HPS Headlines

This week’s assembly might have felt like a set up as all the messages led back to this term’s themes on how to achieve the boys' goals and the Three Ps:

Practice
Perseverance
Positivity

Mrs Bell and Miss Austen launched the 'Poetry By Heart' competition with Year 5’s impromptu performance inspiring the audience. Then Yahya, our new Deputy Head Boy, inspired boys with the following words:

“But this term I want you to strive to be even better. There is one value that I want to focus on the most this term and that is resilience. Resilience is the ability of people or things to recover, this includes perseverance and sometimes endeavour because you might not get it correct the first time, but if you put those two values together you will come to the correct answer…Also, in everyday life, for example, when playing a game of football representing your favourite team (for me Chelsea of course). Unfortunately, if you’re losing you have to keep on trying because if you stop halfway, you'll never get there.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself!

Kind regards

Mrs Gemma Anderson

Headteacher

Last week, Nursery enjoyed taking to the skies as they explored aeroplanes as part of their transport topic. To bring their learning to life, the week culminated in some wonderfully imaginative sensory play on Friday with a cloud tray. Using a range of tactile materials, the boys explored textures, developed their fine motor skills and let their imaginations soar as they created their own sky-high adventures. It was a lovely, hands-on way to reinforce learning and encourage creative play.

Boys have also been engaged in enjoying a wide range of fine motor activities, supporting hand strength and coordination.

Nursery and Reception boys wrapped up warm for a magical visit to the Polka Theatre, where they watched the enchanting production 'The Snowflake'.

The wintry story tied in beautifully with their current topic, ‘The Big Freeze’, helping to bring learning about winter, cold climates and polar regions to life. The boys were completely captivated, returning to school full of excitement, questions and frosty imaginations!

Last week, Homefield was delighted to welcome Dolly, a trained therapy dog, for her first visit as part of our new Education Assistance Dogs programme. Calm, gentle, and experienced in working with children, Dolly made an immediate and very positive impression on the boys who she met.

The programme will explore how carefully managed interactions with a therapy dog can support pupils’ wellbeing and confidence, as well as their confidence with reading, particularly reading aloud. During this initial trial, Dolly will visit the school every fortnight to take part in short, structured sessions with selected boys.

Alongside the programme, a small research study will monitor the impact of these sessions, helping to inform how the initiative may be developed and extended in the future.

Dolly’s first visit was a wonderful start, and we look forward to welcoming her back to Homefield very soon!

On Monday 2nd February, the school will be hosting a presentation to Years 3 - 8 from Tom Palmer, a celebrated British children’s author best known for writing engaging, accessible, high-interest fiction, particularly in the genres of sport and historical fiction.

A fantastic selection of Tom’s signed books will be available for sale on the day at £8.00 each. Should your son wish to explore the books before buying, there are FREE first chapters of all of Tom’s books to read here: www.tompalmer.co.uk/free-stuff/. Payment for books may be made in cash or via bank transfer.

This year boys in Years 5, 6 and 8 have been invited to enter the ‘Poetry by Heart, Freestyle Competition’. They have been set the challenge of learning one poem off by heart which they can then perform to the rest of the school. The boys can work in pairs in small groups or perform their poem solo.

On Tuesday, to launch the competition, Year 5 performed ‘Instructions for Growing Poetry’ by Tony Mitton, in assembly. The boys in Years 5, 6 and 8 will be given the opportunity to choose and rehearse their poems over the next few weeks.

After half term, we will have a special ‘Poetry By Heart’ Assembly when we choose the boys who will represent our school. We will then send films of the boys to the ‘Poetry by Heart’ competition judges.

Visit the 'Poetry by Heart' website to look for a poem: https://poetrybyheart.org.uk/

On Tuesday, 16 boys from Years 4 - 6 represented Homefield at Epsom College’s Strings Day. The hall was filled with 130 prep school musicians and students were given three new pieces to learn called ‘Libertango’, ‘Two Oruguitas’ from Encanto and ‘Cloudburst’. The Homefield boys showed great endeavour and resilience as the music was particularly challenging rhythmically and included frequent time signature changes.

Students also had the opportunity to be creative by performing an improvised ‘Storm’ piece using special effects such as tremolo for thunder, swishing the bow across the strings for wind and playing the other side of the bridge to give the impression of lightning.

Boys embraced the challenge and experience and performed confidently in a mini concert to parents at the end of the day. Well done, boys!

Structured Lines

Boys in Years 3 and 4 have been busy experimenting with lines, shapes and structures in a recent art project, starting with something deceptively simple – strips of paper! The boys explored how paper can change when it is bent, twisted, folded, cut and torn, testing ideas and discovering new possibilities at every stage.

This hands-on, exploratory approach encouraged creativity, problem-solving and careful decision-making as pupils refined their designs and thought about how individual elements could be combined into a final construction. The results are wonderfully imaginative and bursting with colour, and the finished artworks have certainly brightened our art studio, creating an inspiring space full of energy and originality.

Calling all Homefield Masters of Art!

We are delighted and excited to announce that Homefield School is registered to take part in the Royal Academy, Young Artists’ Summer Show. This is a wonderful opportunity for our boys to showcase their artistic talents.

Homefield boys are invited to either upload a photo of their artwork on Teams or email it to Miss K Leong at kleong@homefieldprep.school and we will do all the rest!

But please remember, when sending images of artwork we will need each boy’s FULL NAME.

We look forward to seeing your materpieces. Registration and submission is open until 5.00pm on the 4th March 2026.

Full details can be accessed via the following link: https://youngartists.royalacademy.org.uk/

It's been an exciting fortnight in the maths department with various competitions taking place.

Three teams of four boys from a mix of Year 5 and 6 classes were selected to take part in the 'Maths Quiz Club' heats. The competition was fierce and the questions challenging but despite that adversity, two of our teams qualified for the semi-finals! Congratulations to those teams and good luck in the semi-finals that take place in March.

On top of this excitement, we also invited our Year 8 boys and some select Year 6 boys to take part in the 'Intermediate Maths Challenge'. This challenge looks at maths concepts way above the challenge level these boys see in their classrooms and yet they gave it a go and worked hard to break down the problems to select appropriate answers. Well done for demonstrating such endeavour and resilience boys! We can't wait to see your results in the coming weeks.

Big Feelings after School

Why do some boys fall apart at home?

It’s common for children to hold it together all day and then release emotions at home. This doesn’t mean they’ve had a bad day - it often means home feels safe.

A calm routine, snack, and time to decompress before questions can make evenings smoother.

Thursday 12th March 2026 @ 7.00pm

Homefield is delighted to welcome PAPAYA (Parents Against Phone Addiction in Young Adults) for an important and engaging parent talk, during the Spring term.

This workshop, “Let’s Talk About Our Kids & Their Tech,” is particularly relevant for parents of children in Year 5 upwards.

PAPAYA Talks offers a safe, non-judgmental space for parents to explore the challenges of screen time, smartphones, and social media. The session provides:

Clear, research-backed insights on children’s mental health and digital habits
Practical strategies for managing tech use at home
Guidance on setting healthy digital boundaries
Open and honest discussion (adults only)

PAPAYA works closely with the national Smartphone Free Childhood campaign, a growing movement uniting families, schools and communities who want to give children more space to grow, learn and thrive free from addictive algorithms.

Booking: Please click https://shorturl.at/UrSbb to book your place online.

Well done to the following boys:

Tigers: Well done to all the boys for their excellent engagement and behaviour during our trip to the Polka Theatre and Oswald for endeavour in all aspects of is learning and respect and kindness towards teachers and peers.

Reception: All the boys in Reception were awarded Homefield Heroes last week for their amazing behaviour at the Polka Theatre and Rafa has been nominated as a Homefield Hero for being so considerate and kind towards the Nursery boys, especially looking after one of new boys to help him settle into school.

1H: Rana for magnificent money work in maths and Oviyan for excellent use of adjectives to make his writing more descriptive.

2H: Shaan for his excellent recall of multiplication and division facts and Ali for creating a fantastic persuasive writing piece to help save the Amazon Rainforest, packed with powerful emotive

language and thought‑provoking rhetorical questions.

2S: Alex for working hard with a partner to plan ideas for a persuasive letter and Aadit for an excellent character description in English. He used thoughtful vocabulary and a great structure.

3H: Aarush for showing confidence while learning new routines and friendships.

3S: Arsh for a fantastic start to the term - settling confidently into school life and Alexander for his excellent contributions in PSHE relating to Junior Duke first aid learning.

4H: Yifan for his enthusiastic participation and endeavour in PE and William P for his kindness and endeavour, especially in his STEAM, English and maths lessons!

4S: Adam for his outstanding musical talent and for being a wonderful role model.

5H: Rahul for excellent participation in geography and Aarya for consistently demonstrating all of the Homefield values.

5S: Zayn for demonstrating resilience and improving in swimming and Bhavnish for excellent commitment in science and music.

6H: Finnlay for demonstrating a sensible approach to his learning and Raymin for showing consistent musical excellence in lessons, clubs and ensembles.

6S: Ethan for being very dedicated in his maths lessons and Yusuf for being a brilliant school representative on the theatre trip.

8MMC: Ian G for showing kindness and being a good role model for younger boys in the playground and Kian G for showing kindness and giving assistance to younger boys.

Summer Schools 2026

We are pleased to share that the The Debate Chamber has opened registration for their 2026 Summer Schools, offering an excellent range of academic enrichment courses for students aged 11+.

The Debate Chamber provides engaging, discussion-based programmes led by specialist tutors in subjects such as Law, Medicine, Maths, Philosophy, Diplomacy, Debating and Creative Writing. These small-group courses delivered online and in person are designed to stretch able and curious learners, helping them develop confidence, critical thinking and problem-solving skills in a supportive and inspiring environment.

Parents can find full details and book directly via the Debate Chamber website.

Summer Schools for 11-14s | Debate Chamber

A Big Week of Rugby: Effort, Commitment, and Great Results (w/c 19th January)

It has been a busy and successful start to the rugby season, with boys from all year groups taking to the field and representing the school with pride. The level of effort and commitment shown throughout the week has been excellent and a credit to all involved.

Players demonstrated teamwork, resilience, and great sportsmanship, supporting one another and playing with real determination in their matches. Although Years 4 and 5 were playing tag rugby, their hunger and enthusiasm were still clearly evident.

A special mention goes to the U11s who, after a great win at Willington, returned looking as though they had enjoyed a full mud bath! Their muddy kit was a perfect reflection of their enthusiasm, commitment, and willingness to give everything on the pitch.

There were some excellent results across the age groups, but just as pleasing has been the progress in skills, confidence, and teamwork. It has been wonderful to see so many boys involved and enjoying their rugby.

Well done to all players for contributing to such a memorable and positive week of rugby. Keep up the great work!

Last weekend, Haroon (5H) took part in his first Lacrosse training camp for the England Aspire training programme, building his sporting ability and resilience as he strives for a spot on the national team.

Only aspiring athletes nominated by their coaches (he plays for the Under 12s Richmond Stags) for their future potential are invited to train and Haroon was nominated at the end of last season (November 2025). Haroon is one of the youngest players to be invited with trainees ranging all the way up to 16 years old.

What a fantastic Carnival Week we’ve enjoyed in Club!

The children loved getting creative, making fans, hats and masks, and had great fun learning about the vibrant carnivals celebrated around the world. We finished the week on a real high, enjoying a delicious dessert made by Laurence in Year 1 and some brilliant dancing from Aaron in Year 5 — what stars!

Looking ahead, we’re very excited to be exploring food from around the world next week, so please do feel free to pop in and join us at any time.

We kindly ask all parents to be mindful of our neighbours when dropping off and collecting boys. Please do not block dropped kerbs or park in private, resident-only spaces. Parking wardens regularly operate in the area at the beginning and end of the school day, so we encourage families to park legally and, where possible, to park a little further away and walk. Thank you for your continued support in helping us maintain positive relationships with our neighbours.