Steam Week 2023

It was full steam ahead for a week packed with scientific investigations and activities. Watch a slideshow of some of the highlights here:

Year 3 and 4 pupils used curve stitching to create some amazing geometrical patterns in maths and harnessed a whole range of skills in Design Technology to create their own Shadow Theatres. They used their knowledge about translucent and opaque materials, and how shadows are formed, built an electrical circuit to light up their stage and designed their own range of puppets to perform a story about the formation of fossils.

Year 3 explored digital photography, using the theme of volcanoes and rocks to place their images into a dramatic lava landscape, with the aid of some very willing Year 8 helpers who couldn’t resist the temptation to get stuck in as well!

Art and Science came together for Year 4 as they used their knowledge of electric circuits to make portable torches which they decorated with hand-made marbled paper.

Year 5 planned an investigation into which design of seeds are most successful at being dispersed by the wind. They constructed a range of seed designs, gathered data for analysis and tested their designs. In an Animation Workshop they used their knowledge of the Lifecycle of a Butterfly to put together some short films, and also had a go at some crazy lego animations.  Taking their inspiration from their study of the shapes and forms of crystals, they used watercolour paint and salt crystals to create striking effects

Year 6 have been studying the topic of Light this term in Science.  After investigating how kaleidoscopes work, they learnt about geometric patterns and tessellations in Maths and then created their own colourful patterns on paper. They then used their designs to decorate their own hand-made kaleidoscopes.  Then they went on to learn about the structure of the eye and made labelled model eyes out of play-doh.

Year 7 made animal and plant cell slides in Biology and viewed them under the microscope.  They drew the cells in their Science lesson and then painted them in Art.  They used chromatography to separate the colours in water soluble inks.

Year 8 learnt about Light, Colour and Filters in Physics.  They then utilised their ADT skills and made their own Newton discs and handheld spinners.

Singing Masterclass

Last week’s Singing Masterclass, run by peripatetic singing teachers, Ms Everton and Ms Janes, was an opportunity for pupils from Years 3-8 to join together, pick up some new techniques, learn from others and most importantly, put these into practice while having fun! Thanks to Ms Everton and Ms Janes for their hard work in planning such a packed and highly enjoyable session and to the pupils for contributing with such enthusiasm.

Scholarship Success

We’re very proud to announce an exceptional round of Tonbridge School Scholarship results. 7 of our pupils were awarded academic scholarships. These included the ‘Ainslie’, the top award, followed by our pupils in 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th places. Very many congratulations to all!

Cinderella & Rockerfella

What a triumph the production ‘Cinderella & Rockerfella’ was at the E.M. Foster Theatre in the final week of term. It was such a pleasure to see the children so manifestly enjoy taking part. Our grateful thanks go to all staff who helped to make it such a success, and in particular Mrs Parker, our Head of Drama.

Watch a video of the highlights here

Investing in Our Planet

The theme for Earth Day this year is ‘Invest in Our Planet’ with one of the main focus points being ‘plant a tree.’ Well, The Green Team did one better than that on Saturday morning and planted 30!

They had a very busy morning, learning new skills such as dead hedging, planting and campcraft cooking skills; making pizzas on an open fire.

Despite the heavy rain, the Green Team worked hard, demonstrated excellent teamwork skills and did it all with a smile on their face.

Thank you to Miss Young and Mrs Fordham for passing on their valuable skills.

Study Skills Workshops

Years 7 and 8 were immersed in study skills today to help them develop effective habits for revision and learning, with workshops run by Innerdrive, a mindset coaching company.

Year 8’s workshop ‘Studying with the Brain in Mind’, focussed on helping pupils to get the most out of their brain during revision time with lots of practical tips based on years of cognitive psychology and neuroscience research. Through an understanding of how the brain works, the workshop helped the pupils to understand how to use it more efficiently.

The Year 7 pupils’ workshop was all about focus and maintaining concentration. As well as looking at the challenges and obstacles that stand in the way of staying focused, it also gave them strategies to stay focused on the right thing at the right time and to improve their attention.

We also welcomed parents to a workshop on ‘Helping Your Child To Flourish’ so that they can support their children and help to embed these habits.

Pre-Prep Spring Concert

It may have been grey and drizzly outside but the Pre-Prep brought sunshine to the Gracey Hall with their Spring Concert. It was a lovely mix of ensemble singing and performances from the Year 1 children on their ocarinas and 2K on the Boomwhackers.

Congratulations to all of the children and a special mention to our brave little soloists!

Tunbridge Wells Arts Festival

Many of our pupils competed at the Tunbridge Wells Arts Festival and at Hastings Music Festival this term in the singing and instrumental classes.  The Tunbridge Wells Festival came first; it was a superb day of music making and marked a debut festival performance for the Pre-Prep choir who sang beautifully and were rewarded with second place in their class. At Hastings we also had a number of pupils perform in the vocal classes

Performing at festivals is a wonderful experience for all of the children. Winning, or coming second or third in a class is a fantastic achievement, but equally valuable is the opportunity to perform, to hear others perform and to receive the feedback from the adjudicator (an experienced professional singer) who offered compliments and constructive support in equal measure!

Evie in Year 4 wrote about her experience of performing at Tunbridge Wells Arts Festival for the first time:

“I felt nervous and scared but I was excited to do it. I have some advice: imagine no one is there!”

Sylvie in Year 3 wrote, “I felt very scared on the first performance but on the second one I was determined to push myself to do it. I was very confident. I could not wait to do it when I was waiting for my go. It was really great to have Evie there too because she was encouraging me to be positive. I was very fun and I was really pleased that I came third in the Year 6 and under category because it was my first ever music festival.”

At both the Hastings and Tunbridge Wells festivals many of our pupils received first, second and third places, and at Tunbridge Wells two pupils were awarded cups at the Gala Concert, with a further two invited to sing their duet, a great honour.

Congratulations to all of the pupils who took part, and also to their teachers who prepared them so well and gave them the confidence to perform.