Month: October 2019

Barely baptised with the waters of rhetoric, and already our pupils had to face – and talk – off against Marlborough House and Holmewood House in a friendly, but nonetheless hotly contested, debating tournament. We sent two teams of two pupils each – team 1 being Mary KB and Tom S;  team 2 Nathan L…

After a very early start on Friday (Mrs Payne and Mr Borrows woke us from the boarding house at 2am!), sixteen Vinehall children made their way to Gatwick airport for a 6am flight to Naples. When we left England it was pouring with rain and then as we flew over the Alps we saw snow…

Dressed in their smart Vinehall tracksuits, Year 3 braved the rain and headed off to the home of Rudyard Kipling this week for a memorable day out.  They explored the grounds, enjoying the wild garden where they spotted chickens, bees, cyclamen and herbs on the way to the water mill.  A quick game of Pooh…

Last Friday saw our annual Halloween roller disco with a slight twist; we held a taster boarding night afterwards. This proved to be an overwhelming success and we were fully booked well in advance. It was wonderful to see 66 children roller blading in the sports hall in Halloween costumes!  Everyone was really well behaved…

Benches in memory of four notable Vines On Saturday 12th October 2019, we welcomed four long established Vinehall families in a celebration of the lives and school memories of four great men.  David Chaplin entertained us all with wonderful tales and fond recollections of times past and the many legacies left by Brian Dollar, Michael…

I was delighted to be invited to the Made By Dyslexia Global Summit this week.  This event brought together some of the world’s most successful dyslexics and influencers to participate in discussions which will inform and shape the future of dyslexia in education and employment. Global celebrities, VIPs and business leaders joined together to participate…

Year 7 spent Tuesday at the Towner Art Gallery in Eastbourne, having a tour of the galleries including Allan Grainger’s photography exhibition, “Downland Gloaming”.  Grainger is a local photographer whose moody shots of the local landscape on the South Downs capture the magical essence of dusk, the time between day and night. The focus of…

It has been a very busy few weeks in the Art Department with the start of new topics and numerous trips.  Half of Year 8 visited The Hastings Contemporary for a tour and a printmaking workshop; the other half had been to the same gallery during the Summer term. Potential art scholars then went to…

We were delighted to be joined by Olympic Gold and Bronze medalist Helen Richardson-Walsh for a few hours on Tuesday afternoon. As part of our friendship with Gray Nicholls, Helen visited the school to meet with the senior girls’ hockey teams down on our astro. An informal chat took place, with our girls sharing their…

The Harvest and Grandparents’ day is traditionally the first whole school celebration of the academic year.  It was wonderful to see so many Grandparents among the congregation and a privilege to be able to celebrate together . The singing filled the sports hall and, although the children are used to singing with plenty of ‘ooph’,…