From Mrs Hall:

We began the week with a story all about a cloud. The cloud sometimes felt sad because no one wanted it around, but when it drifted into the savannahs of Africa, everyone rejoiced at its arrival. The story sparked wonderful conversations about how small acts of kindness can make a big difference and how everyone has something special to offer.

Our Pre-Prep boys often put this beautifully into practice. One moment that really stood out was when a Year 2 boy needed a fork and politely asked for one from a Year 5 boy. The younger boy’s fork had dropped on the floor, so he politely asked another boy at a different table. The moment that gave me goosebumps was seeing the Year 5 boy turn to me with the biggest smile after being asked politely. It was a perfect example of kindness, patience, and respectful communication — and it made me so proud of our boys!

Despite all this kindness, their sense of humour is very much alive! The Year 2 boys, once again, tried to make me jump with another delightful 'present' — a spider 🕷! I didn’t react (partly because I have no fear of spiders, but also so that they didn’t feel any fear themselves about our eight-legged friends). I then felt slightly guilty because all they had wanted to do was make me jump — but their mischievous smiles made it clear they were still thrilled by their success!

This week’s EYFS County briefing was a wonderful reminder of the importance of our roles—not just in teaching academic skills but in nurturing connections. Children who develop strong emotional, social, and behavioural skills tend to become more confident learners. Moments like these interactions at lunch, and even the playful spider surprises, reinforce just how vital these daily connections are.

Of course, boys don’t always get it right, but this is exactly what growing up and learning is all about. Mistakes and small missteps are part of discovering how to be thoughtful, kind, and confident in the world. However, I am continually inspired by the warmth, respect, empathy, and humour our Pre-Prep boys show, and it’s a joy to see them putting our values into action every day.

Wishing you a lovely weekend.

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Shell awards:

Year 2: to Tomas – for showing kindness and care for his classroom and to Christopher – for his politeness and independence at lunch

Year 1: to William for focusing so brilliantly on his Starry Night painting over the past two weeks and for following all instructions so carefully. Well done, William!

Year R: to Rudi for giving his best effort with all of his learning.

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Save the Dates !

Friday 28 November	15:00 19:00		Pre-Prep Cathedral Assembly - all welcome PPA Christmas Drinks for parents and staff
Saturday 29 November	08:15-09:15		Wellbeing Matters: LIVE 1 (See details and booking form in SchoolPost emails)
Tuesday 2 December	all day		Christmas jumper day and Christmas lunch
Thursday 4 December	09:00-09:45		Pre-Prep Nativity dress rehearsal
Friday 5 December	11:00		Pre-Prep Nativity performance: The Shining Stable
Monday 8 and  Tuesday 9 December	08:15-08:45		Open Classrooms (You are warmly invited to join us during Open Classrooms. A special time for your sons to proudly share the work and learning they have been exploring over the past term.)
Wednesday 10 December	am 13:30		Pre-Prep to the pantomime: Puss in Boots End of term for Pre-Prep

 

Notices

Menus are available here on My School Portal. 
^{Reminder: no food is to be brought into the school and/or given to boys at any time, especially at sign-out.}

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Upcoming Events

From the PPA: 
Do join us for the annual Christmas Drinks Party on Friday 28 November, 7pm - 9.30pm, in the wonderful Priory building. This lovely historic room is the perfect place to catch-up with the Pilgrims' community as the busy end-of-term approaches. Tickets, including a glass of fizz, canapés, and mince pies, are £10 and will be added to your bill. See MSP for further details and the booking form. We hope to see you there!   Link: PPA Christmas Drinks booking form

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Reception

In Reception Class this week the boys enjoyed diving into the beautifully illustrated and thought-provoking story If You Plant a Seed by Kadir Nelson. The book offers a gently humorous yet powerful message about kindness, conflict, and the impact that small choices can have on the world around us. Through the journey of a rabbit and a mouse who plant seeds, both literal and emotional, the story highlights how acts of selfishness can quickly grow into tension, while even the smallest gestures of generosity can blossom into friendship and harmony.

During our discussions, the boys showed a wonderful depth of understanding. They were able to talk in detail about the key themes, recognising the turning point in the story when the characters choose kindness over squabbling. Many of them made thoughtful connections between the characters’ actions and real-life situations, noting how compassion has the power to change how others feel and how conflicts can be resolved when someone chooses to share.

To build on their comprehension, the boys also worked on sequencing key events from the story. Using picture cards, they carefully arranged the scenes in the correct order. This activity not only strengthened their recall of the narrative but also highlighted the importance of sequencing in storytelling. They discovered that when events are placed out of order, the story stops making sense, characters appear to act without reason, and the message becomes confused. By organising the pictures correctly, they were able to retell the story smoothly and explain why each moment led to the next.

Linked to listening, attention, understanding, fine motor skills and creative development, the boys also enjoyed making their own egg-box rabbits and clay mice. They followed step-by-step instructions to construct their creations, developing their ability to concentrate, sequence actions, and respond to guidance. The clay work was especially popular—many of the boys eagerly recalled their previous experience of making Diva lamps and confidently applied the same techniques of shaping, pinching, and smoothing the material to bring their mice to life.

Overall, If You Plant a Seed provided a rich opportunity for meaningful conversation, emotional learning, and essential literacy skills. The boys’ engagement, thoughtful responses, and attention to detail showed just how much they took from this gentle yet impactful tale.

I hope you all have a great weekend.

Mrs Sarah Huntley
Reception Teacher
 

Year 1

Our Space topic has gently evolved into a new focus on Light since returning from the half-term break. This theme naturally includes the night sky, stars, the sun and moon, as well as fireworks and festivals of light such as Diwali, Hanukkah and the Christmas story.

The boys have been busy developing their fine motor skills by creating their own shadow puppets. We will be using these in a science investigation to explore shadows: what they are, how they form, and why they change.

Art – Starry Night
In Art, we have thoroughly enjoyed studying Van Gogh’s famous Starry Night. Did you know Vincent van Gogh adored the night sky and painted it many times? He once said, “For my part, I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.” When he became unwell and moved from Paris to the south of France, he often painted the view from his hospital window, finding comfort and inspiration in the night. He believed that “The night is even more richly coloured than the day… Some stars are lemony, others have a pink, green, forget-me-not blue glow.”

After experimenting with a range of painting tools, we discovered that forks and brushes didn’t quite achieve the effect we were aiming for. Instead, glue spreaders and cotton buds helped us apply the paint in a way that echoed Van Gogh’s distinctive style. Using these tools, the boys have created their own beautiful interpretations of Starry Night.

English – The Dark
We have also held some rich debates for and against the dark in our English lessons this week. After reading The Dark by Jon Klassen, the story of a young boy named Laszlo who is afraid of the dark, until the dark itself gently guides him to face his fear and discover there's nothing to be afraid of, we compared it with ideas from James Carter’s poem The Dark. The boys developed their own persuasive arguments about why the dark can be both good and bad.

Interestingly, the dark won the final vote, six to two, for its positive qualities. The boys did an excellent job persuading both Mrs Wilson and me that the dark is, in fact, a very useful thing!

Mrs Victoria Ford
Year 1 Teacher
 

Year 2

This week we have been exploring the past and present tense in English. Using The Night Gardener as our stimulus, the boys imagined that they too were helping the Night Gardener and William create magnificent topiary bushes in Grimlock Park. Their imagination and creativity took over, and soon there was no stopping them! Some even pleaded, Please can we finish this later? as we paused for Gymnastics.

Macarthur wrote: "Last night I was looking out of my window and I saw a person unfamiliar to me. He was carrying a ladder and some gardening shears. He was riding a bicycle heading to the park. I ran out of the door and followed him to the park. We worked into the night. I made a bush baby. It was sweet and cute. It was so tiring that I fell asleep. When I woke up by a tree stump, I sat up and looked down. I was all alone and there were some gardening shears. I picked them up, and smiled for the first time in my life."

In Maths, we continued working on addition and subtraction. Collaborating in pairs is always fun and rewarding, and the boys really enjoyed the challenge. The excitement reached new heights when the boys tried on their Nativity costumes. We cannot wait to perform for you in just a few weeks’ time.

Mrs Maxine Kent
Year 2 Teacher
 

Forest School

Everyone is always very excited when it is fire pit week, particularly Year R, as this was their first fire. It is important that time is spent going over all the safety procedures with the boys and the staff. Year R enjoyed listening to the story of ‘Fiery Fox’, and the older boys recalled how to build a waffle-fire structure, the fire triangle, and how to approach a fire safely. Year 2 learned how to use fire strikers to create a spark and realised it required a lot of perseverance. I love seeing the boys’ faces when the popcorn starts popping and hearing their chatter around the fire as they eat their toast and drink their hot chocolate.

Mrs Fiona Walker
Forest School and LAMDA Teacher