Secondary Developments

Recent months have proven extremely busy at King’s, with the students in Secondary making visible improvements as they progress towards the summer exams, and staff (both teaching and non-teaching) working hard to ensure the school continues to progress. One of the key focuses of the school is student achievement and the continued monitoring of individual progress (academic and pastoral).  Another key element is maintaining high standards of teaching and learning within the school, which allows staff to reflect more thoroughly upon methods, planning and priorities. We are confident that this will have a positive effect on the experiences of staff and students alike. 

The school community continues to work hard. There have been a number of internal and external examinations, with high hopes of real success. I have every hope that King’s College as a whole can continue to grow and achieve every success this coming summer.

The school House system was launched this term in assemblies, with students allocated to the four Houses according to age and form. This will enable students to be awarded points for academic and extra-curricular activities (such as basketball tournaments, music competitions, debates), and students will in turn be able to gain House Colours in recognition of their contribution to the school. I am confident this will prove a great success.

The first major House event this term was the Haiti day on 12th February, when students were required to draw around an outline of their hand, and write in a fact or comment or thought about the recent events in Haiti. In exchange for this, and a small fund-raising contribution, students were then entitled to wear non-uniform for one day, provided it was in the colour of their House. The day proved a great and reflective success, with 2,000 Euros raised for the disaster fund. 

Students have continued to make great efforts to raise funding for the Jordan trip (cake and confectionary sales, a Quiz night, a Christmas carol ordering service) and via the Haiti Day and Stars in Their Eyes.

The students’ recreational environment has also improved, with benches installed in the porch area, providing shelter from the rain and heat of the summer. Additional indoor seating has been provided in the foyer area in front of the auditorium, for students’ use before school and during wet weather. An outdoor table tennis table was installed in the main playground, along with additional drinking fountains and a fully staffed outdoor food and drink servery at first break each day, serving breakfast bars, fruit salads, sandwiches and cold drinks. Outdoor chess boards are due to be put in place when the weather improves.

In addition the term has seen the inaugural session of the Post 16 Debate Club, which saw passionate and inspiring arguments from both sides. We await the Year 7 – 11 Debate with great anticipation. Meanwhile the student newspaper continues to go from strength to strength, and the school choirs performed outstandingly at the Christmas Carol Concert. 

Various changes have taken place in the structure of the school year, with the cancellation of Activities / Trips Week (with the exception of the Ski Trips and the art trip to Russia), allowing a greater focus on the continued academic progress of the students. .

The start of term saw a concentrated focus on uniform. Standards have noticeably improved around the school thanks to the efforts of staff, students and parents, and this will have a positive effect on general discipline and overall achievement. Students with the most consistently good uniform were entered into a series of prize draws, with prizes awarded in the first week of February in assembly and, on the final day, in the playground. The aim now is to maintain these high standards, and concentrate our efforts on academic progress and extra curricular activities.

J Swash