This year's Scholastic Book Fair was a great success! After the pupils all visited the fair on Monday and Tuesday, we were delighted to see lots of children bringing mums and dads in to browse the books after school throughout the week. An excellent range of titles was on offer, together with a few posters and toys, capturing children's interest from Early Years up to Year 6. Mrs Wilding's talent for matching the book to the child proved invaluable and lots of pupils went home excited about their purchases with a renewed enthusiasm for reading.

As part of the school's Shakespeare Day celebrations, we were delighted to welcome five-time Foyle Young Poet Award winner Helen Mort to the school to run a couple of poetry workshops. Year 6 were joined by a number of pupils from neighbouring Bentley Primary School for a workshop which explored the ways that poetry, in contrast to Auden's view, can change the world. The children explored techniques for writing poetry of their own, such as thinking from the perspective of other senses or exploring the impossible. The workshop concluded with Helen reading some of her own poems, and answering pupils' questions on her life and work as a poet. The Year 5 workshop followed a similar format, although with this group Helen also had chance to hear some of the pupils perform their ESB poems. We've purchased a copy of Helen's collection of poems, The Shape of Every Box, for the prep school library.

This year forms in years seven, eight and nine performed role-plays in the theme of one of Shakespeare’s plays to celebrate St George’s day, the 444th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth.
The forms either got into groups or did a whole form performance. This year we had to choose a subject themed on Shakespeare’s play ‘A Midsummer night’s dream’ and then create a story six months from when the play ended. The subjects were: The Lovers, The Mechanicals (Bottom, Flute, Quince) and The Fairies. We were given two weeks to practise our role-play, year eight a little less due to a school trip.

Shakespeare Day also saw the Upper Prep's celebration of our recent outstanding performance in the ESB exams. Whilst time didn't permit the audience of pupils and parents to hear performances from all children, two dozen pupils from Years 4-6 performed their exam pieces. The programme gave particular prominence to poetry recitation, following on from Helen Mort's visit that morning, with lovely performances of "The Mystery of my Sister's School Photo" from Flora, "Excuses, Excuses" from Zoe and "L Plates on my Football Shirt" from Josh, amongst many others. A few brave children performed their presentations, including a splendid illustrated talk on Polar Bears by Grace. ESB work does much to boost the children's self confidence, and their willingness to perform to a large audience is some testament to this. The Year 3s are already thinking ahead to their chance to take part next year!