Hordle

Following last week’s gala at Ballard, it was time for the younger members of the swimming squad to compete – the first time for some of them in a competitive gala.

The purpose of the gala is to give the younger swimmers an opportunity to compete in a competitive swimming event and therefore the emphasis is very much on participation and enjoyment. Ballard and Durlston very much follow this ethos and the atmosphere amongst the swimmers, parents and supporters was superb.

All our swimmers swam well and tried their best for the school, and Ballard and Durlston brought two very good squads.

Congratulations to the following Hordle Walhampton swimmers:

Holly Hewitt – 1^st place in the U10 Breaststroke, Henry Beal 1st place in the U10 backstroke.

U11 Freestyle Relay Team – 1^st (Laura Maughan, Amelia Melluish, Finn Ambrose, Charlotte Cowell).

The final results were:1^st Ballard, 2^nd Durlston, 3^rd HW1, 4^th HW2.

Very many congratulations to Henry Carey-Morgan on being offered a place at Eton College. That’s great news to send us on our way for Half Term.

Mr Phillips said: “I am of course extremely pleased that all Henry’s hard work has gained him a place at Eton. Even as an old Harrovian, I am delighted that Hordle Walhampton will continue to be represented at Winchester and Eton.”

The right choice of senior school is so important and frequently parents (sometimes even those who have left us) ask  Mr Phillips for his advice and guidance. Knowledge, experience and a thorough understanding of the senior schools is vital and cannot be underestimated.

Last Sunday, the boarders went on a countryside walk accompanied by Mr Taylor and Mrs Williamson.

In keeping with the custom of Mr Taylor’s walks, the river-bank promenade turned into a run, jump and skip THROUGH the river.

A conveniently placed rope added to the boarders’ enjoyment and everyone tried their hand at swinging above the water. Surprisingly, no-one took an untimely dip.

Wet, but very happy, the boarders’ devoured ice-creams before setting off for home and warm, dry towels.

Many congratulations to Thomas Shakespeare who has been awarded an academic scholarship to Winchester College. We are extremely proud of his achievement.

Hordle Walhampton has a long association with Winchester College and a number of our boys have been successful in gaining a place at this historic and well-regarded public school.

When asked about his success, Thomas said: “I worked hard for my scholarship and it paid off. I had very good support from my teachers and I’m very pleased about the scholarship. I’ve really enjoyed my time at Hordle Walhampton, in fact, I’m sad to be leaving.”

Thomas took advantage of boarding at HW for his final year as a ‘gentle way’ of introducing him to a boarding lifestyle before going off to senior school. “Boarding was really good fun,” he said, “and I’m now much more confident and looking forward to boarding at Winchester.”

On a hot sunny afternoon Year 2 visited our local St Barbes Museum on a mission to find out about the smugglers which abounded in Lymington many years ago.

They found out some fascinating facts by dressing up as smugglers and completing a quiz. The quiz involved searching for packets hidden away in the scenes from the past. We pooled our knowledge until the quiz was complete.

Did you know that some of the contraband smuggled into Lymington were tea, cocoa, silk, lace, tobacco and wool ?

They discovered ‘Bob the Barbrous’, a rogue and a ruffian who may well have smuggled in goods from France and beyond.

Over the years we have been delighted to welcome a number of Spanish children to Hordle Walhampton. They have all come to improve their English and to experience for themselves something of the English lifestyle. Some have joined us for a term, some for a complete year and some, who intended to stay briefly, have remained with us until it was finally time to move on to a senior school.

To thank all our Spanish parents and families for their support and for entrusting their children to Hordle Walhampton, the school organised a private Reception in Madrid to which we invited past, current and potential pupils and their families. It proved a resounding success.

Over 50 people attended the event which we held in the Library Suite of The Wellington Hotel in the heart of Madrid. Amid lively conversation (with many exclamations to past pupils of "haven’t you grown!") we were able to greet current parents, renew friendships and to meet those who are expressly interested in sending their children to us.

The on-screen presentation, with its overview of life at Hordle Walhampton, was much enjoyed, bringing back memories to many and illustrating to others the facilities and activities the school has to offer. Mr Phillips’ short, but nevertheless sincere, speech of welcome acknowledged the strengths and value the Spanish children bring to Hordle Walhampton: their strong work ethic, their rich culture and their unbounding enthusiasm for life.

Often the easy option is to remain in our ’small corner’ and wait for the world to come to us but by occasionally stepping outside of school and travelling to our parents we return the compliment and build even stronger bridges.

All members of the school community can help prevent infection by:

• Washing hands frequently, especially before and after meals and after going to the lavatory
• Trying not to touch their face with their hands, biting nails, sucking thumbs, etc
• Ensuring they cover their nose and mouth with their hand, or better still a paper handkerchief, when coughing or sneezing
• Disposing of paper handkerchiefs and tissues responsibly and quickly
• Not coming to school if unwell with ‘flu symptons
• Advising School Office (01590 672013 or e-mail office@hordlewalhampton.co.uk) if they, or any member of their household has visited, or is visiting a country where outbreaks of Swine ‘Flu have been reported

Naturally, we hope that these precautions will prevent the predicted pandemic but we will be following the guidelines outlined by the local Health Protection Agency.

Further advice and details of any action the school must take will be featured on this website.

Thank you for your so-operation.

The Front Hall proved the perfect setting for our senior pupils’ Soloists’ Concert on Thursday evening.

Well attended by an appreciative audience of families, friends and staff, our soloists performed a variety of pieces including an ‘Italian Rant’, a ‘Hungarian Stomp’ and a ‘Rumanian Dance.

The concert began with the Brass Ensemble performing ‘Beano’ and concluded with a selection of pieces from our award-winning String Quartet, which interestingly became a quintet for the evening!

“Lots of fun but quite nerve-wracking”, was the general feeling amongst our fabulous soloists.