HPS Headlines

The Spring Term continues to be wonderfully busy, and with clubs starting this week, Homefield is very much in full flow.

I am delighted to announce that there will be a special edition of our regular coffee morning on Monday 27th January, with Head Elect Mrs Anderson as the guest of honour. The event will run from 8.30-9.30am as usual, but on this occasion please could parents register their attendance by the end of the day on Friday 24th January.

If you would like to attend the event, please email my PA on sharmes@homefieldprep.school.

Have a relaxing weekend,

Mr Hammond

Maths:

Year 3 have investigated formal methods of multiplication and are now exploring equivalent fractions, as well as identifying unit and non-unit fractions. They have worked hard to learn new topic terminology and can now use it to explain their mathematical reasoning. Year 4 are continuing their investigation of equivalent fractions to compare and order, as well as identifying improper and mixed number fractions for values greater than one whole. Year 5 have completed their studies on multiplicative relationships and reviewed their learning. They are now moving into a unit on fractions, beginning with recognising equivalence. Year 6 have strengthened their understanding of formal written methods for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. They are now moving on to fractions, where they will investigate finding the quantity of a given value. Year 7 have been creating posters relating to calculation strategies, collecting core ideas such as commutativity, compensation, partitioning, the inverse law, and formal written methods. Year 8 have consolidated their understanding of fractions, the four operations, and converting fluently between fractions, decimals, and percentages. They have deepened their knowledge through inquiry-based activities related to recurring decimals, commutativity, and equivalence, applying this to calculate missing values of variables in algebraic equations.

Congratulations to all the boys in Years 5 and 6 who scored 20+ in the Primary Maths Challenge. They will be great ambassadors for Homefield as they compete in the bonus round of the challenge, scheduled for February.

Well done to the twelve Year 6 boys who will be competing in the regional heats of the Maths Quiz in April.

English & Drama:

Boys in the Upper School are exploring poetry this half term, and their enthusiasm for the topic is infectious! Year 3 will be familiarising themselves with patterns in poetry, exploring structural devices, figurative language techniques, and traditional poetic conventions, such as rhyme schemes. Year 4 have had great fun reinterpreting and reimagining Lewis Carroll's classic poem The Jabberwocky. Year 5 have been recapping key knowledge and skills related to poetry, building towards their study of Alfred Noyes' epic ballad The Highwayman. In their drama and singing lessons, Year 6 have dived into rehearsals for their summer musical production of Wind in the Willows, and Mrs Auty has been highly impressed with their commitment and energy as they tackle complex choreography. Years 7 and 8 are using their poetry module as an opportunity to prepare for the Common Entrance, exploring increasingly challenging themes, language, and devices utilised by some of the best-loved and most highly regarded poets. Their mature and thoughtful approach to textual analysis has resulted in very high-quality literary discussions. Well done, boys!

Art:

Pupils have returned with a positive attitude and strong work ethic. Year 3 are creating their final pieces for the Kandinsky project, and Year 4 are finishing off their symmetry work. Year 5 are working on their canvases, while Year 6 have started their DT maze game, alongside some moulding and casting. Year 7 have produced some interesting initial ideas for their wellbeing light, and Year 8 are almost finished with the soldering for their USB light.

Senior Science:

In science, Year 3 are continuing to learn about electrical circuits and have discovered how to incorporate switches to control light bulbs. Year 4 are investigating diffusion by changing various factors while making tea. Year 5 are exploring the causes of friction and have been investigating how surface materials affect the stopping distance of a model car. Year 6 have just started the acids and alkalis topic, learning about the pH scale and how to use universal indicator to determine if a substance is acidic, alkaline, or neutral. Year 7 are studying density and how to calculate it using the mass and volume of an object. Year 8H are learning how to use LEDs and LDRs in their electronics unit, while Year 8S are nearing the end of their topic on photosynthesis.

Geography:

Year 3 have started their new topic on mapping and have demonstrated fantastic recall of compass points from Year 2, while developing their geographical vocabulary with new terms such as 'cardinal' and 'intercardinal'. Year 4 are learning all about settlements this term and exploring the ideas of land use. They have been grasping more sophisticated terms such as agriculture and residential, and incorporating them into their work. Year 5 are focusing on water, looking at the water cycle and revisiting key terms such as condensation and precipitation. Year 6 are focusing on climate zones across the world and exploring what may cause these to change. Year 7 and 8 are concentrating on developing their location knowledge. There were some outstanding presentations from Year 7 about tectonic hazards, which included a volcano cake, a clay model, quizzes, and slide shows! Well done to everyone for a great start to 2025!

TPR:

In the Lower School, Year 1 boys have been exploring what philosophy means, while Year 2 have been focusing on their new topic of belonging and what it means to belong to a community. Year 3 boys have continued to consolidate their understanding of the five British values and how these can be implemented in our daily lives. They will soon be moving on to explore Hinduism in more detail. In Year 4, the boys have begun learning about Islam and the key beliefs relating to the Islamic faith. Year 5 have been consolidating their understanding of the events in Holy Week for Christians and the importance of these to the Christian faith, before moving on to explore Judaism in detail.

In Year 6, the boys have been learning about Buddhism, focusing on the key beliefs and values held by Buddhists and its origins. Year 7 have started to look at Philosophy in depth, where they will soon explore Plato’s life and thoughts as a philosopher. Year 8 are moving on to Religion, with a focus on Sikhism and its beliefs and teachings.

On Sunday 19th January, we celebrate World Religion Day! Please have discussions with your son about the importance of appreciating everyone’s beliefs and values. At Homefield this week, the boys have been taking part in various activities related to this special day, reflecting on the common goal of showing love and care for others.

STEAM:

Year 1 are excited to start their vehicles project and have been designing what they are going to create. Year 2 have begun their Network Rail Project, while Year 3 and 4 continue to construct their innovative solutions to problems as part of the Leaders Award Solution.

Year 5 have been presenting their research into extreme weather as they start the STATWARS competition, and Year 6 have finished their model fitness circuits and have been designing leaflets to explain how each part of their circuit works.

Nursery:

Our Nursery boys had no trouble settling back into Homefield life after the Christmas holidays, and we even welcomed a couple of new friends!

This week, we began teaching the boys basic phonics, starting with initial sounds. The sound of the week was 'm'. The boys engaged in lots of activities beginning with the 'm' sound. They made very scary monsters, explored their movements through dance, and played an odd-one-out game where they identified the object that didn’t start with 'm'.

Well done, Nursery!

Reception:

The start of a new term brings a brand-new topic for us to explore. This half term, our topic is 'The Big Freeze'. The boys will be learning about all things cold, the winter season, the weather, snowflakes, and the polar regions.

This week, our focus story has been Hello Winter, which helps the boys understand the transition from autumn to winter. We’ve learned about how the weather changes, how our outdoor clothing might change, and the physical differences between the seasons, such as the different colours.

We've spent lots of time outside looking for frozen cobwebs, icy puddles, and even found sheets of ice in our mud kitchen. The boys had a blast exploring the ice—some looked through it, while others enjoyed smashing it on the floor to see how it breaks. It’s been fantastic to take our learning outdoors this week!

Literacy:

We have been working on forming longer sentences in our writing. The boys were tasked with writing a sentence about autumn and one about winter. They were encouraged to piece together three or four words rather than just writing one or two. The boys came up with some brilliant sentences such as, 'In autumn it is orange, in winter it is cold.'

They all worked really hard to remember their finger spaces between words and to put a full stop at the end of their sentences. Well done, boys! We’ll be writing full stories before you know it!

Maths:

We have been learning about addition within and up to 20. The boys have spent the week using Numicon to help solve their addition sums. The Numicon has helped the boys to visually see numbers, rather than having to count from 1 every time. They now know that 1 blue Numicon equals 10 and, therefore, 2 blue Numicon equals 20. This has really helped the boys to solve sums quickly.

We will continue with our addition into next week as we start to explore different ways to show our workings out.

Year 1:

Year 1 have had a busy two weeks following our holiday. We’ve heard all about the restful holidays and many lovely gifts received. We discussed New Year’s resolutions, and the boys have come up with some great ones—let’s see if they can stick to them!

In English, we have started a new text called Through the Magic Mirror. The boys began by predicting what the book might be about and closely examining the front and back covers. We then moved on to reading the text as a class and sequencing the events in the story. We are looking forward to the next few weeks, where the boys will use their imaginations and get creative with some writing.

In Maths, we began by recapping subtraction before moving on to our new focus—money. The boys have been learning about different coins and notes and adding them up to find the total. We hope they all enjoy the practical homework this week, which focuses on money.

We are really looking forward to taking the boys to Brooklands on Monday to finish off our transport topic in History. This trip will give them a great insight into different modes of transport and allow them the opportunity to closely examine how they were made in the past.

Year 2:

We have been so pleased with the ongoing enthusiasm and passion for learning that the Year 2 boys have continued to demonstrate upon their return to school this New Year! The boys have made excellent progress in developing their knowledge and understanding across a range of subjects.

In Maths, they have deepened their understanding of various times tables, exploring their relation to division facts and tackling worded problems. In English, we have started studying The Great Kapok Tree and have been exploring various persuasive writing features, such as the power of three, rhetorical questions, and direct address.

In Geography, the boys have begun exploring the continent of South America, having fun while learning key facts about its location, culture, popular foods, and animals. In History, we’ve started our topic on Explorers and Adventurers, reflecting on what these words mean to us and discussing their own experiences of exploring and adventures.

Year 1:
Aadit - for increased confidence especially in phonics. Ashwin - for a super effort when designing your own dino theme park and writing a piece of persuasive writing. Ethan - for participating so fantastically in a Year 3 fixture and scoring a goal! Musa - for trying his best to demonstrate our Homefield Values and for being so kind and courteous towards others. Ethan - for being our Homefield Hero of the term. You always try your hardest and follow our values every day.

Year 2:
Idris - for his excellent writing in English and working hard in all of his lessons. Clinton - for demonstrating all of our Homefield values throughout the past term. Shahmeer - for doing his best in all lessons and representing Homefield positively in his very first fixture! Ariz - for exemplifying our Homefield values through his words and actions throughout the past term.

Year 3:
Rohan - commended by his teachers for his politeness and enthusiasm in lessons, consistently demonstrating our Homefield Values this term. Sam - for his brilliant information text on The Kraken, this creative writing piece was full of figurative language and patterns of imagery, demonstrating our Homefield Value of endeavour. Aarav - for consistently implementing the Homefield Values of respect, resilience and endeavour in lessons this term, especially in maths and music. He always tries his best, listening to, and actioning, feedback. Zaid - for consistently showing the Homefield values throughout the term, especially in music lessons. Noah - for demonstrating all the Homefield Values throughout the term, especially when correcting mistakes in his work in order to complete everything to the highest possible standard and attain house points. Evan - for showing integrity during his geography test as well as great kindness to the other boys in his form when they have felt sad.

Year 4:
Freddie - for his brilliant first term at Homefield, he has grown in confidence and demonstrated all our Homefield Values throughout the term. Bhavnish - has demonstrated kindness and respect throughout the term, especially in verbal reasoning, helping others with tricky questions and openly sharing his understanding. Advik - for consistently demonstrating all the Homefield Values this term, especially endeavour and integrity in lessons to complete all of his work to a high standard. Viyan - for consistently showing respect and kindness towards staff and his peers both in lessons and around school.

Year 5:
Charlie - for showcasing excellent resilience throughout his maths learning, understanding that sometimes it is necessary to get things wrong on the journey to be more confident and more accurate. Christopher - for working hard to improve his concentration and achieve more as the term has progressed in maths.

Year 6:
Michael - for being brilliant in French, computing and music. He's very focused and accurate in the work he’s producing. Austin - for being punctual and organised for lessons, taking the initiative handing out books and getting started on tasks without needing to be asked polite to staff and peers.

Year 7:
Ian - for being an ambassador for the school and showing determination and courageousness when reading at the Carol Concert. Kuhan - for showing endeavour when taking on his responsibility as a School Council representative. Adam (hero of the term!) - for demonstrating all our Homefield values during this term! Well done!

Year 8:
Atharva - for his outstanding Gothic writing and for showing endeavour when taking on new challenges. Zachy - for endeavour and his resilience with his Geography Coursework. Arthur (hero of the term!) - for demonstrating all the values during the autumn term! Congratulations, Arthur.

🎨 Well done to Philip in Year 3 who created a fantastic winter canvas at home during the Christmas holidays!

In the autumn term, some of the boys from our after-school chess club represented the school in competitions. Here is a roundup from Graeme Buckley, who runs our chess club.

On 20th November, Easan, James, William, Max, and Jaka represented Homefield in the Primary School Team Chess Challenge Regional Qualifier at King’s College School. Homefield finished with a creditable 8 points out of 16 in a tough field, with some very highly rated players. Two days later, an online chess blitz battle saw Homefield finish 6th out of 26 teams. In the online blitz battle on Friday 6th December, a team of Easan, Jaka, Aaron, Elijah, Daniel, and James achieved 6th place out of 28 teams.

A heroic achievement followed, as Easan won every single game in the U10 section of the London Junior Chess Championship Qualifier on Sunday 8th December in Hampshire, where 27 players competed.

Overall, the boys enjoyed themselves and were a credit to the school. A big thank you to all the parents for their support, without which our team would not have been able to participate. Well done, boys!

On Tuesday 14th January, four rugby teams played at home against Reigate in the first game of the season. The Red team started brightly, with tries from Aadam and Zavi, but Reigate were well-organised and took the lead. Sami and William also scored, making it a very even game at half time, with Reigate leading 6-9. In the second half, the visitors pushed ahead, but Homefield responded with tries from Kylesh, Sami, and Aadam. Reigate won 12-17, but all the boys played very well.

The Blue team also lost 7-11 in a closely contested match, with Charlie scoring three tries, Subir two, and William S. and Lavann each scoring one. The Blue team worked hard in defence but needs to move the ball more quickly going forward.

The Yellow team won 12-10, with Patrick standing out by scoring five tries, supported by Noah and Jacob. In defence, they were solid, holding off their opponents in the final moments to secure the win.

The Green team had a high-scoring, fun game but lost 8-13 to a fast Reigate team. Andrey, Edward, and Rohan all scored, but the visitors came out on top.

A superb first fixture—well done to all the boys who played!

Mr Matthews

Jai, Year 5, has been awarded a youth team contract at Sutton United. Congratulations Jai!

We are pleased to announce that Homefield has registered for the prestigious Young Artists’ Summer Show, hosted by the Royal Academy of Arts!

Now in its seventh year, this incredible event is a free, open submission exhibition celebrating the creativity and talent of young artists aged 4–18 across the UK. A panel of artists and arts professionals will judge the submissions, with selected pieces showcased both online and on-site at the iconic Royal Academy of Arts.

This is a fantastic opportunity for Homefield boys to gain national recognition for their artistic achievements and to share their creativity with a wider audience.

To participate, boys should submit their artwork to Mr. Leung either in person or via email by 5th March. Don’t miss your chance to be part of this extraordinary exhibition—let’s show the world what Homefield’s young artists can do!

Mr Smith introduced exciting new sports equipment and board games, including two Ping Pong tables, Giant Connect 4, Jenga, chess boards, Lego bricks, and more! 🏓

A big thanks to the Homefield Association and parents for supporting the addition of one of the Ping Pong tables. Thanks also to Miss Wilson and the School Council for their help in organising this fantastic addition!

Saturday 22nd March: Open Day

The winter months can be particularly challenging for some, with fewer daylight hours, cold and wet weather, and the holidays behind us. We have a poster here that may support adults when discussing and helping a young person who may be showing signs of a low mood.

We kindly remind all parents using the morning *Stop and Drop* facility to remain in their cars during drop-off. Our Estates staff will be on hand to escort your son safely into school. This ensures a smooth and safe process for all boys.

If you prefer to walk your son to the school entrance, we ask that you park safely a short distance away from the school and walk him in. This helps maintain a safe environment for everyone on the school site.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding in keeping our school community safe!

Homefield Preparatory School

Western Road, Sutton, Surrey, SM1 2TE

+44 020 8642 0965

administration@homefieldprep.school