A Week of Worldwide Adventures 5th June 2026 Creative Arts Global During Project Week, children who stayed in school embarked on an exciting journey around the world. Each child chose a country to research, exploring its culture, geography and famous landmarks. As part of their investigations, the children discovered iconic landmarks from their chosen countries and then challenged themselves to create detailed models using a variety of materials. They demonstrated great creativity, problem-solving skills and enthusiasm as their landmarks began to take shape. The creativity continued in art, where the children designed unique sculptures inspired by their chosen countries. Their challenge was to combine a native animal with traditional patterns and decorative styles associated with that country. From kangaroos to camels, the children carefully modelled a range of animals before preparing them for decoration and adding vibrant colours and intricate designs with acrylic pens. The week was a wonderful celebration of global learning, with the children showcasing impressive research skills, artistic talent and imagination. Their fantastic creations reflected both their hard work and their growing understanding of the diverse countries they explored.
Taking part in Caterham’s EDGE in Action Day 22nd May 2026 Academic Caterham Family of Schools Copthorne joined other Year 5 pupils from across the Family of Schools as they came together for EDGE in Action: From Ideas to Impact, a collaborative innovation and entrepreneurship challenge focused on making a positive difference in the world around them. Hosted at Caterham School in partnership with Enactus UK and Next Gen Leaders, an entrepreneurial education charity, the event brought together pupils from our family prep schools to work in mixed school teams, exploring real-world social and community challenges before developing and pitching their own creative solutions. Throughout the day, the children demonstrated excellent teamwork, communication and problem-solving skills, while also growing in confidence as they shared and refined their ideas. For Copthorne Prep pupils, the experience was an exciting opportunity to collaborate with peers across the wider Family of Schools and take part in a hands-on learning challenge that encouraged creativity, empathy and innovation. It was wonderful to see the enthusiasm and imagination shown by all involved as they worked together to design solutions aimed at making a positive impact. The event also provided an inspiring introduction to the wider EDGE curriculum that continues through to Sixth Form at Caterham and the collaborative, future-focused learning experiences pupils will encounter as they continue their educational journey within the Caterham Family of Schools. Those choosing the through school pathway to Caterham senior school will also be able to choose the new EDGE GSCE equivalent qualification alongside their GSCE subjects. The pioneering Key Stage 4 course has been developed in partnership with Nottingham University Business School and Enactus UK and is designed to fill the skills gap plus prepare young people for an AI and technology-based future.
Developing Deep Mathematical Understanding 22nd May 2026 Academic At Copthorne Prep, maths teaching is rooted in well-established research showing that children learn most effectively when they first explore concepts in a concrete way, then represent their understanding pictorially, and only later move on to the abstract. This approach ensures deep, secure understanding rather than superficial knowledge. You will see this brought to life differently across the year groups. In the lower years, great emphasis is placed on hands-on learning, with children using a wide range of apparatus to build confidence and fluency before recording their ideas more formally. In Year 1, for example, pupils are having tremendous fun while developing their understanding of number composition, exploring how numbers can be made in different ways through practical activities and discussion. This strong foundation supports children as they progress to more complex mathematical thinking in later years.
Year 1 Mysterious Egg Discovered 15th May 2026 Pre-prep Science Year 1 had a very exciting day, when a mysterious egg appeared in the sensory garden! The strange looking object sparked lots of curiosity, and the children quietly headed outside to investigate. Gathering around the egg, the class carefully observed its size, shape, and colour. They began to wonder: What could be inside? How did it get there? Could it belong to an animal? The children shared fantastic ideas and predictions, with some suggesting it might belong to a bird, a reptile, or even something magical! Back in the classroom, they worked hard to write thoughtful questions to send to the estates team. They wanted to find out: How did the egg get into the sensory garden? Where did it come from? Does it belong to a real animal?
Entries Invited for Independent Research Project – ‘Amazing Animals’ 15th May 2026 Academic Global Pre-prep Science Following the success of last term’s International Women’s Day project, Ms Stone, Head of Academic Excellence, is delighted to introduce a new independent research project for this half term. In assemblies this week, the children learned about the incredible work of Sir David Attenborough, who has inspired generations through his storytelling and dedication to the natural world. In celebration of his 100th birthday, we are inviting children to create a fact file or presentation about an ‘Amazing Animal’. Full details can be found here. This project is open to all pupils across the school. Years 3–6: Please submit completed projects via Teams Pre-Prep: Please hand work in to your class teacher We are grateful for your support in encouraging your child to develop strong research habits and take pride in presenting their final work. We are very much looking forward to seeing the creativity and effort the children put into their projects!
All Roads Led to Fishbourne for Year 4! 15th May 2026 Global This week, Year 4 enjoyed a wonderful trip to Fishbourne Roman Palace. We attended a brilliant workshop where we learnt all about the Palace and who lived there. We took part in various activities like writing our names in Latin on wax tablets, writing on papyrus paper, playing Roman games and building a Roman arch. In groups, we took it in turns to have a play inside a mock Roman kitchen. Three of us were then chosen to dress up as a kitchen slave, a Roman prince and a Roman princess. The grounds of the palace are beautiful, and vast! The two gardens are the size of a football pitch! Within the gardens we found a huge variety of plants; herbs, medicinal plants and vegetable plants. What a brilliant day we had!
Year 2 Scientists Get a Taste of Year 3 in the Senior Lab 15th May 2026 Pre-prep Science Our Year 2 pupils had a great start to Thursday as they had a whole science lesson in the senior lab! They learnt about and discussed the three areas of biology, physics and chemistry. The children watched how a saline solution was made and saw what happens when evaporation takes place. They also had the opportunity to look at a small animal bone through a microscope. The lesson ended with another fun chemical experiment where they enjoyed watching what happens when you mix certain liquids and chemicals together. They all agreed that they can’t wait for being in Year 3!
Year 3’s Magnetic Investigations 15th May 2026 Science Year 3 have been investigating magnets by testing how many paperclips different ones can hold. The children discovered that bigger doesn’t always mean stronger—some smaller magnets worked better! This led to great discussions about how magnets work and what makes them strong.
Nail Biting Final at Spelling Bee! 8th May 2026 Academic This week we held our highly anticipated Spelling Bee! Children in Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 put themselves forwards to compete and we were really impressed by how many children wanted to take part. The first round was held in classes, then two finalists were selected from each class. The final took place in assembly and had two sections – the Year 3 and 4 list, and the Year 5 and 6 list. After some very impressive spelling and nail-biting head-to-heads, we crowned our two winners. Congratulations to all the finalists and well done to everyone who took part. We are looking forward to holding a Flag Bee and a Number Bee later in the term!
Maths Clubs to Competitions 8th May 2026 Academic Co-curricular We are excited to announce that we have launched maths enrichment clubs for children in Years 2, 3 and 4. These clubs will focus on the sort of reasoning and problem-solving challenges that make up many external maths competitions, and we are hoping to enter some of these competitions in the next academic year. Children are able to choose if they want to join – the entry requirements are a real enthusiasm for maths and a desire to dive into some challenge questions! Mrs Potgieter is running the club for Years 3 and 4, and Mrs Harris is running the club for Year 2.