and Prioritisation, Emotional Regulation, Working Memory, Time Management.

Our new Journals are the key support to helping us learn how to learn.

We are ‘Fiercely Independent’ in Year 4

Year 4 – Ready for Forever

This year, the girls are embarking on an exciting new initiative called ‘Ready for Forever’, designed to equip them with the essential life skills that go beyond the classroom. The scheme of work focuses on nurturing personal growth, resilience, and confidence, preparing them not just for academic success but for the diverse challenges of life ahead. With interactive sessions that emphasize problem-solving, self-care, and emotional intelligence, the girls are already gaining invaluable insights into what it means to be prepared for their futures.

Each week the girls dive into different areas where the aim is to foster a sense of independence and responsibility. Whether they are working as a team or independently the Year 4 girls are showing remarkable enthusiasm and engagement. In these pictures, the girls have been collaborating on the use of being respectful and displaying manners within a school environment as well as outside the classroom. Using skills of drama, they have acted out scenarios for their team to identify and articulated responses to promote a variety of encouraging behaviour models.

Read for Forever places a strong emphasis on community and collaboration, encouraging the girls to support one another as they learn and grow together. Therefore, it is not surprising to see a noticeable increase in their leadership skills as the girls take on new challenges with determination and positivity. Here, you can see how the girls were able to organise their thought processes alongside their skills of executive functioning, to create a poster reflecting their ideas.

We are ‘Confident Communicators’ in Year 5

Confident Communicators – is what it says on the tin. Developing skills to present, to debate, to speak to each other, to ensure your voice is heard.

In Year 5 we have been looking at ways to finesse our presentation skills, exploring how we pitch the content and delivery for differing audiences, as well as more global skills of pauses and volume shifts for dramatic effect, eye contact and the effective use of display resources. We are trying to strike a balance of being prepared/rehearsed and sounding natural/heartfelt.

Linking to our Humanities themes of gently exploring some of the treatment received by many indigenous and First Nation people in Australia, we also dropped down into our initial feelings of sadness, shock, disgust, injustice and outrage when finding out the premise of our nominated text, ‘Hidden Figures’ by Margot Lee Shetterly.

Our weekly Coaching sessions offer us time to revisit those uncomfortable feelings, along with the both the joy and the day-to-day challenges of a Year 5 action-packed Sutton High day. New strategies for easing and improving our Executive Function have certainly been very welcome. Similarly, there was impactful use of persuasive and emotive language, including rhetorical questions (and a sprinkle of electoral flattery for good measure!), in the manifestoes for the important role of School Councillor. We now excitedly await the next steps in this process as we get to directly experience one of our British core values: democracy!

Our very own Rising Star in Year 5

Hello, I am Leia,

On 17 July 2024, in the evening, 100 women collected an award at the Londoner Hotel in Leicester Square. All these women collected an award for their amazing achievement.

Let me tell you a little bit about my story. First I got nominated for an award in the charity sector for all the charity work I have done like running, walking, swimming to help others. Secondly, my nomination was looked by the judges and I got short listed into a final of 200 women. Only 100 women received an award. It is run by We Are The City who highlight and celebrate what great work women do.

I met and spoke to the CEO of We Are The City, Vanessa! She organised an award ceremony and presentation with entertainment including a choir and dancers. We enjoyed a three course meal in between.

I went up on stage to accept my award from the organisers of We Are The City.

We Are The City run these awards every year to put a spotlight on the women who do great work. One of the those women was me! That is why I won the Public Vote Prize.

I am proud I have won this award and I hope I encourage and inspire other children to aim higher whilst also helping others.

To continue my charitable efforts further, I am growing my hair to donate to children that have cancer who will be made wigs from my hair. I also am completing a 5km raising money for a horse riding school for disabled people.

We are so proud of you Leia – and yes, you do inspire us all.

Year 6 are ‘Leading the Way’.

Year 6 is an incredibly exciting time for our students, as they take on the important role of being the oldest girls in the Prep School. Their involvement is crucial to the daily running of the school, and this year offers a wonderful opportunity for them to grow as leaders. Each girl is encouraged to apply for her ideal leadership position, allowing her to contribute meaningfully while developing essential leadership skills.

While we offer a range of well-established leadership roles, we welcome new ideas each year to ensure the roles are tailored to the unique strengths and interests of the cohort. The application process is straightforward and begins in the first week of term. Together, we explore the various leadership positions, the responsibilities they entail, and the skills best suited to each role, empowering the girls to find a position that aligns with their individual strengths. Our leadership program offers a diverse range of roles, including Sports Captains, Eco Warriors, Playground Kindness Prefects and Community Captains, among others.

To apply, each girl submits a letter outlining her top three leadership choices, explaining why she would excel in those roles. Additionally, students can put themselves forward for the coveted positions of Head Girl, Deputy Head Girl, or a spot on the Pupil Leadership Team. This team will work closely with Miss Musgrove, supporting key decisions and helping to shape the direction of the school.

To ensure a fair selection for Head Girl and Deputy Head Girl, the top eight candidates will present speeches to both pupils and staff during an assembly. The entire school community will then vote for their chosen leaders. This process is always met with great excitement, and we eagerly anticipate announcing the Year 6 leadership roles during next week’s assembly.