This is a true testament to their drive to succeed, especially as most of the Junior School community are settling back in after last week’s residential trips or eagerly anticipating day trips this week. Well done all, this is fantastic to see. 

There are many visits to highlight in the week’s Junior News. On Monday, Year 5 had an excellent trip to Bletchley Park, where they learned about the secret home of British codebreakers during World War II.

Reception enjoyed continuing their exploration of their ‘people who help us’ topic with a visit to the catering team, where they were given a behind-the-scenes tour to see how staff ensure everyone at Northampton High School is well-nourished throughout the day.

Year 1 and 2 are off to the Legoland Discovery Centre today, where they will take part in workshops which bring Maths, Science and Engineering to life, while also developing essential skills in communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and problem-solving.

I know pupils have found these experiences both engaging and valuable and I would like to take this opportunity to thank staff for organising these trips, providing opportunities for pupils to continue their learning outside of the classroom. 

Elsewhere in the curriculum, pupils continue to practice their dances, ready for the Dance Festival and Year 5 and 6 have dedicated themselves to rehearsing for their performance of Peter Pan. 

We also look forward to seeing you at the Astroturf Grand Opening on Friday 28th March where there will be inflatables, challenges, hockey and fun for the whole family. Pupils in Years 3-6 (and Senior School) are invited to participate in the hockey matches which are taking place on the night. 

Mrs Saunders-Wall
Interim Director of Junior School Liaison

We celebrated World Book Day last week, which has lead nicely to our focus on traditional stories, with this week’s being ‘Little Red Riding Hood’.  

In Ballet the repetition of certain pre-primary exercises is proving beneficial with the girls remembering and then improving on the skills they have learnt.  

With the weather being fine we have spent lots of time outside and the girls have been busy playing shops, riding the bikes and making creations in the sand.  

We have seen some great sharing and turn taking with our ever popular pink bikes and some of the girls have been learning to pedal the bigger bikes and even transport their friends.  

This week in Preschool we have been looking at forces such as push and pull. The girls have explored toy cars that have push buttons and also pull and release cars. They have learnt how to make these move and have enjoyed having races against the other cars. Ramps were added to enhance the girls play and they observed how the cars worked going down the ramp but struggled to go back up.

This week is National Science Week and we have took part in a few little science experiments. One involved a candle and we talked about how to be safe and who is allowed to touch it. The girls knew only grown ups could handle them. Funnily enough the girls saw the candle and instantly said “whose birthday is it?”

We have observed the weather changes outside and have seen a mixture of rain, sun, wind and even hail. The girls are hoping for snow next!

In Music the girls have been using various instruments exploring the different sounds they can make. We have also continued to explore different speeds and tempos.

In PE we have practised using a ball in various ways such as rolling, kicking, throwing and catching. We began by rolling a ball to a friend in a circle then moved onto kicking it across the hall to a friend on the other side. We then practised throwing and catching between ourselves and a partner. The girls had good communication and control while completing the tasks.

In PSHE we looked at foods that are healthy and unhealthy for us. As a group we helped Jigsaw Jenny sort out her lunch box into these categories. The girls were able to list lots and lots of other healthy foods including fruit and vegetables. 

Well done girls!

This week we have been discussing how there are more bugs about, and how it is a time of growth and new life.

The girls enjoyed the French version of ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ and joined in with the French knowledge that they have already acquired such as counting, naming some foods, and naming colours.

The main aim of our lessons is not the acquisition of as much vocabulary as possible but to instill an enjoyment and confidence in learning another language.

Our lessons are fun and interactive and today the classroom was full of ‘petits lapins’ who hopped about in the sunshine to music until ‘Il pleut!'(It’s raining!), when they had to scurry down their rabbit holes.

Year 1 have been working hard to consolidate their numbers, and I am incredibly proud of their focus and enthusiasm.

This week, we combined numbers with our knowledge of zoo animals and began designing our very own zoos.

The girls have shown wonderful creativity, and I can’t wait to see their presentations next week!

Year 2 have enjoyed talking about animals of the farm in relation to the National Science week. 

They have practised their speaking and reading skills while playing games and earning house points. They have also learnt about how animals make different noises in the French language. They have practised spelling the words in French.

Through role-play and games, they have grown in confidence with their speaking and reading skills. They also put their creativity to the test by designing their own farms, using new vocabulary to describe the animals they included while strengthening their French spelling skills.

Year 4 have just started their new topic about the weather, and they are already making great progress!

I was very impressed with their pronunciation, and we had a very close game of ‘Beat the Teacher,’ with the class claiming a narrow 5:4 victory!

I’m also looking forward to seeing their toy advert presentations next week—it will be wonderful to see all their hard work come together!

Year 5 have recently begun their new topic on food and drink.

This week, the girls spoke about what they eat and drink for lunch, focusing on how the gender of nouns affects the article and revisiting how to form negatives. They worked hard to build accurate sentences, and I was particularly impressed by their confidence in forming more complex structures.

It’s wonderful to see them becoming more independent in their language use.

This term, our French topic is all about describing our homes.

This week, the girls have been learning how to say which rooms they have in their house, paying close attention to how gender affects the articles.

Their pronunciation has been fantastic, and it’s been wonderful to see their confidence growing. I’m especially looking forward to seeing their completed dream house designs next week – there are already some incredibly creative ideas taking shape!

Today, we had the pleasure of welcoming two Junior School girls who won the prize of acting as Head and Head of Junior School for a day. They very confidently delivered a vote of thanks to Mrs Beezley and a guest speaker following their insightful assembly on dyslexia, held in recognition of Neurodiversity Celebration Week. Reflecting on the experience, they shared “we enjoyed the assembly because at first it was scary but once we did our speech we were proud and it felt like we were just speaking to ourselves and we were not daunted by the large audience of the older girls”.

Following the assembly, they then had the extraordinary opportunity to take a very important call, with none other than the GDST Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Giovannoni. During their conversion, the girls particularly appreciated one piece of advice from Mrs Giovannoni when discussing their approach to interacting with staff: “it’s not about them liking you, it’s about them respecting you and being a good person”.

What a wonderful, fun-packed, exciting day they had leading the school and meeting pupils and staff from various departments, such as catering, site team and marketing. To top it all off, they even managed to persuade Miss Kneen to make them a hot chocolate in the staff room!

What an incredible residential trip our Year 3 and Year 4 pupils had at Beaumanor Hall! From start to finish, the excitement was palpable as we embarked on this unforgettable journey!

We kicked off our adventure with an orienteering task around the vast grounds, exploring the area and solving clues along the way. Our teamwork shone through as we navigated the wilderness. Next up was an adapted version of ‘red light, green light’ in the wooded area, where our hiding skills were truly put to the test!

Many of our pupils discovered a talent for archery, aiming for the bullseye and sharpening their skills like true archers. After all that fun, it was time to collaborate and build our very own dens.

As the sun began to set, we gathered for a delicious tea, feasting on hot dogs and smiley faces, followed by scrumptious pancakes. But the adventure didn’t stop there — the evening was filled with laughter and a few screams as the girls enjoyed a game of hide and seek in the pitch black cellars. Despite the spookiness, everyone bravely joined in, showing true courage! Hot chocolates and biscuits were the perfect ending before attempting to sleep.

The next morning, we awoke to a hearty full English breakfast (and cereal/yoghurt for those who preferred.). First on the agenda was the adventure playground, where the girls balanced, swung, and climbed, overcoming fears and learning new skills. 10% braver indeed!

Our day’s learning was all about Vikings, which began with an exciting carousel of activities focusing on Viking games, weaving, names, stories, and trade. We even got to design our very own Viking shields, row on a Viking ship, and take part in an epic raid! After lunch, we collaborated to pitch our Viking tents, took part in a quiz, and used maps to uncover Viking clues.

Dinner was a tasty pasta, followed by a donut, and the evening wrapped up with a reflective trail through the woods, armed with our torches. Thankfully, we all made it out safe and sound!

On our final day, competition was in the air as we worked in teams to complete fun challenges, and then it was time to spend our pocket money at the gift shop!

What an amazing experience, filled with laughter, learning, and friendship! We are all very proud of how independent the girls were during this trip. It was a pleasure to take them away and they were a credit to the school and their families.

More photos are on Flickr.

U10
A tough game against a strong Wellingborough team. The girls were strong in the first 3 quarters but Wellingborough pulled ahead towards the end of the match with some solid shooting. Player of the Match went to Caoimhe.

Well done to all who played but unfortunately we lost 15:2.

U10 and U11
A very close game with both teams having passages of dominance. Olivia H and Olivia T worked tirelessly in the attacking third and shot with great accuracy. We drew 7:7 and Player of the Match was Olivia T.

U11
Northampton High School won 11:8 and Player of the Match was Eloise C.

Both teams came up against a more experienced opposition. Bedford took an early lead with good movement and passing. In response, the teams soon began to think about which position they were playing, where to mark and movement into space. Players of the Matches were Emily and Jasmine.

A great learning experience for all but unfortunately both teams lost 8:0. 

Swap Shop will be running on 18 March from 4pm-6.30pm during Parents Evening. We would welcome any items you may wish to donate.

Many thanks for your continued support.

With over 230 works now being installed in The White Room, I am getting very excited about hosting The Spring Collective on Thursday 20 March 6pm-8pm.

The anticipation is building, with a palpable buzz around school as the Art and Textiles Departments work under a cloak of secrecy. We all love unveiling a surprise! I do hope you can join us to celebrate this special exhibition of works from Year 5 to 13, alongside alum students, staff and other members of our creative community who have chosen to take part.

A warm welcome awaits you, with refreshments and live music from Mr Nathan and Sherain.

We are very excited to share the news of our brand new girls-only toddler group starting this month!

Girls aged 1-3 and their parents, grandparents and guardians are all welcome to come along and delve into a wide variety of toys, crafts and ‘surprise play stations’ created to spark imagination and fun times. Always remember ‘dress to get messy!’.

This toddler group will be held fortnightly on Tuesdays, 9.15am – 10am, a full list of dates and the online booking form can be found on the school website https://www.northamptonhigh.co.uk/admissions/open-events/

Please feel free to share this with any friends who may be interested, and come and join us with your little ones too. Our next session is, Tuesday 25 March. The Spring Term sessions are free of charge.