23rd May 2025

Year 3 had an action-packed day at PGL, taking on abseiling, archery, and zip lining. Year 5 enjoyed a creative trip to Leighton Park School, where they took part in batik fabric dyeing and a Food Tech workshop, while Year 6 had a fantastic time on their Sports Tour to Gloucestershire. Meanwhile, Year 1 had a wild time spotting rhinos, giraffes, and zebras at Cotswold Wildlife Park. It was also Walk to School Week and well done to all those who made the effort to come in by foot rather than using their usual mode of transport. A great week of learning beyond the classroom!

I visited Abingdon School on Tuesday and it was fascinating to learn more about their plans for girls to join the school from September 2026, while it was super to hear from the team at Shiplake College on Thursday about the successful move to co-ed there from the age of 11 a couple of years ago. These changes present even more options for our children when they leave Rupert House and we are so fortunate to have so many excellent Senior Schools in proximity to Henley.

 

National numeracy day

On Wednesday, we celebrated National Numeracy Day with a focus on money, engaging pupils across the school in fun, practical activities which brought maths to life. From Nursery children creating coin collages and sorting real coins, to Reception running a role-play Farm Shop with price tags and matching coins, the day was packed with hands-on learning. Year 1 explored coin combinations, Year 2 practised column addition with money, and Year 4 tackled real-world problems using all four operations. Year 6 even explored exchange rates and compound interest—developing impressive financial literacy skills! The day included a Times Tables Rock Stars competition, with 4MR and 5D winning in their year groups. A fantastic celebration of maths in action!

 

Portrait of loved one

We are delighted to share the news that the Portrait of a Loved One artworks will be featured in an exhibition at The Amber Gallery, Market Place, Henley, from 4th–11th June. If your child submitted a piece, you are warmly invited to the opening night on 4th June, from 6–7pm. The exhibition will be open to the public from 5th–11th June. It is a truly lovely concept, and we hope you will take the opportunity to visit and enjoy the wonderful works on display. More details HERE.

 

River Project Art Exhibition

Education Henley, The River & Rowing Museum and Greener Henley are planning a River Project Art Exhibition with all local schools invited to submit artwork. It will be a vibrant display of pieces crated by children and inspired by themes of river conservation, climate change and ecological awareness. Rupert House children will submit pieces that they create in their art lessons so there is no need to do any work at home. More information HERE.

 

Henley Regatta Drinks

A reminder that you are invited to join us for a drink on Thursday 4^th July in Butler’s Field at Henley Regatta. Please pop along during the lunchtime break in racing from 12 until approximately 2pm for a glass of bubbly and a light snack. If you haven’t done so already, for catering purposes, it would be very helpful if you could please let us know if you are thinking of coming along using this link: https://forms.office.com/e/DDzqk6uwEq 

 

Parking for drop-off and pick-ups

Please can I ask that you are considerate of our neighbours when parking near school in the mornings and afternoons. I have had complaints from residents who live around Kings Road about people parking in their private spaces and illegally in places which make it very dangerous for them to get in and out of their drives. 

 

Parent Choir for the Picnic Concert

Mrs Light is already starting to plan the Picnic Concert, which is always such a fun and vibrant showcase of the school's musical talent in the last week of term. There will again be a parent and staff choir so please contact her (anne.light@ruperthouse.co.uk) if you are interested in joining us and more details of rehearsals will follow shortly!

 

The Great School Run

Thank you to everyone who took part in the Great School Run on Sunday!
Whether you ran, cheered on your children, or helped with organising the event, your support made it a fantastic morning. A special thank you to the Hayes and Watson families who worked so hard to plan and run the event and to the Stonor family for hosting it in their beautiful grounds. We're delighted to share that £300 was raised for NOMAD. If you'd still like to donate, you can do so here.

 

Meet Chapter One

We are excited to invite you to a ‘Meet the Caterers’ coffee morning on Wednesday 18^th June at 8:30am in the school hall. This will be a great opportunity to meet representatives from Chapter One, who will be introducing the updated school menus.

They’ll be joined by their in-house nutritionist, who will be on hand to talk about how the new menu supports healthy eating. Parents will also have the chance to ask questions and share feedback.

Please complete this form if you would like to come along. 

 

Half term camps

It is not too late to book your child on the Discover Activity Camp taking place at school from Tuesday to Friday next week. The camp provides a full day’s entertainment for children aged 4-12 from 8am to 5.30pm (with a hot lunch included). More information can be found here: May Half Term Activity Camp at Rupert House - open to all

 

May Fair 

The children had a wonderful time at the May Fair yesterday afternoon which the Year 6 children had been working on since September! Thank you to the parents who helped or provided delicious treats for the bake sale and to FoRH for providing the inflatable activities. It was the perfect way to bring about the Half Term break.

 

I hope that you and your family have an enjoyable Half Term break and I look forward to welcoming the children back on Monday 2^nd June.

Best wishes,

Nick Armitage