In order for our boys to be prepared and ready for a more complex life and work environment a 21st century classroom must promote creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration.

Developing, implementing and communicating ideas, along with being able to analyse and synthesise information to solve problems is key. Articulating thoughts and effectively sharing responsibility for collaborative work is not something new to the 21st century, these are, however, critical skills needed to succeed in a 21st century marketplace.

Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking and Communication, the four pillars of our STEAM Week and part of our School philosophy, were seen in action as Year 2 set off for Pangbourne Woods with the idea of creating an Anglo Saxon settlement. As the boys will tell you, the Anglo Saxons started out as Invaders, and settled in England for many reasons. The Anglo Saxons were particularly fond of making things using wood so we followed suit, making our own shelters, tools and weapons. You can see how much the boys enjoyed creating their settlement and even invented Anglo-Saxon style songs to greet their visitors!

Little Griffins & Reception

Little Griffins and Reception have had a flying start to 2019! St Edward's core values of Respect, Tolerance, Kindness, Curiosity and Independence have been weaved into learning day-to-day. While enjoying many activities and having fun, lots of learning has taken place, communication and language, maths and literacy, expressive arts and design, physical development, French, music and physical development. They have been Busy Bees!

Coffee Morning & Senior School Presentation

The coffee morning provided parents with a fantastic presentation of what the future holds for the school, looking closely at the school curriculum and how the St Edward's family help to weave STEAM, 21st Century Learning and our Core Values within that. Thank you to so many parents who came along.

It was also lovely to welcome local Senior Schools to St Edward’s Prep for a presentation evening. Reading Blue Coat, Leighton Park School, Holme Grange School, Abingdon School, Pangbourne College, The Oratory School and Shiplake College joined us to showcase their fantastic schools.

The evening was a great success with much discussion and collaboration amongst Headmasters, Teachers, Registrars, Parents and Students. Feedback from both parents and students was that the evening was a valuable opportunity to discuss entry requirements and find out more about these schools as possible senior school options. Families were very happy that St Edward’s had provided such an ideal opportunity to come and have a chat to all the represented senior schools.

Bletchley Park Trip

Even though we did sign the Official Secrets Act, we really cannot keep our fabulous trip to Bletchley Park a secret! Once, the top-secret home of the World War Two Codebreakers, it is now an incredible historical record of the amazing and vital work that occurred there during WW2. We were, most definitely, a captive audience and enthralled by what we heard and saw. We tried our hand at Morse Code and were quite successful at breaking codes. We learnt that it was Hut 8, led by Alan Turing that made the breakthrough on the Dolphin Enigma key used by the German U-Boats attacking the British Trans-Atlantic convoys. Throughout the Battle of the Atlantic, Bletchley Park codebreakers and, in particular, Hut 8, helped the Admiralty to track the U-Boat wolf packs which reduced the German Navy’s ability to sink the merchant navy ships bringing vital supplies to Britain from America. Thank goodness, otherwise we may have all been very, very hungry! It was a fabulous opportunity to visit this heritage site, and an incredible privilege to come to know and admire the uniquely important story of these Codebreakers during the Second World War and the importance of Bletchley Park. It is no wonder we just couldn’t keep this visit a secret and well-worth visiting again.

Sports

It's been an action packed half term for sports. The boys have improved their rugby skills and enjoyed many fixtures against different Berkshire schools. They have played some excellent rugby and put in outstanding performances against talented opposition. Swimming has also continued and been a favourite for the boys. They have gone from strength to strength improving their fitness, technique and water safety awareness.

Eagle House Maths Challenge

The annual Year 6 Maths Challenge at Eagle House School is always a big event: There were a total of 81 teams from 42 schools taking part.

The boys had to work in pairs to solve maths questions involving algebra, numeration, arithmetic, logic, strategy and word problems. Two hours of relay racing, number crunching, problem solving and brain boggling fun. The team worked fantastically hard, demonstrating enthusiasm, determination and collaboration skills all afternoon. Even when they came across hurdles in their path, the boys did not give up and worked with 100% motivation and application.

As if this was not enough – when it came to the prize giving ceremony we discovered that our team had come 4th out of 81. An astonishing achievement – well done, boys! Perhaps even more exciting than Maths was the snow blizzard on the journey home; to quote: “A Maths challenge AND snow – it’s the best afternoon ever!”

Food Glorious Food!

Delicious and nutritious - our pupils are always spoilt for choice! We've had a terrific variety of food to try this term. Artichokes, a sausage smorgasbord and sushi. Not to mention Meat Free Mondays and a Chinese New Year Feast! Thanks again to Holroyd Howe for keeping tummies full.

Clubs