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
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Academic
Our Eco-footprint
Lockdown #3
King Edward’s has a commitment to a greener waste policy and as part of their geography lessons, Third Year KES students have been investigating their own eco-footprints producing some thought-provoking pieces of work.
2021 did not start as we had hoped but once again we have been amazed at how quickly and smoothly our colleagues, pupils and parents have adapted to online learning and working. Similar to the spring 2020 lockdown, all pupils were provided with a full remote teaching timetable and there was provision made in school for children of critical workers.
A scholarly pause for thought
Admissions exam goes online For the first time in King Edward’s history, we were forced to hold this year’s entrance exam online. Despite it being delivered via Zoom and not being able to welcome applicants to Hill Lane, it was lovely to see so many faces on our screens. We look forward to meeting all new pupils in September.
Talks and presentations have continued for our academic scholars this term. Our very own Dr Wortham delivered a talk to the Upper School and Sixth Form Scholars about how we identify and analyse disease-causing genetic mutations. He discussed how inherited disease genes are identified, and how advances in genetic technology have allowed rapid advances in identification of genetic changes. Having previously spent time researching the effects of mutations in the protein eIF2B, Dr Wortham shared with pupils the discovery that the protein can cause a rare brain disorder ‘Vanishing White Matter’.
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Oxford University Computing Challenge
This term a group of 80 pupils took part in the Oxford University Computing Challenge. Back in December, KES pupils competed in the UK Bebras Computational Thinking Challenge and the students who made it into the top 10% of entrants nationally were invited to take part in the next part of the challenge to produce programmed solutions to computational thinking problems.
History at Home Lockdown has meant that we have been unable to visit first-hand any sites of historical interest and so the History Department have been asking the community to share their own historical family treasures resulting in some amazing finds. These have included shell fragments, shrapnel balls and barbed wire found on the Somme battlefield during the 2019 battlefields trip, a photo of a piece of timber from one of the famous “little ships” that took part in the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940, an original ballot paper from the first democratic election in South Africa in 1994, drawings by war-time cartoonist William Philpin Jones and genuine issues of some 1930s newspapers.
The Library moves online!
This term, we were delighted to announce that students can now access eBooks, audiobooks, GCSE and A Level texts via the KES eLibrary! The KES online platform has over 2500 eBooks and 900 audiobooks and our library staff have been putting together specific reading lists and recommendations for the different age groups to help students as they browse the virtual shelves. Ms Speck has also launched a weekly ‘Literary Newsletter’ bringing a whole host of book news, recommendations and reviews from our pupils and staff.
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Virtual visits to the library The Library has welcomed numerous guest speakers and authors over the past few months. These have included Ben Kane, author of the popular book series, Forgotten Legion, Spartacus and Hannibal, who discussed how he conducts his research, writing techniques and tips, and Tom Palmer (and his dog, Finn) who has written over 50 books focusing on historical fiction, specifically the Second World War and child survivors of the Holocaust. As part of World Book Week there were further talks from popular and awardwinning writers Chris Bradford, Matt Dickinson and Ali Sparkes. Each of our speakers gave valuable insight into their work, and experiences as an author.
Geography Tic-Tac-Toe The Geography Department has been setting a series of non-screen tasks for the Lower School based on a version of Tic-Tac-Toe! These have included assignments such as write a ‘COVID daily briefing’ speech about what you think should be done to combat COVID-19, design and bake a volcano cake and, to celebrate ‘International Hot & Spicy Food Day’, pupils were challenged to cook a meal for themselves using a cuisine known to be hot and spicy. There have been some amazing results.
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Return to School On the week beginning 8th March, all pupils returned to school in line with the government regulations. The sun shone, and it was smiles all round as we welcomed everyone back.
Exploring Roman Theatre During their lessons on Roman Theatre in Latin classes, First Years were asked to design and make their own classical theatre mask. They produced an amazing range of characters and styles showcasing their creativity and resourcefulness in using materials available to them during lockdown.
Classics Talk In February, the school hosted a talk by Professor Michael Williams from the University of Southampton entitled ‘Classic goes to Hollywood’. Along with Head of Classics, Mrs Meredith, Professor Williams explored how classical and mythological topics have been and are still portrayed in film.
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Co-curricular Vaccine training hub
In January, we were delighted to be able to help in some small way with the vaccine roll-out programme by allowing St John Ambulance to use the school site as a vaccine training hub! Over the course of several weekends, the Dobson Theatre was used to train volunteers who then went on to deliver vaccinations within the community.
Book Chat Librarians Ms Speck and Miss Phillips have launched a book club and hosted the first meeting online this term! The KES Book Chat sessions have covered graphic novels, recommendations for the Alex Rider and Zelda series, a review of ‘One of Us Is Lying’ by Karen McManus and discussions around historical fiction and Harry Potter to date. It has been wonderful to see pupils talking so enthusiastically about their choices of reading material.
An inaugural podcast This term has seen the emergence of a KES Podcast Club run by Miss McLean. Students and staff have been creating content for the group, with Mrs Burt recording a special edition examining and comparing both Donald Trump and Joe Biden’s presidential inaugurations. In comparing these two very different inauguration days, Mrs Burt tries to make sense of some aspects of the Trump presidency.
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Mental Health Poster Competition As part of the planned activities for Children’s Mental Health week, the First Years took part in a poster competition. There were dozens of fantastic entries and the winners will have their designs made into posters for display around the school. Additional recognition goes to Chiron, who went one step further and created a superb video detailing what helps him stay mentally healthy during lockdown.
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Doodle Club This year’s Children’s Mental Health Week theme has been ‘Express Yourself’ and members of the Doodle Club, who have continued to meet remotely during lockdown, used this to inspire their doodles and share feelings, thoughts, or ideas, through their creativity. Doodling is a great way to be creative and practise mindfulness and members have produced a range of work, based around different topics this term.
Miles for Mind Design and Technology teacher, Mrs Thorogood, has been running in the ‘Miles for Mind’, Four Seasons, One Reason fundraising campaign this February. She took on the challenge of running 25 miles throughout the month, to raise awareness and money for the mental health charity Mind. Between herself and the other runners, they raised over £4500 for the charity. A great achievement throughout a very chilly month!.
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Safer Internet Day For ‘Safer Internet Day’ the studentled E-Safety group put together a week-long campaign promoting internet safety and digital resilience. Students participated in quizzes and discussions about everything from internet safety and gaming to spotting fake news, and, as part of the scheduled programme of events, we also welcomed Lorin Breck of The Breck Foundation who joined us via Zoom to share with parents, from both KES and Stroud, the deeply moving and personal story of her son Breck. Inspired by Lorin, KES pupil Hector, and his sister, decided to complete a 48-hour sponsored notechnology challenge raising £360 for The Breck Foundation.
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Assembly goes online
Assembly went online again during lockdown with staff and pupils delivering a range of topics for reflection. Mr Collinson touched on the need to be resilient and flexible as well as demonstrating how (not) to put up a shelf, Mr Jackson spoke about good sleep habits, Mr Diver explained the importance of Holocaust Memorial Day, Mr Simm examined The Drake Equation and the possibility of the existence of alien life forms and Mrs Gilmour discussed Helen Keller and her supporting cast member, Anne Sullivan.
Sustainability starts at home As part of the school’s ongoing commitment to sustainability, we were thrilled to announce in January, that KES and Stroud School have signed contracts with local business, Baxter Environmental Services, who recycle and offer sustainable disposal solutions. Even the school’s non-recyclable material will be carbo-capture burned for energy, with the ashes recycled into asphalt for road building. In addition, all our food waste, previously thrown away, will be converted into organic fertilizer. Well done to the KES Green Team for all their hard work getting this initiative off the ground!
The hand of friendship! Members of the Charities Commission have been seeking ways to do something for the local community during this last period of lockdown. They decided to do this by spreading a little bit of Valentine’s Day joy to the residents of local care homes by creating a short video. The students filmed a compilation of heartwarming messages, songs and readings as a way to show they are thinking of everyone who has been particularly isolated this past year and this was much appreciated by those who saw it.
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National Careers Week During National Careers Week in March, students were involved in a range of activities organised by the Higher Education and Careers team. The Lower Sixth had a chance to ‘Meet the Experts’ in a series of presentations and Q&A sessions with OEs and business professionals, the Fourth Years sat the Morrisby Psychometric Profile Test, that helps to identify strengths and interests in relation to possible careers and there was a wealth of career resources available to all pupils on Google classroom. This was followed a week later by the annual Sixth Form Careers Evening.
Dine with Me At the beginning of the year, we launched a ‘Dine With Me’ challenge to encourage our students to cook for their families during lockdown and we’ve been overwhelmed with what was produced. From fajitas to Cadbury’s creme egg brownies; we really have been impressed at the culinary talent of so many of our pupils.
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Creative Arts David Attenborough Art Competition The KES Art Department launched an art competition in January, inspired by David Attenborough’s ‘Take Action Through Art Competition’ which asked entrants to reimagine a future where we celebrate and protect nature through new laws and lifestyle choices, and reinvent what our rebuilt future might look like if we put nature at the heart of our decision-making. There were some fabulous and inspiring entries.
Martha - First Year Winner
Elizabeth - Third Year Winner
Cara - Third Year Winner
Max - Second Year Winner
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Miss Forsey plays The Goldberg In the first part of the year, Miss Forsey provided the chance for KES musicians to learn a Bach Goldberg variation in just half a term. Meeting every Wednesday lunchtime, musicians joined together to prepare for a performance of the Goldberg Variations and challenge themselves on the virtuosic techniques required to master such an iconic part of the keyboard repertoire.
Out of the Box The Drama Department has brought real life virtual drama into our students’ homes with their ‘Out of the Box’ lunchtime meetings with the Lower School. Before the half term break, they learnt and played with devising techniques by Frantic Assembly, creating a short piece of physical theatre that was performed over Zoom.
A trumpet fanfare Online instrumental lessons continued during lockdown. In addition to their grade pieces, Mr Doherty’s brass students spent their time getting to grips with using GarageBand and recording themselves performing. As a side project, they all recorded part of a fanfare and put together a fun video of themselves at home, demonstrating some amazing creativity in their videos!
Covid and Creativity This term, the Music Scholars were invited to explore how leading composers and performers have responded to the COVID-19 crisis, engaging with exciting new works from around the world, and thinking about ways in which uncertainty and disruption have led to artistic breakthroughs both during this pandemic and throughout history. In the light of this, our amazing scholars were given the opportunity to offer their personal reflections, in the form of a creative piece of work or essay.
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Pachelbel’s Canon – Lockdown Edition KES instrumentalists were invited to submit recordings of Pachelbel’s Canon, performed to a backing track, earlier this term, which was arranged into a video, bringing the virtual ensemble to life!
Dance Gala Preparations Preparations and rehearsals are already underway for when our dancers take to the Dobson stage once again in the annual glittering Dance Gala on 7th May! Plans are in place to make this an exciting event for our talented performers regardless of audience, and pupils have excitedly launched themselves into choreographing their routines ready for what promises to be a special return to the stage for all.
Music While You Lockdown In place of our usual concert series, Music While You Lunch, students from across all year groups came together in our virtual concert, ‘Music While You Lockdown!’ Showcasing their talents, students shared their latest pieces. Their performances can be viewed via the KES Facebook page, or the Music Department’s ‘Events and Trips’ section on the KES intranet.
KING EDWARD VI SCHOOL Dancers present
DANCE GALA
7 May
2021 7.30PM THE DOBSON THEATRE More information to follow
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Sport How to be an Olympian This term, Ian Walker, double Olympic sailing silver medallist and KES parent, joined our elite performers and sports science students on Zoom. Ian shared his successes as an athlete and his experiences as an experienced coach and performance director. His determination to continue challenging himself and learning was truly inspirational to everyone.
Slam: dunk: podcast! Two members of school, who share a love for basketball, have recently launched their very own podcast! ‘All-Star Weekend’ is a podcast dedicated to NBA, revealing the secrets within the American basketball league. Ollie and James, Fourth Year students, have done a phenomenal job creating this highly informative and impressive podcast that you can listen to on Spotify.
Race to Tokyo The Sports Department challenged staff, parents and students in a ‘Race to Tokyo’ during the first few weeks of the Spring Term by recording any distance covered as part of an exercise session. The combined effort meant that we managed to travel the whole 9600 km in just three weeks! With the Australian Open Tennis Championships starting in February in Melbourne the KES community then raced there in just over one week before coming back home via a short visit to Bahrain for the Formula 1 race in March.
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An Antipodean visit! In February, we were delighted to hold a virtual Zoom conversation with Fran Wilson who joined us from New Zealand. Fran has been a member of the England cricket team since 2010 and has played in domestic leagues in England, New Zealand and Australia. She is also a World Cup winner having been in the team that won the Women’s World Cup in 2017. Mr Richardson welcomed Fran and, over the course of the conversation, they were able to cover everything from cricket and elite sporting performance to sports nutrition and much more, providing inspiration and advice to our KES sportsmen and women.
Encouraging our elite athletes
Lower School elite athletes received a brilliant talk from current England U18 player, hockey captain and Upper Sixth student Rory this term. The talk featured lots of sports tips and two fantastic messages: hard work beats talent if the talent doesn’t work hard and always control the controllables. Thank you to Rory for sharing his advice and experiences with the younger pupils.
Cricket coaching Mr Penn
Not to be thwarted by another lockdown, we were delighted that Mr Penn (featuring guest appearances and help from Labrador Cassie and Mrs Penn) put together another coaching video to enable our KES cricketers to continue with their pre-season training whilst confined to home. We look forward to seeing the results of this training on the pitch this summer.
King Edward VI School Wilton Road . Southampton . Hampshire SO15 5UQ Telephone: 023 8070 4561 . www.kes.hants.sch.uk