The sunshine has added to the energy and enjoyment in Pre-Prep this week, with children spending plenty of time learning outside as well as in.

We have been busy cooking on the fire at Forest School to make garlic bread, using the wild garlic that is out in abundance at the moment. Nursery have kick-started their inquiry topic on Minibeasts by going on bug hunts. They have been very excited, with plenty of questions and idea sharing. We have been enjoying taking Late Stay sessions outside when we can at the end of the day too, alongside our various after school activities around the grounds.

Children have been linking their art and literacy to their Year 1 inquiry work on Australia, with some wonderful postcard writing and beautiful Sydney Harbour artwork. In Year 2, children have been working to answer the question, ‘Where in the world are the rainforests?’, with library visits and Google Earth investigations supporting their inquiries. Reception and Year 1 have been busy learning about healthy eating and building champion Maths skills.

We are focusing on good manners in Pre-Prep, and spent time in our Assembly on Monday reviewing all our Beaudesert Park Values, and thinking about what they mean and how we can uphold them.

Our hedgehog walkers have also been hard at work - our children have raised over £500 for the Wildlife Trusts. What a fantastic achievement; little legs can make a huge difference!

Anna Packman, Head of Pre-Prep

Year 7 have had fun today participating in their STEAM project; combining an understanding of science, technology, engineering, art and maths to create their own biscuit business projects. Children had to design their own logo, create packaging and cost up with biscuit business, as well as experimenting with top dollar 'dunking' technology to create the perfect biscuit. The smartest cookies in the class will be announced next week!

A new term of boarding has arrived, and with it... sunshine! Yes, we’ve all been left blinking into the light like moles emerging from hibernation. However, the Beaudesert Moles (also known as the boarders) have come bursting out of the blocks; a little extra vitamin D goes a long way!

Monday got us off to a hot start (literally). Personal training returned, with squats, sprints, and plenty of sweat. There’s nothing quite like being gently grilled under the sun while doing shuttle runs. Still, the warmth made everything feel more summery, and spirits were high. The boarders powered through the session with enthusiasm (and the occasional dramatic collapse at the end). Watching their competitive streak was impressive, though the collisions between Mr Watt and Mr Critchley looked rather less enjoyable!

On Tuesday, the call of BoB was strong, and many answered by swinging, climbing, and darting around like nimble squirrels. Meanwhile, a brave few made the first dip of the year in the outdoor pool. Let’s just say the water was... refreshing. Or, as one boarder put it, “I can’t feel my legs, but I’m having fun!” That’s the spirit.

Wednesday saw the Year 8s take things down a notch with a relaxed evening. They ate dinner outside and spent the rest of the time stretched out on the banks chatting, laughing, and soaking up the early spring vibes like sun-loving lizards. A well-earned moment of calm.

Before the Easter holidays, our Year 5 children were focussing on 'Cats the Musical' in their Performing Arts lessons. They created their own cat characters to embody, and spent last term creating dance routines interacting with one another. This week, they rounded off their project by becoming their cat characters, with a full face of whiskery stage make up!

Both girls' and boys' teams have been an excellent start under the hot sun this week. Saturday’s fixtures against Pinewood provided plenty of excitement across the board. The girls’ 1st XI were involved in a nail-biting finish, with Willough stealing the show, claiming five wickets and bowling a brilliant final over to secure victory. The boys’ U10A and girls’ U10A teams also impressed, showcasing great skill and teamwork in their first outing of the season. Likewise, the 2^nd XI had a fantastic victory at Pinewood.

On Wednesday, the boys’ 1st XI delivered a commanding performance at The Elms, coming away with a brilliant win and several standout individual efforts.

It’s been a fantastic opening week, and with so much talent and enthusiasm on display, there’s plenty of exciting cricket to come this term!

On Tuesday, we welcomed Jack Blades from our caterers, Chartwells, to Prep School assembly to talk about food waste. He spoke to the children about how much food is wasted globally and in our school community, and what we can do to reduce our food waste. He asked the children to think thoughtfully about what they put on their plate, and to remember that they can always go back for more.

We then held a House competition at lunchtime to see which House produced the least amount of food waste. It was amazing to see the results when the children were conscientious of what they were wasting; 20 kilos is wasted on the average day at Beaudesert, but on Tuesday it was just 5.5 kilos!

We hope the children will remember this message when they are eating at home and at school.

Last Saturday, a number of the Beaudesert Equestrian Team took part in the Rendcomb College NSEA Show Jumping competition. The conditions were perfect and the children had a very successful day.

In the 70cm, Amelie, Marni, Rose and Meredith all jumped clear to put us into the lead, five seconds faster than the second placed team. Marni and Amelie also placed 2^nd and 5^th respectively.

Over in Arena 2, Ottilie, Henrietta and Hanni all went clear in the 40cm round and the 40cm Grassroots, putting them in 4^th place, and qualifying them for Hickstead in August.

The 80cm was another triumph, in which we won the team event! Jack produced a fantastic clear and Marni was once again on flying form, ending second individually. Rose competed wonderfully in her first 80cm for Beaudesert and placed 7^th individually. Meredith, also competing in her first NSEA 80cm, went clear on her new ride Rosie.

In the 50cm, Nina jumped a wonderful clear and both she and Iris went well in the 60cm. Jack then went in his first 90cm class and jumped a textbook clear to come 4^th. Brilliant! Thank you for all who came and helped.