Archives for 2025

Last week, Hopelands was buzzing with creativity, collaboration, and scientific thinking as the entire school took part in our annual STEM Day. From Nursery through to Year 6, every pupil got involved in this year’s exciting challenge — designing and building ball or marble runs!

Early Years Exploration
Our youngest engineers in Nursery and Reception had a fantastic time working outdoors with a variety of equipment, including traffic cones, stools, and drainpipes. They explored how different sized balls moved through their custom-built tracks and enjoyed experimenting with speed, slope, and materials.

KS1 Teamwork and Big Ideas
Key Stage 1 worked alongside their teachers and our brilliant Year 6 helpers to turn their ideas into reality. There was a great sense of teamwork as they built imaginative and impressive structures, learning through trial, error, and lots of laughter.

KS2 Engineering in Action
Years 3 to 5 put their engineering hats on to independently design and build marble runs from scratch. With each new addition to their track, they carefully tested, tweaked, and refined their designs to ensure a smooth—and slow—journey for the marble. We were particularly impressed with the scientific thinking behind some clever ideas to slow the marble down, rather than just extending the track length.

Celebrating Innovation and Collaboration
What stood out most throughout the day was the problem-solving, resilience, and collaboration on display. It was a joy to see pupils of all ages learning together and supporting one another.

A huge thank you to all our class teachers for their enthusiasm, our TAs for their support, and of course our wonderful Year 6 helpers who guided and encouraged the younger pupils throughout the day.

Thank you also to everyone who donated tubes, boxes, and materials over the past few weeks — they made all the difference!

We’re already looking forward to next year’s challenge. But for now, congratulations to all the winning teams who achieved the slowest marble runs of the day — what an achievement!

Well done, everyone!

Hopelands Prep School was alive with colour, music, and community spirit during its recent Spanish-themed celebration, which welcomed over 60 Grandparents and Grandfriends from the school community.

A highlight of the event was the vibrant Spanish café, where Year 5 pupils served traditional delicacies including Spanish omelette, sangria, and a tempting selection of cakes – all warmly received by the guests. The day was brought to life by joyful musical performances from children across the school, from the youngest in Nursery to pupils in Year 4, showcasing their enthusiasm for the Spanish language and culture.

Year 6 pupils took to the stage with an engaging presentation about their forthcoming residential trip to Somiedo, while both Year 5 and 6 pupils shone as confident and enthusiastic tour guides, proudly leading visitors around the school.

Adding to the celebratory atmosphere was a themed photo booth, capturing happy moments throughout the day. Guests were also invited to share their own treasured school memories, which will soon be displayed around the school for all to enjoy.

The children relished the opportunity to share their learning with their extended families, and it was truly heartwarming to witness the joy and connection between generations throughout the day.

It was, without doubt, a day to remember, filled with laughter, learning, and a shared love of language and culture.