2025 Spring Term 2

Dear Parents and Carers,

The spring term has been positive for all pupils, with lots of curriculum trips and interesting initiatives taking place across the school. The pupils in year 11 successfully completed their mock exams in preparation for their forthcoming examinations this summer. I was impressed with just how well the pupils applied themselves and certainly tried their best, achieving impressive results.

The school received our official report from Ofsted for our recent social care inspection of the residential aspect of the school. I am pleased to report that the school received ‘Outstanding’ in all areas for the sixth consecutive time, an exceptional achievement. This is a testament to the hard work and dedication displayed by our fantastic staff team. The feedback from our pupils was also excellent; it was lovely to hear pupils talking so positively about the school to the Ofsted inspector. Thank you all so much for your positive feedback during the inspection, it certainly makes a real difference.

I hope you all enjoy a nice break and quality family time over the Easter holidays. We look forward to all pupils returning to school on Tuesday, 22^nd April.

Best wishes,

Mr Anderson

Principal 

Muntham was extremely privileged to receive a kind donation of Easter eggs, enough for each pupil. Carl Smith-Haggett, who is friends with our staff member Mr Barrett, made the donation. Carl collects the eggs through donations and then distributes them to local Schools, Care Homes, Hospices, and Hospitals. Carl is pictured with his carload of eggs delivered to the School.

The Muntham Easter Bunny then made sure that all of our pupils, from infants through to the Post-16 provision, went home for the Eater holidays with an Easter egg. The pupils were extremely grateful, and we sent our thanks and a letter to Carl on behalf of the Muntham Community. 

On Monday the 31st of March, eight of our pupils were rewarded with an exciting Platinum Trip in recognition of their hard work, dedication, and achievements. This special day was packed with thrilling activities, giving the pupils a well-earned break from their usual classroom routine.

The adventure began with a visit to the Brighton Sea Life Centre, where the pupils could explore the ocean's wonders. They marvelled at the vibrant marine life, walked through the mesmerising underwater tunnel, and learned fascinating facts about various sea creatures, from graceful rays to mysterious sharks. The interactive exhibits and expert talks made this an engaging and educational experience.

After working up an appetite, the group headed to Pizza Hut for a delicious buffet lunch. With an endless selection of pizzas, pasta, and salads, the pupils enjoyed a relaxed and social dining experience, sharing laughter and stories from the morning’s adventures.

To round off the day, they tested their skills with a friendly yet competitive game of bowling. Cheers and excitement filled the air as they celebrated strikes, spares, and near misses, making for a fantastic end to a memorable day.

The Platinum Trip was a well-deserved reward for these pupils, recognising their effort and positive contributions. It was a day filled with fun, learning, and celebration that will surely be remembered for a long time.

On the 3rd of March, six of our Primary classes embarked on an exciting educational trip to Paradise Park to launch our new learning topic on Dinosaurs. The visit provided a fantastic opportunity for the children to engage in hands-on activities, sparking their curiosity and enthusiasm for prehistoric creatures.

During the trip, the pupils visited the Dinosaur Museum, where they had the opportunity to step back in time and immerse themselves in the fascinating world of dinosaurs. They observed life-sized dinosaur models, examined fossils, and discovered intriguing facts about these incredible creatures that once roamed the Earth. This interactive experience helped bring their classroom learning to life, providing valuable knowledge and inspiration for the weeks ahead.

In addition to the museum, the pupils participated in various fun and educational activities, encouraging them to ask questions, think critically, and work collaboratively. From fossil digs to dinosaur-themed scavenger hunts, every moment of the trip was filled with excitement and discovery. The visit to Paradise Park was an engaging and enriching experience, leaving the pupils eager to dive deeper into their dinosaur studies back in the classroom. It was a fantastic way to kick-start this new topic, and we look forward to seeing how their learning progresses over the coming weeks!

Year seven pupils have worked with plastics and undertaken a vacuum-forming project. Each pupil made a wooden mould of their name or logo and formed it in the vacuum-forming machine.

Year ten pupils have been busy working on their Design Technology projects.

Pupils had the chance to choose their project idea in preparation for their GCSE project later in the year. They had to think of an idea, research it, and plan their own design using the skills they had learnt over the year. This will help them learn new skills and tackle their coursework project for the GCSE.

We had a very successful Quad Biking Safari on our Mechanics trip this month. All pupils had an absolute blast, whether they were experienced riders or trying it for the first time. The weather impressed us, and we even got a look at an off-road Rage Race Buggy.

Mechanics lessons are going very well in the lead-up to Easter. Pupils have begun work on a 1947 BSA c11, which is slowly coming together. Hopefully, they will have it up and running by the summer holidays. We may even enter it in the Malle Mile Beach Race in May if it's ready in time. Fingers crossed!

We look forward to the hard work and enthusiasm continuing after Easter and wish everyone a good break!

Stan had his first motorcycle lesson in March and made excellent progress. He had never ridden a motorcycle before, but by the end of his 90-minute lesson, he could pull away safely, ride two circuits and stop in a controlled manner.

His instructors, Ian and Jason from the ART motorcycle school, were very impressed with him. Stan is planning more lessons and would like to ride a motorcycle so he can ride to a part-time job and be more independent in his leisure time. 

Exciting news! Our fantastic Careers advisor has offered his help to parents, carers, and pupils. Mark is very well-known in the world of Careers and regularly works abroad and for the BBC.

If you have any questions that you would like to ask Mark, e-mail the Careers team, and we will give him these when he is in school. Mark will then give his advice either to the Careers team or to you. If you give your permission, Mark will e-mail you directly.

In Careers, we believe that the more Careers information available for our pupils, parents and carers, the better.

[email protected]

[email protected]

In March, Muntham House pupils visited Horsham Fire Station. While there, they had a tour of the station, learnt about what it takes to be a firefighter, and were lucky enough to sit in the fire engines, work with the equipment, and, best of all, use the high-pressure hoses! This was great fun!

All the pupils were great company and asked lots of questions about the fire service. After the trip, all the pupils said they had a better understanding of what it might be like to work in the fire/emergency services.

We want to thank all the firefighters at Horsham who went out of their way to give us all such a great day and for the work they do keeping us safe.

We would also like to thank Mrs Du Vergier for organising the trip, Mr Gallear for supporting it, and all tutors / co-tutors for your fantastic support!

This term in Food Tech, we have been busy with assessments for Btec levels 1 and 2 and two trips to Jacob's Bagels in Pulborough.

Pupils from 9A visited Jacob's Bagels on 10 January this year, and then on 31 January, pupils from 9B went. After a quick journey in the minibus, we arrived at Jacob's Bagels' production area. This is in a lovely old school cottage. It was originally built in 1858 by the Church of England and was a school for over 100 years. Now, an area has been fitted out to make all things Bagels.

The pupils were greeted by Tino, the owner-manager of the enterprise, with a large plate of Danish pastries to fortify them for the work ahead. Then the work started. Each pupil was given ingredients to weigh out before beginning the yeast fermentation. They then weighed out other ingredients to make the dough. Ultimately, this was separated into ten balls of dough for each pupil, and they made the all-important holes to make the rings. The rings were then boiled and dipped in their toppings. While they baked, the pupils each had a filled bagel for lunch. After the bagels had cooled, they were bagged up and labelled with each pupil's name. Then, everyone was back on the minibus for the ride back to school.

The Btec assessments came around in mid-February. Each pupil chose their recipe and list of ingredients. The dishes that were made were outstanding, and each pupil deserves the pass. I am sure they will get it after the external examiner has reassessed them.

That's all from Food Tech this term, except to wish everyone a happy and peaceful Easter.

As the school driving program expands and develops, we have another two students driving themselves to school, another pupil with his provisional licence, and a dream to take his theory test on his 17^th birthday!

Ollie has a car and a provisional licence. He aims to be the youngest Muntham pupil to pass his driving theory test. Good luck, Ollie. 

Toby also has his provisional licence and his own car. He is currently driving to school with L Plates with his father. Toby is getting lots of experience and enjoys driving. Keep up the good work, Toby!

And last, but by no means least, Nye! Having passed his theory and practical tests and having an up-to-spec car, Nye drives himself to school and home. Nye also drives to his part-time job too. He is an excellent role model to his peers. Well done, Nye!

World Book Day is a registered charity on a mission to give every child and young person a book. It’s also a celebration of authors, illustrators, books and (most importantly) a celebration of reading. It’s the biggest celebration of its kind, as reading is a critical tool our children deserve to access along with all its benefits.

This year, World Book Day took place on Thursday, 6 March, at Muntham House School. The event received extensive support from across the school.

We don’t believe dressing up and celebrating the love of reading should stop once a pupil leaves primary school. Indeed, we think it’s more important than ever to continue the good work of WBD and engage our pupils in this event by dressing up as their favourite book characters. The pupils also took part in the National Literacy Trust Quiz. The National Literacy Quiz is a fantastic event that recognises and celebrates the book knowledge of keen readers aged 10 to 14.

My favourite part of the day was seeing the pupils excited because they knew the answers. The quiz gave all the pupils a chance to shine and feel clever and important, which is important for confidence and self-esteem. If only we could bottle that enthusiasm!

As for the costumes, we weren’t disappointed! Both pupils and staff made a fantastic effort, and the results are plain to see in the photo below:

Happy Spring, everyone. It's been a busy and studious half term for Science.

Our year sevens have been studying plant and animal cells and have made some fabulous models of specialised cells. We were very impressed.

Some of our year eight pupils have been learning about Pathogens and everything germy.

Year nines have been learning about climate change, and some have been covering the GCSE topic of the periodic table and elements. They will soon go into atomic structure, which they have shown an interest in, and maybe a future career as a chemist is a possibility.

The year tens have succeeded with our current topic of Crude oil and fossil fuels. They will soon learn about sustainability and the growing demand for highly paid jobs and careers in this field.

Our year elevens have been cracking on with Fossil fuels, Genetics, and Electrolysis, very complex and in-depth topics that they have very much enjoyed and embraced the challenge of.

We are looking forward to the oncoming good weather so we can spend more time outdoors learning and studying nature. Happy holidays. 

As the weather warms up, the Maths Department has been busy bringing some exciting activities to the school, making maths more enjoyable and relevant for our pupils. Here are some of the highlights from this term:

1. Taking Maths Outside
   With warmer weather, we’ve been taking our lessons outside. We hope to do this more and more so pupils can use the environment to explore different maths concepts, such as measuring angles and distances. Whether calculating the height of trees or applying geometry in sports, our beautiful and extensive outdoor resources have brought a fresh perspective to learning and helped pupils connect their studies to the world around them.                                       
2. Chess Tournament Success
   Our recent Chess Tournament has been a huge hit, creating excitement across the school. Pupils have shown great skill and strategic thinking, even beating the teachers in quite a few matches! Seeing so many pupils interested in chess has been fantastic, and we’re looking forward to holding more tournaments.        
   
3. Mars Day – Maths and Space Exploration
   In a celebration of Mars Day, pupils explored how maths is crucial for space exploration, especially when it comes to travelling to and living on Mars. They learned about the calculations needed for space missions and astronauts' challenges. It was an excellent way for pupils to see how maths isn’t just about numbers on a page but a tool that helps us understand and explore the universe. 
   
4. INSET Day – Pupil-Led Revision
   On our recent INSET days, teachers held a carousel of revision sessions that allowed Year 11 pupils to choose the topics they wanted to focus on. This allowed them to direct their learning and get extra help where needed. The day was even better with a pizza lunch, providing a fun and relaxed atmosphere for everyone involved.

We’re looking forward to continuing to bring new and engaging activities to the classroom, making maths as fun and accessible as possible for all our pupils.

Year 9 

Year 9 spent a few sessions this term learning the basics of First Aid so they could deal with some more common injuries that could happen on expeditions, such as cuts and heat stroke. 

They also familiarised themselves with different sleep systems such as tents and hammocks ready for when they go on their expedition – as demonstrated so nicely by Will, Blake and Kenny! 

9B also had a practice hike up Kingley Vale and were fortunate to have more dry weather and terrain than when 9A went last half term. The good weather presented some beautiful views of Sussex, as admired by Patrick in the picture. 

Years 10 & 11 

With expedition season starting, the year 10s and 11s started working on their strength and fitness, either by carrying weighted bags on small hikes or attending the gym, as seen as in the picture of Ryan and James on the rowing machine. 

Below are the dates of all the upcoming expeditions 

Monday 31st March - Wednesday 2nd April 

11A Duke of Edinburgh Award Gold practice expedition 

Wednesday 23rd April - Friday 25th April 

11B Duke of Edinburgh Award Gold practice expedition 

Wednesday 7th May - Friday 9th May  

10A Duke of Edinburgh Award Silver practice expedition 

Tuesday 13th May - Wednesday 14th May 

9A Duke of Edinburgh Award Bronze qualifying expedition 

Tuesday 20th May - Wednesday 21st May 

9B Duke of Edinburgh Award Bronze qualifying expedition 

Tuesday 11th June - Friday 13th June  

10A Duke of Edinburgh Award Silver qualifying expedition 

Sunday 22nd June - Friday 27th June 

11A Duke of Edinburgh Award Gold qualifying expedition 

Sunday 6th July - Friday 11th July 

11B Duke of Edinburgh Award Gold qualifying 

Monday 14th July - Wednesday 16th July 

MHC trip 

Explorer, Captain, Sherpa 

To promote engagement and learning in the Duke of Edinburgh Award, a term-wide award scheme that rewards three outstanding students. There are three awards that consider all DofE participating pupils: the explorer award (a pupil who shows outstanding attitude to learning and pushes themselves to learn more); the captain award (a pupil who leads by example and takes on the roles given to them with conviction); and the sherpa award (a pupil who shows support of their fellow pupils either in lessons or on the expeditions).  

Congratulations to the following pupils who have been awarded the titles for this term: 

Oscar W – Explorer Award 

Ethan OD – Captain Award 

Ryan H – Sherpa Award 

KS3

It has been another great term for our key stage 3 pupils. They have been exploring alternative racket sports, such as speedminton, Badminton, and Tennis. They have been learning about how to be successful while showing good sportsmanship, how to implement tactics while playing racket sports singly and doubles, and the importance of timing when striking the ball or shuttlecock with the racket. 

KS4 & KS5

Spring Half Term 2

Heart:	Being Respectful and Tolerant in Challenging Situations
Head:	Outwitting Opponents in Ever-Changing Situations in Sport
Hands:	Balance and Control for Body and Mind

Our BTEC sports pupils have been working tirelessly and have completed their course this term. They have been focusing on being a successful coach, assisting a coach/sporting event, and their organisational skills. The pupils have been reflecting on their coaching and being able to state how it went, as well as their strengths and weaknesses as coaches. They have focused on why organisational skills are important and have demonstrated how to organise their day/week to achieve their best.  

PRIMARY P.E.

This half term, the pupils in Lower Primary have been participating in various small game situations. The focus has been teamwork, communication and spatial awareness when moving around. It is about beginning to understand our body and how we need to consider our movement and patterns to achieve a desired outcome. We repeat the games weekly so the pupils can develop their skills and think of new strategies to better the previous result. 

The lesson aims to work together in a team, with no outcome of a winning or losing team. Having all the classes together allows the pupils to work in larger groups and with pupils they may not necessarily work with, encouraging them to communicate with everyone on their team regardless of friendships and classmates. 

Ballerz Air Dome

Well done to Charlie and Alfie, who won the Jack Petchey Award in the South London Special League. The Jack Petchey Achievement Award Scheme is our flagship programme, which recognises outstanding young people aged 11-25 across London and Essex. They were awarded this due to their hard work and good sportsmanship demonstrated this year in the South London Special League. For their award, SLS kindly arranged for them and their teammates to go to the Ballerz Air Dome in Blue Water. They played a friendly match in the air dome and participated in some skillz activities. We beat the goalie, did noughts and crosses, did the sprint test, and did the football passing drill.

Football Fixtures  

South London Special League

POST-16

In their second visit to SLSL this term, the sun came out for POST-16's visit to South London. In warm conditions, the team worked extremely hard despite being affected by injuries as the day went on. The team finished the day undefeated, which could prove very valuable at the end of the season. 

Year 11's 

The U16s continued their impressive form with another successful outing to the South London Special League. 6 games were played, with four wins and two draws. Even more impressive, this was the second successive fixture with no goals conceded, a fantastic team effort. 

Year 8 & 9's

A much-changed team from last time brought some joy on and off the pitch for the years 8 & 9 team. Firstly, the behaviour, teamwork, and sportsmanship of all players were fantastic throughout the day, and they represented the school brilliantly. This transferred onto the pitch, where they played some good football, ended the day undefeated, and earned some good points in the league.  

The pupils have been very busy in the school garden. With the ground drying up and the weather getting warmer, we have used hand tools to dig out the perennial weeds before they get too big. We have left some dandelions around the edges for the bees and early butterflies. We harvested the very last of the carrots. These were delicious, and the pupils crunched on them during their lessons. 

The polytunnel has been mended and is filling up with trays of compost containing all sorts of seeds. We have every type of vegetable growing; some have germinated quickly and successfully. We have so many lettuce seedlings now ready for pricking out. We have also sown many annual flowers this year to support pollinators and encourage beneficial insects into our garden. Every class in the garden has planted their bag of potatoes, and the race is on to see who can grow the most spuds before the summer holidays. 

We have put up lots of nest boxes, and to date, we have Blue Tits carrying nesting materials into one box and a robin checking out another, fingers crossed for chicks later in the spring. We have had some frogspawn spawn to look at and observe, the boys were fascinated by the tiny tadpoles wriggling in the eggs, these have now been released into the pond. Hopefully, some will grow into frogs to eat the slugs later in the year.

The primary pupils have been looking at dinosaurs, so they had the opportunity to dig for bones in the empty raised beds. This was enjoyed by all of those who had a go. Using small tools and brushes, they were very careful with the animal bones.

We have started sowing carrots, beetroot, and radish seeds outside in the raised beds. We will continue to sow for succession and prolong the harvest well into the autumn term. The pupils got stuck in with the digging, raking, hoeing, and watering and worked hard to make the raised beds look fabulous.

Our big, exciting news is that Muntham will exhibit in the school's category at the Hampton Court Flower Show. We will be making a Bug Barrel to the brief of Wonderland. The pupils will be growing herbs and flowers, using recycled materials, weaving plastic bags, and making living spaces for insects. We are so looking forward to this wonderful project. 

Pigs

Bangers and Mash are delighted to see the sun, which means lots of sunbathing time.  The pupils want to be there more as their muddy enclosure dries up.  Bangers and Mash are very welcoming and enjoy frequent brushing and oiling.  At this time of year, the pigs moult, and their skin needs more oiling; otherwise, they get dandruff, causing them to become itchy.  The more time pupils spend with Bangers and Mash, the more comfortable they become.  Even though the pigs are larger now than when they came, they are still as friendly and nosey.  They often sniff the pupils’ shoes and even try to undo their shoelaces!

Chickens

Five of the eight chickens are laying again now, meaning many eggs go home with pupils.  Some pupils have been working closely with the hens to form bonds; chickens are intelligent and can recognise up to 100 faces.  They can easily be enticed by food and love cuddles from the pupils.  e have been listening to the differences in the hens’ clucks with some of the younger pupils.  Different noises mean different things.  Often, when laying an egg, the chickens make a noise; when this stops, pupils are keen to see if an egg has appeared.

Goats

The goat’s winter coats are coming out thick and fast, and they try to itch it out themselves by rubbing on anything they can get their hooves on, leaving them with questionable hairstyles.  The goats are being groomed in the sessions to get the thick winter coats out quicker.  With warmer weather, the goats struggle a bit with so much hair.  izmo and Spike love the attention, but Wallace and Gromit are less keen to be brushed.  s always, the goats go on and off leads for adventures around the grounds, eating leaves from the bushes and any discarded point sheets on the floor.  After a big walk, the goats like nothing more than to chew the cud and relax in the sun.

Donkeys

Buzz and Woody have a spring in their step!  The spring grass is full of sugars, causing them to get the zoomies and play-fight more than usual.  They soon calm down when their head collars go on, and they get groomed and ready for a plod around the Muntham Mile.  In sessions, Buzz, Woody, and some pupils did pole work to engage their brains and leg muscles.  Pole work involves the donkeys being led over raised plastic poles or lying flat on the ground in different sequences.  The donkeys must improve their back and leg muscles.  Buzz and Woody often intentionally turn it into a game and knock into the poles, causing them to fly off.  They may take more than a term to become pros at this task!

This past term has been another busy one for the young people on Hever floor, filled with baking, car washing, and finally seeing some nice weather, enabling our young people to spend more time playing outside of late. One of our young people has recently started boxercise training, which he enjoys, and has just been presented with his very own set of boxing gloves and pads! This has inspired others on the floor to think about fitness and being healthy, with one even doing some fitness training circuits with Mr Johnson twice a week.

Hever floor enjoyed trips out with Bodiam floor, one to the stepping stones in Dorking and another to Ninja Warrior in Guildford. At the stepping stones, we had a lovely walk along the stream and crossed the stepping stones—some even had a paddle! It was lovely watching the older and younger boys interact positively with each other while investigating nature, and it was even better enjoying the lovely sunshine!

Brighter mornings have meant earlier waking for some on Hever, leaving more time before school starts. Some have been doing extra maths in their spare time!

What a fantastic term it's been! We were finally blessed with some lovely weather, which made for truly enjoyable afternoons and evenings. We have also had a great time indoors with baking, board games, and cosy movie nights featuring classics like Hocus Pocus and the Dodger series.

Chess was a big hit this term. The pupils enjoyed playing with Mr Clayton and were thrilled to share that they won both games, which was a great accomplishment.

Whenever the sun was shining, we took full advantage of it. Whether it was leisurely walks through the grounds or the local woods or the pupils zooming around on their scooters, it was a great time to be outdoors.

We took the pupils on an exciting trip to the stepping stones across the River Mole. The pupils enjoyed paddling in the river and walking across the stepping stones. We are proud of how well-behaved and respectful they were of the natural surroundings.

To round out the term, we ended on a high note with a thrilling trip to Ninja Warrior. The pupils had so much fun and showed great team spirit, being competitive but cheering on their peers as they completed the course. Everyone enjoyed McDonald's afterwards. 

It's been a delightful term, full of fun, adventure, and smiles. We are looking forward to more moments like these next term.

When I was but a boy, the best advice I ever heard was from my dear Nana. These three simple words resonated with me then, as they still do now, and form the basis of everything that guides me through the tough times, the big moments in my life, and the everyday stresses and strains of modern life. Those three words are ‘cool, calm, collected’. The three C’s helped me to focus on my emotional state, regulate myself and relate this to the job at hand, be it an impending exam, a job interview or any stressful situation that may have passed my way.  

This term, the pupils on the Arundel floor have been asked to consider their emotions, regulation and understanding. We have asked them to consider their triggers and the positive strategies they can apply to overcome these moments. This target has been set to help our young people practice and learn how to recognise and regulate their own emotions while understanding those of other people, and all the young people have really taken this on board. So, a big well done to all those residents of the Arundel floor. 

This term, our pupils have participated in diving on 3-metre diving boards at an Olympic-standard pool and enjoyed strolls around the woods and local areas of beauty, such as the lakes at Arundel. We have members who attend a local youth club, have gone to watch local football matches, and have taken part in trips to the mall. We also have young people attending football academies at Christ’s Hospital school, working at the gym, watching movies, and completing revision and homework in preparation for their GCSEs. 

So, many gains were made emotionally, academically, and recreationally. Well done to everyone on the Arundel floor, pupils and staff. It was a productive and fulfilling term, with things getting done and memories being made.