12th December 2025
Dear Parents, Carers and Guardians,
The second half of the autumn term has showcased so many wonderful things that our students of all ages participate and excel in. Of course, the big set pieces draw the eye, such as our hugely entertaining Senior School musical: The Addams Family ; the brilliant Lower School Nativity: Lights! Camel! Action 2! - The Sequin ; or our musical showcase Carol Service at St Mary’s Church earlier this week. Look closer, and there is such a rich collection of events each and every week. The Sixth Form hosted their annual quiz and curry night; Seniors performed their pantomime to the Lower School; Business students met with a young entrepreneur and business owner; the School Council, Eco Council, and Fair Trade Council meetings took place; the Middle School took part in a Talent Show (organised by our Senior Prefects); our Poetry Recital competition finals took place; Anti-Bullying Week saw an entire wall of positive messages written by our students and many also joined in with ‘Odd Socks’ day; Lower School performed in their first Music Recital of the year; we held our grassroots Equestrian Show at Sands Farm; sports fixtures (home and away) took place every week; Year 3 visited Brighton Museum; Senior students took part in the school’s first ever English Speaking Union Mace Debating Competition; Year 4 took part in a Roman workshop; Year 6 visited Amberley castle; there was a fantastic Florence Nightingale workshop for Year 2; all of the Lower School and Little Farlington had fun at the PTA Sparkly Disco; the boarders have been busy every week and weekend with organised trips, and enjoyed a brilliant boarders’ Christmas dinner in the final week of term; and the whole school community took part in our uplifting House Singing Competition!
And then are the events that bring our whole community together such as our PTA Farlington Fireworks night, or our Armistice Day assemblies delivered by the inspirational ‘beefy409’ - the 409th Beefeater of the Tower of London, who covered everything from the history of the Tower of London, his career in the armed forces as a helicopter pilot, the importance of remembrance as a national act, the importance of sport throughout his life, his on-going charity work, and he took the time to answer every pupil’s question across each assembly! He really is a modern role model for us all. This was followed by the Farlington tradition of staff and students gathering around the Turning Circle to lay our wreaths. And of course, each and every day we are delivering a full timetable of academic lessons, running extra academic sessions, fitting in Music, LAMDA and Dance lessons, running a rich activities programme including homework clubs (prep), Duke of Edinburgh Award, sports clubs, drama clubs, R2D2 club (something exciting to look forward to for the end of the year!); choirs, orchestra, dance, and I could go on. Everything listed above has happened since we returned to school on 3rd November. Farlington offers a truly broad curriculum filled with opportunities for our students to engage with from nursery age through to our Sixth Form - opportunities that I believe help them to grow into the amazing young people they are!
You should also have received our entirely student-produced FLIC magazine, handed out to all students through the school this week. I hope you enjoy it!
Have a wonderful Christmas!
James Passam Headmaster
Whole School News
HOUSE CHRISTMAS SINGING COMPETITION
The annual Farlington House Singing Competition took place on Thursday morning, with Parks, Luther King and Hawking all battling it out for the title. There were some very enthusiastic performances, with Luther King singing “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”, Parks performing “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”, and Hawking giving their rendition of “Jingle Bells”. The judges, Mr Passam and Mrs Gilbert, had a very tough decision on their hands, but in the end, it was Hawking whom they felt gave the best performance on the day and who was declared the overall winner. Congratulations to Hawking, but also to all who took part. It was so heart-warming to see our students, from Reception to Sixth Form, singing together in their Houses. Both the Christmas spirit and the Farlington School spirit were present in abundance!
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Whole School News
SIXTH FORM CHRISTMAS QUIZ
The festive season doesn’t truly start at Farlington until the evening of the Sixth Form Christmas Quiz! This year, our wonderful hosts were George, Loïc, Bethan, and Iona, who were all suitably dressed in their best festive attire. Staff and Sixth Formers gathered in teams and tried their best to answer a wide range of challenging and entertaining questions. There was a great atmosphere and lots of friendly competition as teams competed for the coveted title of quiz champion. Questions ranged from Christmas traditions around the world to famous Christmas songs and movies, ensuring that everyone had a chance to get at least one question right! The evening was a delightful mix of fun and festive spirit, which was enjoyed by everyone. Well done to the amazing organisers who put so much thought into each round of questions, and congratulations to the winning team, “The Slay Belles”!
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Whole School News
MUSIC DEPARTMENT NEWS
Autumn has, as you might expect, been a busy term for the Music Department. The final half of term has been packed with performances, starting with The Addams Family Musical Young@Part. It was a huge undertaking by all those involved in the Performing Arts at Farlington. Congratulations to all who were involved. We then moved on to our festive celebrations: a show-stopping Nativity full of Strictly Come Dancing-themed sequins and sparkles, followed by our much-loved Carol Service at St Mary's Church. This term has been filled with memorable performances from both seasoned members of the Music Department and those taking to the stage for the very first time. Thank you for your dedication, commitment and the joy you bring to music-making at Farlington. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Miss Kirsty Nimmo - Head of Music
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Whole School News
LOWER SCHOOL MUSICIANS
Musicians from our Lower School put on the most wonderful recital last month. With some of them performing in front of an audience for the first time, in a packed TMH, our well- practised young students showcased the wide range of talent we have here at Farlington, even among our very youngest students. Throughout the morning, there were fantastic performances on the piano, recorder, clarinet, cello, violin, and harp, as well as some beautiful solo and group singing. We are incredibly proud of our Lower School musicians and look forward to their continued musical journeys. Their performances not only entertained but also inspired their peers to perhaps start their own music lessons in the future. Well done, Lower School!
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Whole School News
REMEMBRANCE DAY
We were honoured to welcome a very special guest to Farlington for Remembrance Day in November. One of the Yeoman Warders, Scott Kelly (aka Beefy409) from HM Tower of London, joined us for the day, taking part in our Remembrance commemorations and delivering three thought-provoking assemblies to pupils in Lower, Middle, Senior School and Sixth Form.
Throughout the day, Yeoman Warder Kelly also met with smaller groups from each section of the school, sharing insights from his remarkable career. Pupils and staff were fascinated to hear about his military background, his role as a Yeoman Warder, his involvement in rugby and charity fundraising, and the thousand years of history held within the walls of the Tower of London. We extend our sincere thanks for his visit and for bringing the Tower’s history to life here at Farlington. He left us with an open invitation: should any of our pupils or families visit the Tower of London, they are encouraged to look out for him to say hello.
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Whole School News
LOWER & MIDDLE SCHOOL POETRY RECITALS
In November, we had the Lower and Middle School Poetry Recitals. In Middle School, the sixteen finalists did us proud with a wide range of poems from Coleridge and Blake through to contemporary poet and rapper Rob Bradley and a number of their own creations. It was a tough job for the judges, but eventually prizes were awarded to Bertie as runner-up and Ana as winner in the Years 5-6 category; Thomas and William as runners-up and Zachary as winner in the Years 7-8 category. We were also able to celebrate another pupil, Philippa, who received the trophy and prize for the overall winner of the Bellevue Poetry Writing Competition, delivered in person by Sam Selby, Education Director for the Bellevue group. In Lower School, our 16 talented finalists also took to the stage and delivered their poems with such clarity, confidence, and creativity. It was inspiring to see their hard work and passion shine through. Natalia was the overall winner for Y3/4, with Noa in 2 , and Henry in 3 place. Ivy was the overall winner for R, Y1/2, with JJ in 2 , and Leo in 3 place. Congratulations to all of the fabulous finalists and winners! nd rd nd rd
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Whole School News
THE ADDAMS FAMILY - YOUNG@PART
On the 26th and 27th November, the Senior School performed ‘The Addams Family Young@Part’ for two sold-out audiences. It was the culmination of nine weeks of very hard work by all involved. There have been weekly dance rehearsals for the dance team with Mrs Wells, music rehearsals with the leads and ensemble with Miss Nimmo and Miss Tofts and rehearsals in the Drama studio for all of the scenes and ensemble numbers. But the bits that people don’t see are the weekly meetings for backstage, costumes, front of house and costume fittings! It takes a small village to put everything together, and the Performing Arts departments are always very grateful for the help of everyone in the school.
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Whole School News
We’re hugely proud of all of the students involved - as with all productions, everyone, be it on stage or off stage, has to play their part well in order for the show to be successful, and I hope you’ll agree that this was indeed a successful show! If you’d still like to buy a DVD, Bluray or USB of the show, they can be bought from the e-shop on Magic Bookings, and we hope you’ll enjoy looking at some of the photos on show here!
Thank you as always for all of your support in coming to see our productions - it is very much appreciated by students and staff alike!
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Whole School News
This term, ‘The Addams Family’ has been a major focus for the Drama, Music, and Dance Departments, alongside other exciting projects. After casting the Senior School Production, auditions for Middle School's ‘James and the Giant Peach’ quickly followed, leading to weekly rehearsals. The team has been working diligently, with some already off script. Support from the Year 9 and 10 Drama Scholars and Miss Chadwick has been invaluable. Rehearsals will ramp up in January, and everyone looks forward to seeing the show in March in The Drama Studio.
The Year 11 students have completed 40% of their GCSE, including a portfolio, performance, and evaluation. In November, they showcased three devised pieces inspired by various Drama techniques to an audience of family and students, demonstrating their hard work and resilience. I am very proud of them all. On 2 December, Year 5-8 Drama Clubs and Year 10 GCSE students celebrated the 10th Anniversary of the Christmas Readings with lighthearted performances, including ‘Letters To Santa’ and an improvised Nativity, led by Year 12 students George and Loïc. nd And finally, the term ended for the Drama Department with the Senior Drama Club performing their abridged version of the pantomime ‘Snow White’ for the Lower School. I think that Reception to Year 2 were definitely the loudest at cheering and booing! The Senior students absolutely loved hearing the reactions and laughter from the younger students and I hope that they have inspired some of the younger students to get up and have a go! A great term #teamdrama; I’ve loved working with you all!
Mrs Emma Spires Head of Drama and Theatre
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Whole School News
LIGHTS, CAMEL, ACTION 2 - THE SEQUIN!
The Lower School children, joined by the Pioneers from Little Farlington, delighted their families and staff with a sparkling Nativity performance this year. Their production of ‘Lights, Camel, Action 2! The Sequin!’ was full of glitz, energy and festive cheer. The children worked incredibly hard in the lead-up to the show, learning lines, rehearsing dances and performing not just twice, but three times, including a special dress rehearsal for Years 3 and 4. With lively routines ranging from the hustle and the Charleston to a joyful conga, the cast had plenty to master, but they rose to the challenge brilliantly. Their enthusiasm shone through on stage, earning well-deserved applause from the two sold-out audiences. It was a wonderful celebration and a true highlight of the term. Thank you to Mrs Hayes and all the Lower School teachers, plus Mrs Wells and Miss Nimmo, for all of their hard work and support of the children.
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Whole School News
DANCE NEWS
What a busy time we have had in the Dance department. Our Senior Dance team did such a great job in their performances in The Addams Family, Young@Part. Pioneers, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 perfected their songs and dances for their Nativity. The Year 3 and above Musical Theatre extra-curricular students prepared a song and dance from ELF The Musical for the Lower School Christmas assembly.
The one-to-one extra-curricular dance students who have been training with Miss Sophie and me for over a year have recorded their ISA Dance competition entries. I think you will agree with me, they all look wonderful. They have all worked so hard on their dances this term - well done, girls. We hope you have all enjoyed the performances you have seen over the festive period. Mrs Wells - Dance Teacher
Congratulations are also due to Mrs Wells, as her Dance Academy, KDF Academy of Dance, has qualified for the Dance World Cup Final in Dublin, representing Team England with 3 group dances. Wishing them all the best for the Final in July 2026!
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Whole School News
PTA FIREWORKS & GLOW PARTY
What a fabulous Fireworks & Glow Party we enjoyed on a chilly night in November! With an amazing fireworks display, warming refreshments, and plenty of glow-tastic fun - including live entertainment courtesy of the brilliant Captain Fantastic Children's Entertainment - it was a wonderful event for all the family.
The event was a sell-out, and many thanks must go to our hardworking PTA Committee for organising such a fun evening, which raised an impressive £ 1935, which will go towards future PTA projects. We also extend our thanks to all the volunteers who helped to set up, manage, and clean up after the event, ensuring that everything ran smoothly on the evening.
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Whole School News
SPORTS NEWS
It has been another busy term for sport at Farlington as we transition between different sports. There have been some remarkable achievements both from our teams and individuals. Our Under 13A football team managed to achieve a remarkable unbeaten season with six wins and one draw. They only conceded five goals whilst scoring forty-two. The team has impressed with some excellent passing football and some impressive team goals. It's been great to see 20 players being used in this team over the course of the season, which is a testament to the strength and depth of talent in this age group.
The girls have had a great season too, with the U14 A Hockey team recently celebrating a convincing 6 - 2 win against Christ’s Hospital. Our U11s had brilliant games against Lancing Prep, with two very convincing wins 8-0 to the A team and 4-1 to the B team. The U15A Netball team enjoyed a very exciting 23-22 win against Great Ballard. The girls showed great teamwork and determination - they had previously lost to the same team earlier on in the term, so it was great to see all of their hard work in training pay off.
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Whole School News
SPORTS NEWS
Following success in the regional galas last half term, four Farlington swimmers qualified for the ISA National Swimming Finals at the London Aquatics Centre. Rosa and Luke swam well in their individual races and relays, with Luke finishing in fourth place. Our younger swimmers from Year 4 put in a couple of fantastic performances to secure relay medals. Daisy won a bronze medal in the freestyle relay, whilst Lucas swam the anchor leg to help his relay team come home with the silver medal. This is the first time in a number of years that Farlington have won medals at the National Finals.
There is plenty more to look forward to in 2026. Please remember to check out the Farlington Sport website for all the details and information on upcoming fixtures.
Mr Simon Faulkner - Director of Sport
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Whole School News
EQUESTRIAN NEWS
The Farlington Equestrian team continues to thrive and has enjoyed a busy few months! Year 9 student Maisie, was crowned West Sussex County Champion at the National Schools Equestrian Association County Championships Qualifiers at Felbridge in November. Maisie and her horse Luna started in the 90cm, riding a great round and finishing in 2nd place - a super result. Maisie then took on the challenge of the 1m and set a great time, taking the win and becoming West Sussex County Champion! The following week, we hosted our annual Farlington NSEA Grassroots Show at Sands Farm were thrilled to welcome over 80 competitors on the day. The Farlington Equestrian team came away with some fantastic results! Hettie, Bertie, Daisy, and Annie took 1st place in the 50cm class. Thank you to all of the competitors and their supporters for making it such a fantastic day.
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Whole School News
GARDENING CLUB NEWS
The Lower School Gardening Club has been hard at work and have certainly been getting into the Christmas spirit as they turned their attention to Christmas wreaths towards the end of term. The children were each given a wreath base, made from cornus (dogwood). They then went foraging for things to put in it. They found holly, leaves, viburnum, moss and more! Their finished wreaths looked amazing, and they were all very proud of their creations.
Thank you to all of the children who have attended this half term - we hope they have all enjoyed it. If you would like your child to join the Gardening Club next term, please look out for us on MagicBooking. Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas! Mrs Wallwork
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Whole School News
MIDDLE SCHOOL’S GOT TALENT
Middle School put on a fantastic show last month for their annual talent show. There was a diverse range of talented performances during the show, with dancing, singing and instrumental performances to entertain the audience. The judges found it very difficult to select a winner, but in the end, it was Annabel on the drums who was crowned the overall winner! Well done Middle School!
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Whole School News
YEAR 12 ENTREPRENEURS Our Year 12 Business students have been busy turning their creativity into commerce with their exciting new venture, MugMyWay. Inspired by the number of personalised mugs spotted with their teachers across the school, the Sixth Form team saw a golden opportunity to create custom designs tailored to different departments and seasonal events. With the help of a start-up loan through the Peter Jones-sponsored Young Enterprise competition, the students launched MugMyWay and have been expertly managing everything from design and marketing to order fulfilment. Their fully customisable mugs have already proven a hit with staff and parents alike, especially as thoughtful Christmas gifts.
If you’d like to support our young entrepreneurs, and perhaps pick up a personalised mug of your own, you can follow their journey and place orders via Instagram: @mug_my_way or email them at mugmyw4y@gmail.com.
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FLIC GOES ONLINE Copies of the most recent issue of FLIC magazine have been sent home with all our students this week, so we hope you’ve received your copy. This year, Sixth Formers George and Loïc have stepped up as the joint Editors in Chief – marking the first time in the magazine's history that boys have taken on this role. Additionally, for the first time ever, the boys have launched an online version of FLIC, with more articles and video content, including a fond farewell to our Head of Sixth Form, Mrs Hart (who, incidentally, came up with the name FLIC when it first launched!). Whole School News
The production of FLIC was very much a team effort, with contributions from many students in the Senior School and Sixth Form. With articles giving tips on revision, interviews with new members of staff, Mr Suret, Miss Cole and Mr Towler, plus recipes from Mr Morris, Christmas themed word puzzles, and much more, there is really something for everyone and it is a really great festive read! Congratulations to George and Loïc and their editorial team for all of their hard work. Scan the QR code below to read FLIC online.
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Whole School News
MANSION HOUSE NEWS Over half-term, our Day Room had a spruce up and repaint as part of our continuing refurbishment of the boarding facilities here at Farlington. The boarders have been enjoying the space and certainly had a great time decorating it with a new Christmas tree and lots of tinsel.
The trips programme continues, with boarders going on weekly outings for activities (and food!) or to local towns. This term, they visited Guildford, Horsham, Brighton, and Chichester, with a final trip to Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth. The weekly jaunt to Tesco remains the most popular trip!
A number of our boarders have taken English as a second language examinations in the past few weeks - with some good success - while others have been involved in the school musical. Similarly, Ritsuki from Hong Kong has been making the most of the opportunity to play for a local rugby club at the weekends, earning player of the match in his most recent game. It is not all play, and the boarders have been working hard on their academic studies - there is something reassuring about having so many others around you doing the same thing when it comes to revising. Cassie the dog is always on hand for those who need a break from the books. Mr Ashton - Head of Boarding
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Whole School News
AUTUMN HIGHLIGHTS PHOTO GALLERY
Sixth Form Trip to LSE
Mansion House Christmas Dinner
Senior School Dragons’ Den
Mr Passam and Yeoman Warder Scott Kelly
Year 4 Baking
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Whole School News
AUTUMN HIGHLIGHTS PHOTO GALLERY
Sparkly Disco
Sixth Form Business Talk
Sparkly Disco
Year 7 Latin Class
2:22 A Ghost Story Trip
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Whole School News
AUTUMN HIGHLIGHTS PHOTO GALLERY
Year 4 Roman Battle
Lower School Poetry Competition
Lower School Sports Captain, Summer
Odd Socks Day
Middle & Lower School Chess Club
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Whole School News
AUTUMN HIGHLIGHTS PHOTO GALLERY
Y8 Art Lesson
Egyptian Day - Year 3
House Christmas Singing Competition
Year 5 Cooking Tacos
Year 11 Physics
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Reminders
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Reminders
SAVE THE DATE Please join us for the
Parents' Coffee Morning with Mr Passam and the Senior Leadership Team on Friday, 30th January from 8.30am
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Reminders
SCHOOL CALENDAR Please remember that you can access the School Calendar via the Farlington App or add it to your smartphone calendar, or Google Calendar by following the instructions below...
iPhone Calendar: Open your calendar, then click ‘Calendars’ at the bottom of the screen Click ‘Add calendar’ at the bottom left, then select ‘’Add subscription calendar’ Copy/paste the following text into the ‘Subscription URL’ box:
webcal://calendar.farlingtonschool.com/CalendarSync.ashx? Cal=Farlington%20School%20Calendar&ID=3714
Google Calendar: Click the ‘+’ icon next to ‘Other calendars’ on the left-hand side of the screen Select ‘From URL’ Copy/paste the following text into the space beneath ‘URL of calendar’:
webcal://calendar.farlingtonschool.com/CalendarSync.ashx? Cal=Farlington%20School%20Calendar&ID=3714
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