Kingshill Newsletter - 09 May 25
From unexpected visitors to standing ovations – what a week to be proud of Kingshill!
Dear Parent/Carer,
Wow – in what was supposed to be a calm and steady 4 day week, turned out to be much bigger than we originally anticipated! On Wednesday and Thursday we welcomed our visitors to the school, and we cannot be more proud of our students in the way they demonstrated their pride for our school in all of their lessons and beyond. We also want to thank the parents and carers who took the time to complete the survey and especially to those who added such positive, impactful comments – we were blown away by your support. I have to ask you to be a little patient as we await the inspection report, as soon as it arrives and has been validated, we will share the findings with you. Back to Thursday, the afternoon saw our second STEPs awards celebration, what a joy to meet the proud parents and carers of our Spring Term winners and finally, in the evening, with minutes to spare following the visitors’ final report to us, Mr Blamey (Vice Chair of the Trustees), Mr Lee and myself arrived at the Bingham Hall for Kingshill’s Got Talent and met the final judge, Mrs Somm. Mr Ashby, organiser extraordinaire, took us through our roles and then the curtain was raised! What an uplifting end to the week – if you have never experienced a school talent show, then book your tickets now, ready for next year. All participating students were phenomenal. They demonstrated huge courage as each and every one of them owned the stage and gave the judges an incredibly tough task in selecting the final 3 acts. If you want to know who they were, you will have to look out for our special feature in next week’s newsletter!
Non uniform day
In recognition of all that our students have done to represent themselves and our school with such pride this week, it was only right that we made today a non-uniform day. In keeping with the theme of the VE Day commemorations, it was lovely to see so many of them wearing their red, white and blue in honour of all those who served our country.
AI in School: The Good, The Bad and When to Draw the Line!
In our most recent assembly, we explored the impact and ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI) in education and the wider world. As AI becomes an increasingly integral part of our daily lives, it is important for all students to understand both its potential and its limitations. AI can be a powerful tool for learning, assisting us with tasks like gathering information, checking work grammatically, or providing suggestions. However, we emphasised the importance of using AI responsibly and ethically both inside and outside of school.
Students were encouraged to think critically about how they engage with AI. While it can certainly assist in planning and improving their work, we asked the question of, should it? and focused on the point of it never replacing their own thinking or effort and ensuring they are not bypassing the hard work of studying and understanding the material themselves.
To help guide responsible use of AI, we are introducing a traffic light system towards homework tasks:
Red: No AI use—students should complete their work independently.
Amber: AI may be used to assist with planning or checking work, but not to do it for them.
Green: AI can be used for most of the work, but within a framework that ensures students are still engaging with the content in a meaningful way.
By establishing clear guidelines on when and how to use AI, we aim to help equip your children with the skills they will need for the future without limiting their own capabilities and ingenuity.
Mr Aaron Patching
Lead Practitioner of Digital Learning
Student STEPs Awards
Towards the end of a busy few days, I smiled to myself at the wonderful scheduling of our second STEPs Celebration Event on Thursday afternoon. This provided the perfect endorsement of the character development that we are so passionate about celebrating through our emphasis on the STEPs and I felt truly proud to be bringing together such a wonderful group of young people and their families.
One proud parent commented that the values of our STEPs could be applied far beyond school and indeed to any business and this is precisely why we are so keen to promote them. These awards, based on staff nominations (and final decisions being made by their Heads of Year!) brought together 30 students who, between them, exemplify the personal qualities and characteristics that embody each of our 6 STEPs.
It was a genuine privilege to see these wonderful young people, across each year group, brought together in such a way and to see the pride of their families. As I commented at the end of the event, I am always humble enough to recognise that whilst, as a school, we do our very best to instil the core values of our STEPs, we only work with them for a few hours each week and the influence of the upbringing that you provide beyond this, as families, really does shine through your children.
I am really looking forward to our next round of STEP Awards at the end of the summer term and bringing together more of our students and their families to celebrate the importance of the personal qualities that so many of our young people epitomise so strongly.
Mr J Morland
Assistant Head, Character Development
Eco Club in Full Bloom
Eco-Club is back in action this season, and our fantastic team of student volunteers has hit the ground running. They've been busy refreshing the planters and pots outside the science rooms—stripping them back and replanting with care and creativity.
A huge thank you to Morrisons of Nailsworth for their generous donation of beautiful bedding plants. We can’t wait to see the vibrant display they’ll bring in the weeks ahead—it’s going to be blooming brilliant!
Y7-Y10 Rounders
Although the results didn’t go our way this time, there were plenty of positives to take from each performance and some extremely close games.
Year 7:
The Year 7s played a competitive match and narrowly lost by just 1½ rounders. The girls worked hard in the field and have identified areas to improve, particularly in dealing with a live scoring batter in the field and batting skills. Special mentions go to Grace (fielding) and Ella (batting) for their excellent efforts and attitude throughout the match.
Year 8:
Our Year 8 team faced a strong Deer Park side with some outstanding batters. Despite showing great promise in the field—especially with some powerful throws—the girls couldn’t quite keep the opposition’s rounder rate down. Well done to Lily (batting) and Mollie (fielding) who demonstrated impressive throwing arms and great team spirit.
Year 9:
The Year 9 team put on a brilliant display of fielding and came agonisingly close, losing by just half a rounder. Their tight teamwork and sharp fielding skills were a highlight of the evening getting lots of the opposition out. A fantastic effort all round from the team, with their performance showing just how far they’ve come as a team.
Year 10:
Our most experienced side, the Year 10s, lost by only 2 rounders in what was a well-fought and evenly matched game. Their fielding was strong and consistent, and the game showed real promise for the rest of the season. Special mentions go to Lara for her impressive batting and Sophie for her excellent work in the field.
The PE team were incredibly proud of the teamwork, resilience and respect shown by all players across every year group. A huge thank you to all the girls for representing Kingshill so positively and Deer Park for hosting. We’ll now be focusing on our batting skills in the lead-up to our next fixture.
We go again next week against Archway—well done, girls!
New Staff Members
Originally from Hull in East Yorkshire, Mr Mabbott brings 15 years of teaching experience and a real passion for science education to our school. Known for his infectious enthusiasm and commitment to inspiring young minds, he’s a firm believer in making science exciting, engaging, and accessible for all.
When he’s not in the lab, Mr Mabbott keeps busy with weekly 5-a-side football, cheering on his beloved Hull KR rugby league team, and playing guitar in an indie rock band. He’s also a proud dad to two young children who keep him on his toes!
We are delighted to have such a dedicated and dynamic teacher on our team.
Closing Remarks
We’re all off for a well-deserved rest this weekend but rest assured, we will be back on Monday, ready and raring to go!
Mrs Jo Lindley
Headteacher
Returning Week: Week A
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