Year 5 Assembly: Determination and Perseverance

During Monday’s class assembly, Year 5 reflected on the qualities of determination and perseverance. Disproving the idea that famous figures are all ‘super geniuses or really talented’ people who don’t have to work hard for success, the class shared the following inspirational stories of individuals who worked hard and overcame hardship to achieve great things:

  • Archimedes worked day and night to solve King Hiero’s ‘Crown Problem’, not even pausing to get dressed after the bath where he finally had his ‘eureka’ moment.
  • A true trailblazer, Katherine Johnson was handpicked as one of three black students to integrate in West Virginia’s graduate schools, and went on to become a NASA mathematician and an important figure in the Space Race.
  • Surfer Bethany Hamilton did not stop pursuing her dreams after losing her arm in a shark attack, winning her first national surfing title just two years later.
  • Despite the dyslexia that led to struggles and bullying in school, Steven Spielberg went on to become one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, even though it to takes him twice as long to read the books and scripts on which his films are based.

Well done to Year 5 for their own hard work in preparing for and delivering this encouraging message to their fellow Infants and Juniors.

Year 7 Visit the Tower of London

This term, Year 7 are learning about the Norman King William the Conqueror and how he gained control of England. Last week, the class visited the Tower of London, a grand castle whose first structures were built in 1066 to help William secure his position against the opposing Saxons. 

During their visit, the pupils learned about prisoners taken to the Tower during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. They heard the story of Jesuit priest John Gerard, who was held captive and tortured, and were able to see the cell in which he was imprisoned (complete with his graffiti marks). Gerard miraculously escaped the Tower and wrote an autobiography describing his ordeal. 

The class also were treated to some quality time with the Yeoman warders, who have been guarding the tower since Tudor times. Asking plenty of good questions, the pupils enjoyed a lengthy conversation with one warder in particular, who shared many amusing anecdotes.

Trips like these are not only fun and memorable, but help history lessons come to life in a new way.

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Pond Dipping

Upper Prep’s Trip to Wicken Fen

Last Friday, Upper Prep pupils put on their wellies and waterproofs and loaded into the minibus, ready for an exciting trip to Wicken Fen Nature Reserve. 

When they arrived, the pupils were greeted by National Trust staff members Andrew and Pam, who guided the afternoon’s activities. The class split into two, with one group following Pam to learn about different types of insects that might be found in the fen, what they eat and how many legs they have. Holding one another’s shoulders, the pupils imagined that they were a centipede capturing its ‘prey’ (in this case, the unfortunate Mrs Spriddell), and then donned some very funny-looking glasses to experience the world as a dragonfly with its compound eyes, hunting for other insects. The pupils ended the session by rolling over logs to find their own minibeasts, delighted to collect plenty of slugs, worms and spiders. 

Next the group joined Andrew, who directed the pond dipping activities. He first spoke to the children about the wide variety of creatures who live in the pond, showing them photographs of each to help them identify the various types of beetles, bugs, nymphs and more. He then showed the pupils how to dip their long nets into the pond and drag it back and forth to see what they could catch. They squealed with excitement as they scooped up some wriggling creatures (some of them surprisingly large!) and put them in the tray for observation. 

After the day’s activities the happy children climbed back into the minibus to head back to school and tell their families all about their marvellous visit.

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Hunting Minibeasts

Remembering Her Majesty the Queen

The Heritage community shares in the great sadness felt at the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. We look back in gratitude at her years of exceptional service, strength of character and her Christian faith. We paid our respects to the Queen with a moment of silence at noon today and will remember her life during our assemblies next week.

Celebrating Our Outstanding Exam Results

We are delighted to announce our pupils’ excellent exam results for this year, with 73% of all grades at 9 or 8. Headmaster Jason Fletcher says:

‘Today, we are celebrating the excellent exam results achieved by our outgoing Year 11 pupils, with our highest ever proportion of exam entries – 73% – being awarded 9 or 8. This is higher than last year when exams were centre-assessed, and almost double the percentage of top grades awarded in 2019, the last time pupils sat normal exams. We are delighted too by numerous outstanding personal achievements, where grades awarded exceeded expectations.

Our outgoing Year 11 pupils have done exceptionally well, and all the more so in view of the severe disruption to learning that they have experienced over the past two and a half years. We are very proud of them and their resilience amidst challenging circumstances. Our teachers have worked tirelessly to support our pupils throughout the pandemic and to ensure their steady progress through the curriculum. That our proportion of top grades is higher than ever is a testimony to their dedication and professionalism.

Amidst a national picture of falling GCSE results, ours went in the opposite direction. Our best ever results demonstrate once again that our small class sizes, personalised attention and positive learning culture adds significant value. Heritage is a school that helps pupils achieve more than they otherwise would have done. Congratulations to our outgoing Year 11 pupils! We wish them all the best for their next chapter.’

A summary of our 2022 results can be found at www.heritageschool.org.uk/information-for-parents/exam-results.