Happy Friday!
Having spent three days out of school last week, it was lovely to be back at Pennthorpe and back in the rhythm of school life. Open Morning on Thursday was a perfect reminder of just how special our school is. 16 visiting families, 21 prospective pupils, 30 pupil tour guides, two representatives from Hurst, and eight current parent volunteers really did showcase what we are all about. The atmosphere was wonderful. Even from drop-off, the number of pupils who told me how proud and excited they were to be giving tours showed just how much our school means to them.
Usually a privilege reserved for our Year 7 and 8 pupils, the growth of our Open Mornings meant that we needed to expand the touring team. The feedback from visitors has been, and continues to be, incredibly positive. They felt the care, saw the warmth and experienced just how special our community is.
With ‘Growth’ being a key part of our ‘One Pennthorpe’ School Development Plan, we have made an excellent start to the year. You will also see several recruitment events in the calendar for current Year 5 and 6 pupils over the coming months, including an Art Exhibition Built in a Day, a combined orchestra featuring visiting and Pennthorpe pupils, and a sporting masterclass. The art event is already fully booked but, if you know families outside of Pennthorpe with children of this age who may be interested in these opportunities, please do pass on our contact details.
As we continue to develop our club provision, I am beyond excited to tell you that, over the past few weeks, we have been engaged in very positive discussions with ‘Surrey Hills Pony Preschool’ about offering a Pony Club at Pennthorpe. This is something I have been keen to explore for some time, and we are now at the stage where a new Pony Club should be added to our clubs register for the Spring Term!
Initially, this will be available to EYFS and Pre-Prep pupils, but it is something I am keen to develop into the older year groups in the not-too-distant future. The sessions will take place at Pennthorpe, with the ponies coming on site, and I am sure they will prove incredibly popular. Mrs Manvell will share further details, including days, times and costs, once everything is confirmed.
We are also currently in discussions with British Airways regarding a STEM workshop programme, as well as with Chris Roche, who has previously run coding clubs in local schools. I am excited about the direction of our club provision and the opportunities it will create for our pupils.
I am pleased to let you know that Mrs Tso is in the process of creating a new Learning Support Library for all children at Pennthorpe. This will be a bank of resources designed to support children across the school and will include items such as wobble cushions, ear defenders, coloured overlays, coloured exercise books, silent fidgets and writing slopes.
This forms part of our vision to embed ‘Quality First Teaching’; an inclusive, high-quality approach to classroom provision that meets the needs of all pupils. Alongside our new Pre-Teach Programme, this initiative will further raise the standard of teaching and learning across the school while helping more children remain in lessons, minimising the times where children are missing key curriculum content for catch-up sessions in the Learning Support Department.
Thank you to those of you who came out to support the teachers taking part in Run Barns Green last Sunday. We had a team of six runners, supported by a further eight Pennthorpe staff members, and it was amazing to see so many families lining the course.
I can confirm that the first half of a half marathon is lovely; the second half is much tougher! However, the first thing one of our children said to me when I crossed the finish line was, “Well done, Mr Marler. You kept your promise.” That was what it was all about. Sharing a goal with others, especially 180 others, certainly helps you achieve it. I will be resting up for a few weeks, but the idea of running another half marathon next year, for some reason, is already beginning to appeal!
I am delighted to invite you to the first of our ‘Fireside Friday’ events. Throughout the autumn and winter months, we will be lighting the fire pit, making s’mores and serving hot chocolate at pick-up. Our first event will take place on Friday 16th October from 3.30pm to 5.00pm, and I hope lots of you will come and join us. I may even see if I can persuade Mr Barnett to bring along his guitar!
Finally, I hope many of you will be able to join us on Monday for Veggie Creations, Che Che Koolay, Jambo Bwana and, of course, a whole-school performance of Conkers! Our Whole School Harvest Festival begins at 11.00am in the Sports Hall, and it would be wonderful to see as many of you there as possible.
Have a great weekend,
Mr Jon Marler
Head of School
