HPS Headlines

Dear Parents

Thank you so much to all the parents who came along to support our International Fair and helped make it such a special celebration of heritage, community and culture. We are incredibly grateful to the families who cooked, shared traditions and proudly represented Korea, China, Trinidad and Tobago, Wales, France, the Basque Country, Eastern Europe, South Africa and India.

The boys had a fantastic time learning new things from around the world, from practising Chinese and Hindi writing to taking part in Beyblade competitions and discovering different foods, games and traditions.

Thank you again for helping create such a memorable event for everyone involved.

Kind regards

Gemma Anderson (Mrs)

Headteacher

Our Year 6 boys have been hard at work behind the scenes for many weeks, pouring their energy, creativity and talent into what has proved to be a truly spectacular production. Boys across the school have already enjoyed a special preview of the show and have been thoroughly entertained by the outstanding performances on display.

Last night, we were thrilled to welcome families for the main evening performance. The audience was captivated from start to finish, and the overwhelming consensus was clear – it was a fantastic production and a tremendous achievement for everyone involved. Bravo, Year 6!

Nursery

The boys are thoroughly enjoying our minibeast topic. We have been learning the names of different minibeasts and discovering how many legs they have. The boys were fascinated by the life cycle of a butterfly and enjoyed exploring how caterpillars grow and change.

We have shared the stories ‘Mad About Minibeasts’ and 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar’, which inspired lots of wonderful discussions and learning opportunities. One of our favourite activities was making caterpillars out of fruit before enjoying eating our healthy creations together!

In Art, the boys created some beautiful symmetrical butterfly pictures, carefully exploring patterns, colour and shape. We are very proud of all their hard work and enthusiasm throughout this topic.

Reception

As part of our transition programme, we are gradually introducing the boys to routines and experiences that will support their move into Year 1. On Fridays, they now join the rest of the school for playtime, and at lunchtime they collect their own meals before sitting down, helping to develop their independence and confidence.

In addition, our Wednesday enrichment sessions will take place in the Year 1 classrooms, giving the boys the opportunity to become familiar with their new learning environment and the staff they will be working with next year.

Everything we are doing during this half term is focused on transition, ensuring the boys feel confident, prepared, and excited about their move to Year 1.

Ten of our fantastic Year 5 boys recently visited Epsom College for an exciting morning. Their mission was to determine which planet could best support human life.

To solve the challenge, the boys conducted a series of hands-on investigations, including:

• Testing how wind and solar energy can generate power.
• Investigating the impact of gravitational pull on object motion.
• Conducting soil chemistry experiments using pH testing, flame testing, and microscopy work!

It was a highly engaging morning for our young scientists. Huge thanks to @epsomcollegeuk for hosting such an inspiring event!

We are delighted to share the exciting news that, following the tremendous success of our therapy and reading dog trial with Dolly, we will be welcoming a school dog to the Homefield community from September.

Our new puppy is a Golden Retriever from a litter of six puppies born to Yuna - three girls and three boys. We do not yet know which puppy will be joining us, but she will be either Miss Red, Miss Pink, or Miss Purple, with the breeder carefully selecting the puppy whose temperament and character are best suited to school and therapy dog work.

Both parents were chosen for their exceptionally calm and gentle temperaments, and the puppies’ father, Paddington, has offspring now working successfully as guide dogs and assistance dogs.

Keep an eye on our social media this weekend, where families will be invited to vote for which puppy they think will become Homefield’s newest member and suggest some possible names for her!

Comic Book Club

Comic Book Club is just one of the many fantastic after-school clubs our boys enjoy each week. It provides a creative space for them to design and build their own comic universes from scratch.

The boys carefully develop characters, plots, and dialogue, and love sharing their finished stories with their friends.

Here is what Andrey (4H) loves about the club:

"In Comic Book Club, we make fun comics and this is interesting because you can make any interesting characters and superheroes. It is like creating your whole new world and choosing what should happen!"

Year 8 Youth Club

During Youth Club this term, our Year 8 boys have had a fantastic time playing chess, pool, and darts, alongside some hilarious Taskmaster-style challenges!

They’ve tackled everything from moving an orange segment using only their faces and creating 1-minute stories with random endings, to protecting water balloons from a fall and racing table tennis balls with straws. It has been absolute fun for everyone involved (including Mrs Sharrad).

It’s been the perfect way for the boys to unwind and relax during a busy Common Entrance revision and examination period. We wonder what challenges await them next week...

The effort shown by Year 3 in completing the Junior Duke Award has been outstanding. An incredible 90% of pupils have now successfully completed all 10 challenges, demonstrating resilience, independence and a fantastic willingness to persevere.

The remaining few are incredibly close to the finish line, and with one final push, we are confident they will soon join their classmates in reaching this impressive milestone.

We are already looking forward to seeing the boys take on the Silver Award in Year 4, where they will continue to develop the confidence, skills and determination they have shown throughout this year. Congratulations to everyone on their hard work, dedication and success!

Year 5 have had three fantastic days at PGL Adventures! The boys threw themselves into all the outdoor activities, including fencing, the sensory trail, abseiling and survival skills. Even a morning of heavy rain couldn't dampen their spirits during raft building, most of them ended up falling in or just jumping straight into the lake anyway!

They wrapped up their day together with a loud singalong around the campfire, complete with some well-deserved marshmallows..

The boys have been making the most of their time in Wales and have already completed a few brilliant walks, including a trek up Moel Siabod which was long with some unpredictable weather but the boys demonstrated fantastic resilience to get through it.

They are thoroughly enjoying every single one of the outdoor experiences.

Year 6 Profiles: Yahya & Raymin

These latest interviews in our series celebrate the achievements of Year 6 boys Yahya and Raymin as they prepare to move to senior school. Junior reporters Mikael (Year 5) and William (Year 4) conducted the interviews, gaining a wonderful insight into the senior boys' journeys at Homefield, their secondary school preparation, family traditions, and school values.

Yahya S.

Q: Hello Yahya. As Deputy Head Boy, what responsibilities did you have?

Yahya: I had to deliver speeches to the school, give motivational assemblies, and tour prospective parents and visitors around Homefield. I also got to tour ‘Old Boys’ who came back to see what the school has become. It felt like an incredible job.

Q: What skills do you think you need to be a successful Deputy Head Boy?

Yahya: You really need to show the core Homefield values. You also need to be able to express yourself clearly to show the younger boys that if they ever need help, they can always come to me or the next Deputy Head Boy.

Q: We recently saw the Year 6 RATs performance, and you guys did incredibly well. What role did you play?

Yahya: I played the main antagonist, the Mayor of Hamelin. I was basically the Pied Piper’s worst enemy, and my character just wanted to keep all his own money.

Q: Was that your first choice of role, or did you want another one originally?

Yahya: Originally, I wanted to play Spark or Flickr. But I then found out that my family had a history with the Mayor role. My older brother played the exact same part in the performance back in 2014, a year before I was born. I thought it would be wonderful to take up the same role to keep the family tradition going.

Q: How long did it take you to revise and organise your lines?

Yahya: It only took about a day to learn them. With the repetitive practice from the teachers and all the group rehearsals, the lines came into my memory naturally.

Q: Turning to sport, what are your favourite sports and what are you best at?

Yahya: I play a lot of American sports, like American football and golf, alongside English football. I got into American football because of my older brother—the one who played the Mayor. He got really into the sport, so I thought I would give it a try.

Q: What have been your greatest sporting achievements that you are most proud of?

Yahya: Most of them came from this school year. When I did athletics, I managed to win many medals across the high jump, hurdles, and sprints.

Q: When did you first start at Homefield?

Yahya: I officially started at the end of Year 1, but I was caught up in the school environment when I was just two weeks old because of my brother, so I have a very long connection with Homefield.

Q: Do you think you have changed as a person since you started here?

Yahya: I think I’ve changed completely. The school has taught me new manners, different ways to interact with people, and great life skills. It has taught me how to play sports and grow as a person, so Homefield has had a profound influence on me.

Q: What schools did you get into?

Yahya: I got into Sutton Grammar and Wallington. I also sat the Whitgift and King's College exams. My family previously went to Sutton Grammar, and it is a wonderful school, so I decided I'd love to go there as well.

Q: Since I am about to start my own 11+ journey, do you have any advice?

Yahya: The 11+ journey can be a bit of a roller coaster. But the truth is, Homefield is so brilliant that you will look at the exam papers and realise you’ve already learned most of the concepts in class. You might see other people outside of school looking packed with work, but because of how well Homefield prepares us, it is honestly more relaxed than you think it will be.

Raymin H

Q: You play a couple of instruments. Can you tell us what got you into music?

Raymin: I play the piano and clarinet, having started them in Year 2 and Year 5 right here at Homefield. I love learning instruments because it lets me perform in orchestras, play in bands, and start my own musical groups.

Q: How does playing a musical instrument help you?

Raymin: It really helps your hand-to-brain coordination. On the piano, you have to use both hands, read notes across two different lines, keep the rhythm, and direct your fingers all at once.

Q: You also compose your own music. What is that experience like?

Raymin: It is quite a process. You have to find a good melody first and then build the other parts around it. I use a software program called 'Flat' to write it down, and I recently composed a piece called The Intense Adventure, which you can find online.

Q: Do you use software to experiment with other sounds?

Raymin: Yes, I like playing around with drum software on the computer. Drums are vital for keeping the rhythm, and from there you can layer in a bass or a guitar if you want to turn it into jazz.

Q: You were also awarded the HARP Award for IT. What have you achieved to win that award?

Raymin: I love IT, engineering, and technology, especially coding, animating, and building with LEGO. In our STEAM lessons, we used an app called Bloxels to create and test our own video games, and right now we are using an animation app called FlipaClip.

Q: What is your most treasured memory at Homefield?

Raymin: Definitely the residential trips because you get to explore outdoors and have fun with everyone. I still remember our Year 5 trip to PGL where we did brilliant water activities and a fantastic zip-line.

Q: Which school will you be going to next year? Is there any advice you would like to share with the younger boys at Homefield?

Raymin: I am heading to Sutton Grammar School with some of my friends. My advice to younger boys is to learn at least one basic instrument, like the piano. It can make you very popular. Homefield offers great opportunities to perform, like the Soloists' Concert. You might feel nervous at first, but it helps you build confidence, listening skills, and teamwork.

If your son is over 5 years old and you would like him to receive milk at school, please register with Cool Milk via https://coolmilk.com/parents/. Fund your son’s account before 5.00pm on Tuesday to start receiving milk the following week.

Cool Milk is the UK's leading school milk supplier, partnering with schools, nurseries and local authorities to delivery fresh, chilled semi-skimmed milk directly to schools. They manage the entire administrative process, providing free milk for children under five and subsidised milk for children aged five or older.

Tigers: Caleb for consistently demonstrating the Homefield value of Respect and Jaziel for demonstrating the Homefield value of Resilience and making great strides in his communication with adults.

Lions: Rafael for demonstrating Homefield values and being a great role model and Leo for making such incredible progress and having a great attitude towards written work

1H: Sameer for excellent effort and focus in maths when learning about fractions and David for excellent focus, resilience and perseverance when learning to tell the time in maths.

2H: Oliver for fantastic contributions in English. He has shown real enthusiasm during our work on ‘Pandora’s Box’, has been working incredibly hard on his continuous cursive handwriting, and has been answering VIPERS questions with increasing confidence and understanding and the whole of 2H for their professionalism and resilience during the QUEST assessments. They have truly risen to the occasion, showing maturity, perseverance and a strong determination to do their best.

2S: Aadit for some great poetry in recent English lessons, Ethan for a beautiful painting of ‘The Great Wave’, using water colours and the whole of 2S for their resilience during the QUEST assessments. Well done, boys, for showing perseverance and striving to do your best.

And congratulations to all boys in the Upper School who richly deserve Homefield Hero recognition for preparing and participating in the extensive series of residential visits.

Simple morning and bedtime routines help children to feel secure. Knowing what comes next reduces stress and emotional overload. Even small rituals- a shared breakfast, a bedtime check-in- can strengthen wellbeing.

For further information on this topic, see the link below.

https://www.place2be.org.uk/our-services/parents-and-carers/supporting-your-childs-mental-health/

How to support your child's mental health – Place2Be

Place2Be works with schools to help parents support their child’s mental health and improve their emotional wellbeing.

Simon Collins

We recently welcomed ‘Old Boy’ Simon Collins back to Homefield to speak to the boys in assembly.

The boys were fascinated by Simon’s incredible journey, from a successful career as a Royal Navy Commander to flying helicopters around the world and in extraordinary situations. They were especially excited to see his photos from Antarctica and with the penguins!

Simon joined Homefield in 1986 and shared how the values he learned here nearly 40 years ago still guide him today. Reflecting on his time at the school, he described Homefield as “the happiest throughout my education journey”.

We are incredibly proud to see our Old Boys achieving so much and inspiring the next generation of Homefield boys to dream big.

Vansh Kumar

We recently heard that ‘Old ‘ Vansh Kumar (HPS 2010 – 2021), currently an Academic and Music Scholar at Eton College, has been offered a place at Harvard University, where he will begin his studies this August!

We are delighted that Vansh will be returning to school later this term to speak at an assembly and meet with our senior boys.

Rohan Patel

Fifth-year UCL medical student and former Homefield Head Boy, Rohan Patel, has achieved a remarkable milestone by becoming the first medical student in the 20-year history of the prestigious Clinical Grand Round session at ESCMID Global in Munich to be selected as a presenter.

Chosen from more than 60 submissions from around the world, Rohan presented a rare and complex clinical case to a panel of internationally renowned physicians and an audience of over 3,000 healthcare professionals. Reflecting on his achievement, Rohan credited his time at Homefield with igniting his passion for public speaking, recalling how regular class presentations helped him develop the confidence and communication skills he uses today.

Future Visitor: We look forward to welcoming David Wood, OBE, to the school on the 10th July to present the prizes at the Upper School awards event.

Homefield will always be your school, and we are keen to strengthen the connection between our current pupils and those who have gone on to achieve great things beyond our gates. If you would like to return to share your story and inspire the boys through an assembly or presentation, please do get in touch – we would be delighted to welcome you back.

A limited number of places remain available for peripatetic music tuition at Homefield.

Individual instrumental lessons provide boys with the opportunity to develop their musical skills under the guidance of experienced specialist teachers, whether they are beginners or already progressing with an instrument.

Beyond the enjoyment of learning music, there is a growing body of evidence highlighting the wider academic benefits of instrumental tuition. Regular one-to-one lessons support the development of concentration, memory, and discipline—skills that transfer directly into the classroom. Music study also strengthens mathematical understanding through rhythm and pattern, enhances language processing, and encourages perseverance and self-confidence.

At Homefield, we value the important role music plays in a well-rounded education. Peripatetic lessons not only nurture creativity and self-expression but also contribute meaningfully to academic progress and personal development.

If you would like to find out more or secure a place, please visit: https://www.homefield.sutton.sch.uk/music-and-drama

Find Your Academic Adventure this Summer

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

SIGN UP for the open evening at 7.30pm on Sunday 1st March 2026, for further details on what courses are available.

Cricket Success!

Congratulations to Ryan in Year 5 on scoring his first ever 50 runs against Cranmore School. Well done, Ryan.

Team Spirit Shines at Joint Swimming Gale with Sutton High Girls' School

Our annual swimming gala, held in conjunction with Sutton High Girls’ School, proved to be a fantastic celebration of teamwork, determination and school spirit. The format saw the girls complete one length before handing over to the boys to swim the return leg, creating exciting and highly competitive relay races throughout the afternoon.

The boys were divided into four house teams — Red, Blue, Green and Yellow — with every swimmer contributing valuable points and showing tremendous enthusiasm from start to finish. The atmosphere around the pool was outstanding, with pupils cheering on teammates and demonstrating excellent sportsmanship throughout the event.

A special mention must go to our team captains — Arjun, Yahya, Finnlay and Charles — who led their respective teams with maturity, encouragement and great energy. Their leadership helped inspire their teammates and contributed greatly to the success of the gala.

The event also provided a wonderful opportunity to strengthen links with Sutton High Girls’ School, and it was particularly pleasing to see pupils working together so positively in the relay format.

Well done to all swimmers who took part and represented the school with such pride and commitment. The gala was a tremendous success and a fitting showcase of both competitive spirit and collaboration.

Running Club

It has been fantastic to see so many boys choosing to take part in the voluntary running club during first break on PE mornings. The enthusiasm, effort, and determination on display have been outstanding, with the boys pushing themselves and encouraging one another every step of the way. They have pushed Mr Hartley hard, making sure he has had to work just as much as they do! It has been a brilliant atmosphere, and hopefully the momentum will continue.

Just a reminder that Friday 19th June is the last day for boys to borrow books from the library this academic year.

Please ensure that all library books are returned by Wednesday 1st July. If a book has been misplaced or lost, we kindly ask that it is replaced so that future pupils can continue to enjoy our library collection.

Thank you for your support and cooperation.

The children have been settling beautifully into nursery life and are growing in confidence as they become familiar with their new environment. There has been great excitement in our outdoor area too, which has recently been enhanced with brand-new mud kitchens, a delightful playhouse and a range of engaging water play activities, providing even more opportunities for exploration, creativity and fun.

Lots of exciting times ahead! Should you wish to learn more about 'Little Orchard', please contact:

Phone: 020 8212 7312 Option 8

Email: info@littleorchardnursery.co.uk

Website: www.orchardchildcare.co.uk

At Homefield, the safety of our boys is, and always will be, our highest priority. The start and end of the school day are particularly busy times, especially during afternoon dismissal when boys are boarding minibuses for their journeys home while families are leaving the site on foot. This naturally creates a high level of activity on the drive and surrounding roads.

To ensure that dismissal remains calm, orderly and safe for all, we are unable to facilitate vehicle pick-up within the school drive at the end of the day. Keeping this area clear significantly reduces risk and allows boys to depart safely.

We are fortunate to have free, unrestricted parking available in the surrounding side roads, just a short walk from the school. We kindly ask all parents to make use of these spaces and to allow a few extra minutes at collection time. In addition, please be mindful of our neighbours by not blocking dropped kerbs or parking 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, as always, for your continued understanding and cooperation in helping us maintain positive relationships within our community and, most importantly, in keeping every Homefield boy safe.

Please ensure that the school office has an up‑to‑date record of all adults who have permission to collect your son from school.

Thank you for helping us maintain a safe and smooth collection process.

To view details of our weekly menus and the weekly music timetable, please visit:

https://www.homefield.sutton.sch.uk/information-for-parents

Western Road, Sutton, Surrey, SM1 2TE

+44 020 8642 0965

administration@homefieldprep.school