From The Head It seems only yesterday that I, and a group of brand new pupils, arrived at King Edward’s, fresh-faced and basking in the glow of the summer holidays. The autumn term is always unique in this way – it takes us essentially through half a year, from summer to winter, at a stroke. It is also the term in which so much activity and study takes place. There is an old saying in teaching about the autumn term; “it is a third of the year, but half of the work”. For those in examination year groups, this rings especially true. Content must be tackled and mastered in the autumn, to be consolidated in the spring. Besides new pupils, new staff members and a new year, we also welcomed new facilities in September. The library, especially, has proven to be an enormous hit. It is wonderful to see how it has so rapidly become an essential resource and destination for pupils from First Year to Sixth Form. Its popularity is also reflected in the comments book to be found by the entrance. The bright modern style of the rooms is much commented upon, as is the design, which allows space both for informal reading and focused study. As a school, we are so happy that our students have enjoyed their new library facilities!
The autumn term is also a busy time outside of the classroom, with co-curricular sports, clubs and activities abound. As you can read in this edition of KonnEctionS, the programme this year has allowed our students to participate in an extraordinary range of such activities and trips. Whilst the sheer richness of the opportunities offered makes it difficult for me to summarise everything in this brief introduction, I would like to highlight two events which have brightened the end of the term and provided real moments of inspiration. Firstly, the school’s production, in late November, of ‘West Side Story’. It was my absolute pleasure to attend the Saturday night gala performance. ‘West Side Story’ is such an ambitious undertaking. Famous for its complexity, the students (and their teachers) created a truly professional performance. It was wonderful! In a similar vein, I would like to highlight the Carol Service at Romsey Abbey at the end of term. It was a joy to attend this event last year, long before my headship at KES began. It made me burst with pride to attend again this year, but now as your Head. The quality of
music and readings, along with the palpable sense of community and togetherness at the service, was inspiring. I also took the opportunity to sing in the choir, a personal highlight of the term for me. Elsewhere, I have enjoyed getting to know our KES PTA and attended their wonderful wine-tasting event in November. I am now looking forward to our new ambitious project to fundraise (through the PTA) for a garden for our students at the Hill Lane end of the site. This will be a superb addition to our outdoor space and I would urge all parents to support the PTA’s fundraising efforts towards this goal over the coming months. The pupils have been outstanding ambassadors for the school all term. They have worked hard, but retained their sense of fun and of respect and care for one another. They have earned a rest over the break. So, my warmest wishes go out to everybody in our community. Have a great holiday, and a ‘Happy Christmas’ to you all! Neal Parker Head
King Edward VI School Wilton Road . Southampton . Hampshire SO15 5UQ Telephone: 023 8070 4561
www.kes.hants.sch.uk