Last week, our Year 6 pupils rolled up their sleeves and turned into brilliant bakers as they made homemade apple pies , completely from scratch!

The children learned how to make their own pastry using the rubbing-in method, before carefully rolling it out and lining a pie dish like true professionals. They then prepared the delicious apple filling, practising their knife skills by using the claw grip to safely cut the apples.

Once everything was assembled, the pies were baked in the oven, filling the room with an amazing smell! It was hard to wait until the pies were cool enough to tuck in and taste their efforts!

Our half‑termly Maths Investigation Day once again brought the school to life with excitement, curiosity, and plenty of problem‑solving. Each activity was carefully planned to show pupils how maths connects to the real world, while developing the reasoning, collaboration, and resilience that we value so highly at Copthorne Prep. Reception began by tackling practical problem‑solving challenges with dinosaurs, while Year 1 became shape‑detecting superheroes, investigating 2D and 3D shapes through a lively superhero‑themed challenge. Year 4 dived into fast‑paced number puzzles that stretched their logic, boosted their fluency, and had them racing to spot patterns and justify their thinking.

Year 3 linked their investigations to their rainforest topic, working on The Three Monkeys problem—using drawings, counters, and teamwork to explore different solutions. Year 2 explored a polar‑explorer‑themed puzzle, encouraging them to consider possibilities, ask questions, and reason through a range of answers.

In Years 5 and 6, pupils explored ratio and proportion through a very special Copthorne connection: our historic stained‑glass window commemorating Dr Edward Wilson, a member of Captain Scott’s Antarctic expedition and brother‑in‑law to our school’s founder, Bernard Rendall. This legacy inspired rich mathematical discussion, and some pupils even designed their own symmetrical stained‑glass windows representing our Copthorne learning powers.

It was a wonderful day of curiosity, creativity, and mathematical thinking across the school.

This term, we are offering new ways for pupils to access ensemble playing:

• Recorder Club – A fun, social starter instrument that builds concentration, coordination, and musical skills that transfer to other wind instruments. Begins Monday 26 January, first break. 
• String Ensemble – For pupils already learning violin or cello, led by our exceptional violin teacher Josephine Lloyd-Wilson. A fantastic chance to develop ensemble skills and musicianship. Lunchtime on Mondays, subsidised £2 per session. All string learners strongly encouraged to join! 
• Flute Lessons – Duo lessons for Years 4–5 at just £9.50 per session (6 places available). The flute is an accessible orchestral instrument that helps students build essential skills in addition to being an ideal ensemble instrument. 
• Instrument Lessons at Copthorne – If you would like to sign up your child for weekly music lessons, please complete this form and Mrs Hastilow will be in touch to confirm when you child can start. 

Don’t miss these exciting opportunities to progress your child’s musical journey and be a part of ensemble playing at Copthorne Prep! Sign up forms can be accessed via weekly notices and will close at 9.00pm on Sunday 25 January. 

Please note: Pre-Prep String Club will be offered as afterschool enrichment from April 2026 and will be open to all pre-prep pupils currently learning the violin/cello.

With the wet weather putting the dampeners on rugby fixtures this week, the boys took the opportunity to concentrate on developing their fitness with a dedicated indoor session. It was wonderful to see how hard they worked for the whole session, with a number of the boys saying they were going to do some of the exercises at home. Well done everyone!

Our speaker series continued this morning with a fascinating talk from Mrs Angel, who shared insights into her career in Marketing, Branding, and PR. The children were captivated by the creative and dynamic aspects of her role and asked some truly thoughtful questions. Thank you Mrs Angel!

It has been fantastic to welcome parents from a wide range of professional backgrounds, helping pupils see the real-world context of their learning and the exciting possibilities ahead. If you would like to come in and speak to the children about your job, please contact the school office – we’d love to hear from you!

School was glowing with excitement as pupils from Years 4, 5, and 6 took part in a special collaborative art project. Working in house teams, the children designed and crafted stunning willow and tissue-paper lanterns. They learned to shape and secure willow into sturdy frames, experimented with layering tissue paper and added finishing touches with paint.

Beyond developing artistic and practical skills, the project fostered teamwork and creativity. Ideas were shared and celebrated, and every child contributed to the final designs. Each class eagerly watched the lanterns evolve as they added their part, and the completed pieces reflected the unique personality of each team. Keep an eye out for these beautiful lanterns displayed around the school.

Children from every corner of the school, representing all four Houses, poured their creativity and enthusiasm into crafting dazzling Christmas decorations in their House colours. After much thoughtful deliberation, the judges announced the winners of this year’s House Christmas Decoration Competition: Rendall House!

To celebrate this joyful and Christmassy achievement, Rendall pupils were treated to steaming cups of hot chocolate and some yummy treats. Well done!

This week, Years 5 and 6 were treated to an exciting careers assembly led by Raiha’s dad, Mr Tandy, who works at Omnex in cinema operations. The pupils loved getting a ‘behind-the-scenes’ look at how movies make it onto the big screen and discovering the teamwork involved in delivering perfect sound and picture quality. As a special bonus, everyone even got to take home a Wicked cup and a bag of popcorn! A big thank you to Mr Tandy for such an inspiring visit.

We have received the most enchanting collection of house-coloured Christmas tree decorations. Mrs. McGregor was absolutely delighted with the beautiful wreath created by Aviraj and his family, and it now sparkles proudly on her office door. A huge well done to all of the children. Their imagination, effort, and creative flair have brought a touch of Christmas magic to every decoration. Thank you to all our families for supporting your children in creating these festive treasures.

Thank you to all the children who made a Christmas tree decoration in their house colour — they are all absolutely fantastic. Although there can only be one winning house, we have displayed all of the decorations on the Christmas tree in the new block. Please do take the time to go and have a look.

The winning house with the most tree decorations is Rendall. All Rendall children will be enjoying a scrumptious hot chocolate and biscuit with Mrs McGregor on Monday 8 December at 3pm.