So glad it’s Friday! The call from the Independent Schools Inspectorate came through at the beginning of the week that they would be with us on Wednesday and Thursday for the regulatory compliance inspection and my stress levels zoomed. We should receive the report in about six weeks time when we will be allowed to tell you more but I would just like to take this opportunity to thank those of you who took the time to respond to the ISI Parent Questionnaire.

The nursery rooms have continued learning about the weather and have been mixing black and white paint to create grey skies and clouds (we have seen plenty of those recently!). They have looked at the water cycle, developing their language and weather terminology, have collected rain and measured the quantity, have measured puddles over time and generally had a lovely experience with the topic.

Transition children have been talking about the need for water and discovered what it is like for those unfortunate people who have to collect water from standpipes or wells. They lined up in the playground and passed buckets of water down the line, discovering how heavy and difficult it is to transport. They worked out ways of carrying the bucket such as by the rim or handle and Miss Green demonstrated carrying it on her head! The children wore our waterproof suits for this activity. In the classroom they had muddy water and bottles to fill, having used sieves, and they discussed if they would be happy to drink this. Needless to say the children are very happy to have taps and clean drinking water.

During the week commencing 29 January the nursery children will continue learning about water in the home, metallic colours, the number 4 and the letters x,y,z. Any small toys incorporating these would be ideal as their “Show and Tell” item this week. Transition children will be learning about watery weather and the letter d.