An Independent Co-educational
Preparatory School

⛰️ Going Further and Climbing Higher for Demelza! 💙

At Russell House School, we believe in turning compassion into action. In 2026, our staff took on two incredible challenges to raise money for Demelza Hospice Care for Children, supporting children with life-limiting conditions and their families.

🚴 January – Tour de Kent: Staff took turns on a single Peloton bike, cycling an amazing 168 miles throughout the school day!

🥾 June – Ben Nevis: Eight members of staff travelled from Kent to Scotland to tackle the demanding Càrn Mòr Dearg Arête, climbing to 4,413 feet!

Thanks to the generosity of our staff, pupils, families and wider community, we raised an incredible:

💙 £11,693.74 + £1,894.56 Gift Aid!

But the impact went far beyond fundraising. Inspired by our staff, pupils launched their own initiatives for Demelza, and participation in the Restless Development Triathlon more than tripled, rising from 12 pupils in 2025 to 40 in 2026!

Most importantly, our children saw first-hand how determination, teamwork and kindness can make a real difference to others.

A huge thank you to everyone who donated, supported, encouraged and got involved. Together, we have shown that small acts of kindness can achieve extraordinary things.

Proud to go further and climb higher for Demelza! 💙

#RussellHouseSchool #Demelza #CharityFundraising #CommunitySpirit #MakingADifference #SchoolCommunity #Teamwork #KindnessInAction #RaisingRemarkableChildren #RemarkableThinking #RemarkablePeople #RemarkableFutures @demelzacharity …

🦕 🦖 What happens when classroom dinosaurs come to life overnight? It becomes the starting point for an extraordinary journey of imagination, discovery and child-led learning in Pre-Prep.

The Challenge:
We wanted to create an engaging Early Years learning experience that would spark curiosity, encourage independent thinking and bring the Characteristics of Effective Learning (EYFS) to life. Rather than relying on traditional, adult-directed activities, we set out to create an evolving adventure that would put children`s ideas, questions and discoveries at the heart of the learning process.

The Project:
The concept was simple: each morning, children arrived to discover that their classroom dinosaurs had been up to mischief overnight. From midnight marshmallow feasts and mysterious disappearances to dinosaur escapes, muddy adventures and unexpected visits around the school, each new discovery presented a fresh opportunity to investigate, imagine and problem-solve.
Crucially, there was no fixed programme of activities. Instead, teachers followed the children`s interests, allowing their theories and suggestions to shape what happened next.
The youngest children explored friendship, kindness and collaborative play, while older children designed increasingly sophisticated dinosaur traps, created maps, followed clues, made missing posters and used information books to investigate dinosaur characteristics.
The adventure naturally incorporated literacy, mathematics, science, creative arts, physical development and understanding the world. Children counted dinosaur eggs, explored animal diets, constructed enclosures, wrote speech bubbles and even approached their local librarian as part of their search.

The Results:
Dinovember successfully engaged all the Pre-Prep children, generating sustained enthusiasm, excitement and genuine ownership of learning.
Most importantly, it demonstrated all three Characteristics of Effective Learning.

#EarlyYears #EYFS #PrePrep #Nursery #Preschool #RaisingRemarkableChildren …