Today Year 2 were kept busy at Holdenby House! We jumped back in time to learn about life in the Victorian Era. The children completed many servant tasks with Mrs Bumbridge leading the way. She was impressed with their cleaning, their manners and their outfits! 🎩

Magic was in the air on Thursday when the Pre-Prep children enjoyed their Outdoor Learning Day. From potion making, wand construction and hat fittings, to Quidditch, rainbow-cupcakes and a golden egg hunt, the children had a fabulous time. We did pop inside for a few minutes to see some real magic in the science lab, so thank you to Mrs Pointer for adding an extra 'wow' to our day! ✨

In the past couple of weeks it's been wonderful to invite parents for LAMDA and music showcases. These low key events are a relaxed opportunity for our younger children to perform for their peers and parents. A great chance to build confidence and have a round of applause for their hard work and courage.👏👏

It has been truly wonderful seeing the children really enjoying our wonderful grounds in the dry sunny weather. They are up trees, looking for frogs in the lake, on the zip wire, riding bikes, playing tennis and, of course, practising in the nets. 🌞🌞🌞

This year’s House Croquet competition was as hotly contested as ever in the warm sunshine. The Beech Brothers must have been practising! They came out on top with Ash second and Oak just a shot behind them. Pine were a bit slow out of the blocks but finished strongly. Thank you to Mr Jenkinson and Miss Leadbetter for such a fun house event! 🌞

The final Maidwell Hall Show Jumping took place recently at Moulton College and was thoroughly enjoyed by all. There is no doubt that the event finished on a high....with 80 entries from 10 different schools. Our wonderful sponsors ensured that each child went home with a very generous goodie bag and the rosettes and sashes were beautiful. @science_supplements_uk @godfrey_payton A huge thank you to the wonderful Maidwell parent team who work hard every year to make it such a great event. What a team! - Science Supplements are the UK's multi-award winning research based equine and canine supplement brand. With a range of products developed to help with joints, digestion, respiratory and general health and wellbeing. www.sciencesupplements.co.uk - Evoke are one of the UK's leading safety brand for riding hats and jockey skulls. Designed and tested in the UK to multiple safety standards, carrying the British Kitemark of excellence. www.evoke-group.com - Godfrey Payton are Chartered Surveyors & Registered Valuers. Managing rural estates across the Midlands, Warwick, Coventry and Market Harborough. www.godfrey-payton.co.uk

Year One enjoyed some very special visitors last week. They learnt about nocturnal birds of prey and all children were brave enough for the birds to fly to them. They loved routing through the owl pellets and we were lucky enough to see the Tawny Owl regurgitate one in front of us! Incredible and revolting! 🦉

Minibeast Madness erupted in Reception class on Friday when Chris and Jenny from Animal Encounters brought along their creepy critters. African land snails, millipedes, hissing cockroaches and even a tarantula visited the children during the afternoon…we all had a terrifically tickly time! 🕷️🐌🐞🐛

The Maidwell Hall girls had a fantastic time taking part in the rugby festival at Market Harborough Rugby Club last weekend. They more than held their own on the pitch, showing great skill, spirit, and determination. It was a brilliant day of sport played in the sunshine, and the girls loved every moment of the experience. Well done to everyone involved! @harrietcroftph #MaidwellHall #RugbyFestival #GirlsInRugby #TeamSpiritDay

Last week we had the wonderful opportunity to see the Prep School come together to put on a stunning show of Mary Poppins JR. It was a very proud moment for our whole school community and our parents. Congratulations to every single one of our pupils, including those back stage, and a huge thank you to the staff who worked so hard to make it all possible. We hope that all our pupils, parents and staff have a very relaxing and well deserved holiday. #maidwellhall #maidwellcommunity

🏉 What an incredible afternoon of rugby 7s we had last weekend! 🌟 15 amazing teams joined us at Maidwell to battle it out, showcasing their skills and sportsmanship. Here are the results: 🏆 Cup Winners: Bromsgrove, who triumphed over Warwick in a nail-biting final! 🥈 Trophy Winners: NSB, who edged out Maidwell in a thrilling match! 🥉 Plate Winners: Oundle, securing the win in style. 🏅 Bowl Winners: Old Swinford Hospital, taking home the bowl with pride. A huge thank you to all the referees for keeping the games fair and fun, the teams, supporters and, most of all the players, for making it such a great day of sport. #maidwellhall #maidwellcommunity

Form II (Year 7) had a fantastic time at The National Civil War Centre earlier this month. They learnt about the wars fought, dressed up and were horrified to hear about the amputations .....particularly noticing the rather blunt instruments used! #maidwellhall #maidwellcommunity

Are you wearing your Red Nose today? 🔴

Calling all Old Maidwellians! Mrs Guard is putting together some Maidwell Memories and would love to hear from you. Do you have some images or anecdotes you could share? If so, please do get in touch with her: contact@maidwellhall.co.uk

Forms V and VI enjoyed the sunshine in the forest this week. They used lots of natural items to make spring wreaths to hang up at home 🌸

⚔️ Reception had a wonderful time learning about the medieval history of Rockingham Castle; arrow loops, thick walls and crenellations were all explored! 🏹

Our U13 7s Rugby team made it through, as runners up, to the Saints 7s Series Finals Day, which takes place at Franklin Gardens in April. Well done! There were some fantastic performances about the day. 👏#maidwellhall #maidwellcommunity

Year 1 have been learning about different types of weather and the symbols associated with them. They planned and performed their own weather forecasts, and moved on to depict their favourite types of weather in felt; felt making is a timely process involving water, soap and lots of elbow grease!

Last week the children had great fun playing Convoy, which is a game unique to Maidwell Hall. The rules can be a little complicated, but the children are all experts! It's always played in a large field behind the school, it is a brilliant team game that involves a lot of running around and mud. Given that it's based on World War II convoys that protected allied merchant shipping from U Boat attack, it's a great way to give the pupils lots of fresh air...and teach them some history into the bargain. #maidwellhall #maidwellcommunity

Where does chocolate come from? After a trip to Cadbury World, Year 2 know the answer! They followed it's journey right from the coco beans growing in hot countries to the bars that end up in our supermarkets. They went on a tour of the factory, enjoyed a magic bean ride, a tasting experience and their famous 4D chocolate adventure! 🍫

Let’s hope the sun is still shining on Friday 21st March for the Maidwell Chase cross country. Here’s a quick glimpse at one of the routes runners will be tackling.

📖 Our children thoroughly embraced World Book Day by dressing in creative costumes, following a Where's Wally trail in Forest School, swapping books and sharing favourite stories etc. They had a great time! 💙

The spring sunshine smiled down on our happy pancake racers and their vociferous supporters; Oak got battered, Beech were as flat as a..., Pine came flippin’ close, but Ash were our pan-tastic winners! 🥞

Thank you to @leicester_grammar for hosting a great netball festival earlier this week and congratulations to our U13A girls' netball team who won the Shield competition. Well done girls!! 👏👏 #maidwellhall #maidwellcommunity

🏆Congratulations to our Cross Country teams who have returned recently from brilliant events at @sprattonhall and @swanbournehouseschool with quite the clutch of silverware. It's always pretty muddy at this time of year and all the children showed real determination and team spirit. 🏆

From fire building to performing on our homemade stage, we always find something fun to do in Forest School! The children have enjoyed making bird feeders, cork people and leaf charms. They baked scrummy bread and loved jumping on the zipline during one of our woodland walks! 🌳🪵🌿

🐴The Maidwell Hall Show Jumping Competition is back for one final time on Sunday 27th April at Moulton College. 🐴 🏵There will be goodie bags for every competitor and rosettes to 6th place. 🏵A fun and friendly event with classes 40cm-80cm. 🏵For entries and schedule please go to www.horse-events.co.uk/horse-events/maidwell-hall-show-jumping/ Thank you to our brilliant sponsors Science Supplements and Godfrey Payton @science_supplements_uk @godfrey_payton

A huge congratulations to our Equestrian Team who have gone from strength to strength this season, culminating in being place 2nd in the Bloxham Eventer Challenge Series in two classes; both the 65cm and 80cm. A special mention to one of our Year 8 pupils who finished 6th individually in the 80cm league. The next steps are further NSEA competitions with the aim of qualifying for the NSEA Championships at Hickstead. Good luck team! #maidwellcommunity

In honour of Valentine's Day, the children came to school wearing mufti and red accessories so that they could raise money for the British Heart Foundation ❤️

Earlier this week our Form VI (Year 3) had a great time visiting The Northampton Museum where they learnt about Geology and loved the opportunity to handle fossils from millions of years ago. They also took the opportunity to visit the museum's internationally recognised shoe collection, learning about the evolution of footwear around the world, and also why the shoe making industry was so important to Northamptonshire.

🥈Thank you @swanbournehouseschool for hosting a fun and competitive Swimming Gala at the beginning of this week. It was the first competitive swimming competition for many of our junior swimmers and skill and sportsmanship saw them come away with a very commendable 2nd place. 👏Our second photo shows one of our talented Form III (Yr 6) swimmers who won four bronze medals at the Northamptonshire County Championships over the last month. What an achievement! #maidwellcommunity

We've had some fierce interhouse competitions over the last few days, seeing the children trying their best in: shooting, hockey and netball. As our parents know, there's nothing that brings out the competitive spirit more than some interhouse rivalry! This year’s sharp shooters hit the high standards we have come to expect with Pine emerging victorious, Oak a close second with Beech (3rd) and Ash (4th) only separated by the last shot. Ash was very strong in the Junior part of the school, winning both the hockey and the netball. Beech were victorious in the in senior hockey with pine proving the best in senior netball. Well done to all our children who showed great determination and team spirit. As always, thank you to all our wonderful parents who braved the cold to cheer loudly. #maidwellcommunity

✨Hogwarts came to Maidwell last weekend; complete with chocolate frogs, golden snitches and flying candles. With our stone turrets and woodland, there have been many comparisons with Hogwarts in the past and now the children have truly seen it come to life. Thank you to our brilliant house parents and kitchen staff who made the magic happen. ✨ #maidwellcommunity

🌲 Year 1 had great fun learning about survival at Fermyn Woods, where they built a shelter of sticks and found moss to make a bed. They also made fire, followed deer tracks and learnt about poisonous plants! It was very cold, but the children weren't fazed and were warmed by a lovely hot chocolate at the cafe! 🪵

What a positive and fun start to the week we had on Monday! We welcomed Inspire Works, who hosted a Taiko drumming workshop for Forms VI - III. All pupils learnt about the history of this traditional Japanese art form and, most excitingly, worked together to perform a Taiko drumming piece. #maidwellcommunity

One of the big house events this term is the House Debating which this year tackled two hot topics: 'social media does more harm than good' as well as 'AI is having a negative impact on education'. Well done to all those who stepped up to the podium to represent their houses, an experience which will stand them in good stead. Pine successfully argued that social media does cause harm and Beech managed to convince us that AI is having a negative impact on education. #maidwellcommunity

We hold regular LAMDA and Music Showcases throughout the year, which is a great opportunity for our children to perform in front of an audience. Last week, parents and pupils very much enjoyed listening to twelve musicians, including members of our Brass Ensemble. It was a very happy evening and gave the performers a chance to showcase new music they've been working hard on. Well done! #maidwellcommunity

🌊 As part of their ‘Storms and Shipwrecks’ topic, Year 1 have designed, built, decorated and evaluated their own fabulous treehouses for a desert island 🌴

Last week Form V (Year 4) experienced what it was like being a code breaker in World War II when they visited @bletchleyparkuk. They had a lot of fun dressing up as all the different professions who made up the staff at Bletchley during WWII. They got to grips with deciphering different types of codes, with the exciting reward of being able to touch a genuine German enigma machine, captured by the British during the war. #maidwellcommunity

Our annual parents v leavers football match is always a lot of fun and more than a little competitive! A very close game, the leavers clinched a 3-2 victory and afterwards everyone enjoyed a large tea by the fire. #maidwellcommunity

As part of their 'Turrets and Tiaras' topic, Reception have had a rip-roaring time making dragons using paper plates and oil pastels 🐉🏰

Our full boarding trip this week took us zip lining at Coombe Abbey; a beautiful 12th Century historic hotel in Warwickshire. The children found that that climbing and swinging their way through the woodland was the best way to best the January blues! #maidwellcommunity

Our House Monopoly match is always ruthless and Tuesday night saw Pine emerge from the wreckage of the negotiating table with wodges of wonga as this year’s Monopoly Moguls! Beech were still in the endgame with Oak scrabbling around to pay off the bills. Poor old Ash were left begging on the Old Kent Road! #maidwellcommunity

Year 2 have had a marvellous time getting messy, making papier mâché globes. They are proud of their creations and can now name the 7 continents and 5 oceans of the world! 🌍

A delicious Christmas lunch eaten in style!🌲☃️🎅

🎄Pre-Prep thoroughly enjoyed a festive trip to Welford Christmas Tree Farm, where they fed reindeer, searched for elf homes, ate tasty treats and bought baubles!🎄

It's that wonderful time of year again - Pre-Prep's Nativity time! The children were super and we are very proud of what they achieved ✨

He's behind you!! It was great fun to welcome the panto to Maidwell earlier this week. LOL touring theatre company put on a brilliant production of Beauty and the Beast....which caused much laughter and Christmas cheer. #maidwellhall #maidwellcommunity

Well done girls! 🥇👏 What a great way to end the term and thank you to @beachboroughprep for another great Cross Country event. #maidwellhall #maidwellcommunity

🎅🏽 Last weekend we welcomed nearly 200 parents and their children to Maidwell for a magical woodland walk to visit Father Christmas. On arrival, our visitors were met by elves and guided down a twinkly winding path through the woods to discover Father Christmas. Afterwards, everyone warmed up with mince pies before doing lots of Christmas crafts in the library. It was a very happy and magical afternoon. #maidwellhall #maidwellcommunity

It's been wonderful to see the pupils really embracing Cross Country season this term. 🏃‍♂️At the end of last week the Prep School took part in House Cross Country. The additional face paint and missing out the infamous Coleman’s field due to flooding seemed to spur them all on. Beech had a successful morning, winning both the senior and junior races with Oak clinching the win for the Midis. #maidwellhall #maidwellcommunity

Last Week Forms I and II visited The Royal & Derngate for a murder mystery farce based on the popular board game: Cluedo 2. Everyone enjoyed guessing ‘whodunnit’ and we were entertained by a spectacularly high body count! This week we we are looking froward to the pantomime as well as our Pre-Prep's annual nativity play. #maidwellhall #maidwellcommunity

🌲Free choice is a key component of what makes Forest School so special, and this term the children have spent a few sessions choosing what they wanted to do. Some children decided to use the tools, while others opted to make mud pies and build dens, and of course, they were all keen to make something tasty on the fire!🌲

The tree is up and looking wonderful! We have our Forms V & VI to thank for that, as they did a fantastic job decorating yesterday. There's no doubt that our beautiful and historic school looks particularly magical at Christmas. #maidwellhall #maidwellcommunity

This year Maidwell fielded an A and a B team of Form III brainboxes for the annual On the Buzzer competition at Uppingham School @uppinghamschool . The B’s came within a single answer of winning the Plate Competition. Meanwhile, the A team performed most creditably amongst a super strong field, eventually going out in the semi-finals. All the children displayed some impressive knowledge. The Heads of History and Classics were both proud and relieved to hear such correct answers as ‘Dunkirk, ‘Heracles’ and ‘the Great Fire of London ‘! Thanks to the Maidwell parents for a great turnout and to our hosts for another fantastic event. #maidwellhall #maidwellcommunity

Pre-Prep were really excited to welcome their parents into School for the first Parent Work Share session of the year; the children were proud to show all that they have been learning.

🎶Our inaugural 'Musician of the Year' competition was held last week, kindly adjudicated by Matt Sandy, Head of Vocals at Rugby School. We had six finalists and two 'rising stars'. The children performed brilliantly in front of their parents, families and friends. Than you to Molly Lawes, Head of Music, for all her hard work. 🎶 #maidwellcommunity #maidwellhall

Last Saturday began with the inter-house hockey and rugby championships, it was truly great to see Forms VI - I (Yr 3-8) fully embracing the inter house rivalry as Ash, Pine, Oak & Beech competed fiercely for their houses in some nail-biting games. Having warmed up with tea by the fire, our families and pupils enjoyed this year's Poetry Competition which saw pupils produce impressive poems based around the theme 'Animal Kingdom'. Thank you to this year's adjudicator, Nafeesa Abdul-Karim, Head of English at Uppingham and Maidwell's Head of English Tamsin Guard for organising such a highlight of our school calendar. Pictured are some the winners and runners-up from each year group, who each read their poems in front of a large audience. 👏👏👏

🍕 Year 2 took a trip to Pizza Express and spent the whole time smiling! The children learnt what is needed to make pizza dough and carefully followed instructions to create the tastiest lunchtime treat!

Last week our Form III's had an amazing trip to The Royal Academy of Arts for a private showcase of the Michael Craig-Martin exhibition. The lucky children took part in a workshop to create their own art in the style of the artist using nothing but coloured tape! They have been studying him in their art lessons, so it really bought it to life for them. #maidwellhall #maidwellcommunity