As we hurtle towards the end of term, this newsletter is full of information about all of the wonderful events and learning experiences that have been happening at MTP recently. Highlights for me include: the huge amount of money (£4200 so far) raised for the Francis Terry Foundation for the Memory Challenge; Expedition Week, both at home and away; and the fabulous joint performance of Midsummer Night’s Dream with the Y7 pupils of MTP and MTS. We still have many more events for we finish this term and I do hope that many of you will be able to come to the Y8 production of An Italian Straw Hat next week.

Staffing news: Mrs Nicholas has returned from maternity leave and will be joining the English department on a part-time basis next term; the new Year 4 teacher for September will be Mrs Jones who comes with many years of experience. Mrs Payne, in Reception, will be leaving us at the end of this term in order to pursue her career in Special Educational Needs; she will be replaced by Miss Dealey who has lots of experience teaching in early years. Mrs Hall will also be leaving because she has been offered a teaching position at another school where she will be the Early Years Leader; Mrs Carritt, who has been very successfully teaching in our Learning Support department this term, will join the Nursery team next term and she has a strong background in early years teaching. Miss Spear will be returning to Australia this summer and Mr Knight, who will be our new Head of English, will join us in September. He has led English departments in three very prestigious schools prior to coming to MTP. In a time when nationally there is a shortage of teachers, we are very fortunate to have appointed such a high calibre of teachers. We wish Miss Spear, Mrs Payne and Mrs Hall the utmost success and happiness in their careers.

Best wishes

Dr. Karen McNerney | Head of School

Monday, 26 June
MTS Young Musicians Concert & Afternoon Tea 1730 MTS Recital Hall
Y1 Information Meeting for YR Parents 0845 – 0915 Old Dining Hall
Y2 Kwik Cricket Tournament at MTP 1315 – 1415
Y5 Information Meeting for Y4 Parents 1630 – 1700
Y8 ‘An Italian Straw Hat’ Technical Rehearsal
‘Moving up’ session Pre-Prep to Y4 pupils 0900 – 1000

Tuesday, 27 June
MTS Vocal Concert 1930 The Great Hall
New Nursery Children & Parents’ Visits
U9AB Cricket v Haberdashers’ Aske’s (a) 1415
U9CD Cricket v Haberdashers’ Aske’s (h) 1415
Whole School Staff Meeting 0800 – 0830
Y8 ‘An Italian Straw Hat’ Dress Rehearsal

Wednesday, 28 June
Y8 Production of ‘An Italian Straw Hat’ 1900 – 2100 Theatre

Thursday, 29 June
Governors & Staff Reception 1800
OPRO Mouthguard Fitting 0900 – 1130
U8AB Cricket v Gayhurst (h) 1415
U8CD Cricket v Gayhurst (a) 1415
Y7 House Beach Volleyball 1215 - 1315
Y8 Production of ‘An Italian Straw Hat’ 1900 – 2100 Theatre

Friday, 30 June
Clubs, Learning Support & Activities End for the Whole School
MTP Mufti Day
U11CD Cricket v St John’s (h) 1430 – 1630
Y8 Leavers’ Butlins Weekend Departs

Saturday, 1 July
Y8 Leavers’ Weekend

Sunday, 2 July
Y8 Leavers’ Weekend

Monday, 3 July
Y3G Final Swimming Session
Y8 Leavers’ Weekend Returns

Tuesday, 4 July
Y3/Y4 House Cricket

Wednesday, 5 July
An Evening of Poetry & Prose (Y7) 1630 Theatre
Celebration Afternoon 1400 – 1615
Y2 Presentation of Certificates 1415 Theatre
Y3S Final Swimming Session
 Y7 LAMDA Examinations

Thursday, 6 July
Y8 Awards’ Dinner 1830 Dining Hall

Friday, 7 July
Term Ends Nursery 1200
Term Ends Reception 1140
Term Ends Y1/Y2 1145
Term Ends Y3/Y4 1200
Term Ends Y5/Y6 1215
Term Ends Y7/Y8 1230

Monday, 10 July - Friday, 14 July
MTP Multi Activities NUR - Y2 Week 1
MTP Multi Activities Y3 – Y7 Week 1

Monday, 17 July - Friday, 21 July
MTP Multi Activities NUR - Y2 Week 2
MTP Multi Activities Y3 – Y7 Week 2

Thanks for your generous support of our ‘Memory Challenge’ on June 9th which was based on a crime scene on the theatre stage. Kayan Somaia 5L3 was the best overall detective.  Election fever came to MTP on June 8th thanks to Mr McConnell with a victory to the ‘Mars Party’. For your information, our own Head & Deputy Head Boy elections are taking place this week. Year 7 pupils are thanked for their letters of application for the positions of House Captain & Vice-Captain next year and for addressing their House at the last House meeting. Newton won Y5/6 House Cricket and Livingstone Y7/8. Two Sports Days this week will determine House Athletics. Looking further ahead, we have House Prize Giving on Celebration Afternoon as usual. In the meantime, we look forward to welcoming Year 4 pupils to their new Tutor Groups on ‘Moving Up Day’ next Monday.

Heads of House

It is hard to believe that we are approaching the end of another school year. Reflecting on the year is inevitable at this time and it serves as a reminder of how lucky we all are to be a part of this wonderful community. We are very grateful for the support we receive from parents in providing a truly memorable educational experience for our boys. What seems like a normal year to us would be regarded as remarkable in most other schools.

We have had the memorable Year 7 Showcase of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' in the Head's Garden at MTS and two very exciting sports days this week, with outstanding performances from many of our boys. The change of venue and format of the Year 5-8 Sports day in order to take advantage of senior school’s facilities allowed our boys to perform to their best possible potential. A big ‘Thank you’ to Mr Todd and his team for all the hard work and planning that goes into such an event.

A big feature of our Sports Days was Niam’s charity work on behalf of Wren house. Niam has single-handedly arranged and maintained a fantasy football league to raise funds for the 'Future Hope' Charity. He has also been selling lovely cookery books to support this worthy cause. If you would like to support this charity by purchasing a book, please ask Niam or Mr Bowman.
This is exactly the kind of young man that we would like Terry’s Boys to become. Well done, Niam!

Mr M Hibbert | Assistant Head of School, Mr A Crook | Deputy Head &
Mr R Waddington | Director of Studies

Life in the Manor has been busy over the last month as we have continue our topic on ‘The Great Outdoors’. We enjoyed watching our ducklings grow and the boys showed great empathy in handling them.  The photographs show both Nursery and Reception enjoying their time observing the ducks.

The end of last half term came to an end with a fantastic sports day led by Mr Todd and his team. The boys were eager to take a risk and all persevered to complete the challenges in front of them! We were so proud of all they achieved and thank all of you for coming to support your children at this event.

During work based on the story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Reception enjoyed a Healthy Eating Week. They talked about the Food Pyramid and then created ‘The Hungry Caterpillar’ out of fresh fruit. Nursery have been busy using their imagination to create a range of patterned caterpillars and symmetrical butterflies. They all collaborated to retell the story with their peers. All the boys at the Manor are eagerly watching our caterpillars as they have recently spun into their chrysalises, and they are looking forward to seeing some beautiful butterflies emerge!

Last week we had a visit from some Year 8 boys who came to play with the Nursery boys for the morning. The Nursery boys really looked up to the older boys who showed great empathy in supporting them with their play. We were delighted to have a small group of boys return to read with all the Manor boys before home time one afternoon.

Our trip to Beckonscot Model Village this week was a resounding success. A fun day of miniature houses and trains mixed with some beautiful sunshine resulted in an exciting, albeit tiring, trip! We are now looking forward to a big bug experience in school during the week ahead.

Mrs S Funnell | Head of Pre Prep

This term I have been delighted to see how much the boys have enjoyed learning during our Nature Watch topic, and the exciting activities in which they participate really inspire them to do their very best. The boys have been out and about in the school grounds seeing at first hand the variety of animal and plant life that we are lucky enough to have there, and have been busy preparing videos and documentaries to record their findings. They are looking forward to sharing these with parents very soon. The natural world has also inspired the boys to produce some wonderful artwork including beautiful hanging dragonflies and minibeast prints.

The boys in Year 2 have worked with oil pastels for the first time to make representations of a butterfly with stunning results. The photograph shows an example completed by Hassan Shaikh. The boys are looking forward to showing parents their artwork during Celebration Afternoon.

Years 1 and 2 also visited the Water Environment Centre at Clay Lane in Bushey last week to learn more about animals and their habitats. One of the photographs shows boys in Year 1 pond dipping and the other one shows boys in Year 2 during their minibeast hunt.

This half term is also one of transition as the boys prepare for the coming year and last Friday Year 2 spent the morning with Year 3. They had a wonderful time doing different activities and finding out about life in Year 3. They greatly enjoyed playtime on the Prep Playground and the photograph shows boys from both year groups collaborating during a game of table football.  Next Monday we also have a moving up session for the boys in Pre-Prep, Year 3 and Year 4 and on Tuesday we welcome the boys who will be joining Nursery in September for a visit. A reminder for Reception parents: on Monday 26th June at 8.45am, there is an information meeting about the boys' move from the Manor to Merchant Taylors’ Prep. This will now take place in the Pre-Prep Hall.

Lastly, as many of you will already know Dr McNerney, Mrs. Steed, Mr. Westacott, Mrs Hall and I are visiting Uganda in the summer holiday to support the work of the Jinja Educational Trust. There is a great need for school shoes for the children in the orphanages, children’s homes and the surrounding villages. If you have any school shoes that your children have outgrown that you would like to donate to this fantastic cause, please bring them to Pre-Prep by Friday 30th June. We will then take your donations to Africa when we visit in the summer. Thank you for your support with this.

Mrs S Funnell | Head of Pre Prep

Thanks for your generous support of our ‘Memory Challenge’ on June 9th which was based on remembering items that were gathered on a crime scene in the theatre for Years 3 to 8, on a display behind a golden door for Years 1 & 2 and in a golden box for Nursery and Reception. 

So far we have raised £4,200 but we are still counting…                                           
We will acknowledge the highest fundraisers in Final Assembly.

Every contribution will go towards the Francis Terry Foundation chaired by Dr. Lee who is delighted by pupils' efforts. We hope that your son enjoyed the activity and we thank you for your continued generosity.

Mrs S Gadd, Mr R Kopel & Mrs P Steed | Charity Coordinators

The recent Expedition Week was thoroughly enjoyed by the boys and staff in Year 3. On the first day we visited Reveley Lodge in Bushey, going back in history to see what it was like to be a Victorian school boy.  The boys dressed up, paid their old penny to attend school and learnt how different their life would have been. The visit was finished off with afternoon tea complete with a slice of Victoria sponge cake and the boys being taught the correct etiquette used during the Victorian era.

Our next day out was an extremely active day at Hillingdon Outdoor Activity Centre in Harefield.  It was a team building experience where the boys, as expected, rose to all the challenges set for them that day. The activities included orienteering, navigating the swamp, tackling a giant spider’s web and trusting their friends to guide them along the nightline.  Great fun was had by all!

Our final visit of Expedition Week was a wonderful trip to the canal.  Situated at Batchworth Lock, the learning centre provides knowledge of how canals were built, a visit to a renovated narrow boat, ‘The Roger’, together with a delightful journey down the canal to spot nature and wildlife.  Our boys had the opportunity to find out what life was like working and living on the waterways.  Another great experience was had that will long be remembered!

The week ended with a joint day with the Year 2 boys when the year groups were merged and the boys played sport, completed art activities and even had a chance to explore the woods. This was a great opportunity for the Year 2 boys to have a glimpse into what life will be like in Year 3. The Year 3 boys really took care of the younger boys and impressed us with their mature and caring nature.

Mrs L Scales | Y3 Teacher

Year 4 had an extremely busy Expeditions week filled with fun and excitement. It kicked off with an over night stay at Woodrow High House on Monday and Tuesday. The boys were all very eager (with a few butterflies) and adapted quickly to being away from home. They participated in many activities such as archery, shelter building, survival skills and the nightline obstacle course. They all had a fantastic time.

On Wednesday, Year 4 participated in The Great Eggscape. This is a team building activity where the boys were given a raw egg and together they had to build a contraption to throw the egg off the stairs of the Theatre building. They soon learnt that a parachute design using a plastic bag was the best way. Well done to Taran S and Amaan S for being the only team to not crack their egg!

On Thursday we went to visit Woburn Safari park. It was fascinating seeing all the animals. The highlight of the day was driving through the monkey enclosure and having the monkeys climb up onto our coach. It was very funny!

To end the week we travelled to Hampton Court to learn more about the Tudors. We were given a mission as spies using iPads to investigate more about King Henry VIII. It was really interesting walking through Hampton Court where King Henry VIII used to live.

Overall it was a really busy and fun week with lots of adventures!

Miss C Marshall | Year 4 Teacher

During expedition week boys in Year 5 travelled to Abernant Lake in Wales. After a five hour bus journey they arrived at the activity centre which was set in picturesque surroundings. There were plenty of activities for pupils to get stuck in to and they enjoyed pushing themselves throughout the week to tackle challenges some of them had never faced before.

Pupils had fun on the lake in kayaking and stand up paddle boarding, and had to work together during canoeing and raft building. On land, some of the more extreme activities included climbing, low ropes, abseiling and climbing a rope ladder to face their fears on the zip wire. Boys also took part in shelter building, orienteering, archery, fencing and cycling. The staff were most impressed with the way the boys supported and encouraged each other throughout the activities. The boys ended the week feeling a huge sense of achievement. 

Mr D Todd | Miss R Levy

Notre Visite en Normandie
Year 6 boys accompagnés by Monsieur Kopel, M. Crook, M. McConnell, M. Evans, M. De Vynck et Madame Gadd spent a fantastique week at Le Home du Cotentin, en Normandie during Expedition Week. 

The excitement started at 5am on Monday!  Le ferry crossing was rather rapide and bumpy.  It was super to see our boys being patient and enjoying the French films shown à bord the coach, including a not-so-lucky Mr Bean going en vacances to France. As soon as we arrived at the centre, boys were impressed with the beautiful surroundings and some boys could even see la mer from their bedroom window.  

We spent the second day at Mont St Michel, the third most visited place en France after La Tour Eiffel & Versailles! The day consisted of souvenir buying, eating crêpes and visiting l’Abbaye du Mont St Michel.  Pupils learnt about the historical and geographical aspects that make the Mount such a popular place to visit (another activity carried out completely in French by our lovely guide Solène as well as a very knowledgeable Mr McConnell stepping in as guide touristique). The Villedieu market visite was an opportunity for the boys to communicate with the locals, whilst buying ingredients for their own lunches. We were delighted to see the boys working in teams and practising their français. 

The third day was spent at Château de la Baudonnière, where the boys had orienteering activities and l’escrime (fencing), whilst learning the corresponding French vocabulaire.  This fun packed activity day ended à la plage where boys enjoyed skimming stones and playing Mr Evans’ fun games après le dîner.

The fourth day was packed with activities revolving around history as we visited La Tapisserie de Bayeux which depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England and culminating in the Battle of Hastings. We then watched a film at the Arromanches 360 Circular cinéma that dominates the remnants of one of the two artificial harbours set up by the Allies after the D-Day landing on June 6th 1944. Finally, we visited one of the American cemeteries that remind us of the landing points that started the Allied invasion of Western Europe during World War II. Our séjour ended with un dîner français , when we even ate des escargots (snails) which most boys loved, and a visit to the beach pour finir the day.

The long ferry journey back was intéressant with the boys enjoying un film, playing cartes and shopping!
Thank you to all boys for behaving so well and for making this experience so memorable for everyone involved. Furthermore, merci les parents for your continuous support and for your kind words upon our retour. We hope you received a carte postale and have understood most of the cognates in this report!

Mr R Kopel | Head MFL

There are few corners of Britain quite as lovely as Pembrokeshire. Provided it doesn’t rain. Clearly this batch of Year 7’s were a lucky charm of sorts and we were blessed with clear skies almost all week. In fact the weather was so lovely that someone with almost no hair got sunburn on Day 2! The boys had mighty fun by the seaside looking at coastal processes and didn’t mind getting soggy feet as they sploshed together some data for their river projects. But the highlight seems to have been the crabbing day where a few patient anglers were rewarded with some true monsters of the deep. Who needs Geography?

Mr R Bowman | Head of Geography

This half term MTP welcomed Lee Stafford who is a Sports Scientist at Watford FC. Here is a pupil's thoughts on the visit:

Lee Stafford from Watford FC explained to us how he worked his way up from the bottom. He loved sport and the idea of working outdoors really appealed to him. He decided on a career as a Sports Scientist. He studied Sports Science at college. Although he originally wanted to work with a County cricket team, he found his way into football through a full-time voluntary position at AFC Bournemouth Academy. Lee explained to us how he worked hard for no money but it put his name out there. He then finished his degree and worked with the Watford 1st team players for a year. The next year he got offered the job of U23’s fitness training.

He said that the footballers' early season was a lot of running. They started doing more weight and core strength later in the season. I found out that the players got into training groups before their workouts and stretched to make sure they didn’t pull anything. He explained how straight after the gym sessions they didn’t do warm downs and just went straight into a -120˚C room with only shorts, gloves and a hat on.

At the end, Lee admitted that footballers only work for about 5-6 hours a day and then he was asked many funny questions by the boys for example, “Which Watford player had the best fashion sense etc.” It was great to find out about a career path in sport and how to improve our own fitness. And an added bonus to find out a few insights into our local team. Thomas Groves 8W3

Mr C Horne | Head of Cricket

The Science Team

Tickets on sale now via the Prep School Office for the Y8 production of the

hilarious French farce


             ‘An Italian Straw Hat’ by Labiche on