We were delighted to welcome Mr Ceri Jones, Headmaster of Caterham School to Copthorne today. Mr Jones came to meet and chat to Year 6 pupils who received early offers to Caterham School starting in Year 7 next September. It was a great chance for Mr Jones to get to know the pupils and their interests and the children all said how much they had enjoyed the experience. Mr Jones meets all the children joining the senior school from the Caterham Family of Schools to get to know them better ahead of their new adventures at Caterham. Whilst here, Mr Jones also met with parents for an informal chat over coffee this morning and sends his thanks to everyone who came along to what was a really enjoyable morning.

You can find out more about Early Offers to Caterham School here

We’ve kicked things off with fantastic anti-bullying workshops from West End in Schools. This year’s theme, “Power for Good,” is inspiring our pupils to think about the positive actions they can take to stand up against bullying and support one another.
The children have really enjoyed exploring how their words and actions can make a difference — using their power for good every day! 

Year 3 were set a half-term challenge to recreate Lizard Street from our class text Krindlekrax — and we were absolutely blown away by their creativity! From paint and cardboard to lights and even LEGO, every project was bursting with imagination. The children loved presenting their creations to the class and explaining how they brought this wonderful story to life. Well done, Year 3!

Just before the half term break,  Year 3 were thrilled to welcome a very special visitor straight from their class story Krindlekrax — Corky the caretaker! The children had been busy preparing thoughtful interview questions to find out all about his daring encounter with the fearsome sewer crocodile, Krindlekrax. They asked fantastic open-ended questions to gather as much information as possible. To everyone’s delight, Corky even brought along his favourite snack — chocolate biscuits!

Last week, Year 2 thoroughly enjoyed celebrating the Harvest Festival. The children were proud to perform their songs and poems for their families, and it was lovely to see such enthusiasm in their performance.

This week, during their digital lessons Year 2 have been exploring and developing a range of skills using different applications. It’s been wonderful to see their confidence grow as they navigate new tools.

In Art, Year 2 have enjoyed learning how to blend primary colours to create secondary colours. They have used these skills to paint seasonal backgrounds experimenting with colour mixing and showing great creativity.

We have also continued our global learning, focusing on where food comes from, with a focus on chocolate. Our discussions around Fairtrade were particularly insightful, and we were impressed by the thoughtful opinions shared about fairness to farmers and ethical choices. The children showed great empathy and understanding, which sparked some very meaningful conversations.

We look forward to next week and are excited about our upcoming celebration assembly.

Pupils across the school took part in a special Maths Investigation Day during their regular maths lessons. Designed to bring maths to life, the activities encouraged children to apply their skills in real-world contexts—developing curiosity, resilience, and problem-solving abilities.

From cracking codes and solving riddles to exploring medicine ingredients in Year 2 (inspired by George’s Marvellous Medicine), every year group tackled exciting challenges. Our Year 5 and 6 pupils even explored Fibonacci’s sequence, using it to create stunning mathematical artwork. Meanwhile, our youngest learners in Reception explored the concept of size by comparing everyday classroom objects—laying the foundations for mathematical thinking through hands-on discovery. It was a fantastic celebration of thinking creatively and mathematically!

As part of their current history and English topics and in preparation for their trip to Ramsgate, Year 6 started the week thinking about what it would have been like to live in the cramped and dark spaces within the war tunnels.  Working in groups they created their own role plays, combining history and drama.

On Thursday, they headed off to explore Ramsgate, learning all about the air-raid precautions that the people of the town had to take during World War II. They toured the underground tunnels and learned how they helped save lives during the Blitz. Everyone enjoyed a lovely lunch at the harbour, which was a main protagonist in ‘Operation Dynamo’, and where the small ships set sail to aid the evacuation of Dunkirk.

After completing their initial work on lab safety, Year 5 pupils had the exciting opportunity to use Bunsen burners for the first time. Their experiment focused on evaporation: starting with a saltwater solution, they applied heat to separate the substances and recover the salt.

Once the practical work was complete, the children wrote clear investigation reports in their books, carefully detailing the methods they used and the results they observed. A fantastic start to their science investigations this year!