Prep School Mr Henry Matthews - Head of Prep
I can ’ t quite believe we have nearly made it to the end of January already. The Spring Term seems to be rolling on at a pace here at Queen ’ s and as ever, there is much to report in the following pages. The spring sports programme is well underway and the children competed brilliantly in various fixtures this week. The skill level of the players has been commented on by many staff and spectators. I was particularly impressed by the Year 5 girls who played Wellington and Kings Hall at home on Wednesday and looked like a well - oiled team. A cancelled fixture last week due to weather meant that they started slightly on the back - foot but once they got into game mode, there was some excellent play on show. I am sure they will achieve great things as the season progresses. A shout out also goes to our U11 girls who will compete on Saturday afternoon in a tournament at Millfield - best of luck to you all. Year 6 had a brilliant day on Tuesday in their musical workshop learning all about African drumming. The children had the chance to practise and explore sounds and instruments throughout the day and this culminated in a performance during assembly to the rest of the school. It was a high energy and powerful performance and an experience that I am sure they will remember for many years.
Thank you to Miss Scutt for organising this event.
I mentioned last week about our flexible and innovative learning spaces and this week we learnt how to support girls in developing their friendship groups. This was led by staff from the senior school who have successfully implemented the Girls on Board approach. This will begin to filter into the Prep School in the months ahead and we hope to share with you further information on this shortly. In the meantime a link to the website can be found here. Reception had a great morning yesterday enjoying their first trip out as a class to Fyne Court for some outdoor learning. I know the children had a fantastic time discovering the joys of learning outside the classroom and they will be looking forward to the upcoming trips this term. Finally, as I write, there are two events taking place this afternoon. Our climbing squad is taking part in a bouldering competition at The Hanger in Exeter and our General Knowledge Quiz Team are taking part in the regional heats. Best of luck to both and I look forward to hearing the updates later on today. I wish you all a happy and relaxing weekend ahead. Best wishes Henry
Whilst on the topic of music, a mention must also be made of last week ’ s disco. Again, a fantastic event with some impressive dancing and much fun had by all! I know that the staff certainly enjoyed the dancing, showing off their moves to party classics such as The Macarena, The Conga and The Cha - Cha Slide. Pictures will follow in this bulletin - look out for Mrs Fox and Mrs T - G ’ s amazing outfits! I move slightly away from the normal tack of the bulletin this week to talk about the staff and their learning. As teachers, part of the joy of the job is to continually develop and learn from colleagues and experts. We do our best work when we innovate and move outside our comfort zone. Since September, we have introduced a new in - house professional development programme for staff encompassing academic, pastoral and wellbeing training. The staff have heartily embraced this, sharing their own areas of interest and expertise with colleagues across the college, leading to exciting new initiatives in teaching.
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