2025 Autumn Term 1 Newsletter

It has been a great start to this school year, with pupils enjoying the variety of learning and opportunities on offer to them at the school. School attendance has been high so far, which is very important for all pupils to maintain.

Muntham House College opened in September, providing bespoke classrooms and learning areas for pupils to continue their education Post-16 and beyond. A new Construction room has opened, a new E-Sports classroom room and two new multipurpose rooms have opened increasing the learning spaces available for our Post-16 pupils. The Muntham Café has opened as a further space for Food Tech where Post-16 pupils can prepare, Cook and serve their own produce to pupils and staff. This fulfils their course requirement however, has also provided Post-16 pupils with the valuable opportunity of running their own business in preparation for leaving school and part of a successful transition into adulthood.

This reduces the need for pupils to attend external courses at local colleges, meaning we can ensure high quality courses are provided by Muntham House School staff. A wide range of vocational courses are on offer, ensuring that our pupils can extend their experience and knowledge in various areas in preparation for leaving school and future employment.

I hope that you all enjoy a nice break and some good quality family time over the forthcoming half term. A reminder that there will not be an INSET day on Monday 3rd November, in response to our recent parents/carers survey these INSET days on Mondays have been reduced across the year. Monday 3rd November will therefore, be a normal school day with pupils returning at their usual times.

Muntham House College was established to provide vocational and academic learning for our older pupils, preparing them for employment and life after school. All pupils will now be able to access E-Sports, Food Tech, Mechanics, Construction, Music, Sports and Graphics at Btech level 1, 2 and 3.

A state-of-the-art new E-Sports room, new Construction Rooms, multi-purpose classrooms and an additional space for Food Technology have been created to help motivate and inspire our pupils. This new facility means pupils no longer have to leave school to attend various local colleges and can instead continue to receive high-quality education from staff they know well at a school which they are all very happy at.

This exciting new provision will help to improve outcomes further for all of our pupils at Muntham House School. We are looking forward to the next developmental phase of Muntham House College.

Muntham House Café opened this half-term, providing a lovely space for pupils to sit with their friends or staff during break times and lunch times. Healthy snacks and both hot and cold drinks will be on offer for pupils and staff to purchase at a subsidised cost.

This project is actually being run in partnership with our Post-16 pupils as a Young Enterprise Business. Post-16 pupils have been involved in choosing the menus, cooking certain food items, and helping to select items that we purchase. This has taught them valuable life skills, including involvement in running a business, while also developing their work ethic in preparation for later life. The Student Council also has the opportunity to make suggestions to the menu during Student Council Meetings.

The Post-16 group is preparing the food as part of their City & Guilds Level 3 Food Technology Course, where they must prepare and serve food to an Industry Standard. The boys have chosen various roles within the business, such as:

Managing Director, Finance Director, Catering Director, Menu Director, HR Director, Maintenance Director, Sales Director and Marketing Director.

As you can see from the pictures below, in partnership with the Post-16 pupils, we have created a wonderful space that will be used regularly by both Secondary and Post-16 pupils.

Primary pupils will get the opportunity to use the café on special occasions and on certain Fridays during reward time. This enables primary pupils to be involved and included in the project without the hassle of bringing in money to school every day. Primary pupils will, of course, get to experience the café when they move up to the Secondary part of the school.

Muntham House School has successfully retained this award this half term, which is a great achievement for the school. This award is recognition of the high quality careers and Work Experience programme in place at the school.

The assessor looked at every aspect of careers within our school and stated:

‘The ethos of ‘Safe, Caring and Happy’ is strong, with an emphasis on supporting and enabling students to develop their potential through secondary school experience into adult life, including further education and employment.’ ‘The school has maintained a zero figure for NEET (Not in Employment, Education or other training) for the last 4 years.’

The Assessor had the opportunity to speak with the Principal as part of the assessment, who stated that ‘Careers is the most important part of the curriculum’ and who is wholeheartedly committed to a whole school approach to Careers.

Congratulations to the Careers team, Mr Hellyer and Mrs Du Vergier for their excellent work for all of the pupils at Muntham House School.

Mr Imbert and Miss Page accompanied a group of pupils in riding across the South Downs. Their destination? The YHA South Downs in Southease, where they would rest up ready for a second day of riding across the Downs.

The group started from Bramber Castle on Monday morning and joined the South Downs Way via the Downs Link, heading east towards the town of Lewes. The weather was perfect for hill riding: the sun was shining, but there was a gentle breeze, so the group didn’t overheat on the many, many uphill sections they had to conquer. But what goes up must come down, and the pupils had great fun riding the downhill sections over dry chalk paths and taking in the sights. All pupils got on well with one another and enjoyed the social interaction.

The good weather also drew out a large number of other people, and the pupils met other riders and ramblers along the way, interacting positively and discussing their journeys.

The pupils demonstrated incredible fitness by leading the pack up the steep hill sections and had plenty of energy left to explore the more technical trails and jumps in Stamner Park. On day 1, the group covered an impressive 30km, which took even longer than riding on flat terrain due to the metres they had to climb.

The group stayed at YHA South Downs, had dinner, and then went out for an evening ride around the hostel grounds. They had deserved a good rest and were in bed and lights out by 10 pm.

Waking up in the morning, the group were offered two options for the day’s ride: either take on a few more hills of the South Downs Way or see if they could cycle back to school from Bramber Castle via the Downs Link. The group decided to take the Downs Link back to school, as their legs had been pushed to the limits with some of the hills the day before.

Nevertheless, the Downs Link still provided a testing ride, as they had to ride another 30km to return to Christ's Hospital from Bramber. Along the way, the group visited the old railway platform at East Grinstead and learned about the history of the railway line that once ran from Guildford to Shoreham. Very suitable for the 200th anniversary of the British railway!

Mr Imbert was greatly impressed by the fitness shown by the pupils, the camaraderie on display during the tougher sections of the ride, and that some of the pupils managed to complete their first residential overnight trip since Year 7 successfully.

Autumn has arrived for the Hedgehog and Squirrel pupils, with the changing season inspiring a wonderful range of hands-on learning.

In Math's, the children have been busy exploring the concepts of weight and size using a seasonal favourite, pumpkins! They investigated which pumpkins were heavy and which were light, carefully comparing and ordering them by size. They have counted the seeds and explored estimating how many spoonsful of flesh are inside! The pumpkins didn’t stop there, they were soon moved to the art table, where pupils created beautiful observational drawings and paintings. The children took their time to notice all the little details, the bumps, colours, and shapes, producing some truly impressive artwork.

Our young environmentalists have also been making a real difference around the Lower Primary site. With the autumn wind bringing all of the acorns, the pupils were eager to help the maintenance team keep the bike track clear and safe. Armed with rakes, shovels and even wheelbarrows, the children worked together brilliantly to collect the fallen acorns.

We are so proud of the way the children have thrown themselves into every activity with energy and curiosity.

On Thursday 7th October the Hedgehog and Squirrel class got the chance to visit the Hawth Theatre to watch the Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Alongside The Very Hungry Caterpillar, every production of the show features three other Eric Carle stories. The pupils were fantastic representatives for the Muntham community. They enjoyed a drive on the mini-bus and then watched 75 puppets on the stage! They found it so exciting to see their favourite characters come to life, and they sat in awe for 50 minutes! We then enjoyed a classroom picnic when we returned to school.

Year 7 pupils have been learning about bridges and designing structures. The pupils were set a challenge in their design technology lesson to build a model bridge and then test it to see how strong it was. The boys really enjoyed the project and were amazed at the strength of their designs, which were tested to destruction. We discussed the links to possible careers in Engineering and Construction.

We've had a great start back to Mechanics this year. With more Year 10 pupils than ever opting to take the subject, it promises to be a very busy and productive year! We've begun by teaching pupils the importance of Workshop Health and Safety and have already moved on to identifying and using everyday tools, as well as some specialised ones. Pupils have been discussing ideas for future projects while getting accustomed to the workshop setting, and we are all looking forward to the year to come with our largest group of Mechanics pupils yet!

It’s been a very busy and exciting half-term in Drama!

Our pupils have been exploring a range of creative and challenging work. KS3 pupils have been developing their performance skills through a scene from Lord of the Flies, as well as learning about improvisation and beginning to create their own short plays. Their confidence and teamwork have grown enormously, and it’s been fantastic to see their imagination come to life on stage.

Our BTEC Performing Arts pupils have also been working exceptionally hard this half term. The 2nd Year BTEC group have been developing their duologues from Of Mice and Men, showing significant focus and emotional depth in their performances. Meanwhile, the 1st Year BTEC pupils have been busy building their portfolios based on Frankenstein, exploring the story through both performance and creative research.

We’ve also had some brilliant opportunities to take learning beyond the classroom. Some of our pupils joined Lower Primary on a trip to see The Very Hungry Caterpillar, where they were given a special behind-the-scenes look at the sound and lighting desks at The Hawth. It was an inspiring experience to see a professional theatre production in action!

Additionally, 9B enjoyed a fantastic trip to Chichester Festival Theatre to watch Lord of the Flies. The boys were captivated by the performance, and it gave them valuable insight into the play they had been studying in class.

It has truly been a busy but brilliant half-term, and all of our students have worked incredibly hard. We’re very proud of their enthusiasm, creativity, and commitment to Drama.

PSHE this half term in Key Stage 3 has been about developing, re-establishing and maintaining social relationships.

Year 7 have engaged in turn-taking activities and imaginative play. It has been lovely getting to know the Year 7 cohort and starting to build safe bonds. There's also been some discussions around puberty, body parts and personal hygiene. This will be further explored later in the year.

Year 8 has been involved in Personal and Emotional Skills, playing games designed to address scenarios related to goal setting, bullying, relationships, anger management, and self-awareness.

Year 9 have engaged in lessons on peer influence, substance use and gangs. They have followed the story of 4 characters and identified risks and reasons behind certain choices and behaviours.

PSHE in Key Stages 4 and 5 looks different this year. We have teamed up with the Careers Department to run lessons that are more work-based learning. This has been very successful so far, with enterprise opportunities, lessons on moving out and preparing for driving. From the PSHE team, have a lovely half-term break with your young people.

This school year at Muntham, we are continually looking to develop what we offer our young people.

Some pupils have been invited to participate in audio technology interventions with Mr Riley.

This involves participating in creating podcasts, presenting on the radio, and DJing.

This also means we are lucky enough to have an online school radio station created and run by the young people here at Muntham, alongside Mr Riley.

The radio station runs 24/7 and is available online on all devices. Just Google "MHS RADIO" and it will come up with the link via

The pupils have been creating playlists and selecting music for the station, and have also attempted voiceovers and jingles.

We are now developing pre-recorded radio shows. So please watch out for that. This project is new and will continue to evolve.

Feel free to listen. The schedule will be announced in the future.

The Autumn term started with a bumper harvest of everything. The gorgeous sunshine has made the garden the place to be, and many pupils have spent their break and lunchtimes relaxing by the small pond, watching the frogs. The pupils have enjoyed eating fresh fruits and vegetables from the plants, including tomatoes, melons, cucumbers, raspberries, apples, pears, blackberries, sweet corn, and beans. The pupils commented on how different things taste when eaten outside. "Yummy, cold, sweet, juicy, delicious, amazing were a few of the words used to describe the produce.

Some pupils have taken flowers and paper bags of vegetables home to share with their families. Chef had some Aubergines to use in the kitchen, and staff had a feel-good Friday box to share in the staff room, which included tomatoes, courgettes, flowers, potatoes, and aubergines.

We have received our Level 3 Schools Gardening Award from the RHS, which the pupils who worked with me are very proud of.

Jamie and Stanley are working hard on their ASDAN award and have enjoyed the sunny weather, creating posters to raise awareness of Plants that could be harmful, sowing Hardy perennial seeds, and planting bulbs in pots for a spring display.

Noah has revamped the bird table. He recycled as much of the wood as he could, and with help from the DT department, cut and screwed new pieces. This will now last and hopefully encourage lots of birds to visit the garden.

We ended the half-term with some pumpkin fun. Some pupils carved faces, while others put garden flowers together to make an attractive arrangement.

Happy Gardening!

KS3

This term, pupils have been taking part in a range of team sports and alternative activities designed to develop key personal and physical skills. Through the Hands, Heart, Head approach, they have focused on enhancing agility and flexibility (Hands), improving communication in pressured sporting situations (Heart), and strengthening focus and concentration during performance (Head). These sessions have encouraged teamwork, resilience, and self-improvement, helping pupils apply these important qualities both in sport and everyday life.

KS4

BTEC level 1 award in sport

Pupils have made a great start to their BTEC Level 1 Award in Sport. They have been learning about the different components of fitness and identifying examples of how these are used in a range of sports. Through their research, pupils have developed a better understanding of what makes athletes perform at their best. They have also explored various strength exercises and their potential to improve performance. Building on this knowledge, pupils have begun designing their own six-week progression plan to develop a chosen fitness component. This has given them valuable insight into how training is structured and monitored in the world of sport.

Pupils have been exploring different career pathways within the sports industry, comparing roles such as sports coaching and sports therapy. They investigated the size and scope of the sports sector locally and nationally, examining how economic, geographical, and social factors impact job opportunities. Through research, they identified the qualifications, skills, and qualities needed for success in each pathway. Pupils also carried out a personal skills audit to assess their strengths and areas for development. Using this, they created a career development action plan outlining their next steps towards their chosen profession. The project helped them understand the wide range of opportunities available in sport and how to plan for a successful future career.

Primary P.E.

This half term, our Upper Primary pupils have been exploring the skills of throwing and catching. We have focused on two different sports, handball and dodgeball, to incorporate the skills of throwing and catching, with teamwork and communication. Our pupils have begun each lesson with a warm-up, understanding the importance of stretching and preparing their bodies for exercise. We have then completed small games to improve our skills in our weekly focus areas, including communication, movement, throwing techniques, and catching. Finally, we conclude with a small game, splitting into teams to apply the skills we have learned in game situations.

Year 7,8,9 Touch Rugby Match vs Dunottar School

Since returning to school this academic year, Rugby has achieved notable success. We have had new pupils join, and we had our first official friendly rugby Touch match vs Dunottar School in Reigate, which we won 11 tries to 6. It really demonstrated the development the boys and team have made since we started early this year.

Year 7 + 8 Football friendly vs Manor House School

In terms of football, it has been an extremely successful start to the year for Muntham House School. The year 7s and 8s kicked off our footballing season with a fantastic 9-5 win in our friendly against Manor House School. The pupils involved were spectacular. Not only were there some excellent skills, phases of play and goals on display, but the levels of maturity and sportsmanship were exceptional. For a group of boys who had never played a match together, I was blown away by what I saw. I am really excited to see what's in store for our season. The boys have smashed it.

South London Special League

We had our first matchdays in the South London Special League, where the Muntham pupils continued to impress. Years 10 and 11 set the standard with a draw and three wins, leaving us top of our group, and they were a delight to manage. The Muntham House College pupils followed suit with two wins and a draw, also resulting in us topping the group on goal difference. Some inspiring performances and outstanding goals from both days and age groups meant that we had two brilliant days of football. Our year 7s went unbeaten in their tournament, drawing three and winning one game. On the whole, all age groups have been incredible, consistently showcasing their footballing quality across all 3 match days. Well done to all involved!

Jack Petchey Award Ceremony

A huge well done to both Alfie Gorringe and Charlie Slark, who have both won Jack Petchey Awards as part of their representation and development over their time at Muntham, representing the school’s football team at The South London Special League. Both pupils were invited to the O2 in London to receive their awards and celebrate their achievements with staff and peers. Again, well done to both.

We have now briefly stepped away from Touch rugby as the boys were expressing that they really would like to focus on Contact rugby. So we have started to look at how that would work at Muntham house school. We are currently looking at 7 a side contact and we have potential fixtures and tournaments coming up next year if we feel this will help the team's development. We continue to review touch rugby as we do not want to stop the progress we were making within this area. Rugby will be moving times slightly as the clocks change after the half term. Rugby Academy will be commencing 3:30pm-4:30pm due to loss of the light. If you would like to register your child for Rugby Academy, please contact: sidneyadams@muntham.org.uk

Please see below dates for Rugby Academy next half term.

We have had a great start to Football Academy this year. We have welcomed many new players to the academy which is great to see. The players have been mastering key skills, practising their passing, communication and working as a team. The players have been able to showcase what they have learnt in training games and in the Football fixtures. Well Done to all the new players.

If you would like to register your child for Football Academy, please contact: sidneyadams@muntham.org.uk

Please see below the dates for next half term. The sessions run 4pm-5pm.

All change on Hever floor, September has been a time for new beginnings with our previous cohort moving on to Bodiam floor.

This term, we are delighted to welcome our new cohort of residential boarders to our school community and Hever floor. The floor has been filled with the buzz of new friendships being formed, different personalities and lots of laughter. Our new boarders have settled in well and have been supported by their dedicated floor staff, over the first few weeks our new boarders have been getting used to the routines on floor, they have enjoyed many activities after school which have helped everyone settle in, such as cooking, beach walks, golf, climbing, swimming, inflatable parks and most recently a lovely evening outside cooking dinner over the fire pit in our lovely Forrest school area to name a few!

It has been wonderful to see our new pupils grow in confidence, learn to live together, and contribute to the vibrant life of our residential community. We are proud of how positively our new boarders have settled in and look forward to seeing them flourish both on Hever floor and in school.

We’ve been lucky this term with some lovely weather, and we’ve made the most of every opportunity to get outside and enjoy it. The school grounds have been well used, with games such as Run Outs a favourite among the pupils. These activities also provide them with a great opportunity to have fun with peers from other floors.

We have also been out on the bikes and scooters and completed the Muntham Mile on foot, all excellent ways for the pupils to be active and explore the outdoors.

Cooking has been a big hit this term as well. The pupils really enjoyed baking a triple chocolate cake, flapjacks, apple crumble, and even their own pizzas for dinner, which was a big success.

Swimming trips to The Triangle and The Spectrum were a highlight for many. The pupils had a fantastic time riding the flumes and were pleased that the staff got involved and joined them in the water.

Out of bounds was another exciting activity that challenged the pupils to step outside their comfort zones. It was brilliant to see them climbing higher and showing more confidence than before.

Movie night is always popular, and with the big screen up, it’s a more enjoyable evening, and with popcorn, even better.

Sumner’s pond was a lovely stroll for the pupils, and they were pleased when they were able to stop to greet the friendly ponies along the way.

When spending time on floor, the pupils have enjoyed getting creative with their individual arts and crafts kits, which they purchased from the range. They have also spent time together building models out of LEGO. Board games such as Guess Who and Connect 4 were also favourites, and playing with the staff was a lot of fun.

Caiden chose Parkour as his personal community activity, and after just his first session, he climbed the wall all the way to the roof! He was amazing he absolutely smashed it and was so proud of himself.

We are looking forward to the second half of this term and making more memories with the pupils.

It has been a good start to the academic year on Arundel floor. We have settled back into our routines and have been preparing for the imminent winter months.

On floor, we have a new pool table, which has gone down well with the pupils, who are already showing improvement in the cue actions.

The pupils have all moved into their new rooms for the year and have taken great pride in kitting them out in the way they like, with pictures, alarm clocks and LED lights.

For our activities, we have been making use of the large grounds and the last of the lighter evenings. We have been out on the bikes, playing football and going for lazy walks in the woods.

We also took in our first Ice Hockey game, cheering on the Guildford Flames at their home ground, the Guildford Spectrum. It was great to see the pupils cheering on their local side despite the fact the team were royally beaten by the Nottingham Panthers.

So, an excellent start to life on Arundel Floor. Keep it up.

On Thursday, our dining hall transformed into something straight out of a spooky storybook. Complete with skeletons, cobwebs, and pumpkins that looked like they were plotting their next scare.

The catering team didn’t hold back either. Pupils were greeted by Spooky Burgers - monster buns with olive eyes and pickle tongues that looked almost too alive to eat. Almost. Judging by the empty trays, bravery prevailed.

And for dessert? The pièce de résistance: a Mud Cake with Worms. Yes, worms. Pink, squiggly icing worms wriggling across a chocolatey graveyard of crumbs. If that wasn’t enough to make you squirm, there was also a brain under glass, because nothing says “Bon Appétit” like a preserved brain on display.