We heard a symphony of music in the Performing Arts Centre on Thursday, as we hosted our House Shout and our House Music Finals.

House Shout is an annual tradition which involves the whole of the Prep School, who have spent this term learning a song together in their Houses. This year's theme was 'Disney classics'. Each House did a fantastic job; you can watch their performances below. Well done to our overall winners, Willow!

Our House Music competition was hotly contested, as it is every year. We heard our top musicians from each House in different grades, who performed to the whole of the Prep School, along with our excellent adjudicator from Dean Close, Mr Franks. Huge well done to all of our finalists, as well as those who put their hat in the ring before the final. Well done to our winners: Evie in the Prep and Initial Grade category, Jack in Grades 1 and 2, Jasper in Grades 3 and 4, and Isabel in Grades 5 and 6.

Here in Pre-Prep we have been getting excited about Easter as well as learning about the significance of this time of year. Children have been reading, retelling and writing the Easter story, learning and creating Easter poems, creating Easter artwork and building Easter nests out at Forest School.

On Monday, our Years 1 and 2 choir had their termly visit to The Steppes in Nailsworth and performed Easter songs to the residents, who are now becoming familiar friends thanks to our regular trips.

The Easter bunny visited us on Friday morning and we donned wellies and coats to go on our Easter Egg Hunts around the grounds. Children had created their own baskets for this very occasion and we spotted the Easter Bunny hopping about the terraces, giving us a cheeky wave.

We also welcomed parents for our Easter Service on Friday, in which we were fortunate to hear from Reverend Natalie Jennings, Associate Priest from Amberley, Avening and Cherington. Children performed the spring and Easter poems they have been learning, and sang us some fabulous songs, including our all-time favourite, 'Spring Chicken'.

In other news, we have been enjoying library detective scavenger hunts, spending time with buddies in other classes, immersing ourselves in reading and taking advantage of the sunny days this week to take our learning about capacity and volume outside.

Wishing you all a very Happy Easter! See you on the other side.

Mrs Anna Packman, Head of Pre-Prep

We had our Prep School Easter Service on Friday morning, where Reverend Natalie Jennings spoke to the children about the unexpected delights which Easter can bring, along with new beginnings and fresh starts. Well done to our Year 8 readers who also spoke during the Service.

Huge well done to 4M who brought 'The Odyssey' to life on Tuesday. The children retold the classic tale of the king of Ithaca, Odysseus, and his encounters with sirens, nymphs, a cyclops and six-headed monsters. The children did a fantastic job, bringing humour and lightness to quite a mature and serious tale.

On Monday and Tuesday, Mrs Shearer-Bird brought her ‘Silly Science’ workshop to the Boarding House, and it is safe to say there was plenty of excitement. The children loved getting stuck in to the experiments, and the opportunity to make their own slime was, unsurprisingly, a huge hit.

On Monday, once the Year 4 children had hung up their lab coats, they headed into the woods for a huge and wonderfully energetic game of Virus. Tuesday offered more of the same excellent balance, with some of our slime-makers heading off to golf, while others returned to the woods to make the most of the fresh air and space. Some then hit the karaoke machine in the House, while others used the table tennis table.

Wednesday brought great energy from the outset, with the 1st team girls’ netball victory over their parents providing plenty of animated storytelling at supper. As the weather turned, the fun simply moved indoors with Nerf wars and Sports Hall games taking over. Then came the main event... The volume rose dramatically as the Year 8 children took to karaoke for an hour before bed. It was outstanding preparation for House Shout, both vocally and in terms of enthusiasm. The dancing may also have given the building a thorough workout. Mr Searson is fairly certain his study's ceiling was feeling the effects of the rhythmic jumping.

By Thursday, the Year 7 children were out on the astro and in full flow, rounding off the week in exactly the right way.

A superb end to a superb term. Thank you, as ever, for your support this term. Have a wonderful Easter break.

Oli and Debbie Jones, Houseparents

Tuesday was an historic day for Year 3, as our boys took part in our first ever Year 3 boys' hockey match. The boys did a fantastic job representing the School against The Downs. We're sure this is the first of many matches to come.

Over the weekend, Vali and Otillie in Year 5 played in the girls' hockey U10 West of England regional competition, playing for Cirencester Hockey Club. The team won all 6 matches in their pool, and went on to win their semi-final on penalty shuffles, and winning the final 1-0 against the Old Bristolians. The girls are very proud of their new regional champion hoodies!

Our Year 8s concluded their rugby careers at Beaudesert by playing in the Rosslyn Park National Schools 7s on Friday. They had the opportunity to play against some different schools including Kings Ely, Ipswich and Saint Ronan's School. The boys played with great commitment as ever and enjoyed the experience. We are sure some of them will return to Rosslyn Park in the years to come to represent their senior schools.

It's not just the children who have been busy on the pitches this week. Our parents' hockey group, the Beaudesert Rats, played against Westonbirt parents on Wednesday night. It was a tough match, but our BPS parents won 3-1. If you are interested in joining the group, they play mixed hockey on Tuesday evenings at 8pm on the Astro; all abilities are very welcome.

Our 1st girls' netball team had their toughest match of the season on Wednesday night, playing against a team of their own mothers! Mr Burns' refereed over a well-played and dynamic match, with lots of nail-biting moments. Both teams were cheered on by family members and some of our Year 8 boys, who watched from the sidelines.

5B hosted our Prep School assembly on Tuesday, who told us lots about our solar system. We learned facts about the planets around us, as well as ancient mythology around the sun. While the assembly was full of lots of messages (including 'remember to wear sun screen'), the most resonant of which was that just as the sun rises every day, we have a fresh start every 24 hours.

During their class music lesson this week, all the children in Year 3 participated in a brass workshop led by Mrs Hannah Wilkins, our wonderful brass teacher, assisted by Amelia, a Year 10 Music Scholar from Rugby School. The children heard performances on the French horn, the trumpet and trombone. They learned about the sound we make with our lips to play a brass instrument, and they all had a go at playing a trumpet. Some of them made some very impressive sounds indeed.  There has been a flurry of excitement at the opportunity to learn a brass instrument.

We have a number of school brass instruments in stock, which parents can hire free of charge for the first year of their lessons. Should children in any year group be interested in taking up a brass instrument, please contact Mr Parker for more information.

What a fantastic weekend we enjoyed at the Cheltenham College NSEA Arena Eventing competition at Rectory Farm. With riders competing across both days, there was plenty to celebrate.

Saturday got off to a flying start, with our 40cm team of Ottilie, Henrietta, Lena and Hanni setting the standard by winning their class. Lena, Ottilie and Henrietta also placed 5th, 7th and 8th individually, and there were huge smiles as the team collected their sashes, rosettes and lead ropes. The same team went on to place 4th in the 50cm class, with Ottilie again finishing 8th individually.

In the main arena, Marni and Rose produced two excellent clear rounds in the 70cm on relatively new rides, with Rose finishing 8th individually. Ella also rode beautifully on her new pony, although unfortunately took the wrong course. These three new partnerships are certainly ones to watch. Amelie took the ride on her sister’s horse, Little Miss Bonkers, and was unlucky to have a pole in what was otherwise a superb round.

Sunday brought more sunshine and more success. Our 70cm team of Henry, Joey and Annalisa started strongly, finishing 4th overall. The boys delivered very fast rounds but picked up time penalties, while Annalisa jumped a clear within the time to place 6th individually on Donhard View Rex.

In the 80cm, the team were aiming for qualification for Hickstead, and they delivered. Amelie, Annalisa, Mia and Melba all jumped brilliantly over a big, technical course that saw many eliminations, finishing 2nd and securing the coveted Hickstead qualification.

In the 90cm, the team placed 4th, while our Equestrian Scholar Jack produced a superb round on It’s Spartacus to win the class. Annalisa also achieved another strong result, placing 6th on Red Pixie.

Finally, in the 1m class, Jack stepped up to this level for the first time... And won! An outstanding achievement and a very exciting future ahead for this combination.

Well done to all our riders for such an impressive weekend. Thank you also to the parents, helpers and supporters. None of this would be possible without you.

Jo Davies Smith, Equestrian Co-ordinator