On Thursday, Miss Allen and Miss King went to collect a very special visitor who will be staying with us until Easter – Humphrey the Elephant! Humphrey is a 2ft fibreglass elephant kindly provided by Thames Hospice as part of the Trunks Across the Thames fundraising project that we are proud to be involved in. Over the next half-term, the children will be helping to decorate Humphrey before he returns to Thames Hospice and takes his place on the Art trail around Windsor. As part of our commitment to this project, the children will also continue to raise funds for the hospice, with our next fundraising event being a charity run around the school field organised by Mrs Bishop. For now though Humphrey is happy staying in Mrs Bulls office!

 

 

Our gymnastics squad took to the floor this weekend and delivered what was, without doubt, the best performance we have ever seen from them. Competing in the British Schools Regional South Floor and Vault Competition on Sunday, the children performed elegant floor routines to music and went full steam ahead over the vault — and what a joy they were to watch!

For the very first time, we proudly entered two teams. Our mixed team included William, Eesa, Charlie, Annabelle, Lulu and Anna, while our girls’ team featured Diya, Ava, Paloma and Mary.

Sadly, Paloma was very unwell over the weekend and was unable to compete, which was devastating for the team. She was greatly missed, particularly knowing how much effort she had poured into perfecting her beautiful floor routine. However, out of disappointment came a wonderful moment of sportsmanship. Nova, a gymnast from another school whose team had been withdrawn at the last minute, joined our girls’ team. She was welcomed warmly by our Dair House teams, and it was lovely to see her given the chance to compete after all her hard work.

The floor routines were nothing short of outstanding. Every child performed with elegance, confidence, and precision. Ava delivered the most beautifully danced routine we have ever seen from her, calm, controlled and polished, with perfectly held balances that truly showcased her hard work. Annabelle’s routine was exquisitely presented, with flawless timing and six quality elements that must have left the judges struggling to find deductions. Lulu bravely battled her nerves and came out smiling, producing a beautifully danced routine with spot-on timing, her musical awareness really shone through. Mary had her first appearance on floor dancing to music and what a performance she gave, considering she has been injured for most of the training. Her timing was impeccable, something we had been working on, and her elements have improved so much in such a short amount of time.

Diya was truly sensational, earning the highest floor score for the girls’ team. She covered the floor with confidence and flair, and her moonwalk had the whole room cheering! Anna achieved the highest floor score for the mixed team, delivering an outstanding routine with fabulous dance timing and impressive elements, including a perfectly landed aerial (a cartwheel with no hands!). I don’t think I have ever cheered so loudly.

Our boys were equally impressive. Performing without music can be a daunting task, but William opened strongly, holding his balances beautifully and producing the best bridge we’ve ever seen from him, where did that shoulder flexibility come from! Eesa followed with a well-presented routine full of strength, flexibility and balance (balancing on your head is no easy feat!) Eesa also has the most wonderful bridge which he seems to do with ease! They were an absolute delight to watch.

The vault performances were just as exciting. Mary, our powerhouse, returned from injury with just two weeks of vault practice and produced the fastest, most powerful vaults which even blew the judge away! Diya, who had found vault challenging in training, absolutely nailed both of her vaults — easily her best performances to date. Ava tackled the hardest vault in the girls’ team, a straddle over, and performed it brilliantly, landing cleanly with fantastic control.

William, Charlie, Annabelle and Lulu were outstanding on vault, stretching a long distance onto the vault and lifting beautifully to land strongly on the other side. Anna also performed the straddle over, which demands exceptional flexibility and coordination. Anyone who can sprint full speed at a stack of wooden boxes and glide over them gracefully, toes pointed, head up and landing without a step is truly incredible!

I could not be prouder of both teams. The dedication they have shown, training through half term and Christmas holidays, late Friday nights at a local gymnastics club, and every Monday after school, has been exceptional. Their commitment was rightly recognised with Headteacher Awards presented in assembly on Monday morning.

They should be immensely proud of themselves and feel inspired as we head towards our final competition of the year in July. Watch this space!

Well done, Gym Squad — Dair House School is incredibly proud of you all.

 

This week, Year 5 had a wonderful time visiting the London Science Museum. We began by exploring the space exhibition, where pupils were inspired by key figures in space engineering and travel, particularly influential women in the field. We then learned about the wide range of careers that use science in exciting and diverse ways. 

During the show, there were plenty of loud bangs and fiery demonstrations - so many of us had our fingers firmly in our ears! We finished the day in the Wonder Lab, where everyone enthusiastically took part in a variety of interactive activities and stations.

By the end of the trip, everyone was exhausted but completely inspired by the world of science. It was highly beneficial and rewarding experience, thoroughly enjoyed by both Year 5 pupils and staff. 

       

 

     

 

 

Welcome to the first news story of the Spring Term 2026!

It is heartening to see that the school is already in full swing and that the children have been taking part in so many exciting, creative activities. From the stage to the sports hall, here is a look at what our students have been up to during this whirlwind first week:

 

Year 6 Bring the Highwayman to Life

In English this week the Year 6 acted out their own renditions of The Highwayman, a poem by Alfred Noyes. The short pieces were wonderfully narrated and acted out!

                

 

From History to Reality: Year 5s Recreate Brunel's Best

During this week's "Creative Thinking" Assembly, Year 5, who have been studying the Victorian Industrial Revolution and learning about engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel. They showed off their very impressive bridges.

             

 

Talented Pupils 

We are constantly amazed by the endless range of talents here at Dair House! This week has been particularly special, with a few of our students reaching some incredible new milestones.

Artyn at the FKL World Finals

We are all super proud of Artyn who did incredibly well, finishing 5th out of 25 drivers at the FKL World Finals, He showed outstanding driving, determination and resilience.

 

Anna's Grade 2 RAD ballet exam 

We are all incredibly proud of Anna, who received a Distinction in her Grade 2 RAD ballet exam taken this past December.

The RAD (Royal Academy of Dance) exams are famously rigorous, and achieving the highest bracket is a testament to Anna's hard work, grace, and dedication. 

 

Little Dair Nursery News

It has been a joy to welcome three new faces to our Nursery this week. It is always a proud moment to see how warmly our whole school community embraces new friends, and it’s been wonderful watching our newest pupils dive into all the fun and discovery our Nursery has to offer.