There is never a dull moment at Beaudesert and this summer was no exception. Our fantastic grounds team were beavering away around the school site and we hope you have noticed some of the new additions. Our beautiful Croquet Lawn has been restored, along with the grass verge by the Rose Garden. Our Nursery garden has also been levelled to allow space for more fun antics and the Reception class outdoor area now features a beautifully weaved willow fence which frames the car park exit.

Indoors, our boys’ dormitories have been revamped, including a fresh lick of paint, new beds and matching bedside units, curtains and new posters and wall art. We hope the boys love their newly renovated space and it gets them jumping out of bed every morning.

Our staff had a busy few days last week during our INSET sessions. We were delighted to welcome Will Ord from Thinking Education, who spoke to our teaching staff about techniques to develop deeper thinking skills and a growth mindset in our children. During the course of this year, we will emphasise to the children the benefits of struggle, challenge and perseverance in achieving success. We would like them to understand that their brain is a muscle which can be strengthened with hard work and determination in the same way that practice and continuous effort help in other aspects of school life, whether it be music, sport or the creative arts. We will be talking to the children about ‘The Learning Pit’ and the joys of that eureka moment when you ‘get it’!

There will be more to follow on this later in the year.  If you have not read or heard about the work of Carol Dweck, we would highly recommend her books on Mindset and the Power of ‘Yet’.

On Wednesday morning the Prep school children eagerly darted around the School as they congregated for their inaugural House assemblies! The much-anticipated new House system features four new Houses (Hazel, Maple, Rowan and Willow) and hopes to heighten a sense of belonging and togetherness, encourage competition and challenge, and harness a spirit of outreach within the school community.

Keep your eyes peeled for more information which will be released to parents in the coming weeks.

We are looking forward to music lessons, choirs and ensembles all starting next week. It was such a blessing to hear the Performing Arts Centre filled with the sounds of ‘congo’ this morning, as Years 3, 4 and 5 were singing with enough gusto to fill the entire hall.

WOW…what a way to start the day @beaudesertpark! Amazing singing from Years 3, 4 & 5. We are so delighted to sing together at school, and had such a positive and uplifting start to the day #Bpscommunity #Singing #musicforall @ExCathedraEd pic.twitter.com/Y9FwiEit6Q

— Music at Beaudesert (@BeaudesertMusic) September 10, 2021

Earlier in the week, it was so encouraging to see and hear many children trying different instruments at our Music Open Afternoon. If, following this, your child would like a trial lesson on a specific instrument, please contact Mrs Saunders who can arrange this for them.

What a wonderful first week back it has been in the Pre-prep. We started in the glorious sunshine and children made the most of being back together again, playing in our magical grounds, sharing their news and holiday stories and, for those starting at Beaudesert for the first time, enjoying getting to know the routines and meeting new friends.

As a new joiner myself, it has been a fascinating first week. I have watched the vision and spirit of Beaudesert come alive before my eyes. I have read and heard much about the school philosophy, the talented teachers, the holistic education and the well-rounded children who benefit from this. However, actually seeing this is something different – and really very special.

Watching the Reception children playing in their outdoor area, I saw them jumping for joy when they worked together to complete tasks and challenges, including creating a giant tower that was very much a collaborative effort. In our Friday assembly, one of our new children leapt with excitement when he was awarded a certificate to show how proud his teachers were that he has settled in so well. Another child raised his hand and suggested to Mrs Searson that, “Perhaps Mrs Packman should receive a certificate for a good first week too?” The Nursery is already filled with laughter and the growing repertoire of songs the Nursery children can sing together drifts out of the windows across the courtyard. They have had lots of fun in their beautiful new garden, the highlight of which has been squirting teachers and older children with their water squirters.

Year 2 have also been off to a flying start. In their first week they have been making their own self-portraits and learning about place values in Maths, while over in Forest School the children have been familiarising themselves with the space with games and map making activities.

We look forward to our Parent Meetings next week, which will give the Pre-prep team time to share more details with parents about what the children are learning this term, to talk through school routines and to answer any questions parents may have. We look forward to seeing you there.

Anna Packman, Head of Pre-prep

It has been such a fabulous first week, with the newly refurbished Boarding House once again filled with the noise of happy children climbing up and down the stairs, chattering away in the dormitories, and bouncing on beds before the sound of snoring takes over. It has been just lovely to be able to welcome in all of the children from Years 4 to 8 again.

On Monday, Year 5 went straight outside and down to BOB and made the most of being allowed to board for the first time. The sunshine has been out in force and although that makes sleep a bit tricky for some, it has meant that we have been able to enjoy the grounds after the long holiday.

On Tuesday, the Year 4 children enjoyed a cool down in the swimming pool before supper, and then went out onto the banks and BOB for some more playtime afterwards. Wednesday was the first Year 8 night of the year, with some new faces joining us, readying them with essential boarding experience before they move on to their senior schools next year. They enjoyed some time chilling on the banks and in the Rose Garden, dressed in home clothes and making the most of the fine weather.

Thursday night saw our Boarding House full to the brim with Year 6, 7 and 8 children. They had a whale of a time, enjoying a mass game of football on the Astro or chilling upstairs in the ICT Suite.

If you want come and have a look at the new boys’ dormitories, please do come and have a coffee with us at the Boarding House Coffee Morning on Friday, 17th September. We would love to see you there. More details will follow next week. Should your child wish to have a go at boarding this term, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch via email at houseparents@bps.school

Finally, a huge public thank you must be made to our wonderful team of Matrons who have, again, worked tirelessly to ensure that all 180 beds have been made and labelled throughout the week. They are the backbone of our brilliant Boarding House!

Tom & Joey Layton, Houseparents

On Wednesday next week we are lucky enough to be welcoming three Great British Olympic hockey players to Beaudesert following their return from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Joining us will be Rupert Shipperley (GB Olympic hockey player Tokyo 2020, Wales hockey Captain, Commonwealth Games 2018 Athlete), Chris Griffiths (GB Olympic Hockey player Tokyo 2020, England Hockey player, Bronze medalist at the 2018 Commonwealth Games), and Liam Ansell (GB Olympic Hockey player Tokyo 2020, England Hockey player, Bronze medalist at the 20218 Commonwealth Games).

The players will host a Q&A session with our Year 5 to 8 girls before providing a top-class skills session on Wednesday afternoon.

Prior to her arrival, Mrs Packman met with Pre-prep Class Reps on Zoom to discuss life at Beaudesert and any feedback and suggestions for enrichment that parents had to share. An idea that was raised was about school food and how lovely it would be if parents could see what the Pre-prep meals looked like. As such, we aim to regularly share pictures of food from the week’s menu here in the Buzz, which we hope will be well-received by parents and will also aid conversations with children about what they enjoyed eating each week and the importance of healthy and balanced diets.

We are very excited to see the return of Beaudesert’s professional concert series this term. On Friday, 1st October at 7:30pm we will be hosting Bristol based singer-songwriters Natalie Holmes and James Oram for a night of uplifting and inspiring live music. You can find out more in our news section.

Tickets are £10 for adults (free for U16s).

Book tickets

We are very proud to have been featured in the 2022 Tatler Schools Guide, featuring the top prep and senior schools in the UK. This year’s review includes comments on our tree climbing licence, Wachy Special, our delicious school lunches and our admirable school leaver destinations.