From the Head

From the Head of Pre-Prep

Dear Parents,

We are now on half term holiday for two weeks. Many of your children are desperate for a break and are quite tired. They have concentrated on their teachers and really need some down time. The teachers are ready for a rest too!

Thank you to those of you who managed to attend our Open Class Event. I realise this is hard when you are working but I know your children love to show you around and proudly show you what they have been doing in the classroom.

I saw many of you at the Senior Schools Fair on Wednesday. It was a great chance to see so many senior schools and what they could offer for your children as they enter their teens. It was lovely for Mrs Jeffery and I to see some of our Pre-Prep boys who are now at Tonbridge.

On Thursday, the Reception children enjoyed their first ever school trip to Godstone Farm. They were so excited to all be going on a coach together. Our Year 2 children also had fun on Thursday joining in with an African Drumming Workshop at Prep. 

At the time of writing, Year 2 are looking forward to their Football Tournament. Thank you to Mr Davies for all his work in organising this. It is lovely to do something special to round off the half term.

When we come back, we will be holding a Stubbers Information Evening for all Year 2 parents. This will be held in our hall from 7pm on Wednesday 5^th November. We will be giving a short presentation followed by time for questions and answers.

On Thursday 6^th November, Year 2 children will be going on a school trip to the Horniman Museum.

Overheard in Pre-Prep:

Teacher: "Can you think of a word beginning with the sound 'b'?

Child: "BUPA!"

Have a lovely half term break and see you again on Monday 3^rd November.

Zerrin Leech

Poppies for sale!

After the half term break, poppies will be available to buy at both the Pre-Prep and Prep Receptions ahead of Remembrance Day.

Jenny Beesley, Receptionist 

Design Technology House Competition

St Michael’s Remembrance Service

Our Remembrance Service will take place on Tuesday 11^th November on the terrace at the front of the Prep building. It will start at approximately 10:45am and conclude at 11:10am.

All parents, extended family, friends and Old Michaelians are welcome to attend. Tea and coffee will be served in the Chapel immediately following the service.

All children from Prep attend the service.

Fraser Wiseman, Deputy Head (Pastoral)

We are delighted to welcome the following individuals to St Michael's to join our Wrap-Around Care Team: 

Jennette Lingley

Jennette is delighted and excited to join the St Michael’s family after teaching in private education for over 30 years. Jennette prides herself on planning and delivering an array of child and adult-led activities. She particularly enjoys being creative both indoors and outdoors to bring fun and help develop the future generation. 

She can’t wait to meet you all. 

Thomas Sard

Thomas completed a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy in 2022 and has since worked in mental health support as a full-time support worker, a group facilitator and a counsellor in training.

He is currently studying a Master’s in Psychotherapy and Counselling, with the aim of becoming a psychotherapist. In his spare time, he enjoys going to the gym, bouldering, cooking, playing the guitar and going to concerts.

Thomas is looking forward to working with the team at St Michael's to provide after school care, ensuring pupils feel safe and enjoy themselves. 

Vikki Aldridge

Vikki is well known to children and parents at St Michael's as one of the founders of Dance Act Theatre School who have been providing dance classes at St Michael’s since 2012.

With a degree in Dance and Performing Arts, she has worked as a professional dancer and teacher for over 25 years. She prides herself on making children feel safe, happy and inspired to be the best that they can be. She is looking forward to bringing lots of energy and creativity to the Breakfast Club and The Hive. 

Senior Schools Fair sparks next steps conversations

We were delighted to welcome St Michael’s families to our Senior Schools Fair on Wednesday evening this week.

Joined by 34 senior schools from across Kent and further afield, we were thrilled to see so many parents and children attending the Fair to begin conversations about future schools.

There was a wonderful atmosphere in the Sports Hall as exciting options were explored and new pathways were discovered. The senior schools thoroughly enjoyed meeting you all and were very impressed by the children they met throughout the evening, commending their character, confidence and inquisitiveness.

Writing to St Michael’s, Farringtons School said: “We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and spoke to some lovely children and parents. The atmosphere was great and everyone seemed very friendly, both from St Michael's and all the other schools which were represented.”

Gresham’s School added: “Thank you to inviting us to your well organised Senior Schools Fair. It was great to meet your friendly staff, confident pupils and lovely families.”

We were also pleased to host a wonderful meal for our senior schools’ guests before the Fair which we are grateful to Accent Catering for sponsoring.

A gallery of the photographs taken at the event can be found here.

Taz Usher, Head of Marketing

Drama Scholars enter The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

On Monday 13th October, the Drama Scholars had the opportunity to experience a day of filmmaking magic at Warner Bros Studios Tour-The Making of Harry Potter in Watford.

The pupils had the chance to step on to authentic sets, discover the magic behind spellbinding special effects and explore the behind-the-scenes secrets of the Harry Potter film series. First up, Clara H was able to push open the huge doors to the iconic Hogwarts Great Hall, where we were dazzled by the sets and costumes for all the scenes filmed in the Hall.

Many more experiences awaited us including a chance to explore the Forbidden Forest, board the original Hogwarts Express at Platform 9 ¾, ride a broom and perform a journey to Hogwarts on the train using digital green screen technology.

Finally, we were able to step foot into Gringotts Wizarding Bank and see a dragon come to life, all before wandering down Diagon Alley. It was great to see the children actively participating and engaged in lots of conversations, with the staff at hand for questioning and enjoying some hands-on experience including making unicorn blood!

The tour is located at the Studios where all eight films were produced; the Studio Tour showcases the British talent and artistry that went into the making of the Wizarding World and allows the children to relive the magic through the eyes of the film makers who brought the films to life. The children had a fantastic, fun and educational time; learning all about the craft of film making. A huge thanks to Mrs Caswall and Ms Gilbrook for their help. 

Al Powell, Head of Drama 

Celebrating World Mental Health Day 

On Monday 13th October, the St Michael’s community celebrated World Mental Health Day. We wore yellow as the colour recommended by Young Minds' “Hello Yellow” campaign to recognise, increase awareness of and support those with mental health issues.

Dotted around the school, written on pictures of suns, were suggestions on how to improve mental health. Conversations were prompted, thoughts shared and ideas discussed as children went about their day. 

Bingham Henderson, Teaching Assistant

Stepping into the stories of Roald Dahl 

Our annual trip to the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre in Great Missenden took place on Tuesday 14th October in bright autumnal sunshine. During the day, our Year 6 children explored the hands-on exhibits in the museum, with Roald Dahl's writing hut being one of the highlights.

Part of the day was spent exploring the village and identifying the places in which Dahl imagined his characters living and spending time. This trip supported Year 6's work on autobiographies and biographies in English lessons.

Bo B in Year 6 said: "It was really interesting to see Roald Dahl's grave and to be able to pay our respects. I also loved seeing Going Solo come to life."

Inaya A added: "I really enjoyed exploring his childhood in the museum and seeing the letters he sent his mum every week."

Mia Y also said: "I loved smelling the chocolate doors from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; they smelt like the real thing! We also enjoyed a really interesting tour of the village where Roald Dahl was inspired to write his books, including the library that he based Matilda on."

Laura Andrade, Head of English

Year 5 trip to Herstmonceux Observatory

Herstmonceux Observatory and Science Centre always has so much to engage our Year 5 scientists. As we arrived, the sunshine broke through the clouds and we were treated to a day of fine autumnal weather. This meant Year 5 could make the most of the water park and outdoor exhibits. There was more to explore indoors and the robot arms workshop and the visit to the shop were a big hit with everyone.

Well done to Year 5 for the inquisitiveness they showed all day and for their excellent answers to the questions in the Telescope Tour and Destination Space Science Show. Thank you also to the team of colleagues who helped make the visit a success - Mrs Caswall, Mrs Clarke, Mr Fuller, Ms Gilbrook and Mlle Lacroix.

Esther Neylan, Head of Science

Reception's day out at the farm!

Our long awaited trip finally arrived. There was so much excitement on the coach with a chorus of 'Wheeee' as we drove down Row Dow. It was raining when we arrived but that didn't dampen our spirits as it soon dried up and the activities began.

From feeding very hungry goats and pigs to digging up worms and stroking some animals, everyone enjoyed the various activities. We learnt some fun animal facts, such as pigs have a better sense of smell than dogs and who knew that there were so many different types of worms and pigs and that piglets like bananas!

We learnt about planting and growing and even about hibernation when we met a tortoise called George who was 96 years old! Before we knew it, it was time to make our way back to school with a bunch of tired and happy children. It was such a brilliant day out!

Kirsty Playell, Head of Reception

St Michael's Aces compete in IAPS Qualifiers

On Friday 10th October, St Michael's girls' Aces A team travelled to Haileybury School to compete in the IAPS Regional Qualifiers.

In their opening game, the girls created plenty of chances but struggled to convert and a last minute goal saw them suffer a frustrating defeat against Belmont School.

They responded superbly in their second match, producing a dominant 4–0 victory over Russell House School. Building on that momentum, the team faced St. Faith’s School next which saw an outstanding performance from Elodie B who scored all four goals, securing another 4–0 win.

To progress to the Cup competition, the girls needed to win their final group game against a strong Downsend School team. After a tense and closely fought match, they came out on top 1–0, finishing second in their group and advancing to the Cup Quarter-Finals.

In the Quarter-Final, St Michael's met Danes Hill School, the winners of Group 1. Despite conceding an early, soft goal, the girls showed real determination to fight back, equalising and looking the stronger team for much of the match. Unfortunately, a couple of defensive lapses proved costly, leading to two soft goals and a 3–1 defeat which ended their tournament run.

We later learnt that Danes Hill School went on to win the overall tournament, defeating Belmont 3–1 in the Final.

Although the girls will be disappointed not to have progressed further, they should be immensely proud of their resilience, teamwork and character. Tournaments like this are often decided by the finest of margins and while things didn’t quite go our way this time, there were many positives to take forward.

Team: Elodie B, Ellie S, Sophia E, Amy H, Evelyn T, Saskia E, Ella D, Beatrice B and Theia H

Joel Thomas, Head of Boys' Games 

Raise the flag!

Today, members of St Michael's Wellbeing Committee gathered to celebrate the success of their recent whole school Wellbeing Day by raising the flag produced by pupils in Years 1 to 8 as part of the event. 

The flag, displaying burgundy St Michael's fingerprints in the shape of the school's crest, was a wonderful celebration of the togetherness and creativity which the event inspired. 

An introduction to African Drumming!

The school was alive with rhythm on Thursday as pupils from Years 2 to 8 took part in a series of vibrant African Drumming Workshops. Led by a visiting percussion specialist, the sessions introduced the children to the rich traditions of West African music, focusing on the djembe drum, playing techniques and the concept of polyrhythms.

The Drama Room was filled with energetic beats, call-and-response patterns, chanted vocal calls and plenty of smiling faces as pupils learnt to keep time, listen carefully to one another and build confidence through music-making. The workshops left everyone buzzing with excitement and perhaps a few tired hands!

Gordon Baird, Director of Music 

Year 8 investigate regeneration in Stratford 

Year 8 pupils recently visited Stratford, London, to explore whether regeneration in the area has been successful.

As part of their fieldwork, they collected a wide range of data including business tallies, environmental quality surveys, interviews and field sketches. Although we’ve explored this area in previous years, each visit reveals new changes that influence the results pupils gather, highlighting the dynamic nature of urban regeneration.

Many were surprised by the contrast between the modern developments and the older, untouched parts of Stratford. The pupils showed excellent engagement throughout the day, asking thoughtful questions and making insightful observations. Their findings will now be analysed and presented in a fieldwork project contributing to their St Michael’s Diploma. We are excited to see what conclusions they draw!

Katharine Lambert, Head of Geography

St Michael's legends take on the Giant's Causeway

In our Year 5 English lessons this term we have been exploring the legend of the Giant’s Causeway. Today, our very own Irish and Scottish giants faced off across the ‘Irish Sea’ to determine who was truly the greatest.

Pupils prepared boasts and playful insults which were performed expertly by our giants. Thank you to our talented script writers and actors.

Year 5 English Team

U11s shine in Kent IAPS Football Tournament

On Saturday 11th October, our U11A boys headed to Dulwich College for the annual Kent IAPS Qualifier Football Tournament. The sun was shining, spirits were high and our team arrived full of energy and determination.

Our first match was against Manor Lodge School. Under pressure from the start, we conceded two early goals despite some heroic saves from Tom B in goal. The second half saw a marked improvement, better shape, smarter passing and we created a few decent chances but the game ended 0–2.

Our next match was against Upton House School. This was a cracker of a match, with chances flying at both ends, leading to a well-earned 1–0 win and a big cheer from the sidelines!

The third match against Haberdashers School saw end-to-end action, nail-biting moments and Henry M showing good footwork. We came close to scoring and had some brilliant defending from Albie C, Sam S, Ted H and Matthew D. With the score locked at 0–0 and just seconds to go, Haberdashers snuck in a goal, making the score 0–1.

With three matches back-to-back, our boys were running on fumes. In our next match against Dulwich Prep School, we drew 0-0, setting up a must-win final group game against Skippers Hill School. Thankfully, Ted H, Cayden R and Isaac O took control of midfield, feeding Fadil A who scored two goals. This meant we had a 2–1 win and a place in the Plate Semi-Final secured!

The Semi-Final against Wetherby Prep School was challenging and we bowed out with a 0–6 loss. It was a tough end to a long day but the boys showed real character throughout, learning, growing and giving it their all.

I couldn’t be prouder of their effort, teamwork and resilience. They represented St Michael’s brilliantly and should hold their heads high. Well done boys, you have made your school and parents proud. Next year we will be back, stronger, wiser and hungrier than ever.

Team:T om B, Albie C, Samuel S, Fadil A, Matthew D, Ted H, Cayden R, Henry M and Isaac O

Steve Brightman, Director of Sport

Year 3's Lego Robotics Workshop

Year 3 had their first Lego robotics session on Monday 13th October, delivered by Andy from Beyond Blocks.

The children were challenged to replace Andy’s rather inept security guard called Steve with a robotic version. The children set sensors and timed alarms - it was a cacophony on the Year 3 Landing! The children were also asked to consider the impact on Steve and his family and some very philosophical answers were presented.

Andy said this is something they will need to consider when they enter employment which was topical and thought-provoking. There certainly was a sense of joy and excitement in their learning. 

Kate Perkins, Head of Year 3

Big Litter Pick

St Michael's Eco Club invites members of the St Michael's community to take part in our Big Litter Pick this year. Don't forget, you can borrow litter pickers from the Pre-Prep and Prep Offices during term time!

Please visit our Learning Development Parent Guides page for a collection of valuable resources for parents, focusing on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Here you'll find a variety of courses and information designed to support you and your child. Whether you're looking for educational materials, support groups or expert advice, these resources aim to provide the guidance and assistance that you need. We will update the resources each week so please keep checking this page. 

St Michael's families gather to plant daffodils

On Thursday 16th October, St Michael's P & F organised a fun event for families at St Michael's which involved planting daffodil bulbs around our grounds at the end of the school day.

We can't wait to see the daffodils bloom on our beautiful landscape, thank you to everyone who came! 

Friends for Families Christmas Appeal

This year, we are once again supporting Friends for Families, a small charity working in the Sevenoaks area to help families facing financial hardship. They provide direct, practical assistance to people who have been identified by Children’s Services as needing help, which can’t be provided by central or local government.

There are three ways you can support this year:

• Providing a child with a present up to the value of £25
• Providing a bag of food containing items listed
• Donate via Collectiv link 

If you would like to provide a present for a child, please email stmichaelspreppf@gmail.com and we will get back to you with details of the child chosen for you.

If you would like to provide a bag of food, please could they be in a non-plastic bag and contain Christmas treats such as mince pies (without added alcohol), selection boxes, chocolate coins, boxes/tubs of sweets and savoury snacks such as cheese straws, crisps and pretzels.

Please could all donations be dropped at the Pre-Prep Office by Wednesday 26th November. 

Thank you so much for your support! 

P&F Christmas Fair donations needed

P & F Christmas Wreath Workshop

Coffee Cart Opening Hours

Save the date - P & F Ball 2026

Join the International Club for a morning walk!

The International Club are hosting a morning walk around St Michael's woodlands on Friday 7th November between 8.15am and 10.15am. 

If you would like to join, please gather near the Coffee Cart at Pre-Prep after morning drop-off ready to start the walk.

To register your attendance, please join the International Club group on Class List and sign up!

Players of the Match - week commencing 13th October 2025

Charlie and Jessica's Karate success

Congratulations to Charlie and Jessica who both passed their karate grading and achieved their next belts. 

Jessica was awarded a prestigious double grade, meaning she was awarded the grade above the one she was going for because of her excellent display of skill. 

Charlie is now onto adult grades as he has achieved all previous grades and is five belts away from a black belt!

Elodie B and Ellie S to represent Kent Pumas in Sweden!

Huge congratulations to Elodie and Ellie who trialled for Kent Pumas and have both been selected to join St Michael's Sophia and Ruaridh for the Gothia World Cup in Sweden. 

We can't wait to see how our four pupils get on in Sweden! Well done all of you!

Freddie wins the same title as Lewis Hamilton!

Freddie, our Old Michaelian and future Formula 1 champion, is now the youngest karter to win a senior title and has claimed the number one spot in Britain after winning the British Karting Championship, a title previously won by Lewis Hamilton.  

This week, he travelled to Le Man for another event and is then off to Valencia for the World Finals.

Congratulations Freddie, we are so proud of you! 

Déjà Vu donate football goals and speakers to St Michael's!

Thank you so much to our second-hand uniform shop, Déjà Vu for their generous donation of our brand new football goals and Bluetooth speakers! The new football goals will elevate football lessons at St Michael’s this season, whilst the two new speakers will be used across Pre-Prep and Prep to bring a variety of lessons and activities to life.

We are extremely grateful to our Déjà Vu parent volunteer group run by Mrs Samworth for their tireless work in running the service, as well as the parents who have donated their children’s uniform to the shop.

Hot off the Press!

Bricks 4 Kidz Lego Camp

Otford Methodist Church Toast Club

Muddy Stilettos' October Half Term Guide

Foal Farm Halloween Trail 

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