Spring Term Newsletter Monday 27th April 2026

Bowbrook Newsletter 2026

National Music Success

I wanted to start this week’s News with a celebration of our talent again. Congratulations to Ole Farmer of Year 7 who won a silver medal at the ‘live Piano Competition’ at the Royall Academy of Music this week! Well done young man!

Success today also for Bronze D of E who walked Bredon Hill and also form the sports department and Year 7, 8 & 9 ‘Sports Leaders’ who took charge of 101 Infant pupils from local first schools.
What a successful week!

All this on the back of 2 National Art winners last week.
A busy, successful week at Bowbrook but …

Sad news indeed on Wednesday when Malvern St James announced they are to close at the end of this academic year. A real blow for the pupils, their families and the staff.

To provide some reassurance, Bowbrook House School remains in a strong and healthy place. Our numbers are robust and have continued to grow steadily—even during the most challenging periods. We successfully rode out the 2008/2009 recession, the disruptions of the COVID years, and the more recent economic pressures around the 2024 ‘recession’. Despite the introduction of VAT on school fees, we have actually seen our enquiries and enrolment rise. Being a small and truly independent school allows us to be agile and responsive, which has helped ensure our continued stability.

Our fees remain competitive, and our model as a non‑selective, nurturing, and genuinely independent school, is distinctive within the sector and unique within our catchment area of the ‘Evesham valley’. This combination of financial prudence and a clear educational ethos has kept the school strong.

Looking ahead, our projected numbers for next year are encouraging, and enquiries are still high. We have another Open Week 5^th – 8^th May too. We will start in September 2026 up on our start numbers from September 2025.

Extending the curriculum

An exciting development to announce: Thanks to a pledge from your Parents’ Committee of £20,000 of funding, we are looking to establish ‘Food technology’ onto the curriculum. To go further than our current Cookery Activity for years 7 & 8 on a Friday we are looking to kit out a Food Tech/Cookery classroom to enhance our curriculum provision.

My thanks to all the serving Parents’ Committee who have committed to this big show piece project. Thanks also to all those who attended Wednesday’s PC AGM. It was a lovely social on a beautiful evening and epitomised much that makes Bowbrook House School a very special community.

Now… In other News

Prep School News

We welcomed new families to our Stay and Play session in Forest School this week and they took home a bean in a pot to grow. Gardening club was busy too this week with our Prep children also planting beans and seeds in their raised beds.

Year 6 led an Assembly on Earth Day, sharing how it was established after an oil spillage in 1970 and has continued and grown annually since then. The children did a quiz on Earth facts and got us all thinking!

Our Stars of the week this week are:

N/R - Penelope - for settling in well
1/2 - Isabelle - for increased independence in Maths
3/4 - Ben - for sharing his facts on the Vikings with the class
5 - Sophie - for a wonderful acrostic poem
6 - Olivia - for writing a fabulous setting description

On Wednesday Year 6 were evacuated to Bewdley, but we did bring them back!

We had a great time on our WW2 trip, learning all about evacuation, visiting an air raid shelter and having a go at rag rugging. We also dropped into Arley train station, which is where part of the film, Goodnight Mister Tom, is set (our class book.) One of the volunteers was there to meet us and opened up the authentic Anderson shelter for us – we timed it so SVR steam train came rolling in! Please do take a look at our day…

Today the children in Years 1 and 2 took part in a KS1 Cricket festival, where over a hundred other children from local schools joined us. The festival was set up by Worcestershire Cricket Foundation and was run by Bowbrook’s Sports leaders in Years 7,8 and 9. Thank you to Mr Swain for organising this fun morning.

With the lovely sunshine this week the children have managed to get outside to do some of their lessons. Year 5 went on a walk around the village as part of their Local History topic. Year 6 did their collaborative Art piece – a Blitz scene – outside in the sunshine today. Do check out our socials for some photos over the weekend.

Tennis club was in full swing today, making the most of this gorgeous weather.

Have a lovely weekend all.

Prep Team

Music News

Congratulations to Ole Farmer in Year 7 who won Silver Medal at the ‘Live Piano Competition’ at the Royal Academy of Music in London last week. Oliver competed at the Angela Burgess Hall and received a Silver Medal and certificate. We are so proud of him; this such an achievement and we are looking forward to his next performance in school.

Congratulations also goes to Mabel Moore in Class J5 who has passed her Grade 1 in Musical Theatre Vocal exam. Well done Mabel! Another superb achievement.

Extra-Curricular

Upper Chamber Choir and Orchestra resume next week; we look forward to seeing everyone there. Upper Chamber Choir is on a Wednesday between 4-5 and Orchestra on a Tuesday between 4-5pm.

Thank you

Mrs Izod

Have a good weekend everyone!