King Edward VI School
Start of Term Bulletin
W
15 September, 2016 e seem to be in the middle of an Indian summer with baking hot weather as the rugby and hockey seasons begin. That said a little timely rain ensured that the pitches for the pre-season South Coast Rugby competition at Wellington were in excellent condition and we had a very good day.
We have enjoyed some strong academic results, particularly at A level with improved results with 85% of grades at A*, A and B and a 100% pass rate. IGCSE also went well with over 48% of all grades at A* and 76% at A* and A. Our students have enjoyed a wide range of opportunities over the summer holiday including the Summer Camp in the New Forest, the Goedgedacht team in South Africa, a cricket tour to Sri Lanka, biology expeditions to the Galapagos and Indonesia and the Water-sports holiday in France as well as various Duke of Edinburgh expeditions. These visits continue to give our pupils enormous opportunities and I am very grateful to all who organised and managed them so effectively over the summer break. We welcome a number of new teaching staff. Mrs Ahmad (Spanish and French), Mrs Arnold (Acting Head of Drama and teacher of English), Mrs Asiki, (Mathematics), Mrs Collinson (Chemistry), Miss Cullen (English), Miss Downing (Chemistry), Mr Fernández (Spanish), Mr Laverty (Economics), Miss McGinn (Art), Mrs Moody (Head of Psychology) and Miss Porter (Biology).
CALLING ALL PARENTS AND FRIENDS OF KES Once again this year we are inviting parents and friends of King Edward VI School to join forces with our School choir and orchestra for the Carol Service at Romsey Abbey on
Mr Brown is the Assistant Head of Year - Upper School, Miss Enfield is the Charities Co-ordinator, Dr Filtness is Assistant Director of Sixth Form – HE and GAP, Ms Gadsbey, a Second in the English Faculty, Mrs Millar is Deputy Director of Sixth Form - HE and Careers, Mr Rosenburg is the Head of Fifth Year, Mr Sheppard is Head of Economics and Business Studies and Dr Thomas is the Head of the Upper School. Ms Lezerad is the new French assistant.
Monday 12 December at 7.30pm If you sing and read a little music we would be pleased to welcome you into our SATB choir. There will be a few evening rehearsals for those who need to learn notes and then one massed rehearsal for pupils and adults. If you have sung in our adult choir previously you will automatically receive full details about repertoire and rehearsals. If you are a new parent to the School and would like further details please email Mrs Freemantle on hf@kes.hants.sch.uk.
A number of new projects have been completed over the holiday including a new reception and welfare centre, a new entrance area and boilers at Wellington, substantial work on the School roof and, of course, the start of the construction of the new Theatre, Art and Sixth Form Concourse (DAC) building. We have made it clear to students that they must take particular care when on the site over the coming months as the construction phase proceeds, particularly on the north and east sides of the School where access is particularly restricted.
Lockdown rehearsal
As part of the School’s Critical Incident planning we will be rehearsing our Lockdown procedure with the whole school on the morning of Tuesday 27 September. Students will be informed of the procedure during an assembly on that morning. This in time should become as routine as the termly fire drills and something we all hope we never have to use in reality.
Speech Day is on Friday 16 September and the Chief Guest is Dr Nick Middleton, geographer, adventurer, broadcaster on Channel 4, Fellow of St Anne’s College Oxford and Old Edwardian. I look forward to meeting you at this and other KES events through the term. AJ Thould Head
SPEECH DAY STARTS AT 2.30PM ON 16 SEPTEMBER 2016 AT THE MAYFLOWER THEATRE PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THERE WILL BE NO LATE BUSES ON THIS DAY 1
CLUBS AND SOCIETIES Co-curricular activities form an integral part of life at King Edward’s and we are very proud of the number of opportunities on offer. We would like our students to participate in at least two activities. Click here to view the extensive Autumn 2016 list of Clubs and Societies.
Staff and Parent Prayer Meeting A prayer meeting will be held on Tuesday 4 October between 1pm and 2pm in the Commemoration Room All welcome to this informal time of prayer
PUPILS’ £600K PERSONAL ACCIDENT INSURANCE SCHEME (INCORPORATING DENTAL)
MOROCCO 2017 There are still places available for the Morocco Trip 15 April – 22 April 2017. The trip is open to Third and Fourth Year students. Please email Mr Brown on dmb@kes.hants.sch.uk for further information
The School insures all pupils for accident and dental cover, whether in or out of school, 365 days a year. Please click here for further details of the scheme.
If you have any feedback on the service and products offered by our new uniform suppliers, Stevensons, please email Miss Smith on hms@kes.hants.sch.uk before Thursday 22 September.
HOMEWORK TIMETABLES Homework timetables can be found by clicking here and referring to the year group you require.
High Tech Trek San Francisco and Silicon Valley, USA
TRIPS & VISITS HUB
21 October - 28 October 2017 Open to all current Second, Third, Fourth & Fifth Year pupils. Please contact Mr Mapstone on pjm@kes.hants.sch.uk
Parents can access information for any future trip by accessing the website here. When pupils are included on an upcoming trip, it might be useful for parents to be aware of the following points: When parental consent is required for a trip, the School will send an email to parents with the username evolve.kingedschvisits@edufocus.co.uk, which will contain the relevant consent form. Parents will always receive an email from the School in advance to let them know that there is a form on the way.
COMMUNICATION
Parents are responsible for ensuring that emergency contact details and pupils’ medical records are up to date.
Under normal circumstances parents may expect a response to communication within 3 working days during term time. Parents are asked to understand that staff are very busy and are not always in a position to respond immediately, though obviously any urgent matters will be prioritised.
For further information about any upcoming School trips please contact the School’s Co-Curriculum Administrator, Mrs Paul, on extension 231 or ymp@kes.hants.sch.uk.
During School holidays, issues which require urgent attention should be directed to the Main Office or to enquiries@kes.hants.sch.uk.
Parents’ Evening Dates Year
Date
Upper Sixth
Thursday 15 September 2016
First
Wednesday 16 November 2016
Fourth
Thursday 1 December 2016
Lower Sixth
Tuesday 17 January 2017
Fifth
Wednesday 25 January 2017
Third
Tuesday 28 February 2017
Second
Tuesday 7 March 2017
SIXTH FORM INFORMATION EVENING Thursday 20 October This evening is an occasion for Fifth Year pupils and external candidates, to find out more information about the subject choices on offer and wider Sixth Form life. Teachers and Sixth Form students from all academic departments will be present, so this is an excellent opportunity to find out more about A Level study and discuss your preferred options. There will be short presentations from the Head and the Director of Sixth Form, as well as a chance to hear from Sixth Formers about their choices and the academic opportunities available in the Sixth Form. 2
There are copies of both the Parents’ Guide and Sixth Form Parents’ Guide on the School website. These publications contain a wealth of information about life at King Edward’s. Click here to access copies of each Guide. If you would like a paper version, please contact the Main Office and a copy will be sent in the post.
HIGHER EDUCATION Work Shadowing 2016/2017
The Student Guidance Faculty will help Lower Sixth students find and organise work shadowing opportunities. Click here for details of how invaluable this opportunity is and how to participate in the 2016-17 scheme.
KETA TRANSPORT Temporary Bus Passes
Intending Applicants for Medicine The following opportunities have been offered to those Upper Sixth students who hope to make an application to one of the UK’s medical schools:
Pupils wishing to obtain a temporary bus pass to enable them to travel on a different route must arrange this through the Main Office giving at least 48 hours notice. Temporary passes will only be available on buses where there is spare capacity.
16 Sept:
Procedure for if your child is ill and unable to attend school
27 Sept: 19 Oct:
To enable us to be sure of the whereabouts and safety of our students it is important that you contact the Main Office (02380 704561) or by email absent@kes.hants.sch.uk as soon as possible, preferably by 8.30am, if your child is ill or is going to be late.
Deadline for UCAS applications and for registering for the UKCAT (on line) and BMAT (via examinations office) BMAT practice. Medical Interview Day - please see Mrs Millar if you would like to attend but have not yet paid on KESPay.
CAR PARKING We would like to remind all parents that parking or obstructing the zig-zag markings outside the principal entrances to the School is a traffic offence. Please make a point of keeping these areas clear at all times, particularly when delivering or collecting your children.
If the illness is on-going please contact the Main Office each day that your child is absent. We would also be grateful if you would reinforce the need for your child to report to the Main Office if they arrive late to School.
School Policies Parents can access all School policies on the website by clicking here.
SPORTING NOTES Saturday fixtures Parents should be reminded that the School expects students to be available to represent the School if selected for Saturday sports fixtures. The full expectations document can be found here.
New Parents’ Evening 29 September, 2016 at 7pm Parents of new pupils in the First, Second and Third Year are invited to the School Hall where snacks with wine and soft drinks will be served by the KES PTA.
Sporting Success We are always very keen to celebrate sporting success at King Edward’s. If your son or daughter achieves success in their chosen sport at county level or higher please let the school know by emailing Mr Kent, Director of Sport on dk@kes.hants.sch.uk
The Headmaster, the KES PTA, Miss Stone, Head of First Year, and Mr Allen, Assistant Head (Digital Strategy & IT), will be presenting from the stage at 7.15pm. The evening will give you the opportunity to understand the transition process, and will try to answer some of the questions you may have on moving to a new school. If you have not yet made your choice of seminar to visit after the main presentations, please click here and if you require any particular access arrangements, please do contact me in advance of the event on srp@kes.hants.sch.uk.
Substance Abuse Talk for Parents Monday 26 September at 7.00pm - Hospitality Suite Bob Tait, of Drug Education UK is a former member of the Royal Navy Drugs Education Team and he has been working with the School on Drug and Alcohol Education for many years. He delivers sessions to our students as part of our PSHE programme. The talk will last for approximately one hour with time at the end for questions. 3
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY Thursday 15 Sept Friday 16 Sept Thursday 29 Sept Friday 7 Oct Monday 10 Oct Thursday 20 Oct Friday 21 Oct - Monday 31 Oct Tuesday 1 Nov Wednesday 2 Nov Tuesday 8 Nov
Upper Sixth Parents’ Evening Speech Day at Mayflower Theatre New Parents’ Evening Open Evening: School ends at 3pm INSET Day Sixth Form Information Evening Half Term INSET Day Autumn Term resumes KES PTA AGM
Please note: A more comprehensive calendar, which is updated and reviewed regularly, is available on our website.
OPEN EVENING FRIDAY 7 OCTOBER, 2016 We would be delighted to welcome any current parents to attend our Open Evening. Any pupil staying to help on the evening needs to give their name to Reception to arrange a meal by 4pm on Monday 3 October. KES PTA New Parent Wine Tasting Evening Friday 18 November Click here for information and booking details
Shoe Box Appeal The Charities Commission launches its annual Shoe Box Appeal on 19 September. Pupils and parents are kindly asked to fill shoeboxes with gifts and useful items to be sent to children in Romania, Moldova, Bulgaria and Ukraine. Leaflets can be found in the Main Office detailing what can be included. Please remember to attach £2 to cover postage and do not seal the box. Completed shoeboxes should be taken to the Main Office by Friday 14 October. Please contact Miss Enfield for more information on rle@kes.hants.sch.uk.
First Year Toy Appeal Fun Run The local toy appeal run by SCRATCH spreads some festive joy to nearly 2000 children and young people last Christmas. We hope that we can help to increase this number this year. On Thursday 20 October the First Year pupils, joined by some Sixth Formers, will run across the School dressed as their favourite toy or character to help raise money to buy Christmas presents for children in Southampton who may not otherwise receive one.
First Year Disco The Summer Camp team will be running a disco for First Year pupils on Friday 14 October. Pupils should listen out for more information in Group Bases.
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