School Magazine
Autumn 2024
Staff Leavers
Juliet May
What was the most enjoyable aspect of your job day to day?
The daily interaction with pupils and staff, the sense of community and shared sense of
purpose and adventure! As an English teacher, I am always challenged to read an array or
different snippets of literature and texts – I never stop reading and I never stop learning myself.
I have also loved seeing children I have taught, as well as my own children, develop and
blossom in the most inspiring, interesting and often surprising ways!
Most memorable moment?
The day the poet and rap artist, Karl Nova, came in to teach the Year 7 boys about ‘beat poetry’,
only to be blown away by the standard of our boys’ own spoken word poetry about the areas
they live in. Eminem eat your heart out!
What, if anything, will you miss the least?
The 4pm daily plea/begging from my two children for a biscuit (or multiple biscuits)!
What year did you join TPS?
September 2017
What were your responsibilities?
Teacher of English and drama and Year 5 form tutor.
Favourite memory of TPS?
Every time I sit back and watch the final performance of one of our productions. Even though the
rehearsal process is such hard work and up until the last minute, it all feels very frantic and
chaotic, I’m always amazed about how much everyone pulls together with the design, sound and
performance elements and produces something really creative, cohesive and ultimately beautiful
to watch.
Funniest moment?
Very recently Miss Jones and myself animatedly clip clopped around the hall trying to inspire the
‘baddies’ in the Year 7 Wild West production to gallop on make-believe horses. I’m not sure our
high knees and exaggerated facial expressions really helped, but we had a lot of fun anyway!
Favourite school lunch?
The Thai cod curry - yum!
Any message to the pupils?
Work hard and do your best, but listen out for when something really inspires you. Whether it is
subject, sport, music or art related, grab it with both hands and follow that spark. If you can
visualise yourself doing something, the chances are you will be able to do it in reality.
.
What will you do now?
I am going to spend some time relocating my family to another area before my children start
secondary school. I also hope to immerse myself in the other thing that I love- which is oil and
acrylic painting – before I start again on my next educational adventure in another school.
Staff Leavers
Selamawi Zere
What was the most enjoyable aspect of your job day to day?
The incredibly kind and welcoming staff. Their smiles and warmth have made me feel at ease
from day one. I truly value the trust placed in me and the supportive space provided by the
leadership. The staff prayer group, led by Rosalinde every Tuesday morning, has been a source
of inspiration and connection. And of course, the constant supply of coffee has been a much-
appreciated perk!
Most memorable lesson/day?
Some of my most memorable lessons include exploring moon phases with Year 5, wave
experiments with Year 6, separation of mixtures with Year 7 and experimenting Hooke’s law with
Year 8. Seeing the students put on their lab coats, collecting data, analyse results, and embrace
their roles as future scientists brought me so much joy and created unforgettable moments.
What will you miss the most?
I will miss the warm, welcoming environment, the beautifully decorated lab, and most of all, the
joy of doing practical work with my students. These have made my time here truly special.
What year did you join TPS?
September 2024
What were your responsibilities?
As a science teacher at TPS, my responsibilities include creating
engaging and clear lesson plans that align with the TPS curriculum,
Favourite memory of TPS?
Serving Christmas lunch to students,
Christmas Carols and playing
basketball and table tennis with
students.
Funniest moment?
Forgetting my Wednesday and Friday
duty and being reminded by Matt that
Lunch duty starts from 1:30pm as I
have been turning up late most of the
time to his annoyance!
Favourite school lunch?
I am always grateful for the great food.
I like them all and difficult to pick one
but the catering staff are amazing - so
friendly and customer focused.
ensuring students grasp scientific concepts through experiments, visuals and demonstrations. I
strive to inspire curiosity, encouraging students to ask questions and explore the natural world.
Organising and overseeing lab activities safely is a key part of my role, including enforcing strict
adherence to safety rules during experiments. I assess student progress through tests, projects
and active discussions, providing guidance and additional help as needed. Additionally, I foster
problem-solving and analytical skills while collaborating with colleagues, parents and admin
staff to support every student’s success.
Any message to the pupils?
You have all been brilliant, and I have truly
enjoyed getting to know your unique
personalities and building such a great
relationship with you. I’m so proud of your
assessment results- well done! I wish you all
the very best moving forward, and I hope
you’ll be as amazing with Jen as you have
been with me.
What will you do now?
I’m excited to share that I will be coordinating
and teaching Science and Maths at a newly
opened SEND School in Sutton called Horizon
Secondary School. It’s a new experience for me,
but I know the skills and knowledge I’ve gained at
TPS will be a valuable asset as I take on this role
in January.
House Events
We have had our usual mix of House assemblies and competitions this term, including
our regular radio assembly that is always a barrel of laughs! We had two House
competitions this term: the first saw pupils writing poems for the Harvest Festival and
the topic was ‘Community’. Then as we neared the end of term, we all designed pieces of
holly to make giant Christmas wreaths that were displayed in the Hall. Harrier were the
merit winners at half term and Apollo emerged victorious in the second half of term.
POSITIONS OF
POSITIONS OF
POSITIONS OF
RESPONSIBILITY
RESPONSIBILITY
RESPONSIBILITY
Congratulations to those students in Year 6 and Year 8 that were awarded
positions of responsibility in recognition of their contribution to life at TPS. This
year, Elsie is our Head Girl and Aryan is Head Boy. Clara and Eloise are Deputy
Head girls, and Jasper, Evan and Chester are Deputy Head boys.
HELLO YELLOW
HELLO YELLOW
HELLO YELLOW
To celebrate World Mental Health Day the school became a riot of yellow, with
staff and pupils donning bright clothes to mark ‘World Mental Health Day’, with this
year’s theme being all about the importance of talking about our feelings. We
explored the links with our Bounce programme, including calming strategies and
the importance of developing a broad vocabulary to express one’s emotions.
ODD SOCKS DAY
ODD SOCKS DAY
ODD SOCKS DAY
We embraced Odd Socks Day with our usual enthusiasm and creativity
to mark Anti-bullying week, where we can join together to show that
it’s okay to be different and to stand up against discrimination.
CLASS
CLASS
CLASS
PARTNERSHIPS
PARTNERSHIPS
PARTNERSHIPS
Harvest Festival
Harvest Festival
Harvest Festival
It is always a pleasure to visit St Mary’s Church - this time to celebrate and mark
Harvest - and we all relished giving thanks, whilst enjoying the collection of readings,
songs and the fantastic poetry focused on the theme of ‘community’ as part of the
House competition. Your generous donations to the yellow themed Hygiene Bank in
Hampton were gratefully received and delivered to the warehouse by Mrs Engelhardt,
our Charity Coordinator, and the Year 7 boys later that same day.
Remembrance
Remembrance
Our school community all wore a poppy to our Remembrance Assembly and the hall
was decorated with poppies made by Year 2. We heard how the war was a global
conflict, and learnt about the often overlooked contributions from Black and Asian
volunteers. Our Head and Deputy Head boys and girls read some moving extracts
from soldiers who served in the conflict and we laid a school wreath of
remembrance at the foot of our ‘There but Not There’ statue of a WW1 soldier.
Christmas Jumper
Day
Christmas Jumper
Day
Christmas Jumper
Day
Christmas Jumper
Day
Christmas Lunch
Christmas Lunch
Christmas Lunch
The whole school gathered for a delightful Christmas lunch, complete with all the
festive trimmings. A heartfelt thank you goes to Miss Cassiano and the amazing
catering team, who have provided us with such a diverse and delicious selection of
lunches throughout the term: we truly feel fortunate!
Carol Service
Carol Service
Carol Service
We had our Carol Service at St. Mary’s in Hampton and the whole school were
involved in musical performances. Year 7 performed a beautiful rendition of
the Leonard Cohen song Hallelujah, and we were treated to a wonderful solo
from Mairav. There were some lovely readings and songs, with everyone in a
fine festive mood as term finished. Merry Christmas!
theatre trips
We had the theatre come to us, as Reception to Year 5 enjoyed The Touring Theatre
performing Cinderalla in the school hall. Later on in the term, Year 6 travelled to
Hammersmith Lyric Theatre to see an entertaining pantomime version of Aladdin.
PRE-PREP
PRE-PREP
During the autumn term there are so many wonderful shared experiences that we
can use to stimulate active learning in the EYFS. This year we enjoyed learning
about our senses and about forces in science. We learned how to work as a team in
our STEM projects on structures. We loved exploring the different celebrations
that autumn brings. Where one child loves to sing and dance, another loves to
build and organise. We aim for everyone to have the opportunity to learn in their
own way as they explore their first term at school, making new friends.
Active Learning
EYFS
EYFS
EYFS
Celebrations
EYFS
EYFS
EYFS
Senses
EYFS
EYFS
EYFS
STEM
EYFS
EYFS
EYFS
Nature Trail
EYFS
EYFS
EYFS
Year 1 Teddy bears
Year 1 have enjoyed their work on the theme of Teddy Bears this term. They have
been writing stories; designing posters; creating some lovely artwork and, of
course, having a Teddy Bear picnic!
Year 1
We thoroughly enjoyed reading and writing about 'The Bog Baby'. We went on a
Bog Baby hunt in the nature trail and found our very own TPS Bog Baby!
Year 2 bog babies
SCooting
We learnt how to keep safe on our scooters and are now
experts at stopping and starting safely.
Year 2 Maths
We used a range of maths resources in our lessons to help support
us with our understanding of place value, addition and subtraction.
mini-beasts
We went on a mini-beast hunt in the garden to find mini-beasts in
their micro habitats. We even found a millipede under a rock!
NATIVITY
NATIVITY
NATIVITY
Reception, Year 1, and Year 2 beautifully portrayed the story of Jesus's birth this year
through the eyes of the sheep in 'Hay Ewe.' The children filled the hall with joy,
laughter, and outstanding performances, showcasing their dancing and singing talents,
all while embodying a true sense of unity and heartfelt sensitivity.
NATIVITY
NATIVITY
NATIVITY
PREP
PREP
Butser Ancient Farm
Butser Ancient Farm
Year 3 had an incredible trip to Buster Ancient Farm, which tied into their history topic
on the Celts. They engaged in activities such as wattle fence-making and participated
in an archaeological dig where they discovered bones, metal tools, and pottery. They
also carved chalk, smoothing it with flint, dyeing it green using a leaf, and then etched
designs with sharp flint. It was truly a memorable day!
St Albans Cathedral
St Albans Cathedral
Year 3 travelled to the beautiful St Albans Cathedral to find out more about the
Romans. They learned about the army, made mosaics and had a tour. They also learned
about St Alban and acted out his story of martyrdom which happened on the site of
the Cathedral.
Year 3 have been busy recreating a Vincent Van Gogh masterpiece this term. They
have looked at and practised different techniques to create texture in their
paintings and have been introduced to acrylic paint! Acrylic paint dries quickly, is
very flexible and waterproof once dry. They learnt to be very patient and over the
course of a few weeks, added layer upon layer, using different tools and techniques
to create their own version of one of Van Gogh's most famous paintings!
To help promote recycling, Year 5 designed and made a moving poster to help
encourage recycling at home. They learnt about different types of mechanisms and
had to incorporate at least one of them into their posters. Some Year 5's were very
creative, and invented their own mechanism, which all worked perfectly!
The pupils in DT club have been working hard with Mr McGovern to create their own clocks.
They used a special type of plastic and heated it to bend it to make it stand up. They used a
saw and file to create their shape. They then attached the clock face to make a working clock!
MATHS
MATHS
Congratulations to all our pupils who took part in the Doodle Maths Summer
Challenge! Over 60 of our pupils from Reception to Year 6, took part in the
challenge which is designed to motivate pupils during the summer holidays and
maintain their maths skills and progress. We celebrated everyone’s success
with a badge and certificate during our Celebration Assembly.
Across the department, Year 5 did some great work on factor pairs and Year 7
showcased their project on averages.
BOUNCE BOUNCE
Helping our pupils to thrive and grow is a cornerstone to everything we do at TPS.
Developing emotional resilience and forming positive relationships will help them
reach their potential, be calmer and more able to cope. So from Year 3 upwards, all our
pupils take part in the Bounce Programme, equipping them with life-skills that will see
them through school and beyond.
Diwali Workshop Diwali Workshop
In October we were delighted to welcome Chirag from West End in
Schools who ran workshops for Year 3-6 to celebrate Diwali. The
pupils acted out this historic story of new beginnings and they had
great fun being Ram, Sita, Hanuman and a forest. It was a very
creative way to learn about this special Hindu festival of light.
We started the term in the Music department with a hands-on taster session for our
pupils to come and try out a musical instrument under the supervision of our specialist
teachers. It was an incredibly successful afternoon!
Our popular termly Teatime Concert saw performances on the clarinet, saxophone,
violin, flutes, cello, piano and singing,
MUSIC
MUSIC
We were delighted to welcome parents and carers to our Brass, Strings and Recorder
Ensemble Recital. Year 3 performed a variety of pieces they have been learning this
term on the brand new string instruments funded by our Parents’ Committee. Mrs
Harber’s recorder ensemble gave us renditions of jazz to Jingle Bells, and the String
Orchestra under Miss Ritchie’s careful guidance performed Silent Night.
xxx
The Year 8 boys spent a wonderful morning at Strawberry Hill House, home of the
first Gothic novel, The Castle of Otranto, written by Horace Walpole, which
deepened their appreciation for gothic literature. It was an amazing trip and always
such a pleasure to visit this stunning building.
xxx
We are very lucky to have the support of Richmond Council with their programme
of Junior Citizen, Safe walking and Scooter Training. These courses enable our
pupils to learn how to be safe in the world with Year 6 understanding the
challenges of using public transport, Year 3 learnt how to cross roads safely and
Year 2 learnt how to ride and steer their scooters with care.
In a sequel to last year’s production, Year 7 again headed back to the Wild West in ‘A Fistful
of Nuggets’. The inhabitants of Little Hope had relocated to Coloma but discovery of gold
had soon alerted the greedy landowner, who tried to claim the land as his own. It wasn’t
long before the baddies, Red, Jed and Ned, headed into town to take it over again. A
massive Mexican stand-off only ended with the arrival of the governors to steal the town
and gold for themselves and the baddies lived to fight another day. All of the boys worked
so hard and were rewarded with a sparkling performance on the night. YE HA!
Year 7 Production
Football
The U8 A team made an extraordinary
start to their footballing journey,
finishing as runners-up in their very
first tournament, narrowly losing the
final in extra time. The A team showed
their potential in their debut matches,
with some impressive football played.
Additionally, the B and C teams made
good progress over the season, with
the B team winning their final game.
The U9 teams displayed
tremendous spirit and skill,
playing in some highly competitive
and entertaining matches. Thrilling
victories against Willington and
Tower House and a pulsating draw
versus Bishopsgate were standout
moments. The B and C teams also
made their mark with some
brilliant victories, proving the
depth of talent in this group.
The U10 boys showed pleasing
improvements throughout the
season. Their hard-work on the
training ground paid off as the teams
began to play superb, eye-catching
football, characterised by fluid one-
and two-touch passing. Their efforts
culminated in an exhilarating win
against Hampton Prep, marking a
strong finish to the season.
The senior teams had an outstanding
season, with the 1st XI leading the
way by consistently playing excellent
football and securing several
convincing wins. The 2nd XI also
excelled, producing dominating
performances against Rokeby and
Bishopsgate. Both teams competed
admirably in the Bishopsgate
tournament, demonstrating
resilience despite the heartbreak of
penalty shootout exits.
Football
This season was a breakthrough
for the U11s, who delivered
their best performances yet.
Their entertaining style of play,
coupled with an impressive
goal-scoring record, made for
an exciting campaign. The
team’s progress and results
showcased their hard work and
cohesion on the pitch.
Netball
This term, the girls have thoroughly enjoyed their netball season, demonstrating impressive
enthusiasm and teamwork throughout. They have played a variety of 5-a-side and 7-a-side
fixtures, embracing the challenges presented by both formats. One of the highlights of the
term was the U8s playing their very first-ever fixture! Despite facing tough, competitive
schools, they showed remarkable determination and worked together seamlessly as a team.
The U9s also had a standout performance, securing 2nd place at the Greenfield Netball
Tournament, while the U10s triumphed in the majority of their fixtures this season. Year 6
showcased exceptional flexibility, playing in a range of positions and adapting to the needs of
the team. Overall, the girls' dedication and sportsmanship have shone through, making this a
memorable term for netball.