PARENT AWARENESS PROGRAMME

This month we strongly recommend parents to see this film together with their children “Camino a la Escuela “, Pascal Plisson’s film (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ID5jf0HbCI0). Several stories of children and the challenges they have to face in order go to school on a daily basis.

In this section we would also like to inform you that RPS Families have organised two talks for our parent community that aimed to help us all to deal with different challenges that we face nowadays: “Desetiqueta” and “La adolescencia: una etapa para comprender, dimensionar y acompañar”.

We also invite you to read more about mindful use of devices for children in our news: https://richmondpark.school/newsletters/mindful-use-of-devices/, a very interesting insigh written by our BL coordinator, Ruth Ingleson.

WHAT IS HAPPENING IN EYFS/PRIMARY AND SECONDARY?

Year 5 visit to Botanical Gardens

Year 5 classes recently had a fantastic day at the Royal Botanical Gardens in preparation for their upcoming science and art topics. Despite a bit of rain, the children explored a selection of the huge variety of plant types which can be found in the gardens and learned how they have evolved over millions of years.

They were fortunate to see everything from blossom on the trees and the first spring flowers to carnivorous plants, cacti, bonsai trees and even some plants commonly used in medicines and teas.


As well as linking to the year 5 science topic of ‘life cycles’ and an art project about botanical drawings, it also hopefully inspired some future botanists!

Year 3 visit to Carranque Archaeological Centre

On Friday 7 March, Year 3 enjoyed a very interesting trip to Carranque Archaeological Park. The children learned about mosaics and then created their own mosaic to take home. They then walked to see original mosaics depicting Roman gods and goddesses, myths and legends. 

An all-round excellent trip!

NABSS 47th Annual Conference

The 47th Annual Conference of the National Association of British Schools in Spain (NABSS) took place from 6 to 9 March, bringing together educators, school leaders, and industry experts to discuss the future of British education in Spain.

The event opened on Thursday with a gala dinner, fostering connections among attendees. On Friday, NABSS President Adrian Massam and Amaya Cal Linares (deputy director general of the Educational Action Abroad Unit) inaugurated the conference, emphasizing continuous improvement in education. The day featured keynote speeches on innovation and best practices, along with an exhibition showcasing school resources.

Saturday included the NABSS Annual General Meeting (AGM) and discussions on school leadership and curriculum development. The evening’s awards ceremony recognized outstanding contributions to education.

The conference concluded over the weekend with hands-on workshops for teachers and middle managers, providing practical strategies to enhance classroom experiences.

Prizes

In November 2024, Year 6 took part in the T.I.L.T (Tracy Ibberson Literary Trust) competition. This competition was open to all Year 6 and 7 pupils who attend British Schools, not just in Madrid but in the whole of Spain. 

This national competition was judged by a panel of retired English teachers and headteachers being led by a literacy specialist based in the UK with over forty years’ experience of reading book reviews.

We were extremely proud to find out that one of our Year 6 pupils, Noah K., won first place for his outstanding piece about Running Wild. Noah has won 100€ worth of books for himself as well as 5,000€ worth of books for the school library. You can see Noah’s giant cheque for 5000€ on display next to the EYFS classrooms. Congratulations, Noah!

Yr 7 trip to El Prado and Botanical Gardens

On Wednesday 12 March, Year 7 went on a trip to the Prado Museum and the Botanical Gardens. This trip linked with a special collaborative project based upon “The Lost Words” book of poetry by Robert McFarlane and Jackie Morris. The students will be undertaking an interdisciplinary approach to their understanding of nature. A highlight of the trip was the popular, “Botanical Stroll Through The Prado” exhibition which explores the role of natural subject matter in the evolution of painting. Student students had previously researched the stories behind some of the paintings and learnt how botanical features were incorporated symbolically and realistically into the paintings. One major highlight was standing next to Hieronymus Bosch’s famous “The Garden of Earthly Delights” and try to decipher all his strange symbology. They also spent a time in the Botanical Gardens, reflecting on the sense of wellbeing that nature can instil in us, as well as sketching some natural forms for future references. Lastly, they listened carefully and recorded identifiable sounds in nature for later use in the music lessons.

Museum of Happiness

The children of Year 4 enjoyed a day out to the Museum of Happiness. There were lots of smiles afterward as they learned a lot about the importance of being happy and positive. Linked with our PSHE topics and growth mindset for learning the children learned new and different ways to de-stress, manage emotions and see the positives in everyday life. 

These activities included virtual reality simulations, sensory rooms and dancing.

It was a lovely day out for both the children and the teachers!

Winners of the Summer School Competition

A few weeks ago, Richmond Park School hosted an exciting 2025 Summer School Competition for children in Years 2 to 6. The challenge was to invent, draw, and describe a creative summer school activity or game in categories such as art, cooking, games, sports, or swimming. The response was overwhelming, with many enthusiastic participants showcasing their imaginative ideas.

The competition aimed to select the three most creative ideas from each year group. These winning ideas will be implemented in the RPS 2025 Summer School program, and the winners will receive special prizes. Last week, during Assembly times, the winners were announced, and the children proudly received their first, second, and third prizes. Additionally, they were offered a discount if they wished to join the summer school this year.

Choosing the winners was a challenging task due to the high quality and creativity of the entries. 

Congratulations to all the winners and participants for their fantastic efforts!

International Maths’ day

On Friday 14 March, across both Primary and Secondary the children took part in activities to celebrate the International Day of Mathematics (Pi Day). The theme this year was ‘Mathematics, Art and Creativity’, allowing children to explore the creativity found in mathematical discovery and art. Children were able to experience maths in a new light, noticing the beauty all around them, both in nature and in man-made architecture. 

There were many exciting activities across the school including work with tessellations and building 3D constructions.  

Construction update

Each week we will keep you informed about the progress of our Sixth Form Centre project. 

We are pleased to inform you that we have already reached the first milestone, which consists of the structural reinforcement on floor -1, to support the loads of the future building.

It has been a difficult phase due to the heavy rains, but both the project management and the operations team have done a great job.

Yr 10 Paris trip 2025

This year’s trip was blessed by sunshine, and we really saw the city at its very best. The 4-day trip took in a range of cultural highlights and gave a real sense of the city’s important neighbourhoods.  The students were a credit to the school and demonstrated a responsible and independent attitude in this foreign city. Here are some of their reflections on the experience:

‘2024-25 Paris trip was a wonderful experience that we enjoyed to the full with all of our classmates. It was a time to bond with our friends and gain cultural knowledge whilst we savoured the beauty of Paris. Our visit included the Louvre Museum and the Eiffel Tower, Saint-Chapelle and Montmartre. This trip not only provided a cultural understanding of French history but also helped us develop our French speaking skills that will be vital for our IGCSE exams. We are very grateful of this opportunity Richmond Park School have given us.  It was an unforgettable trip!’

Yr 7 learns about road safety visit in Aluche

On Monday 24 March, all of Year 7 went to Aluche for an exciting morning learning about road safety through an interactive workshop. The extended session formed ‘educacion vial’ taught to the students by Spanish police officers. It was a lively morning where students rode around a purpose-built track by bike and developed resilience as they understood the importance of being safe on the roads. Mr Bird, Ms Prentice and Ms Garcia accompanied the group who behaved in a professional manner and represented Richmond Park School in an impressive way. We are grateful to the police officers for their time and for making the experience so fun and engaging for our pupils. So much was learnt together during this fascinating opportunity in community. Well done to everyone involved.

SPORTS

Duathlon Solidario

On Friday 14 March students from Year 5, Year 6 and Year 7 participated in the Duathlon hosted Colegio de Fomento El Prado. The students competed in both the male and female events. The student thoroughly enjoyed the experience to compete against several school from the Fuencarral district area. There were several fantastic performances with children from Year managing to finish 2nd and 3rd in their races.  There were also great performance from children in Year 6 and Year 7 with children finishing 6th in races with more than 100 children. Everyone at Richmond Park would like to thank the students and families for their effort and support. Finally, we would like to express our thanks to Colegio de Fomento El Prado for the invitation once again. 

Hockey event

On Monday 10 March Year 4 children from Richmond Park participated in a hockey event with children from Dallington School. The children played several friendly matches in the attempt to increase hockey participation and to create no friendships. There were several excellent performances from the Year 4 children and lots of exciting matches. We would like to thank Dallington for coming to our school and we hope there are many more events in the future.

Basketball

Our team is starting to show signs of a solid, hard-fighting and self-sacrificing team. The work we put in at training is increasingly being reflected in the matches. 

On Saturday 8 March, the victory against Santa María la Blanca, 28-10, means that we have improved the result of the first match against them by 25 points. From losing by 7 points to winning by 18. There were even parents from the opposing team who congratulated us after the match. 

Special mention to our parents, a group 100% committed to basketball. Celebrating after the match.

Dramatic finale as Richmond pushed league champions to the limit

On Saturday 15 March Richmond Park School Benjamin played out a thrilling encounter to conclude their league season, ultimately falling 7-6 to league champions Kikitos in a match full of twists and turns.

Richmond got off to a sensational start, storming into a four-goal lead with sharp attacking play and clinical finishing. However, Kikitos, showing the resilience of champions, mounted an impressive comeback, gradually clawing their way back into the match. With just minutes remaining, they found the decisive goal, sealing an extraordinary 7-6 victory.

Despite the narrow defeat, Richmond Park secured a third-place finish in the league, a testament to the effort, determination, and quality shown throughout the season. The squad can be immensely proud of their performances, and with the Copa de Primavera on the horizon, they will be looking to go one step further.

Richmond Park School held to draw despite dominant display

On Saturday 15 March, Richmond Park School Alevin boys put in an excellent performance against Cadiz de Cortes, controlling large spells of the game and creating numerous chances. Despite their dominance, Richmond found themselves trailing 1-0 at halftime, an unfortunate scoreline given their strong first-half display.

Determined to respond, Richmond continued to press forward in the second half, displaying great energy and attacking intent. Their persistence paid off when Alvaro found the back of the net, levelling the game with a well-taken goal. Richmond pushed for a winner, creating several opportunities, but were unable to convert their chances. In the end, the match finished 1-1, a result that did not fully reflect Richmond’s positive performance.

Richmond Park School end season on a high with 3-1 win

Richmond Park’s alevin boys team capped off their league season in style with a confident 3-1 victory over Silvano at home on Saturday 22 March.

The hosts came flying out of the blocks, showing their intent early. Carlos opened the scoring with a sharp finish before doubling his tally moments later, putting Richmond firmly in control. Matteo then added a third with a composed strike to round off a dominant first-half performance.

Silvano showed resilience in the second half, pulling one back to make it 3-1, but Richmond’s defense held firm to see out the game and secure all three points.

This win marks a fitting end to a strong league campaign, and Richmond Park would like to thank all the players, coaches, families, and supporters for their dedication and encouragement throughout the season.

Volleyball

After a long break due to the storm, on Saturday 15 March, our fry and infant volleyball teams represented Richmond Park School in a new day of the Catholic Schools League of Madrid, achieving two victories that reflect their effort and evolution in the competition. The fry team faced the Sagrada Familia Oberon “C” school, playing an intense game in which they demonstrated their great teamwork and fighting spirit, which led them to victory. For their part, the children’s team played against S.C. Chamartín, also achieving a well-deserved victory thanks to their tactical discipline and excellent coordination on the court. These results are a reflection of the commitment, dedication and effort of our players and coaches, and we continue to grow and improve with every game!

HOUSES

Richmond Park School’s Houses score chart

MERCHANDISING

Richmond Park School’s merchandising

We invite you to visit our website’s section “SHOP” where you will be able to see all the merchandise with our Houses’ logos. Please remember this is a personalised service, so orders cannot be received with less than two weeks´ notice.

https://richmondpark.school/shop/categoria-producto/houses/