Pupils explore art and nature at Houghton Hall

A group of Year 7 and 8 pupils recently had the exciting opportunity to visit Houghton Hall, where they explored the renowned ‘Antony Gormley: Time Horizon’ exhibition.

The trip offered pupils a unique blend of art, nature, and hands-on learning. Set in the beautifully landscaped gardens of Houghton Hall, the exhibition features 100 sculptures by the world-famous artist Antony Gormley, known for his work with human forms.

The pupils eagerly navigated the grounds, discovering each piece and enjoying the opportunity to interact with the art. Beyond the sculptures, the pupils were also captivated by the stunning surroundings of Houghton Hall.

They loved exploring the meticulously maintained gardens and were particularly amazed by the striking fire fountain in the walled gardens. Both pupils and staff described the day as brilliant, with the combination of art, nature, and exploration leaving a lasting impression on everyone involved.

Prep pupils in Guinness World Record attempt

On Thursday morning, our Year 8 Prep pupils had the exciting opportunity to participate in a project led by poet, Laura Mucha. As part of an ambitious attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the largest poetry lesson, Laura live-streamed her interactive class on YouTube to school venues across the globe.  

Joining over 270,000 children worldwide, our pupils contributed to a collaborative poem centred on the theme ‘What Counts’. The event was one of many activities organised to celebrate National Poetry Day, and the excitement was palpable.

Pupils not only participated in the creative process but also connected live with a Guinness World Record adjudicator, who ensured that all aspects of the lesson complied with the strict guidelines required for an official record attempt.

Poetry serves as a powerful medium for expressing emotions and fostering self-reflection. Who knows—perhaps one of our budding poets will write about being a world record-setter one day.

Prep School team “Safety Chains” shines in Global Entrepreneurial Competition

A group of Year 8 girls from the Prep School recently made waves on the international stage, entering a prestigious global competition that recognises young people demonstrating exceptional commercial acumen. Competing against participants aged 11 to 15 from around the world, the team, who named themselves “Safety Chains,” took part in the ABE Endorsed KidsMBA Shark Tank Pitch, ultimately earning the impressive title of Future Entrepreneur 2024 runner-up.

The Future Entrepreneur is an international entrepreneurship competition for children who won the business pitch as part of the ABE Endorsed KidsMBA programme. The entry standard is very high, and all entrants and finalists should feel proud.

The competition saw entrepreneurial experts serving as independent judges, assessing innovative entries from across the UK and beyond. Safety Chains’ creative pitch, which focused on enhancing female safety by linking fashion with discreet security solutions, stood out among the impressive field of competitors.

For their runner-up position, the Safety Chains team was awarded $500 in prize money. The judges also provided glowing feedback, commending the girls for their innovative approach to a critical issue:

The team – consisting of Elisabeth, Esme, Emma, Imogen, Minky, Cristina, and Georgie – showcased not only their business skills but also their ability to address real-world challenges with innovative solutions. Congratulations to Safety Chains for their outstanding performance and well-deserved recognition.

Well done to the Prep School who were victorious in the East Region final of the Junior Schools’ Challenge

The Prep School were victorious in the East Region final of the Junior Schools’ Challenge with a victory over Beeston Hall School in the final. Arlo, Albert, Jack and Michael kept cool heads to engage in some fierce general knowledge quizzing. Well done!

Year 5 and 6 enjoyed their final mountain bike ride of the year

Year 5 and 6 enjoy ice creams on their final bike ride of the year during the mountain biking activity last week.

Language Detective Day

On Tuesday 18th June, the Modern Foreign Languages department welcomed 12 enthusiastic ‘language detectives’ to participate in a day of challenging linguistic activities. The Year 8 pupils came from Cromer Academy, North Walsham High School and Gresham’s Prep School. The day started with the pupils meeting each other and talking about their experiences with languages at school. Then they completed activities to get them thinking about the different facets of communication and language learning, from gesture and intonation to making links across languages. They were able to play Chinese Whispers in Czech, memorise objects in Welsh and analyse nonsense words in English!

In the afternoon came the main event: a multi-step puzzle requiring German, Italian, Welsh, Spanish and English! The pupils all managed to solve the crime, using the skills learned in the morning, and find the murderer, location, time and murder weapon.

Mrs Mousley, Miss Hayes and Miss Burton were so impressed by the teamwork and concentration on display. The pupils left in high spirits after a challenging but rewarding day.

Year 8 trip to the Ardèche

Year 8 leavers had a great time on their trip to the Ardèche! They enjoyed having fun in the trees doing high ropes and on the river kayaking!

Pupils enjoyed a Bell Ringing Workshop facilitated by the Mancroft Ringing Discovery Centre

Last Saturday some of our Prep and Senior pupils were given the opportunity to learn about the wonderful world of bellringing at a special workshop in Chapel. Pupils had the chance to ring: handbells; electronic bells and the bells on a mini church tower which was constructed at the West End of the building. Those taking part also enjoyed learning about the ancient craft of bell rope making. A superb time was had by all.

String Quartet play at Aylsham Church

On Saturday 4th May, the Senior School String Quartet made up of Lucy D viola, Isadora A violin, Ilana B violin and Zinnia-Claire B cello, took part in an evening of music organised by Keith Hobday of the Belfry Centre for Music and Arts in Overstrand, at Aylsham Church. The concert was a platform to showcase young talent in Norfolk and a challenging programme included music by Elgar, Massenet, Monti, Schubert, Beach, Grieg and Bach. Two pianists performed alongside our strings players, who performed as a quartet as well as soloists. Sophie D violin from the Prep School opened the concert.

Year 7 have enjoyed a Residential Trip to the Peak District

The Year 7 arrived safely in the Peak District and started off with a walk to Ringing Roger! 

On Wednesday, the group went on an adventure abseiling, team building and a river trek. This was all based around Miller’s Dale, Buxton.

On their last day, the pupils had great fun visiting a theme park.