February 8th 2025
Curiosity is a core Moulsford value, and this was demonstrated in spades in Pre-Prep lunch on Wednesday. I was enjoying pasta and meatballs with the Year 2 children, and we were having a great conversation about what they had learnt in class that morning, as we waited for pudding to be served. When the jelly arrived, one of the boys examined it closely, then turned to me and asked ‘Is jelly a food or a drink?’ What a fantastic question and it opened up a whole area of discussion between me and the children on solids and liquids.
We are constantly developing our curriculum both to foster curiosity, and to encourage the children to learn in different ways. Year 6 have had a particularly interesting time of late, with their recent topic of ratio in Maths culminating in a Year 6 mocktail party last Friday afternoon, during which the children put their learning to practical use by mixing drinks to the correct proportions. Year 6 also had an excellent trip on Monday to the MAD (Mechanical Art and Design) Museum in Stratford-upon-Avon, followed by a session in Shakespeare’s Classroom. All this ties in beautifully with the STEM topics they have been studying in class.
Another really exciting avenue for Moulsford children is the Flight School after-school activity (open to Years 6 and above) which has been a huge success. Our young aviators are undertaking a course in aircraft mechanics, flight navigation, and the principles of flight, and have been practising these skills on state-of-the-art simulators. Some of the group have already had their first real flight from Membury Airfield in a two seater C42, during which they were at the controls.
Thank you to our staff who are constantly seeking new ways to challenge and enthuse your children, so that they are flexible, adaptable and above all curious. This curiosity was beautifully illustrated in Mr Weeks’ High Performance Lunchtime talk this week, following which our guest Sophie Law (BBC Radio Oxford) gave Moulsford a shout out on her show.
Back to lunch at the Pre-Prep… I’m not sure how, but the conversation moved on to the world wars, which is quite a meaty topic with six year olds, and one that I wasn’t especially keen to dwell upon over our jelly. I tried not to take offence when I was asked if I had fought in the First World War!
