We are finally here at the end of a very long, but brilliant term. This week we have celebrated all the student successes in the STEP Awards assemblies – congratulations to all who received acknowledgement for their superb endeavours over terms 3 & 4.
Aside from the many practical GCSE exams taking place in textiles, fine art and photography this week, the Y11s have also had a chance to review their final round of Mock Exams results in a Review and Reflect session. Not only a chance to identify subject specific next steps, it also gave the opportunity to look at the Post 16 options chosen. Such an important time for our Y11s – we are all with you.
And finally, as you know by now, it wouldn’t be a proper Kingshill end of term without a Lunch-aoke or a whole school quiz – we have had so much fun today; a huge thank you to Mr Morland and the Y11 student leaders who helped him realise his crazy ambitions ! Do enjoy the photos below.
STEPS Awards
As is now customary at the end of each long term, this week saw us celebrate our students’ success in exemplifying our STEPs through our STEP Award assemblies. From hundreds of nominations, our Heads of Year had the challenging job of choosing their 6 badge winners, each of whom have had their invitation to bring their family to our celebration event on Thursday 8th May at 2.30pm. If you are the parent of one of these fantastic young people, please do respond to me as soon as you can to confirm your attendance at this event.
Mr J Morland
Assistant Headteacher, Character Development
Assembly
This week we asked students to think about ways in which they look after themselves. We are often more able to focus on improving our physical health rather than supporting our mental wellbeing. They were taught some simple self-care activities such as a deep breathing exercise and positive self-talk. Taking Pride in yourself means caring for your mind, body and soul and they were left with the message that self-care isn’t selfish – it's vital.
Mr T Lee
Deputy Headteacher, Excellent Teaching and Learning
Joe Wicks
We were delighted to receive a personalised video message from the legendary body coach and television personality, Joe Wicks, last week! His contact with us was orchestrated through some typically proactive work by Bella, one of our Head Students, and in sharing his message through tutor times over recent days, students have been encouraged to reflect on Joe’s advice around connections and motivations, linking his overall philosophy to our STEPs, some of which he even manages to name in his video! How many you can spot?! Click here, or on the picture below for the full video.
Mr J Morland
Assistant Headteacher, Character Development
Cirencester College delivers GCSE English revision session
On Thursday last week, Year 11 students aiming for top GCSE English grades were treated to a revision session by expert staff from Cirencester College. Holly Kowalewski, A-level Language teacher at the college, delivered an ambitious and engrossing session on the distinction between 'influential' and 'instrumental' power and how students can utilise these to make their writing more persuasive. Holly said the Year 11s in attendance were 'articulate, sparky and a pleasure to teach' and that they were 'a credit to Kingshill'.
Year 8 Parents’ Evening – Wednesday 7 May
From Monday 28 April you will be able to make appointments for Year 8 parents’ evening in your Edulink app. Letters have been sent home to Year 8 parents this week with further details.
Friends of Kingshill
We’re thrilled to share that our recent pre-loved uniform sale, organised by the Friends of Kingshill, raised over £600! A huge thank you to everyone who donated, volunteered, or came along to support — your generosity and community spirit made this event a fantastic success.
Today, we’re excited to share that we raised nearly £200 during our popcorn sale, along with ice lollies, crisps and a special Easter raffle! From the popping to the packaging, it was a real team effort, and we’re so grateful for the volunteers and staff who helped make it happen.
Every penny raised goes straight back into the school, helping to fund projects and resources that directly benefit our students. Whether it’s new equipment, enriching activities, or improvements to school facilities, your support is making a real difference.
Lunch-aoke
Our students never cease to amaze – the confidence and courage of our students performing in the Lunch-aoke was simply mind-blowing. What a privilege that we belong to a school community where all genres of songs can be sung and where all year groups can be celebrated; an absolute joy.
Flopsy our Easter bunny is spending the Easter holidays with Izzy G from Y10 for a superb rendition of Rolling in the Deep. Congratulations !
Easter Quiz
In a whirlwind end of term quiz students were challenged on their Easter knowledge, their ability to decorate eggs, complete ‘Eggciting’ puns and pin a fluffy tail on a bunny – it was thoroughly enjoyed by staff teams and tutor groups across the school but the ultimate winners were 9E!
Y10 ASDAN Trip - Lea Wood
We travelled to the Lea Woods site outside of Fairford - this is run by The Ernest Cook Trust who offer a wealth of educational resources for local schools.
The theme of the day was survival skills: the students had researched basic information in the lessons prior to the trip, so were hopefully armed with some idea of what to expect on the day!
The first task of the day was orienteering: the pupils were split into two groups and were sent off into the woods with maps and sheets of co-ordinates; the aim was to find marker posts with numbers on them. By each of the posts there were survival items for them to collect e.g. a potato peeler, a plastic bottle and some marshmallows (all will be revealed).
The next task was to build water filters using a plastic bottle, cotton wool, sand and gravel. Students had collected some pond water which they ran through their filters to make it cleaner (they could then theoretically boil the water to make it drinkable!).
Students built two types of shelter in their teams – with logs and undergrowth, then something called a basher shelter. They worked so well in teams and seemed to enjoy the challenge.
Here’s where the potato peeler comes into play – we cut willow branches with secateurs and then whittled the end of these with the peelers to make a pointy stick. Toby the trail guide showed us how to light a bonfire and then the marshmallows we hunted were skewered on the sticks and toasted over the fire.
The students demonstrated great responsibility during the day and took pride in their work. They have built up their survival knowledge ready to feed back next term and compile work for their ASDAN portfolio.
Mrs Lambrou
Woodchester Mansions
Another successful trip to Woodchester Mansion for the English faculty! Our third time there and it's still just as inspiring for us. This time the sun was shining, but despite this our students did a fantastic job of getting creative and coming up with creepy ideas for ghost stories. Well done to those who came with us!
Farewell Ms de Carles
It was with great sadness today that we said our farewells to Ms de Carles who is relocating at the start of term 5. It is fitting we place her tribute following the Woodchester Mansion trip. Aside from being a brilliant teacher and superb tutor, she has also been the Queen of trips for the English department. Ms de Carles will be hugely missed by us all.
Year 10 Rugby Team Triumphs in Bristol Schools Match On Tuesday, April 2nd, Benjie N and Reuben S had the exciting opportunity to represent Kingshill school in a Stroud & Cotswolds District rugby match against Bristol Schools at North Bristol Rugby Club. Known for their strength and competitive edge, Bristol Schools posed a tough challenge, especially with the added difficulty of extremely strong winds. The match began with Bristol Schools gaining an early advantage, pushing hard against Stroud’s defense. Benjie made a crucial tackle on the halfway line to prevent a breakaway, denying Bristol Schools the first try of the game. Once Stroud settled into their rhythm, they quickly turned the tables, scoring four to five tries in rapid succession. By halftime, Stroud led with a commanding score of 8 tries to 0. In the second half, Bristol Schools managed to break through Stroud’s defense and scored their only try after Stroud struggled to cope with pressure in their own half. However, Stroud responded strongly, finishing the match with a resounding 11 tries to 1 victory. Congratulations to all the players involved for their fantastic teamwork and resilience throughout this exciting match!
Y9 Stroud & Cotswold District Rugby Team
The Year 9 Stroud and Cotswolds District rugby team also played on the same evening. Kingshill was represented by Cameron PS, Charlie I and Ethan C.
Cameron was privileged to captain the Stroud and Cotswolds team who played another very physical and demanding game at north Bristol RFC. This was an excellent display of representative rugby against a very well drilled Bristol side. The Bristol Schools Rugby Union is in partnership with Bristol Bears overseeing rugby in Bristol schools and providing County level competition for school rugby. Considering it was the first time these boys from our district played as a combination side they all did very well winning the game 25-15.
Cameron was presented with the winners 'Eric Blackman trophy' from The Bristol Schools Rugby union President.
This was another very proud and ambitious moment within our school sport community.
Y8 District Finalists
We are super proud of the Year 8 Football team who showed great ambition and resilience during the Year 8 District Final. Despite some fantastic goals from Ethan P and Joe A, Farmors took the overall victory 5-4. I am confident the team will reset next year with the goal to gain further success in the future. Thank you to all the players for their hard work this season and to the parents for coming along to support, it is very much appreciated.
Drama Component 2 Final
On the 8th of April, the year 11 drama students performed their scripted pieces to a group of year 9’s and 10’s, along with the invigilator. They put in so much effort and all the performances were exemplary. There was a total of nine performances: Sparkleshark, Monster, Girls like that, a Christmas Carol, Blood Brothers, Too much Punch for Judy, TEECHERS, The Crucible and, 5 Kinds of Silence, all of which completely blew the invigilator away.
‘’As a student, I am so proud of both myself and all my peers! The performances today were nothing short of professional and everyone did amazingly. Though completely terrified to perform, everyone was super supportive and after completing it, the excitement and just general mood of everyone was overwhelmingly positive. Well-done to everyone!!’’
“After performing my set-text play, Monster by Duncan Macmillan, it really taught me a lot about what it takes and how it feels to do a play, especially a play that has such emotion and seriousness to it that it’s hard to feel like it’s going to go well. I always thought that I would mess up my part and everyone would know and it would leave me self-conscious about myself, but it went really well and that’s due to knowing my lines and practicing hard to make it as perfect as it can be, and I couldn’t do it without my fellow co-actors. A piece of advice for anyone taking drama that I learnt from personal experience is that practice makes perfect and if you are performing and make a noticeable mistake, then run with it, don’t let it bug you out and make it stop you from continuing the play. If you make a mistake, then make it apart of the play- drop something? Make it seem like you did it on purpose. Also, trust feedback from others and work with your group to practice and tune your piece until if feels like you can’t make it any better than it already is, discussing ideas with your group is important.” - Laurie BH
Virtual Author Visit for 9B
On Tuesday 9B were lucky enough to experience an online session with two amazing authors: Louisa Reid and Josh Silver. Organised by Read for Good, the writers discussed their most recent novels and this was especially great for 9B, as they have been reading Reid's verse novel 'Gloves Off' as their New Chapters read during tutor time. The authors answered questions from the class and discussed being resilient in the face of other people's criticism, unless they are offering wisdom and to never give up when times are hard (for example, trying to get your first book published). 'Resilience is the key' said Louisa Reid. A brilliant and aspirational experience for our young people to have enjoyed!
Mrs Collins
Art Supplies Donated in Memory of Millie Sheppard
Kingshill School is honoured to have received a generous donation of art supplies in memory of former student Camilla (Millie) Sheppard, who attended from 2002 to 2007 and passed two years ago. Millie’s family set up the Millie Sheppard Art Attic in India to support young women into careers in the textile industry, a field Millie was passionate about.
While 30kg of supplies were sent to India, some items couldn’t be shipped due to customs restrictions. With the donors' kind permission, those supplies have now been gifted to Kingshill, where they will be used to support creative opportunities for students – particularly those who may not have access to their own materials.
We are incredibly grateful for this meaningful donation and proud to carry on Millie’s legacy of creativity and care and will also plan a day to raise money for their worthy foundation.
As we continue to uphold high standards in all areas of school life, we would like to remind parents and students of the expectations for girls’ summer’ PE kit:
Skorts (Kingshill branded) and black shorts must be mid-thigh length.
Nike Pro or similar hot pant-style training shorts are not permitted for PE lessons.
White PE socks should be worn as part of the standard kit.
If your daughter’s kit does not meet these standards, she will be provided with an appropriate alternative for the lesson.
Thank you for your continued support
Mrs Barton
Head of Girls PE
Drum Hang
Attached are pics from today's first Drum Hang, set up by Ollie, our Drum Teacher. We had some great drum performances as well as a lively audience! Watch out for more of these to come. In the meantime, don't forget to come support Kingshill's Got Talent on the 8th of May at Bingham Hall. Tickets are available at: www.ticketsource.co.uk/kingshillschool.
Thank you and see you seen!
The Music Department
Lost and Found
Lost property will be displayed in the Concourse until the end of the first week of term after Easter Holidays. All unclaimed items will be going to charity at the end of the day on Friday 2nd May. Please remind your children to check lost property.
Closing Remarks
We leave for the Easter break having enjoyed another successful term at Kingshill. Next term, the shortest on record of only 19 school days, will commence on Monday 28th April bright and breezy at 8.40am. In the meantime, rest well and enjoy a well-deserved holiday – an enormous thank you from all of us to the parents and carers for your fabulous support again this last term – it's now over to you for the next few weeks!
