Newsletter of King Edward VI School
Founded 1553
From The Head It seems strange to suggest that the last term has been a busy one, when the corridors and classrooms have been empty of students since Christmas – but as this edition of KonnEctionS undoubtedly shows, this nonetheless remains absolutely true! Not only have our virtual KES lessons been filled with activity and learning, and it has been my privilege to see in person the range of scholarship and creativity shown by the students during this period of lockdown, but we have also sought to make progress as an organisation on a range of other key priorities. As just one example, but such an important one, the school has this term taken the opportunity to sign a contract with Baxter Environmental Services, to ensure that all the waste we generate, as an organisation, is disposed of in a sustainable way. This change has been made after consultation with the student Green Team, who have been an impressive voice for the student body on the need for KES to be a great rolemodel of sustainable living.
We have also hosted the Breck Foundation in a moving and powerful evening to help our parents learn more about online safety for their children. More generally, much emphasis this year has been placed on supporting the wellbeing of our pupils, and our staff, as we all tackle the inevitable isolation forced upon us by the pandemic. Finally, we have been privileged in recent weeks to provide a base for St John Ambulance volunteers to learn how to administer vaccines in the fight against COVID-19. These KES commitments - to sustainability; to wellbeing and mental health; to tackling the pandemic for all, are important to us. For our students they support the richness of their academic and school lives, allowing them to flourish and grow as learners and people. But these actions also speak of our commitment to the city of Southampton, and the county of Hampshire, a relationship which now stretches back over 450 years. But it is only right that this introduction to KonnEctionS ends not on these wider priorities, important and right though they undoubtedly
are, but instead on the resilience, good-humour and sheer exuberance demonstrated over the past months by our pupils. This has been a time of unprecedented difficulty for young people. They have faced disruption and uncertainty about their present and their future. They have been away from their friends and the simple pleasures of social interactions. Despite all of this, they have retained their optimism, engagement and intellectual curiosity. Whether in formal virtual lessons, or in re-imagined cocurricular clubs and projects, our pupils have truly provided us all with an inspirational example for this terrible year. Therefore, as you read this edition, I would above all encourage you to enjoy their talents, their successes and their superb creativity. To end: this week our pupils returned to school. It is so, so wonderful to see and hear them once again at King Edward’s. The school breathes again. Neal Parker Head
King Edward VI School Wilton Road . Southampton . Hampshire SO15 5UQ Telephone: 023 8070 4561
www.kes.hants.sch.uk