Annual Review 2018

Founded 1553

KING EDWARD VI SCHOOL

SOUTHAMPTON

ANNUAL REVIEW 2018

Head’s Report The academic year 2017/8 has seen a number of significant developments.

We began the year with 960 students on the roll and the School continues to be full at every level. We enjoyed our first Prizegiving event in our new theatre and the prizes were presented by Dr Steve Bull, three times Olympic GB team psychologist and former consultant to the English cricket team.

We have continued to invest in the School’s fabric with the reconstruction of our Dining Hall, and the construction of a new five classroom facility for Key Stage 1 pupils at Stroud. Further detail is provided in the Chairman’s report.

Our students have enjoyed another very good set of academic results. At A Level students achieved 86% of all grades at A*, A or B, with over 54% at A* and A. A third of all students achieved at least three A and A* grades. 47% of grades at IGCSE were at A* and 90% at A*, A and B. We were also very pleased with our university admissions; over 96% of our students proceeding to courses at the top 25 universities with twelve students offered places at Oxford and Cambridge and eleven at medical school.

Once more KES students have excelled themselves on the sports field with two-thirds of the students representing the School at some stage during the year.

The girls’ hockey season went well for a number of age groups with the new U12 teams in particular showing ability. The U14s won half of their matches and the U16 team reached the south rounds of the National Cup. It was the 1st XI who produced the best set of results, reaching the final four in the south. Indoor hockey is now well-established and both the U16 girls and U16 boys reached the south finals. The boys’ hockey season matched that of the girls. The U13s won the majority of their matches with the A team reaching the south finals. The U15 team were impressive, winning all bar one of their fixtures and providing the core of the U16 cup team that reached the regional rounds. The 1st XI also had a good season, with the highlight being an outstanding 3-1 win over Kingston Grammar as they progressed to the last sixteen in the country.

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A large number of boys showed great enthusiasm for rugby with the U15A and U14A team the most successful, both progressing well in cup competitions. We were just as proud to be able to regularly field a successful U12C team. This was also the year the King Edward’s girls’ rugby club was founded competing with enthusiasm in a 7s festival.

Netball had an excellent season as the sport continues to develop at a rapid rate at KES. Twenty-two teams were fielded for the first time ever and the results were excellent throughout the year groups. This was also the first year in which we have had two netball teams qualify for the regional rounds.

This was achieved by the U14 and U16 sides.

The cricket season was a successful one with the U12 team reaching the county final and the U15 side narrowly losing the county semi-final.

The 1st XI played well to retain the County Cup and the Altham Trophy and also recorded a fantastic 151 run victory over Portsmouth Grammar School. The greatest achievement was that of the U13 team; they reached the national semi-final after a competitive match with Millfield Preparatory School. Girls’ cricket is deepening its foundations with U13 and U15 matches at Hill Lane, and a festival at Wellington. This will continue to grow in years to come.

In the summer, the U15 boys’ athletics track teams reached the county final.

There were some good results in the Aegon Cup for the tennis teams and some excellent rounders results for our younger teams, although fixtures were harder to come by as girls’ cricket grows within the sector. A number of students have also been successful in their own right and, as well as the many performers who compete at county and regional level, there are national and international performers in sailing, hockey, cross country skiing, modern biathlon and basketball.

KESPTA has prospered under the direction of Mrs Leask. We are very grateful for their support for a range of activities. We have particularly enjoyed the use of the PTA Steinway grand piano in our new theatre. Our OEs have enjoyed numerous reunions organised by our Development Officer, Ms Hooper, with much useful work completed by The King Edward VI Foundation to help students applying to King Edward’s from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The number of visits the School organises each year continues to grow and is a major part of our educational provision. This year KES students have enjoyed visits to the USA, Poland, Italy, South Africa, Ecuador, Spain, France, Belgium, Austria and Germany. These have ranged from exploring Ecuador and the Galapagos and skiing in France to sports tours in Europe and Jamaica. Closer to home, students have participated in language exchanges and study visits to Cordoba, Catalonia, Salamanca, Paris, Montpellier, Mutterstadt and Vienna and trips across the UK from regular theatre, music and art visits to London to geography and biology field trips across the country. Hundreds of our students make excellent use of the New Forest and our facility at Lovaton on Dartmoor for Duke of Edinburgh Award expeditions.

The arts have had a high profile using our new facilities, with regular occasions such as the Carol Service at Romsey Abbey and the Service of Thanksgiving interspersed with a wide range of concerts and drama productions. Drama has been busy with a number of productions including the magnificent ‘Beauty and the Beast’, directed by Mr Collinson, as well as the Junior Drama Club and specialist Drama Department events.

The Science Festival provided an extensive variety of instructive and stimulating events, performances, exhibitions and activities to stimulate the imagination of our students.

Charitable and community work has long had considerable prominence at King Edward’s. In the past year over £30,000 has been raised by the students themselves for a range of different organisations, including our Summer Camp for young Southampton carers, the South Africa venture supporting the Goedgedacht Trust near Cape Town and a new venture with children from Sholing Junior School at our Rural Studies Centre in Lovaton. Dozens of volunteers have helped with cake sales, sponsored events, discos and talent shows. Likewise, our primary school partnerships have prospered involving a range of art, literacy,

mathematics, languages, computer coding and science clubs, as well as special events such as the July partnership day for local primary schools as part of the Endeavour programme.

We have been very well served by William Thompson as Head of School over the last year, ably supported by his deputies, Madeleine Burton, Ben Millar and Daisy Porter. Our Prepositors and Heads of House, together with the Lower School Prefects, provide excellent leadership across the School. They have all worked very effectively with a varied range of responsibilities and opportunities to develop their teamwork and communication skills.

A number of staff have served the School with distinction for limited periods and we thank Mr Pothecary and Mr Elphick, our IT Assistants for the past year. We have also said farewell to Mrs Ahmad, Ms Gadsbey, Miss Champion and Mr Westwater as they move on to other roles elsewhere. Mrs Piggott also leaves the School after five years in the Drama Department, three as Head of Department. We wish her the very best in her retirement.

Particular thanks are owed to Mrs Jones, Mrs Freemantle, Mrs Lupton and Mr Foyle with over eighty years of combined service at King Edward’s between them. Mrs Jones did much to enhance the teaching of French at King Edward’s and Mrs Freemantle transformed the musical culture within the School and, as Head of Creative Arts, raised the cultural profile of the School very significantly.

Mrs Lupton has been a superb Head of German and, most recently, Head of Modern Languages organising dozens of visits abroad to encourage an interest in languages. Mr Foyle, the longest serving of our colleagues in the Physics Department, also attended the School for seven years as a pupil. In every sense he was a loyal and industrious Edwardian, not least as our Junior Science Coordinator for many years. More detail about the contribution of these colleagues may be found elsewhere in this report.

This is also the occasion to record our thanks to Mr Morgan and the governors for their work supporting the School over the past year.

King Edward’s has continued to be a very successful school offering its students a very wide range of activities, visits, sport and cultural opportunities. They leave School as confident adults and impressive leaders, combining personal ambition with a strong commitment to the wider community.

AJ Thould Head

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Head of School

Chairman’s Report After spending the last seven years at KES I am very sad to be leaving.

That said, I now feel well prepared to move to the next stage of my life at medical school. KES provides pupils with ample opportunities to develop their characters, not only through our formal academic education, but also the wealth of co-curricular activities.

“KES provides pupils with ample opportunities to develop their characters”

During my time here, I have really enjoyed contributing to KES sport, particularly through captaining the 1st XV rugby team this year. I have also relished the opportunity to get involved in the School’s charitable work notably as a member of the Sixth Form Summer Camp Team. I have also been lucky enough to travel widely with the School, including the water sports trip to France and, more exotically, the expedition to Morocco; not every school offers camel rides on the curriculum! I have also been delighted to be part of the KES Diversity Society and our first ever KES Pride Day. Over the past year, we, as Sixth Formers, have benefited from the use of the fantastic new Concourse area. We have also made the most of the new Dobson Theatre with performances such as ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘And Then There Were None’, both widely enjoyed by the school community. The next school project is already nearing completion, with the extension of the dining hall to provide more space and ensure that better use can be made of lunch times for clubs and societies.

Finally, on behalf of the Upper Sixth, I would like to say thank you to our teachers, the non-teaching staff and all of those who make KES such an excellent and supportive learning environment.

Will Thompson Head of School

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This is my first report as Chairman, having taken over from Mr Gay in September 2017. His were undoubtedly big boots to fill, as he had been a highly successful Chairman for some sixteen years, and had overseen some very major developments for the School. Significant milestones during his tenure were the purchase of our Rural Studies Centre at Lovaton on Dartmoor in 2004, the construction of the Design and Technology building the same year, the acquisition of Wellington Sports Ground from Southampton University in 2005, the acquisition of Stroud School in 2012 and subsequent investment in their site, and the most recent development of the new Dobson Theatre, Art Department and enlarged Sixth Form Concourse which was completed in 2017; our most significant building project in the last decade.

Alongside these achievements, Mr Gay oversaw a host of other projects including major improvements to our science laboratories, the enhancement of our music facilities, the creation of a dance studio, improvements to our dining and catering facilities which we have already outgrown due to the popularity of the school lunches (more about this later) and continuous upgrading of our IT infrastructure and teaching facilities throughout the schools. That all this has been achieved while maintaining a very strong balance sheet is remarkable and a true testament to Mr Gay’s calm and assured leadership over this period. I am sure that the whole school community will join with me in thanking him for his immense contribution and I am delighted that he has agreed to stay on the Board for a while to help ensure a smooth transition.

In the last year our capital programme has shown no signs of slowing down.

After inaugurating our new theatre with an immensely successful Prizegiving ceremony shortly after the beginning of the new academic year, the Governors’ attention turned to our plans to extend the Dining Room which had become a significant bottle-neck in the daily routine at Hill Lane. A highly creative solution was identified and has been completed in time for the new academic year. This will extend our dining facilities by over a third and will give us significantly enhanced facilities

for hospitality events. Work has also been completed on the Memorial Garden, designed by Mrs Peebles, with the focal point a magnificent sculpture depicting three Old Edwardian First World War servicemen created by our former Head of Art, Mr Long. This will be formally unveiled during our Remembrance Service in November marking the centenary of the end of WWI hostilities.

We have also completed a new five classroom pod at Stroud School. This will replace some of the older teaching accommodation in the School. This is part of a 10-year plan of upgrading and refurbishment on the site which has already had a significant impact on its presentation and efficiency.

Alongside these major developments, there have been numerous other projects on all four of our sites, including, quite literally, fixing the roofs at Hill Lane while the sun has been shining! Our pavilion at Wellington has been transformed, and now includes a well-used hospitality and meeting suite, and work has continued at Lovaton to ensure that it is maintained to the highest standards for our visitors from both schools. I would like to thank our Director of Operations, Mr Baker, and his team for their outstanding management of all the building works while keeping all the sites running and being ever mindful of the safety of our pupils. Looking forward there will be no let-up in the pace of development, with work already underway to achieve an extension of our library facilities at Hill Lane, and ongoing planning to improve the external areas at the east end of the School, to complement the new theatre.

There was a very sad start to the year for the Governors as Dr Pierce, a member of the Board from 20102016, sadly passed away in September 2017. She provided great service to the School as our Child Protection Governor for much of that time. She was previously Chair of the KES PTA for a number of years and, with her husband, was responsible for organising a number of summer balls which will be forever remembered by those of us fortunate enough to attend.

She will be sorely missed by her many friends in the school community, and many from the School attended her funeral to pay their respects.

Within the Governing Body there have been a number of changes in the last year. The three new Chairs of our subcommittees, Mrs Chant (Education and Welfare), Mr Gray (Finance) and Mr Rudland (Buildings, Grounds and Sports), have all been in post for a year and, along with Mr Richards, the Stroud sub-committee chair, have made a significant contribution to our schools. In anticipation of a number of retirements over the next few years our Membership sub-committee has been busy, and we were delighted to welcome, in December 2017, Mrs Nicholson to the Board to assist with our digital marketing strategy. She is an Old Edwardian, and was a Deputy Head of School before proceeding to study at the University of Oxford in 2005. She is also the eldest daughter of Dr Pierce, continuing the very strong connection of her family with King Edward’s.

I am also sorry to announce the retirement of one of our most experienced Governors, Mr Wiseman.

He has left the Board after 30 years of exemplary service. He was a pupil at King Edward’s from 1956-63 and, during his career as a lawyer, was Her Majesty’s Coroner for the New Forest and Southampton, and a circuit judge.

He was also a Director of Southampton Football Club and Chairman of the Football Association in his spare time! The Board has been fortunate to enjoy his wise counsel over many years and I am delighted to report that he has been awarded a Fellowship of the School in recognition of his outstanding service.

I would like to add my thanks to those of the Head in his report for the contribution of four long serving staff who retired in the summer. Mrs Jones, Mrs Freemantle, Mrs Lupton and Mr Foyle served the School with great distinction and we are all enormously grateful for their impressive contribution to King Edward’s and wish them well for the future.

The desire to support a greater range of bursaries so that able pupils can attend our schools, regardless of their means, remains a key objective of the Governors. The King Edward VI Foundation, under the expert guidance of Ms Hooper, goes from strength to strength, with a wide range of reunions both in Southampton and around

the country, bringing together old Edwardians of a variety of vintages, including most recently a dinner for the Capon Club, a group of benefactors who have left legacies or made donations to the Foundation.

Finally, I cannot conclude this report without mentioning Mr Thould’s announcement that he will be retiring in August 2019, after seventeen years as our Head. Much will be said and written during the next twelve months and in my report next year about his outstanding leadership throughout this period. However, in summary, it is fair to say that during his tenure he has transformed the School. His contribution to all facets of school life has been immense and he will truly be a tough act to follow. I am delighted to report that after an exhaustive process, the Governors have appointed Mr Parker, currently the Vice Principal and Head of the Senior School at the Grammar School at Leeds, as Mr Thould’s successor. Mr Parker was selected from an outstanding field of candidates and the Governors are confident that he has the skills and experience to take our schools forward to the next stage in our development.

We look forward to welcoming Mr Parker and his family to Southampton over the coming months as he prepares to take up his new role.

To conclude, I am delighted to report that our schools continue to be in excellent health, not only achieving outstanding academic results, but also providing a huge range of opportunities for our pupils in sport, the arts and in our co-curricular activities. The schools are financially in very good shape and we are well placed to take advantage of any opportunities which may benefit them going forward. However, the Governors are acutely aware of the economic and political uncertainty which prevails at the moment, and recognise that there is absolutely no cause for complacency. We will continue to place our pupils at the centre of everything we do, so that the young adults who leave us will continue to have the confidence and skillset to flourish in whatever field they choose.

Alan Morgan Chairman of Governors

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Academic Progress The School began the year with 960 pupils on roll and a ratio of 60% boys to 40% girls. We have enhanced the School’s reputation for academic success with another set of impressive A Level, GCSE and IGCSE results.

The academic results this year were very pleasing with 99.9% of King Edward’s students passing their A levels with 18% of grades at A*, 54% at A* and A, and 86% at A*, A and B, matching our results over the past five years in spite of significant changes to A Level specifications. IGCSE and GCSE results were very encouraging, with 90% of IGCSE and GCSEs awarded at grade B or above, an improvement on 2017, with 73% of all grades at A* and A and 47% at A*. 90% of all grades were awarded at A*, A or B. 100% of students obtained the minimum five GCSE passes including IGCSE mathematics and English, the usual DfE measure of high standards although, given our adoption of the more demanding IGCSE, this is not given official recognition in the government’s league tables. The results for GCSE Religious Studies taken at the end of the Fourth Year were also very encouraging.

These results have ensured that our students are able to proceed to a range of competitive institutions in Higher Education with over 95% gaining places at their chosen universities. A small number have opted for places at art or music colleges and a few are moving directly into the world of work through graduate apprenticeships. 90% gained their choice of university course with 96% of places in the top 25 UK universities including twelve students offered places at Oxford and Cambridge and eleven at medical school.

A Level Results 2018

First choice university placement or gap year Other university placement or PQA 6

GCSE Results 2018

Students placed in The Times top 25 ranking universities Students in other HE institutions including music and art

“KES PTA has had another busy year”

KES PTA

KES PTA has had another busy year, incorporating its three sub committees - the Social Committee, the Prayer Group and OBNO. Each sub committee meets on an individual basis but also at the termly PTA Council meetings and at the AGM in November.

The Social Committee has organised a couple of events this year. The New Parents’ Wine Tasting in October was very successful and provided a chance for parents to get to know each other during a very relaxing evening. The annual Quiz Night in March was great fun, with many teams attending, and we are grateful to Nick Tall and Graeme Leask who wrote the quiz this year. A collection at the end of the night raised money for student charities and the event co-incided with the Summer Camp triathlonathon.

Thank you to all the Social Committee members for their time and support in organising these events.

The Prayer Group has continued to meet in schools and homes praying

for the physical, emotional and spiritual well-being of students and staff. They are mindful of the big changes happening in the staffing and building projects and continue to pray for smooth transitions.

Thanks go to Sophie Liardet and her volunteers who run the OBNO shop (Outgrown But Not Outworn). They have continued to sell second-hand uniform this year, raising enough funds to enable them to donate to the Greenpower Team. After many years, Sophie is standing down from this role. She has worked tirelessly to make a success of OBNO, giving up many hours of her time. She has done a great job and will be much missed.

At our AGM last November, we were sad to say goodbye to our PTA Secretary Jane Holt. She handed her role over to the very capable Catherine Judah. A huge thank you to Jane for working so hard at this role and for her positive support over many years. Sadly, this year, Annette Tidby, our PTA Treasurer, is also

Sporting events, formal dinners and informal reunion evenings have all brought together our alumni in the past year.

The Edwardian Society

The girls’ OE netball teams were delighted to secure two victories over the KES senior players in an evening occasion that was combined with the OE boys’ hockey match; the OE boys’ pulling back a draw after a slow start to the match. Disappointingly, the girls’ OE hockey match concluded before the final whistle due to injury although thankfully this turned out not to be a serious one. The OE boys’ vs KES 1st XI cricket fixture took place at Wellington on 24th June with OEs securing a convincing win this year.

We were delighted with the excellent turn out to both our 10 year and 25 year reunion events held at the School, with several alumni travelling from overseas to be present. The recent development of the Dobson Theatre and Art Department made a lasting impression on everyone during the customary tour of the school site. A new venue at King’s College London was the base for this year’s London Universities Dinner which attracted guests who are studying at many different London colleges. Our older

leaving us after a long time in post.

She has committed a lot of time and energy to her role and has done a fantastic job.

KES PTA has donated money to a wide variety of projects around the School this year. We have funded paddleboards, photographic equipment and a music composition for the Dobson Theatre, and contributed towards the mountain bike and cookery clubs as well as the First Year Endeavour camp.

This year I will be stepping down as Chair. I have enjoyed being involved in the school community through volunteering for the PTA for a long period of time and in a variety of roles. I would encourage parents to support the hard work of our PTA by either volunteering for any of the committees or attending events whenever they can.

Mrs Leask Chair of KES PTA

alumni were represented at the annual Poole Evacuation Luncheon in May this year, whilst in June a sunny Wellington Sports Ground provided the venue for the William Capon Club Dinner; a chance for us to recognise and thank the School’s donors and benefactors who so generously support our King Edward VI Foundation.

The guidance and knowledge that so many of our alumni so readily share with current KES pupils to advise and guide them, is an invaluable asset of such a loyal Edwardian network and we are extremely grateful to all those who continue to maintain their links with the School in this way.

Ms Hooper

Development Officer

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Drama

The Drama Department has had a wonderful year, making the most of our fantastic new facilities with three major productions, academic performances and even more cocurricular opportunities for students to participate in.

The Dobson theatre was opened in style in the autumn term, with the vibrant musical ‘Beauty and the Beast’. This was presented in collaboration with the Music Department and was certainly one of the highlights of the school year. Also in the autumn term, the GCSE and A Level Theatre Studies students created some innovative and challenging devised work as part of their examination course. This included students choosing to follow a technical theatre option in lighting or costume design. In December, all Second Year students took part in an informal performance of ‘A Christmas Carol’ to an invited audience of parents. For many this was the first time in front of an audience.

Members of the Sixth Form staged a version of ‘And Then There Were None’ by Agatha Christie in February giving students the opportunity to participate in a serious, naturalistic play, with some powerful themes.

GCSE and A Level students also

“The Dobson theatre was opened in style in the autumn term”

Art

had the chance to perform again, this time producing some thoughtprovoking and highly engaging scripted pieces for their visiting examiners.

In June, the Dobson was transformed into a pirate ship for the Lower School production of ‘Treasure Island’. This new adaptation featured a large cast from First, Second and Third Year and was certainly a spectacular event, with swashbuckling swordfights and an incredible set. As part of the preparation for this show, the cast took part part in a hugely entertaining Stage Combat workshop, where they learnt to safely sword and fist fight.

The academic year has been punctuated with some wonderful cocurricular opportunities. As well as theatre trips, the Drama Department organised a residential trip to London during the Easter holiday. Twentyfour Upper School students joined us for our ‘West End Week’ featuring theatre trips and workshops.

There have been some very successful LAMDA examinations this year. Junior Drama Club has been a highlight once again with large numbers of students attending every week and we have also had a keen group attending Stage Crew, which is run in collaboration with the Art Department. These students have been given practical experience in all aspects of stage design and have created wonderful props and costume items for our productions. This year, a small group of students also participated in the National Theatre New Views play writing scheme, which involved them working with a professional writer to write their own 30 minute plays.

Mrs Arnold Head of Drama

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It has been a great pleasure to be fully operational in our new studios this year. The department is characteristically busy with much activity. Students from all year groups participate in a wide variety of clubs and societies at lunchtimes and after school and in lessons there has certainly been some outstanding work done this year across a range of media, from clay sculpture to plaster casting, drypoint to large oil on canvas pieces.

The First Years have been exploring the ideas of tone, and mastering the magic of perspective, as well as exploring sculpture and working in three dimensions. The Second Years have been experimenting with colour and learning how to expertly mix tones, tints and hues. The Third Years have been introduced to a wide range of techniques and processes, and have spent time looking at the art and artists of WWI. The GCSE classes have worked hard on their portfolios with students working on large canvas portraits and mixed media pieces, all informed by exciting and highly personal sketchbooks. The Lower Sixth artists have created some exciting artwork and learnt to work in a more expressive and experimental manner than the GCSE allows. The Lower Sixth photographers have explored both the analogue and digital worlds and inaugurated the small darkroom.

The Upper Sixth artists have been a wonderful group of students this year and it has been exciting to see their work grow in confidence over the past twelve months. They have attended evening life drawing classes which have certainly improved their drawing skills and provided their portfolios with a sophistication usually seen at degree level. Their pieces have included stunning portraits, exciting and very contemporary work using the sewing machine to create a new

Music

descriptive narrative on landscape imagery, interpretations of domestic abuse, large abstract landscapes and interpretations of absence in watercolour.

In photography, students have explored the idea of the ‘new topographic’ where a landscape photograph can be interpreted as a social document.

The new Atrium space has given us a wonderful opportunity to exhibit and celebrate students’ work with six shows being hung this year ranging from linocuts from our Third Years to Miss McGinn’s quirky and inventive Character Design Club and culminating with our Annual Summer Exhibition. We also hosted our first Prep School Art Exhibition highlighting the work being created by students in our feeder schools.

Art continues to thrive at KES and students from all years enjoy the atmosphere and ethos of the department and the opportunity to be creative thinkers in the broadest sense.

Mr Piggott Head of Art

It has been another whirlwind year of excitement, fun and activity in the Music Department.

Notable events have included an inspiring woodwind and brass playing day with the London Mozart Players, involving KES musicians and eighty young wind players from partnership and prep schools, the Lower School Concert during which the Swing Band, Sinfonia, First Year Choir and a number of soloists performed with great style and confidence, the outstanding Senior Concert in March, featuring the School’s senior musicians in Chamber Orchestra, Wind Band, Big Band and Chamber Choir and the Carol Service which took place at Romsey Abbey.

Other performances have included an exciting Jazz evening, a wonderful joint Choral Concert with Winchester Cathedral Chamber Choir, an Alumni Concert, a Ceilidh and a teatime concert for Lower School musicians.

Many of our musicians performed in the annual Music Competition adjudicated by former pupil and Oxford student Miriam Chapman-Rosenfeld and the winners were James Tall, Boheng Shen and Aelfred Hillman.

Workshops have included a fascinating GCSE African drumming day with Abass, an oboe masterclass with Julliard School graduate, Fiona Last, an A Level set topic lecture and performance with Samantha Carrasco and a Jazz workshop with top musicians from the London Jazz scene. Trips have been to the Royal Opera House for a performance of Verdi’s ‘Rigoletto’, the V&A museum for the highly acclaimed opera exhibition, the Royal Festival Hall to hear the Philharmonia performing Berlioz, Dukas and Rachmaninov and a wonderful five days of seemingly nonstop cultural activity in Vienna.

The year was rounded-off with the Music Department being awarded a Gold Certificate from the ISM

congratulating last year’s Fifth Year GCSE musicians on an excellent set of exam results. The certificate is awarded to schools who enter a large number of pupils for GCSE Music. Last year’s GCSE Music classes achieved 100% A/A * grades for the third year running.

Mrs Freemantle Director of Music

“It has been another whirlwind year of excitement, fun and activity in the Music Department”

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Sport

Once more KES students have excelled themselves on the sports field this year.

In rugby, the U15 A and U14 A teams were the most successful in terms of results. The U15s progressed well in the Natwest Cup losing to eventual semi-finalists Hampton in the 4th round and the U14s won the county 10-a-side competition. This was also the year the girls’ rugby club was founded and the squad competed with great credit at a 7s festival at Christ’s Hospital School.

and the U14 A team won over 60% of their matches, whilst the U15s won half of theirs. For the first time, two of the KES netball teams qualifed for the regional rounds of the National Cup this year. The U14 and U16 sides held their own in the regional finals with the U14s missing out on the knock out stages by just one point.

In girls’ hockey the First Year teams showed ability with the A and B teams winning two-thirds of their games.

The U14s won half of their matches, the U16 team reached the south rounds of the National Cup and the 1st XI won two-thirds of their matches and also reached the final four in the South. Indoor hockey saw the U18 girls narrowly miss out on a south final place, whilst the U16 girls reached the south finals before losing to the eventual champions. The boys’ senior side competed in the county rounds and the U16 team reached the south finals.

The boys’ hockey season went well in the spring term. The U13 A team reached the south finals and the U15 team were impressive winning all bar one of their fixtures. These boys formed the basis of the U16 cup team that reached the south heats. The 1st XI also had some excellent wins this season and progressed to the last sixteen in the country.

Netball has seen a massive growth this year and twenty-two teams were fielded. The U12 teams had outstanding results, the U13s also produced a very good set of results, 10

The summer term saw pupils participate in cricket, rounders, athletics and tennis. The athletics track teams did well in the county competition and the U15 boys team reached the finals. In tennis there were some good results in the Aegon Cup. In rounders, the U12 and U14 teams won two thirds of their matches and the U15A side had a 100% record.

The cricket season was a successful one with the U12 team reaching the county final and the U15 side losing a narrow county semi-final. The U14s had a tougher season but the 1st XI retained The Altham Trophy. The U13s had an excellent season reaching the national semi-final by virtue of a win over Millfield Prep School. Hill Lane hosted the first ever girls’ cricket match which saw the U15 girls’ team beat St George’s Catholic School and the squad also took part in a festival for girls’ cricket held at Wellington Sports Ground.

A number of students have also been successful in their own right and many compete at county and regional level. There are also national and international performers in sailing, hockey, cross country skiing, modern biathlon and basketball.

Mr Kent

Director of Sport

Co-Curricular

We know how much our pupils gain from the co-curriculum, how involved they are, and how much they enjoy it and we are hugely proud of the range of co-curricular activities on offer for them to take part in outside of the classroom. These activities allow skills to be developed, opportunities to try new things, and to enjoy time with existing friends and to make new ones.

KESPTA continue to generously support our societies and this year monies have been donated to the ‘Treasure Island’ production for its set and props, the Greenpower Team now have a girls’ team car, the Kayak Club have six new paddleboards and the Science Festival benefited from its Periodic Table corridor. The very generous donation towards the Steinway piano in the new Dobson Theatre has meant we have already been able to enjoy some wonderful concerts. A huge range of pupils will be touched by the donations and work of the PTA to whom we are very grateful.

King Edward’s has nearly 100 clubs running at lunchtimes and after school. As some clubs become less popular, there are always new ones ready to take their place, and this year

has seen the introduction of a British Sign Language Club, Diversity Society (DivSoc), a Ping Pong Club, STEM Club and a Politics Society.

The House competition, the Allen Grant Trophy, has been an exciting and well-attended contest, with a host of events. Could anyone beat the winning streak of Lake House? With Sports Day and the Swimming Gala keeping us guessing to the end, it was once more Lake that came through as the victorious House in 2018.

Partnerships with local schools continue to thrive, and having numbers of primary pupils through our doors is a very normal part of our working week.

This year, we have started a residential partnership with Sholing School and our Lower Sixth at Lovaton. Huge numbers of pupils in the Upper School and Sixth Form are involved in weekly and one-off activities and in roadshows that take place in the primary schools themselves. It is a valuable experience for both the visiting schools and our own pupils to work together, and the whole school community recognises the merit of these initiatives.

Miss Smith

Assistant Head (Co-curricular)

Endeavour Endeavour is a well-established part of the summer term, now in its fifth year.

The whole school came off timetable in early July, with year groups all focussing on a different part of their development.

The First Year worked on their ‘independence’ at Fairthorne Manor for two nights. The Second Year had the opportunity to improve their ‘confidence’ on water, abroad in Normandy, with heights on a

climbing trip, or behind the lens with a photography workshop. The Third Year ‘collaborated’. A large group went to learn about collaboration in the trenches on the Battlefields trip and those who stayed behind, worked in teams in a Dragons’ Den simulation, on a cookery course, or teambuilding at Woodmill and SWAC. The Fourth Year either went to complete conservation work on Brownsea Island, plogging (the latest Swedish fitness craze), on a Duke of Edinburgh expedition, or

threw themselves into a number of ‘community’ projects with partnership schools. The Lower Sixth were involved in a range of activities in pursuit of ‘selfimprovement’, engaging in Biology or Geography fieldwork, open days, work experience, starting their extended project or making artwork to decorate a local charity’s premises.

Miss Smith

Assistant Head (Co-curricular) 11

Trips & Visits

We really don’t sit still! Yet again we have had a plethora of trips and visits, providing experiences far away and closer to home, all giving pupils the opportunity to gain independence and confidence.

The trips and visits calendar is a busy one. The French, German and Spanish departments have had successful ventures across age groups and Europe, and the Charlotte exchange was a great success. Historians enjoyed Poland and the ski trip this year was in France once again. The summer OpWall expedition was to Ecuador and The Galapagos, and sports tours landed in Menorca, Belfast, Holland, Scotland, France, and the Caribbean! The annual watersports trip to France continues to be as popular as ever.

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An abundance of Second Year pupils enjoyed camping at Lovaton and Duke of Edinburgh offers opportunities to experience the outdoors throughout the Upper School and Sixth Form. This year has also seen new trips; mountain biking in Devon, a high tech trek in San Francisco, Italian and art in Milan, drama in London and creative arts in Vienna and French on the Opal Coast.

The teachers dedicate a huge amount of time to the planning and execution of these trips, but are in no doubt as to the benefit to their charges, as the programme continues to evolve.

Miss Smith

Assistant Head (Co-curricular)

Charities

Charities Commission has had another fantastic year with a wide variety of events, shows and stalls.

We have raised money for many different charities ranging from local organisations (such as the Honeypot Children’s Charity) to national campaigns (such as Jeans for Genes).

Turnout to both Upper and Lower School Charities Commissions has been excellent, with lots of new faces getting involved in fundraising.

We began the autumn term with the Toy Appeal Fun Run, with the whole of the First Year dressing up as toys and running around the perimeter of the School to raise money to buy Christmas gifts for local disadvantaged children. Later that term we filled a record 225 shoeboxes for the Link to Hope shoebox appeal. The nonuniform day raised money for Jeans for Genes and we supported Children in Need in November with merchandise and fun stalls. In December, the Summer Camp team ran the First Year disco with its interesting theme of neon/Christmas. The School also organised its first food collection for those in need in Southampton delivering tins and packaged food to a local food bank in the city. To finish off the term, Fifth Year students ran a fun Christmas film evening and the usual Christmas stalls were a big hit with lots of sweet treats and last minute presents on offer.

The spring term was just as busy and started with the summer camp ‘Battle of the Bands’ competition in January.

Many talented students performed with a range of acts. The annual ‘triathlonathon’ saw pupils keeping three exercise machines going constantly for eight hours raising lots of money and heart rates! The ever popular ‘Mr and Mrs’ returned for Fifth Years and Sixth Formers. Baking and eating cakes remains a favourite pass time of KES pupils and we had break time cake sales, a pancake sale to celebrate Shrove Tuesday as well as the first ever KES Bake Off competition. The term ended with the popular ‘KES has got talent’, which again attracted a full audience and was enjoyed by all.

The summer term commenced with a break time ice cream sale, and continued with some royal wedding fun. The team set up a photo booth with props and sold patriotic cakes and cookies. This year, the annual fun run was in aid of Honeypot Children’s Charity, which provides local young carers with weekend respite and days out in the summer. Bumble, the charity mascot, was even able to visit and take part! A blue themed nonuniform day raised money for toilet twinning with the aim of twinning all of our toilets with one in a developing country.

“We have raised money for many different charities”

Mrs Hall

Head of Charities

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Staff Mrs Lupton is retiring from teaching after twenty-six years at King Edward’s. she has been a very highly regarded and much respected teacher, Head of Department and, in recent years, Head of the Modern Languages Faculty. She has introduced and run a myriad of excursions, most notably the Aachen Christmas market trip and the Mutterstadt Exchange. Mrs Lupton has also served as an Upper School, Lower School and First Year tutor. In all of her roles, her professionalism, combined with her sensitivity and diplomacy, have been much valued and appreciated and she will be greatly missed.

Mr Foyle joined the Physics and Junior Science teaching staff in September 1983 and served as Head of Junior Science from 1998-2002. During his time at King Edward’s he has been a First Year, Lower School and Sixth Form tutor and has taught GCSE and A Level classes. He has also helped with the Music and Design and Technology Departments and was active in the Careers Department in his early days at KES. Mr Foyle has been involved with a variety of musical activities including chamber music, the jazz band, orchestra and the Ceilidh band.

The school bell system has also been under his ‘command’ for the last 25 years. Since 2001 Mr Foyle has trained as a counsellor alongside his teaching commitments and we wish him all the best as he takes retirement.

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Mrs Jones joined King Edward’s in September 2005, becoming Head of French in 2009 and later Assistant Head of Faculty. Her pupils have always responded well to her expert guidance and appreciated the detailed, structured resources she has routinely produced.

Mrs Jones has also introduced cocurricular opportunities for language students including the Lower School Normandy visit, the Upper School Paris trip and the Montpellier Sixth Form trip. Mrs Jones has an inspiring, transformative vision of language teaching and learning and although she is leaving KES to pursue other avenues, her impact will long be felt.

Mrs Freemantle joined the School as Director of Music in September 2005 and became Head of Creative Arts the following year. In her 13 years at KES she has been an amazing asset to the School, her department being awarded the ISM Gold award for several years running and she has encouraged and developed many talented musicians. She has run and conducted the Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, Senior Choir, Adult Choir and String Orchestra, organised a myriad of successful school concerts, hosted focussed workshops with professional musicians and ensembles and introduced the awe-inspiring biennial Arts Festival.

She has also overseen the continued development of the Music and Arts facilities at KES culminating in the new Dobson Theatre complete with Steinway piano. Her enthusiasm, knowledge of her subject and drive has been a source of inspiration to many and she will be sadly missed as she takes semi-retirement.

Mr Westwater joined King Edward’s in September 2013 as an NQT after completing his studies at the University of Birmingham and quickly became a valuable member of the department. He is an excellent mathematician and has produced highly rated resources which he has shared widely. He has been Head of Watts for the past four years and has been a rugby coach throughout his time at the School and has taken his squads through a series of county titles, including the Hampshire 10s at U14, all the way to Round 5 of the National Cup this year. His enthusiasm and commitment will be greatly missed.

Mr Wright joined King Edward’s from Southampton University in October 2005 and over the past thirteen years has worked as Head Groundsman at Wellington Sports Ground. He has been responsible for the upkeep and presentation of Wellington, being instrumental in the very positive experience enjoyed by users of the grounds over the last few years. He leaves the School with all of our best wishes for a productive retirement.

Mr Davison was appointed in January 2015 as IT Support - Systems and Development. He brought many skills from his days as an IT contractor, which enabled him to support our systems, particularly MS Exchange and the virtual environment, which now hosts most of our network servers. This expertise enabled him to manage many complex updates of MS Exchange and improve the resilience of the virtual environment. He left King Edward’s for a new job in March 2018. We wish him well in his future.

Ms Gadsbey is leaving the School after three years to take up a post as Key Stage 5 English co-ordinator and become Lead Mentor for English trainees for the School’s Teaching Alliance. During her time at King Edward’s she has taught English from First Year through to Sixth Form and, for the past two years, she has been the Lead Practitioner for English Language A Level. She has also established an English Language Linguistics Society, been a Sixth Form tutor and worked with the Initial Teacher Training students, as well as coaching a netball team. We wish her well in her new role.

Miss Champion is leaving the School after three years to take up a promotion as the post of Head of Key Stage Four at Parkstone Grammar School. During her time at King Edward’s, she has taught English throughout the School and has also been a mentor in the Initial Teacher Training programme, as well as being a Sixth Form tutor. Miss Champion took over the popular Debating Society, for which she has organised several competitions and trips, and started the Harry Potter Society. She has also been involved in The Reading Scheme with local partnership schools. We wish her well in her future endeavours.

Mrs Piggott joined the Drama Department in 2012 and within two years took over as Head of Department. She is a highly creative and inspirational teacher.

During her time at KES she introduced LAMDA lessons, established Drama as part of the Foundation Studies and Extended Studies programme, started the New Views playwriting programme and initiated the Prop Making Club and Improvisation Club. She directed largescale productions of ‘Haroun and the Sea of Stories’, ‘Grease’, and ‘Welcome to Thebes’ as well as many shorter plays for a variety of year groups. Mrs Piggott was an Upper School tutor and organised numerous theatre trips, as well as accompanying an art trip to New York.

Her creativity, intellect and enthusiasm will be very much missed and we wish her well in her retirement.

Miss Sayers was an active and valued member of both the Junior Science team and the Science Faculty joining the department in 2014 as Junior Science Technician. Her enthusiasm and willingness to help, was appreciated by both staff and students alike, and her knowledge and expertise helped all practical work run seamlessly. We wish her all the best for her new career in the NHS. Mr Baker joined the School in September 2011 as the Chemistry Technician having previously spent most of his working life in the chemical industry and brought a wealth of experience to the Chemistry Department. Mr Baker quickly adapted to the rhythm of the School and his cheery demeanour endeared him to his colleagues. We wish him the very best for his retirement.

Mr Elphick and Mr Pothecary joined the IT Support team for the 2017-2018 academic year for the sandwich workplacement component of their degree studies at Portsmouth University. They have ably managed to achieve whatever King Edward’s has asked of them. Their role as IT/Web Classroom Support Technicians has meant that they have both experienced many new situations and people and have gained numerous valuable skills.

Mrs Ahmad joined the Spanish Department in September 2016 and very quickly established herself as a very competent and dependable member of the team. During her two years at KES, she has taught all ability ranges but it is probably at IGCSE level that she has made the biggest impact, having regularly worked with individuals outside the classroom. She will be greatly missed.

Miss Lezerad leaves the school after two years as a French Language Assistant. We are grateful for her service to the School.

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Founded 1553

KING EDWARD VI SCHOOL

SOUTHAMPTON Wilton Road Southampton SO15 5UQ

Tel 023 8070 4561 Fax 023 8070 5937 Email enquiries@kes.hants.sch.uk www.kes.hants.sch.uk