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Dear Parents & Carers
A huge thank you to the Channing Association for putting on such a joyful and vibrant Summer Fair yesterday. It was a truly fantastic afternoon and a wonderful celebration of our school community. The Junior School was absolutely buzzing with excitement. The girls haven’t stopped telling me how much they enjoyed the dancing, the bumper cars, the obstacle course and everything in between! From ‘Sharkey & George’s’ lively dance challenge to ‘The Rubbish Shakespeare Company’s’ brilliant performance, and all the creative activities, games and delicious food in between, every detail was so thoughtfully planned. Thank you to everyone who helped bring the event to life. We are so grateful for the time, energy and creativity you give to make these moments so special for the girls and their families.
Following on from this weekend’s festivities, we are very much looking forward to welcoming you to our Open Classroom Event tomorrow, Tuesday 20 May, from 4.00pm to 5.00pm. This informal event is a special opportunity for you to visit your daughter’s classroom and explore the work she has produced. It promises to be a joyful celebration of learning, with the girls proudly guiding you through their work and sharing their learning journeys with growing confidence. We hope you will enjoy seeing firsthand how your daughter has progressed and hearing her reflect on all that she has achieved. We look forward to seeing you there. See further details below in the Calendar & Events section.
In this week’s Bulletin, Mr Davies (Deputy Head Academic) and I have also shared a deeper insight into our approach to stretch and challenge at the Junior School, and how this is underpinned by our new strategic objectives and Character Education programme.
At the Junior School, stretch and challenge is not reserved for a select few – it is woven into the fabric of everyday classroom life. We believe that every girl deserves access to the most ambitious, thought-provoking content, not as an add-on or reward, but as a fundamental part of her education.
Stretch and challenge go hand-in-hand with our Channing Characters, who model the values that underpin our academic and pastoral ethos. When our pupils show Curiosity Fox’s love of asking questions or Bravery Mole’s readiness to explore the unknown, they are not just learning – they are growing in character.
“Teaching to the Top” reflects our belief that all pupils are capable of grappling with complex ideas when supported and inspired to do so. We design lessons with the expectation that every girl can achieve at a high level – a high level for her. This doesn’t mean simply making things more difficult. Instead, it’s about nurturing deep thinking, valuing intellectual risk-taking and encouraging perseverance. As Perseverance Squirrel reminds us, meaningful learning often involves challenge. Our girls are taught to keep going, even when something feels tricky, and to take pride in effort and the journey as much as the outcome. As we often say: practice makes progress (rather than perfect).
High expectations begin with highly knowledgeable teachers. Our staff bring subject knowledge, teaching expertise and passion into the classroom, which allows them to deliver clear and confident explanations of tricky concepts, break complex content into meaningful, manageable steps, use well-chosen analogies and examples to make abstract ideas relatable and anticipate and address common misconceptions. Pedagogical knowledge is never static. Our teachers collaborate regularly, demonstrating Responsibility Badger’s commitment to professional growth, to ensure they can support all pupils to master ambitious content.
We believe, and have seen, that the girls rise to the expectations we set. By nurturing a classroom culture that promotes challenge, we show every girl that we believe in her. This includes designing rich, ambitious tasks that inspire deep thinking, encouraging the use of precise subject-specific vocabulary, expecting full-sentence responses and thoughtful explanations, and creating space for all pupils to engage with complex ideas. Independence Owl reminds us that taking ownership of one’s learning is empowering. We encourage the girls to think critically, speak confidently and approach complex work with self-belief. And with Respectful Hedgehog guiding classroom relationships, challenge is offered in a safe, supportive and inclusive environment.
At the Junior School, we use questioning as a powerful tool for learning. Our teachers employ techniques such as cold calling to ensure focus and inclusion, think-pair-share and turn-and-talk routines to build confidence and spark dialogue, whole-class response strategies to involve every girl, and scaffolding pupils through a line of thought, even when they’re unsure, to build resilience. When a girl is unsure of an answer, we encourage her to be brave like Bravery Mole and have a go, even if she’s not yet certain. Over time, this builds the mindset of Resilience Robin, where making mistakes is part of growth, not something to avoid.
Stretching pupils doesn’t mean leaving them to embark on the challenge alone. Our approach is rooted in care and high-quality support. This includes clear modelling of what success looks like, pre-teaching key vocabulary and ideas, scaffolds that guide learning then fade as confidence grows, and guided reading and structured discussion to build understanding. With Empathy Rabbit’s approach in mind, we ensure that all girls feel understood, supported and safe as they push themselves. Every pupil is helped to take the next step in her learning with just the right balance of challenge and care.
At the Junior School, stretch and challenge is underpinned by our values of confidence, care and curiosity. We believe that all girls can access challenging content; that challenge should be present in every lesson, every day; that mistakes are an essential part of learning; and that success is defined by effort, growth and perseverance.
Through our Channing Characters, we help every girl to recognise the value of hard work, the importance of believing in herself and the joy of discovering something new. Whether she’s showing Curiosity Fox’s inquisitiveness, Resilience Robin’s bounce-back spirit or Responsibility Badger’s dedication, she is learning to embrace challenge with confidence and care.
With warm wishes
Miss Dina Hamalis
Head of the Junior School
