The Oratory Prep School

A morning spent canoeing on the sea for our Year 5s as part of Day 2 on the Isle of Wight! 🌊🛶

Working in groups of three, the children learnt the basics before putting their new skills to the test in a series of fun games. Thankfully, everyone stayed dry – which meant we never had to shout “Swimmer!” 😅

Another brilliant adventure and plenty of smiles all round. ☀️

What a fantastic start to our Year 5 residential on the Isle of Wight!

After an early 7am departure from school, the children arrived full of excitement and have already packed so much into their first day.

Today’s activities have included the Vertical Challenge, problem-solving activities, survival skills and climbing, with everyone showing brilliant teamwork, resilience and a willingness to step outside their comfort zones.

This evening, they’ll gather around the campfire to round off a memorable first day and enjoy time together with friends.

We’re so proud of how enthusiastically Year 5 have embraced every opportunity already – and there’s plenty more adventure still to come! ⭐🔥

🏄 🌊 Year 7 Adventures continue in Devon!

Perfect weather for a surf yesterday with Skern Adventure Appledore

Year 7 are well underway at their Residential in Devon Skern Adventure Appledore

Teamwork and pushing themselves out of their comfort zone is the name of the game for the next couple of days. We can’t wait to hear all about their adventures!

🫧 What an afternoon! 🫧

Thank you to all the families who came along to our Bubble Run – and there were a lot of you! It was wonderful to see so many children (and parents) throwing themselves into the fun, racing through clouds of bubbles and jets of water!

Events like this are only possible because of the enthusiasm and support of our school community, so thank you for helping to make it such a joyful occasion.

We hope all our Little Oaks and Pre-Prep have a wonderful weekend.

Year 5 pupils had a fantastic time at the Stowe Prep School Art Festival this week, where this year’s theme was Landscape.

They explored impressive art department and took part in a series of inspiring workshops, including mono printing inspired by artist Dawn Stacey, creating abstract organic sculptures based on lichen micro-landscapes, and collaborating on a large-scale collage puzzle to reveal a Stowe landscape.

The experience sparked plenty of creativity, and our pupils returned full of ideas and enthusiasm for their own artistic journeys. Thank you for inviting us to attend.

We were delighted to welcome author Clare Pollard to school today to talk about her new book, The Othernauts.

Clare shared how her love of Greek mythology inspired her writing, explaining that the epic quests, daring heroes and seemingly impossible obstacles of the ancient myths captured her imagination. Our pupils certainly rose to the occasion, asking thoughtful questions and even creating their own imaginative quest stories complete with challenges and adventures along the way!

We explored Greek gods, heroes and myths together, and the enthusiasm from Years 2, 3, 4 and 5 was fantastic.

Twenty-one pupils had books signed during the visit, and we wish Clare every success with The Othernauts which was published this week.

Thank you to Mrs Phillips for organising such a wonderful experience for the children and to Clare and to Helen at the Wallingford Bookshop.

The second half of term starts on Monday… and if last year is anything to go by, we’re in for quite a ride.

Triathlons. Sports Day. Speech Day. Year 7 at Skern Lodge. Year 8 in the Ardèche. Year 5 on the Isle of Wight. LAMDA Showcase. Summer Concert. Pilgrimage. Celebrations. Sunshine. Slip n Slide. Bubbles…. The list goes on!

The final stretch of the school year always seems to fly by and somehow packs in some of the biggest moments too.

Here’s to another unforgettable half term. Let’s go.