Spotlight on Community Sport

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Year 9 pupil Emilie is a dedicated community footballer, training three days a week with the Histon Hornets U14 Squad and Cambridge United PDC.  

On Saturday, 14th May the Hornets advanced to the final of the Cambridgeshire Women’s and Girls league Cup at Newmarket Football Club, where they faced Leverington Sports Youth U14 Girls in an incredibly exciting, close, and demanding match.

Unfortunately the result wasn’t as the girls had hoped – with the final score resulting in 2-0 to their opponents – but they performed exceptionally well and deserve recognition for their determination throughout the entire season.

Photo Credit: Aspire Cambridge

How Infants Benefit from Shorter School Days

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As the saying goes, ‘you never have a second chance to make a first impression.’ And our children’s first impressions of school can have a lasting impact on their enjoyment of learning. 

Learning is effortful, and it is particularly hard work for young children who are not only accumulating lots of new background knowledge but who must also get used to the routines and expectations of the classroom. As they assimilate to this new setting, children need plenty of time for rest and for unstructured play (which is also essential for the development of their executive function). 

With this understanding in mind, the school week at Heritage  includes an early finish on three days for Lower Prep and one for Upper Prep. This allows for plenty of high quality learning but also helps to mitigate the problems of too much, too soon.

Taking advantage of a recent early finish on a Wednesday, some of our Upper Prep pupils enjoyed a trip with their parents to the Fitzwilliam Museum to check out  the Hockney’s Eye exhibition. The children enjoyed studying and carefully copying the landscapes, followed by hot chocolate in the cafe. 

Our relaxed Stay and Play sessions with Miss Cage present an equally valuable opportunity for children to simply play with their friends, get outside, or join in on fun activities like junk modelling or planting bulbs in the Panton Hall garden.  

Either way, children have a chance to recharge their batteries, ready for the next full day of learning ahead.

Photos, Top Row: Upper Prep pupils enjoy a trip to the Fitzwilliam on a Wednesday afternoon

Photos, Bottom Row: Stay & Play children do some paddling and tree climbing during a recent session.

Welcoming New Families

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During our recent appreciation event for the Heritage Community Association (HCA), Mr Fletcher thanked the HCA for their attentiveness and sensitivity in the welcoming of new families, noting particularly the ‘brilliant contribution’ of a Welcome Book for Lower Prep families, which was created this year by parents Annabel Fraser, Irenee Daly, and Bev Mercer and will soon be available on the Parent Portal. The book features a comprehensive catalogue of  practical information, along with helpful tips from fellow parents. It will be an invaluable resource for families new to Heritage.

Photo Left to Right: Bev Mercer, Annabel Fraser, and Irenee Daly

Hooray for the HCA

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The Heritage Community Association (HCA) is a vital part of our school, helping to build connections among families and supporting the work of the school through fundraising. The group is run by parents, but represents the whole Heritage community, and the building up of that community is what they do best. 

This morning, Mr and Mrs Fletcher—along with other Heritage staff and trustees—gathered to show their appreciation for the HCA committee members, class reps and other volunteers who give their time to support the life of the school. Mr Fletcher thanked the group for their part in building the Heritage community, pointing to its particular  importance following the ‘relational thinning out’ from the pandemic. ‘We are thankful for all of you’, he remarked, ‘because we cherish the relational life of the community and long to see it develop and revive.’ 

He also noted the generous donation of equipment and toys by the HCA earlier this year and the many ongoing fundraising activities, including the ever popular class cake sales that have recently resumed.  The current fundraising effort to purchase a new piano for the school and to support Amazing Grace School in Uganda will feature the eagerly anticipated summer fete on 18th June—an event that promises to be a fun and entertaining afternoon for the whole community.

Special thanks to our Bursar Mrs Buchanan for organising the event.

Photo Left to right: Mrs Fletcher, Mr Fletcher, Volunteer Tish Berkley, Y8 Rep Helen Alexander, HCA Co-Chair Rachel Bruins, Y4 Rep Rachel Proud , LP Rep Bev Mercer, HCA Treasurer Donal Lafferty, Y6 Rep Helen Orr, HCA Co-Chair Ellie Stoneley, Y5 Rep Cecilia Amies, UP Rep Vicki Grebe, Trustee Cat Meakin, HCA Secondhand Uniform Shop Volunteer Irenee Daly, Heritage Bursar Catriona Buchanan. Not shown: Y2 Reps Katie Wright & Annie Otter, Y3 Rep Deepthy Francis, Y7 Rep Jacky Hulett, Y9 Rep Vicky Green, Y10 Rep Sylvie Rigby, Y11 Reps Avril Monmont & Susie Cumming, Staff Reps Miss Lisa Irwin & Miss Helen Cage

Year 5 Take A Musical Journey Through Time

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Year 5 put on their drama ‘Time Lord’ for family members at Panton Hall yesterday evening. The time travel adventure was a true crowd pleaser, and delighted the audience with plenty of catchy musical tunes and lots of famous characters from history. 

In the story, modern day children Harriet and Sam meet a Time Lord who takes them on an incredible journey into the past. However, danger lies ahead as the group encounters some fierce dinosaurs who had been accidentally released  from prehistoric times through the time portal, and are now trying to win back the planet.

During their adventures, the group meet up with a group of WWII evacuees, a saintly Florence Nightingale, a very hard of hearing Beethoven, and a fierce Queen Boudicca with her group of Iceni warriors.

The lively musical performances featured rapping dinosaurs, a smashing riff on Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, and lots of clever rhymes (including, impressively, several to match with ‘Boudicca’.)

After many weeks of preparations, the class delivered an exceptional performance. A gallery of Mr Hulett’s photos is available here.