A magnificent performance of The Wizard of Oz over three nights this week was much enjoyed by pupils, staff, families and friends. Congratulations to Director Mrs Comrie, Musical Director Mr Guthrie, the cast, musicians and crew for such a professional production which was enjoyed by all.

From the Headmistress

I am delighted to write and inform you that we have raised enough funds to purchase our climbing wall and it will hopefully be installed in the sports hall over the summer holidays. I would like to thank Mrs Lucinda Webb who has spear-headed our initiative and to all of you who have contributed.

The best aspect of this campaign has been the engagement with alumnae, governors, parents, pupils, staff and our local community. I have been impressed by the way some of our girls have individually and in groups fund-raised through cake stalls, sales and personal endeavour. I am eternally grateful to those who have dug deep and sent us a contribution and to those who have offered advice and support.

The wall will provide far beyond just another sport option; we hope to be able to invite in the local community.

We are all excited about this new development.

Mrs Jane Prescott
Headmistress

Some of our Early Years pupils collecting their free books from a local bookstore on World Book Day yesterday. Pupils and staff came into school dressed in an array of costumes in celebration of their favourite books.

Dear Parents

Earlier this week I saw a segment on the breakfast news regarding use of construction toys in preparation for writing. This is a programme that has been put together by academics and suggests that more time should be used ‘playing’ with the toys. The argument is that the children can develop fully functioning stories that can be used to inform their creative output.

I agree that stimulating ideas and aiding the preparation of strong stories is a vital part of the writing process. The use of construction toys is an interesting one but not necessarily new. What worries me about this type of intervention is that one strategy is then used for a large proportion of the curriculum. At Portsmouth High School we are working hard to develop resilience and self-reflection in creativity. This means that the girls need to be able to use a wide variety of techniques to develop their ideas and not just rely on one method. I have seen them use drama, discussion, round table story building and a host of other methods to produce fully fledged and well-written pieces. The English department are also extremely strong with their digital solutions. In this area the writing workshops that are used on Firefly are an integral part of designing high quality writing.

At Dovercourt we will continue to use new ideas and to cultivate our range of approaches in all parts of the curriculum. I am a great believer in breadth of opportunity which allows all children to advance using different learning styles. In my experience one size almost never fits all.

Paul Marshallsay
Headmaster of the Junior School

Early Years' News

Nursery School
We have enjoyed dressing up as our favourite characters for World Book Day in nursery this week. We have had some beautiful princesses, Splat the Cat and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. In mathematics we have played various shape games and worked hard with looking at shape properties and making shape pictures. We have also been working with ‘f’ as our Sound of the Week.

Anglo Saxon adventure

Last week Year 4 had a fun and informative residential trip to Hooke Court in Dorset. To consolidate their Anglo Saxon history topic the girls experienced a variety of activities led by authentically dressed tutors. From shelter building, to jewellery making, cooking pottage to wattle and daub construction, each girl participated with enthusiasm. We also re-enacted a Saxon wedding and then listened to a dragon story while sitting in the light of the camp fire. The moment was magical and we truly felt like we had gone back in time. Our thanks to Hooke Court for making our stay memorable, and well done Year 4 for being such superstars.

Year 3 trip to Stonehenge

On Wednesday 1st March Year 3 visited Stonehenge to get a hands-on experience of life in Neolithic times. In the morning the girls attended a workshop that included building a replica of Stonehenge, understanding how the stones were transported to the site and put into position, and dressing like Neolithic people. After lunch the girls visited the stones and an exhibition to see some of the artefacts archaeologists have found at the site.

Skiing practise

Last Saturday, 15 girls went for a day in the Alps (Hemel Hempstead Snow Centre) to do some essential ski training prior to their trip to Alpe d’Heuz in April. For many of them it was the first time to experience skiing on real snow. It was a great day for everyone and they are really looking forward to the real thing.

A week in sport

The swimming team competed against Dunhurst on Monday with great success, the Year 4A and B coming first and second and the Year 5 and 6A teams coming second out of four teams. There were some brilliant swims and we look forward to the next swimming gala against Dunhurst and St Ives in a few weeks time.

On Wednesday the U10A and B had their end of season netball tournament competition against 8 other school teams. This was a great tournament and the weather held out. The B team played superbly and held their own against even some of the A teams. The A team fought hard and won 7 out of 9 games resulting in a final position of third.

Well done to all the girls who competed this week.

We went to see the Wizard...

The cast, musicians and crew of The Wizard of Oz thrilled audiences this week with superb performances over three nights. Brilliant acting, dancing and music combined with impressive technical effects, a wonderful set, colourful costumes and make-up took the audience on a delightful journey down the yellow brick road.

Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make The Wizard of Oz such a memorable performance.

Budding engineers

Year 11 pupils Rebecca Allday and Sophie Sanderson learnt last week that they have been shortlisted for interview for the prestigious Arkwright Scholarship. Every year talented pupils with a flair for engineering are identified by the school for consideration but must then complete an extensive application highlighting their suitability for the honour. A two-hour aptitude test must then be completed before being shortlisted for interview at a Russell Group University.

Success in sport

Since our last sports update we have concluded the hockey season with interhouse competitions for all age groups and our last match was against Meoncross. Bea and Maddy Oliver were players of the match and the Year 8s won 3-0.

The U15 badminton team beat Eggars and St Annes in the National Schools county round and Mia Billins represented Hampshire at the inter-counties cross country at Brands Hatch.

On the netball court the senior netball players beat PGS U16 team 12-9 and this week beat St John's 19-18. Players of the match in these games were Olivia Fretwell, Alex Pugh and Tilly Mae Elliott. Other successes include U14B against Bedales. The girls won 5-2 and player of the match was Ruby Dale. The team also beat PGS 17-11 and player of the match was Maddie Gadeke.

The trampolining Southern Zonals took place in Taunton and this time 2 of our teams had qualified. The U19 intermediate team included Dani Georges, Louisa Harris and Ge Wilks. Their routines included a challenging combination of linked somersaults and they finished a creditable 8th out of all the schools in the south of England. The U19 novice team included Lucy Rukin, Lois Stevens, Liberty Allison and Olivia Cross and they achieved our highest placing yet. They were the 4th team overall and narrowly missed out on a place in the national finals. Lucy scored the second highest score in her group. Excellent results - well done girls!

The Positive Project

We are aware of the need to enable our pupils to cope with the stresses of life. The ‘Positive Project’ encourages girls to use a variety of techniques to approach difficulties and challenges and develop their grit and resilience.

We are privileged to be hosting world-renowned expert and founder of the ‘Positive Project’ Dr Brian Marien at the senior school on 20 April from 6-7.30pm. The Positive Project draws on a wide range of academic disciplines to build a deeper understanding of the human mind and how humans flourish and it promises to be a fascinating evening.

The event is open to all PHS parents. To assist with catering please reply to receptionist@por.gdst.net We will look forward to seeing you on 20 April.

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Portsmouth High School · Kent Road · Southsea, Hampshire PO5 3EQ · United Kingdom