Reception class take to the beach

The Reception children had a fantastic time at ‘beach school’ this morning, where they enjoyed writing their name with various stones that they had collected. It was a beautiful day and everyone loved roaming through the rock pools, trying their best to keep their feet dry!

Nursery have a wonderful time at Beach School

Nursery had a wonderful time at beach school this morning where they enjoyed collecting stones and making sandcastles! It was a beautiful day and everyone had lots of fun.

Beach school gives children in their early years the opportunity to learn and develop in their local coastal environment, sparking their intrinsic motivations to explore, create and be curious about the world around them.

World Space Week at the Pre-Prep

Pre-Prep children had fun celebrating World Space Week. Reception enjoyed becoming astronauts by making their own space suits out of tin foil. Year 1 enjoyed playing with the space small world as well as showing off their “space” pilates moves and Year 2 had fun making rockets and learning the order of the planets. We also learnt about life on the International Space Station with no gravity!

Year 2 learn at the beach

Year 2 enjoyed an afternoon at the beach this week. They continued their learning on maps and compass points by using the sunshine and shadows to work out which direction is North. There was also an opportunity to explore the rock pools and get thoroughly wet feet!

Year 1 Holkham Hall trip

Year 1 had a wonderful trip to Holkham Hall. They had a super tractor and trailer ride around the estate to see what crops were being grown, even stopping, to dig up some sugar beet to look at. The children also got the opportunity to explore the beautiful walled gardens, helping to tidy up the squashes and making some lovely ‘herb potions’ to take home with them.

 

National Libraries week at the Pre-Prep

The Pre-Prep pupils have been enjoying looking at books as part of National Libraries week. Whether it be reading picture books about space at a young age or progressing on to read the latest children’s novel, reading is a great way for children to explore the world around them and an opportunity to use their imagination. Reading is a fun way to improve concentration and a great way to exercise the brain.

 

Tatler Schools Award nomination for Mr Robb

Douglas RobbWe are all so proud of Mr Robb who has been nominated for the Best Head of a Public School in the 2020 Tatler Schools Awards!

The nomination follows a fantastic review in Tatler’s 2021 School Guide in which they review the top prep and public schools in the UK. In reference to Mr Robb, the review states “‘Visionary and passionate’ Head Douglas Robb is a familiar figure around the school, cited as being ‘a true leader and not afraid to get stuck in with the troops'”.

The 2020 awards ceremony will be hosted virtually on the Tatler Schools Instagram channel at 6pm on 6th October. Our fingers are crossed!

Year 2 Morston Adventure

As part of our topic ‘Ahoy There’, the Year 2 children went on a Morston Adventure today and made the most of the glorious sunshine. They started by looking at the different boats on Morston Quay, comparing them and sketching them. Later enjoying a trip out to the seals before coming back to land for our picnic. The children were so excited to see “real” pirate ships in the harbour and to practise their pirate language… “Land Ahoy!”.

  

The sad passing of Logie Bruce-Lockhart

We were very saddened to hear of the passing of our longest-serving Headmaster, Logie Bruce-Lockhart, who died recently aged 92.

Logie was an incredibly influential Headmaster from 1955 to 1982, during which time Gresham’s was converted to a co-educational school. Logie served in the British Army and was a talented fly half, earning 5 caps for Scotland.

Our current headmaster Douglas Robb said: “It was my great pleasure to be welcomed by Logie Bruce-Lockhart to Gresham’s six years ago. Logie came to lunch at the aptly named Lockhart House just before my first term started and entertained everyone with great stories and good humour. I became the recipient of a large number of immaculate letters in tiny handwriting which seemed to have better insight into what was happening at school than I could gain from visiting the classrooms and houses.

“The warmth with which he held the school was obvious and I feel lucky to have met him. Logie was Gresham’s longest-serving headmaster of the modern era and he clearly had a huge impact on rebuilding the school after the Second World War. A polymath who clearly excelled personally in everything that he did.

“Logie had that real passion for young people which is the sign of a true ‘schoolmaster’. Soldier, sportsman, botanist, musician, linguist, author, but more than anything a schoolmaster, family man and friend.”

Gresham’s alumnus Sir James Dyson has often spoken of his gratitude to Logie for for giving him the financial support to continue his education at Gresham’s following the untimely death of his father, Alec. Sir James said, “Both my parents taught at Gresham’s, and my father was head of the Classics department. When he was ill, he carried on teaching but died when I was nine. The generosity of the school, particularly Logie, meant I could continue there after his death.

You can read more about the life of Logie Bruce-Lockhart in the following articles and obituaries:

Meet our new Chaplain

We are delighted to welcome Reverend Jack Branford to Gresham’s as our Chaplain and Teacher of Religious Studies. Jack joins us from Aylsham Parish Church.

He said “I am really pleased to be working with these amazing young people and the excellent pastoral team at Gresham’s”.