2023 Spring Term 2
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PRINCIPAL'S WELCOME
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PRIMARY - ROMAN DAY
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MECHANICS CAREERS TRIP
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ANIMAL CENTRE
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CANINE CENTRE
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HORTICULTURAL CENTRE
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FOREST SCHOOL
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FOOD TECHNOLOGY
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LIBRARY & ENGLISH DEPARTMENT NEWS
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HUMANITIES UPDATE
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CREATIVE MEDIA UPDATE
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SCIENCE UPDATE
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PSHE UPDATE
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HEVER FLOOR
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BODIAM FLOOR
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ARUNDEL FLOOR
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PE & SPORT
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SPORTING FIXTURES
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POST-16: FOREVER FIRST AID
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DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARD
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NSPCC YOUNG PEOPLE'S BOARD
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EASTER EGGS
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TERM DATES & INSET DAYS
Dear Parents and Carers,
This term has been a successful period for all pupils. The school has been working hard to improve attendance as this is such an important factor for our pupils and their preparation for adulthood. We have been running a class versus class attendance competition and really do appreciate your support in ensuring pupils attend school every day.
Year 11 pupils have completed mock exams in all subjects over the past fortnight and have worked hard in all of these. This experience is certainly good practice for the real exams, which start in May, and a useful reminder for pupils of which areas they now need to focus their revision upon. I have been impressed with how hard all of our pupils have worked, and the commitment to learning that they have demonstrated throughout this term.
I hope that you all have an enjoyable Easter break. We look forward to the pupils returning on Tuesday 18th April.
Best wishes,
Mr Anderson
On Wednesday, 1st March, our Primary pupils came to school dressed in their best Roman attire, ready for our Primary Roman Day. Each class presented their emperors, free men and soldiers as they engaged in a day of Roman learning.
In the morning, we learnt about Roman numerals and life as a Roman soldier. We thought about the equipment they would have had, and how they prepared themselves for battle. Using our 'soldier knowledge', we looked at the spread of the Roman Empire across the continent and thought about why they were so successful.
As the day moved on, we all took part in a range of activities that taught us about Roman life. We made clay pots and brooches, and we designed and made our own Roman shields! We had to use a range of skills for each of these tasks, such as cutting, painting and fixing materials together. Each class made their own bread rolls, and at the end of the day, we came together for a Roman Banquet. We marched around the playground in soldier formation and then shared food and drink before graduating as Roman Day Survivors!
It was a fantastic day of cross-curricula learning, and all of the pupils gained a deeper understanding of life as a Roman.
On 6th March 2023, Year 10 pupils undertook a careers-based visit to P and H Motorcycles in Crawley. The pupils looked at the workshop facilities and were able to see how the role of a motorcycle mechanic could be a potential career. The pupils also went to look around the sales showroom and asked lots of questions about potential areas of employment to link in with the Mechanics course they are undertaking in school. The pupils really enjoyed the visit and got to try out some of the bikes in the showroom!
It has been so rewarding having the animals during Mock exam season, as this can be a very stressful time for pupils. Some pupils have gravitated to the animals just to sit and stroke them and use the calming space to prepare before an exam or to wind down after. Seeing the way that the animals can bring a sense of peace and reduce stress is wonderful and so beneficial to the boys when they need that added support.
Muntham House School now offers work experience at our farm, and so each week there are a range of jobs to do in which pupils learn how to maintain and care for the animals and get stuck in on all the mucky duties.
Goats
The pupils have been enjoying taking part in the building project to renovate the goat's climbing frame. This has involved a lot of digging and mixing concrete, and much of the building work took place in the wet weather! The project is still ongoing but is really taking shape, and pupils will be able to spend quality time with the goats, training them to follow them around the pen on an agility course to see who has the patience to persevere and encourage the goats. The boys that visit the animals for support between their exams have been able to switch off from any stress as the goats, in particular Gizmo, quickly act as a distraction and seek attention from the pupils by pawing at them for cuddles and brushing.
Donkeys
The wet weather is not viewed well by Buzz and Woody who do not like to venture out in the rain, and so have been making the most of the time indoors for grooming. Some of the pupils have found that being calmer around the animals is so rewarding as the donkeys are so much happier to interact and stand close to them for cuddles whilst they remain calm. The donkeys are non-judgemental friends to the boys and seek attention from the pupils in a similar way to the goats, which has been hugely beneficial again during mocks.
Some pupils are initially a little wary of the animals when they first join in with Animal Support sessions, so it has been lovely to see how their confidence grows over the 6 week period, and to observe how pupils become much more comfortable with the animals, and change their mindset.
Chickens
The hens are still being kept indoors but hopefully, they will be able to roam outside before too long. They have become very used to the pupils coming in and handling them. In fact, even the most shy of hens are now becoming more and more confident - as are the pupils. Some pupils were initially scared of the chickens and did not want to handle them, but over the last few weeks they have shown an eagerness to catch their favourite and see if it will perch on their arm for a while.
Pigs
The pigs have been spoilt rotten this term, with a lot of grooming and oiling. The pupils that visit the pigs have learnt how to measure a pig to obtain its weight, which is tricky when you have to get a measuring tape all the way around our pigs' tummies! The pigs are always stocked up on treats as the pupils like to pass them some acorns. Sessions with the pigs are always messy as the wet weather has meant their ground is very wet - not that it stops the pupils from going in there and spending time with the greedy pigs!
This term, we have focused on mindfulness. The benefits of mindfulness are huge - it can help manage stress and anxiety as well as increase confidence and self-esteem. The ability to learn how to focus is important for all: luckily, we have 2 wonderful canines who allow us the space to practice and will often join in.
Ways of practising mindfulness for children are: progressive muscle relaxation; a walk with the dogs where we use our senses and name what we can hear, see and smell; deep belly breathing; spending time brushing Omah; and origami which seems to be the favourite activity at the moment!
Creating awareness of mindfulness has allowed our students to experience how to lower their energy - this is especially fruitful when working with our terrier Buzz. He has bountiful energy and sometimes needs us to co-regulate this. Omah is excellent for meditation. She oozes relaxation and loves to join in, although we expect it’s the cuddles she loves the most!
We did have some excitement in the form of a power cut! This resulted in Omah having to attend a Science lesson with Mr Barnes - she ended up falling asleep. We will assume it was because she was relaxed and not due to the content of the lesson!
With the promise of warmer days, we took delivery of 8 tonnes of fresh compost and topsoil. It was a huge job to move it all, but with help from Jake and Harry, and one of our primary classes during their lesson, we got the job done in a day.
With all the raised beds topped up and ready to go, the pupils started sowing seeds. We have sown many different varieties of vegetables and flowers and will continue sowing, pricking them out and planting out for many weeks to come. Our first carrots and radishes have sprouted up in the polytunnel, and I know the pupils are looking forward to tasting them in a few weeks.
Mr Pusey made us some new raised beds for soft fruit. These have been planted with strawberries, red, black and pink currants, and gooseberries.
We were lucky to receive 8 fruit trees (apples and pears) from the charity 'From The Ground Up'. These trees have now been planted in our garden area by the pupils. In time, the trees will have blossoms for the bees, fruit for us and for the birds, and will provide some shade for very hot days. Our pupils enjoyed digging the planting holes, and will do some research into the different varieties next term.
The younger pupils have enjoyed muddy walks looking for signs of spring. We found primroses, celandines, wild daffodils and lots of mud on the wonderful school grounds.
The birds are still coming to the bird table. Regulars include robins, nut hatches and great tits. Hopefully, they will continue to come and eat the insects that threaten to nibble on our crops.
We have purple sprouting and curly kale ready to eat - some of the pupils are enjoying eating it freshly picked when they are up at the polytunnel.
Happy Easter.
In forest school this term, we have been concentrating on exploring, and craft skills. Some of the primary groups are currently making kites, whilst one of the primary groups is making a tree house/tower. This is a large project allowing the pupils to problem solve, develop and build resilience resilience, work as a team, communicate with each other and take risks, as well as learning some outdoor craft skills.
The secondary pupils have been learning about the joys of outdoor cooking. As the weather gets better, they will be taking part in this a lot more. To really test the pupils, we have concentrated on fire lighting this term, in both primary and secondary. The difficulty here is the wet weather. This makes gathering appropriate dry materials more difficult.
This half term, the focus for Years 10 and 11 has been to learn how to make a nutritious main course. Dishes have included Singapore noodles, chicken pot pie, salmon pasta and cheesy beef quesadillas. The pupils have enjoyed learning about dishes from different cultures as well as traditional English food.
Key Stage 3 pupils have also been very busy making a range of dishes including cheese scones, Viennese whirls, and bread and butter pudding. Of course, choosing cooking as gold reward has been very popular - the most fun so far according to one pupil was the smoothie making, as you can see from the photo below!
Wishing you all a happy Easter.
World Book Day 2023: Activities and Competitions
This year, World Book Day was celebrated on Thursday 2nd March. Pupils were given the following information:
- World Book Day changes lives through a love of books and reading.
- World Book Day’s mission is to promote reading for pleasure, offering every child and young person the opportunity to have a book of their own.
- Did you know: reading for pleasure is the single biggest indicator of a child’s future success – more than their family circumstances, their parents’ educational background or their income?
- World Book Day was created by UNESCO on 23rd April 1995 as a worldwide celebration of books and reading. It is marked in over 100 countries around the globe.
- The first World Book Day in the UK and Ireland took place in 1997 to encourage pupils to discover the pleasure of reading.
Pupils were given the opportunity to come to school dressed up as a book character and, throughout the day, would ask their peers to guess who they were and what book their character was from.
Pupils played '20 questions': Each pupil stood up in front of the class with a book character in mind - their peers had to guess the character or book by asking a maximum of twenty questions to which only a yes or no would be given in answer by the pupil.
The favourite game of the day was 'Mystery Person'. Pupils were shown photos of members of staff as a baby, child or teenager. Pupils had to name the staff member they thought was in the picture. Once all guesses had been made, pupils found it hugely entertaining to see all the photos again with staff names revealed. Much hilarity ensued.
Inspired by the TV show 'Masked Singer', pupils listened to voice recordings of members of staff reading a few pages from their favourite book. The aim was to identify the reader, with bonus points given for being able to name the title and author of the book.
During afternoon Line-Up, we celebrated the day by giving out prizes to the best dressed and the most creative outfit of the day, and to the winner of each game. All in all, a fabulous day enjoyed by everyone.
In Year 7, students have been studying Climate Change and the impact that this is having on our planet. We have examined different time periods and causes of climate change. Year 7 pupils were so determined to make a difference that they are going to be fundraising after Easter to raise enough money to adopt an Orangutan and a Snow Leopard - both animals are negatively impacted by climate change. Year 7 have held a whole school assembly to raise awareness, and hopefully will be able to update you on their success next time!
Year 8 has been studying creation stories from around the globe in the build-up to the Easter holidays. They have looked at Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, Darwinism and the Chinese creation story. Towards the end of the term, they began exploring diversity and discrimination to prepare them for their next topic.
Year 9 and 10 have made a start on their GCSE History modules, looking at Germany from 1890 to 1945. A lot of the pupils have found this incredibly interesting to study and have engaged positively even when they have been struggling previously. The depth of critical thinking expressed has been outstanding, and most are showing great promise of becoming amateur historians. Four of our pupils recently attended a trip to the Imperial War Museum and learned from the Holocaust Exhibit on display.
Our pupils have been working hard over the past few months exploring and developing Creative Media skills within various BTEC projects.
A popular project amongst our pupils has been manipulating real-life pictures of themselves and combining images into one unique design, creating digital art in Adobe Photoshop.
Poster Design has been popular, using Adobe Photoshop to edit images and apply special effects. These images are then placed into Adobe Illustrator, where text and vector graphics are added.
Lino Printing is a calming craft technique. Pupils explored this technique using a range of tools and materials to create handcrafted prints for digital graphics.
Due to the vast range of pupils' needs, staff in Creative Media create bespoke projects for those who require further support. These projects give pupils freedom of choice by allowing them to share responsibility for their own learning while meeting with their interests and curiosities. They are very successful - pupils work harder knowing it's their idea, having a successful effect on their progression and creating a positive and collaborative relationship between them and the Creative Media team.
Well done to all classes.
Yet another studious and exciting half-term for our Science pupils.
Firstly, a massive well done to the year 11 pupils who have sat their mock exams. They all showed resilience, perseverance and courage. They should be commended for their great results in preparation for the exams in the summer.
We have also had some colourful lessons with the year 7 pupils, who have been learning about acids, bases and neutralisation. This also involved some interesting smells as the pupils made their own pH indicator with red cabbage. Many of the year 9 pupils have been working superbly, continuing to do well with the GCSE course.
We also have some visitors to the lab in the form of tadpoles as Spring arrives. When these are old enough, they will be given a more grown-up habitat in the school ponds. Many of the pupils enjoy observing the changes and metamorphoses taking place, and learning about lifecycles. We are all looking forward to the changes that Spring brings, and being able to enjoy more outdoor learning.
In PSHE this half term, the focus has been on Health and Wellbeing.
Year 7 has been learning about puberty, including the physical changes to male and female bodies, as well as the changes both sexes experience. They have learned about the importance of healthy routines, in particular healthy sleep routines. Young people should be getting 8-10 hours of good sleep a night, with electronics being switched off an hour before sleep. How much sleep does your child get? What time are consoles and phones switched off? It would be helpful to track sleep habits as they are vital to a young person’s physical and mental health, their education and their resilience.
Year 8 has participated in lessons on Emotional Well-being and attitudes to mental health. Interestingly, we recently had an in-depth debate where Year 8 explored discriminatory language and attitudes that may be used in society without understanding the impact of using such language. By learning key information and challenging key misconceptions, the aim was for Year 8 to respond to different examples of discriminatory language. However, the group felt so passionately about what they were learning, pens were put down, and a whole class debate ensued. The Year 8 students were asked if they say things like “Man Up!” and “Pull yourself together”, or maybe when talking about things that are hectic or busy, they use the terms “mental” and “crazy”. The group were then encouraged to think about how these statements might make someone feel, and what positive alternatives could be.
Year 9 has responded well to Healthy Lifestyle lessons. They have learned how to maintain good physical health and a good diet by considering who and what influences their decisions. The groups have looked at a range of scenarios and used prompt questions to give healthy advice for each situation. Pupils have demonstrated a good understanding of how physical health can impact on mental health, and vice versa. As the young people have gotten older, the scale of influence has changed. For example, parents are always the biggest influence when young, however as our young people develop, influences such as friends and social media become more impactful. We wondered in which situations these influences are reliable or not. We also looked at different facts related to health and well-being. Did you know there is no scientific evidence to prove that 10,000 steps a day are needed to be physically healthy? This information was actually a marketing technique used for Japan Olympics, and revisited during the Covid-19 lockdowns. Young people are encouraged to engage in 60 minutes of brisk activity to maintain a healthy lifestyle. How much physical activity does your child participate in each day?
Year 10 pupils have extended the teaching points from Year 9 by 'Exploring Influence'. They have explained how different internal and external influences can affect their decision making, have described strategies for managing peer influence and have evaluated ways to be a positive influence on peers in relation to substance use. Year 10 has also considered how alcohol and other drugs affect decision-making, learning about the impact of substance use on risk-taking and personal safety. Social media influences, such as Andrew Tate, have been a focus of Year 10 PSHE too. The pupils have debated the positive messages from this influencer against the negative content that is shared on the web. Who is your child influenced by? Can they explain to you why?
Year 10 Young Enterprise group have been preparing business plans. They have considered their target market and the costs involved whilst determining what their product or service is and who their customers are. The group have identified the strengths and weaknesses of any competitors, and established what their USP (Unique Selling Point) is. We discussed items that each of us cannot live without. What is something that you use every day and couldn’t imagine life without it? How has it changed your life or your routines for the better?
This half term, Year 11 and MHC pupils have been undertaking activities designed to prepare for a knife or gun attack. Our lessons have been based around the RUN, HIDE, TELL advice from the Counter Terrorism Police. Several young people have been concerned about knife crime incidents in our local communities - this unit of work has developed a sense of confidence through careful preparation. The groups have looked at different scenarios and identified safe and unsafe behaviours, and considered the consequences of each action. MHC pupils have also engaged in Healthy Lifestyle activities, evaluating their own attitudes and choices in relation to what would support them in maintaining a healthier lifestyle, and what changes they need to implement.
PSHE Drop-in sessions have also been a large focus this half term. Pupils now have the opportunity to visit the PSHE space during break times, where they can ask any questions and have an informal chat, or develop their social skills through play with different age groups. The Drop-in sessions are extended to our residential cohort, with each floor being visited once a week. Feedback from our pupils is positive, and they look forward to our time together as much as I do!
Next term, Relationships and Sex Education will form the basis of all PSHE lessons. Please look out for your child’s year group’s letter soon.
Hever Floor has enjoyed another busy half-term filled with after-school clubs. Our resident Cub has been invested and is now a fully-fledged cub scout! Mikey enjoys this immensely each week and is looking forward to working towards gaining badges and may even learn how to sew them onto his uniform! Experiences like going to cubs are so valuable to our pupils, who learn many different skills, and it also helps them with social integration away from our school community. These valuable skills can be brought back to our community and help our pupils in their personal development. As usual, the pupils have free rein on baking, we anticipate the famous Muntham Bake-Off happening soon, so we are in training!
The pupils on Hever have taken part in some special days in education recently and threw themselves into this excitedly, coming up with costumes for World Book Day and Roman day.
Hever Floor has recently introduced a new reward system in addition to our weekly boarder of the week award. We have noticed a need to work on kindness in all its forms and to encourage kind gestures amongst our pupils. We now give out kindness stars to fill our “Kindness jars”. Our pupils can be awarded these for things such as supporting a fellow peer, saying kind things, kind actions, being helpful, or just being an all-around superstar! The pupils have really bought into this, and it is lovely to hear the kind comments and see kind actions every day. We add up the stars for each pupil on a termly basis, and the winner receives a special treat of their choice. This can range from going to the pottery barn, bowling, or McDonald’s, to name just a few. Vinnie was our inaugural winner - he chose to go to our local ice cream parlour and took his wonderful keyworker with him!
The pupils have been enjoying their evenings on Bodiam Floor - we have recently been able to access DisneyPlus which opens a world of appropriate and diverse films for the pupils to choose from. To make this extra special, resident pupils are provided with hot chocolates and a bowl of popcorn as they settle down in their comfy clothes and blankets.
As the weather hasn’t been on our side, we have utilized the resources on floor, and the pupils have enjoyed participating in board games, puzzles and chess, and in creating models with Lego. It has been wonderful to see them come together as a mini-community and to share the enjoyment this brings.
Well, it’s been another fun-filled half of term on Arundel Floor where pupils have been busy relaxing and taking part in after-school activities.
We are seeing our pupils frequent the public gym to take part in the Junior Gym programme. They have been working out hard and really noticing the benefits of a good workout on the body and mind.
The 'Essex rewards' have been a hit this term. Essex pupils have been keeping up to date with the latest releases at the cinema, in 4DX, obviously! And the swimming rewards at the local pool are always well received and appreciated by them.
On floor, we have been taking part in cooking clubs where pupils were challenged to create their own pizza for dinner. This included rolling out the dough, preparing the toppings of their choice and creating their own masterpieces. These are valuable life skills the pupils are picking up, and they all did really well. So, next time your young person says they don’t know how to make anything, just remind them about their pizza-making expertise: set them up and then sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labours!
Looking ahead, we are happy to see the clocks springing forward and the evenings lengthening so we can get out and about a bit more in the summer term. We will be working hard to get the pupils nice and fit and practising their social skills whilst partaking in activities, such as beach combing, crabbing, wood walks and long summer evenings full of adventure.
KS3
Spring Half Term 2 |
Hands: | Developing Rhythm and Timings |
Head: | Implementing Tactics in Sport |
Heart: | Showing the Ultimate Sportsmanship |
This term in P.E., our focus has been on rhythm and timing, and tactics in sports. We have explored an array of different sports focusing on the importance of rhythm and timing in boxing, tennis, tag rugby and some alternative adapted games. The pupils have been able to identify why timing is important for success in these sports. Pupils have also been given the opportunity to critique adapted games and explore creating their own rules. We have also explored tactics in sports looking at some different team games and how communicating a tactic with the whole team can gain an advantage in a team environment. Pupils have been immersed in some alternative activities, such as a game called rugby football which encompasses rules and regulations from two sports into one!
KS4
Spring Half Term 2 |
Hands: | Balance and Control for Body and Mind |
Heart: | Being Respectful and Tolerant in Challenging Situations |
Head: | Outwitting Opponents in Ever-Changing Situations in Sport |
Within KS4 this half term, the pupils have been learning how to control their muscular movements within a sporting context, alongside controlling their mindset, being respectful in challenging situations, and outing opponents. Pupils have been learning this through sports that present challenges both physically and mentally. Examples of sports where they have been learning these skills are rugby and boxing - two sports that require a strong mindset and high levels of discipline. It has been brilliant to see pupils excel and develop skills that will lead to supporting the growth of a well-rounded young adult.
KS5
BTEC pupils continue to make good progress within their course. They have been implementing their own fitness plans at the gym and increasing the number of sessions each week, which is great to see. Pupils are starting to see terrific results not only in the amount of weight they can lift, but also their cardiovascular performance.
Football Academy
This term, we have been focusing on game-related tactics in football to gain an advantage against an opponent. Pupils have been exploring the different ways they can score a goal and how to play tactically in order to score in different ways. We have also been exploring how to defend an 'overload' (where the opposition counterattacks and creates an overload). Our focus has been on how we can combat this. Our player of the term is Oliver C.
The dates for Football Academy for next term are 4.00 - 5.00pm on:
Thursday 20th April
Thursday 4th May
Thursday 11th May
Thursday 18th May
Please contact Mr Adams if you have any issues with your child attending these dates.
Football Academy, unfortunately, cannot run on the days where there is a Friday Inset (27th April / 25th May) - please make arrangements for your child to be picked up at 4.00pm on those days rather than the 5pm club-finishing time.
Rugby Academy
Rugby has officially come to Muntham, and what a start it has been! Pupils have been excited and fully engaged in learning the fundamental skills and rules. Pupils started off by learning how to pass and the concept of passing backwards, and then progressed to tackling using the shields and tackle bags, whilst implementing the correct and safe technique. Pupils have also started playing tag rugby which is fantastic progress in 4 weeks! Rugby is a great sport that promotes teamwork, discipline, communication and respect. Our player of the term is Jake.
Monday 27th February – Albion Cup – Years 7&8
On Monday 27th February our Under 14s made the trip to The Triangle, Burgess Hill to take part in the Albion Cup. All were very excited to get playing and were confident going into the group fixtures. The team won their group comfortably, winning every game and showing fantastic sportsmanship and teamwork along the way. The semi-finals brought another win, progressing through to the final to face Bowden House. Unfortunately, a very strong Bowden got the better of us in the final, defeating us 3-1. Well done Bowden. Mentions must go to James B and Harry P. James was brilliant all day and picked up the Muntham Sportsmanship Award. Harry was chosen as the standout performer, winning the Man of the Match award.
Wednesday 1st March – SLSL – U16s
The Under 16s returned to Long Lane JFC, eager to go one better than previously and win their group. The team played some fantastic football all day, winning 3 games and losing 1. Unfortunately, a 1-0 loss in the first game meant that the team finished 2nd in the group on goal difference. The team showed great resilience after this defeat to win the next 3 matches, displaying fantastic teamwork along the way.
Monday 6th March – Albion Cup – Primary
It was Primary’s turn to play in the Albion Cup, entering 2 teams full of excitement and optimism. Muntham A had a very strong day out, winning all group games and progressing through to the semi-finals. Muntham B also played well but narrowly missed out on progressing to the next stage. Credit must go to Muntham B, who didn’t let the disappointment get to them and supported the A-Team brilliantly in their semi-final fixture. Muntham A came up against a strong Cornfield side in the semi-final, and unfortunately for our young team, we came out second-best. The team took the loss very well and showed great sportsmanship by wishing Cornfield all the best in the final.
The standout pupil of the day was Sam H. Sam won both the man of the match and sportsmanship award and was a credit to the school for the entire day. Well done Sam.
Monday 20th March – Albion Cup – Post 16
For the final Albion Cup tournament of the year, Post 16 team players were sent to try and bring back a trophy to match the U16s earlier in the year. The team started very strong and they progressed out of the group on top, winning every game. In the semi-final, Muntham came up against a very strong Chichester College side. It was a tough game, and the pupils rose to the challenge. The teamwork, effort and communication shown were amazing, and the team were rewarded when Aaron managed to pop up with the winning goal near the end. This carried on into the final, where they came up against Brinsbury. A 4-1 win for Muntham meant the trophy was ours and is now proudly displayed in the trophy cabinet back at school.
There were two standout pupils for the day. Firstly Jenson, who had the hard job of being the goalkeeper despite not being too keen on doing it. Jenson stepped up for his time and played in goal all day without complaint. Secondly, Aaron C was the man of the match - Aaron’s commitment to the team was brilliant, on top of playing really well and filling in whatever position was needed. Fantastic work.
On Wednesday 8th March, we were lucky enough to be joined by the lovely Marita Edwards from Forever First Aid in our Post-16 lounge. Forever First Aid is an outside agency which delivers First Aid courses and training in and around Sussex and Surrey, mainly in mainstream schools and provisions.
At first, the pupils were a little reluctant to attend the course which, to be honest, I understood. Most of our pupils start their days at 7am to catch trains to Brighton and Chichester for a full day at college, so to then present them with more learning and in their own time was not met with a huge amount of excitement. However, after some gentle persuasion, a few conversations about how great First Aid can look on your CV and finally biscuits as bribery, they all made it back from college (early) and then proceeded to make us exceptionally proud.
The course ran for two and a half hours, which all of our Post-16 pupils attended along with Kion from Arundel Floor, who was just fantastic. All the pupils were fully engaged, listened actively and showed real competence when demonstrating the practical elements of the course, despite a few outbursts of giggles.
Marita put them all through their paces with the primary survey, recovery positions, CPR, choking and finally, what to do with bleeds and burns. I feel safe in the knowledge that if anything was to happen to me whilst in the pupils' company, they would know what to do, (but let’s hope that never happens!).
Marita commented that it was the best group of pupils that she had observed since coming to Muntham (3-4 years ago) and that all pupils passed the certificate with flying colours. At the end of the course, Callum, Alfie C and Ollie all helped her carry her stuff to the car, completely unprompted.
I feel very determined to highlight the success of the course and to tell everyone how incredible the pupils all were. We all know that each and every one of them has huge potential, and the course demonstrated just that. We were so proud of them all, and Marita said they were a credit to themselves and a credit to the school - just amazing!
Kion showed an abundance of maturity along with knowledge too - he is welcome to join us again anytime for First Aid. In fact, I would be delighted if he did. He was awesome.
A huge well done to all that attended - you should be immensely proud of yourselves.
From a thrilled/delighted Miss Ferrier & Post-16 Team.
This term, we were lucky enough to receive some charity funding to book some outdoor trips for the school. Mr Imbert decided to take the Year 7s out to Go Ape – more so for his enjoyment than theirs! Joking aside, Mr Imbert was amazed at how well the pupils in 7A overcame their nerves and fears about the height of the course. At first, they had been a bit intimidated by it once they heard they were taking on the Challenge route instead of the smaller Adventure route. The Tarzan 'leap of faith' was the most testing, and all boys threw themselves (literally) at the challenge with great confidence! A trip well worth doing again - 7B will have their chance after the Easter break.
DofE Year 9
9B got their chance to go on the Box Hill hike, where they excelled in their map-reading skills again. Mr Imbert is really confident in this group's ability to navigate through lowland and hill terrain and is now pushing them on their leadership skills for when they take turns leading the group on their official expedition. A huge shout out to Leland C who has come such a long way with his confidence and ability on DofE expeditions this year.
9A took on the very challenging climb up the back of Devil’s Dyke in Brighton. This class is already very supportive of each other, but Mr Imbert was thrilled to hear the words of encouragement shared between them and how they were always looking out for each other until they finished. The route was given an extra challenging element from all the rain that we’ve had recently, and Ryan M decided it was actually smarter to slide on his backside down the last section. He wasn’t wrong!
DofE MHC
Within the classroom, the MHC group were able to revisit the vital First Aid skills that are needed for taking on more challenging routes in the Silver Award. In June and July, the group will be hiking - firstly, the New Forest and then up mount Snowdon. First Aid skills, including CPR, are vital to have when taking on more remote routes like this, and the pupils showed excellent knowledge, and great responses to adaptations to a variety of scenarios.
This half term’s trip was a bit of a break from the regular hikes the group attends because it involved them taking a drive up to Surrey University Sports Centre for a session at bouldering and climbing. There were some natural climbers in the group, and great feats of strength were demonstrated by all. However, they were all surprised at how tiring climbing can be on the body. Special mention here to Jenson, who completed the trickiest of routes when we moved to rope climbing.
Eric B was identified by senior staff as a possible candidate to become Muntham House’s ambassador on the Young People’s Board for Change of the NSPCC. Eric was one of 498 young people from all over the United Kingdom that successfully made it to the interview stage. He did very well in his interview, and he is one of only 15 young people from all the schools in the UK to be selected to serve on the Board.
Eric is to attend monthly meetings with all the other selected Board members to voice his own opinions about what ideas the NSPCC has and what changes can be made to help and support the children and young people in the country. The whole school community is extremely proud of Eric for this wonderful achievement. Well done, Eric!
Muntham House School were extremely privileged to receive a kind donation of Easter eggs - enough for all pupils to receive one. The kind donation was made by Carl Smith-Haggett, who collects the eggs by way of donations and then distributes them to local schools, care homes, hospices and hospitals.
The Muntham Easter Bunny had the enviable task of making sure that all of our pupils - from our Infants through to our Post-16 provision - went home for the Easter holidays with an Easter egg. The pupils were extremely grateful to Carl for all his hard work in collecting and distributing the eggs.
HAPPY EASTER to you all, with best wishes from the ‘Real’ Easter Bunny.
Please note that pupils return from Easter holidays on
TUESDAY 17TH APRIL 2022
Term dates are on the school website.
HALF TERM: MONDAY 29TH MAY - FRIDAY 2ND JUNE
FOR INFORMATION, THE INSET DAYS UNTIL HALF TERM ARE:
MONDAY 17TH APRIL - INSET DAY |
MONDAY 1ST MAY - BANK HOLIDAY (SCHOOL CLOSED) |
MONDAY 8TH MAY - BANK HOLIDAY (SCHOOL CLOSED) |
FRIDAY 28TH APRIL - INSET DAY |
TUESDAY 2ND MAY - INSET DAY |
FRIDAY 26TH MAY - INSET DAY |