We hope you enjoyed our Carol Service this morning, held at St George's Church in Nailsworth. Our choirs sang beautifully, as did our talented soloists. It was another wonderful service to complete the Autumn Term.

We enjoyed a very festive day yesterday, donning our Christmas jumpers and reindeer antlers as we enjoyed various Christmas activities throughout the day. Our whole community came together for lunch in the Dining Room, enjoying a full Christmas dinner, with crackers, hats and so much festive cheer. In the Prep School, our Forms sat together with their Tutor, as they enjoyed their last school lunch of 2025 together.

In Drama this year, Year 4 are developing plays centered around their History topics. As they are currently learning about the Vikings, 4H's performance shared a modern retelling of tales of the Norse hero, Beowulf. The story followed Beowulf as he defeated the monster Grendel and his mother. They did an excellent job, incorporating pieces of physical theatre and fight scenes into their play.

Please do not for one moment think that any sort of slowing down happens in the final week of Pre-Prep – far from it!

On Monday, our Songbirds Choir visited The Steppes in Nailsworth to perform a range of traditional and modern songs, with some of the residents joining in with familiar words and some of their own actions! They were also very happy to receive the beautiful hand-painted Christmas cards that Miss Barber had created with the children.

On Tuesday, we welcomed parents into Pre-Prep classrooms for our Learning Celebration, providing children an opportunity to showcase some of their work, creations and displays from the term. It was wonderful to see the children alongside their parents and, in some cases, grandparents, discussing their learning and taking pride in their achievements.

On Thursday, Father Christmas paid us a very special visit, telling us all about his naughty elves back in the North Pole and asking the children to teach him about our Golden Rules so he could take these back to the elves in the hope that they, too, may be able to display Best Beaudesert Behaviour.

We have also been creating beautiful Christmas cards and decorations, enjoying time outside whatever the weather, and reviewing our learning from the term. Even this morning – with an hour to go before the holidays – I visited classrooms focusing on spellings, phonics and number work, with ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’ to round it all off.

Thank you to all our wonderful children for their hard work and enthusiasm this term, and to our amazing parent community for their support and generosity of spirit. Happy Christmas to all!

Anna Packman, Head of Pre-Prep

Our talented U11 rugby players had an exciting afternoon at Sixways Stadium in Worcester, finishing 2nd overall in a fun tournament. Playing at such an impressive venue was a great opportunity for the boys, and after a tough opening draw against The Blue Coat School, they quickly found their rhythm, securing three well-deserved victories and showcasing the skills they have developed this season under Mr Dill.

They also had the chance to watch a senior game between Malvern College and Hereford Cathedral school in which former pupil Rufus Edmunds played a key role for Malvern. Well done to all boys involved.

The U9As celebrated their unbeaten season with a special break time treat. Their success under Mrs Frapwell’s guidance was a reflection of their teamwork, determination and consistent effort throughout the season.

Our boys in Years 4 to 8 loved their Christmas Cracker competition on Wednesday, set under a crystal clear blue sky. In the seniors competition, Curr's Candles took the trophy, featuring a spectacular goal from the half way line from Sam in Year 8. Dill's Donkeys took the top spot in the Years 7 and 8 matches, and Griffiths' Grinches won the Years 5 and 6 competition.

On Wednesday afternoon our girls put on a show in the PAC, performing their House Dance routines to each other and staff. The girls were taught a group routine, as well as coming up with their own choreography in groups. We saw cartwheels, lifts, Mexican waves and lots of sass. Mr Morrell was so impressed he started learning the routine from Mrs Powell-Jones during collection. The girls did an excellent job, well done!

We've bounced through the term and reached the other side!

It has been full of all the best bits of Beaudesert. Every opportunity has been taken by the children and we have had an absolute blast all the way through.

This Tuesday summed up our time perfectly. Sixty Year 4, 5 and 6 children made their way to Gloucester to the trampoline park, AirHop. Every child had a super evening. Some playing tag, lots playing with the Pugil sticks, and some rotating and flipping so fast it would have made us adults feel rather nauseous. The best bit about it, though, was the joy on each of the children's faces. They truly love their time in the Boarding House and beyond.

A fantastic term, topped off with some superb trips.

Have a lovely Christmas, and see you in 2026!

Oli and Debbie Jones and the Boarding Team