Annual review 2015 by King Edward VI School

Founded 1553

KING EDWARD VI SCHOOL SOUTHAMPTON

ANNUAL REVIEW 2015 Contents Head’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 2015

Staff

Welcomes, moves and farewells

Head’s Report The academic year 2014/5 has seen a number of significant developments. We began the year with 978 students on the roll and the School continues to be full at every level. We have continued to invest in the School’s fabric with an expanded fitness facility, new music practice rooms and a new hospitality suite and gallery at Wellington Sports Ground. Further detail is provided in the Chairman’s report. Our students have enjoyed another very good set of academic results with 83% of A2 grades at A*, A and B and 82% of all grades at IGCSE at A* and A with an impressive 55% at A*. We were pleased with our Oxbridge admissions results. Nine students have been offered places this year continuing the School’s five year average of 10% of the year group going to these two universities. Over four-fifths of our students will proceed to universities in the Russell Group. We were delighted to welcome as our Chief Guest at Speech Day in 2014 Sir Jonathan Bate, Professor of English at the University of Oxford and Provost of Worcester College. He is a world expert in Shakespearean studies and was well worth hearing. Once again, the sporting life at King Edward’s has flourished. The numbers of students involved in sport continues to grow and over two-thirds of all students were involved in fixtures at some stage of the year. In hockey our teams won six of the seven county tournaments and as a result qualified for regional heats. The U14 and U16 boys’ teams progressed from these heats to reach play offs for regional finals but the lead performance was from the girls’ 1st XI who reached the regional finals and were agonisingly close to qualifying for a national play off. This placed them in the top fifteen school teams in the country. In rugby, the U16 side won threequarters of their matches and the U13 side fared even better winning 80% of their fixtures. The U12 team also showed potential winning two-thirds of their matches. In the cup competitions the U16s won the county cup final and the U15 team also reached the cup final finishing as runners-up. The 1st XV reached the fourth round of the Nat

West National Vase competition but it was the U13 side that progressed furthest in the national cup as they reached a regional quarter-final placing them in the final thirty-two teams nationally. The netball season was also a success as more girls represented the School than previously. All the A teams won over half of their matches against tough opposition. The highlight, however, was the outstanding performance of the 1st VII who won all of their matches. In cricket, the numbers of students involved continues to grow. Team performances were also very positive with the U13A winning 50%, the U14A winning 80%, the U15A winning two-thirds and the 1st XI winning 50% of their matches. The U15 team progressed to the regional semi-final of the Taverners Trophy placing them in the final sixteen of the national cup and the U14 team were successful in the county cup final against PGS and qualified for the national cup at U15 for summer 2016. Rounders was less affected by wet weather this year and there were some good results. The U15 team won 71% of their matches and the U14A won 60% but it was the U12 team that had the best season winning all but one of their games. In other sports our students have also flourished with success for our cross country runners, athletes, table tennis players and particularly rhythmic gymnastics, winning national titles in both individual and team classes. The football team won three-quarters of the games in their league and played well in reaching the final. Swimming teams competed in two galas which provided an opportunity for a number of students, who had not previously had the chance, to represent the School. On an individual basis, students have produced outstanding performances at national and international level in cricket, hockey, athletics, tae kwon do, sailing, rowing, swimming, biathlon, archery and skiing, in addition to the large number of sportsmen and women who reached county and regional teams across a wide range of sports.

Mr Kay been teaching in the the Design Thehas number of visits Schooland Technology Department sincecontinues 2007 and has organises each year to grow played a significant role in the of and is a major part of education our educational students through his enthusiasm and creative provision. This year King Edward’s talent. Mr Kay, himself a former Olympic level students visits to the fencer, has alsohave taken enjoyed the sport of fencing SouthatAfrica, Morocco, India, from USA, its inception King Edward’s through Spain,regularly France,participating Austria, Italy and to students in national competitions andThese been responsible the Germany. trips haveforranged introduction of the Arkwright Scholarship and from trekking in the Himalayas Scheme. In he took year-longrugby and skiing 2013 in Maine toaplaying sabbatical from teaching to train and hockey in Cape Town. Some of our become the first Briton with a UK dog team students even lucky to complete the were Finnmarkslopet (theenough world’s experience theand total mostto northern dog race) he solar leaveseclipse us to Faroe Islands. to moveintothe Norway to pursue thisCloser passion.

home, students have participated in language exchanges and study visits to Montpellier, Mutterstadt, Vienna, Florence, Salamanca and Santander and trips across the UK from regular theatre and music visits to London, to geography and biology field trips to Swansea and Dale Fort. 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 with regular occasions such as the Carol Service at St Mary’s Church and the Education Sunday service at Winchester Cathedral interspersed with a wide range of concerts with the highlight being two evening events at Turner Sims. Drama has been busy with a number of productions including to Thebes’ andin‘Gizmo’ as Miss‘Welcome Stenning joined the School 2012 and has making a daily commute from wellbeen as numerous Junior Drama Club the Isle of Wight for biennial the past three She events. The Artsyears. Festival, has taught English the Exhibition School with including thethroughout annual Art success but in particular the English Language in the Big Top, was one of the most A Level students have benefited from her impressive we have seen. excellent subject knowledge. Outside the classroom, she has taken debating at King Charitable work has Edward’s to a newand levelcommunity and it has become a thriving and successful society. prominence Miss Stenning long had considerable has been appointed HeadIn of the English at year Ryde at King Edward’s. past School and£28,000 we wish her success this over hasevery been raisedinby much-deserved promotion.

the students themselves for a range of different organisations including our Summer Camp for young carers within the city and the South Africa

venture supporting the Goedgedacht Trust near Cape Town. Dozens of volunteers 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 and science clubs as well as special events such as the July partnership day for local primary schools as a part of the Endeavour programme. We have been very well served by Emma Falconer as Head of School over the last year, ably supported by her deputies, Joe Weatherley, Caitlin Brown and Gina Steel. Our Prepositors and Heads of House, together with Mrs Coker joined King Edward’s three years theand Lower School Prefects, and provide ago has shown commitment dedication theapproach School. toexcellent the School.leadership Her friendly across and caring have allhas worked very effectively inThey the classroom enabled many students towith conquer their fear of mathematics. She has a varied range of responsibilities run theopportunities School’s Partnerships mathematics and to develop their team programme the last two yearsskills. and primary work andfor communication school children have benefited from these fun sessions. She has also helped to run the We haveFencing had a number staffleaves leaving successful Club. Mrsof Coker us Edward’s yearinwith some toKing take up a post at this a school Warwick.

notable retirements after long service. Mr Dodds retired as Head of Stroud after twenty-two years of distinguished service at the helm. The School has gone from strength to strength under his leadership and he has done a magnificent job in merging the culture of the two schools over the past three years. Mrs Thomas retired after serving as an outstanding Deputy Head (Pastoral) with twenty-four years of service at the School with notable contributions as our Child Protection Lead Officer and our Compliance Officer.

of our school sites and leaves a legacy of new buildings at both King Edward’s and Stroud. Mr Kay has been teaching at the School since 2007 in the Design and Technology Department as well as running the Fencing Club. He is moving to Norway. Miss Stenning joined the School’s English Faculty in 2012 and has made a particular contribution to the School’s Debating Society. She has been appointed as Head of English at Ryde School. Mrs Coker joined the Mathematics Faculty three years ago. She is a fine teacher Walton the School in December andMrhas alsojoined supported fencing 1999 working in the Facilities Team as a activities. Dr Berryman taught Music and Classics was promoted Deputy Head andcaretaker Mr Reece andtoReligious Caretaker in 2004. His contributions were Studies, each for a year. Miss L’Enfant mainly in the behind-the-scenes operations, taught drama for two terms. We thank ensuring that the facilities were available and them and theforother staff who have configured the ever-changing demands of assisted the School this year inongeneral. short Mr the curriculum and the School Walton left KingWe Edward’s in January 2015. term contracts. are also grateful to our IT Assistants for the past year, Mr Cuthbertson DarMr and Mr Webb.joined the Physics Department in September as an incoming NQT to teach Physics and Mathematics. In

KES PTA has prospered under the his time at King Edward’s, he became well direction of an Draffable Hulbert. We are known as teacher with very a very cheery grateful for their forcontributions a range of to demeanour, whosupport also made school hockey. Mr Cuthbertson left thetoSchool activities from music and kayaking the spring termofand we wish him well theinpart-funding a youth worker inin his future endeavours. South Africa. Our alumni have enjoyed numerous reunions organised by our Mr Reece has spent a year teaching in the Development Officer, Ms Hooper, with Classics and RS Departments while studying much useful work completed byLife ourLong for his Diploma in Teaching in the King Edward VI Foundation Sector. His warm and friendly which manner, dedication teaching and hard work have raises moneytoto help students applying addedEdward’s greatly to the students’ learning to King from disadvantaged experience. Over the past year he has found backgrounds. innovative ways of using iPad technology with his First and Third Year classes and has King Edward’s has continued to be immersed himself in school life supporting a very successful school offeringClub and the Classical Society, Archaeology its students a very of best with Japanese Club. Wewide wish range him all the his exciting newsport teaching venture in Japan. activities, visits, and cultural

opportunities so that they emerge with Mr Darteamwork and Mr Webb joined the IT Support enviable and leadership team for the 2014-2015 academic year for the skills to take into adult life, together sandwich work-placement components of withtheir a strong social conscience and university studies. Their respective roles commitment to the community at large. as IT Classroom Support Technician and Web

Development Technician have meant that they

both experienced many new situations AJhave Thould and have gained numerous new skills. We Head

thank them for their hard work throughout the year and wish them both well in the final year of their respective university studies.

Other staff leaving include Mr Goldie who retired after thirteen years. He joined King Edward’s in May 2002 as Assistant Bursar (Facilities), principally to run our bus system. He also masterminded a number of multi-million pound construction projects on all four

Dr Berryman has been an important part of the King Edward’s music team over the past year. In addition to conducting Symphonic Winds, he has brought a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the department, coupled with a lively sense of humour and a willingness to help and assist all our musicians. Dr Berryman has given thoughtprovoking whole school assemblies, interesting lectures, and outstanding piano recitals and shown great interest in the development of piano performance. We wish him great success and happiness as he moves to the USA to take up the position of Associate Director of Programming in a summer school company.

Head of School

Chairman’s Report During my seven years here at King Edward’s, I have had the privilege of an all-encompassing education. The learning that takes place is not simply targeted on exam results, but also focused on teaching pupils to achieve and appreciate all aspects of life. My fellow pupils and I all have aspirations, and a drive to achieve, and I truly believe this originates not only from our parents, but from our teachers (who are an inspiration in their enthusiasm for the subjects they teach) as well as the ethos of learning which permeates KES.

“I have had the privilege of an all-encompassing education”

To list my favourite memories would be a challenge as these range from climbing in the Lake District on the Duke of Edinburgh Award programme and working in schools in South Africa, to driving to London to see West End productions and participate in Economics conferences. During the last six years at KES I’ve seen bee hives appear on the roof, kestrels chasing away the pigeons, witnessed successful growth in the Cactus Club, played in netball matches and watched the most incredible music and drama productions. Most of all, I will remember looking forward to my lessons, and I will honestly be able to say for the rest of my life that I enjoyed school, for all that it offered, and for the friends that I made. We are all lucky to be part of such a vibrant and inspiring community which offers so much more than good academic results. It has been a privilege to be able to take advantage of all the opportunities that KES presents and, although I am sad to leave, I feel ready to move on. This is a testimony to how well the School has prepared me for future life.

Emma Falconer Head of School

I am pleased to be able to report that having previously gone through a number of years of significant building activity at our main Hill Lane site, we have had a period of relative quiet during the last year although small improvements have continued to be made. The School Hall has been refurbished throughout in brighter colours, the floor completely refurbished and new electronic facilities added providing a much needed revamp of this key area in our school’s daily life. During the summer break we have created additional music practice rooms, the second squash court has been converted into an additional fitness suite, following the success of the original squash court conversion, and various improvements have been made to our catering facilities. In my last review, I indicated that we expected to move forward with the significant development of the enlargement of the Dobson Theatre, the Art Department and the Sixth Form Concourse. In reality, the detailed designs for this major building project took longer to finalise than we anticipated and consequently, a planning application was only submitted in May of this year. The key objective of this development is the provision of a theatre with a capacity of in excess of 400 seats but which can also be used for a number of other activities and functions. The planning application was approved in July and construction should now begin in April 2016 with completion planned for the end of December next year. This is a busy part of our school and the building works will clearly create some disruption although every effort will be made to keep this to a minimum. At Wellington Sports Ground, we have already started to use the new cricket square in front of the pavilion and the planned building of a spectators’ balcony/viewing area, at first floor level off the pavilion’s dining room, was completed in the autumn term. A new hospitality facility was added on the ground floor to accommodate the growing numbers of parents from Stroud and King Edward’s and to provide a training area for the staff of both schools. The next area to receive our attention will be the entrance to the pavilion which is now below the standard of the rest of it. To quote our Director of Sport, Dan Kent, “this

impressive facility is the envy of a number of our competitor schools.” I can report that our Rural Studies Centre at Lovaton on Dartmoor is in very good order with regular maintenance of the cottage and the barn, both of which are grade II listed buildings. We continue with regular visits to Lovaton, not only for Duke of Edinburgh activities but for other team-building or educational purposes, and it certainly stands out as an unusual facility for a school like ours. At Stroud, the construction of a new dining and kitchen facility, together with three new classrooms, was completed in time for the start of the school year. Both have proved excellent and set the standard for further development at our prep school over the coming year. Various other improvements have been made to the driveway and car parking, to improve traffic flow and provide a safer environment for pupils. I am pleased to be able to report that in September, King Edward’s will receive a record number of entrants from Stroud and we look forward to this trend continuing. Within the KES Governing body there has been two retirements. Maurice Rowles came to the end of his tenure as the Nominative Governor for the Old Edwardians’ Association with John Mist, who was already a co-opted Governor, switching to this position. Alderman Alec Samuels also stepped down after sixteen years of outstanding service to our school. Two new Governors have now been appointed; Councillor Caran Chamberlain representing Southampton City Council and who is also a KES parent, and Jessica Wadsworth, a police superintendent and mother of children at KES and Stroud. The Governors are a key part of the leadership of our two schools and I would like to thank them for their continued support and involvement in so many of the Schools’ activities. I normally leave comments with regards to leaving staff to the Head but I feel I must refer to the retirement this year of a very longstanding member of the School - our Deputy Head (Pastoral), Jane Thomas. Jane has given outstanding service to our school for twenty-four years, the last

five of them as a Deputy Head. In this role she has led our pastoral team and ably deputised for the Head during his absence, in particular last autumn when he was absent through illness for most of the term. She has ensured that we fully meet the requirements of the many and ever-changing rules and regulations we have to adhere to, and that our numerous policy documents are continuously upto-date. This is a critical role within the School and particularly for the Governing body which is ultimately held responsible in the event of any compliance failures. I must also note the retirement of the Head at Stroud, Alastair Dodds, and his wife Sarah, Head of Art. They have been key to the success of Stroud since the mid-1980s and their departure marks the end of an era. I would like to thank all three members of staff for the huge contribution they have made to both schools and wish them well for the future. I, together with other Governors, assisted the Head in the recruitment process for their replacements and I am certain that we will continue with the same high quality of personnel within our senior management team. Whilst on the subject of members of staff, I would also like to mention the death, in January, of our former Head Master, Colin Dobson. Colin was Head Master from 1971 to 1990, leading the School through periods of enormous change. It was primarily due to him that King Edward’s became independent when other local grammar schools moved into the state sector, often in a totally different form. He also introduced girls into the School as members of the Sixth Form. Without his foresight and drive, King Edward’s would not be what it is today! Under the enthusiastic guidance of Suzanne Hooper, the King Edward VI Foundation, that raises money to provide bursarial and fee support for children from less affluent family backgrounds, continues to develop a greater following, particularly amongst older Edwardians who appreciate the start in life which the School once gave to them. In most instances their education at King Edward’s was free due to our status, at that time, as a direct grant school. Regular gatherings of alumni now take place

at school with over fifty former Heads of School and their deputies attending one such event this May. Suzanne has also organised other reunions both at King Edward’s and around the country for other groups who have attended KES at various times. I am pleased to be able to conclude my review by confirming that our school continues to be in excellent health, academically, in sport and the arts, and in the multitude of cocurricular activities in which so many of our pupils participate. We are also financially secure and extremely well administered by our bursarial team an aspect of the School very closely monitored by the Governors’ Finance Committee. We have a solid intake of new students this September at 11+, 13+ and also in the Sixth Form, thus maintaining our numbers at around 975. There is also a firm indication, from the enquiries we receive, that this level will continue for the foreseeable future. Brian Gay Chair of Governors

Academic Progress

KES PTA The School began the year with 978 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. In 2015, 83% of King Edward’s students passed their A Levels with grades at A*, A or B with 19% at A*. 40% of students gained three A grades or more. 98.7% of all GCSEs and IGCSEs awarded were at grade C or above with 82% of all grades at A* and A and 55% A*. 95% of all grades were awarded at A*, A or B. 100% of students obtained five GCSE passes (including IGCSE mathematics and English) the usual Department for Education measure of high standards, although this is not currently given official recognition in the government’s league tables for examinations taken at IGCSE. These results have ensured that our students have been able to proceed to a range of competitive institutions in Higher Education with 80% of our students holding offers from the UK’s top 25 universities. 99% gained places at their chosen universities and nine students were offered places at either Oxford or Cambridge, representing nearly 10% of the total number of applications.

A Level Results 2015 40

Percentage

30 20 10 0

Following its rebranding last year, KES PTA has had a very active and successful twelve months and we are delighted that the sub-committees are so well attended by parents both new and old. The PTA Council has representation from parents, staff, governors and former pupils, in addition to the Head and the PTA Chair, and meets termly with an AGM in November. There are three sub committees – the Social Committee, the Prayer Group and OBNO (Outgrown But Not Outworn). The Social Committee organises various social events throughout the year. These are always well-supported and offer an opportunity to meet other parents, to fundraise and ensure it isn’t just the students who have all the fun! This year we hosted the New Parents’ Wine Tasting Evening in November, during which new parents met, ate and learnt a little about some new wines, and in March we ran the annual Quiz Night. This was a very popular evening and the hotly contested quiz, compiled by former parents, attracted more than thirty teams. The biennial ball was held on 4th July and had a Stars and Stripes theme. We were entertained by an Old Edwardian Jazz Band and enjoyed dinner, dancing, a disco, croupier tables and a photobooth;

A Level Grades

IGCSE and GCSE Results 2015

Percentage

50 40 30 20 10 0

IGCSE and GCSE Grades

99% CF/CI Places 1% Other University placement or PQA

to name but a few of the activities on offer. The Prayer Group is flourishing under the leadership of Erica Roberts and there have been four meetings every term, both in and out of School. The members have continued to support the Christian Union, Interface and the Chaplaincy. OBNO provides an invaluable service to parents selling second hand school clothes and sports kit. Run by Sophie Liardet and her volunteer team, it has again raised funds for the School; this year sponsoring the miniature steam train at the Arts Festival.

80% Students placed in The Times top 25 ranking universities* 20% Students in other HE institutions including music & art

*As quoted in the Times Good University Guide for the year the application was made.

The Edwardian Society

KES PTA continues to support and contribute funds to the Charities Commission for their ongoing and one-off appeals. In addition, KES PTA has donated money to a wide variety of projects around the School. This year we have funded the Archaeology Club, Sanskrit Club, the Radio Club, the Robotics Club and have paid for all First Year pupils to take part in a high ropes course during Endeavour. I would like to thank everyone who has attended any of the events and encourage everyone to get involved in the future.

Diana Hulbert

Chair of KES PTA

Yet again, it has been a busy year in terms of reunions for our Edwardian Society with an array of events (both sporting and social) being enjoyed by many.

“KES PTA has had a very active and successful twelve months”

The autumn term kicked off with the Edwardian girls’ team playing the KES current 1st XI hockey squad in a friendly but nevertheless competitive hockey game. After a strong start from the Edwardian side, the KES girls fought back to secure a further year’s victory for the School. The October London Drinks Evening held at The Charing Cross Hotel was successful whilst November saw the Class of 2004 return to school for their 10 year reunion. The 25 year and 50 year reunions that took place in early spring were extremely well-attended with guests travelling from as far away as Thailand and South Africa to meet up with old friends. We hope to repeat similar events in the future. A combined boys’ hockey and girls’ netball evening rounded off March. The boys’ hockey event (Edwardians v KES 1st XI) produced another close match with penalty flicks being unable to separate the teams and both sides eventually settling for a draw. The Edwardian netballers were not so lucky with their

result but will challenge for the cup again next year. In May, the School was delighted to welcome over fifty guests to the Former Heads of School and Deputies’ Reunion Dinner. Representatives from 1942, right through to the present day, enjoyed a formal dinner and a chance to catch up with contemporaries; their continued fondness and commitment to KES highlighted by their enthusiasm in attending. In June we held our annual Poole Veterans’ and Pre-1939 Leavers’ luncheons both of which are always popular with our older alumni. The golfing section continues to thrive and has held another four events this year. Players were delighted to win the annual Triangular Match, against local rivals Taunton’s and Peter Symonds, for a fourth consecutive year. Fundraising for the King Edward VI Foundation that aims to raise money specifically for bursaries for children from less affluent families has attracted further support and generosity from alumni and friends of the School.

Suzanne Hooper

Development Officer

Drama

Art The Drama Department has experienced a busy and challenging year with a number of stimulating productions. In the autumn term, the hard-hitting Upper School play ‘Welcome to Thebes’ saw a strong cast of thirty pupils deliver an inspiring performance that was seen by over 250 parents, pupils and staff. In the spring term, the Third Year pupils showcased their abilities in performances of two modern plays from the National Theatre Connections play series, ‘Same’ and ‘The Wardrobe’ and audiences were taken on a journey from laughter to tears through the high level of maturity and acting of the pupils. The year was completed by a Lower School production of Alan Ayckbourn’s ‘Gizmo’, an entertaining and humorous piece with some well-timed physical and comedy moments. There were also many outstanding individual and collective performances in the examination pieces, enacted in the summer term.

“Drama based co-curricular clubs have thrived”

Visits to a variety of performances and theatre productions, both locally and further afield, have continued throughout the year for all GCSE and A Level examination pupils and the department has also welcomed several external theatre companies. They have directed practical workshops, exploring different theatre practitioners and acting styles, and delivered performances to students. Drama based co-curricular clubs have thrived with Junior Drama Club again attracting high numbers of pupils and Sixth Form helpers. The Third Year Improvisation Club has had continued success, Make-up Club was popular at the start of the term and Miss White ran a Prop-making Club in the Art Department for the ‘Welcome to Thebes’ production. Lamda lessons have had continued success this year with some impressive results attained in the Lamda examinations.

Music

The Art Department has seen another busy year with the high standard of artwork always impressing us, as staff, as well as visitors to the School who can view it on the walls all around them. This was especially so this summer, when we used the Arts Festival’s Big Top as the gallery area for the 2015 Art Exhibition. The Upper Sixth artists have shown they are artistically ambitious this year. Their work has included large expressive portrait paintings, dark and menacing pastel drawings as well as paintings and drawings of birds of prey that have captured their beauty and colour in a lovely range of media. The Lower Sixth have also produced some interesting work with a range of subjects from boating paraphernalia and confectionary to stark Hampshire landscapes. A blog format was also used by one student to record his AS photography work and the online sketchbook was very effective. The GCSE classes have yet again produced an extraordinary range of work with their sketchbooks, really embracing the opportunity to experiment with a wide range of material. Their examination pieces were equally confident and impressive. All this work can be seen on the department’s Flickr site via the school website. The department continues to host partnerships with Highfield, Springhill and Wordsworth primary schools and throughout the year, a fantastic group of KES pupils have helped run the workshops. Their enthusiasm and care for our young guests has been exceptional and a real credit to the School. There have been three trips to the Royal Academy this academic year, with the wonderful Anselm Kieffer

show influencing many of our students. Evening Life drawing classes for the Sixth Form proved popular, with artist Chris Wood showing how to both record accurately and draw freely. A new venture for 2015 was a combined cultural trip to Florence with KES language students which was inspiring for all involved. Arts Festival The 2015 Arts Festival ran for three days at the end of June providing a colourful myriad of workshops and performances to challenge and inspire. Forty–eight visiting artists came to the School over the three days to work with students and workshops included Samba drum and dance, print making, violin playing, fashion design, enamel jewellery making, guitar playing, illusion theatre, singing, Bollywood dance, Dhol drumming, lectures, digital news reporting, mime, comedy, origami and papercutting. There were several spectacular large scale events in the Big Top and the highlight of the Festival was the traditional Street Theatre held on the School Field on the last day, including a steam train sponsored by the KES PTA.

The year got off to a flying start with a number of musicians performing with great panache in one of Southampton’s Medieval Vaults as part of the ‘Music in the City’ event in October. This was followed by an exciting orchestral day and concert with the young professionals of the Southbank Sinfonia at Turner Sims, where we were joined by musicians from our feeder prep schools. Musicians made two visits to Hampton Lodge Care Home to perform lunchtime concerts whilst, in school, the ‘Listen While You Lunch’ concert series has been enjoyed by an appreciative audience of students and staff. The autumn term closed with the traditional Carol Service featuring the Chamber Orchestra and 180 singers in the combined choirs.

of the most monumental landmarks of European cultural and intellectual history, and closer to home visited Turner Sims to hear a Gala Concert with the Britten Sinfonia, Elias Quartet and pianist Paul Lewis. The Great War Revue evening provided an opportunity for the School’s actors and musicians to come together to commemorate World War One and the year closed with countless memorable performances, workshops and other activities centred around the three day Arts Festival.

In January the Chamber Choir performed in a joint concert at the Hampshire County Youth Orchestra and AS and A Level Music students performed a lunchtime concert in the Southampton Art Gallery to rapturous applause. The Chamber Choir was in action at Winchester Cathedral in February for the ‘Education Sunday’ Service where it distinguished itself with a fine performance at this prestigious event. Also in the spring term, a large number of musicians from the Lower School performed an engaging concert in the Dobson Theatre and our advanced musicians impressed a full auditorium with a sparkling array of top quality music at the Turner Sims Concert. Sixth Form Music students visited Vienna for four inspirational, actionpacked days walking among some

“Sixth Form Music students visited Vienna for four inspirational, action-packed days” 8

Sport

Co-Curricular

Opportunities for KES students to participate in sport continue to grow and this year over two-thirds of the students have represented the School on at least one occasion. This has predominantly been in the major sports but there has also been an extension of other sports on offer.

It has been another busy year in the co-curriculum, with pupils getting involved in a host of new and exciting activities, including our new Bridge Club, and becoming more proficient in pursuits they have done before. KES PTA continue to lend support, including giving funding to the Archaeology Society and the wonderful model train that was part of the Arts Festival Street Theatre, and paying for a high adrenaline activity at the First Year camp.

The enthusiasm for rugby continues to be strong. The provision at KES is delivered through high quality teaching, coaching and officiating ensuring our students play the game as safely as is possible and enjoy the many benefits of the sport. The top

The Debating and Public Speaking Society have had a superb year taking part in the International Competition for Young Debaters and achieving three top 5 places. They also had one pupil judged “Best Overall Speaker” in the regional branch final of the ESU Public Speaking Competition.

Swimming Gala and Sports Day. As the end of the year approached, Lake and Watts led the points table and, after an exciting Swimming Gala and Sports Day, Lake House emerged as victors. Partnerships with local schools are more exciting than ever. With new schools coming on board, and a very enthusiastic team of pupils engaging in activities ranging from art to fencing, computing to philosophy, both the partnership schools and our own pupils benefit from such good relationships.

The Inter-House Allen Grant trophy gave rise to a superb year-round level of competition with a wide range of events, from the more traditional rugby, hockey, netball, cross country and quiz, to the Greenpower Challenge and bench ball, as well as whole school events such as the

performing side was the U13 team who reached the last sixteen of the National Schools’ Competition. In netball, participation was also high and C teams were fielded for the first time. The 1st team were particularly successful winning each of their fixtures. Hockey continues to be strong and the majority of our boys’ and girls’ teams won their county heats and qualified through the regional heats to play offs. The highlight was the 1st XI girls’ team who reached the south finals and came close to qualifying for national finals. We fielded A and B cricket teams in each age group this year on a strong fixture circuit. Once again the teams performed well in the county cups but the highlight was the U15 team reaching the last sixteen of the Taverners Trophy by beating Marlborough College. Rounders continues to be popular amongst the girls and this summer A and B teams were fielded up to U15. The U12

side take the plaudits in this sport having won all of their matches. The summer term has also seen KES teams achieve success in county athletics matches. In addition to the major team sports, the School is fortunate to have a number of talented individuals performing at regional level or higher in a range of sports; athletics, swimming, table tennis, pentathlon, diving, fencing, cricket, rhythmic gymnastics, judo, tennis and sailing. The development of Wellington Sports Ground has continued and it is now a fantastic sporting arena that is the envy of all our visitors. Our students are rightly proud to be able to play there and it is the centre of the School’s sporting life on a Saturday. The vast array of sporting opportunities could not exist without a committed staff, which KES is fortunate to have, all of whom are dedicated to providing excellent opportunities for the students.

Endeavour The Endeavour Programme is now in its second year. The whole school took two days off timetable to work towards specific goals within their year groups. The First Years focussed on INDEPENDENCE with a two day camping trip in the New Forest. The Second Years improved their CONFIDENCE abroad in Normandy, with heights, water and behind the lens. The Third Years worked on COLLABORATION skills in the Dragons’ Den and looked at collaboration on the Battlefields.

The Fourth Years showed their COMMUNITY spirit hosting nearly 200 students from our partnership schools at Wellington for a sporting extravaganza and a further sixty primary school pupils were well looked after by our pupils doing various workshops on site. Lower Sixth Formers developed SELF IMPROVEMENT on a range of activities and trips including visiting CERN and the Large Hadron Collider. 11

Trips & Visits

Charities It was another busy year with around 200 trips taking place. These range from lunch time trips to local primary schools to fortnight residentials in far flung places around the globe. As ever, these have catered for a very wide variety of interests and while many support the academic learning of our students, there has also been a huge variety of opportunities for students to engage in activities which develop their confidence, skills and wider understanding of the world around them. In addition to our regular exchanges and language trips to Germany, France and Spain, the cultural exchange with Charlotte remains a popular and valuable opportunity for students from our Third Year. The Sports Department have been busy organising a hockey and rugby tour to South Africa whilst other students have spent two years training for the Himalayan expedition. We had a new Third and Fourth Year joint Art/Italian venture to Florence and the Physics Department ventured to the Faroe Islands to experience the eclipse first hand. The hugely popular ski trip travelled to Sunday River,

Maine and enjoyed the all-american experience. The Duke of Edinburgh Award has maintained its very prominent position for students in the Upper School and Sixth Form. The variety and number of opportunities on offer at King Edward’s is one of the qualities that we feel distinguishes us from other schools. Whilst this places a significant workload on our staff, in addition to their teaching and pastoral duties, the understanding of the value of such experiences in terms of the students’ development means that the time is given willingly.

This has proved to be another busy and exciting year for the Charities Commission with both students and staff enthusiastically supporting and organising a whole host of events, competitions and shows which have raised money for local, national and international charities.

Africa team created and sold cards and notelets for their Christmas stall and organised a large OTOB (One Touch One Bounce) tournament and a sponsored leg wax. The ceilidh was a huge success and this, combined with the auction, raised an impressive £4300.

In the autumn term, the annual Toy Appeal went well with the sponsorship money raised enabling us to buy 100 presents for local children who would otherwise not have received a gift at Christmas. Students also filled 114 Christmas shoeboxes with gifts and toiletries to send to Romania. Throughout the year, the Charities Commission has organised fundraising activities for the ‘Children in Need’ and ‘Red Nose Day’ campaigns, several non-uniform days and the sale of Krispy Kreme doughnuts. In addition they have sold Advent calendars, delivered Valentine roses and organised a number of sporting events and quiz shows. During the summer Arts Festival money was raised from the refreshments tent and the coconut shy and students also organised the whole school Fun Run in aid of the charity Cancer Research. The School has supported charities combating two international crises: the Ebola outbreak with a ‘Give a Helping Hand’ lunchtime stall and the Nepal Earthquake Disaster with a collection box.

Other individual fundraising achievements include the efforts of Harvey and Hamilton Kavanagh with their ‘Shave2Raise’ campaign in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust, and Yvie

The Summer Camp team has organised some very successful fundraising events this year. The ‘Battle of the Bands’ proved to be very popular and was a sell out on the evening and 120 pupils and staff took part in the 24 hour cycle-athon, ‘The Tour de KES’. The South

“This has proved to be another busy and exciting year for the Charities Commission”

Lock who completed a sponsored run for the newly launched Breast Cancer Campaign and Breakthrough Breast Cancer. A team of Fifth Year girls also compiled a cookery book to sell in aid of the Stubbington Ark animal sanctuary. The team has worked extremely hard this year and has managed to support in addition to the Goedgedacht and Summer Camp projects, eighteen charities and charitable groups.

Staff

Head’s Report Dr Purves joined King Edward’s as a Physics The academic year 2014/5 teacher in September 2007 after ahas veryseen a number of significant developments. We successful teaching practice the School began the year with 978atstudents onand the roll and the School continues to be full at quickly every became level. a highly-valued and respected teacher of Physics and Mathematics. In September 2011 he became Head of Physics Weapproached have continued to investnew in role the with West National Vase competition but and his challenging customary probity good humour School’s energy, fabric with anand expanded it was the U13 side that progressed taking onfacility, the temporary role of Assistant fitness new music practiceHead furthest in the national cup as they Co-Curricular 2013. Dr Purves rooms and in a September new hospitality suite andalso reached a regional quarter-final helped with school tennis, ran the Lunar Society, gallery at Wellington Sports Ground. placing them in the final thirty-two was a stalwart of Summer Camp and supported Further is provided in He theleaves us to teams nationally. The netball season many otherdetail trips and expeditions. Chairman’s report. take up the post of Assistant Head at Portsmouth was also a success as more girls represented the School than previously. Grammar School.

Mrs Thomas retires this year after twenty-four years at KES. She joined the School in 1991, becoming Deputy Head of Lower School in 1993. She was promoted to Head of the Lower School in 2003, Assistant Head (Pastoral) in 2008 and Deputy Head (Pastoral) in 2010. She has been an outstanding contributor throughout her career not just as a superb Mathematics teacher, tutor, Head of Year and Deputy Head but also as a first-rate hockey coach. Much of her recent work has taken place behind the scenes as Child Protection Lead Officer and Compliance Officer. Mrs Thomas always has time for others and is an expert listener. She approaches everything with great professionalism, attention to detail and a robust sense of humour and few have given so much of their time and energy to the School. She is a remarkable teacher and will be greatly missed.

Our students have enjoyed another very good set of academic results with 83% of A2 grades at A*, A and B and 82% of all grades at IGCSE at A* and A with an impressive 55% at A*. We were pleased with our Oxbridge admissions results. Nine students have been offered places this year continuing the School’s five year average of 10% of the year group going to these two universities. Over four-fifths of our students will proceed to universities in the Russell Group. We were delighted to welcome as our Chief Guest at Speech Day in 2014 Sir Jonathan Bate, Professor of English at the University of Oxford and Provost of Worcester College. He is a world expert in Shakespearean studies and was well worth hearing. Once again, the sporting life at King

Mr Goldie joined KES in May 2002 as Assistant Edward’s has flourished. The career numbers Bursar (Facilities). His distinguished in of navy students involved in sport continues the was justly rewarded with an MBE and to logistical grow and over two-thirds allhim has the expertise he brought of with been invaluable. was firstindemonstrated students wereThis involved fixtures at in the much needed some stage of but thecomplex year. Inre-organisation hockey our of pupil bus routes in 2002. Mr Goldie has also teams won six of the seven county managed multi-million pound construction tournaments and as a result qualified projects on both school sites, with the minimum regional Theroutines, U14 and U16 the offor disruption to heats. day to day including boys’ and teams progressed from these Design Technology Building at Hill Lane in heats toareach play Hall offsand for pod regional 2003 and new Dining of three classrooms Stroud 2014. He leaves a finals but at the leadinperformance was tangible legacy withreached good wishes from the girls’and 1stleaves XI who the for a well-earned retirement.

regional finals and were agonisingly close to qualifying for a national play off. This placed them in the top fifteen school teams in the country.

In rugby, the U16 side won threequarters of their matches and the U13 side fared even better winning 80% of their fixtures. The U12 team also showed potential winning two-thirds of their matches. In the cup competitions the U16s won the county cup final and the U15 team also reached the cup final finishing as runners-up. The 1st XV reached the fourth round of the Nat

All the A teams won over half of their matches against tough opposition. The highlight, however, was the outstanding performance of the 1st VII who won all of their matches.

Mrs Rass came to King Edward’s in February In cricket, ofoutstanding students Bursar’s 2002. the She numbers has been an involved continues grow.ofTeam PA, not just in theto context her administrative performances very abilities butwere also inalso acting as apositive wise and discreet colleague. wasthe meticulous in with the U13A winningShe 50%, organisation about her work U14Aher winning 80%,but thewent U15A winning in a manner that demonstrated a heart for two-thirds and the 1st XI winning people which was evident in all her dealings 50% of their matches. The U15 team with parents, pupils and staff alike. Having progressed to twelve the regional spent over years in semi-final this fast-paced and of thedemanding Tavernersenvironment, Trophy placing them Mrs Rass is now in thelooking final sixteen of the national cupallow her to new challenges which will to spend more time with her family. We and the U14 team were successful in wish her well in this phase of herPGS life. and the county cupnew final against

qualified for the national cup at U15 for summer 2016. Rounders was less affected by wet weather this year and there were some good results. The U15 team won 71% of their matches and the U14A won 60% but it was the U12 team that had the best season winning all but one of their games.

In other sports our students have also flourished with success for our cross country runners, athletes, table tennis players and particularly rhythmic gymnastics, winning national titles in both individual and team classes. The football team won three-quarters of the games in their league and played well in reaching the final. Swimming teams competed in two galas which provided an opportunity for a number of students, who had not previously had the chance, to represent the School. On an basis, students have as the Mr individual Consterdine started at King Edward’s Multimedia Technicianperformances over six years ago, before produced outstanding being promoted to Deputy Network at national and international level inManager. He has played a leading role in many large projects cricket, hockey, athletics, tae kwon do, that have included changing major aspects of sailing, rowing, swimming, biathlon, our network management, the development of archery and skiing, in additionand to most the recently our virtual server environment largecompletely number reorganising of sportsmen women the and School’s networking. whoHis reached countyand anddependable regional nature will calm, thorough be a loss to a thewide department we wish him well teams across range but of sports. in this new post at Southampton University as Network Engineer.

Mr Walton joined the School in December 1999 working in the Facilities Team as a caretaker and was promoted to Deputy Head Caretaker in 2004. His contributions were mainly in the behind-the-scenes operations, ensuring that the facilities were available and configured for the ever-changing demands of the curriculum and the School in general. Mr Walton left King Edward’s in January 2015.

Mr Kay has been teaching in the Design and Technology Department since 2007 and has played a significant role in the education of students through his enthusiasm and creative talent. Mr Kay, himself a former Olympic level fencer, has also taken the sport of fencing from its inception at King Edward’s through to students regularly participating in national competitions and been responsible for the introduction of the Arkwright Scholarship Scheme. In 2013 he took a year-long sabbatical from teaching to train and become the first Briton with a UK dog team to complete the Finnmarkslopet (the world’s most northern dog race) and he leaves us to move to Norway to pursue this passion.

Mr Cuthbertson joined the Physics Department in September as an incoming NQT to teach Physics and Mathematics. In his time at King Edward’s, he became well known as an affable teacher with a very cheery demeanour, who also made contributions to school hockey. Mr Cuthbertson left the School in the spring term and we wish him well in his future endeavours.

Mrs Coker joined King Edward’s three years ago and has shown commitment and dedication to the School. Her friendly and caring approach in the classroom has enabled many students to conquer their fear of mathematics. She has run the School’s Partnerships mathematics programme for the last two years and primary school children have benefited from these fun sessions. She has also helped to run the successful Fencing Club. Mrs Coker leaves us to take up a post at a school in Warwick.

Mr Reece has spent a year teaching in the Classics and RS Departments while studying for his Diploma in Teaching in the Life Long Sector. His warm and friendly manner, dedication to teaching and hard work have added greatly to the students’ learning experience. Over the past year he has found innovative ways of using iPad technology with his First and Third Year classes and has immersed himself in school life supporting the Classical Society, Archaeology Club and Japanese Club. We wish him all the best with his exciting new teaching venture in Japan. Mr Dar and Mr Webb joined the IT Support team for the 2014-2015 academic year for the sandwich work-placement components of their university studies. Their respective roles as IT Classroom Support Technician and Web Development Technician have meant that they have both experienced many new situations and have gained numerous new skills. We thank them for their hard work throughout the year and wish them both well in the final year of their respective university studies.

Miss Stenning joined the School in 2012 and has been making a daily commute from the Isle of Wight for the past three years. She has taught English throughout the School with success but in particular the English Language A Level students have benefited from her excellent subject knowledge. Outside the classroom, she has taken debating at King Edward’s to a new level and it has become a thriving and successful society. Miss Stenning has been appointed Head of English at Ryde School and we wish her every success in this much-deserved promotion.

Staff Internal changes Mr Dellar becomes Senior Deputy Head, Mr Waymark takes the post of Deputy Head (Academic), Mrs Sheppard takes over as Assistant Head (Registrar), Mrs Kelly becomes Head of Lower School and Miss Stone will be Head of First Year. Miss Jones becomes Director of Studies (Learning), Mrs Platten Head of Mathematics assisted by Mr Eyssens and Miss Ridley as Seconds in Department. Mr Simm takes on the role of Head of Physics and Mrs Barnes-Wardlaw, Junior Science Co-ordinator. Miss Anderson takes on the Partnership Co-ordinator role and Mr Miller the role of the Goedgedacht Project Co-ordinator. Mr Crichton takes over as Head of Capon and Mr Rosenburg is the Assistant Head of Year (Upper School).

New staff We had two new Physics teachers join the School in the spring term, Mrs Mahdavi and Mr Shadbolt and a number of new staff joining in September. Mr Collinson is appointed Assistant Head (Pastoral), Mr Rosenburg and Mr Jessep will be teaching Mathematics, Mrs Kairis Religious Studies whilst Miss Champion and Ms Gadsbey will teach English. Mr Evans joins us to teach Music and French and Mrs Penn and Mrs Kent will teach PE. The Modern Language Assistants for 2015/16 are: Mrs Djivanian, Miss LeFrancois, Mrs Tunstall, Mrs Ana Garcia Viejo, Miss Redero Hernandez and Mrs Bianca Belgiorno Appleyard. Mr Attenberger is the new Classroom IT Support Technician and Mr TwumBarima will be the new Web Content Manager.

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HIGHLIGHTS Excellent GCSE results with 55% of all grades at A* and 82% at A* or A grade 19% A* at A level with 83% at A*, A and B grade and a 100% pass rate 99% students gaining places in the university of their choice Over 80% of applicants achieving places at the top 25 universities 10% of students with offers from Oxford and Cambridge Expanded fitness suite New gallery and

KING EDWARD VI SCHOOL SOUTHAMPTON Wilton Road Southampton SO15 5UQ

hospitality facilities for the Wellington Pavilion

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