Horsham News Autumn 2009

January 20, 2010

Exciting times at Pennthorpe School as their new Pre-Prep opens!

Pennthorpe School in Rudgwick opens its new Pre-Prep building this month, providing a state of the art kindergarten facility and six new classrooms. The building has already proved quite a revelation, cut as it is into the wooded slopes at the heart of the school’s campus. From the gentle curve of its walls to its innovative sustainable design, this is a building that fits at once into its environment and where contemporary design goes hand in hand with the school’s tradition and history. Every detail has clearly been thought of, from the rainwater that is harvested to feed the building’s plumbing systems to the glass walls which adorn each classroom and fold back to allow immediate access to individual garden areas and the woodland beyond. The views from the balcony of the large multi-purpose hall on the top floor are a delight and it is immediately obvious just how proud the school’s kindergarten and pre-prep children are to inhabit such a space. The building has taken a year to construct but Headmaster, Simon Moll, is convinced that the wait has been worth it. “We have always been very proud of our facilities and our current buoyant pupil numbers show what a happy and successful school we have been. This new Pre-Prep means our youngest children now have facilities to match the very best anywhere. The project has also allowed us to free up space in the main building which has enabled us to refine the facilities we offer to staff, pupils and visitors.”

Farlington Girls enjoy the benefits

Girls in the Prep School at Farlington have been enjoying the benefits of our new Pre-Prep building which opened last year. The lofty, spacious hall provides the perfect venue for drama, music and sporting activities. Recent events have included a visit from The History Man, who gave the girls in Year 4 a Roman experience for the day; a coffee morning in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support; and the Harvest Thanksgiving Assembly, through which the girls raised £1,100 for the Kandango School in Uganda. The building also houses our new co educational Nursery Class, where our youngest pupils enjoy the benefits of a bright and stimulating environment inside, and their own dedicated play area, equipped with safe, wooden climbing apparatus and wicker wendy houses, outside. Developing the girls’ confidence is one of the key aims throughout Farlington and to this end the pupils are encouraged

to take part in the huge range of extra-curricular pursuits on offer. In the Prep School these range from activities as varied as ballet, golf and judo. To really appreciate all that Farlington offers, contact the Registrar, Mrs Emma Healy, on 01403 254967, who will be delighted to organise a personal tour.

Go-Kart Party is proud to celebrate its 500th birthday party

Lynne Lamont launched Go-Kart Party in Crawley & Horsham in Summer 2006 and is delighted to have held her 500th birthday party. In addition she has attended over 300 events and entertained over 10,000 children! Go-Kart Party provides a stress-free party that everyone will be talking about for weeks afterwards. We arrange and book the venue; provide invitations, and ensure the birthday child has a most memorable and exciting birthday party. Go-Kart Party delights children with their first real driving experience and is suitable for boys and girls aged between 4-9 years with a maximum height restriction of 150cm. The electric powered go-karts travel at speeds of 1-6 mph around an inflatable mini grand prix circuit. Children are divided into teams and startdriving at a modest speed to familiarise themselves with the gokarts followed by a variety of driving exercises and challenges. After the go-karting we have an award ceremony where all drivers receive a certificate and a trophy is presented to the birthday child. At the very end the birthday child completes a final lap of honour whilst everyone cheers and applauds finishing on a chequered flag. Go-Kart Party is completely mobile and can travel to your home/area (if you have the room to accommodate the track 17m x 13m). We are also available for school fetes, sports days, holiday camps/playschemes, after school clubs, corporate family days, weddings, carnivals, and motor shows. Prices start from £180. For further information or to book a party, please call Lynne on 01293 888948 or visit www.go-kartpartysussex.co.uk

Stagecoach is the UK’s first and largest part-time stage school.

Your local schools in Crawley and Horsham run weekly classes for all children aged from 4 to 18 years. No experience is necessary, there is no audition; enthusiasm is all that’s required. Stagecoach Theatre Arts is dedicated to providing quality education in the performing arts, which is complementary to, yet independent of, normal academic studies. All schools are inspected annually by an independent School Inspection Agency and all the staff are checked through the CRB. Main Schools (6-18 years) Classes run for three hours a week, on Saturdays during term time and classes are limited to just 15 students, a small enough number to allow personal attention. The classes are led by experienced professionals who know just how to motivate and encourage, especially the self-doubters. Teamed with like minded friends the students feel safe to stretch themselves. The work builds their confidence and they can sense the fun, excitement and drama surrounding the performing arts – we let them taste it! These skills, learned while students are enjoying themselves, don’t disappear when they come off stage. They are skills for life. Early Stages (4-6 years) Stagecoach Crawley also offers Early Stages for younger children. The weekly classes consist of a 90 minute session where children are taught elementary skills in dance, drama and singing. Early Stages focuses on allowing the children to express themselves whilst building up confidence, poise and self-esteem. As with the main schools, class sizes are limited to just 15 students. Early Stages students are trained by very experienced teachers who know just how to fire the imaginations of the very young child. Stagecoach classes run on Saturdays, both mornings and afternoons, during usual school terms. For more information or to apply for a place, call Jo Weeks on 01403 259132 for Stagecoach Crawley and Beth McLean on 01293 823282 for Stagecoach Horsham.

Cottesmore Pre-Prep

Cottesmore Pre-Prep in Pease Pottage, Nr Horsham, opened its doors this September with 10 children across two classes – a Reception class and a mixed Year 2/3 class. Lots of exciting and engaging things have been happening already: a Harvest play of The Little Red Hen, the children have designed their own Christmas cards, and they are now preparing for a Nativity play at the end of term. The school is housed in its own section of the main building with its own playground and Astroturf, but the children still use the same dining room and also attend two main school assemblies a week so that they are aware of the main school from the start. On top of the normal curriculum lessons, from Year 2, the children start to learn French. All children have two music lessons a week plus a 15-minute rhythm clapping lesson. They also have an hour’s swimming lesson every week in Cottesmore’s indoor swimming pool as well as two one hour PE lessons a week. The size of the Pre- Prep will always be small, each class will have no more than 14. This is in conjunction with the overall ethos of Cottesmore, where the main Prep school never goes over 150 pupils, as this enables the school to keep the family feeling that they pride themselves on. Cottesmore has had a great start to the term; ‘Best School Food’ from the Tatler Good Schools Awards, a certificate of Outstanding from Ofsted and a personal letter from Her Majesty’s Schools Inspector congratulating the School on its high standards. The parents of the Pre-Prep are pleased with the progress that their children are making. As one parent said: “They are doing great things down there” and another said, “I thought my children were happy at their last school but they are even happier here!”. For more information or for a tour of Cottesmore Pre-Prep, contact Janine Scola on 01293 520648.

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