There is no place like a school in the last week of the Christmas term. We started the week with our Y11 students bravely opening their mock results envelopes in their assembly, capturing next steps needed in their journals and identifying the key questions they wanted answers to during the parents’ evening that night. At the end of a very long term the Y11 teachers, parents and students held honest and ambitious conversations on Monday evening. A huge thank you to the teaching team involved and for the parents and carers who joined us.
During my assemblies, I have spoken about the ‘Gift of Giving’, so listen out for those extra thank yous, watch out for the wider smiles and maybe even the offers of extra help around the home this Christmas...
Normal lessons have taken place all week but today, the students sprinkled their magic in the dining hall for Christmas Karaoke. (Congratulations to our Y11 boys who are now the proud custodians of our Gingerbread Man for the holidays!) Following this, we all came together in our first ever whole school Christmas quiz. Our brilliant Y11 student leaders supported Senior Leaders and Heads of Year in making the event full of fun and festivities – a keeper for years to come!
Finally, we have just said goodbye to the staff with their own STEP awards and a sad farewell to Mrs Fletcher and Mrs Jeffreys as they leave us for their next new adventure.
What a term and what amazing students, staff and parents we have here in our Kingshill family. Do let your young person know how incredibly proud we are of their commitment in lessons as well as their support to the wider school community – at a time of reflections; Kingshill truly is a special place to be.
STEPs Assemblies and Christmas Cake
A personal highlight of the week has been presenting our first STEP awards to students in assemblies. Each member of staff was invited to nominate students who had epitomised the values within any of our STEPs and with over 300 nominations in total, our Heads of Year had the tough job of deciding who would be the 6 winners in their cohorts!
It was a real joy to see our students celebrated in such a positive manner and beyond the acclaim given to our worthy winners listed below, every nominated student was able to read the words that emphasised the esteem that is held for them by our staff in collecting their nomination slips at the end of the assembly. This process will be repeated when we break up for Easter and for summer so our number of proud badge-wearers will increase throughout the year!
As a reminder, the parents and carers of all of our overall winners, listed below, are warmly invited to a STEP Celebration Event that is scheduled to take place in our Dining Hall at 2.30pm on Wednesday 15th January. If you haven’t already done so, could you please ask your son/daughter to return their reply slip to me – or if easier, email me directly: jmorland@cirencesterkingshill.gloucs.sch.uk so that we can ensure the appropriate set up!
As a follow-up to this celebration of ‘STEP-success’, it was also wonderful to be able to invite 75 students, nominated by our Heads of Year, to enjoy the delights of a multi-layered Christmas cake that was so lovingly produced and decorated by Mrs De-Gay and her team of aspiring chefs. Sometimes, and especially at this time of year, the most delicious and edible of treats really are the best reward!
Mr J Morland, Assistant Head, Intentional Character Development
New Library – Ribbon Cutting
We are proud to announce that are library has now been completed! We now have some beautiful lower-level movable wooden shelving, comfortable seating and homework “pods” to minimise distractions when working.
We have also put the books into different genres, so they are easier to find. We have a had some great comments from students such as, “it looks so much brighter” and “This is Sic Miss!” The library reading lessons are calm and the students are more relaxed so they can really get absorbed in their books.
Kindness Club – Christmas Quiz
A big thank you to everyone who participated in the Kindness Club Christmas Quiz. We hope you enjoyed taking part. Congratulations to the winners from Year 7, 8, and 10—fantastic work.
We were also overwhelmed by the incredible 275 responses from students sharing their acts of kindness. To celebrate this, two winners were selected to receive a £15 Amazon gift voucher, and a special prize of chocolates was awarded to the tutor group with the highest collective participation, submitting an impressive 21 entries.
Well done to everyone who got involved—you’ve truly spread the spirit of kindness this season!
Christmas Jumper & Dinner Day
What a festive day it was on Wednesday as students and staff looked fantastic in their Christmas jumpers, bringing plenty of Christmas cheer to the school. Thank you to the kitchen team for providing a delicious Christmas dinner—it was truly wonderful and much appreciated by everyone.
Wishing you all a joyful Christmas.
Year 7 Christmas Cards
Our Year 7 students have been busy spreading festive cheer with their beautifully designed Christmas cards. The creativity and effort that went into these cards was truly heartwarming. I was delighted to receive one of these adorable cards myself—it was such a thoughtful and special gesture. Thank you, Year 7, for bringing so much Christmas spirit to our school.
Christmas Food Bank Collection
Our thanks continue to everyone who contributed to our food bank collection. We had a huge range of goods and products to drop off at Cirencester Food Bank. These items will make a difference to others this Christmas time. Your support within our community is much appreciated.
Bath U15 Player Development Group Rugby
Over the past year, Ben has been fortunate to train with the Bath PDG (Player Development Group), alongside his school and club rugby commitments. This has been a fantastic opportunity to learn from the experienced Bath coaches and to inspire him in training alongside his teammates, who continually motivate Ben to improve.
On Wednesday, 11th December, Ben took part in a competitive match between The Bath PDG Team, that he played for, Chippenham rugby club, and one of its other Bath sites, Stothert & Pitt RFC. The game allowed the players to put into practice some of the skills the players have been focusing on in training over the last few months. It was an exciting match, with the other team taking the lead in the first half, only for Ben's Bath team to come back strong in the second half to secure a narrow win.
Ben is now looking forward to his next game in the new year, where he will continue to develop his skills through this great rugby experience. Well done Ben on your amazing achievement representing Bath Rugby, the school is very proud of your successes.
Cotswold Way Achievement
We are excited to share that our Year 7, Josh R, has achieved an incredible milestone outside of school this year. Over the past 11 months, he has walked all 102 miles of the Cotswold Way, completing the final stretch in Bath this weekend.
This amazing journey required immense determination and resilience, as Josh tackled steep hills, braved all kinds of weather, and completed long walks, some over 9 miles at a time, across 15 sections.
Along the way, he explored fascinating sites like Stone Age burial grounds, Iron Age hill forts, Civil War battlefields, the iconic cheese-rolling hills, and countless towers, monuments, and breathtaking views.
Congratulations, Josh, on this remarkable achievement!
Closing Remarks
All that remains is to wish you a wonderful festive break with friends and family; a time to stop, rest and recharge. We go again at 8.40am on Monday 6th January 2025.
