Category: Upper School

8th March 22

On Monday 28 February, pupil and staff representatives from Finton House joined the launch of Asthma + Lung UK’s new campaign: #FightingForBreath.

Year 5 pupil Sophia is a British Lung Foundation young ambassador. The organisation, which has recently joined Asthma UK to form Asthma + Lung UK, invited Sophia to parliament to celebrate the launch of their new #FightingForBreath campaign. Sophia was accompanied by fellow Y5 pupil Isla, alongside other pupils from nearby Hornsby House, and they were joined by MPs and senior staff from Asthma + Lung UK.

Sophia said, “It is so important that we continue fighting for clean air, especially as children growing up in a polluted city like London”.

Sophia’s mother, Marium, is an NHS worker. She said, “Over the past few years, Sophia has used her initiative and taken on the responsibility to raise awareness for lung health in the local and school community. She has also been involved in some much needed fundraising for Asthma + Lung UK to be able to provide essential support and resources for those with lung conditions and to invest in research. Air pollution and climate change affects everyone. We can all be Clean Air Champions!”

To see some photos from the visit, see the post on the Finton House Instagram.

To read about our Finton House Ethos & Aims, please click here.

12th November 21

On Friday 12 November, Finton House welcomed 10 schools to its annual Y6 Netball Tournament at Tooting Hard Courts.

After a rainy start, the sun came out and the courts dried with perfect conditions for a cracking afternoon of netball!

Finton were drawn in Group 2. With 2 wins, and a 4-5 nail biting game against Newton Prep, we finished 3rd in our group and 6th overall. Many congratulations to Kensington Prep who beat Hornsby House 6-3 in the fantastic final.

All girls played brilliantly with focus and determination, improving all areas of their game throughout the afternoon. Our MVP was Priya L for her spirit and strong and consistent defending.

A huge thank you goes to Mr Steve for scoring and timing, to Mr Ian for coaching and umpiring and, of course, to Miss Emma S for coaching our girls and organising such a wonderful event.

9th November 21

Our School Reporters for 2021/22 sat down to interview Mr Ben, our Headmaster, about his time at Finton so far and looking towards the future…

What was your favourite subject when you were at school?

DT was the only exciting subject, but I did also like English. I hated Latin because we used to have to recite verbs and if we got it wrong, we used to get hit over the head with a Greek Mythology book!

Did you always want to become a Headmaster?

No I didn’t – I always wanted to do something creative or adventurous. I wish I had been brave enough to do something like swim the channel or walk across the world! I ended up doing a degree in DT which included teaching and it all went from there.

When you’ve finished your time at Finton, what would you like the School to look like?

On the leading edge of education over the next 50 years; particularly regarding pastoral care and helping pupils to lead a healthy life and preparing them to go forwards in life.

What’s your favourite School lunch?

Deli day – because there is so much choice! I usually get carried away and choose too much, though…

The School Reporters also conducted a pitchside interview with Mr Anthony, Head of Games, which can be watched on our Instagram account.

20th October 21

With the return of sporting fixtures against other schools, our budding young footballers have enjoyed a very exciting half term on the football field. The Year 3 boys were victorious at Woodcote House as they won the Captain Snow tournament; our Year 5 team (pictured) were champions at the Prep4Sport competition and our Year 6 team were Plate champions at Epsom College.

Head of Games, Mr Anthony, said “What a way to round off the first half of term! Mr Dan and I are so proud of all of the effort the boys have put in, and it’s great to see that hard work pay off.”

To keep up to date with Finton’s sporting fixtures, be sure to follow our Twitter.

7th February 20

We explored the latest innovation in VR technology this morning. Thank you to Mr Ruparel, governor and parent at Finton House, for a fascinating assembly about 360º immersive photography. It was captivating to listen to his talk about bringing virtual reality to the remote refugee camp Kakuma in Kenya. In a mission to enable children in the camp to experience a ‘school trip’ to the National Gallery, the 360º camera was used to show engaging gallery workshops to the children. The children described the experience with only three letters ‘WOW’, which pretty much describes how they must have felt when experiencing virtual reality first hand. Referring to this term’s Finton Goal, Mr Ruparel went on to highlight that technology makes communication happen instantly all around the world.

7th February 20

A wonderful occasion, the Poetry Celebration and Sign2Sing performance was an absolute success. Thank you to all families for their generous donations towards Sign Health Charity. Your support for this worthwhile cause is much appreciated.

Sophie, School Reporter writes: “On Monday morning the whole school assembled in Trinity Road Chapel for the poetry celebration and the sign 2 sing performance. After Mr Ben’s speech, it was time for the first half of the poetry winners to recite their poems to the school; they were all very funny! After a while, we had a break from the poems, and the choir sang the song “Stand by Me”. There was a loud round of applause, followed by the second round of poetry winners. My favourite recital was William Ryan’s: ‘There was an old lady who swallowed a fly’. We finished with our Sign2Sing song ‘Joining hands today’.”

31st January 20

“Poetry week was jazzed up by our visiting poet Joseph Coelho! He started his assembly off by talking about a useful method that he uses called MORERAPS, which stands for M-metaphor, O-onomatopoeia, R-rythm, E-emotion, R-repetition, A-alliteration, P-personification, S-simile. Then he read from some of his books and poems. Apparently he even has a poem that’s an hour-long! He explained that he writes novels, poems, non-fiction, fiction and picture books.

Later on the School Reporters, well two of us, had the opportunity to interview him. When asked what advice he has for future writers, he replied that he recommends always carrying a notebook for ideas, getting into the habit of observing what is around us and asking lots of questions. Joseph told us that science and non-fiction museums had a big influence on his writing, but he also got inspired by lots of other poets and writers, like Michael Rosen. We asked what he would do if he felt uninspired and how he gets his creativity flowing. He recommended to do something completely different and to take your mind off writing with for example gardening, watching a documentary or cooking. Lastly, he explained that the whole process of writing a book can take around 2 years.

We enjoyed the assembly and especially loved interviewing him.”
By School Reporters Sicily and Rosie (Year 6)

29th November 19

An annual event not to be missed, the Sustainability Fair showcases creativity and environmental awareness with Year 4’s sustainable inventions in the spotlight. After learning about sustainability in class, Year 4 children put their theoretical knowledge to the test. From the Desalination Sensation which turns salt water into fresh drinking water to a litter picking robot, the sheer variety of imaginative ideas was impressive. All Upper School children took their turn to visit the Fair on Thursday morning to learn more about the children’s inventions. Fantastic learning opportunity for all!

3rd October 19

20th September 19