13 February 2026

Headmaster's Newsletter, Friday 13th February 2026

Dear Parents

As I have written about previously in my end of week letters, reading is a big priority for us this year at Dumpton. Few areas of school life have a bigger impact on pupil’s future success than reading. But there are two problems...

Firstly, learning to read is hard! Children will need plenty of support and practice, especially in those earlier years, to ensure that the act of decoding those tricky letters and sounds can become fluent; it is only when we reach fluency that the true benefits of reading can really be unlocked. It’s a team effort here, with our brilliant Pre-Prep teachers and TAs supporting reading tirelessly here at school, all backed up by dedicated parents managing to squeeze some reading in at home in as often as possible, even after both children and parents have had a busy and tiring day!

If the first problem is an age old one, the second problem we face with reading is more modern. As I spoke about last week, children face far more distractions from reading than they ever have before. In a world with screens, and a society that promotes instant gratification and immediate dopamine hits, the more gradual, the more profound benefits of reading can lose its appeal. It is becoming harder and harder to ensure that children continue to read for pleasure throughout their childhood.

This is why I am so grateful that the Dumpton Friends team, alongside our fantastic Librarian Miss Sophie, have launched the Dumpton Readathon this week. Details were sent home yesterday, and we hope all of you can use it as an opportunity to encourage reading over the half term break. I’d encourage you to read Miss Sophie’s email in full – there's lots of useful information about the Readathon, some great resources, and some lovely opportunities we have lined up as we build towards World Book Day. And it’s a year where we’re ALL dressing up – so do get planning for those costumes!

House Challenge – Mission Possible!
It was a wonderful afternoon, as around 260 children from Y1 to Y8 came together, working in House teams to take on a series of activities and earn points for their house. With missions like ‘Number Punch’, ‘Code Breakers’ and Rhythm Challenge’, there was a bit of a Crystal Maze feel to the occasion! However, this was all about character education – with collaboration, resilience, creativity and courage all required in spades. Equally, events like this are so good for strengthening that ‘sense of belonging’ that comes from feeling connected with your community. The way our Y7 and Y8 pupils took care of the youngest pupils in the school was a joy to behold, and it’s a reminder how special a Prep School environment can be. Thank you to Miss G and Mr Moulton for their energy and enthusiasm, and to all our House Leaders too.

Dumpton Talks Week
A reminder that this happens straight after half term! Do sign up for any talks you are interested in, and I would really encourage you to share this with friends, family or others interested parents – we’re really passionate about starting conversations about parenting, and think it’s so important that as many of us as possible engage with interesting questions about how best to raise our children! https://www.dumpton.com/dumpton-talks

New Outdoor Classroom
Parents will have been just as excited as teachers and pupils have this week to see our new Outdoor Classroom pop up. It promises to be a wonderful setting for children’s outdoor learning sessions, and children from Nursery through to Y8 will benefit hugely from the opportunities it provides. This is just the first phase of some exciting development planned for our outdoor learning areas – there’s even more exciting things to come, as we move our attention to developing our wonderful woodland areas in the coming months.

IAPS Swimming – National Qualifiers
We had around 30 swimmers competing in the IAPS regional qualifiers today – and early reports are that the Dumpton team excelled! Not only did they race brilliantly (fingers crossed for some National Qualifiers!) but the way they supported one another and behaved was everything we’d expect from a Dumpton team. Well done all!

Vacancies – Pre-Prep TA and Director of Digital Strategy
We are recruiting! We’re looking for a fantastic part-time Pre-Prep TA to start this Summer Term. https://www.dumpton.com/Vacancies

Excitingly, the Canford Schools Group are advertising for a Director of Digital Strategy, who will work across both schools and be a big part of shaping Dumpton’s digital strategy for the future. It’s a really exciting appointment, and another tangible benefit of our merger with Canford to be able to benefit from such high level educational expertise in a crucial area like this. https://www.canford.com/job-vacancies

British Science Week is coming: 6 - 15 March
We will be exploring the 2026 theme of taking curiosity to the next level in lessons, through practical and research tasks from the British Science Association. This years' poster competition is open to all pupils at Dumpton and is on the theme of: What makes children’s lives positive? What will a positive childhood look like in the future for children your age?

Pupils will be allocated some of their usual prep time alongside any additional time they wish to spend on posters, and they may work together in groups. Entries to be submitted to Mrs Catton by Friday 27 March (end of term) and a maximum of five entries in total for Dumpton pupils will be submitted.

The Big Plastic Count 9 - 15 March from Mrs Catton
On 24th February myself, and some pupils will be launching The Big Plastic Count at Dumpton, with and an assembly introducing The Big Plastic Count. It will take place across the week in March: 9-15, whereby pupils are encouraged to think about plastic waste, count every piece of plastic packaging they throw away at home, at school and on the go, record it, and submit their data online by 22 March. I've registered the prep school already so no need to register yourself unless you wish to do so. Further details provided in the attached letter.

Smart Watches – From Mrs Shaw
It has come to our attention that some children are wearing smart watches with messaging capability and that children have been able to send and receive messages in school. Please note that these watches are not permitted in line with our mobile device policy. This includes any trips and tournaments.

With best wishes for an enjoyable half term.