News

Year 3 Put Map Reading into Practice at Bushy Park!

Year 3 took their geography learning out of the classroom recently with an exciting hands-on field trip to the Bushy Park Field Studies Centre!

As part of their current unit on map work, the children took part in an immersive orienteering challenge around the park. The children put their knowledge of cardinal (North, South, East, West) and intercardinal (North-East, South-East, South-West, North-West) compass points into action to navigate between checkpoints. They also built on their technical mapping skills by working with grid references to pinpoint exact locations on their maps.

Environmental Detectives

In addition to sharpening their navigational skills, Year 3 turned their attention to the local environment to study the impact of human activity on the park.

The children surveyed the grounds, paying close attention to conservation, wildlife habitats, and foot traffic. Year 3 are delighted to report that visitors to Bushy Park seem to be taking brilliant care of the local environment - the classes were thrilled to find zero litter during their exploration!

Well done to all of Year 3 for demonstrating such great geographical skills and environmental responsibility.

Trips like these simply cannot happen without the support of our wonderful school community. A massive thank you goes out to all of the parent helpers who joined us on the day - your support made the trip a huge success!

Outstanding Musical Success: Valerie and Andrea Join the National Children’s Orchestra!

We are thrilled to share some wonderful musical news from our St Stephen’s community! Following successful national auditions over the summer, former pupil Valerie (now in Year 7) and Andrea (Year 6) have both been offered places in the National Children’s Orchestra (NCO) for 2027! Valerie will be joining as a flautist, and Andrea as a violinist.

A Prestigious National Achievement

Gaining a seat in the National Children's Orchestra is an extraordinary milestone for any young musician. As the UK’s premier training ground for young instrumental talent, the NCO holds highly competitive auditions every year, selecting only the most promising musicians from across the country.

By joining the NCO, Valerie and Andrea follow in the footsteps of world-renowned classical artists who also started their orchestral journeys with the NCO, including:

Nicola Benedetti CBE (Grammy Award-winning violinist)

Daniel Harding (Internationally acclaimed conductor)

Martin James Bartlett (BBC Young Musician of the Year winning pianist)

Being selected places both girls among the finest young players in the nation - a true reflection of their dedication, discipline, and passion for music.

"I've been playing violin for a few years now, and I was really pleased to be offered a place in the National Children’s Orchestra. The St Stephen's orchestra has shown me how enjoyable playing in a group is, and I'm looking forward to playing in such a large orchestra next year." - Andrea

"I'm very excited to be part of NCO and even more so to go on the one-week music residential coming up in both March and August next year! And, more importantly, thanks to the St Stephen's orchestra which has showed how fun it is to play music with others." - Valerie

In 2027, both girls will attend two week-long residential courses in March and August. These residentials offer a fantastic opportunity to live, rehearse, and perform alongside talented peers from all corners of the UK under the guidance of top professional tutors and conductors.

Their family expressed their deep gratitude to St Stephen’s for providing the musical foundation and warm encouragement during their primary years that inspired both Valerie and Andrea's love for ensemble playing.

Please join us in sending Valerie and Andrea our huge congratulations. We are immensely proud of them both.

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