Life on the river

King’s St Alban’s King’s Hawford

The King’s St Alban’s

Aquathlon

Pupils in Years 3 to 6 were delighted to participate in the King’s St Alban’s Aquathlon in July this year. The energetic event included a swim in the pool, followed by a run beside the River Severn or around the school site.

The event, which was held over a two-week period, saw the children competing for their House, running a range of distances according to their age.

Each year group produced a brilliant race, creating a fantastic atmosphere around the school and a great deal of excitement amongst the children. We had a number of close finishes, with the children pushing each other to the very end and, in the case of the Year 5 group, a photo-finish to determine the winner.

We were so proud of the children and how hard they pushed themselves to compete to the very end. Congratulations to Thomas House for taking the overall win. Nestled in 23 acres of the beautiful Worcestershire countryside, King’s Hawford is something of a pioneer when it comes to outdoor learning.

With countless success stories to tell, perhaps the most notable being the prestigious LotC (Learning outside the Classroom) Gold Award, which only 35 schools in the UK have received, children arrive with a natural curiosity and leave with an insatiable appetite to learn.

King’s Hawford has always been a place where children spend time in the great outdoors, but it’s how that time is intertwined with the curriculum that seems to be proving so successful. Jennie Phillips, Head at King’s Hawford explains, “Children learn by doing, so our role is to set out the theory and then create exciting opportunities for individuals to apply what they’ve learnt.”

Whether it’s time spent in the purpose-built outdoor classroom, the magical Forest School, or just out and about on a nature walk, every child is encouraged to get involved.

“Quite simply, we encourage the children to have a go,” Jennie continues, “Not only are they more engaged, but they develop the confidence to try new things.

For the team at King’s Hawford it’s also been a successful way of helping children to develop key life skills. Pupils are taken out onto the canal in one of the school’s fleet of Katakanus from the age of seven and children as young as three are using mallets and saws during their Forest School sessions.

The health benefits of learning in this way are clear. Spending periods of time outside gives an instant feeling of well-being, whilst the physical movement boosts energy levels. It’s also the perfect antidote to today’s digital world, where children are spending greater periods of time interacting with a screen.

Initial reports have shown that the children are happy, in fact significantly above the benchmark in their assessments, and the academic achievements continue both across the board and in terms of individual pupil achievement.

Jennie adds, “We take a very creative approach to teaching and learning, one that is greatly inspired by our love for the great outdoors. The results come in abundance because the children are truly inspired and engaged, and taught by a team of highly intuitive teachers.”

A carnival of words and music

Back in May, Years 3 and 4 were spellbound as Camille Saint Saën’s story played out in a carnival of words and music.

The children listened with rapt attention and very much enjoyed the story of Camille’s Farm, which was told using words and music.

With the story narrated by Chris

Jaeger, director of Worcester

Competitive Arts Festival, and illustrated by Shulah Oliver on violin and viola and Janine Parsons at the piano, we heard of runaway donkeys (or ‘personages with long ears’ as they prefer to be known!), slow tortoises, glistening fish and a plodding elephant, amongst many, many others. There were many enthusiastic cuckoos in the audience too.

It was particularly wonderful for the children to see Miss Oliver, who teaches violin to a number of them, demonstrate the extraordinary range of pitch, dynamics and techniques of string instruments – from the flittering high harmonics on the violin in the Aquarium to the rich sonority of the viola in

The Swan.

A great big thank you to all involved for inspiring our young musicians.

Hands-on, brakes off education

The importance of learning by doing

Whether inside or out, learning is practical and interactive – we saw coloured counters used to learn the column method in maths, video clips and punchy questions used to explore special places in Judaism and children making an electronic game in science.

The Good Schools Guide 2021

King’s Hawford celebrate

British Science Week

On Monday 8th March we were not only delighted to be able to celebrate the children finally returning to school, but were also lucky enough to enjoy a wonderful Science Day to mark British Science Week: a 10-day celebration of science, engineering, technology and maths.

The theme for the day was ‘Innovating for the Future’ and the children were set the challenge of coming into school with ‘mad hair’.

We welcomed two visitors into school, albeit virtually, who gave us a great deal to think about and discuss. Farmer Rob from Atkins Farm talked to the children about the use of technology to support farming, and Anna Bunney from ORCA, a company that works to protect whales and dolphins in UK and European waters, gave a fascinating talk about whales, dolphins, and marine conservation.

There were plenty of hands-on science-based activities to enjoy too, with lessons incorporating the theme throughout the day.

Our science curriculum places a lot of emphasis on practical hands-on investigation. We had experiments taking place in the lab and investigations taking place outside in the glorious spring weather. What a fantastic way to mark our return to school.

Going green

Charity Day at King’s Hawford

From weird and wonderful sustainable costumes to competitions and sweet treats, this year’s Charity Day was another action-packed event with a special focus on sustainability.

Sustainability is something on which we place great importance at King’s Hawford. Green Day gave us the chance to encourage discussions with the children about the importance of the environment, whilst raising money for our chosen charities, WWF and the Canal & River Trust.

The children were asked to create a costume or accessory out of recycled or re-used materials. We received a fantastic response, with children participating throughout the school, even those in Kindergarten. We were dazzled with homemade skirts and dresses, old clothes that had been upcycled to create completely new outfits and fabulous creations made from old cardboard boxes and newspapers.

In the run up to Green Day, we asked the children to create their very own Switch It Off Posters as part of a competition. We’re pleased to report that the winning posters are now on display around the school, reminding staff and pupils to switch off lights and equipment when not in use.

A huge thank you to the Hawford community for helping to raise over £500 to support our chosen charities.

Rising star

Michelle Z

Based on the ethos that everyone is musical in some way, Music is a big part of life at King’s Hawford.

Starting with our youngest children in Kindergarten, who excitedly participate in weekly 'Shake, Rattle and Groove' sessions, there’s no shortage of opportunities to get stuck in and have a go.

It comes as no surprise, then, that a phenomenal 85% of children at King’s Hawford are currently receiving singing or instrumental tuition and enjoying regular 1:1 tuition with our dedicated team of

Peripatetic tutors.

One pupil who has flourished musically during her time at King’s

Hawford is Michelle Z. At just ten years of age, Michelle is already an accomplished musician, currently studying for her Grade 7 piano exam. In addition to the piano, she is a talented violinist working towards Grade 5, and has recently passed her Grade 5 Theory with flying colours.

Michelle always makes the most of the brilliant array of musical opportunities available at

King’s Hawford. She is a regular member of the Senior Choir and

Orchestra, and enjoys assisting her teacher with the Beginner Strings Group when she is not composing her own pieces of music or performing in school assemblies and concerts.

Michelle’s musical achievements have been recognised outside of school too. In September she was awarded a Gold prize in the Performance Grade 7 class of the London Young Musician competition – an international online classical music performance competition for musicians under the age of 28 from all countries. She has also received several first prize trophies in local festivals, including the Birmingham Music Festival and the Worcester Competitive Arts Festival.

There’s no doubt that Michelle has a very bright future ahead of her and we can’t wait to see what she does next.

Perfect pizza

at King’s Hawford

We were delighted to announce the arrival of our very own custommade, outdoor pizza oven at King’s Hawford earlier this year, funded by our generous Parents’ Association.

Much to the delight of the children, they were given responsibility for building the oven, working with Matthew from The Fabulous Cob Oven Company.

Each class took it in turns to spend time with Matthew, helping to complete the oven over the course of four days. Tasks included barefoot clay making, laying the foundations and creating a layer of insulation from empty glass bottles.

For our first pizza party it was once again a team effort, with Year 4 preparing the dough and each class taking it in turns to visit the pizza oven and test out the goods.

We can’t wait for more school events so we can share our delicious pizza with the King’s Hawford community. Every time Michelle performs we are just blown away by her talent. Her technical ability is outstanding and the way she performs is just completely enchanting. It’s hard to believe that she is only just ten years old.

Jennie Phillips, Head, King’s Hawford

Raising the bar

The King’s Nurseries

They get to use all the ‘big’ school facilities to give her the best day every day she’s at nursery. From swimming to forest school, to soft play or PE in the barn, stories on their double-decker bus or picnics in the teepee! Just brilliant!

Parent review www.daynurseries.co.uk The King’s Worcester Foundation has a long tradition of providing an outstanding independent education, but over the past few years the King’s Nurseries – which include the King’s Hawford Kindergarten and the King’s St Alban’s Nursery – have been quietly making their mark too.

Now ranked as one of the Top 20 rated Nursery Groups in the UK and two of the top nurseries in Worcestershire on the popular review site www.daynurseries.co.uk, a nursery education at King’s is a popular choice with parents and guardians of pre-school children.

But what is it that makes our nurseries so unique?

With a spacious, purpose-built nursery in the heart of the city centre at King’s St Alban’s, and a countryside setting that fully embraces outdoor play at King’s

Hawford (just north of the city),

The King’s Foundation has two outstanding nurseries from which to choose, both of which take boys and girls from their second birthday.

Both nurseries benefit from an extensive range of indoor and outdoor facilities, including exciting forest schools, spacious outdoor gardens and learning zones, early years libraries, stunning purposebuilt prep halls and, at King’s Hawford, the indoor swimming pool. In fact, it is their location within a Prep School that really sets them apart:

Richard Chapman, Head at King’s St Alban’s Prep School explains, “The King’s Nurseries form an integral part of our school journey. They sit within the heart of each Prep School, so the children have access to first class facilities and teaching staff. We are able to offer regular music sessions, PE, Foreign Language sessions, and even weekly swimming lessons at King’s Hawford.”

It’s a formula that clearly works well, with many parents praising both King’s St Alban’s and King’s Hawford for the broad range of activities on offer, but many are quick to comment on the attentive nature of the Nursery staff too.

Anna Kingston, Head of Early Years at King’s Hawford, adds, “Our priority is to create a nurturing environment that is very warm and welcoming, and our staff go above and beyond to ensure that every child gets the most out of their time with us.

“The combined level of experience of staff is unrivalled – nothing phases them and they always prioritise the happiness of the child.”

Communication is also top of the agenda at King’s, with many parents complimenting the level of feedback received.

“Handing your child over is never easy, particularly if they’ve spent a great deal of time at home, which is quite often the case at the moment following the pandemic,” explains Sarah Pugh, Nursery Manager at King’s St Alban’s. “We make sure parents are given the time to ask questions and bring us up to speed when they drop off in the morning, and we provide a full debrief at the end of each day. In addition, we have regular 1 to 1s to discuss ongoing progress.”

King’s St Alban’s is a gem of a nursery. The staff are wonderful and there is a real community feel with the wider school. It’s clear that the nursery staff have a real passion for early years and nurture the individual child.

Parent review www.daynurseries.co.uk

As a parent the school also takes a lot of time to engage and communicate with us to keep us involved. It’s both a fun and a safe place; everything a parent and pre-schooler could hope for.

Parent review www.daynurseries.co.uk

Need to know

Both King’s Hawford and King’s St Alban’s currently have the highest rating of 10/10 on popular review site www.daynurseries.co.uk, and as a group, The King’s School, Worcester is in the Top 20 Small Nursery Groups 2021.

Each Nursery offers up to full-time provision to support busy working families. Drop off at King’s Hawford is from 7:30am and at King’s St Alban’s from 7:45am. Both are open until 6pm in the evening and operate throughout the school holidays.

U13 and U15 Girls’ Cricket Teams crowned

County Champions

The Under 15 (U15) and Under 13 (U13) girls’ cricket teams attended the Lady Taverners cricket festival at Kidderminster Cricket Club in July this year.

Unfortunately, a number of schools in the U13 category were unable to play, resulting in the King’s U13 team having to compete in the U15 competition. The girls played RGS Dodderhill and Studley High School, finishing with a final group game against each other. The U15s batted first, scoring a respectable 69 runs, with the U13s needing to score four off the last two balls, due to some fine batting by the likes of Esther G and Bea W. Excellent bowling by Lucy W denied the U13s victory, finishing on 68. This final game placed King’s U15 team first place in the group and the U13s second. After a break for lunch, both teams played each other again in a first place playoff, with the winner becoming County Champions.

The U15s were first up to bowl. Keeping the U13s to a respectable 51 runs, the U15s were able to knock these off with five wickets to spare, taking the title of Lady Taverners Winners. Both teams took the title of County Champions in their age divisions.

Miss Preece, who accompanied the teams, comments, “The girls demonstrated assertiveness, leadership, endeavour and a real camaraderie and support for each other. It was a joy to observe.”

King’s rugby players make

Warriors Academy

We were delighted to see that four of our Sixth Form pupils progressed to the U18 Worcester Warriors Academy earlier this year, and enjoyed their first matches for the squad during the summer months.

Alex T (Scrum Half), George B (Back Row /Second Row), Ben W (Front Row) and Will C (Second Row) have been in the wider squad for several years, as part of the U14 team, but were thrilled to progress to the elite U18 team. The team will play competitive fixtures against other academies in the Northern Conference of Premiership Rugby’s U18 Academy.

Over the course of the summer, the boys enjoyed games against Exeter, Gloucester, Harlequins and Bristol.

All four boys play for the King’s First XV team and have been supported on their rugby journey by our Athlete Development Programme. They will now play in the Academy whilst continuing to represent King’s.

Pupils shine at

Schools National Final Games 2021

Before returning to school in September, Amy H (Lower Sixth / Y12), Maisie L (Fifth Form / Y11) and Freya S (Fifth Form / Y11) all competed at the 2021 School Games. The aim of the competition is to spring-board young athletes to greater heights in their sporting careers. 75 of the athletes who represented Team GB at the

Tokyo Olympics had previously competed in the Schools Games

National Finals.

Amy competed for Wales

Hockey, who won both games in their group stages against

England Blue and Scotland, with

Amy keeping a clean sheet. After a strong start, the team lost 4-0 in the final against Ulster. Amy also competed in the Long Jump and came sixth overall.

Maisie and Freya, who play for Severn Stars Under 15 netball team, played against other netball franchises from across the country.

They won four games and lost three, coming seventh in the overall standings.

Congratulations to all involved.

The King’s St Alban’s Kick Start Challenge

PE isn’t the easiest of subjects to deliver online, but, thanks to our creative Sports Department, the

King’s St Alban’s community continued to stay active during lockdown.

In January this year, just as

Lockdown 3.0 was announced, the department launched the King’s St

Alban’s Kick Start 2021 Challenge to engage pupils in some form of regular daily activity.

Each day, the team suggested three different activities for the children to try. The activities offered a diverse range of sporting choices, from running, cycling and ‘Harry Potter yoga’, to fun challenges like juggling and ‘Disney Dance’. In addition to physical activities, the team included a range of mindful activities, such as getting permission to ring a friend, creating a healthy snack or playing a board game.

Jo Clark, Director of Sport at King’s St Alban’s explains,

“Creating the challenge was a fantastic way to celebrate our ‘get up and go’ attitude, and really helped to keep the children active as they engaged in our home learning programme.”

Recordbreaking

Sports Day

We were delighted to welcome parents back into King’s Hawford before the end of the Summer Term for our annual Sports Day events.

The first event was our Early Years Sports Day for our Kindergarten and Reception pupils. Cheered on by their parents and team-mates, the children showed true grit and determination as they enjoyed running races, relay races, and a teddy bear race.

The Pre-Prep Sports Day followed that afternoon. There was a hint of friendly competition in the air, but we must congratulate our Pre-Prep children for their perseverance, concentration and team-work.

The final event of the week was the Prep Sports Day. With an action-packed itinerary of field and track events, it was wonderful to see how the children had come on throughout the term, with some outstanding speed and technique on show. A special mention must go to Year 5 pupil Fabian W, who broke not one, but two school records. Firstly, in the Year 5 eighty metre sprint with a time of 11.98 seconds, and secondly, in the Year 5 High Jump, with an incredible 1m 25cm jump. Well done Fabian.