Parish of Mickleham - St Michael's C of E (A) First School

St Michael's is a Church of England Voluntary Aided First School taking children aged 4-8 and has about 60 pupils, both boys and girls. There are very strong links with the village nursery. Please click here for the school website

St Michael’s C of E (A) First School
July is a time of mixed emotions at school. It is the end of the academic year and so a time when we celebrate success, but it is also when we say goodbye to old friends.

The children in our Reception class have not only come to the end of their first year at school but also to the end of the Foundation Stage of Learning which they began officially when they were three years old. They will receive their first written school report which will reflect their achievements in the Foundation Stage across the six areas of learning that make up the Early Years Curriculum. Looking back to the beginning of the year it is amazing just how well they have settled into school and applied themselves wholeheartedly to the learning experience.

The teachers throughout the school assess the children’s learning all the time by watching what they do, listening to what they say and marking what they write. The children all have targets, so they too keep track of the improvements in their learning. Therefore there is plenty to share with Year 1 parents too.

The children in Year 2 have reached the end of the stage of education called Key Stage 1. Their achievements will also be reported to parents along with their Key Stage 1 SATs results. For 7-year-olds these Standard Assessment tasks are predominantly determined by the teacher’s assessment of what the children can do in English, mathematics and science. This impression is then confirmed by a series of standardised activity booklets completed by 7-year-olds across the whole country. At St Michael’s we call these ‘puzzle pages’. The children think they are great fun and are largely unaware that this is an assessment process. We take a similar approach with Year 3 assessments.

July is also the time when we say goodbye to our Year 3 children. We hold a special assembly on the last day of term where they share their special memories of their time at school with us and their parents. We say goodbye to them with pride, knowing that they are independent and confident youngsters ready to approach the next stage of their education in their new schools.
Anne Hossack

As I look out of my window it is a bright, warm and sunny day and so it seems appropriate to be writing a piece about the forthcoming term. Sometimes the label summer term can appear a misnomer but here’s hoping that in 2008 it will live up to its name. The children are already sporting their summer uniform – blue checked dresses for the girls and grey shorts for the boys. Now is the time to revisit our sun safety policy with reminders to all about applying sun cream, drinking plenty of water and finding the shade as much as possible. This can be quite a challenge on our school site but we use gazebos and umbrellas to great effect and of course we give all the children a sun hat.

This term’s themes are varied and the staff have used them creatively to link all the aspects of our curriculum to plan an exciting term. The youngest children in the Reception class are having a ball with a host of ‘ugly bugs’. Visitors to the classroom have included ants, worms, tadpoles, water snails, caterpillars, and the children can often be spotted with magnifiers and bug pots looking to add to their knowledge and understanding of the world around them. Year 1 is travelling over the rainbow. Their learning journey will include an exploration of colour as a tool for an artist but also its reflection in literature and music and of course the natural world. Years 2 and 3 have built a castle in the classroom and will be linking their work on history, design technology and so much more. I am rather enthusiastic about their proposed outing to Hever Castle having spent some of my spring holiday relaxing in the sun reading about Anne Boleyn.

The first of our summer term special themed weeks for the whole school will be International week at the end of June. Stories and music from around the world will be the focus. We aim to add a Japanese flavour this time, helped by Dr Yuasa from Box Hill School’s music department and by Mrs Sudo a parent also from Box Hill School, who both visit us regularly. We hope to sing a Japanese song at ‘The Big Sing’ where all the local primary schools meet to share music from around the world. This international dimension will be reflected in our summer term concert in July.

This is just a flavour of the many and varied activities of the school. We love visitors (not just of the ‘ugly bug’ variety) so give us a ring if you would like to see the school in action. Of course you are most welcome to join our church assemblies at 9.10 a.m. on 9th June or 14th July, or perhaps you may like to watch the sports day from 1.30 p.m. on 22nd July. Anne Hossack

I am writing this article at the end of a very busy term. Time seems to have flown past and we have all found the change of routine with Easter before the end of term quite an interesting feature. It was great to be able to focus wholeheartedly on the Easter story. Our year 2 and 3 children had a wonderful workshop experience at Guildford Cathedral and Year 3 took the lead in a moving service in church on Maundy Thursday, where they retold the story of Easter in their own words.

A highlight among our other activities was Arts Week during which we were visited by two artists, one of whom works in watercolour and the other on mosaics. It was quite a magical experience watching the watercolourist create movement in her representation of Koi carp and our outside wall now sports an impressive mosaic on the theme of friendship, created by the children during the week. We also mounted an exhibition of our artwork which was very well received by parents and friends and which virtually sold out.

The term culminated with a Science Week. Each afternoon a different class invited their parents into school to find the answers to some intriguing questions.
Investigating ice - What is it made from? How does it become water? How do you know when it is melting? Which melts first – ice in hot or cold water?
Wet and dry - Which materials are waterproof, and which dry quickly?
Floating and sinking - Which objects float and which sink, do they always float or sink or can you make a sinking object float?
The magic of magnets - How do you know if something is magnetic? Can you make an object move without touching it?
Forces - What makes a tricycle move? How can you make a toy car go faster? Does a ramp help?
Outside - How many animal homes can you find? Are there any signs of spring? How many birds can you see/hear? How long is your shadow, does it change?

Great fun and a lot of intriguing discussion was had by all. The week and term culminated with an assembly led by the school’s Eco Committee on the theme of creating a sustainable future. The children’s message to their parents in the audience was powerful – it is our world and it is up to us to ensure that it is preserved.
Anne Hossack

By the time you read this Mothers’ Day will be long gone. We will have had the excitement of the workshop organised by Angela Ireland and Magdalen Deakins, and the service in church, but for the children of St Michael’s School the whole celebration began much earlier. We had a special afternoon assembly for our mummies and most of the words in their presentations were written by the children themselves in the preceding week. I think such appreciation of the special people in our lives cannot be repeated too often, so here is what the children at school think about their mothers.

The children in our Reception class (ages 4 and 5) were inspired by the tune to You are my Sunshine and sang:

I love you mummy,
My dearest mummy,
You make me happy,
When I am sad.
I want to tell you,
I really love you,
When I’m with you I am so glad.

Year 1 (ages 5 and 6) showed their appreciation of all that their mums do for them by acting the words of a poem about mums. They illustrated the many things that mummy does, from waking them in the morning, preparing a healthy lunch, washing and ironing their clothes, to waiting at the school gate at the end of the day.

Year 2 (ages 6 and 7) used their newly-learned skills at creating similes to pose the following riddle:

Who is as clever as Mrs Hossack?
Who smells like the best cream in the world?
Who is more beautiful than a butterfly?
Who is as pretty as a flower?
Who is as comfy as an armchair?
Who is as colourful as a rainbow?
Who is as super as Superman?
Who is faster than Sonic the Hedgehog?
Who is lovely?
Whose cuddles are as warm as a fire?
Who is as sparkly as a diamond?
Who is funnier than a clown?
Who is as tough as a wrestler?
Who bakes mouth watering cakes?
Who do I love the best?
Why of course it’s mummy!

Year 3 (ages 7 and 8) made us all smile when they explored the whole idea of responsibility in the following dialogues.
Remembering
Did your mum remember your Box Hill clothes?
No she left them on the kitchen table.
Did your mum remember your homework?
No she left it on the coffee table.
Did your mum remember your library book?
No she hasn’t finished reading it yet.
Did your mum remember to learn your three times tables?
No, but she did learn her 2s, 5s and 10s
Mums, they’re not very good at remembering are they?

But she does cook me my meals,
And she does read me a story before bed.
She does help me to tidy my bedroom,
And she cleans my shoes.
She does cook me my meals,
And she helps me to make delicious cup cakes.
When I’m stuck on my homework she always helps me,
And she always picks me up when I’m down.
And she always remembers to love me.

Add in songs called Supermum, and My Mum’s One in a Million, and a present of a paper flower that the children had made, with a very special photograph of themselves at its centre and there were not many dry eyes in the audience. The mums all shared tea and cake provided by the Friends of the school before going home. What a lovely afternoon. Anne Hossack

St Michael’s CofE (A) First School
Every school develops a whole host of policies that outline its work. One of these is the Learning and Teaching policy, which identifies the principles that underpin the core purpose of the school. One of the statements within our teaching and learning policy is as follows:

We believe in the role our school can play as a community resource and the benefits we can derive from those around us.

Just what does this mean in practice? Once I started to think about how we benefit from our local community the list just grew and grew and I am convinced that this benefit is mutual.

We value our relationship with St Michael’s Church, the PCC and with David Ireland enormously. David’s weekly assemblies always have his own special touch. It is comforting to know that support is always there and that the children’s contributions to services and activities are welcomed. The workshops for Harvest, Christingle, Mothering Sunday and Father’s Day have become a highlight and it is wonderful to host them and to see parents and other members of the community working together with the children on their very special creations.

Our relationship with Box Hill School is also valued. The loan of the staging every Christmas makes such a difference to our Christmas production but the support goes further than that. Singing at school is really benefitting from the weekly visits from Dr Yuasa, Head of Music at Box Hill School. The children look forward to seeing her for their special singing sessions – such a joy to learn new songs accompanied by a piano rather than a CD!

We are helped in many ways by local businesses. Every Friday afternoon we are joined by two volunteers from Kuoni who read with individual children. The same two people have joined us at this time for the last five years and are welcomed enthusiastically by the children with whom they are going to read. Last year as part of a team building project a team of volunteers from Friends Provident spent an afternoon at school creating a sensory garden. They followed this recently with a donation as part of their anniversary celebrations.

At Christmas we were given a sum of money by Waitrose which we were able to spend on items for the children’s party, and of course we collect Sainsbury and Tesco vouchers. Many of you I am sure have seen our walking bus wending its way to school on Wednesday mornings. This is only possible because Rykas allow parents and staff to park in their car park just for the duration of the walk. Pepe from Frascati supports all our productions (and the staff always enjoy his gift of Pannetone at Christmas.)

Our link with The National Trust is longstanding and prized highly by our Year 3 Guardians. Their monthly trips to meet with Andy on Box Hill are greeted with enthusiasm and we are now learning how to use a weather station that has been installed by the Trust in the school grounds.

We are currently developing a link with High Ashurst Activities Centre, and one of the staff has begun to visit to help with the weekly after school club for Year 3. She also has lots of ideas to help with the development of the gardening club.

The school is a member of the Dorking Partnership of schools and this means that we work together to support the needs of particular children and on training for the staff. We are often visited by pupils from the Secondary schools and are always pleased to welcome them for their periods of work experience or to share in news of their adventures or trips abroad. Our Year 3 pupils are due to take part in an orienteering competition at the beginning of March but this is only possible because pupils from Year 3 at St Martin’s School are willing to make up the team number for us.

Those who provide local services regularly visit the school to talk about their roles and how the children can keep safe and healthy. We have talks and workshops provided by the community police officer, fire safety officer, school nurse, dental services. Topics are varied and have included the importance of cleaning your teeth, washing your hands, sun safety, what to do if a fire breaks out.

All of these relationships are highly prized and make a huge difference to the range of provision that we as a very small school can make. However we also value enormously the friendship offered by individuals within our community. We are making excellent use of the extra outside space provided by Geoff Knight, our parents and governors of course are very supportive with their time and enthusiasm but there is always room for more help. For example, Mrs Sudo joins us each week to read or play games with the children - could you do this? Maybe you have a particular skill or interest that you would like to share e.g. the children loved it when Jack Richardson came to talk about his experiences as a pilot.
Just contact us on 01372 373717 we would love to see you.
Anne Hossack

St Michael’s CofE (A) First School
One of the emerging themes in the current world of education is that of the Global Dimension. Our world is changing rapidly and television, the internet, international sport and increased opportunities for travel all bring the wider world into everyone’s daily life. UK society today is enhanced by peoples, cultures, languages, religions, art, technologies, music and literature originating in many different parts of the world. The gap between rich and poor is widening, poverty denies millions around the world their basic rights. Education in the Global Dimension is vital to help our young people deal with the challenges they will meet now and in the future. We aim to encourage children to care about the planet and develop empathy with and active concern for those with whom they share it.

Our approach at St Michael’s School is to incorporate global themes into our work in a way that is relevant and accessible to the children. The topics that we study make such links natural e.g. last term Year 1 explored the theme ‘journeys’ which was made more real by parents who originate from beyond the UK coming into school to share their experiences of life in India, South Africa etc., We plan specific weeks to explore contrasting countries and cultures which in the past year have included Tanzania, China and India. We try to incorporate a time of celebration, for example Divali.

We are ever mindful of issues of the sustainability of the world’s resources and this has been the key theme of the work of our eco committee. The committee is made up of elected representatives from each class in the school. Years 2 and 3, whose topic last term of the Rainforest meant many such issues were explored, are leading the school in finding ways to reduce our energy consumption.

Comparing our own lives with those of children living in other parts of the world featured highly last term in a very real way, bringing the inequalities inherent in the allocation of the world’s resources to the fore. We were visited by Hannah Piggott after her summer experience as a volunteer in a Joan’s Grace Home in Southern India. She shared many photographs and memories of her time there and the children were very taken with the idea of supporting one particular little girl. Martina is eight and like many in the home is from a low caste. Without the work of the organisation she would not be able to attend school. The cost for her to live in the home and to attend school is £150 a year. She is doing very well at school, passing all her exams and is able to visit her family twice a year. We were keen to make it possible for her to stay at school in order to realise her ambition of becoming an engineer and therefore have undertaken to provide the £150 each year for the next eight years.

In order to raise this year’s contribution we made it the focus of our Advent fundraising. The children were asked to do odd jobs at home in exchange for pocket money and to bring the money into school. They were spectacular and earned £108 in this way. We were able to supplement this from the retiring collection at our Christmas play which raised £92 and from the proceeds of the Friends’ raffle which raised £235. Altogether during Advent we managed to achieve the total of £435 and therefore are assured that at least for the next three years we will be able to ‘send Martina to school’.

As we embark on 2008 and plan for the new term, news of the disaster in Kenya reaches us. I know there will be many opportunities to take our global themes further.
Anne Hossack

St Michael’s C of E (A) First School It is impossible to forget that Christmas is coming. In fact it seems to come earlier every year. Coloured lights decorate many town centres and shops, alongside a huge array of potential gifts wrapping and cards. At school Christmas most certainly dominates our activities. We will decorate the rooms and a tree; we will have a celebration meal, make cards and gifts, have parties, some of us are going to a pantomime, we will all have treats from a visitor wearing red and much more.

Like many schools we will be continuing the tradition of putting on a Nativity play. The word nativity means birth, and in this country the tradition of acting out the stories of the birth of Jesus goes back to the Mystery Plays of Mediaeval times. Usually the two stories from Matthew and Luke are merged together. Today there is an incredible array of commercially produced versions to use with children, all of which tell the story from the point of view of one of the protagonists in the action. In some it is all too easy to stray quite a distance from recreating the scene of Jesus’ birth in the stable.

St Francis of Assisi is said to have created the first Nativity performance in Italy in the thirteenth century. It was a means to convey the story to those unable to read it in the bible for themselves and who did not understand services in Latin. St Francis wanted not only to tell the story of the first Christmas but to show people what it must have been like on that night in Bethlehem when Jesus was born, so he set up a nativity scene. He got hold of some live animals, a manger and some hay. Then he asked people from his village to take the parts of Mary and Joseph and the Shepherds.

Conveying a simple story in a lively way, that the children enjoy and will remember lies at the heart of what we try to achieve. Of course that is not necessarily as easy as it sounds and I am aware of how hard the staff are going to be working in the next few weeks to write and practise dialogue and action, teach songs, create costumes, scenery and props, make programmes, organise tickets and so on. Through it all however we know that we are part of helping the children to understand what underlies all the Christmas hype and at the same time creating with them a very special memory to share with their family and friends. If you would like to join us please ring the school to see if there are tickets available for the performances on Thursday 13th or Friday 14th December at 2pm.

As well as our production at school the youngest members of our Reception class will be presenting a simple tableau at our end of term service in church at 1.30pm on Wednesday 19th December. We would love to see you there.

Best wishes from all at St Michael’s School for a Very Happy Christmas.
Anne Hossack

St Michael’s C of E (A) First School An Open Day at the school on Saturday 6th October was the third and final part of our Centenary celebrations. The idea was to make the school available to anyone who would like to look around and to reflect the last 100 years of education in this particular building. To that effect one of our parents Clare Moran, masterminded a superb decade by decade display of key events in the life of the school. There were extracts from the logs, material from the parish archive and memories and photographs from the many past pupils with whom Clare had made contact. Mrs Long and Mrs Kempthorne had created a very authentic looking replica of an Edwardian school room which contrasted with our colourful classrooms full of examples of children’s work reflecting the lively and exciting curriculum of today.

We were visited by a huge number of past pupils who had attended the school from the 1920s onwards. Penny Mitchell, another parent had spent much time doggedly tracking them down. Old friends were reunited and what they saw sparked further memories and great excitement. Our first visitor went straight to the decade that reflected her time at the school and was delighted to find herself in a photograph of when she had won a swimming competition. Others found references to themselves or family members in the old punishment book, recording such awful crimes as ‘removing ice from pond and putting down younger boy’s neck’ which warranted ‘one stroke, posterior’.

The admissions registers were also available and several guests turned detective, trying to find the exact date of their admission to the school.

The happy atmosphere and time to sit and reminisce was enhanced by the opportunity to sit outside under the new early years canopy for a cup of tea and piece of cake. Many of our visitors took the opportunity to walk to the village hall for lunch, just as they had in their time at school. It was a much shorter walk that many remembered and they all enjoyed the lunch of shepherds pie and apple crumble enormously. All these refreshments were provided and served by parents of current pupils.

What struck me very forcibly on the day was the fact that people had such fond memories of their time as a child in the building. Many remarked that even though the building had changed a bit the school had retained the ‘feeling’ that they remembered from childhood. Our responsibility today is to ensure that we ‘create’ these happy memories for the children now in our care.

We have come to the end of a period of looking to and celebrating the past successes and traditions of Mickleham and then St Michael’s School. The Fun Day of the Summer, the very moving Centenary Service and finally the Open Day in school have been the result of considerable planning and hard work from an amazing group of parents and staff, no matter what is asked of them they find a way to make it happen. Our events have all been so wonderfully supported by our governors and this local community.
THANK YOU. Anne Hossack

BAG2SCHOOL Monday 3rd December: Please fill black bin bags with any unwanted clothes, shoes, soft toys, towels, bedding, belts, handbags etc. and bring your bags to the village hall car park on the above date before 10a.m.

St Michael’s C of E (A) First School Writing this article at the beginning of September is an interesting challenge, just what is there to write about? You might think that not a lot happens in school during August when the children, and in theory the staff are all on holiday. Of course that is not strictly true.

During the summer break this year two key things happened to the building. Firstly we had a new security alarm fitted, a necessary evil in the modern world I am afraid. Secondly we had an all-weather canopy erected in our early years outside area. This will mean that the children will be able to play outside, rain or shine, and Miss Fox our Reception class teacher is already making very good use of the opportunities it provides.

The staff spent much time at school organising and sorting the resources in their classrooms and of course planning for what I am sure will prove to be another exciting year in the history of St Michael’s School. Our work is stimulated by topic titles, from which we generate a range of themed activities that incorporate all areas of the curriculum. Topics this term encompass ‘Me Me Me’ in Year R, ‘Journeys’ in Year 1 and ‘Rainforests’ in Years 2 and 3.

As the term begins our Year 3 pupils have begun their work as school monitors and are sporting their badges with pride. They are responding to the challenge of their new responsibilities with pride. They have already joined the Year 3 pupils from the other First Schools in our cluster of schools on a team building adventure course.

The children in Year 2 are working very hard in this very important year which of course culminates in the statutory assessment by the teachers of their achievements in Maths, English and Science known as the SATs. We are confident that they will do very well.

Year 1 have made the move from the Foundation Stage with ease. They are enjoying working in their new classroom and making very good use of their role play area, taking the toy bus for amazing journeys.

It is hard to believe that the children in the Reception class have only just joined us. They are busy, happy and making the most of everything the environment both inside and outside offers.

All is in place then for the academic year 2007 - 2008 to be one of challenge and adventure!.
Anne Hossack

St Michael’s School 1907—2007
Centenary Open Day
Saturday October 6th 10.30 a.m. to 2.30 p.m. at the school
All welcome

St Michael’s School’s Centenary Celebrations
Thursday 19th July marked a milestone, being the 100th Anniversary of St Michael’s School, in its current location. There had been a school, in Mickleham since 1843, but in 1905 an acre of land was acquired at a cost of £250, to accommodate the new premises. We all wish we could buy a few acres of land at those prices today.

I arrived at school at about 1pm to meet Alan Piper (who attended the school between 1929 -1933) and witness him plant a commemorative ornamental Acer alongside the path in the grounds. Alan had extensive memories of the school, as his father was headteacher, from 1920-33. Anne Hossack had worked tirelessly searching the old school records and read several extracts to the children, who enthusiastically offered symbolic reasons for the planting of a tree.

The press was in attendance to record the moment, which made me wish I had worn slightly smarter clothes! From the school we moved to a packed church for the celebration service. It started with a musical interlude provided by past pupils of the school, accompanied by Tracy Kennington. Matthew Shelley played the piano, followed by Jessica Lowes on the flute, Claire Fellowes-Freeman on violin and Susie Wood on clarinet. Georgina and Clare Kennington finished the interlude with solo performances singing and playing the violin. The depth of talent on show was truly inspiring, providing an excellent example of how education and the instilling of confidence allows people to excel in any field.

The Bishop of Guildford welcomed us in our celebration of the laying of the foundation stone. He stressed the importance of foundations and the role they play in our lives. They form the bedrock of not only of our personality and character, but they bind and link our communities. This could not have been more evident, than in the cross section of those in attendance. The past pupils extended back to 1929, but were augmented by those who have supported and contributed to the ongoing success and viability of the school.

We were then entertained by the St Michael’s Campanologists. I ignorantly assumed that we were to witness either a demonstration in erecting tents or cross dressing, but was pleasantly surprised to hear an excellent rendition of Happy Birthday played on the bells.

The Hilliard family – who have supported the school, not only in supplying a seemingly endless number of children (five daughters) – but in the constant need to fundraise, provided their thoughts on how the school was involved in the past, present and future of their family.

The finale to the service was a world premiere of the St Michael’s School Song, written by pupils at the school, set to music by John Batt and enthusiastically performed by the whole school.

We retired to The Rectory garden for tea and cakes. The children had baked 100 little cakes which were arranged to form a big 100 and everyone sang Happy Birthday to the school before the children blew out the 100 candles. I have to admit that as chairman of the Health & Safety committee I was a little uneasy over the fire risk ... but everything ended up OK.

Watching the kids running in the garden and the adults reminiscing over their memories and experiences of the school left me with a warm glow and a hope the next 100 years will provide as many happy memories and relationships as the last. Andrew (Mac) McNaughton

St Michael’s School Mickleham 1907—2007: Centenary Open Day October 6th 10.30 a.m. to 2.30 p.m. at the school. All welcome

St Michael’s School
Anyone visiting school on a sunny Friday in early July could be forgiven for thinking that they had stepped back in time. The playground was full of children – not unusual you might say, playing with hoops and skipping ropes, again not uncommon, however everyone was wearing Edwardian costume. The classrooms had been set out in formal style with rows of tables and blackboards at the front and a very severe headmistress rang the bell for the beginning of our Edwardian Day.

The whole school community embraced the theme with imagination and enthusiasm. Lessons were traditional and reflected research into what a day at the school 100 years ago would have been like. In handwriting practise, the younger children used chalk, the older ones pen and ink, and tried to copy an Edwardian style alphabet with all its flourishes and then to produce their own name in this style. The ink managed to find itself in all sorts of unusual places! P E was approached by the whole school together (which of course 100 years ago would have been one class – the infants) and consisted of a drill session in the playground. Scripture consisted of reciting the Lord’s Prayer, mathematics included reciting the tables and so on.

Discipline was strict – Mrs Long’s enthusiastic rapping of the cane on a desk made everyone jump and broke the cane! Manners – always a strong feature of life at our school – extended to standing up to greet any visitor who entered the classroom. The children in Year 1 decided that an Edwardian classroom must have had far fewer visitors than we do, as they were up and down like yo-yos all day!

The school assembled in the hall for the daily act of worship which was attended by the Rev’d David Ireland, also dressed in formal attire. I can still hear his very deep, firm and unusually formal tones announcing ‘let us pray’. Mrs Siberry represented the governors (in Edwardian terms the Board of Managers) and visited every classroom to inspect progress in lessons. We were pleased to note that she pronounced herself ‘extremely satisfied’. We all had a wonderful day, though this head teacher found the strain of strict formality very difficult to maintain for a whole day! We did identify many similarities between a day in 1907 and a day in 2007. Basic principles are basic principles, however staff and children alike prefer the more modern approach – small classes, supporting adults, a varied and creative curriculum.

If you would like to see the modern school in action we are open to visitors on 26th September a great opportunity especially for prospective parents to see us at work and play.

May I also recommend our Centenary Open Day on Saturday 6th October to everyone, when you will be able to look around our building and grounds. There will be displays of the records, work and photographs that are part of the school’s history. Anne Hossack

St Michael’s School
A very caring and friendly school where each child is made to feel special. Ofsted 2006
OPEN DAY Wednesday 26th September
Come and see our small and successful school in action
Open times
9.30 – 11 a.m. (Headteacher’s talk 9.45) Assembly 10.15 a.m.
1.30 – 2.30 p.m. (Headteacher’s talk 1.45)

from the July/Aug 2007 Parish magazine
St Michael’s School Centenary Special
As St Michael’s School starts the celebrations of the centenary of the present school buildings, we include articles about the history of school and its accommodation, views from Anne Hossack, headteacher, Jenny Hudlass, former headteacher; and memories from a range of former pupils. The photographs illustrate development of the building over the years and the variety of activities in which the pupils are involved.

If any other former pupils are inspired to write about their memories of their days at St Michael’s, do send them as they can be included in the magazine later in this centenary year.

The buildings
The first school in Mickleham was opened in 1843 between Byttom Hill and what is now the A24. The building survives as two private houses: ‘The Old School House’ and ‘The Old School Cottage’. Ronnie Shepherd in his book Micklam: the Story of a Parish records that ‘The school was paid for and erected, together with a master’s house, by public subscription.’

The old school was deemed inadequate in the early 1900s by the County Education Authority and the foundation stone of the new school was laid by the Bishop of Dorking on 26th July 1907. The land on which the school was to be built was acquired for the sum of £250 by the Rector and Churchwardens of the Parish of Mickleham on 29th September 1905. The land was to be held on the same trusts as the original school under the Grant of 30th May 1843, namely, that a school should be erected on the land ‘for the education of Poor Children of the Parish of Mickleham according to the established usage of the Church of England’

A newspaper cutting, dated 26th July 1907, includes the following: Up-to-date in every way the new schools (sic) will be commodious, well lighted and well ventilated… Accommodation will be provided for 120 children, 84 mixed and 36 infants… Ample accommodation is allowed for cloak rooms and separate entrances will be provided for the senior and junior scholars. Electric light is to be installed and hot water will heat the buildings, which will be surmounted by an ornamental turret for the purposes of ventilation. The floors will be of block wood and the whole site is to be enclosed with an unclimbable iron fence. The photograph above shows how the new school looked when it was opened in 1908. School Lane was constructed at the same time.

In about 1964 the ‘Mobile’, the temporary wooden classroom was put up to cater for the increase in numbers. I have a drawing showing a second mobile classroom but those with the longest memories think that this was not built. At this time the original building (which consisted of the three central gables of the present five gables) plus the outside toilet block was largely unaltered. It is difficult to imagine how up to 140 pupils aged from 5 to 14 plus the staff managed to operate as a school in the small space available. The children walked across the Rec to the village hall where in 1954 the County had built the kitchen to cook the school lunches. The children used the Rec for games.

At some point an office was added where the main toilets for the children are now. It measured just 2.8m by 3.2m and was the only office space for the Head Teacher, the secretary and the school admin officer. In 1995 a new office for the Head Teacher, another for the secretary and admin officer and a lobby were added. At the same time the old office was converted to toilets. This addition is inside the left hand gable as viewed from the playground in the photograph below.

In 2000 the right hand gable was added with additional space for the reception class, toilets for the youngest children and for the first time, a staff room. We were told that a staff room was unnecessary for this size of school but the governors and parents went ahead and raised the £45,000 to complete the work. An Early Years/Reception Class outdoor play area was added at the same time. As a result of this project the very small hall was extended to its present size.
Since then we have converted the outside toilets to storage and put a toilet into the mobile classroom. The next project is to add two 4m by 4m canopies in the Early Years/Reception class playground so that it can be used in all weathers.
Ben Tatham
Chairman of Governors

The staff
At this time of celebration for the school I am very aware that my tenure has been short in relation to its history and comes at the end of a line of head teachers who have all been part of change in the nature of the school and even challenges to its very survival. It has given me cause to reflect on just how I have reached this stage in my professional career.

When I became a teacher I was idealistic and convinced that I could make a difference to the lives of the young people with whom I worked. I taught history and economics, substantially to ‘A’ level classes, in a large boys’ comprehensive school in Hounslow. One of my proudest memories of that time is when I was invited to a celebratory meal at university by a former student. Each student had invited a ‘formative influence’ to the meal. It was quite a challenge to be the only female guest, but the gentlemen allowed me to stay at table when the port was passed. I would never have imagined then that I would now be the head of a small village First school in Surrey. What a contrast in age (the children’s and mine), area and location!

My arrival at St Michael’s School was via a very long spell at Redland’s School (now St John’s) in Dorking, quite a different catchment area and a much larger institution. During my time there the school changed from First to Infant to Primary, and I progressed from class teacher to Key Stage Manager. It was here that I learned so much about young children, how they learn and how to support that process. I was and am still fascinated by the rapid acquisition of knowledge and skills by 4- to 8- year olds and before it was fashionable, as it is now, was a staunch advocate of learning through play. Play is such an exciting vehicle through which children are stimulated to investigate, explore, develop creativity and make sense of the world around them.

The invitation, in 2003, to become head teacher at St Michael’s was unexpected but I am so very grateful that it was made and that I had the courage to accept. My own learning journey over the past nearly four years has been immense. Academic achievements have been the passing of the NPQH (National Professional Qualification for Headship) and completing the New Visions Course. However my own professional development has encompassed so much more.

There has been much for the school to celebrate in the last 4 years. Changes to the use of the buildings: the introduction of a mobile non-fiction library; the development of an environmental area; the installation of a trim trail; and the introduction of new technologies have all enhanced its facilities. The successful Ofsted and Diocesan Inspections were testimony to the dedication of staff, parents and governors to the education of our young children. They are all willing to embrace the changes to the curriculum that are constantly with us and develop them to meet the needs of our pupils. It is not surprising that the school’s capacity to improve was earmarked as a key strength.

I am proud to lead such a team, to be part of a school that embraces change but recognises the importance of its heritage.I retain the conviction that I do make a difference to the lives of the children I encounter. I hope that the affection for the school that shines through in many of the messages that we are receiving as the centenary approaches will continue in the memories of those children still to experience the special magic of St Michael’s First School.
Anne Hossack

My Years at St Michael’s
I had first become acquainted with Mickleham and its school in 1984 when I was offered a part-time job, teaching alongside the then head Gwyneth Anderson. Gwyneth was a great advocate for children’s education and I spent a happy year as her teaching partner. Gwyneth had great visions for education, and when she decided to retire in the summer of 1985, she worked hard convincing me that I should ‘fill her headship shoes’. The rest became Mickleham history with a headship spanning 18 years.

I was fortunate, in a sense, to have worked at the school the previous year - this had given me not only a wonderful introduction into the general running of the school under Gwyn’s direction, but had allowed me the opportunity to become acquainted with Mickleham and its community.

I inherited low pupil numbers; in 1985 there were 30 children in the school. Such budget restraints meant that I had to be a three-day class teacher as well as headteacher. Juggling a headship and teaching a lively class was an interesting challenge for any ‘new girl on the block’!

In 1986 Surrey County Council launched a schools’ ‘Energy Conservation Project’. Schools were encouraged to conserve energy and show a saving on their fuel expenditure as well as to present a project to the County showing how this was to be done. Pupils who were attending St Michael’s at that time may well remember our campaign with the hot air goblin and drippy tap goblin. Every time we found outside doors left open or taps left dripping a cardboard goblin was bluetacked onto the offending door or tap. It did not take too long for the children to remember that we did not want to lose all that hot air and water. This campaign certainly paid off, and our efforts were rewarded when we won the first prize - our very own minibus. The red Sherpa van was a familiar sight around the area for over 13 years.

With the school located in an area of outstanding natural beauty we took every opportunity to use our environment as an integral part of the school curriculum. Over the years we worked closely with Juniper Hall Field Study Centre and the National Trust.

In 1992 the Surrey Education Committee decided to reorganise the structure of schools throughout Surrey, bringing them in line with other counties. Surrey had continued to hang on to its first and middle schools whilst other authorities had long since changed to infant and junior schools. The reorganisation was called The Age of Transfer and it meant just that. Surrey wanted to have a clean sweep by reorganising its schools, which meant some would face closure. St Michael’s was given three options to debate:
• Remain a first school - no change
• Become annexed to St Paul’s School, Dorking
• Close

Schools were invited to submit their preference and supporting arguments in time for a meeting at County Hall, Kingston. We knew, along with all the other small schools that we would have a fight on our hands, and so the St Michael’s Action Group was formed and a lengthy highly-professional document was produced setting out why we should continue as a first school in the village of Mickleham. A crowd of supporters accompanied us to County Hall with Hands off St Michael’s banners and the stressful day began. The Diocese had always used us as a flagship school and we were not going quietly. Thankfully we won the day and much celebrating occurred that day and night in and around the village. Our future had been secured; we would be celebrating our centenary after all!

I will always feel extremely privileged to have been part of the continuing development of St Michael’s School over this period. I have been fortunate to work with some truly professional people, and some remarkable pupils whom I have had the good fortune to see bloom and grow into fantastic young people.
Jenny Hudlass
Headteacher 1985-2003

The pupils - recollections of the thirties and forties
I was born in Essex and, soon after my mother passed away, went to live with my grandmother in Kent. In 1935 my father married Edith Collins who was a member of the family that, for many years, ran the Upper Farm complex (tea gardens (now Smith and Western), petrol station, camping/caravan site swimming pool etc.) on Box Hill.

At this point I should mention that three of the Collins children (Gladys, Edith and Percy) also attended Mickleham School (their elder brother George attended Headley) and did the daily journey from the top of Box Hill on foot. Following my father’s remarriage I moved into Red Gable, Box Hill Road, a house my father built, in November 1935.

I started at Mickleham School in 1937. At that time the staff comprised Miss Strudwick, who took the bottom class, Miss Clarke, who took the middle class, and Mr Johnson who was Headmaster and took the top class. Miss Strudwick had the classroom at the Leatherhead end, Miss Clarke that at the Dorking end and Mr Johnson the one in the middle.

The daily journey from Box Hill was done by coach, provided by Dorking Coaches who were located in Junction Road, Dorking. I remember Miss Strudwick as a wonderful teacher who really smoothed the way into life at school. I have pleasant memories of my time in her class. My main recollection of Miss Clarke is her manner of reprimanding errant pupils: a sharp rap with a wooden ruler over the back of the hand. Indeed, the phrase ‘Clarkey’s bust another ruler’ went round the school from time to time.

Mr Johnson I remember as a kindly man who, for some obscure reason, always insisted on calling me ‘Dick’ although my name is Bernard. I remember visiting him some years after I left the school, he opened the door and I said to him ‘Do you remember me?’ ‘I’ll never forget Dick Burbidge’ was his reply I still wonder to this day why he would never forget me: was it for the right or wrong reason? During Mr Johnson’s time pupils in the top class each had a small ‘allotment’ (at the top of the grounds on the right as you look at the school). He gave gardening lessons and we were allowed to take home any produce we grew.

In those days each pupil was entitled to a free 1/3 pint bottle of milk each day (an entitlement that was stopped by Mrs Thatcher many years later). No school lunches were provided and we each took a packed meal. I still remember to this day how once my satchel was left against a hot pipe which rendered my meal inedible: but I was forced to eat it. At the top left of the grounds we had two swings, which provided a lot of fun during breaks and lunch times. In cold weather hoar frost would form on the railings above the playground and, when it snowed, we made slides across the playground.

I was made to wear Wellington boots during snowy weather and, much to my annoyance, they did not go as well as ordinary shoes on the slides. During cold weather we had an open fire in Miss Strudwick’s classroom. I remember we had regular visits from a nurse who inspected everybody’s head, presumably for lice or nits.

1939 saw the beginning of the Second World War and brought some significant changes to the school. The most notable was the arrival of a class of evacuees from London’s East End. That area of London was a major target for German bombers and the children were evacuated to a safer area. They brought with them their master, a Mr Maybe.

The hall was used as the fourth classroom. To limit damage from flying glass in the event of a nearby explosion every pane of glass in the school had a paper X stuck to it from corner to corner. Mr Maybe also organised the construction of an air raid shelter. The work was done by the pupils and it was located to the left of the playground, as you look at the front of the building. Hot lunches were also provided in the village hall so we had a daily walk to eat at lunchtime. Mr Maybe also insisted on playing draughts against pupils during the lunch hour with the winner being allowed to administer one stroke of the cane to the loser. Mr Maybe usually won, but I remember well the day that he lost and suffered the fate he had so often administered to others.

In 1940 I was awarded the Samuel Woods prize (does it still exist?) This was awarded for ‘Regular Attendance, Good Conduct and General Progress’. The prize was a book entitled ‘At Home In The Fields’ by R. Melville Nicholas. I still have it although, unfortunately, it suffered water damage when my house was flooded in 1968.

My time at the school finished in 1942 when I won a scholarship to the then Dorking County School, now part of the Ashcombe School. At that time my parents were adjudged sufficiently well off to have to pay tuition fees, which were, I believe, 4 guineas (£4.20) per term.
Bernard Burbidge

At the school from 1937 to 42
As with most children of the time, I entered Miss Strudwick’s infant class at the age of five. ‘Mixed Infants’ had to queue outside the staff room entrance to the school. The staff room, as far as we were concerned was the ‘nit nurses’ room!

Miss Strudwick was a perfect reception teacher. She helped everyone to have a sense of self worth and importance. I remember her as a cheerful, yet calm person full of encouragement for each child’s achievements. Round the classroom walls were large individual pictures of the alphabet. A picture of an apple was of course the first one with a large lower case ‘a’. This was followed by the whole spelling of ‘apple’. Although technically, we learnt by rote with our daily chants of (a says a for apple) I am sure osmosis had a part to play. For myself I felt challenged to learn all the pronunciation and sounds before my peers.

We did not have assembly every day; but the scripture lesson began our learning day. I loved the stories; but how I hated the difficult task of trying to draw the story on my slate! Somebody taught me a short-cut: birds. grass and sun and then later, clouds. People and sheep defeated me - and just how could you draw a man in bed on a sloping roof?

When we could write and do number with ease we were promoted to paper and pencil. This was a wonderful challenge to accept, and spurred us on to achieve this goal before a required birthday.

Raffia work I remember as just a tangle of slithery colours and knitting a mustard-coloured square was the least enjoyable thing I could imagine. Oh, how many dropped stitches and tangles! Our school milk bottles had wide tops with waxed cardboard lids. We pressed the centre to reveal a hole for the straw. Later, the lids were collected and washed to be reused for making bobbles or pom poms. This, I believe, was everyone’s favourite craft exercise.

Personally my two favourite lessons were singing, and the Friday afternoon story. The part I enjoyed with learning to read was finishing a book and then standing beside Miss Strudwick and reading it to her before I was given another.

All too soon, the move up to the juniors came. For the first few weeks the junior class was headed by a teacher who has left no memory of her name whatever. Then came our permanent teacher Miss Clarke. She was a very stern but fair-minded person. With our PT bands worn in ‘Sam Brown’ fashion, we started to learn the value and loyalties of teamwork.

History and geography were added to our curriculum, helped by the World Map, which seemed to take up the space of one wall. We were quite impressed with all the pink countries belonging to the British Empire. In her class we improved the speed and logistics of thinking with daily chants of ‘times tables’ and mental arithmetic. Both of these were very difficult for me; but I have blessed that discipline all my life.

Also in the juniors, learning italic letters took many hours of intense practice. When we were neat enough we progressed to using ink. A senior ink monitor filled up all the desk wells each week. The promotion to ink however was not without its pain. It took a long, long time to write without blots! Smudges too, took over as though they had their own life.

Moving up to the junior class meant that we were now summoned in from play by the school bell high on the roof. With the commencement of the war, this bell was put out of commission and replaced by a hand-held bell. We queued up at the door facing ‘Batchelor’s Yard’ named for a local builder who lived there. On one occasion, Mr Johnson the headmaster, was talking to us about the origins of place names and came up with the theory that in days to come there would be a street of houses there with that name. I enjoyed the times when we were kept waiting in the queue as it gave us time to look at the house martins nesting there.

On the grass beside Batchelors Yard were some lime trees, and I seem to remember sitting under them during the war having story lessons. This involved someone starting and continuing a story until another child was pointed at to continue - much better than the soulless compositions!

As we entered the junior class we took part in the school assemblies. Once a week the vicar took the assembly. Standing in the hall gave us time to notice the pictures and the ‘on roll’ board. There were two prints I especially remember: ‘Boyhood of Raleigh’ by Millais, and ‘And when did you last see your father?’ by Yeames. I am not sure when it dawned on me that the pictures encapsulated the subjects history and geography. There were also two photographs. One was of Boxhill School in Australia, and the other of a 1926 production of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. Childhood memory often plays one false, so I apologise if the year and play are wrong. The best thing that took up school assembly time was looking at the ‘on roll’ board. I loved it when ‘on roll’ tallied with ‘present’.

For annual concerts Mr Johnson’s screen was drawn back for the hall to become the stage. Another use for the hall was for the dinner-time sandwiches. As I was about to leave the school during the war we saw kitchen and eating utensils being delivered. Another delivery I looked forward to was the termly arrival of the library book box. It was a privilege, not a right, to borrow one.

With the war came changes. When the evacuees came from Peckham School and Dulwich Central, we shared half days with them. One week we went to school in the morning, the next in the afternoon. During these days we had a certain amount of homework - mainly sums and English I think. For a very short time at the beginning of the war we had two German refugee boys attending. They stayed with Miss Corbet-Hue at Pinehurst. One of them was called Wolfgang Darlabrook. That is how we pronounced it anyway.

After a while Dulwlch Central disappeared and we were left with the younger children and their teacher Mr. Maybe. Mr. Maybe breathed excitement and enthusiasm into his teaching. He had the upper juniors, now in Miss Strudwick’s class. Miss Strudwick moved to Mr. Johnson’s class, while he took classes in the hall. While the boys dug for victory, or whatever they did, the girls knitted various comforts for soldiers and airmen. Knitting socks and turning heels was something we could do with ease, and knitting gloves with separate fingers!

At the beginning of the war we were instructed to bring barley sugar sticks to school, to be held there for the duration, or until such time as an air raid forced us to stay over night. On one occasion I remember we had to keep our coats and gloves on in class it was so cold.
Pauline Strauss, née Abercrombie

At the school from 1936 to 42
The Journey to School
Gladys Collins (who died in 1995) was born at Bullen Wood, High Ashurst. Her father was killed in the First World War and for many years her mother managed the Tea Rooms at Upper Boxhill Farm. [now Smith and Western]. Gladys attended Mickleham School from about 1917 to 1925 when she left at the age of 14. Her niece Maureen sent extracts from the journal which Gladys wrote. Not surprisingly the journey - on foot - to school from such a distance was an important part of her memories:

When we transferred to Mickleham School, we walked down to Warren Farm, if fine, scrambling up White Hill, over the Downs, dropping down by William IV pub, just above the school. If wet we had to keep to Headley Lane, to Juniper Hall, London Road to the Church, then across the recreation field.

… We thought Mr Elliott was feeding a ferret in an unused pigsty, what joy when we discovered a tiny puppy and christened him Victor. My brother painted ‘Vic’ in red paint on the sty door, we kids just took him over and in no time at all he was one of the family in the little cottage. Several times he followed us to school, he enjoyed it so. Even dear Mr Piper, the schoolmaster then, brought him a bone after lunch. He was quite content to stay in the lobby with our coats.

One morning he caught up with us at Juniper Hall. After that he had to be kept in until we were safely at school. We tried every route to school according to the weather - that never kept us at home. [When we went up] the Slopes we aimed to be on the Whites when Burford House clock struck four. It was a minute or two faster than Dorking church clock.

Sometimes we used Military Road or zigzag, slipway and through woods to Upper Farm, the Tower and Pinehurst Drive, often seeing the white Rolls Royce belonging to Miss Corbet Hue [who lived at Pinehurst], Happy Valley and even Ashurst Valley and over White Hill. When it snowed my brother pulled me on a sledge to the top of the Slopes, then got on it too for a wonderful trip down. Here we had the Westhumble and Pixham Lane children waiting to join in, always late for school in those days. We left our sledge at the lodge [now St Jude’s Lodge] at Bencombe [now Glenrose] until we came home and then, what fun, if it was moonlight, it was nothing for us to get home at 8 o’clock, no thought of tea and Mother knew where we were.

Another pupil who lived at Box Hill was Peggy Livingstone, née Killick, born in 1924. By the time she attended St Michael’s there was a school bus:

…the school bus that would take me through the winding lanes picking up the other little children on the way. In those days there were no buses running on the hill and very few people owned a car so this was a special treat and the drivers Mr Holman and Jack became our friends.

Looking at the modern day photographs of my primary school I find it hard to believe it is the same place. Perhaps we always have a jaundiced view of our early school days or is it just my own memories? According to my aunt, I would come home and say to anyone who would listen ‘Mith Thrudwick thayth…’ which I should translate to ‘Miss Strudwick says…’ as she was the infants’ teacher and a very kind and much loved one she was. I would apparently gather my younger brother Alan and my cousin Jane into my ‘classroom ‘ and instruct them in my interpretation of lessons with Miss Strudwick.

Sometimes the headmaster, Mr Webb, would teach us. We went for walks to learn about natural and local history and we worked in our own strips of garden. I remember receiving a prize, presented by Lady Lawrence, one of the school governors, for collecting and naming 100 species of flowers and grasses from the area.

I started school in the last year of the war. We had air raid practice in making our way to the air raid shelter but I seem to remember that we got underneath our desks when the sirens sounded. There was great excitement when food parcels arrived from Canada and we each had something nice to take home to the family.

There was a special school bus and living on the top of Box Hill my cousins, brother and I were usually the first to be collected for the 40-minute journey along the country lanes to Mickleham. It seemed so far and such a long day and I was always longing for home and better food. The cooks did their best, I suppose, but I hated some of the school meals, and the free milk was often almost sour from being left out in the sun in the summer.

Pony Express
I have very happy memories of St Michael’s as a child. My family used to live at Norbury Park Farm and all four of us Johnson children went to the school. As my home was so near, my mother would sometimes bring a pony for me to ride home. How we made it across the A24 I cannot remember, but this was the early seventies.

The school was (and still is) a very good one and I remember the teaching methods distinctly. They have helped me throughout my life.

First there were your times tables. You had to learn every table from 1 to 12, and I remember that 8 times 7 was always the one that caught me out. In any event I learnt my times tables and to this day, I do not have a problem with mental arithmetic although I could not solve an algebra problem to save my life.

Then they had reading and writing. I have a clear memory of sitting in Miss Jeffries’ class up at the top of the school reading the story of ‘The Twelve Silly Billies’ out loud together with about twenty other children. The plot was a simple one – twelve Silly Billies all look in the village pond and deliberate upon the issue of why there are now another twelve Silly Billies. Classic stuff and far more thought provoking than Harry Potter. I also remember the parable of the Prodigal Son and the teacher explaining that the hero of the story had spent all his money on ‘bingo’. Quite what bingo was I had no idea, but I have never gone anywhere near a bingo hall.

Finally they had coloured blocks to help you count. I think that the long purple one was No. 11 but, being colour blind, that created a couple of problems. It was nothing that the times tables could not sort out.

I remember that when it snowed heavily the children from Box Hill could not get down the road by coach into the school. No such luck for those of us who lived on the flood plain.

Christmas was a wonderful time at the school. I remember being thrust upon the boards at a Nativity play dressed as a shepherd and sporting a tin foil crook. My memory of that episode is marred by a dispute that I had with the Second Shepherd. He had been issued with a better designed crook and to a five-year- old, that seemed a clear case of unjust enrichment.

In case you are wondering, I am now a solicitor and a local councillor for Mole Valley.
Malcolm Johnson

The St Michael’s School Walking Bus 2007
Usually we come to school in our cars, park at the Village Hall or Frascati and just walk along School Lane to get to school. It is really great that on Wednesday we get the chance for a much longer walk. We meet at Ryka’s in the car park at 8.15 a.m., put on our fluorescent yellow jackets and Year 3 lead the way to school.

We are very lucky that Mrs Long organises for us to have the opportunity for a fun way to get to school. Our mummies or daddies come too and we meet lots of people on the way who join in. Our route takes us along the pavement, but we love it when the path goes up the steps and between the trees. You have to be careful of the tree stumps which are easy to trip on. We have given them names so you can hear people say watch out for Ellie’s stump! Holly’s stump has the added challenge of a rabbit hole. There are lots of interesting things to look at and learn about on the way. We stand under a particularly big tree to see whether the amount of sky that we can see has changed. It depends on the number of leaves so we watch the seasons go by.

Mrs Hossack wants us at school on time so we have to be as quick as we can. We like running on ahead, but always stop when we are meant to. We love our walking bus and find it very healthy.
Ellie Parnham Year 3 (Aged 7)
Holly Spencer Year 2 (Aged 7)

St Michael’s School Funday
As part of its centenary celebrations, St Michael’s School hosted a Funday on Sunday 17th June 2007, and what a fun day it was! Over 200 people attended the event which was held in the Rectory garden. Parents of St Michael’s School students organised the afternoon with no other objective than for the sheer fun of it. The children also contributed to the day’s festivities and put in a lot of hard work to entertain us. With the help of Mrs Hossack, the school headteacher, they learned a song while Mrs Bass kept them busy learning quite a few country dances. They were just brilliant and a joy to watch!

Chris Parnham organised some really fun bunny races and the children never had a chance to slow down. There was so much to do! There was a makeover tent, some really cool tattoos, a lucky dip (with very good prizes!), story telling, and plant identification for budding (and seasoned) botanists. Ice creams, a roller coaster, and coconut shy made for a perfect summer scene, especially with the silly ‘seaside scene’ photos thrown in to the mix.

Ailsa McNaughton, nine years old and a former student of St. Michael’s, didn’t spend her Funday goofing around, but she did manage to have a whole lot of fun doing something just a bit different. She wanted to raise money for a good cause and after carefully researching various charities decided to support Oxfam in bringing a clean water supply to a village in Africa. From simple and natural ingredients, Ailsa prepared her own home-made lip balm and hand cream to sell from her booth. Her highly sought after twinkly pink gloss with edible vanilla sparklies is particularly fetching (and tasty). Perfect for the school run, play ground, or beach, it is destined to be the fashion highlight throughout Mickleham social circles this summer. Ailsa also sold sweets and raised a total of £70 to donate to Oxfam.

We are fortunate in having such a fine school in our village, particularly one that contributes so much to our lives as it guides and nurtures our children as they grow up. The community of St Michael’s - its headteacher and all the staff, parents, pupils and governors - does much to enrich the lives of so many in the village. A great deal of hard work and co-ordination goes into planning these events and for those of us who only had to show up and enjoy the day (and that Cava summer berry drink!), it was a real treat to enjoy a perfect Sunday afternoon in the village in this way. Fun day, indeed!
Carolann Patterson

from the June 2007 magazine
There can be no doubt that our school culture ensures that every day at school is both fun and challenging, where achievements big and small are made, recognised and celebrated. It is gratifying when aspects of our achievements with the children are recognised, For example our work on developing the children’s environmental awareness means we have been awarded Eco Schools status, attaining the Bronze Award and working towards the Silver. Our focus on developing the amount and range of sporting activity in school means we have achieved an Active Mark.

In the current school year one of our objectives has been to gain the status of being a Healthy School, which encompasses a very broad agenda. To achieve it we need to:
* Identify, develop and communicate a positive message and appropriate values in relation to the health and well-being of the whole school community
* Actively value and promote the self-esteem of all members of the school community, develop good relationships in the daily life of the school and be welcoming and open to parents and the wider community
* Be successful in helping pupils and staff do their best and celebrate their achievements
* Offer all pupils the opportunity to benefit from a broad, balanced, creative and stimulating education that challenges and promotes brain-friendly learning
* Promote good communication within the whole school community ensuring that pupils and staff are given an effective voice in whole school decision making
* Provide an accessible and relevant PSHE* / Citizenship programme which enables pupils to develop their skills and attitudes in order to make informed choices about their health and to develop their social, moral, spiritual and cultural awareness
* Invest in the physical and emotional health of staff and pupils to help improve standards and raise achievement
* Provide a range of opportunities beyond the curriculum which promote the development of skills
* Take every opportunity to provide a safe, happy and reflective learning environment which promotes inclusion
* Develop partnerships with appropriate outside agencies and individuals, for advice and active support within the context of health education and health promotion in the school.

The achievement of Healthy School status would reflect the philosophy that has always underpinned life at St Michael’s School and it will be great if in this our centenary year such a major recognition of our work with the children can be attained.
Anne Hossack

from the May 2007 magazine
St Michael’s CofE (A) First School
As I write, the school holidays are under way and the weather is bright and sunny. We have a family of tits nesting in the bird box in our garden for the first time ever and I am sitting at my computer making plans for the next term and ahead. Looking to the future is such an exciting prospect. Many government documents that come my way also have positive titles such as All our futures that aim to inspire. I am just coming to the end of a course for head teachers called New Visions which again emphasises the importance of knowing what you want the future to hold.

I am however also a historian, and very aware that much of our future is shaped by our past. It is timely at this point in the history of St Michael’s School that in planning for the immediate future we reflect on that past. In fact when you read this, some of what now is a plan will have become part of that past!

The emphasis of the children’s work this term is on providing a context for our centenary celebrations and making comparisons between the past and the present. In fact our topic work throughout the school is centred on the title Past and Present. We hope to mark the centenary of our current building in several ways in order to give as many people as possible the opportunity to mark such a rich and powerful history. In fact we have begun already.

For our end of Spring Term Service in church the children celebrated Easter in style and all left sporting a new backpack. These have been provided by the Friends of the school as a gift to mark the fact that the Foundation stone of our current building was laid on 27th July 2007. They were emphatic that the journey made by countless young people to and from the school over the past 100 years be reflected in a tangible way by the children currently on roll. From now onwards you will not be able to miss our young people carrying all the equipment they need for a day at school in a very smart blue backpack with the school logo blazoned on the back.

The next event we plan is to be one to include our community, and will take the form of a family fun day on Sunday 17th June from 2 p.m. in the Rectory garden. So whether you are a recent or not very recent pupil or parent of a child from St Michael's, or a supporter of the school in any way please consider this your invitation and come along and join in the fun.

When the Foundation stone for the new school building was laid the occasion was marked by a dedication from the Bishop of Dorking. When the children moved from their old school building to the new one in January 1908 they processed. We have taken these key events as the starting point for our next centenary activity. Therefore on the 19th July the Bishop of Guildford will be joining us at school. We will process from school to the church for a service of celebration, followed by tea. The list of people that we would like to join us for the service is limited by the space available in the church and so this event will be by invitation only.

The school building and grounds of 2007 are somewhat different from those at the turn of the century. In my short time as head teacher there have been changes in the use of certain parts of the building; I know that Jenny Hudlass worked very hard to lead the efforts to create facilities that I take for granted – an office and staff room for example. (Thanks Jenny!) We wished therefore to make it possible for anyone who has had a connection with the school to visit. To this end we will have an Open Day on Saturday 6th October where it will be possible to walk around, perhaps relive old memories, maybe meet old acquaintances and see how we are organised today. We hope to take an Edwardian theme. Lunch will be available on the day – at the Village Hall – just as it used to be.

Although the building has been with us for 100 years our concept has been to place our celebrations within the heart of our community. This is why we have chosen several different types of activity and held them in different places. I hope that everyone will find an opportunity to join with us in rejoicing not just the fact that the bricks and mortar of St Michael’s school building has withstood the test of time and modification, but that the heart of St Michael’s School lies with its children and their families, its church and its community.
Anne Hossack

from the April 2007 magazine
As I write this I am aware that many parents have been receiving letters offering their child a place at the school that will begin the next step of their education. Rightly parents have put a great deal of thought into their choice of school and at St Michael’s we take the trust they place in us very seriously. We try to make the process of starting school a happy one by visiting the children at their pre-schools, inviting them to visit us at school and giving our new parents the opportunity to meet with each other.

The children in Year 3 at St Michael’s have been informed of their Primary School allocation. They have spent an extra year in their First School, something that marks out St Michael’s as a very special place to be. As the year develops the children noticeably mature in so many ways. They are school monitors, accepting the responsibilities that this entails, growing in confidence and becoming really independent learners and by September will be very well equipped to move on.

A report by The Basic Skills Agency has highlighted the fact that at many schools staff ‘notice a dip in pupils’ results’ when they are in Year 3. They identify that ‘a sudden change in the nature of their learning environment is to blame’. It made a comparison of the learning experiences of children at a larger all-through primary school with those in a small rural First School (just like St Michael’s) where this temporary stalling in progress did not occur.

In the larger school the transfer was between Key Stages 1 and 2 within the school. The contrast between the supportive, relaxed environment of Year 2 with the more formal ‘teaching-from-the-front’ style of year 3 was marked. The head identified that the children experienced a definite challenge to their comfort zone, finding it difficult to concentrate for any length of time or to come to terms with new classroom routines. This had an obvious impact on the depth and quality of their learning, until they had come to terms with their new class.

In the First School the process of adjustment was more gradual. The children were learning in a mixed-age class with Years 2 and 3 grouped together, again just as we provide at St Michael’s. Here we recognise the differences between the year groups but blur the edges, making the provision of real continuity for the children possible by providing subtly differentiated learning activities. The children have the same teacher for two years, with an established routine that provides each child with as much or little support as they need. Their learning is related but not identical with many opportunities for Year 3 to develop their skills For example, one morning last week Year 3 children were working in pairs reading each other’s stories, identifying the effective language and discussing how to make improvements - real peer assessment and independent learning.

Mervyn Benford, of the National Association of Small Schools describes this structure as the ‘master-apprentice model of learning’ where pupils become more involved in their own learning, manage it and pass it on, becoming less reliant on the class teacher. When the children leave St Michael’s at the end of Year 3 to move on into Year 4 in their new schools they still need time to become established, but are better equpped to make a smooth transition, meet new challenges and continue as independent and effective learners. Anne Hossack

from the March 2007 magazine
When we plan our school activities each year we try to include a variety of themed weeks, where the usual timetable is adapted to allow for a greater emphasis on a particular area of the curriculum. Last term we had both design technology and creative writing weeks. This term we plan a maths week and as I write we are embarking on arts week.

For this arts week each class has taken a painting linked to a fairy story as a starting point for their work. We are also being visited by a drama group for workshops entitled The Fairytale Forest.

It is Monday as I write this so the excitement has only just begun. A walk around the school has revealed a hive of activity and projects well underway, with a great deal of extra help. As well as parent volunteers our team has been swelled by four work experience students, two young ladies from Holland and two young men from The Ashcombe School.

In the Reception Class they are concentrating on The Sleeping Beauty by Henry Rheam. The children are converting their role play area into a castle and have been thinking hard about what may have been in the forest as the prince made his way to find his sleeping princess. Their inspiration has come from a visit to our environmental area. They have been painting beautiful flowers to drape over the sleeping princess and making clay hedgehogs to snuffle in the undergrowth.

Year One are looking at Arthur Rackham’s illustration of Cinderella. When this illustration was produced in the early 1900s colour printing was a recent invention. He used four colours for Cinderella the main character, but everyone else was a silhouette. The children are inspired to create their own pictures in silhouette form. They are also experimenting with the printing process.

This term’s topic for years two and three is fire and so a natural choice for their picture was St George and the Dragon by Paolo Uccello. They are making clay dragons, sewing fire salamanders and using role play to explore the emotions in the story. Just how would you have felt if you were the king and your daughter’s name was picked as the next victim?

When Ronald Shepperd in his book Micklam, The story of a Parish describes the departure of the headmaster Caleb Wood and the arrival of the new headmaster R I Mortimer in 1874, he says ‘the village has been very lucky with their teachers’. This little taster of one day in February 2007 is evidence that the same holds true today. Our teachers’ imagination, hard work and dedication makes our school a very special place to be.
Anne Hossack.

from the February 2007 magazine
As 2006 moves into 2007 and I reflect on the end of the year I thought it might be interesting to make some comparisons between the autumn term at St Michael’s school in 1906 and that of today. [This was in the old school building in Byttom Hill - now a private residence.]

When the school opened after the summer holidays in September 1906 there were 88 children present. This number fluctuated from day to day. The log book records that at some times there were as many as 94 children present and at others only 74.

Some of the explanations for temporary absences are familiar to us at school today: ... ear not sufficiently healed … stomach out of order... visits of relatives…

Others are less common: ... rebuilding of house… elder children temporarily employed at home.

I certainly hope not to receive a letter of explanation like that from W Hunt on 16 October: ... knocked off ladder by two fighting dogs. Fractured thigh and other injuries.

Poor George Hooper had a tooth extracted on 8th October, an abscess formed and he did not return to school until 19 th November. Modern dental care and antibiotics avert this circumstance today.

Much of the emphasis in the log seems to lie with reporting on the weather – rain, fog, snow etc. I certainly expect the children to come to school rain, shine or snow. Of course transport was very different in 1906 when the connection between the children’s attendance and the weather was quite marked. The entry for 8th November 1906 reads: Too wet to expect long distance children...

And that for 30th October: Downpour at the wrong hour. Still 83 managed to be present. Very creditable to them. Colds about...

The school population was subject to fluctuation, with movement onto and off the register, for example on 24th September Jessie and Winifred Winch were removed from the register as: ... father was leaving his situation.

The saddest entry of the term was that of 15th November which reads:
Regret to write that Ellen Bruford died about 2 a.m. She has been very ill for a considerable time. Aged 8 years.

We also experience fluctuations during the school year, which can be disruptive to us all and certainly makes forward planning difficult, but nothing quite as distressing as this.

Unlike today, the academic year in 1906 did not begin until 1st October when the head teacher reports: Began the new school year in capital form, all scholars present this morning viz. 93.

Inspection was a feature of school life although the emphasis, duration and report bare very little relation to that experienced by a school of the twenty first century.

The school received its report from W Henderson HMI on 4th October 1906 and all it said was: The work is making satisfactory progress. The children are in good order and interested in their work, but should be more confident and self reliant.

There is certainly much more detail in our Ofsted report of 2006 and I am pleased that our standards were good and outstanding. Mind you, the children are all in good order!

Rev W R Lloyd visited school regularly to assist with religious teaching, just as David visits us each week to lead our act of worship. Rev Lloyd was also chairman of Managers. Similarly David is one of our governors, although Ben Tatham is chairman of the Governing Body.

As 1906 came to a close the signs of difficulties to come were becoming apparent with:
Influenza in one part of the village.

We will return to St Michael’s in 1907 at a later date to see what the impact of this was.
Anne Hossack

from the Dec 06/Jan 07 magazine
Poetry Workshop at St Michael’s First School In October we were delighted to be visited by Chrissie Gittens who writes radio drama, short stories and poetry for both adults and children. Chrissie spent the whole day with us, reading from her collections of poetry for children and encouraging us to join in with actions and repeated phrases. She gave us all a fascinating insight into the inspiration for each of the poems she shared with us. Chrissie then worked with the children on compositions of their own and at the end of the day each class presented their group poems to the rest of the school and to some of their parents. We thought you might like to share them too.

The excitement continues into December, there is certainly a lot happening. Much of our work will focus on the Christmas production Is there a baby in there? It will take place on Monday11th and Tuesday 12th December at 2 p.m. We would love to see you – just ring the office to check that there is a ticket available. Alternatively we would love to see you at our Nativity Service in church at 1.30 p.m. on Friday 15th December. As well as this we have parties, panto trips, Christmas post and much more. However we do like to make sure that the children think about other people too. Our advent charity appeal will support the work of the Rainbow Trust. The children will be encouraged to do odd jobs at home to earn extra pocket money and the Friends of the school will be raffling a hamper. Anne Hossack

WHAT THE GIANT HAD FOR DINNER
First
He ate
A block of flats.
Then
He ate
A field of grass.
Then
He ate
A whole city.
Last
Of all
He drank a lake of apple juice.
Then
He had
A nap in the car park
By Reception

TEN THINGS I HAVE LOST
I lost my favourite yellow teddy bear
Down a drain pipe,
I lost my horse’s stable
When I got bunk beds,
I lost my car remote control
When my dad threw it in the bath,
I lost a lung full of air
When I breathed out,
I lost my mum and dad in Tesco’s
When it was crowded,
I lost my friend
When we fell out
I lost my dog
When he ran back home,
I lost my cat
When he hid under a duvet,
I lost my head
When I zipped up my coat,
I lost my great, great granddad
Who gave me a glow in the dark watch.
By Years 2 and 3

THE ‘I’M NOT TIRED’ DANCE
I’ve been to the park today,
Climbed on the climbing frame,
Slid down the pole,
Went on the rope ladder,
I’m not tired.
I’ve been to school today,
Sang in assembly,
Drew a cat, a dog and a girl,
Ran all the way round the playground,
I’m not tired.
I got home today,
Watched Pokemon on the telly,
Ate sausages with smiley faces,
Played with my slime,
I’m not tired.
I’ve read my story,
Put on my sleepy pyjamas,
Brushed my teeth,
Listened to some happy music,
Broken a vase doing somersaults,
Played with my motor cars,
Played in the garden in my slippers,
Washed my hands,
Gone downstairs to eat chocolate,
Because I’M NOT TIRED!
By Year 1

from the November 2006 magazine
A new look logo for St Michael’s
Over the past year the PR working party of the school’s governing body have been, consulting and discussing (sometimes heatedly) the design for a new logo for the school. This was a whole new learning experience for some of us – how to create a snapshot of all that is St Michael’s School in one very small picture?

Initially we were prompted into action by a gift from a past pupil: a very attractive wall plaque which hangs outside the school entrance depicts two children in school uniform, separated by a tree. Our very talented Teaching Assistant Julie Kempthorne translated the plaque into a drawing, but it did not quite convey what we wanted. Finally we offered the task to a professional company. That was when the fun really started as we had to come up with a brief for an image that did not merely a reflect what St Michael’s is, but would be symbol of what St Michael’s stands for.

Just what is that ? A small school in a rural setting, that serves the local community (but also appeals to those living elsewhere) with small class sizes, high academic achievement, a caring feel and a strong partnership with its parents the church and the local commnity. At St Michael’s there is always someone to turn to and the ethos is one of care, nurture and support for the children, their parents and the staff. Rather a tall order for one little picture. The company started with Julie’s drawing and then adapted it to reflect three key words: Children – Church – Community

I hope you like what we finally settled on, a modern image with the children at its heart, the oak leaf reflecting our fantastic setting and the title reflecting our Voluntary Aided status. Feedback from parents has been very positive. The new brochure is also now available too, so look out for that around and about. It seems very appropriate to launch our new documentation as we approach the celebration of 100 years of the life of St Michael’s School in the current building and look forward to the happy successful and child-centred school it will remain in the 21st century.

Anne Hossack

from November 2006
Calling all past pupils, staff and governors of St Michael’s School
Please find a moment to write, ring or email the school with your contact details so that we can invite you to our centenary celebrations during the current academic year.

Most of the new autumn-term children have settled in well and are already looking forward to half term. Dolly and her team have been keeping the children busy and have continued the tactile theme this half term. Some of the activities included playing with ‘Smash’ potato, making sandpaper pictures, baking cookies and writing in shaving foam (child heaven, surely!).

Some of the older ex-nursery children who have progressed to ‘big school’ have been attending the popular lunch club at the nursery after their half days. They have even been lucky enough to have their own escort and the nursery children have also enjoyed their walks up to St Michael’s to fetch them. The children have also been busy posing for the nursery’s photographer – thankfully all of them were very well behaved.

Lastly, just to mention some important dates for your diaries. The Christmas Concert will be on Monday 11th December, when all will be welcome. The Children’s Christmas Party is on Friday 15th December. Will Father Christmas be there? More details will follow in the December issue. Liz Manwaring

from the October 2006 magazine
The school term has just begun and the children found one or two differences on their return. We were visited by painters in the holidays to spruce up the outside of our building so we look quite smart. Our new trim trail was fitted and the children are making the most of the opportunities that it provides for climbing and problem solving. The parents of our departing Year 3 children made a decking and seating area in the new environmental space behind the school. We are now making full use of all the land our site provides. The outside environment at St Michael’s enables us to teach physical and environmental activities to the maximum. Learning outside is always much more fun.

A sound education in basic English and Maths is vital as these provide the essential skills that children need to access all subjects. Children achieve well in these areas at St Michael’s. This emphasis is not at the expense of a wide range of foundation subjects – History, Geography, Science, Art, Music, Design and Technology, ICT, Physical Education and Religious Education However young children need a lot more than the basics and we provide variety, challenge, creative activities, thought provoking visitors, and trips outside the school environment.

Children, of course, do not put their learning in little boxes and we teach most subjects through themed topics which are carefully planned to ensure appropriate content. This term Years 2 and 3 are following the theme of ‘Adventurers’, Year 1 ‘Journeys’ and Year Reception ‘Me Me Me’.

Now is the time when parents are choosing where to send their child to school. These first experiences are vital and we know that choosing the right school for your child is one of the most important decisions parents have to make. If you missed our Open Day on 27th September we would be delighted to welcome you to meet us at any time. Look around and experience first hand the warmth of the Christian environment we provide for the children in our care.
Anne Hossack

September 2006 Mickleham magazine
St Michael’s Church of England (A) First School One of my summer holiday tasks has been to write the school prospectus for the next academic year. How to encapsulate all that is St Michael’s School in a document that prospective parents will want to read and find useful?

Of course our work at school has been inspected and validated in past months. July’s magazine gave advance notice of Ofsted’s findings and we have subsequently received the full text of the report. Our statutory Inspection as an Anglican school also took place (on the last Friday of term!) Both reports were informed by the school’s self evaluation processes and therefore seem to be the best starting point.

Some extracts from the reports give a good picture of just what our school is all about:
OFSTED
“Pupils’ personal development is outstanding because they are well cared for at school and as a result feel secure and happy, a view endorsed by the overwhelming majority of parents.”
“Teaching and learning are good. Pupils make good progress and are keen to learn because lessons are interesting, relevant, well planned and based on practical experiences”
“The curriculum is good…promotes greater creativity and enjoyment to capture the enthusiasm of the many groups represented”
“Pupils describe their school as a happy place”
In his letter to the pupils the inspector said:
“Your behaviour is excellent … the school council represents your views very well ... you like all the club visits and after-school activities the school has organised for you”

This overwhelmingly positive endorsement of all that our school has to offer was reinforced in the comments by the SIAS Inspector. He summed up his judgements by saying:
“St Michael’s C of E Aided First School is an outstanding church school with both a distinctive character and very effective leadership. At its core is a Christian ethos, which permeates all aspects of school life and there is a strong sense of community and mutual respect. Pupils thrive in a supportive, secure and safe environment”

Such high praise is not easily given so it is with great pride and confidence that I embark on the task of creating the new prospectus. We have a community where everyone - staff, parents, pupils - work closely together to provide the best possible experience for our children. Anne Hossack

July/Aug 2006 Mickleham magazine
St Michael’s Church of England (A) First School
Ofsted: The Inspector Calls
On Friday 9th June the word came: Ofsted inspection on Wednesday and Thursday of the following week (14th & 15th June).

Under the new system all schools were required to prepare earlier this year a Self Evaluation Form (SEF) which is a 24-page document with questions on all aspects of what the school does and our own assessment of how well we do it. The SEF has to include evidence to back the assessments and our own ideas of where we need to improve.

On Wednesday the Inspector started by joining in the Walking Bus from the car park near Rykas. Over 85% of all the children in the school were there. He chatted to everybody as they walked to school. At the school he spoke to the Head Teacher Anne Hossack, to me, the staff and the children. He observed lessons and activities, looked at examples of the children’s work and assessed documents.

Late Thursday afternoon the Inspector gave his preliminary assessment: in short he was impressed. We have done well. The children were brilliant and said all the right things. His official detailed report will follow.

Friday morning assemblies are used to praise children’s achievements during the week – on 16th June the whole school’s achievement was celebrated and the children were awarded with an extra play time on the Rec. I congratulate Anne and all the staff, Governors and children – it has been a splendid team effort. Ben Tatham, Chairman of the Governors

June 2006 Mickleham magazine
St Michael’s Church of England (A) First School

THIS FOUNDATION STONE
OF A SCHOOL TO BE ERECTED
TO THE GLORY OF GOD
AND FOR THE EDUCATION OF THE
CHILDREN IN THIS PARISH
IN THE FAITH OF THE
CHURCH OF
THEIR FATHERS
WAS LAID
BY THE BISHOP OF DORKING
ON JULY 26th 1907

Thus reads the foundation stone of our school building. Mickleham National School was built in 1844 but moved to the present site in January 1908 and was renamed as Mickleham C of E Primary School.

The school log entry for this day contains a very low key statement to this effect, amid comments about the average attendance rate of 79.3% for that week.
Much has changed since 1907 including:
- the number of children (85 now 56)
- their ages (5 to 15 now 4 to 8)
- the organisation of the school: (upper and lower divisions, now Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1, Key Stage 2)
- the name of the school (Mickleham C of E Primary School, now St Michael’s C of E (A) First School)
- the number of staff (two teachers and one assistant, now four teachers, three teaching assistants, two office staff)
- the size and layout of the building
- the curriculum (of which more detail in future articles).

Plans are afoot to make the next academic year one of celebration, to mark 100 years of a school on this site. To this end we are looking for information, ideas and suggestions. The school logs provide a wealth of material, but we would like to bring this to life. If you have a memory that you would like to share – we are hoping to develop a book of memories, photographs to lend or donate, contact details of pupils or staff from the past, please let us know. We want to develop a database of those with a connection to the school, so that we can invite them to join us as we look back to the past and forward to another 100 years, whatever changes they might bring. Anne Hossack

Extract from Anne Hossack’s report to the 2006 Annual Parochial Church Meeting: Currently there are 56 children on role, aged between 4 and 8. Predominantly we have recruited from St Michael’s Nursery but are now drawing from a wider area – particularly Leatherhead, and we have changed our admissions criteria to reflect our membership of the United Benefice. We have been active in promoting our school and in September 2006 we are oversubscribed. Academically the children continue to achieve well above the national average. The staff has chosen to focus on mathematics this year as an area for development in order to enhance the children’s problem- solving skills.

The last year began with the staff and governors coming together to re-assess our aims, encapsulated in a mission statement that says ‘At St Michael’s School we work together within a caring Christian environment to promote an enjoyment of learning that enables the intellectual, creative, emotional, social, spiritual and physical development of us all.’

Partnership with others has been a central theme. Our membership of the JAWs cluster of small schools has continued with joint training for both staff and governors. We are also enthusiastic members of the Dorking School’s Partnership whose remit has expanded beyond special needs to look at sports, and the extended schools agenda.

May 2006 Mickleham magazine
Spring is in the Air
Well, in theory, spring is in the air as I write this and it is all systems go at school for developing our outdoor learning environment. The daffodil spider at the front of the school is in full bloom once again; if you are passing don’t forget to have a look. Our new wildlife area behind the school is progressing and the fencing is in place.

Of course the playground planters all need refilling, but year 3 responded to the challenge, helped to organise a mothers’ day shop and will be visiting a local garden centre to buy compost and plants with the proceeds.

The soil arrived to fill the raised beds created behind the school and an intrepid band of wheelbarrow-wielding parents shifted 2 big loads into place. The children have been busy sowing vegetable seeds – there will be no excuse for not knowing where tomatoes, sweet corn, cucumbers, beans, onions or leeks come from.

The gardening club will be meeting once a week to develop and maintain our new vegetable garden. I am sure that lots of children will participate, so we are in need of some extra tools. If you have a spare, fork, rake, trowel etc that you could pass on we would appreciate it.

Watering will also be a bit of an issue with the hose pipe ban – does anyone have a surplus water butt that they would be willing to donate? It is rather appropriate that this term’s science, history and geography topics will focus on a watery theme. Anne Hossack

April 2006 Mickleham magazine
When is a sheep not a sheep?
Rather a fascinating question and one that has been exercising the minds of our school governors recently. We met together with the governors from the schools that belong to our cluster of small school, fondly known as New JAWS and comprising, Newdigate, St Joseph’s, Abinger Common, Westcott and St Michael’s. The purpose of the evening was to understand the implications for our schools of the Children Act 2004 and the Every Child Matters, Change for Children agenda – the means through which the government has set out its policy and framework for coherent children’s services.

At the heart of this agenda are the needs of children and the idea behind this approach is to try to prevent things going wrong in a child’s life, rather than dealing with the consequences. It applies to all children and aims to engender respect trust and collaboration between the agencies that work with them. Educational achievement and children’s well being are closely related and therefore the role of the school is pivotal and considered to be the best place to provide the core offer of:

· Wraparound care
· Enriched and extended learning
· Support for parents, including information and family learning
· Easy referral to specialised services
· Wider community access to ICT, sports and arts facilities

With the core offer in place the five key outcomes at the heart of Every Child Matters should be achieved, namely:
Stay SAFE
Be HEALTHY
ENJOY and Achieve
Achieve ECONOMIC well-being
Make a POSITIVE contribution

Our training evening therefore gave us the opportunity to discuss what we provide already and what more we can do to meet these outcomes. Working together with other schools is crucial especially as some of our facilities are not easily adaptable to provide for them all. We are therefore working closely with all the Dorking schools so that the core offer will eventually be accessible to all our parents and children within the family of schools, rather than at each individual one.
So, when is a sheep not a sheep? Have you guessed? Anne Hossack

In aid of St Michael’s CE (A) First School
Plant Sale & Open House
Wednesday 24th May
9.30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Ilex Trees, London Road, Mickleham
Please use back entrance off School Lane – parking at the Village Hall
Lots of plants: herbaceous, annual, indoor & vegetable
Homemade cakes & preserves ~ Stalls ~ Raffle
Entrance only £1 includes unlimited cups of coffee/tea
Sandwiches available from 12 noon – 2 p.m.
Further information from R Parkin 01372 363304
We should be grateful for donations of plants & cakes

March 2006 Mickleham magazine
If you visit our school hall you will see a large display board with TALKING MATHS in large letters and a sequence of hand-holding figures with different coloured faces and buttons of assorted number and colour. Why?

When the National Numeracy Strategy was introduced to schools in 1999 it emphasised the importance of practical activities and that children should be able to explain their thinking. To do so the children need to understand both how to do particular computations and when these computations are needed i.e. how to apply what they know. Fundamental to this is an understanding of the appropriate mathematical vocabulary- how many ways can you say add?

At St Michael’s we are aiming to give mathematics a very high profile within this academic year. The tasks we provide require the children to think and reason about the mathematics involved. The children are given time to think, often collaborate with their friends and are expected to explain and justify the approach they have taken. The teachers’ questions aim to encourage this – ‘Tell me why …?’ ‘Can you say more ?’ ‘Why did you decide to …?’

Think – pair – share is a strategy we use to help the children clarify their thinking and understanding with a friend.

Hence the display. An obvious visual opportunity for the children to talk mathematics, with prompts for the correct vocabulary and with problems to solve.
Anne Hossack

February 2006 Mickleham magazine
A key message in the modern world of Education has been that of developing a global awareness. We aim to help children to understand that we all have a responsibility to look after the world and everything and everyone in it, as it says in Genesis 2.15: Then the Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and guard it.

The children are very aware that mankind has not discharged this responsibility very effectively. Global warming, endangered species, world poverty are all huge and complex issues facing the world in which our young people are growing up. Children are particularly optimistic however and will always want to try to do something about it.

Our Advent appeal supported the shoes for feet campaign. In Zambia, Zimbabwe and Ghana barefoot children risk hookworm infestation which can affect mental and physical development. The money raised is used to commission local cobblers to make shoes for the children of Africa. £15 buys 2 pairs of shoes, so the £200 that our little school community raised from a hamper raffle and odd jobs done by the children will buy 26 pairs of strong shoes.

The week beginning 6th February is our Arts Week. During this week we will be having a workshop day organised by the Born Free Foundation, an international wildlife and conservation charity founded by the actors Virginia Mckenna and Bill Travers. Their motto is ‘today’s education is tomorrow’s conservation’. The theme of our wild workshop is to be elephants and a range of creative experiences are planned for the children linked to habitats for wild elephants.

That is not to say we disregard more domestic difficulties and the children will be supporting the Blue Peter appeal once again this year. By the time you read this we will have mounted our annual Bring and Buy Sale organised by Year Three, the proceeds are to support Childline.

Our plans to improve and care for our own school environment continue to develop. School Lane has a new surface and Mr Knight has very kindly arranged for the School to have access to land behind us. The children and parents are thinking and working hard to create an exciting outdoor learning space.

So each of us in however small a way can do something to improve the world we share and to share what we have with those whose lives are less comfortable than our own. Despite the multiplicity of languages, cultures and creeds in the world, if we care enough and are determined enough we can make a difference.
Anne Hossack

December 2005/January 2006 Mickleham Magazine
What do you look for in a friend?

School assemblies this term have been exploring and developing this theme. It is easy to share happy times and celebrations with our friends, but how can we help others to be happy? What skills do we need to be a good friend and what do we look for in our friends?

As a school community we try to think of friendship beyond the immediately personal. We have links with other schools and regularly raise funds for others.

St Michael’s parents belong to an organisation that establishes a role model for friendship, ‘The Friends of St. Michael’s School’. This organisation works very hard to raise additional funds for trips and resources that otherwise the school just would not be able to provide. Fundraising is not its only remit however. The Friends support school life in so many ways. In practical terms parent volunteers spend a Saturday morning at school tidying the grounds, and many come into school to help to cook, read, sew and play games with the children.

The activities of the Friends are organised by an energetic committee who try to ensure that fundraising also has a very important social aspect. It is this that helps to create the very strong sense of community that is so much part of our school. The committee has set itself a challenge for the next year to help our school be part of the 21st century. They have set an ambitious fundraising target of £10,000.

A school of the 21st century needs up to date ICT equipment and they would like to provide:
· A third interactive whiteboard
· A mobile ICT suite (a trolley of laptops)
· New classroom PCs

2007 is the school’s centenary and the Friends would like to make a lasting contribution to the school grounds, including:
· A trim trail
· A sensory garden

A vital part of this campaign will be a Valentine’s Ball and Auction on Saturday 4th Feb 2006. For full details see the separate advert teh News page. We would love your support – in person at the event and, or, with items to auction. We need a few large items for a live auction during dinner. At past events these have included a dinner party cooked and delivered, a week in a holiday cottage, skilled carpenters for a day to make a piece of furniture, a load of manure and many more. We also need smaller items for a silent auction, can you offer babysitting, dog walking, a dinner party dessert, vouchers…

More immediately our December activities will of course centre on preparing for Christmas. Our production is called ‘Are We Nearly There Yet?’ and will take place on Thursday and Friday 8th and 9th December at 2 p.m. We would love to see you – just ring the office to check that there is a ticket available. Alternatively we would love to see you at our Nativity service in Church at 1.30 p.m. on Friday 16th December.
Anne Hossack

November 2005 Magazine
We have had lots of visitors to the school already this half term. Children from Year 3 in Queensgate School in London spent some time with our Year 3 in September. John Parnham from Juniper Hall put the two schools in touch and the contrast between our lovely environment and their school (which does not have a playground) was quite marked. We hope to make a return visit, set up an email link and the children plan to write to each other too.

Parents have been into school a great deal. A group of parents, staff and governors met one Saturday to work