Week in Pictures
Dear Parents and Pupils,
From the Headmaster’s Study
We are very much in a busy and brilliant phase of the school year, with a wonderful array of events and activities bringing a new energy and purpose to each day. It is a time when the breadth of a Ballard education is on full display, and it has been a real pleasure to see pupils so enthusiastically immersed in all that is on offer.
For our oldest pupils, the final formal assessments have now been completed. Congratulations to all in Year 10 and Year 11 for the commitment and determination they have shown in their preparations. They should feel a real sense of satisfaction in what they have accomplished, and I have no doubt that their efforts will be reflected positively when results are shared.
It was superb to attend the prefect dinner yesterday. Their reflections on their years at Ballard were thoughtful, warm, and deeply appreciative. It was a reminder, once again of the strong sense of community that defines the school.
Sport continues to play a significant role in school life. We are extremely proud of the athletes who travelled to Birmingham earlier this week to compete in the ISA national finals. I have enjoyed watching our swimming galas, even if the weather proved somewhat challengi ng at times, particularly for our Year 5 and 6 families. Meanwhile, our cricket programme continues to flourish: well done to Mr Elliott for guiding our pupils through to the New Milton Cricket Club Cup final earlier this week; I am very much looking forward to our sports days next week, my understanding is that no other school does these events quite like Ballard!
The excitement is building for next week’s variety shows. It has been a delight to catch glimpses of rehearsals, with scenes from Matilda and the unmistakable sound of Where Is My Husband? echoing from Mr P’s classroom.
All of these opportunities highlight something special about life at Ballard. Our pupils are encouraged to involve themselves fully, to challenge themselves, and to grow in confidence within an environment that is supportive and ambitious. It is through this rich and var ied experience that they develop their skills and their character.
As we move towards the final weeks of term, there is still much to look forward to, and I encourage all pupils to continue ma king the most of every opportunity that comes their way.
With best wishes,
Mr Turner Headmaster
Multi -award-winning Sustainability in Action!
For the second year running, we have achieved the Eco -Schools Green Flag with Distinction – the highest honour possible. A huge well done to our pupils, especially our Eco Ambassadors, who led the award entry, and to our staff for their passion, commitment and action in making a real difference.
ISA Athletics – National Success
“Our congratulations go to the 11 Ballard pupils who proudly represented both the school and the ISA London West region at the ISA National Athletics Championships, held at the iconic Alexander Stadium in Birmingham on Monday. This world -class venue, renowned for hosting major international competitions, including the Commonwealth Games and performances from Olympic athletes such as Jessica Ennis -Hill, provided the perfect stage for our pupils to showcase their talent.
Having qualified through the regional round, all 11 Ballard athletes competed with determination and pride against fields of up to 13 competitors, depending on the event. They rose to the occasion superbly and did both Ballard and the London West region immensely proud.
A standout performance came from Isaac A (Year 8), who stormed to victory in the Year 8 Boys’ 80m hurdles, winning in an outstanding time of 13.08 seconds to become National Champion. Sofia R (Year 8) also delivered an excellent performance, securing bronze in the Year 8 and 9 Girls’ discus with a throw of 21.47m, a new school record.
There were many other impressive results across both track and field. Sophie C (Year 7) set the tone early in the day, competing resiliently in the 1500m to finish 8th in a time of 5:46.78. Josh W (Year 6) finished a strong 5th in the 600m (1:50.86), while in the 800m events, Bodhi P (Year 7) placed 9th (2:37.47) and Ivy L (Year 7) finished 8th (2:47.33). Our relay teams also performed brilliantly. The Year 7 Girls’ 4x100m team (Olivia McC, Sophie C, Rosa A, Ivy L) secured 6th place in 59.16 seconds, while the Year 7 Boys’ 4x100m team (Theo B, Cian McC, Will C, Bodhi P) rounded off the day with a fantastic 6th place finish in 57.77 seconds.
Overall, the ISA London West team were crowned National Champions, finishing top among all regions, a tremendous achievement, with our Ballard pupils making a valuable and proud contribution to this success. Well done to all involved on an exceptional day of athletics at a truly inspiring venue. “ Mr Wood (Director of Sport ).
Thriving Minds Trip
Eleven Year 7 and 8 Academic Scholars and Laureates were given the opportunity to take part in a Thriving Minds study day at Holme Grange School in Berkshire, titled The One with Quantum. The day was designed to offer a unique provision for academically gifted students to improve their thinking skills; begin to identify what is fundamental from what is trivial; become intellectually creative; identify assumptions and distinguish between good and poor arguments; and think systematically and rigorously about relevant modern -day issues.
For more details, please click here: UK Intermediates – The One with Quantum – Thriving Minds
“Our Year 7 and 8 Academic Scholars and Laureates recently participated in the Thriving Minds study day, exploring quantum physics and philosophy side by side, from wave -particle duality and Schrödinger's cat to live debates on free will, justice and the ethics of what we eat. Designed to push engaged, curious and ambitious pupils well beyond the usual curriculum, the day challenged them to think more rigorously and creatively, to spot hidden assumptions and to tell the fundamental from the trivial. They rose to it brilliantly. It is exactly the kind of intellectual adventure the Laureate Programme was created to offer.
Everyone was engaged and participated throughout the day. Christopher H, one of our Year 7 Ballard Laureates, stood up in front of the whole assembly, addressing the audience during the Quantum Science and Philosophy Conference. He is pictured below, putting forward his arguments to over 120 other pupils from a range of schools during the ‘Does free will actually exist?’ debate.”
Mr Marker (Head of Science, Pupil Engagement and Most Able Co -ordinator)
WOW!
“On Tuesday, Year 5 had a ‘WOW’ day based on the book The Explorer by Katherine Rundell, which they are currently reading in English lessons. The story is about four children who are in a plane that crashes in the Amazon jungle. Will they survive? And has somebody been there before them?
They all dressed up as characters from the book, Amazon explorers or even jungle animals.
Activities involved making mini rafts and testing them in the stream in the woods, den building, insect tasting, jungle cooking, identifying deadly insects, and designing and following maps around the school grounds.
A great day was had by all !”Mrs Reeve (Lower Prep Teacher)
You may watch our video here.
Tennis Champions
“Congratulations to our U15 Mixed Tennis team, who were crowned New Forest Champions following an outstanding performance at the District Tennis Tournament on Thursday at Totton and Eling Tennis Club. The team secured impressive victories against Noadswood , Hounsdown , Applemore and Ringwood, demonstrating excellent skill and teamwork throughout the afternoon in treacherous conditions. A special mention goes to Joseph R and Jasmine R, who remained undefeated across all their matches, showcasing exceptional consistency and composure. Alice D and Reuben S also played a vital role in the team’s success, winning nearly all of their games and contributing crucial points. A fantastic achievement for all involved. Well done to the entire team!” Mr Wood (Director of Sport)
STEM @ Ballard
Year 2 Science
Mr Marker, Head of Science, and Mrs Taylor visited Year 2 to celebrate the fantastic science work completed this year. Pupils proudly shared their books and confidently explained their learning, demonstrating excellent understanding. Well done, Year 2.
Year 4 Survey Their Habitat #1
“Habitat survey work for Year 4. We went to investigate the organisms on the woodland trail. We used lots of different equipment, including pooters, metre rules, quadrats and nets. We also set up a pitfall trap. The children found lots of exciting invertebrates and sucked up a few, to much excitement in the pooters! They now need to analyse their results to compare them to other habitats over the next few weeks.”
Mrs Greaves (Prep School Science Teacher)
Year 4 Survey Their Habitat #2
“Habitat survey work for Year 4. We braved the heavy showers and went to investigate the organisms on the woodland trail. We used lots of different equipment, including pooters, metre rules, quadrats and nets. We also set up a pitfall trap. The children found lots of exciting invertebrates and sucked up a few, too much excitement in the pooters! The rain then stopped our investigation.”
Mrs Greaves
DT Shopfronts
Year 6 were busy painting their shop fronts.
World Cup Winners
With over 40 entries in the DT World Cup shirt and logo design competition, we have our winners. Congratulations to Rose R (Year 2) and Alex L -B (Year 7), whose designs stood out for creativity, originality and flair.
Well done, Rose and Alex.
Arts @ Ballard
The Mighty Duo – Summer Concert Series Review
“The Mighty Duo, a talented piano and flute partnership formed by two Ballard music scholars in Year 8, Daniel B and Isaac J, have brought real joy to the local community this summer through a series of Monday afternoon concerts in nearby care homes. Their final concert of the season, held today at Engleburn Care Home in New Milton, was a fitting conclusion to an inspiring initiative. Thank you to Sue Cowell for all her work liaising and booking venues, and to Natalie and her drivers Neil Fox and Jack Paul Jackson.
… Both performers, already working at Grade 8 level, demonstrated remarkable musical maturity, sensitivity and technical assurance throughout. The programme was delivered with confidence and flair, but what stood out most was their professionalism, warmth and genuine engagement with the residents.
This initiative reflects not only their considerable musical ability but also their generosity of spirit and commitment to giving back to the wider community. It is no surprise that they have been warmly invited to return next term. A superb achievement from two outstanding young musicians.”
Mr Pragnell (Head of Music)
“My activities team and residents have not stopped talking about how amazing your two students were yesterday.They were very talented and the residents loved hearing them play. They were still talking about it this morning. Thank you so much, and could you please thank the boys from the residents at Engleburn .”
Tracey (Director of Engleburn )
Year 3 Mixed Media Owl Project
“Year 3 have just finished a mixed media owl project. They have learnt how to draw from secondary sources, thinking about size, shape and proportions, as well as using a mixed media moon and stencilling their chosen backgrounds. I think they look ‘twit -twoo-tastic’!”
Miss Jackson (Art Teacher)
Reception Clay Bees
“The Reception children have become very excited about our bee topic and have shared their enthusiasm with their parents. We have learnt about bees and can name and identify the head, thorax and abdomen, made clay bees using different joining techniques, drawn bees and written a caption for the drawings. Next week, when the weather is better, we will be visiting the Ballard bee hives with Jack, our Ballard apiarist, who will tell us all about our bees and hopefully show us the queen bee.” Mrs Edwards (Pre Prep Teacher)
Sport @ Ballard
Year 5 & 6 Cricket
Ballard sent a team of cricketers from Years 5 and 6 to the inaugural New Milton Cricket Club Kwik Cricket competition. As one of seven teams, Ballard played six matches, winning five and losing one. This put us into the final, where we faced a strong St Katherine's team that pipped us to the trophy. The boys were excellent, demonstrating the PE PRIDE values they have developed during their time in Lower Prep. Thank you to New Milton CC for hosting; we are already looking forward to next year’s tournament. Congratulations to: James D, Teddy D, Tommy G, Jasper L, Sterling M , Oran P, Austin S and Luke T.
Team of the Week
Life @ Ballard
Podcast News
The first edition of the ‘Ballard Blast’ is now available on Spotify here.
Year 1 and 2 Beach School
“Year 1 and 2 had a great time at the beach today. There was a shell shop, some beach sculpture building, enormous hole digging, wave jumping (obviously), and we even found a dogfish! We had a welcome ice pop on our return to school.” Mrs Bellion (Pre Prep Teacher)
Year 2 – 3 Transition
Today, the Year 2 pupils visited Lower Prep. They met some of the Lower Prep teachers and spent time with current Year 3 pupils, asking them questions and learning all about Lower Prep life ahead of their moving up day next Friday.
Miss Hiscock delivered a fantastic hands-on history lesson, where the children created their own Roman roads using layers of sweets to represent the different materials. The activity brought learning to life, helping the children understand how Roman roads were carefully constructed, while also sparking creativity and enjoyment. A memorable and engaging way to explore history.
Year 3 Build Roman Roads
Eco @ Ballard
