Debate Club News

Debate Club is for the first time ever taking part in both the Mace Cup debating competition and the Churchill Cup public speaking competition this term. The club will be debating Springwood High School this coming Monday, 15th November Mace Cup Regional Heat, opposing the motion: This House Believes That artists have a moral duty to be political in their work. 

During yesterday’s Senior assembly, Club members participated in an exhibition debate on this same topic. Best of luck to the pupils as they compete this coming Monday, and later as they participate the Churchill Cup on the 22nd!

October 2021 Skylark

In this issue of the Skylark Newsletter, you will learn about what has been happening in our Enrichment programme and why this is such an important part of a Heritage education. Take a look to also find out how role playing is used for our Infants, learn about the Kodály method of music education, and read about Year 5’s recent class assembly. You’ll also hear from our head girl and boy, discover more about our extracurricular activities, and meet our new Gap Year teaching assistants. Also, we bid a fond farewell to two staff members who have been a vital part of our school community.

A Musical Week

It has been a very musical week at Heritage, with pupils in Years 3-6 having the opportunity to play and sing for their classmates during special mini recitals. And this morning, a Senior Recital Assembly coincided with a non-uniform day to raise money for the East Anglia Children’s Hospice. Pieces included: 

  • Violin Quartet: Praeludium by Dmitri Shostakovich
  • Violin Solo: Coleg y Brifysgol Abertawe by Pat Shaw arr Phillips
  • Harp Solo: Lanterns by Fiona Clifton-Welker
  • Flute Solo: Vivace from Sonata in F by Telemann
  • Woodwind Trio: Rigadoon by Purcell and Air by Purcell
  • Clarinet Quartet: Fanfare and a Little Bit of Rock by Graham Lyons
  • Violin Solo: Apres un Reve by Faure

Well done to each of the musicians for their splendid performances.

Infants and Juniors Recite their Poems by Heart

During this morning’s Poetry Recitation Assembly, Infants and Juniors recited the poems that they have been memorising over the past half-term. 

Here is a list of the poems that were recited by each class: 

  • Lower Prep: ‘Rain’ by Robert Louis Stevenson
  • Upper Prep: ‘Who has Seen the Wind?’ By Christina Rosetti
  • Year 2: ‘Hurt No Living Thing’ by Christina Rosetti
  • Year 3: ‘Autumn Fires’ by Robert Louis Stevenson
  • Year 4: ‘The Eagle’ by Alfred Lord Tennyson
  • Year 5: ‘Sea Fever’ by John Masefield
  • Year 6: ‘This is the Night Mail’ by W.H. Auden

Memorising poetry has so many benefits for children, including stocking a child’s memory with a whole new set of language patterns, building vocabulary, and enhancing a child’s ability to comprehend difficult material. This article on the Mensa for Kids site has plenty of additional information about why memorising poems is good for children. 

Click below to watch one class’s poetry recitation. Bravo to all of the children for their terrific performances.

Open Morning Helpers

It was good to meet so many new families during our Open Morning on Saturday. We’d like to acknowledge all of the pupils who helped to support this event, including our Prefect Team who worked after school on Friday to get signs up and banners ready, and were also present to welcome and assist guests during the event itself. Additional thanks to Head Girl Alix and Prefect Nathaniel for managing the Senior Music in Mrs Zurcher’s absence, and for organising a rota of pupils – themselves included – to play the piano throughout the morning. A big thank you as well to our guides from Year 10 and other who supported with Art and Science. Well done to all of the pupils who represented our school so well.