Last Thursday, Year 8 pupils delivered an enchanting and highly entertaining performance of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. The story takes place on a magical island under the rule of Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, who was overthrown by a conspiracy between his brother Antonio and Alonso, King of Naples. 

The pupil-designed set and costumes, bursting with bright colours and vivid patterns, along with the music of pipes and a harp, created a delightfully dreamy ambience. The plot was moved along by Year 8’s excellent acting,  and energized by plenty of fun characters, including the tipsy duo of Trinculo and Stefano, and the cheeky sprite Ariel. Some of the merry moments also included a dance number set to the tune of a very recognisable 80s pop song, but with the lyrics: ‘We are living in an ethereal world and we are all ethereal girls.’ 

There was plenty of substance too. In her closing remarks, Mrs Burden praised the pupils for their talent, ideas and enthusiasm throughout the production. She also highlighted the theme of forgiveness demonstrated when the just and fair Prospero pardons those who have betrayed him, and the entire party prepares to set off for home. She asked the pupils to remember that, ‘Whatever the darkness out there, if they can learn to be forgiven and to forgive, there is hope and a future.’ 

Congratulations to the pupils for their hard work and outstanding performances, and to Mrs Burden for her expert teaching and direction. Additional thanks to Mrs Lowe for her very talented musical supervision and to Miss Pearce-Higgins for illuminating the set with lighting.

Charlotte Mason believed that ‘The peculiar value of geography lies in its fitness to nourish the mind with ideas, and to furnish the imagination with pictures… let him be at home in any single region; let him see, with the mind’s eye, the people at their work and at their play, the flowers and fruits in their seasons, the beasts each in its habitat; and let him see all sympathetically, that is let him follow the adventures of a traveler; and he knows more, is better furnished with ideas, than if he had learnt all the names on all the maps.’

Our youngest pupils learn about different countries around the world through hands-on experiences, such as trying on saris and silks from India, grinding up aromatic spices, or dancing to the rhythm of African drums. Parents who have lived in other countries often contribute to these sessions. Map skills are developed, for example, by looking at journeys fictional characters have taken, marking a route on a map of the Botanical Gardens and writing directions to get around the school. Reading stories about different places helps familiarise pupils with the regions they are studying. Physical land forms, such as the highest mountain and or the longest mountain range, are identified and explored as are, for example, the differences between a pond, a lake and a river.

This term, our Upper Prep pupils have been ‘visiting’ each of the seven continents using their special passports and boarding passes, memorizing the names of each of the continents through song. For each continent, they learn some of the key geographical features, landmarks and places of interest. Each Wednesday the children look forward to these exciting journeys, and recently wrapped up their final visit to the continent of Antactica, land of icebergs and penguins.