I have had a lovely end to the week as I was in the library with the EYFS pupils, reading them a story as part of National Reading Week. I have made time in my day to read to EYFS on a few occasions, as I appreciate how much they enjoy a story! They are not the only ones, I also enjoy a good read and am already one and half books into my twenty-five book target for 2026, aiming to beat my twenty books from 2025. Although it sounds a lot, twenty-five books is a huge reduction for me compared to what I was able to consume in my early twenties, when I had more time and energy to put into things; but I am a firm believer in ‘something is better than nothing’. Whether it’s finding time to read to a little one or encouraging a bigger one(!) to read, starting small makes things more obtainable.
In a similar vein, some of our GCSE pupils are heading to the cinema on Monday evening to see H is for Hawk; an extract from this book is in the Anthology of non-fiction texts, studied for the English Language exam. This is a wonderful enrichment opportunity for the pupils, and a good way into a text; for some the visualisation of a text helps them grasp the story which makes approaching the text as words on a page far easier. This isn’t a dumbing down of literature, as long as step two is the text itself, it’s more like learning to ride a bike with stabilisers first. For me, twenty-five books is a realistic target, for others it will be twenty-five articles, for some twenty-five minutes of reading a month, or maybe twenty-five lines.
Next week is Online Safety, and both Prep and Senior schools will recognise this through assemblies and various activities. Supporting children in accessing the internet safely is an important part of their learning journey, as the learning on this topic is truly lifelong. Dr Holbrook has been sharing useful information and links via the Safeguarding section of this newsletter, and a number of these will focus on supporting positive and moderated internet access out of school time. In the Prep, Mrs Wright is considering the importance of healthy sleep habits and how to ensure screen time does not negatively impact a good night’s rest. Each family needs to make their own decisions regarding smartphone and internet usage in the household; having conversations in advance of half term will be helpful in setting your boundaries wherever you decide they should lie.
Ever Onward and Upward
Ms Purdy