I genuinely couldn’t wait to write this week’s letter – what a cracking start to the term we have had! It all began on Monday morning with our Y8s presenting in assembly on their innovative plans for transforming the memorial garden, the library was taken over for 2 days by ‘Read for Good’ as our KS3 students came and selected their books and our Y9 finalists went to Cheltenham to showcase their DataFace project. Tuesday saw 35 of our Y10s attend the Cheltenham science festival, Wednesday, 40 of our students went to Bristol for photographic inspiration, the Music Bus arrived after school for our aspirant DJs and songwriters and on Friday 35 of our Y7s also attended the Cheltenham science festival.
Amidst all of that, I have witnessed an outstanding commitment to learning in lessons and there has been a real inclusive feel in the summertime activities taking place at break and lunch in our social spaces.
So, when asked am I proud to be the Headteacher of Kingshill – it's a very simple response. Our school, its staff and our students are incredible.
Landscape Projects
Students from each tutor group presented their ideas for improving our outdoor spaces to the rest of their cohort. We were enthused by their ambitious and imaginative plans and by some very impressive graphics to accompany the presentations. At the end of each assembly students placed their voting chips into the cylinders of their favourite designs.
At the start of next week, as we move into the second phase of this exciting project, the winning team from each year group will be invited to showcase their plans to the whole Senior Leadership team, and to our Site staff so that we can assess the overall feasibility and begin to develop our implementation plan!
Assemblies this week
Our students were shown in their assembly this week how we have developed our Unlocking Potential (UP) data strategy to link in with our school culture of the STEPs. The journey to aspire to be a Platinum student was discussed and the students were shown how to achieve this.
Each STEP will be linked to a data point which we will be able to track and report back to all the key stakeholders in our school. As parents you will see these indicators on your child’s report and we will be communicating any important messages linked to this through the tutor programme and at key events in the school.
I am very proud of how our students have bought in to the UP strategy in our school and how they have seen how this can continually improve the overall culture we are striving to achieve.
- Mr Darren Stillman, Assistant Headteacher
Science Festivals
What an amazing day our Year 10 students had at the Cheltenham Science Festival! Our budding scientists and engineers delved into their futures at the 'Discovering Their Futures' event. They were inspired by five incredible speakers who shared their unique career journeys in the STEM industry. From Materials Engineering and Apprenticeships to careers in Journalism, Software Engineering, and Human Resources, our students gained invaluable insights. The excitement didn't stop there! They explored the Discover Zone, took on various challenges, and brought home some fun freebies. A truly inspiring trip that sparked curiosity and ambition in all! - Mrs Pearson, Head of Science
Brilliant Bookshop Experience
We were privileged to host the Brilliant Bookshop Experience on Monday and Tuesday of this week. This was a wonderful event run by Read for Good and National Book Tokens in partnership with the Yellow-Lighted Bookshop. Every student in Years 7 - 9 was given a free £10 book token to spend on any book of their choice from an incredible selection provided in a pop-up bookshop in our school library.
Our students were incredibly enthusiastic in making their choices and the staff from Read for Good and the bookshop repeatedly commented on how polite, respectful and well-behaved the students were across the two days. This was such a special event, and we were proud to be selected to take part. We hope the books are enjoyed at home and that, for some, this could even be the spark the ignites a life-long love of reading.
- Mr P Smith, Head of English
Music Bus
We are thrilled to share the fantastic experience our students had with the team at Music Works and their incredible Music Bus. This program offered our children a unique opportunity to collaborate in creating music, sparking their creativity and enthusiasm. They had an amazing time making music from scratch, recording songs, DJing, and singing. Even our staff members couldn't resist joining in on the fun. It was a memorable and enriching experience for everyone involved!
- Mr D Radbourne, SENDC
ECO Club
The ECO Club Starts Project 2 and what a big job it’s going to be! We began by clearing the nettles into a compost bin and arranging our tyres, ready for soil filling and planting our veggies! The mammoth job of clearing the allotment style beds begins next week but with so many willing volunteers we are making great progress each week.
Parent Forum
Don’t miss out on our upcoming Parent Forum on Friday 14th June, from 9:10 to 10:30am. It’s a fantastic opportunity to connect, share and learn together. Register Now and secure your spot today. We look forward to seeing you there!
Change to Senior Detentions
This week we changed the way we run senior detentions. They no longer occur after school, but instead are held during the school day for the whole of lunch period. Students will be escorted to the dining room with a member of the senior team once other students have eaten. Parents will be notified if their child is in a senior detention by ParentMail.
Water Bottles
As the warm weather returns, a reminder to all our parents and carers that a water bottle is part of our equipment. Please ensure your young person brings one to school every day. Students are not allowed to fill these up during lessons. There is plenty of time at break and lunch.
Substack
We've transitioned our newsletter to Substack, providing a more practical and mobile-friendly viewing experience. This change allows the newsletter to be sent directly to your email with improved readability on mobile devices. Please note that we will soon stop sending the newsletter via ParentMail. If you haven't been receiving our newsletter through Substack, it might mean we don't have your updated email information. If this is the case, please contact the main office to update your details. Thank you for staying connected!
Closing Remarks
I trust you have all enjoyed reading about our fabulous week. If the stories appear on your social media feeds, do share and help us to spread the exciting adventures that take place here at Kingshill.
