Intrepidus Magazine Autumn 2022

Principal’s Welcome

KAA was delighted to have its first review published in Good Schools Guide this Autumn, following our first reviewer visit in July 2022.

The reviewer commented on behaviour and culture for learning, saying; “lessons are pin-drop quiet, teachers emphatically in charge of classes.”

The reviewer also spoke to students and parents, who commented; “I feel like KAA has helped me to become the person I am today… [KAA] prepares you for adult life…I can’t think of any improvements.”

Dear Parents & Carers,

I’m delighted to welcome you to this Autumn term issue of INTREPIDUS magazine, celebrating many of the wonderful extra-curricular activities our students have enjoyed this half term, including the return of our Christmas Markets trip to Cologne in Germany and a full programme of Black History Month activities.

New KAA parents will be interested to learn about the array of house competitions that take place across the school year. This term included a range from Maths Countdown and History Escape Rooms to Basketball and Netball competitions. A huge congratulations to Honeyball house for taking the lead in the race for the house cup in this first term - lots more to look forward to and plenty of time for the other houses to catch up in the next two terms. We start next half term with House Dance, which is always a popular major house competition. Students can sign up with their Form Tutor in the New Year.

Wishing all our community a wonderful, restful Christmas break with your families.

Intrepidus, David Benson Principal

We were pleased with the reviewers praise of the range of extra-curricular activities on offer at KAA. The reviewer concluded; “Bring an appetite for learning and hard work (and the right attitude – essential here) and the school will provide a banquet of opportunities – academic, cultural and sporting – that lead to success. Every community should have one.”

KAA’s first “Good Schools Guide” review published

You can read the full review via this QR code:

BLACK HISTORY MONTH EVENTS!

During October, we celebrated Black History Month with a variety of different activities, including form time educational discussions, competitions, movie nights, bake sales and talks from visiting artist Christian Azolan and middleweight boxer Denzel Bentley.

Student Librarians Nafisa (8 Bassey), Afreen (8 Wonder) and Aarmi (8 Armstrong) produced a series of Morning Reading activities celebrating work by Black authors to be read and discussed by Key Stage 3 students across October.

Students and staff raised £370.30 for the Sickle Cell Society through bake sales, a raffle, and by selling Black History Month Badges. Sickle cell disease disproportionately affects people of African and African-Caribbean origin, which was why students and staff leading on Black History Month activities chose the charity. All of the money collected will go towards supporting people affected by sickle cell disorder to improve their overall quality of life. Congratulations to Sarah (7 Kaluyya) who won the raffle!

On Wednesday 12th October, middleweight boxer Denzel Bentley visited the school to speak about his career during lunch time and after school for interested students. Our huge thanks to Denzel for his time talking to students!

On Wednesday 19th October, celebrations filled the school playground at lunch time as a result of a flash mob organised by Anaiya (7 Ali), Blessing (7 Zhao), Indigo (7 Berry) and Ms Thomas, supported by a number of other student dancers. Once the flash mob got things started, students and staff enjoyed a huge dance celebration, accompanied with music by Black artists.

On Thursday 20th October we were visited by West London artist Christian Azolan. Christian spent the full day at school, starting with an assembly to Year 8 students about his latest body of work ‘Little Black Girls’ as well as speaking about his pathway to becoming an artist.

For the Autumn Term the Year 8 art scheme of work ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ researches Black artists and how they use the portrait as a vehicle of empowerment for Black people. Kehinde Wiley, Bisa Butler and Christian Azolan have been their focus.

Azolan’s work aims to empower young girls, giving them a portrait that they can look back on in life and say with pride, that was me! Students in Year 8 were thoroughly engaged during assembly and Year 11, 12 and 13 GCSE and A level art students had detailed conversations about the process of creating the body of work from beginning to exhibition. We thank Christian Azolan for his time with our students and showing them how their creative voice can really count.

Our huge thanks to all of the students and staff involved in making this year’s Black History Month a huge success - particularly the students leading on African Caribbean Society who organised the Culture Day on the final day of Autumn 1.

The African Caribbean Society (ACS) hosted a second annual Culture Day on Friday 21st October. The mantle this year was passed onto Ahlam (13 Wilberforce) and Ella (13 Nightengale) to help the diverse range of cultures of our school shine. This event expanded to involve the lower school, and included celebrations and key speakers, such as Isaac Crichlow, who gave a lecture on the Haitian revolution. The day culminated in the successful catwalk celebrating students’ cultures. Turnout was more than we ever could have expected, with theatre filling to capacity full of students wanting to watch the celebration of KAA cultures. The celebration of differing attire and food was continued in the sixth form library with dishes ranging from Jamaican goat curry to Vietnamese desserts. The co-presidents of the African Caribbean Society, Ahlam (13 Wilberforce) and Ella (13 Nightengale) , said “There is power in learning about history, to have a complete understanding of others, your identity, and how rich culture is. This about sums up the celebration of Black History Month from the Culture Day catwalk to lectures. We continue at the African Caribbean Society to champion and inform others.”

MFL Trip to Cologne

ByMabel(8Taylor)

I was so fortunate to come on this amazing trip to Cologne in Germany. There were so many amazing memories in the short time that we had in Cologne but memories that I will never forget! I will highlight the best memories below.

On our full day in Cologne we visited lots of amazing places. The highlight of this trip was definitely at the very beginning of the day when we were walking to the first Christmas market; it was the extraordinary Cologne Cathedral! It was so stunning and I had lots of fun researching it when I got home. For example, I found out that it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.

We also visited lots of Christmas Markets where we bought gifts for our families and friends. We also bought lovely traditional food from the markets. At the end of the day we went on a large carousel at the last Christmas market - the ‘Harbourmarkt’. The last place we visited was the Lindt Chocolate Museum which was fantastic.

Going on this trip really helped me with my confidence in speaking to people in a different language. I love the thought of having a conversation with someone in a different language and I really got to experience and challenge myself when I was in Cologne. Everyone was so friendy and made me feel so welcome.

Cologne Trip

ByNafisa(8Bassey)

My trip to Cologne was very fun and quite educational even though we were not at school as I was able to practise my German, and learn new vocabulary. There was six hours of traffic, but we kept our spirits up and had fun on our way to Germany. We stopped in France, and Belgium for lunch and a break.By the time we got to the hostel (Jugendherberge) it was night, so we went to sleep and rested for a jam-packed, enthralling day!

We went past the Kölner Dom, the largest cathedral in northern Europe, and arrived at our first Christmas Market. The Christmas markets were filled with amazing things such as food stalls, toys, clothing, and souvenirs.

We went on a small train that goes on the road to our next Christmas Market, which was called Old (Alter) Market, where I bought many souvenirs and presents for my friends and family. I also ate a traditional German pizza, which was delicious!

Our next stop was the Lindt Chocolate Museum, it was very fun and I found out the way chocolate was made. I also was able to buy chocolate for my family!

We went to the final Christmas Market, which was conveniently in front of the chocolate museum. There was a huge ferris wheel, a bit like the London Eye.

RECORD GCSE AND A LEVEL RESULTS!

This summer’s GCSE and A level results - the first based on national exams since 2019 - saw our students in Year 11 and Year 13 out-perform all of our previous national exam results records.

At A level, in record breaking results this year, 41% of all entries for KAA students received A* or A grades, and 75% were A*-B. The results show KAA Sixth Form continues to go from strength to strength.

Unlike the national picture, KAA’s results have not dropped back significantly from the last two years, and instead we have broadly maintained the outcomes we achieved under teacher assessed grades. National results show that 36% of entries were A*-A and 62% A*-B, so KAA is still ahead on both measures. Students acheived 41% A*-A grades, 75% A*-B grades and an average grade of B+. In addition, 57% of students taking three subjects secured 3 x A*-B and 27% of these students achieved AAB or above.

The results are a testament to students’ hard work and resilience, through what has been a turbulent two years, and to the commitment of KAA teachers who have supported them. Half of our Year 13 leavers progressed to Russell Group universities, and four candidates secured Oxbridge places. Students, parents, and staff alike were delighted with the results.

Head Boy Johansel, who achieved one A* and three As (Spanish, Biology, Chemistry and Maths) said “I’ve loved my time at KAA” and “this is the happiest day of my life”. He is now studying Chemistry at the University of Glasgow.

Emuejevoke, who achieved three A*s (History, French and Spanish) said “I never imagined I would be in this position today” and “screamed” when she saw the email from UCAS. She is now studying Modern Languages at Robinson College, University of Cambridge.

Patrick, who has three A grades in Physics, Further Maths and Chemistry and is now studying Maths at Leeds, said “I didn’t think I would get the grade in all three” but was “overwhelmed with emotion” to have secured such a competitive offer.

Manal, who secured an A* and two Bs (RE, Biology, Chemistry) said, “It’s been an uncertain few

years but I’m so pleased I’ve been able to pull it off!’ Manal is now studying Pharmacy at UCL.

At GCSE, Year 11s secured the school’s best ever GCSE results, with 38% of all grades at 7 or above (equivalent to the old ‘A’ grade). The national average for Grade 7+ is 26% (and in London, 33%). Our “Progress 8” score is +0.38, meaning KAA students performed a third of a grade better than students with equivalent starting points in other schools. Again, this is well above national averages.

As with our excellent A Level results, these GCSE outcomes underline the outstanding standards at KAA, and are a credit to the hard work and resilience of our students. Students and staff have found ways to overcome the challenges of Covid and should be proud of what they have achieved. 73% of grades were a 5 or above, and 84% of grades were a 4 or above, and 66% of all students secured a 5 or above in both English and Maths (80% 4 or above).

Some individual success stories included Nerses who achieved ten grade 9 GCSEs, and was very pleased with his results. He said that the GCSE exams “were not as bad as everyone said, and I did what I had to do.” He has now enrolled to study Maths, Further Maths, and Economics at KAA Sixth Form.

Ibti achieved ten GCSEs with grades 9-7 and said she was “so happy”. She added that although remote learning and the disruption caused by Covid lockdowns was difficult “we got a lot of support so it wasn’t so bad.” Ibti is now studying Biology, Chemistry and Maths A Levels at KAA Sixth Form. Evan achieved nine GCSEs at grades 9-7 and said “How do I put it into words? I can’t!”. Evan is now studying Art, Geography, English and Mathematics at KAA Sixth Form. Principal David Benson said: “I’ve been so impressed by both our Year 11 and Year 13 students over these last two years. These excellent results are a real credit to their abilities and ambition. Also to the staff who worked so tirelessly to support them, and their parents for all their encouragement at home. A huge well done and thank you to everyone involved.”

Speaking at the House of Commons

Though I was elected Youth MP for RBKC only 10 months ago, on the 4th of November I was given the opportunity to debate at the House Of Commons alongside other Youth MPs from different constituencies and across the UK. This was live streamed via UK Parliament and then a week later shown on BBC Parliament. Fortunately enough I was interviewed by Parliament which was posted on their Instagram page, contributing to the voice of Youth Politics in the UK.

At the House of Commons we debated five key topics voted by 434,000 11-18 year olds across the UK, these consisted of the impact of discrimination and health inequalites, environment and air pollution, Education and enforcing a curriculum for life, The Cost Of Living Crisis and mental health.

At the end of the debating period which was chaired by Lindsay Hoyle (speaker for the House Of Commons) in the morning session and the Deputy speaker (Eleanor Laing) in the afternoon, Youth MPs decided which topic is best to be our National Campaign for the next two years - the results concluded to the Cost of Living Crisis.

I was recently voted by my fellow MYPs to represent London in campaigning to help tackle the effects of the Cost of Living Crisis on young people in the social action group. This election success means I will be heavily involved with helping undertake this epidemic and change peoples lives for the better, as previous generations of Youth MPs have. Overall, this was an empowering experience and an amazing opportunity and I hope to have more opportunities like this in the following years.

ByAyah(9Gauss)

Ayah’s speech in the House of Commons on the rising cost of living

Fellow Youth MPs, we are currently facing another epidemic. One which may be even more detrimental to young people. Whilst during the covid pandemic we saw our livelihoods torn apart by this virus that plagued the world, the current virus we are facing in the UK is something we have all heard of as we hear it in all the headlines, the papers and have even faced ourselves. Something we know as the cost of living crisis. We are told young people are the future of this country, we are told that currently we are at the crossroads of our future, so why is it that young people are the ones who are the most impacted by the incompetence and indecision of our politians.

Inflation rates are skyrocketing at a 40 year high of 9% increase, but we see that wages remain below the rate of inflation putting us in a vulnerable state, whereby some young people may be struggling to have a basic meal. The cost of living crisis is inevitably going to add fuel to the already raging fire that is youth crime. Young people will turn towards other means of economic stability which may lead them to the path of gang culture forcing crime rates among young people to increase.

Inflation is stealing young people’s innocence and is driving them towards a life of crime. Now you tell me, can we really afford more lives being lost to crime. It is for this reason we must vote for the cost of living crisis as our national campaign to help mitigate against scenarios where our young people feel that they are left with nothing but the choice to go down the alleyway of crime.

As politicians start to forget their values, the value of the pound starts to drop too. Why should we be the ones to pay the highest price for their ignorance? We must act now.

HONEYBALL WINS HOUSE MUSIC

The first major house competition of the year was House Music, this year with a European Languages Week theme! Each house was tasked with creating a mashup including at least one verse in another European language.

Over a hundred students took part in the House Music finals on Thursday 20th October. The finals saw each house perform a song of their choice to our special guest judges; vocal coach Emily Gant, singer & songwriter Maria Moss, and music producer Likkle Dotz. All four houses performed their mash ups with passion and energy, impressing the guest judges from start to finish.

Last year’s champions Franklin performed first. For their mash up they choose to celebrate famous Black music icons, mixing a range of songs including Rihanna’s “Umbrella” and Tupac’s “Ghetto Gospel” with their German verse. A range of students took on solos, including Hannah (13 Roosevelt), Candice (8 Omari) and Gabriel (7 Kaluuya).

Second to perform were Honeyball house, who used pride in their cultural identities as the inspiration for their performance. With solos from Violetta (8 Wonder), Omara (9 Muller), and Ana (12 Maathai), Honeyball performed a mash up of songs from “The Greatest Showman” with an Italian verse.

The third house to perform was Angelou, whose mash up of “All of the Lights” by Kanye West and “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd included a French verse and solos by Dominick (8 Knowles), Charlotte (8 Taylor) and Jessica (9 Kassovitz) - complete with glow sticks for effect.

The final performance was from Pankhurst, who went with a TikTok mash up theme and four-piece student band, as well as their Spanish verse. This included a range of soloists from their ensemble, including Braxton (7 Andrews), Jaidon (8 Mason), Likhona (7 Ali), Aarmi (8 Armstrong), and Anna (10 Mirzakhani).

During tutor time on the last day of half term the results were announced, with Honeyball taking first place for their “Greatest Showman” mashup with Italian verses. Pankhurst placed second and were awarded 15,000 house points, Angelou received 10,000 points for third place, and Franklin won 5,000 points for their fourth place entry.

AUTUMN 1 INTERIM HOUSE COMPETITIONS

Limbo

WINNER: ANGELOU

On Thursday 15th September, we launched the 2022-23 house cup with the first of the party game interim competitions over the lunch break. Reece (8 Knowles) won first place for Angelou with the lowest limbo record, well done Reece!

MFL Spelling Quiz

WINNER: FRANKLIN

On Thursday 29th September, the Languages department hosted a spelling quiz “Vive le Vokabeln” as part of the European Languages Week celebrations. Franklin won the quiz, with Honeyball and Pankhurst in joint second and Angelou in fourth.

Boys Football

WINNER: HONEYBALL

The boys interim football tournament took place for Year 7, 8 and 9 on Tuesday 20th September and Year 10 and 11 on Tuesday 27th September. Honeyball retained their first place title for a second year and earnt the 5,000 house points in the boys’ competition.

Girls Football

WINNER: FRANKLIN

The girls interim five a side football tournament took place for Year 7 and 8 on Thursday 29th September and Year 9, 10 and 11 on Thursday 6th October. Overall across all five years Franklin won the most games and took the 5,000 house points!

6F Cook Off

WINNER: FRANKLIN

On Wednesday 12th October the Sixth Formers battled it out to be crowned Cook Off champions in a pizza baking competition. Franklin were victorious with their creation, Pankhurst placed second, Honeyball third and Angelou fourth.

Apple Bobbing

WINNER: FRANKLIN

Our next party game for Autumn one was a Halloweenthemed apple bobbing contest in the playground at lunch time on Thursday 6th October. Franklin won with an incredible time of 1.17 seconds, beating Pankhurst and Angelou who were just behind on 1.24s and 1.27s.

Netball

WINNER: PANKHURST

Girls netball was the first interim competition of the Autumn 2 term, with Year 7 and Year 8 tournaments on Monday 14th November, and Year 9 and 10 on Monday 21st November. Pankhurst won for their first interim competition win of the year!

Party Games

WINNER: FRANKLIN

On Wednesday 23rd November students gathered in the theatre at lunch time for their chance to compete in the Autumn 2 interim Party Games competition. Students sorted party sweets and played musical chairs, with Franklin finishing the games in first!

AUTUMN 2 INTERIM HOUSE COMPETITIONS

Maths Countdown

WINNER: FRANKLIN

On Friday 18th November, the maths department hosted a Maths Countdown competition with 43 students competing in teams to solve the puzzles in the fastest time. Franklin managed another win with 30 points, just beating Pankhurst who came second with 27 points!

Escape Room

WINNER: ANGELOU

The final interim competition of the Autumn term was a nail-biting “Trial of the Gods” themed history escape room during lunch break on Thursday 1st December. Angelou managed to secure their second interm win of the year - well done Angelou!

Basketball

WINNER:

FRANKLIN & PANKHURST

The boys interim basketball tournaments took place in the third week of November. Franklin and Pankhurst managed to secure a joint first place finish after all the year groups’ scores were counted.

HOUSE ART AND DESIGN TRIUMPH

The Autumn 2 major house competition was House Art & Design, led by our Head of Art, Ms Parker. The competition saw each house tasked with creating the scenery and props for the school panto “Aladdin”. Each house was tasked with creating one large scale set design and 3-4 props inspired by the scene randomly assigned to the house. They then had a number of tutor time and after school studio sessions to complete the designs.

Over 50 students worked collaboratively across the four sets and collection of props during form time and after school workshops with their Heads of House and the art department. There was pressure to deliver some fantastic sets, and students participating in House Art & Design to create them didn’t disappoint!

Angelou students created a beautiful palace back drop with golden domes , accompanied by a wedding cake for their prop. Franklin created the palace interior secenery, with free-standing ornate pillars and a snake staff prop for Jaffar. Honeyball created a Honey & Tea shop back drop, complete with 3D shelving and an enormous cake prop. Pankhurst painted an apple store for their scenery and created numerous apples, potion bottles and other food items for their props.

To add drama to the competition, the panto audience on Thursday 15th December were given the chance to vote for their favourite props and scenery after watching the show to decide the winners of the major house competition. The winner was announced in the End of Term assemblies on Friday 16th December - a huge well done to Pankhurst who won first place. Angelou placed second, Honeyball third and Franklin fourth.

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DANCE ACT WINS KAA’s GOT TALENT

On Friday 25th November KAA staff and students gathered for our 9th annual KAA’s Got Talent competition after school in the theatre, celebrating the wide range of skills and talents of our students.

This year’s competition was judged by Mr Dunning (Director of Performing Arts), Ms Redford (Teacher of Drama), Mr Bernard (Vice Principal) and last year’s KAA’s Got Talent runners-up Anna (10 Euler) and Danielle (10 Turing). Acts included singers, dancers, comedians, musicians and beatboxers in years 7-13.

The winners of this year’s KAA’s Got Talent were Vloresa (8 Taylor) and Indigo (7 Berry), who performed a duet dance piece they had choreographed to Missy Elliot’s “Burn it Up”. A full video of their performance is available on our YouTube channel!

In second place was Ibukun (10 Reason) who performed a stand up comedy act and was praised by judges for her progress since last year’s performance.

Braxton (7 Andrews) was placed third for his cello performance with multi-media accompaniment, all arranged and edited by Braxton. Judges praised Braxton for the creativity and uniqueness of his act.

A huge well done to all performers for showing Intrepidus by competing in this year’s KAA’s Got Talent.

KENSINGTON ALADDIN ACADEMY PANTO!

This year’s school panto was Aladdin, performed to a packed audience on Thursday 15th December. After a long autumn term of after school rehearsals, the show was well worth the wait!

The lead cast blew away the audience with their performances. A big well done to Aladdin (Anna, 10 Euler), Abou (Patricia, 10 Fermat), Jasmine (Sireen, 10 Euler), Jaffar (Aarmi, 8 Armstrong), Rajah (Salma, 10 Turing), Iago (Elena, 19 Gauss), Sultan (Anna, 10 Mirkzakhani), the Genie (Shabnam, 10 Turing), Dame Vera (Dominick, 8 Knowles) and Ditsy Daisy (Ibukun, 10 Reason). There were surprise cameos from Mr Edwards, Mr Giles, Ms Mavrou, Ms Orgill and Ms Kruk - not to be missed! But a huge congratulations goes to the entire ensemble who worked so hard to get the show ready across a busy term.

Thanks as well to the students who spent hours creating the scenery and props for the House Art & Design competition (see pages 16-17!). It is the first time we’ve had a KAA production entirely staged by student-created scenery and was a wonderful KAA-first.

PARENT CALENDAR SPRING 2023

DATE / TIME EVENT STUDENTS/PARENTS

Thursday 5th Janaury 2023, 8.30am First day of Spring 1 term All students return to school

Thursday 5th January 2023, 6pm Y11 Mock Results Evening Year 11 students & parents

Monday 9th January to Friday 13th January 2023 Y13 Assessment Point 5 Year 13 students

Tuesday 17th January 2023, 8.30am - 3.50pm Y10 PSHE Drop Down Day Year 10 students

Thursday 19th January 2023, 4.30pm - 7.30pm Y7 Progress Meetings Year 7 students & parents

Thursday 26th January 2023, 8.30am - 3.50pm Y11 PSHE Drop Down Day Year 11 students

Thursday 2nd February 2023, 5pm - 7pm Y9 GCSE Options Evening Year 9 students & parents

Thursday 9th February 2023, 4.30pm - 7.30pm Y11 Progress Meetings Year 11 students & parents

Friday 10th February 2023, 8.30am - 2.55pm Final day of Spring 1 term All students finish school at 2.55pm

Monday 13th February to Friday 17th February 2023 Feburary half term break School closed to students

Monday 20th February 2023 Staff Training Day School closed to students

Tuesday 21st February 2023, 8.30am First day of Spring 2 term All students return to school

Friday 24th February 2023, 8.30am - 2.55pm Y9 PCA Drop Down Day Year 9 students

Monday 27th February to Friday 10th March 2023 Y11 March Mock Exams Year 11 students

Thursday 9th March 2023, 4.30pm - 7.30pm Y10 Progress Meetings Year 10 students & parents

Friday 17th March 2023 Staff Training Day School closed to students

Tuesday 21st March 2023, 6pm - 7.30pm Y11 Crunch Time Parents’ Evening Year 11 students & parents

Monday 20th March to Friday 24th March 2023 Y7-Y10 Assessment Week Year 7, Year 8, Year 9 & Year 10 students

Friday 31st March 2023, 8.30am - 12.30pm Final day of Spring 2 term All students finish school at 12.30pm

Monday 3rd April to Friday 14th April 2023 Easter break School closed to students

Monday 17th April 2023 Staff Training Day School closed to students

Tuesday 18th April 2023, 8.30am First day of Summer 1 term All students return to school A reminder that all term dates can

www.kaa.org.uk/students-parents/term-dates/