What will you do after the bell? If you’ve been at King Edward’s for a few years, you’ll know what we think about the other half of school life that happens after the bell goes. We like it, encourage it, and value it.
In the Sixth Form, these thoughts don’t change; but the opportunities available to you do.
By the end of your two Sixth Form years, we’ll send you out into the world of higher education and work and we want you to go on that journey with confidence and experience, excited and prepared to relish even more of life’s opportunities. We want you to have a sense of pride in what you have already achieved, knowing that you made the most of your time here.
Have a look through the opportunities that we have categorised in this booklet, and ask yourself what you will do after the bell goes?
Participate Think Compete Lead Serve Duke of Edinburgh Express Explore
Participate Get involved, because that’s what it’s all about. It can also break up the hard work and inevitable stresses that Sixth Form life sometimes brings. It allows you to get to know people outside of your social groups, and to have a go at new things, and can empower you with a host of new skills that might in some cases be hobbies for the rest of your lives. And let’s face it, it makes you a much more interesting character and will give you something to talk about at parties (and, dare we say it, interviews…) Academic, cultural, sporting, charitable, thought-provoking… the list goes on. So what can you get involved in? Have a look at the range of clubs and societies at the back of the booklet. This list isn’t even exhaustive… so there’s really no excuse not to.
Think The Extended Project: is a mix of timetabled plus independent study. It’s the chance to engage in university style research and tutorials. It is a curricular activity that sits outside of lesson time and results in a qualification prized by the top universities. Our Academic Societies: nearly all subjects offered at the School and some that are not have an academic society that is run by Sixth Formers. You choose the topics, the speakers and even the biscuits. Up and running this year we have: Sixth Formers often invite speakers, be they staff, outside guests or their peers and the subjects range from a reading of ‘Oedipus the King’ to a discussion of Will Self’s novel ‘Umbrella’ to a speaker talking on ‘Curiosity: the Mission to Mars’. These clubs almost always operate on an ‘everyone welcome’ basis. Where a Society doesn’t exist we will support you setting it up; in recent years student initiative has led to the formation of, among others, a Feminist and Equality Society and Politics Society, as well as a Harry Potter Club! Academic trips: you will be invited to lectures locally, and further afield you might find yourself re-treading the path of existentialist philosophers in Paris, or watching a solar eclipse in the Faroe Islands.
Compete Raise the bar. It’s important to learn what it feels like to win. We also think that it’s imperative to have followed a path of commitment, preparation, hard work, and adrenaline and it’s essential to learn how to deal with second place. At King Edward’s, there are opportunities in all spheres to step up to the plate. The current rugby senior squad’s pre-season training and our own Kings’ South Coast Tournament at Wellington this year set the boys up well for a good season. The weekly fixture list for 1st XV and 2nd XV can be found on our website. They have just returned from a tour of South Africa. The netball senior teams arrive at the 2016 season on the back of an unbeaten 2015 season with some outstanding victories against tough opposition. As with all of our major sports, a rigorous training schedule and a strong fixture list ensures regular matches and progression. The girls’ hockey senior squad has stepped up a gear and training now includes compulsory fitness. A strong pre-season training schedule, followed by a weekly fixture list of impressive regional teams makes girls’ hockey worth investing in. They have begun the 2015 season on the back of the previous season being the most successful in the School’s history, and toured South Africa in the summer. The boys’ hockey squad has three competitive and determined senior teams who have a strong reputation on the circuit. They recently toured the Netherlands, and have also benefitted from the introduction of Indoor Hockey. Senior cricketers commence training in the Spring in both our indoor and outdoor nets, ensuring the best start possible in all forms of the game. They too have a strong fixture list, to take them through the summer months. They will be touring Sri Lanka this summer. Rounders, tennis, football and basketball also have competitive fixtures against other schools. Young Enterprise is a national competition which offers students an opportunity to ‘learn by doing’ by starting and running their own business. At KES, the competition is open to any pupils in the L6th who feel that they can contribute and who are able to attend the weekly meetings, usually held once a week after school. Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Linguistic Olympiads as well as other subject-based essay competitions are run within departments to let you see how you will fare on a national scale. In recent years participants and winners have met the Chancellor of the Exchequer, presented to the Bank of England, attended a prize winners’ party boat trip on the Thames and attended a two day law seminar at Cambridge University.
Competitive debating: we compete at a national level by entering Oxford and Cambridge competitions through the Senior Debating and Public Speaking Society. They meet regularly to practise and also prepare for competitions that happen locally. Internally the House system’s Allen Grant trophy affords numerous chances to compete against your peers. What’s on offer at this level? House Hockey, House Badminton, House Rugby, House Football, House Squash, House Quiz, House Netball, House Ready Steady Cook, House Basketball, House Rounders, House Music, House Dance.
Lead A real bonus of belonging to our Sixth Form is that it sits at the top end of a big school and there are therefore a host of opportunities to lead other people. In the Upper Sixth we have four senior positions: Head of School, two Deputy Heads of School, and a Senior Prepositor. This team of four have a capacity to lead others within the School, particularly in their own peer group, and set an example of good behaviour and smart appearance. A Head or Deputy Head of School must have a degree of credibility within the student body and enjoy the confidence of the teaching staff. They are well organised, efficient and capable administrators. They act as a bridge between the student body and senior management and they communicate any concerns that may arise to the Director of Sixth Form, the Senior Deputy Head or the Head Master, as appropriate. There are also a team of prepositors working with them. ‘Prepositor’ is what some schools would call a prefect and they have responsibility for a specific year group, with whom they form a strong bond. We also appoint 12 students as Heads of House. They support and advise the House Master or House Mistress about House issues, taking a leading role in the purposeful progress of the House and delegating to others. In particular, they should ensure the smooth operation of any administrative duties. They are responsible for teams and should do all that is realistically possible and appropriate in developing the identity of the House and the promotion of positive House spirit, encouraging participation in the range of House events. All of the above positions of responsibility are decided after both pupils and staff have had a voice to suggest who they would like to see in the posts. The Captain of Music and Head of the Charities Commission and Head of Partnerships work with staff and pupils alike, and are heavily involved in the organisation in some of the busiest co-curricular areas of the School, involving hundreds of pupils. We also appoint a senior scholar and chief librarians to assist and promote the academic side of school life. Sixth Formers also captain sports teams and run the clubs and societies that we have mentioned. Not enough? You can also direct a play, assist in the running of one of our partnerships, or head up a new society.
Serve The student led Charities Commission is a huge part of school life, with a flourishing number of members at any one time, and the entire school being involved in fundraising activities. It runs a myriad of events and in recent years has been tipping the £25,000 mark. It’s a part of school life in which everyone gets involved, but where the Sixth Form take the helm. Events such as pantos, fun runs (the First Year Toy Appeal Fun Run with Sixth Formers getting heavily involved), non-uniform days, KES’s got talent, concerts and stalls happen throughout the year. The charities calendar is a packed one! Every summer we send a team of 16 out to the Goedgedacht Trust in South Africa, where they have an unforgettable two weeks working on a farm and helping with the after school club for local children. They fundraise all year to try and reach the £10,000 that we give to the trust annually to pay the wage of one of their youth workers. One of their big events last year was a Dinner Dance and Ceilidh which raised over £3000. As well as the big events, they also run smaller activities such as Krispy Kreme donut sales at break times, and all do individual fundraising to increase their impact. It’s not just about going away in the summer, it’s a two year team commitment to doing the best they can for the children at the Geodgedacht Trust. Summer Camp also runs each July: 16 Sixth Formers take a group of 12 young carers, aged between 8 and 12, on a week-long activity-packed holiday in Swanage. The children who go on this trip with our Sixth Formers are looking after a parent who has some form of need, perhaps an illness or disability, meaning that they end up doing a huge amount of work at home. Summer Camp is a chance for them to be relieved of this level of responsibility and to have some well-earned time off, and fun. This trip is paid for entirely from fundraising done by KES and events such as Battle of the Bands are a highlight in the School’s calendar. Both of these projects have election processes with application forms and interviews. Partnerships that run with local schools also form a large part of life at KES. We have the current activities up and running, with additional workshops in art, fencing and music happening intermittently. Have a look at the Clubs and Societies list on the website for details of what is running now. The Hospital Visiting group take a minibus over to Southampton General once a week to make visits to people who may not normally have a great deal of visitors. This isn’t just for those who might want a career in the NHS: it is a super way to give something back to the community. The Green Team meets weekly to look at environmental issues, and raises money for relevant charities as well as raising awareness within school.
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award D of E is incredibly popular at KES, with expeditions going on all the way from Easter to November. We currently have about 100 in the Sixth Form working towards the five sections of the Gold Award: skill, service, physical recreation, residential and volunteering sections. It’s hard work but totally worth it. The best thing about D of E at KES is that the kit store houses all of the tents, rucksacks and sleeping bags that you might need, as well as other bits and bobs, meaning that if you’re short on kit the only thing you will need is boots and clothes. We also don’t put a quota on how many people can get involved, so if you already have Silver you can start immediately! If you don’t, the Silver option is still available to you as a Sixth Former.
Express With busy and successful music, drama and dance programmes, both those who really excel and those who simply enjoy creative arts can get involved. There is a school play every autumn term giving pupils the opportunities to act, stage manage and become involved in design and front of house responsibilities. Every two to three years this takes the form of a musical involving large numbers of actors and musicians, with 2013’s ‘Grease’ exhibiting very high-quality singing from principal characters, underpinned by a band playing to an exceptional standard. The 2014 excellent and thought-provoking production of ‘Welcome to Thebes’ had a strong Sixth Form presence and this year’s ‘Hiawatha’ is being directed by an Artist in Residence. Sixth Form students can sign up for training in stage make up at lunchtimes and there is usually a Sixth Form play in February, produced and directed by Sixth Formers themselves. A team of enthusiastic and energetic Sixth Formers assist with the running of Junior Drama Club each week and any member of the School can choose to put on a half hour performance at lunchtime by booking a Tuesday at One slot in the Dobson Theatre. Symphony Orchestra, Big Band, Rock Academy, Choir or simply jamming….there is something for all Sixth Formers in the busy Music Department where regular concerts are staged throughout the year. There is the opportunity for talented musicians to lead and conduct groups such as Chamber Choir or Music Tech Club and Sixth Form musicians regularly stage their own concerts for charity and many use their musical activities for their Duke of Edinburgh Award skills section. Concert visits in Southampton and beyond, visiting workshop musicians, community projects with musicians playing in care homes, charity concerts, Fusion Concerts and the annual Southbank Sinfonia concert at Turner Sims, the Carol Service and Spring Concert are just some of the highlights of what is on offer. Musical Tours also occur with regularity, and Sixth Form musicians have performed in Paris, Prague, Venice and Berlin in recent years. In 2015 musicians enjoyed a trip to Vienna and in summer 2016 will be visiting Italy. If you are a dancer, there are many opportunities to use the purpose-built dance studio. Rhythmic Gymnastics (with the opportunity to participate in competitions), Musical Theatre, Ballet, Contemporary Dance and Zumba classes are open to all. We also provide workshops throughout the year with the English National Ballet for our most experienced dancers. Sixth Form artists get heavily involved in the design of programmes for concerts, plays and charity events. There are also opportunities for regular life drawing classes and trips to galleries, as well as trips further afield. The Springhill Art club lets older artists pass on their enthusiasm to others, and the art rooms are open at lunch times and after school for independent work. Creative Sixth Form students play an important role in the biennial Arts Festival where they join the management team and help plan and run the festival.
Explore We don’t want you to do all of your learning on Hill Lane and each year we travel to all corners of the earth, as well as getting around Hampshire. Here you will find a flavour of what we offer (and these don’t include compulsory departmental trips!)
In the last few years: Real science in the Faroe Islands and CERN, and in Madagascar, Indonesia, Honduras, and Mexico with Operation Wallacea, German trips to Mutterstadt and Berlin, charity work in South Africa and Swanage, language exchanges to France, Germany and Spain, sports tours in the Caribbean, South Africa, USA, Canada, Sri Lanka, Netherlands, Spain and Ireland, skiing in Europe and North America, expeditions to India, Thailand and Cambodia, Norway and Alaskan, Brussels to visit the EU Parliament, classical tours of Greece, Italy, Turkey, music tours in Paris, Prague, Austria and Italy, Duke of Edinburgh’s award expeditions in Dartmoor, the Lake District and Elan Valley, museums, galleries and theatres in Greece, Rome, Brighton, Bath, Yorkshire, Manchester, Exeter, Weymouth, Oxford, London, and finally, Southampton!
In the pipeline: an expedition to Costa Rica and Nicaragua, numerous theatre trips in London and at the Nuffield, French, Spanish and German trips and exchanges, Art trips to New York or Europe, Operation Wallacea expeditions to Indonesia and the Galapagos Islands. Summer Camp and South Africa preparations for and 2016 and 2017, sports tours including cricketers to Sri Lanka, Ski 2016, Ski 2017… the list goes on!
The list Amnesty International Art Club Astronomy Society Badminton Club Ballet Basketball Seniors Beekeeping Beginners Mandarin Big Band Breakdance Bridge Club Byron Society Chamber Choir Chamber Orchestra Charities Commission Chess Club Choir (Senior) Christian Union Classical Society Creative Writing Forum Debating and Public Speaking Drama Tuesday at One Drone Club Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Economics Society English Society Expedition Team Feminist and Equality Society Fencing Club Fitness Room Flute Choir Football Club Guitar Ensemble Green Team Historical Society Hockey Indoor
Hockey Seniors Hospital Visiting Japanese Kayak and Canoe Club Linguistics Olympiad Lunar Society MedSoc Mountain Walking Music Aural Music Theory Netball Seniors Orchestra Photography Polyglots Rhythmic Gymnastics Rock Academy Rounders Seniors Rugby Seniors Sailing Club Sanskrit School Council Senior Wind Quartet Sinfonia Streetdance Summer Camp Team South Africa Team Symphonic Wind Band Symphony Orchestra Thomas Hardy Society Technical Theatre Tennis Seniors Ukulele Choir Yearbook Young Enterprise Zumba