News list
The Form 6’s Leavers’ Programme started with an exhilarating trip to the Ardèche region in France. The children took part in activities such as kayaking, river walking, night-line, climbing and abseiling with a two day canoe descent of the Ardèche River with an overnight bivouac being the highlight of the week. The Choristers also had their own schedule of fun and varied activities during trips week as they remained in the UK due to their Choir commitments.
Our youngest Senior House children, Form 3, went to Edale Outdoor Activity Centre in Derbyshire for trips week in June 2019. The trip was designed to promote teamwork and leadership skills, encourage participation in new and exciting challenges and to practise all important listening skills. Set within some of the Peak District's most stunning countryside, Edale is ideal for walking, caving and climbing activities and the children also had the chance to tackle the open water with boat-based activities.
The Summer Concert at the West Road Concert Hall was, again, an extraordinary evening in a great venue that will long be remembered by those who came and all who took part. St John’s pupils took to the professional stage with joy, confidence and skill to play and sing a delightfully varied and balanced programme of first-rate quality.
Great team spirit ensured that the Pre Prep Sports Day on 28 June was one of the highlights towards the end of term. It got off to a flying start and saw the children take part in competitive running and relay races. The children also competed in various novelty races which included a dressing-up race, an obstacle race, an egg and spoon race and a sack race.
Form 2 set off on “The best trip ever!” according to one child overheard after the first activities had been completed. The trip was designed to develop the children’s independence and organisational skills and to challenge themselves with all the activities on offer. Hilltop is an Outdoor Education Centre based on the North Norfolk Coast and the trip included activities such as the high ropes course, a 15m climbing wall, a super swing, archery, The Big Zipper and The Amazing Air Jump (the first activity of its kind in England) and fun at the rocky seashore.
Another beautiful sunny day heralded the start of this year’s hugely successful Byron House Summer Fair. A staggering £1,249 was raised and has been split between two charities: www.humanitascharity.org and www.bridgestobelarus.org.uk.
St John’s has had several successful years of entering candidates for the Bronze Arts Award, which invites children in Forms 5 and 6 to submit a portfolio of work for accreditation in this nationally recognised qualification. The award involves participating in an art form, sharing knowledge with younger pupils, researching the work of an artist and reviewing an arts event.
T2s had a day out in nature’s outdoor classroom when they visited Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve, the National Trust's oldest nature reserve, and England's most famous fen. The children discovered the relationships between the habitats and the animals and plants within and how to identify and classify simple plants and animals with activities including pond dipping, net sweeping and wild art.
The ‘Grow Your Money’ initiative, now in its seventh year, has raised nearly £2,000 for Humanitias charity. The initiative is designed to encourage each child to discover and develop their entrepreneurial skills, by converting the £1 they are each given into more money for charity. Over the Easter holidays, the children brought home their £1 and they had until Summer half term to grow this pound into more money, through whichever way the children decided.
This year the school has developed a new link with the deaf health charity SignHealth. The charity works to ensure that deaf people have the same access to healthcare and health information. The theme for this year’s Form 1 and 2 massed choir at the Summer Concert at West Road was inspired by SignHealth’s annual fundraising event called sign2sing, which helps to raise awareness and to bring in much needed funds for the charity.