Founded 1553
KING EDWARD VI SCHOOL SOUTHAMPTON
ANNUAL REVIEW 2012 Contents Head Master’s Report
Julian Thould looks back on another successful year for King Edward’s
Chairman’s Report
The Chairman of Governors, Brian Gay, gives an update on new faces and new buildings at King Edward’s
Culture
The latest news surrounding drama, music and art at King Edward’s
Sport & Co-Curricular
Activities and achievements in the past year
Charities, Trips & Visits At home and away
ANNUAL REVIEW 2012
Staff
Welcomes, moves and farewells
Head Master’s Report The academic year 2011/12 has been a very significant one with the acquisition of Stroud School in May 2012. This represents a major strategic change for King Edward’s as the School expands its reach to include children from the early years in a combined community of nearly 1300 pupils. We began the year with 963 students on the roll with demand at every level of entry. The School has made a number of changes to its facilities including refurbished classrooms, a refreshed pavilion at Wellington and an expanded music rehearsal area to cater for increased numbers. Further detail is provided in the Chairman’s report. Excellent teaching and the highly motivated nature of our students has resulted in another impressive set of academic results. The introduction of the more rigorous IGCSE has put our students under greater pressure and they have certainly risen to the challenge with increased numbers of A* grades. A level grades have also continued to be successful with 46% of students gaining 3 A grades or more. 13 students have been successful in their applications to Oxford and Cambridge. This constitutes 12% of the year group and improves our 5 year average of 11% proceeding to these two universities. We continue to send over two thirds of students to universities in the Russell Group We much enjoyed having Dr Robert Summerhayes OE as our Chief Guest at Speech Day in 2011. Dr Summerhayes kept our students enthralled with his account of his expedition by bicycle across Africa with his wife after working on an aid project in South Africa. The weather has not been kind to our summer sports with their Olympic theme but we were very proud to have two former pupils representing their country in hockey and sailing. Iain Percy added to his tally with a silver medal. We escaped the worst of the weather at Sports Day and hosted a mini-Olympics for local schools on our Wellington site. There have been some outstanding performances in a number of team games as well as some very impressive individual achievements. Our hockey teams, both male and female, have been particularly successful. The boys’ hockey teams enjoyed success at regional level for the U14s, U16s and U18s while
the senior team became Hampshire Champions. The senior girls’ hockey team won the Hampshire Tournament and the U14 and U16 teams qualified for the regional rounds of the national competition. The senior netball squad has also had success with the U16s coming third in their pool in the British Schools’ National Netball Finals. The U16 tennis teams had pairs in both of the Hampshire Schools’ Doubles Championships, winning the girls’ competition and retaining the title. The Year 10 girls won the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Division of the Aegon Tennis Championship. They now enter the knock out stage with the chance of progressing to the quarter finals and National Finals. The rugby season began with the School’s annual hosting of the South Coast Tournament; we had success at many levels including the U15 team contesting the county final while the senior squad made it to the plate final in the county cup. The U14 team proved to be particularly strong and there is strength in depth with our new U12 team. Our cricketers had to endure dreadful weather but proved to be very strong at the senior level and in the U14 and U15 teams. Other sports have kept our students active with an Olympic themed Activities Day, a very competitive Swimming Gala in July and success in basketball - the Senior Colts team played in the final of the U16 division A in Southampton and the District Schools’ league. Our footballers have continued to have a run of excellent form while sailing is growing in popularity with a number of students operating at a national and international level. Athletics, fencing and table tennis remain popular and there is increased depth for our students in dance and rhythmic gymnastics. The many individual achievements at county and national level are too many to mention here but these are regularly recorded in KonnEctionS and on the website.
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The School has continued with its wide-ranging programme of visits and expeditions. This year KES students have enjoyed visits to the USA, South Africa, Mexico, the West Indies, Czech Republic, Spain, France and Germany. These have ranged from our musicians entertaining audiences in Prague to our biologists investigating the tropical forests of the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve and the reef ecology of Akumal Bay on the Yucatan Peninsula. Students have participated in historical visits to the French First and Second World War battlefields, skied in La Plagne, widened their linguistic horizons in Angers, Le Havre, Mutterstadt, Salamanca, Andalucía and Catalonia and participated in trips across the UK from regular theatre and music visits to London to geography and biology field trips to Swansea and Dale Fort. The proximity of the New Forest and Dartmoor provide plenty of opportunities for the hundreds of students who participate each year in the Duke of Edinburgh Award. The arts have had a high profile particularly with the spectacular concert at The Anvil in Basingstoke with over 500 musicians from a range of our partner schools filling the house with orchestral and choral music including a new composition from Dr Leaman. Regular occasions such as the Carol Service and Thanksgiving have been interspersed with a wide range of concerts and chamber events. Drama has been busy with a number of productions including ‘Ali Baba’, Alan Bennett’s ‘The History Boys’ and the outstanding ‘That Certain Uncertainty’ written and directed by Mr Herklots and Dr Leaman and performed in the Theatre Royal, Winchester. The annual art exhibition continued to impress all who attended with a blend of sculpture, drawing, painting and photography. Charitable and community work remains a key feature of the School. In the past year over £26,000 has been raised by the students themselves for a range of different organisations including our Summer Camp for young carers within the City, the South Africa venture supporting the Goedgedacht Trust near Cape Town and the second year in partnership with St Mark’s Junior School at Lovaton on Dartmoor. Our Green Team has good reason to be proud of its success in securing the coveted Green Flag for King Edward’s.
Our primary school partnerships have also developed in new areas including sport in addition to the well-established fields of art, literacy, mathematics, languages and science clubs. We have been very well served by Aidan Stringfellow as Head of School over the last year, ably supported by his deputies, Anna Clark, Simon McCormick-Cox and Jenny Swinn. 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 team work and communication skills. We have a number of significant retirements after long service. Dr Hoskins, Mr Kelly, Mrs Lovegrove, Mrs King, Mrs Mayes, Mr Price and Mr Tasker have retired after over 100 years of service to the School. Mr Allen, Mr Bulmer, Mr Cherry, Mr Eades and Miss Mackintosh have moved to other posts after shorter periods at King Edward’s. We also thank Mr Herlihy who has assisted the School this year on a short term contract to cover for illness. Amongst the non-teaching staff particular note must be made of the outstanding contribution of Mrs Kennard who retires after 6 years as the Personal Assistant to the Head Master. We also say farewell to Mr Atwal, our Classroom IT Support Technician for this year. KESSoc continues to be fully involved in the School’s life under the direction of Mrs. Swinn. We are very grateful for their support for a range of activities from fencing and music to the partfunding of a youth worker in South Africa. Our alumni have enjoyed numerous reunions organised by our Development Officer, Ms Hooper,
including a very successful project, led by those at the School between 1956 and 1963, to raise funds for a bursary. The King Edward VI Foundation which helps students applying to King Edward’s from disadvantaged backgrounds goes from strength to strength. King Edward’s has had another very successful year marked by a major investment in its future with the joining of Stroud School to the King Edward’s family. KES students have continued to distinguish themselves in many ways but manage academic and sporting achievements with an unusual commitment to the broader community as they become both impressive young adults and citizens of their country and the wider world. AJ Thould Head Master
Head of School
Chairman’s Report This is the end of my seventh and final year at KES where, from the first day to the last, the friendly atmosphere created by staff and students alike has remained unaltered. As well as the academic rigour – which went without question – the most noteworthy feature of the School for me has to be its ever-expanding range of co-curricular activities. The School’s balanced approach offers something to all ages and abilities and gives every student the opportunity to shine at something and be proud to be an Edwardian. It is the depth and breadth of this holistic approach towards encouraging all-rounders that I have most appreciated about my time at KES.
“I have observed tolerance, acceptance and a wonderfully supportive camaraderie”
In all my year groups I have observed tolerance, acceptance and a wonderfully supportive camaraderie. This was particularly evident in my own Sixth Form cohort; it prevented the formation of any stereotypical cliques and resulted in the age-old ideal of everyone truly getting along together. These are just a few of the reasons why the outgoing Upper Sixth year group and KES, as a whole, have provided me with such an enjoyable and cherished experience. Whenever I look back at my school days it will be with affection.
Aidan Stringfellow Head of School
In my report last year I commented that 2010/11 had been a relatively quiet year on the building side. The same is true of the current year although we have continued to improve our facilities at both Hill Lane and Wellington. On the Hill Lane site we have completed the refurbishment of five ground floor classrooms and the corridor on the north side of the building. This has been a three year programme to bring all such areas up to the same high standard. The most significant project has been the enlargement of the Music Recital Room. This was started immediately after the end of the summer term but was not completed until several weeks after school restarted this term. Looking to the future, plans are being drawn up and detailed discussions have taken place with regard to a major extension and refurbishment to the Dobson Theatre, the Sixth Form Concourse and the Art Department. Our aim is to create a theatre which will seat around 400 by building across the area immediately at the top end of the main drive from Wilton Road. Underneath this would be an extension to the Art Department which could be used as a permanent exhibition area. This will be a major project that is likely to take place in two or three phases with phase one possibly taking place in summer 2013. At Wellington we completed a refurbishment of the pavilion during the summer term and to further our “green” credentials we installed a series of photo-voltaic electrical panels on the gatehouse. I would like to congratulate Mr Barker and his Sustainability Committee on the award in May of the Green Flag. This is awarded after an external assessment and is internationally recognised. Portsmouth Football Club has continued as our tenant at Wellington in spite of entering administration for the second time. They have also met all their financial commitments to us and, although comments to the contrary appear in the press from time to time, the indication to us is that they look set to remain at Wellington for the foreseeable future. Our Rural Studies Centre at Lovaton on Dartmoor has continued to have good usage, not only for Duke of Edinburgh activities but also for specialist study weekends. We were also able to invite
pupils from St Mark’s Primary School, one of our partnership schools, and this proved extremely successful. Unquestionably the major event for KES in the last year was the acquisition, in May, of Stroud School in Romsey. At various times in the past the Governors have discussed the possibility of extending our educational provision below the age of 11. This came to the fore in our annual Development Plan in 2010 and after evaluating various options an approach was made to Stroud towards the end of that year. Stroud is a successful preparatory and pre-preparatory school and for some years has been one of our principal feeder schools both at our 11 and 13 year old entry. Its acquisition will provide greater security of entry for the future and will allow us to develop increased educational continuity from the early years until A level. There will be benefits for our staff as they develop an improved understanding of the needs of younger children and so ensure a smooth transition to education at a senior level. We also achieve a key objective of the Sanger-Davies family by providing a secure long term future for the school they have built over the last 50 years. Our short term objective is to improve or replace a number of the buildings on the Stroud site, whilst leaving the excellent educational standards in the hands of the current Head and his team. Within our Governing Body we have made a change with regard to the role of the Lord Lieutenant. This position has entitled the incumbent to be one of our Ex-Officio Governors. The current Lord Lieutenant, Dame Mary Fagan, suggested that with the many calls on the Lord Lieutenant’s time, the position of Patron would be more appropriate, and this has now been enacted. There has also been a change in one of the Governors nominated by the Old Edwardians. David Creal came to the end of his second three year term and has been replaced by John Mist. With regard to Stroud, governance will be covered by a Governors’ subcommittee consisting of four senior King Edward’s governors together with a number of the existing Stroud directors, thus bringing continuity to the future development of our new preparatory school.
For a number of years I have referred to the actions of the Charity Commission in focussing their attention on the charitable status of independent schools. This issue has now reduced in significance and over recent months has received little or no publicity. That said, at King Edward’s we continue to provide significant “public benefit” through a multitude of activities, both charitable and otherwise. Compared with other schools like ours, we provide an above average number of bursaries to pupils who demonstrate high academic ability but who otherwise would not be able to attend the School. I am pleased to say our bursary funding is increasing each year through donations to the King Edward VI Foundation and the ongoing support of the Edward Abraham Trust fund, for which we are extremely grateful. Although the general state of the UK and European economies give us cause for concern, the excellent reputation enjoyed by King Edward’s has ensured our numbers have been maintained at around 960 students. In fact this has risen slightly in the current year to 975 – a real tribute to
everyone involved with the School. It also means we continue in a very healthy financial state and are able to afford the many improvements we make each year to our facilities and staff structure.
Brian Gay
Chair of Governors
Academic Progress The School began the year with 962 pupils on role and a ratio of 62% boys to 38% girls. King Edward’s continues to produce excellent academic results at A level and GCSE. 87.6% of students in 2012 passed their A levels with grades at A*, A or B with over 22% at A*. 46% of students gained 3 A grades or more. 98.9% of GCSEs and IGCSEs awarded in 2012 were at grade C or above with 74.7% of all grades at A* and A. 93% of all grades were awarded at A*, A or B. 100% of students obtained the minimum 5 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. These results have ensured that our students are able to proceed to a range of competitive institutions in Higher Education with 96% gaining places at their chosen universities and over 81% of the Upper Sixth achieving places at the top 25 universities1. 13 students obtained places at either Oxford or Cambridge representing 12% of the total application. It is expected that over three quarters will proceed to Russell Group universities.
Percentage
45 40
A Level Results 2012
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A*
A
B
C
D
E
U
E
U
A Level Grades
Percentage
45 40
GCSE and IGCSE Results 2012
30 20 10 0
A*
A
B
C
D
GCSE and IGSCE Grades
Students placed in The Times Top 25 ranking universities Students in other HE institutions including music & art 1
%age of C F/CI places Students in other HE institutions, other university placement or PQA
As quoted in The Times Good University Guide for the year in which the application was made
“KESSoc is an integral part of life at KES ”
KESSoc KESSoc has had another busy year with our social functions becoming a regular feature on many parents’ calendar. We introduced a different approach to the new parents’ wine tasting event this year which proved a great success and the annual KESSoc Quiz was so popular that it was oversubscribed. The new quizmasters excelled themselves and the evening was thoroughly enjoyed by all. The third KESSoc lecture, this year given by Geoff Holt, drew an audience of nearly 150 people and we were able to donate £450 to ‘Wet Wheels’ as a result.
other events. Our thanks go to all who have helped us provide this service to the School. Kestravaganza (KES Lottery) has had more subscribers and winners this year helping to boost our fundraising and the Prayer Group has also grown in number. This year we have contributed to many school activities including the Equestrian Club, Beekeeping Club, Goedgedacht project and the Duke of Edinburgh Award, amongst others.
I have thoroughly enjoyed my involvement with KESSoc and I encourage all parents to ‘join in’ where possible. KESSoc is an integral part of life at KES and we look forward to another year of social events and fundraising – linking the KES Community. A huge thank you to everyone involved with the KESSoc committees and to all who have supported us.
Wendy Swinn
Chair of KESSoc
The Social Committee, now chaired by Petra Sansome, is busy planning our next biennial Ball which promises to be quite spectacular and will take place on Saturday 6th July 2013. The OBNO team meanwhile, headed by Sonia Ohri and Carolyn Vitoria, has also had a busy 12 months selling more items than in previous years. Marian Capper deserves special mention for her organisation of the Hospitality team, never missing requests to provide those much appreciated refreshments at concerts, parents’ evenings and
Edwardian Society
This academic year has been another busy one for the Edwardian Society and we have been delighted to see so many past pupils attend the numerous reunions which have been organised. Many Edwardians are now living and working all over the world and yet a continued collective fondness felt for KES by our alumni is reflected in the enormous efforts made to attend such events. The annual luncheons held for the Poole evacuees and for the pre-1939 leavers were very convivial affairs and the 10 year reunion for the Class of 2001 was the first chance in a decade for many of this cohort to return to School. In April a formal dinner was held in Bristol for those studying at Bristol, Bath and Cardiff universities and was well supported by our younger members. This year has seen the launch of a new fundraising initiative led by members of the 56-63 cohort and supported by the Development Office. Members of the project’s steering group have worked tirelessly in their efforts to
raise a minimum of £300,000 for the King Edward VI Foundation; the sum needed to provide a bursary in perpetuity. The donations and legacies that their hard work has attracted means that they are well on their way to achieving this target and we hope that this will set a benchmark for other cohorts to top in future years. The Development Office enjoys continued contact with many former pupils and news of their exploits is always welcomed and widely reported to the rest of the Edwardian community both by the bi-annual Edwardian magazine and by the increasing use of social media. The spirit of KES community is maintained and nurtured by many former students long after they no longer grace the corridors of Hill Lane.
Suzanne Hooper
Development Officer
Drama
Art The Drama Department’s big production this year was Ali Baba, ably directed by Mr Bulmer and Mr Watson, with the assistance of 141 pupils and 31 members of staff! Truly a mammoth effort and one which involved the whole department for the whole of the autumn term. We did, however, still manage to provide other opportunities for our pupils. Junior Drama Club entertained 70 First and Second Years every Wednesday with the help of an excellent team of 12 Sixth Formers. We also enjoyed Scene Productions’
Every shelf and every wall of the department is bursting with the evidence of another busy year. Enormous structures of birds and fish hang from the ceiling, crafted by our Second Years from split cane and plaster; ballet dancers and mythological monsters jostle for a space on the shelves, created by the ever enthusiastic First Years, and plaster casts of hands grasping an array of strange objects made by the Third Year line the shelves. The main studio has again been turned into an Art Gallery to display all the examination work and an array of wonderfully crafted crayon drawings and expressive clay heads greet any visitor. Our Sixth Form artists have enjoyed having their own small area set aside for them this year and the scale and intensity of the work they have produced is impressive, to say the least. The IT facility within the department has continued to grow in popularity as the basic skills of computer graphics become more established and the area is now able to
“There have been numerous theatre trips and some very entertaining performance evenings”
in-house performance of a thoughtprovoking Metamorphosis as well as a productive and fun Fourth Year Theatre Day. There have been numerous theatre trips and some very entertaining performance evenings from the Third Year and the Sixth Form Theatre Studies students. There have been some staff changes this year. Mr Jones has enjoyed a sabbatical term and his classes have been covered by Mrs Piggott. We are delighted that she has agreed to take on a permanent post in September when she replaces Mr Bulmer who will be teaching in London. We wish him every success in his new post and we thank him for all the contributions he has made at King Edward’s.
Music In the year of the Cultural Olympiad, KES musicians celebrated in style and scaled new heights. The Gala Concert at the Anvil in Basingstoke was the highlight of the year and featured guest choirs from 5 feeder preparatory and partnership schools, with over 240 junior pupils and 250 KES performers taking part. The concert was met with a standing ovation from the audience and also provided an opportunity for us to mark the centenary of the RMS Titanic’s departure from Southampton Docks with an exciting newly commissioned work by Dr Leaman. 2012 also saw a musician in residence project with cellist Matthew Barley, who brought a whole new dimension to the department by way of improvisation and composition. Over 100 pupils performed in the pantomime Ali Baba and a large number took part in the Carol Service at St Mary’s Church in December. There were numerous school concerts such as the popular Fusion Concert, Third Year Recital Evening and the GCSE Performance Evening. Students enjoyed an array of inspiring workshops and visits ranging from a Jazz Day with Saxophonist Simon Allen to an opera trip to Covent Garden and concert trips to Turner Sims and the Anvil. accommodate an entire class. Several trips have taken place to London over the last year most notably to the Royal Academy where the Sixth Form were treated to both a wonderful exhibition on the work of Degas as well as an exhibition of Hungarian photographs of the 20th century.
“The Gala Concert at the Anvil in Basingstoke was the highlight of the year”
KES musicians have also been out and about in the local community performing Leaman and Herklots’s extravaganza That Certain Uncertainty to great acclaim at the Theatre Royal Winchester and two classical concerts at local care homes in partnership with the London Mozart Players. The Big Band played for the Wessex Cancer
Trust’s annual Christmas Concert. Several musicians won trophies at the Southampton Festival of Music and Drama and individuals have represented the School in the English Schools’ Orchestra and the National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain. The year was rounded off in grand style with a music tour to Prague where KES musicians performed in some outstanding locations such at the Lichtenstein Palace which houses the Czech Academy of Music.
Sport The sporting programme at King Edward’s remains very busy. Teams have enjoyed much success at county, regional and national level while individuals have performed on a national and international stage. During the spring term, the School’s major sports teams fulfilled over 230 fixtures in a 9 week period; the majority of these matches being hockey and netball. This illustrates the level of commitment from students throughout the School.
The recent replacement of both the water-based artificial pitch at Wellington and the sand-based artificial pitch at the Hill Lane site has enhanced the provision for hockey at the School. Three of the boys’ hockey sides progressed through the county rounds to reach divisional level (U14, U16 & U18) as did two of the girls’ teams (U14 & U16). However, the most successful sport in the past year has been netball, where the U16 side just failed to claim a place in the national semi-final.
Over the past 12 months, a number of sailors have been competing at national and international level and King Edward’s pupils have performed at international level in both netball and squash. This year KES also has an entrant in the English Schools’ track and field championships. Once again we hosted the annual King’s Coast Rugby Tournament at the Wellington site; the event attracting entries from schools across England and Wales. The most recent overseas trips have included a netball tour of Jamaica and cricket in Guernsey. The range of sports available at KES continues to be impressive with teams training and competing throughout the year. Some more adventurous activities, such as kayaking, climbing and sailing, feature as part of the extensive Sixth Form games programmes and more than a dozen different activities are available to Sixth Form students each term.
Co-Curricular The co-curricular programme has had a distinctly Olympic flavour this year, with clubs and societies and academic departments running one-off events outside of lesson time. This, in conjunction with a busy schedule of wide-ranging clubs and societies, has allowed all pupils the opportunity to get involved in something new, or improve on an existing interest. KESSoc have been generous as ever and have funded our new Beekeeping Club, the new Sixth Form Croquet Club and has provided the fencers with some new protective clothing and the Cookery Club with a new set of pans!
The House events have been hotly contested and Junior House has been gripping. Reynolds, 5th equal in 2010, made huge leaps in the ranking and were challenging the current champions for the top slot right up until July. However, by the final whistle, Sylvester just managed to hold on to their title as the Allan Grant Trophy winners. It wasn’t just the sports that provided some superb entertainment. The Ready, Steady, Cook, Debating and the new House Dance competitions in the summer term were a real hit for both those who were proficient and those who just enjoyed taking part. The partnerships programme flourishes with clubs for reading, literacy, science, mathematics, French, fencing and rhythmic gymnastics as well as the residential trip to Lovaton. In May a highly successful mini-Olympics event was hosted at Wellington Sports Ground, with 6 partnership schools. This hive of activity means that over 130 KES pupils and over 150 partnerships children are regularly involved. This is testament to the importance of the community to KES pupils and staff.
The Duke of Edinburgh Award remains at the heart of the School and this year we had 59 expedition teams with 78 Staff and 358 participants through the Bronze, Silver and Gold awards. It’s not just about the expeditions: the volunteering, skill and physical sections have equal importance and pupils have used their time well to complete the awards at all levels.
“The co-curricular programme has had a distinctly Olympic flavour this year”
Trips & Visits This year, the range of off-site activities open to KES students has been as varied as ever. Over 240 trips and visits have taken place during the year with 17 of those happening outside the UK. There has been the usual mix of cultural and history trips, language exchanges, sporting activities and adventure. We have maintained the links, through exchange visits, with our partner schools in France, Germany, Spain, and the USA. Our scientists visited Mexico for ecology fieldwork and SCUBA diving, our young cricket players visited Guernsey and our netball players visited the Netherlands. Closer to home, there have been biology and geography field trips, a number of history visits, science visits to London’s Science Museum and the Diamond Light Source, and Second Year camps on Dartmoor, to mention but a few. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award continues to thrive with 15 expeditions this year. Expeditions at Bronze level take place in the New Forest, whereas
for Silver and Gold levels, the students travel to Dartmoor (based at the School’s facility in Lovaton on the edge of the moor), the Peak District or the Lake District. Our students have the opportunity to undertake charity work on the annual Summer Camp in Dorset and in Goedgedacht in South Africa. Many members of the teaching and non-teaching staff willingly give up some of their own time to help with the School’s programme of co-curricular activities, because we recognise the great benefit it brings to life at KES.
Charities During the autumn term, staff and pupils supported the ‘Jeans for Genes Day’ campaign. Members of the whole school participated enthusiastically raising £1,204 for genetic disorders in the process. During October, 117 shoeboxes were donated, filled with gifts and then packed for shipping, containing presents and essentials to be sent to disadvantaged Romanian children and £276 was also raised for Macmillan Cancer Care. The Lower School Charities group gave up their lunchtimes establishing a variety of stalls and games to assist with raising funds for Children in Need and the First Year Fun Run for the Toy Appeal provided more than 100 presents for Southampton’s most deprived children. Money raised from the Christmas Carol Service allowed donations to the Trussell Trust and Christian Aid. The highlight of the spring term was The Click Choice Glamour Fashion Show. KES pupils were endowed in garments from High Street names to Dumpster Design’s contributions that were literally made out of waste. The event raised over £1,200 for the Environmental Justice Foundation and the ‘Well Boring’ trust. The summer term is always somewhat quieter due to public examinations and therefore time was spent making donations to Fairbridge Solent, Wessex Heartbeat, Cancer Research, Lucy’s Day Out, Make-aWish and many more.
The Summer Camp and South Africa teams have enjoyed equally successful years. Discos for both the First and Second Years have taken place and the 24hr Rowathon raised a staggering £1,819.96. The South Africa team’s Burns Night raised an amazing £3,099 for the Goedgedacht Trust.
“the Toy Appeal provided more than 100 presents for Southampton’s most deprived children.”
Staff
Mr Kelly has worked at KES for 24 years. He has taught French & Spanish to A level and has been a legendary figure within the Faculty. Mr Kelly has made a significant contribution to IT whilst at KES and worked hard to establish the Sanako media centres. He has led trips and exchanges abroad and has been a very popular colleague with an inimitable and shrewd sense of humour who has been supportive to all. He will be sorely missed but we thank him warmly for all that he has done over the years.
Mr Tasker retired in December 2012. He taught at KES for over 20 years during which he proved to be a biologist of distinction. Mr Tasker also played a key role in the Duke of Edinburgh Award, was a member of the charities committee and even ran a school tuck shop at one stage of his teaching career. He was also an Upper School tutor, PGCE mentor and was involved with photography for A level students before the arrival of Mr Piggott. We wish him a well-deserved retirement.
Mrs Lovegrove is retiring having taught at KES since September 1994 and as Head of Biology since 2004. She is a very able biologist, an excellent communicator and a consummate professional and has led the department through the revision of the A level course, the change to teaching IGCSE to the Upper School and a major refurbishment and restructuring of the teaching area. She has also been an outstanding tutor, organised numerous biology field trips and participated in the Operation Wallacea trip to South East Indonesia. She leaves the School having made a real difference to many students and staff.
Mrs Mayes joined the School in September 1995. She quickly established herself as an outstanding teacher of mathematics teaching across the whole spectrum of abilities and ages. She has guided many newly appointed teachers and has been a great support to members of the department. For many years she has organised the Junior Maths Club, the Monthly Puzzle Spot and the UKMT Junior Mathematical Challenge and Olympiad follow-on rounds. Her pastoral skills are also exemplary and she has been hugely influential on her pupils who have appreciated her abundance of patience and willingness to ‘get the best out of them’.
Staff Internal Changes / New Appointments Teaching staff resignations and retirements The Biology Department is saying goodbye to two longstanding and highly valued members of staff, Dr Hoskins and Mr Price, after 20 and 32 years of service respectively. We wish them all the best in their retirement.
Mrs King joined the school in September 2003 and has been an excellent teacher of mathematics. Her students have appreciated her patience as well as her quirky sense of humour. Besides teaching, she has assisted with the Duke of Edinburgh award for 8 years attending up to 5 expeditions each year and has taken part in several cocurricular trips. The Maths Department will miss her but wish her all the best in her new life in Switzerland.
Mr Allen joined King Edward’s in 2005 and three years ago was made Secondin-Department in charge of English Language A Level; a post he has held with great success. Outside of the classroom, he has guided the debating team to the regional final in the ESU and they have also reached the finals at Oxford three times. He has coached the U13 cricket team, co-ordinated the Charlotte Exchange and became the voice of Sports Day as commentator. Mr Allen leaves the School to take up a post as Head of English at Reading Blue Coats.
Mrs Kennard came to King Edward’s in May 2006. She has transformed the role of PA to the Head Master over the 6 years she has held it with increasing responsibilities as a team leader, policy supervisor and inspection coordinator. She has been an exemplary PA, constantly looking to improve the School’s administration while ensuring that her team is supported. She has been involved with cookery at KES and also accompanied the Romania team in 2010 and the Beam House trip in 2011. She is going to be much missed but has many interests to keep her busy during her retirement.
Mr Eades arrived in the History Department in 2009 and has taught successfully across the full range of year groups. He devised and introduced a very popular Stuart history AS and A2 course. He has been a Lower School tutor and the Head of Capon House. Mr Eades has been a popular coach of both rugby and cricket, leading the 1st XI cricket team for the past two years. In 2011 he took the 1st XI cricket team on an international tour to Sri Lanka. Miss Mackintosh joined the School as Head of Religious Studies and Philosophy in January 2011 and has successfully overseen significant changes within the Religious Studies Department. As a teacher her enthusiasm and energy have been particularly impressive. Beyond the classroom she has helped organise a successful fashion show for the Charities Commission and has been a lively and enthusiastic coach to the Under 14 netball team. In his short time at King Edward’s, Mr Bulmer has made a considerable impact. He was an energetic and inspirational drama teacher, a valued member of the Junior Drama Club team and directed the highly successful Ali Baba production. He also taught English within the School and ran the U13 rugby team.
Mr Cherry joined the English Faculty in September 2007. As a teacher, his great strength lies in his ability to create a relaxed, informal atmosphere whilst still maintaining excellent discipline and focus. He was taken on as Head of Sailing, but he added Cookery, Head of House, the China exchange, Debating Society, Mentor to PGCE students and Lower School tutor to his responsibilities. Mr Cherry is a young man of integrity and energy. He leaves the school to travel the world, and he sets off with our very best wishes.
Miss Griffiths, Finance Officer, officially left King Edward’s at the start of 2012, having decided not to return from maternity leave. Joining the Accounts Department in May 2004, she attained the Association of Accounting Technicians qualification in 2008. She also gave support on several school trips during her time in post. Mr Atwal joined the School for the academic year 2011/2012 as Classroom Support Technician for the work-placement component of his BSc Computing at Portsmouth University. His cheerfulness, willing attitude and capability have meant that he has been a valued member of the IT Department.
Mrs Evans becomes Head of Upper Sixth, Mr Havers Head of Lower Sixth, Mrs Burrows Head of Fourth Year and Head of Sailing, with Miss Campbell as Assistant Head of Year for the Upper School. Mr Piggott takes on the role of Head of Art. Miss Stone has been appointed Head of Capon, Dr Sinnett-Jones Head of Lake, Miss Ferrand Head of Lawrence and Mr Watson Head of Watts. Mr Hunt will act as Head of Geography while Mrs Penfold is on maternity leave, Miss Yerbury takes over as our Charities Co-ordinator while Mrs Williams is on maternity leave, Mr Barnes as Educational Visits Co-ordinator and Mr Blow as Activities Co-ordinator. There have been changes following the acquisition of Stroud Preparatory School: Mr Fitzpatrick has been re-designated Senior Master and Mr Putt becomes Deputy Head (Registrar). Mr Peel joins the School staff as full-time Principal Hockey Coach.
Teaching Staff Since the last Annual Review, we have been joined by Miss Costello (Chemistry), Mr Miller (Science, Psychology, ICT and Mathematics), Mrs Quinn (Economics and Business Studies), Mr Tesseyman (Psychology and Biology), Mrs Naylor (Economics and Business Studies), Miss Ridley (Mathematics), Mr Blow (Design & Technology), Mrs Potter (History), Mrs Piggott (Drama) and Dr Wikeley (English). We said goodbye at the end of June to the Modern Language Assistants: Mademoiselle Ripoche, Monsieur van Dessel, Fraulein Rodler and Senorita Trenzano Cantero. We have a number of new staff who will join us next year: Mr Aellen (Head of Biology), Mrs Barnes-Wardlaw and Miss Hewitt (Biology); Ms Ball, Mr Hardwick and Mr Powell (Mathematics): Mr Brown and Mrs Hooton (Geography – maternity cover); Mr Filtness (History); Mrs Searles (Head of Religious Studies); Mrs Sheridan (D&T); Mrs Gunton and Miss Stenning (English). The Modern Language Assistants for 2012/13 are: Mademoiselle Perrin, Herr Langer, Mademoiselle Rabaca and Senorita Ibáñez Manzano
Non-Teaching Staff Ms Shadjareh will be Classroom IT Support Technician from September 2012.
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HIGHLIGHTS 22% A* at A level with 88% at A*, A and B grade and 100% pass rate 46% of students gaining 3 or more A grades at A level 75% of applicants achieving places at the top 25 universities 12% of Upper Sixth students gaining places at Oxford and Cambridge Excellent GCSE and IGCSE results with 42% at A* and 75% at A* or A grade Refurbished classrooms for modern languages and classics New music recital facility and recording studio New hospitality facility for the Wellington ground
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