Chess Success

Inspired Art

Year 1 spent an enjoyable day at Nature in Art. They donned overalls and got messy creating an under-sea collage and a paper sculpture fish using different textured paper and techniques. The children enjoyed  looking at the sculptures in the grounds. They were particularly thrilled to spot the horseshoes in many of the exhibits. Alan Bennett, the Artist in Residence demonstrated how to draw sea birds and the children were keen to have a try themselves when we got back to school!  A super trip!

Sunshine means fixtures at last!

Some super results meant that Berky children returned to school on a high yesterday having won across the board in Rounders and Cricket fixtures.  The main thing was that all were outdoors and exercising and competing in a sporting way, lovely after all of the rain!  

House Chess Champs

A series of splendid matches saw St David's take the House Chess title.  Keenly contested with a huge level of participation, it was a tightly run thing up to the end.  Well done to all of the budding Masters!

Festival - fun and medals!

What an opportunity, performing in front of an audience at the impressive Cheltenham Town Hall when you are 6 years old!  All of Year 2 and many from older year groups have been involved inthe Cheltenham Festival of Performing Arts.  Music Making, and Verse Speaking have gone very well and been enjoyed whether prizes were won or not.  Vanquishing the demon stage-fright and speaking out, our children rose to the challenge, as did one of our parents - keen to experience the nerves yet do it anyway (and win first prize for Prose Reading, well done!) A huge achievement by all who took part, well done to you all!

Top Quality Music

Clean Sweep

All U9 teams won their first matches of the season in both cricket and rounders as the rain eased to allow play.  Delighted to be actually outdoors and competing, our boys and girls played very well and relished the games.  Well done to all and lets hope for dry conditions again next week!

And the Outlook at Berkhampstead is...

Year 3 had great fun in Geography as they became weather forecasters for the day.  They looked at different weather patterns across the country and, having made their own symbols,  researched and produced forecasts for selected cities from Penzance to Inverness.  Using a large map, the children had a super time presenting the weather to the rest of the class, photographing and filming the process on the iPads.

Fabulous Art

Under the guidance of Miss Clifford, our Art specialist, Berkhampstead pupils have produced some inspired work on a range of themes.  Of the super items produced, 8 pieces have been chosen to be displayed at The Downs, Malvern College who are hosting the Annual Prep Schoools Art Exhibition from the 5th to the 12th of May.  The work will sit alongside almost 500 artworks selected by prep and junior art departments from over fifty schools nationwide.  The annual exhibition, which is the largest of its kind in the prep school calendar, is for artworks in any media: 2D, 3D, individual or group work and of any size.  All of the Berkhampstead work was of a very high standard and the decision of which to enter was a tough one.  Very well done to all and particularly to those selected, who have been invited to the exhibition on Sunday 6th May. View.

Rain Does Not Stop Play!

Splish, splash, splosh!  The School Nursery children grinned and giggled and splashed in their wellies this week.  As the rain kept pouring down it brought their topic on Weather to life!  Puddles formed and the children were eager to get out and experience it first hand - great fun!

Question Time

We were delighted to welcome Martin Horwood MP who gave a talk to the to the Prep School children in assembly. He talked about how parliament works, the Houses and party politics. As ever, there were lots of contributions from the children who confidently joined in, suggesting ideas for re-naming the Big Ben clock tower and proposing new laws. Louis’ Law regarding abolishing homework was used as an example of how a bill moves through parliament - it proved quite popular! 

Keep on Running!

Berkhampstead children and parents gathered to run and raise funds for Pancreatic Cancer research, as they joined a relay along the length of the Cotswold Way.  They joined a team of people from across Cheltenham united in the desire to raise money and awareness.  It was fantastic to see so many children on Crickley Hill tackling the Kids' Cross Country run so enthusiastically.  The views were spectacular and the weather was kind.  So far the total cash raised is over £12 900 - very well done to all involved in a real feat of both endurance and organisation.  Contributions are still welcomed - please click.

Splendid AB Music Exam results

Fourteen children took AB exams recently and performed outstandingly well.  Tough to pass at all, the exams require a huge amount of preparation and practice over months - to receive a Merit of Distinction grade is very impressive.  The horn, violin, double bass, cornet, piano, flute, saxophone and cello, as well as one voice, were represented on the day and we very are proud of how every candidate performed.  Eleven Merits and two Distinctions were a great reflection on the Day - well done to all!

Zell am See Ski

Parents and children enjoyed a fabulous trip to Austria at the start of the Easter holiday.  A wonderful, all-inclusive hotel meant that all were well catered for.  Some superb ski instructors meant that any pre-ski nerves were soon dispelled, confidence developed and the enjoyment could begin.  The weather was fantastic, glorious sunshine on excellent snow conditions allowed beginners to experience skiing at its best.  Plenty for all in terms of challenge, all came on well and even the youngest were tackling black runs by the end of the week.  The iPad coaching debriefs during apres-ski refined parents' techniques whether novices or not.  A superb holiday with next year's trip already in the planning stages.

Day Nursery opens!

We are delighted to announce that our lovely new Day Nursery is now absolutely ready to open next week.  From Monday, children from the age of 3 months will be cared for and receive a super start in our spacious and bright new building.  Day Nursery staff are eagerly waiting to welcome the newcomers. Parents who have already signed up are keen to let their little ones settle into the new surroundings and experience the superb pastoral care and education for which Berkhampstead is renowned.  If you would like to register, then please contact us on 01242 523263.

Victorian butchers, bakers and grocers

Pre-Prep children dressed up and looked rather incongruous as they used the iPads to research what shops looked like in Victorian times.  They made signs for their stalls and added cloths to tables to recreate a Victorian street-scene.  Selling could then commence and trade was brisk.  Each child had £1 to spend and had to buy a balanced lunch, nonetheless the sweet shop did a roaring trade!  Goods were weighed in grammes and wrapped in paper, there was a little haggling but all done in very good spirit.  Proceeds from the day were donated to Winston's Wish charity.

Chess - Wheeler Cup winners

Superb play from our Chess team saw Berkhampstead win the Wheeler Cup for the most successful school in the Cheltenham Chess Congress.  31 children from Berky took part and several won prizes for their high scores.  Henry's six wins and a draw saw him take first place in the district congress for primary schools (tying with a Year 6 pupil from Richard Pate school).  Our young team is packed with talent for the future and and can now boast Cheltenham's Chess champion! 

Spring Concerts at the Pump Room

An wonderful set of performances in our two Spring Concerts at the Pittville Pump Room reinforced Berkhampstead's reputation as the leading local school for Music.  Enormously inclusive, children from Years 2-6 participated to give quality performances well beyond what might be expected for their ages.  Strings groups, a jazz band (of huge proportions in terms of size and volume), percussion group, guitar group, samba band and choirs delighted the audience.  The parents' choir joined with pupils to sing Zadok the Priest and the Hallelujah chorus in great style, finishing with the Heavenly Aeroplane and a wonderful rendition of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.  A lovely evening of outstanding music.

Swimming Gala 

Hotly contested, the inter-house swimming gala was an exciting event.  Houses cheered on their swimmers almost raising the pool roof!  A great event in which all participated, earning the treats to be devoured following the PTA Easter Tombola and Cake Sale later in the day!  St Patrick's House took the cup - well done to all who swam so well.

Outstanding art

Our winning artists had the chance to meet David Shepherd CBE at the Natural History Museum in London where their work on 'Fragile Future' was displayed.  Pictured here with the artist, having been presented with their certificates, are two of our prize winners.  The  competition attracted entries from around the worlld and it was a super achievement that 5 of our Year 4 pupils were selected as winners.  Very well done!

U10 Netball bronze medal winners

Two Berkhampstead teams competed in a tournament at Richard Pate School and took 3rd and 5th places.  It was a lovely morning of competition and the girls grew in confidence with each match played.  Due to injury, several girls played out of position and we had a number of younger pupils in the B team - they rose to the occasion and gained a great deal from the experience.  Very well done to all who competed.

More Cross Country Success

Consistent performances are allowing us to achieve some splendid results in the local Cross Country events.  Boys and girls raced together in the event at Rendcomb and relished the challenge of a rather wild course.  The U11's ran 2.3km and the U9's a slightly shorter course.  All runners showed determination and dug deep!  Super performances earned us medals for the 3rd placed boy and 3rd placed girl overall at U11's.  Very well done to all who ran - great experience for the up and coming runners in the U9 team.

Mother's Day Service

There were wonderfully moving performances from the Pre-Prep children in All Saints Church as they recited poems, showed pictures, performed mini-sketches and sang in our Mother's Day service.  Clear and confident speaking voices from the very smallest were a pleasure to hear.  A super service which showed a real appreciation of mothers.

Detective work for Year 3

Drama lessons on crowd scenes, on moving with confidence and on projecting voices stood the Year 3 children in good stead as they performed a play based on Emil and the Detectives.  In a wonderful show, they showed sadness, panic, determination and cunning as they tracked down and captured the thief.  The children took on the different roles well and acted confidently.  They clearly enjoyed the show, as did the audience of parents and friends.

Cross Country

Lots of runners competed on the toughest course of the season at St Edward's School last week.  20 schools competed and children ran 1.35 miles in great spirit, the undulating nature of the route (very hilly!) made it feel much, much longer. Perseverance was the word of the day and all Berkhampstead runners were pleased to finish.  A great afternoon which saw Berkhampstead gain 3rd place overall in the girls' races.  Well done to all. 

Year 6 celebrate

A terrific number of Grammar School places were won this year along with a large number of independent school scholarships, including the top two awards to one!  Very well done to all Berkhampstead children on their achievements to date and congratulations on securing places at such good schools.  

Lots of goals!

Girls from Years 5 and 6 took part in the Cheltenham Primary schools' football tournament at Prestbury St Marys.  We played 4 games, winning our first against Gotherington by 5-0. Our second game was against Prestbury, where the girls were delighted to win by 7-0.

We then drew 0-0 against Bishops Cleeve. In our final game we lost 2-0 to St Edwards, narrowly missing out on a semi final place.  A fantastic performance which was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Dressed up for a canal boat life!

Children in Year 1 spent a very exciting day at the Gloucester Waterways Museum. They found out what life was like for the people who lived on canal boats in the past. They even dressed up like canal folk and had fun going onto a canal boat moored at the dockside. It was a real surprise to see how cramped the living space was!

The children had fun decorating plates and water containers with traditional castles and flowers and thoroughly enjoyed their trip around the 'hands-on' museum. Another highlight was playing with a model lock system. Everyone got slightly wet but learnt a great deal about how locks work!

All agreed that it was a super trip with excellent opportunities for learning and having fun!

Fun at the Folk Museum

Year 2 children had a great time doing the washing and learning how households ran long ago.  They used washboards, dolly tubs and mangels to get the washing white and bright and were amazed at the hard work.  Their experience of a Victorian Schoolroom's rules will remain in their memories for a long time!  Writing neatly with ink, whilst maintaining a good posture was the order of the day.  Mrs K of the Museum made a wonderfully stern schoolmistress, calling the children by their surnames, leading the chanting of times tables and maintaining impressive discipline.  A super trip!

Maths Is Fun!

Several of our keenest Year 6 mathematicians took part in a Maths Challenge at Cheltenham College recently. The competition consisted of a mental arithmetic challenge, a count down activity with 26 problems and a diverse range of 'real life' problems. Maths really IS fun and the superb scores that our girls and boys finished with reflect this.

International Art Success

We are delighted that five of our Year 4 artists have been chosen to have their work displayed at the Natural History Museum.  

The pupils' work was selected from more than 2,000 entries from around the world, in the 

Global Canvas Art and Poetry Competition.  The winners have been invited to attend the Awards Ceremony in London, meet David Shepherd CBE and will be able to view the wonderful exhibition of the artists and poets work in a section of the gallery at the Natural History Museum.  Very well done to all Berkhampstead pupils who produced some inspiring work on the 'Fragile Future' theme.

Hitting the right notes

Parents and friends were treated to another splendid Music Recital this week.  Children from the age of 7 performed, taking to the stage with a range of instruments from the cello to the piano, violin to flute.  It is a lovely forum for them to build their confidence and to get the thrill of playing to an appreciative audience.  Well done to all who took part.

Mandarin Day

The playground echoed to sounds of Ni hao and zai jian as the Prep children practised what they had learned in the company of two lovely Chinese ladies who visited for the day to give a real taste of the orient.  The children saw film clips and absorbed interesting facts including that China is shaped a bit like a chicken!  They were shown beautiful and huge silk fans and silk pictures.  The children rose to the challenge of learning to sing Happy Birthday with the right accent and thoroughly enjoyed the day.

Crazy Chef Themed Mufti Day

Crazy Chef fund- raising Day went extremely well and there were some super costumes – lots of imagination used and lots of giggling ensued as people arrived at school.

Was it Mrs Mitchell or Jamie Oliver teaching Music for the day? Where did that fried egg come from? With so many chefs at school and so many items of food running around the playground, the catering staff had a real challenge to give us lunch! As always, they came through and rustled up sausages and creamy mash, carrots and peas followed by rice pudding and a strawberry sauce. The catering staff have acted on recent feedback from the Diet Committee and the Crazy Chefs to keep the menu appealing and healthy.  A great day!

Cross Country

Runners from Years 3-6 competed in a Cross Country event at Westonbirt School in the drizzle and put in super performances!  22 schools came together to compete on the day.  The Berky Under 8 runners, in their first big event were particularly well represented.  They fought down nerves and rose to the occasion – the early morning training at Running Club came into its own and they flew round, smiling for the most part!  Gritty determination characterised the performance of the more experienced runners. We had some excellent results and saw some real endeavour – well done to all who competed!

Fossils and Old Bones!

PTA Pancakes

Crowds of children clamoured for a taste of the delicious PTA Pancakes served in the Pre-Prep Hall after the Races.  Served with a smile and an array of toppings, the pancakes were as much a success as the contest!  Starbucks tea and coffee was available to refresh parents after their not too chilly afternoon of excitement.  A lovely after-school snack and chance to socialise.

House Pancake Races 

Another hotly contested set of Pancake Races took place this year.  The excited shrieks and cheering echoed down Pittville Circus Road as the children raced around the course in the House Pancake Relays.  Each child tossed their pancake at set points as they ran before passing the pan to the next runner.  The pancakes were specially dyed to match the House colours: St George – red, St Andrew – blue, St Patrick – green and St David – yellow.  The winners were St David in Years 3&4 and St Andrew in Years 5&6.  A great afternoon of fun!

Puzzle Day

Day Nursery Art

Reception children jumped at the chance to visit our lovely new Day Nursery when they received a special invitation from Mrs Martin. The purpose of the visit was for the children to demonstrate their artistic skills by creating pictures for the babies and toddlers to enjoy in the Day Nursery. 

Children and staff spent a wonderful afternoon creating pictures on canvasses. The most popular picture was the “Sweetie”  one where the children were asked to glue real Dolly Mixtures to make art! The children assured us they had not eaten any!

After all the children’s hard work they had free time to play in the Pre-school room with the new toys. They all had great fun and it was lovely to see the room filled with children enjoying the equipment. 

Archibald's War - Year 5 evacuated

The wonderful play, Archibald’s War, was performed by Year 5 for parents and friends recently and was a real privilege to see. The children excelled themselves: there were comic moments, some super accents and several in the audience were moved to tears at the end. It brought to life the diverse experiences of the evacuees and gave an insight into how many lives were changed by the experience. The costumes and props were super and the children’s enjoyment was clear to see. A lovely evening’s entertainment.

Textile fun - it was sew good!

Pre-Prep children had an all day Design and Technology Day recently, where they had the opportunity to put their needles to the test and create some super textiles.  The children spent time refining their designs on paper and considering colour patterns before creating them using a number of different stiches including cross stitch and running stitch.  

History Mystery Day 2012

Year 2 arrived in school expecting to complete their Victorian style arts and crafts only to find the gemstones has been replaced with pebbles! The children spent a mysterious yet fun filled day investigating evolution, cracking codes, playing memory games with Victorian artefacts. They identified monarchs, produced a timeline and ultimately solved the clues to lead them to the missing jewels. They were shocked to find them padlocked into a violin case but were able to apprehend the suspect due to a careless trail of footprints. The Bursar turned out to be the villain of the piece but happy to say, once apprehended, he returned the jewels to their rightful owners. A super day!  Click for more details.

Chess, chess everywhere!

The purpose-built chess huts in the playground, with the opportunity they give for practice, may have contributed to so many children being involved in the Berkhampstead Chess Congress.  52 boys and girls from year 3-6 had fun and competed in the first qualifying round on Saturday.  18 won through to the County level Mega-final, but all won stickers, small prizes and gained a great deal of experience whilst honing their thinking skills.  More pictures.

Day Nursery Preview

The 'Take a Peak' morning at our super new Day Nursery went splendidly, with lots of happy children exploring the huge rooms and getting down to some serious playing!  Current school parents were invited to take a look at just how spacious, fresh and lovely everywhere is.  Our Nursery manager and her assistant were busy all morning handing out Information Packs and answering questions. Tours were conducted, drinks and biscuits served, and there was plenty of time for socialising.   

Life During the Civil War

As part of their Stuart topic, year 5 visited the Worcester's Commandery. The children stepped back in time, many donning soldiers' uniforms complete with guns and muskets, giving them a taste of what life was like during the Civil War. They learnt how to handle pikes and load a cannon. After this gory insight Stuart life, the afternoon was a little more tranquil with Year 5 making their own beeswax candles and producing beautiful handwriting with a quill. A fascinating day.

Lots of Netball

The Year 3 and 4 girls attended a great morning's training at CCJS.  Coached games and skills sessions made it a fun learning experience for all involved.  The girls played a huge amount of netball, made some new friends and set themselves up for the season.  

Super Start to the Season!

With a couple of victories under their belts already, the Under 11 boys' football teams have had a great start to the season. They have come together well as teams and are enjoying the beautiful game!  As always, they have played in good spirit and are looking forward to next week's set of fixtures - well done, boys!

Day Nursery - Spring opening planned

We are delighted to announce that Cheltenham Borough Council have given 'change of use' planning permission for us to go ahead with our new Day Nursery.  The premises are superb - large, well proportioned rooms which are light and airy and will allow space for children to thrive and grow.   Our Day Nursery will provide a wonderful place for babies and the youngest children to be cared for, using our trained and experienced staff and building on the reputation for outstanding pastoral care that we have at the Prep School.  Please contact the School Office on 01242 523263 to register for a place and for further details.  

Music - National Success 

Seven Berkhampstead pupils have been successful in auditions for the National Childrens’ Orchestra and the National Childrens’ Choir this year, well done to them - places are highly sought after.  They will have a wonderful opportunity to build on the grounding they have had here at school, and will have chance to rehearse and perform at the highest level.  

Evacuated to the Steam Museum

The Year 6 children wen tback in time this week as, labelled up and with gas masks hanging round their necks, they headed off to the Steam Museum.  They all looked the part and learnt a huge amount about life during the war, brought to life by the wonderful exhibits and having the opportunity to handle original objects.  Story tellers in costume brought the past to life, the children asked lots of questions and learnt a great deal.  A super trip!

 Carols at Beechwood Arcade

The senior choir went to Beechwood arcade this week to entertain shoppers with carols and to get into the Christmas mood.  Collecting for local charities, they thoroughly enjoyed singing a programme of carols for passers-by whilst the wind and rain lashed on the roof above!  It was anything but a Silent Night which they sweetly sang through the noise!

 Pre-Prep Nativity 

The pre-Prep children thoroughly enjoyed performing 'A Tale of Two Birthdays' this week to an audience of appreciative parents and friends. The story was of old King Casper celebrating his birthday in fine style with his friends, King Melchior and King Balthazar. Their bossy wives admire an unusual star, sparkling like a diamond in the sky, and demand their husbands go and find it. Trudging across the desert, the three kings (pictured) resist temptations offered by Herod's unruly soldiers and encounter some sand dancers before reaching a starlit stable. Time to celebrate another birthday!  A super performance with lovely singing - very well done to all!

Christmas Eve in the Toyshop

Reception and Nursery performed a charming Christmas concert for an audience of doting parents, grandparents and siblings. Our youngest children told the story through songs and action - of all the toys in a toy shop coming to life as the clock chimed midnight. We were treated to pretty dollies dancing, trains chuffing , colourful jack-in-the-boxes jumping and the clowns flopping about. A lovely nativity scene came to life too. Well done, early years!

Super busy Santa at the Christmas Fayre!

A wonderful turn-out at the Christmas Fayre this morning - it was lovely to see so many people.  Busy from the off, Santa did a marvellous job in his grotto (formerly the dining room, but transformed beyond recognition!)  There were delicious mince pies, turkey rolls, mulled wine and lots of art and craft for all to enjoy.  The choir sang beautifully and Mrs Agg made a splendid elf!  The Friends of Berkhampstead's organisation was outstanding, their huge amount of preparation paid off to provide a lovely event.  Current parents click for more pictures.

Autumn Music Recital

We were treated to a lovely early evening concert this week at school.  Lots of children were involved and we heard a super range of instruments including the harp, saxaphone, flute, piano and cornet. Many of the children had started to learn only this term and performed brilliantly, relishing their first time on stage - the appreciative audience   enjoyed music from beginners to Grade 5.  Several children performed in games kit, having come along from other activities - a versatile bunch here!  A member of the chess team dashed  from a fixture to perform the last item on the programme another well-rounded Berkhampstead pupil.  A super concert - well done to all involved.

Recycling Workshop

The Year 4 children are just starting work on 'Our Environment' and the 3 R’s (they will be able to tell you what they are!).  The workshop involved making a pizza with different sized slices which corresponded to how much of each sort of waste we throw away in our dustbins.  The art room became a 'bomb site' with pasta, pulses, bags of leaves, plastic bottles, paper, card, material, twigs and a fair amount of glue covering the tables.  Eventually some of these items made their way onto the relevant pizza slice. Great fun was had by all with this hands on activity. 

Lacrosse Festival

Some of the Year 6 girls were invited to Westonbirt School for a lacrosse festival. The afternoon consisted of a skill session and a general introduction to the game which led into a mini tournament between the many schools whom attended. A worthwhile afternoon for such a fantastic sport.

Year 4 trip to Goodrich Castle

On a beautiful day Year 4 explored the luxury of living in a medieval castle. With a range of workshops involving dressing up, music making and armour, the children gained an insight to the plethora of jobs and tasks that were needed to be done in the castle. In the afternoon the children looked at the castle in a different perspective...how to attack and defend it which certainly provoked some interesting questions and ideas.

Japanese Culture

We were delighted to welcome 17 Japanese ladies to the school to visit Years 2 and 1 today, to run workshops on Japanese culture including calligraphy and origami. The children learnt how to write their names in beautiful Japanese script, and how to make ghosts and pumpkins out of paper.  The enthusiastic ladies also showed the delighted children how to put on colourful, silk kimonos, and all the children had a go at wearing one. The teachers did too and even the headmaster was transformed by the ladies. There was also a Japanese tea ceremony, as well as lessons in how to make Sushi! In the afternoon, Reception were also invited for an Asian feast, and the children tried sushi, prawn crackers, spring rolls and fortune cookies!  A wonderful day!

Inspiring Writing

Eruptions in Pre-Prep playground

Year 2 children saw science brought to life as the climax of their study of volcanoes was reached last week.  Having crafted models from papier mache, painted them beautifully, they then applied the science bit of mixing bicarbonate of soda and vinegar to create and eruption.  The fascinated expressions of boys and girls alike as they watched the 'lava' stream down was a joy to watch.  A really great fun exercise for all involved!

Open Morning Success

Oriental Lunch

A tasty treat awaited pupils today as they had chance to tuck in to a selection of Chinese foods.  As part of the Year 2 topic about China and Japan, the food contained lots of different flavours for all to try - the aromas wafting up from the kitchen all morning were a real appetiser!  Chicken with peppers in black bean sauce, BBQ spare ribs, spring rolls and stir-fried vegetables were served with prawn crackers.  The dining room looked great with flags, balloons and lanterns - the children enjoyed it and there were lots of empty plates and smiling faces.

The iPads Arrive!

Great excitement greeted the arrival of the iPads this week - and that was just from the staff!  They are already widely used and lessons have an extra exciting dimension with them. The children enjoyed sharing their results with each other by passing around their iPads, and with the rest of the class via the large wall mounted flat screens.  

Conker Contest

Nearly all of the Prep children turned out for the Berky Conker Competition this week.  The event, held on the playground, was fiercely contested and lots of fun was had by all.  In advance much discussion took place on the characteristics of a winning conker and on the competition rules. In the end though all enjoyed competing and prizes were awarded to all those that took part.

Bowling them over at County Trials! 

We are delighted that one of our Year 5 pupils has been selected to join Gloucestershire County Cricket U10's squad - there are several able boys in the Year and they have played well together all season.  A really committed player, Matthew plays regularly at school and is a firm fixture in the Berkhampstead team.  He is super keen, playing outside school too, and being first to arrive and last to leave training sessions.  This has paid off handsomely with his selection to train with the County squad over the winter.  Well done, Matthew!

Yummy Cakes!

What a lovely way to end the week!  The PTA organised a super Cake Sale on Friday and the glorious weather meant that the stall was outside in the shade of the trees.  Lots of delicious home-baking was on offer and the cakes were soon snapped up by eager parents and children alike.  

New School Councillors 

Two eager representatives from each Year Group were elected recently to the School Council.  A lengthy first meeting showed that they all had lots to contribute.  Interest in the elections was high.  The minutes of the first meeting will be fed back to Forms via their reps in the next few days.  

PTA Quiz winners

A selection of some of the brightest and most competitive parents in Cheltenham gathered last week for the PTA Quiz and AGM!  Following a revision period that had gone on for weeks (for some teams, at least!) they pitted their wits on rounds ranging from Current Events and Music to 'Identify the Celebrity'.  A super fish and chip supper was enjoyed during the interval.  The winning team are pictured left, celebrating their victory.  A lovely evening!