At our End of Year Celebration, back at the end of summer term, pupils took home a very special Copthorne duck and were tasked with the challenge of taking their duck on some summer adventures. From flying an aircraft simulator to a trip to the Eiffel Tower, our ducks have had a busy summer. We hope you will continue to be adventurous and curious and please send us more photos!

As part of our Year 6 Leavers’ Programme, our pupils recently stepped into the exciting world of business – and what a success it was! With creativity, teamwork and plenty of enthusiasm, the children planned and ran their very own enterprises, offering a fantastic range of products and services to younger pupils across the school.

From lively karaoke booths and colourful bracelet stalls to popular fidget toys, darts challenges, and even a pie-throwing raffle, the variety on offer was impressive. Each group carefully thought through their ideas, prepared their products, created eye-catching advertisements, and confidently ran their stalls on the day.

This experience was not only hugely enjoyable for our Year 6 pupils, but also incredibly valuable. They developed key life skills such as teamwork, organisation, communication and financial awareness. Managing money, setting prices, and calculating profits gave them a real taste of enterprise in action.

The benefits extended to their younger “customers” too, who practised their own maths skills by handling money, counting coins, and calculating change. It was wonderful to see such purposeful learning happening in a fun and engaging environment.

Some groups proved to be especially successful entrepreneurs, making an impressive profit – which they were delighted to keep! Many went home with pockets (and purses!) bulging with coins, a tangible reward for their hard work and clever thinking.

Overall, the event was a fantastic celebration of creativity, independence and real-world learning. We are incredibly proud of our Year 6 pupils and the initiative they showed — a wonderful way to mark their final year and prepare them for the next stage of their journey.

Tuesday’s Informal Concert was a wonderful celebration of the musical talent at Copthorne Prep, with performers from Years 3 to 6 taking to the stage to share the progress they have made this term. The concert was very well attended by families, who enjoyed a varied programme of solo and ensemble performances, including confident soloists on the harp, voice, piano, violin and cello, each demonstrating the dedication and hard work that has gone into their musical studies.

One of the highlights of the afternoon was a lively and impressively complex piano trio performed by Vadaanya, Clarissa and Walter, whose excellent ensemble playing, musical communication and technical control captivated the audience. Another memorable performance came from Rishik and Georgina, whose energetic drum and guitar duet showcased fantastic teamwork and rhythmic precision.

The concert also featured the first public performance by our newly formed Chamber Orchestra, who performed with confidence and maturity, marking an exciting milestone in the continued growth of ensemble music at Copthorne Prep. Their entertaining performance of Tequila, complete with enthusiastic cries of “Ribena!” instead of the famous refrain, was a real hit with the audience.

Congratulations to all of our performers for sharing their music with such confidence and musicianship, and thank you to our families for their enthusiastic support. We look forward to many more opportunities to celebrate our pupils’ musical achievements next year.

If your child is in Years 5 or 6, don’t miss the fantastic opportunity to experience first-hand the energy, ambition, and opportunities that define sport at Caterham. Children are invited to join a morning of sporting masterclasses led by specialist coaching staff across multiple sport. Parents can tour the sports centre including state-of-the-art Performance Gym and find out more about sporting provision, specialist academies, scholarship opportunities and representative-level support. Find out more and book your place here

This week, our Year 6 pupils had the opportunity to attend a local Book Awards, where they were fully immersed in a vibrant celebration of reading and storytelling. A particular highlight of the visit was the opportunity to meet all five shortlisted authors, including the acclaimed children’s illustrator Chris Riddell; the children engaged thoughtfully in workshops, posed insightful questions and developed a deeper understanding of the creative process. Their enthusiasm and preparation were evident throughout, as many had already formed strong opinions about the books. The event began with great excitement when their favourite author, Jack Mackay, was announced as the overall winner—an outcome that was met with cheers and genuine delight. It was a truly inspiring experience that will undoubtedly continue to encourage a love of reading across the year group.

Our Bumblebee pre-schoolers have been learning all about firefighters. We were very fortunate that one of our Butterflies’ parents kindly brought in his firefighter uniform for us to look at and try on, it was very exciting! . In our Expressive Arts and Design area, we used the colours of flames—red and yellow to explore colour mixing and created vibrant orange! We then made some fiery pictures !

We are delighted to introduce our newly appointed Form Captains, who have been chosen through a pupil vote by their peers. This achievement reflects the trust and respect they have earned within their forms, and we congratulate them on taking on this important role.

Throughout this term, our Form Captains will represent their classmates in regular meetings, acting as a voice for their forms and sharing ideas on how to enhance school life. They will play a key part in suggesting improvements, raising concerns, and helping to build a positive and supportive school community.

We look forward to seeing the leadership, teamwork, and creativity our Form Captains will bring to their roles.

As part of their Rainforest topic in Art, Year 3 created beautiful clay leaf prints. The children carefully rolled the clay to an even thickness before pressing leaves into the surface, making sure the leaf’s texture was clearly transferred. They then trimmed the clay into neat shapes.

Once the tiles had been fired for the first time, the children applied underglaze to highlight the leaf details, wiping away the excess to reveal the texture. Finally, each tile was coated in a transparent glaze to give it a smooth, shiny finish.

The children were delighted to see their finished tiles emerge from the kiln this week after their second firing.

As part of our Global studies, Year 3 explored Ancient Roman buildings to help us understand what everyday life was like in Ancient Rome. The children learned about important structures such as the Colosseum, Roman baths and the Circus Maximus. We discovered that the Romans were incredible designers and builders, creating buildings that were both impressive and practical. The class especially enjoyed learning about how Romans spent their free time and the importance of entertainment in Roman life.

The Prep ended the term on a high with an action‑packed House Competition Day! Pupils from Rendall, Sale, Newton, and Workman went head‑to‑head in a series of fun and creative challenges designed to test teamwork, problem‑solving, and resilience.

Activities included:

Building the tallest marshmallow–spaghetti tower

Designing a boat that could float and carry the most counters

Constructing a structure strong enough to withstand an earthquake simulation

Blindfold bridge‑building, encouraging communication and trust

Out on the field, Mr Pinnock kept the energy high with a lively game of football darts, which proved a huge hit with everyone.

The day concluded with the much‑anticipated House Singing Competition, where each house showcased their enthusiasm, collaboration, and school spirit.

It was a fantastic day filled with excitement, creativity, and—most importantly—teamwork. Well done to all the pupils for their brilliant effort and positive attitude!