Spring Newsletter 2023

ECB U13 Indoor County Champions

The U13 girls represented the School in the Indoor Cricket County Final earlier this month, where they were up against Reigate Grammar School, Gordon’s and Prior’s Field in a round-robin format.

They started the day playing at full throttle and never took their foot off the pedal. A convincing 40-run victory over Reigate set the tone before a second comfortable win against Prior’s Field. One final dominant performance against Gordon’s saw them post the highest score in the tournament so far – 126 in just 8 overs. Throughout the day, each player showed their skills and incredible passion for competition, making significant contributions to each win.

Huge congratulations to the whole team who are now preparing for the regional finals in April.

Mr S Lavery I Head of Cricket

Some of the girls told us what being part of the team meant to them:

“I really enjoyed fielding and bowling and to see Jo and everyone else bowl very well made me very excited for the season ahead.”

Izzy

“In the first match we were a bit nervous as our wickets had fallen quickly; however, after a tight bowling performance, we won.”

Sonali

“The indoor cricket final was a great opportunity to have some practice before outdoor cricket begins. I am so proud of our team!”

Connie

“In our last match, when our hopes were to make it to the next round, our batting and bowling performances were outstanding as many people retired and kept the opposition at a low score by continuously taking wickets.”

Hannah

“It was such a great team effort and all the training we put in paid off.”

Olivia

“The thing that stood out to me was our bowling. Ellie got someone out for a diamond duck, the first ball of the game, before getting another two in her next match. Izzy then got three wickets with her amazing spin bowling.”

Jo

SQUAD: Sonali Garcha, Jemima Mack, Izzy Tasker, Jo Tasker, Antonia Ridley, Ellie Phillips, Olivia Klein, Hanna Price and Connie le Huray

“Everyone played amazingly and it was a great experience overall.”

Antonia

British Science Week

Science is at the heart of many walks of life. Given the energy crisis, the rise of AI and the UK COVID-19 inquiry, the importance of science is hard to downplay. Someone even suggested I engage ChatGPT to produce this write-up, though anyone deploying ZeroGPT would realise that I decided to go ‘old school’!

British Science Week, run by the British Science Association, is a ten-day celebration of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, featuring entertaining and engaging events and activities across the UK to help raise awareness and spark enthusiasm in people of all ages. This importance is not lost on the government of the day as they seek to position the UK as a science and technology superpower.

IT kicked off the week, when students in the First Year took on Sixth Formers in a challenge to navigate a maze with an autonomous robot. Using a micro:bit and the MakeCode block language, each team attempted to program their robot to execute the correct sequence of instructions to find their way through the maze. The teams were up against it time wise but worked

hard using trial and error to refine their robot instructions. The Sixth Formers attempted to make use of the robot’s ultrasonic sensor but, in the end, it was the simpler sequence approach of First Year Luke Samms that won the day and got furthest through the maze. Well done to everyone involved: hopefully some students left inspired to explore robotics further at Digital Makers’ Club.

The Physics Department followed this up with a session on the engineering of tall buildings. The theme this year was ‘Tall Structures’. Structures are any system that resists vertical or horizontal loads, including large items such as skyscrapers, bridges and dams, as well as small items such as bookshelves, chairs and windows.

Teams were given the task of building a tall structure using a very limited selection of straws, toothpicks, barbecue skewers, marshmallows and the ever-popular Jelly Babies.

They analysed the types of structures and considered means of strengthening their design so that it could be both tall and sturdy, using the materials in a short time.

Students then had the opportunity to see how Chemistry relates to their other subjects by following a trail around the school.

Biology rounded off the week by investigating how insects breathe. Some of our Fourth Year students came to see Mr Rodgers explain how the tracheal system delivers oxygen to cells rather than lungs or gills. They then watched the dissection of a locust’s abdomen and carried this out themselves before using binocular microscopes and viewing the tracheal system.

Mr I Deepchand

I Head of

Physics (with Dr L Winning, Head of Chemistry and Mr M Rodgers, Head of Biology)

Jazz Night

A truly wonderful evening of jazz was enjoyed in February.

A number of students gave solo performances, alongside fantastic numbers from the KGS Jazz Band, directed by Andre Canniere, and the student-led Little Band. The concert closed with a set by critically acclaimed jazz trumpeter and composer, Laura Jurd.

Mr J Lewis I Music Intern

Courtauld Gallery

On a cold morning in March, GCSE Art students travelled to the Courtauld Gallery in London. We took part in a workshop which helped us to look more carefully at artworks by thinking about what the subject could see, hear, touch, taste and smell. Another focus was the gaze, which we interpreted in different ways: what was the subject focusing on and where is our focus drawn?

We sketched parts of paintings that were relevant to these prompts or things that we thought represented aspects of the painting, such as a fuzzy line to represent the murmur of noise in the crowded room of A Bar At The Folies-Bergère by Édouard Manet. We spent the afternoon at an exhibition of work by Peter Doig, an artist who often uses bright colours. While the scenes seemed normal at first glance, they all had a surrealist element to them. It was helpful to have our teachers there to give background information and help us to make inferences.

The workshop really helped us to digest some of the busier paintings, especially those of the Medieval and Renaissance eras when there was often a lot going on. By thinking about gaze and how our focus travelled, we were able to take a lot more from the paintings.

Tessa Stanier I Fourth Year

Jekyll and Hyde

Victorian England was given a modern twist in this interpretation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novella.

This was an amazing re-creation of a unique play. I loved the modern feminist take. The acting by the Fourth and Fifth Years was inspirational, and I thought the concept was very cleverly portrayed by the actors. The musical numbers brought life to the stage. I loved the flashbacks to the modern world and how it highlighted key issues. The costume and set design were very well designed and transported us back to Victorian England. Everyone who participated should be incredibly proud of themselves for producing such an excellent piece of theatre.

Martha Cooper I Second Year

Evan Placey’s adaptation of this classic novel takes a radical, feminist approach as the main character is a woman who explores her darker sides. The play picks up after the death of Doctor Jekyll, and his wife (Hettie Jekyll, played magnificently by Plum Knowles) is grieving the loss of her husband. When looking through her late husband’s possessions, she comes across his recordings of his experiments and decides to investigate further. After several attempts in her husband’s laboratory, she ended up making the same concoction that enables one to be liberated and able to investigate their true desires, regardless of how dark and dangerous they may be.

This was a truly immersive performance as the music, costume, lighting and acting kept the play engaging throughout. One of my favourite moments was when Hettie Jekyll was in Doctor Jekyll’s lab experimenting, as the juxtaposition between the prim and proper lady that she presented herself as and her inner curiosity and desire to be able to learn were conflicting. This scene was also cleverly paired with the song Just a Girl by No Doubt as it emphasised that society at the time expected women to just be a ‘pretty face’, whereas Hettie disproves this point as she is equally smart and capable as her husband. Another moment that stood out is when Hettie Jekyll had transformed into Flossie Hyde, and she ventured out to the local bar. Plum Knowles had changed from her very formal dress into a corset and leather trousers. This clever costume change helped emphasise the contrast between the two sides of the character.

The dramatic plot twist at the end, where Florence, played by Emily Smith, revealed her involvement in the feminist extremist attacks on men who had done wrong, led to gasps from the audience. I also loved the technical elements, with the simplicity of a red curtain and the chapter titles projected onto the top for the audience to read. The acting was flawless, engaging and quick-paced, with notable mentions for Nell Gudgin who played Sally, Holly Seabrooke, Freya Ludlow and Aria Chauker who played the group of friends, Gertrude, Ida and Martha, along with the fantastic performance from Oliver Kemp who played Gabriel John Utterson, and Jasper Simon who played Judge Enfield. I loved the performances of Charlie Neale, playing Dr Lanyon, and Hannah Topen and Emily Jones, who delivered sensational performances of DCI Renford and DC Williams. A special mention should go to the incredible tech team, who worked so hard to produce this incredible play.

Lucy Medley I Lower Sixth

Lottie Routledge I Lower Sixth

Library News

Poetry, please!

February was LGBTQ+ History Month and we were privileged to welcome transgender performance poet, Jay Hulme, to KGS.

Excelsior Award

Comics Plus

The Library added a new digital resource in January: Comics Plus is a captivating and curated hub of comic books, graphic novels and manga from across the globe that provides collections for learners of all ages.

Jay delivered some workshops on Performance Poetry to the Second Year students during which he performed some of his poetry and helped them analyse a range of works. The differences between the spoken and written word became very apparent and were a real test of the students’ listening and reading skills.

Jay also came along to Pride Society and spoke to students about his own experiences. It was a thoroughly entertaining, informative chat and the students really enjoyed the chance to find out more about Jay’s life and career.

This year, KGS is participating in the Excelsior Award. The overall goal is to encourage reading for pleasure amongst teenagers.

Its secondary target is to raise the profile of graphic novels and manga – a storytelling medium that has been a largely underused resource within education for many years. The Excelsior Award attempts to highlight some of the amazing books that are published every year.

Students will read a shortlist of five books and rate and review them according to Story, Artwork, Characters and Dialogue. The winning titles will be announced at a special awards ceremony in June.

Learners can read above their usual independent reading level, inspiring confidence and fostering a joy of reading in even the most reluctant readers. The international range of fictional titles act as a gateway to understanding and empathising with cultures, characters and lives outside the reader’s own world. The impressive range of non-fiction titles included in the Comics Plus catalogue encourages readers to engage with subjects which they may not otherwise have chosen to read about. From scientific guides and historical references through to biographies of key political figures, the platform enriches learning across the curriculum.

Ms F McBride I Librarian

Skills Workshops

Throughout the term, Second Years have been focussing on learning a new skill with the aim of developing resilience whilst doing something that most us –Form Tutors included – will never have tried before, working as a team to encourage each other and improve as a group. Each Form Group will present their learned skill –ventriloquism, balloon modelling, a musical performance, magic tricks and crocheting –in an assembly next term.

Mrs J Butcher I Head of Second Year

Holocaust Memorial Day

To mark Holocaust Memorial Day in January, longtime friends of KGS, Bob and Ann Kirk, visited us to talk to First and Third Year students about escaping Nazi Germany. Florence Coen in First Year tells us more.

We were very fortunate to experience, first-hand, a story of two people who came to the UK via the Kindertransport from Germany during WW2. It was an interesting and thought-provoking talk, and we were all very touched by their experiences and what Bob and Ann had to go through as German Jews. The journey to safety for them as a young child must have been extremely difficult especially leaving your parents at that age and not knowing whether you would ever see them again.

Before boarding the Kindertransport, Bob and Ann knew little about what was happening, apart from the attacks on the Jewish population which their families told them about. When the Kirks arrived in the UK, they spoke little English and struggled to communicate with others. Ann was fortunate as she knew that her aunts would be looking after her. However, children such as Bob were less fortunate. His foster parents did not collect him, forcing him to be sent to children’s homes. He moved around until he joined the Army as a prisoner of war translator.

Bob and Ann met one another in a local Jewish community, fell in love and got married. They had two children and have had a happy life together. Their story really made us think about the Holocaust and about how challenging it must be to settle into a new country as a refugee.

Brain Day

Early March saw our annual Brain Day for Sixth Form students, one of a series of extension lectures in neuroscience.

Dr Guy Sutton visits KGS each year and on this visit spoke about the future of the brain, the rise of the cerebral organoid (growing brains in a dish), brain computer interfaces, neurobionics and neural decoding, mind reading and thought translation along with neural implants and cognitive enhancement. As ever, it was a fascinating insight from a fabulous science communicator.

Mrs A Edwards I Head of Psychology

Language Leaders

Language Leaders is an exciting project which helps students develop leadership skills while learning to teach languages.

We are delighted to have another enthusiastic cohort of Third Year students this year! They have spent the last few weeks mentoring First and Second Year students after learning teaching techniques last term. Eden Taylor, Rosie Campbell and Amy Parker have written a few words about their experience of the course so far:

Pro Corda Festival

The Pro Corda Festival is an annual national music competition that celebrates chamber music, with student ensembles from across the country invited to compete and receive individual coaching with music specialists.

This year’s festival took place between January and March and four of our student chamber ensembles competed, visiting various schools to take part in the competition.

The First Year Trio (Milly Hutton, Francesca Laudicina and Conor Barr), the Third Year Trio (Lizzie Clark, Oliver De Soyres and Yena Huh) and the Fifth Year Ensemble (Sophie Bailey, Bryn Kamleh-Chapman, Maxim Dythtchenko and Ralph Hassan) visited St Catherine’s School, Bramley to compete in a qualifying round. The First and Fifth Years progressed to the semi-finals, travelling to Central Foundation Boys’ School in London. They were joined by the Second Year Trio (Jemima Mack, Clarissa Cheng and

Connie le Huray), who were unable to attend the first round in February and subsequently competed in a qualifying round, progressing as semi-finalists.

The First Year Trio progressed to the final, which took place at Brighton College, where they gave a highly impressive performance.

Whilst none of the groups were selected as winners, the Pro Corda was a fantastic opportunity to perform exciting chamber ensemble works at various locations throughout the country. All the groups received coaching with the adjudicators, who gave specialist advice and feedback. Progression to the finals was extremely competitive, so the First Year Trio did extremely well to progress this far.

We congratulate all four groups for their hard work and dedication throughout this term.

Pro Corda CEO Andrew Quartermain believes that chamber music “gives a unique and truly transformative education not just for the young musician and instrumentalist but for the young human being”, also stating that it “teaches sensitive and imaginative leadership alongside a sense of coming together to create something uniquely beautiful when the sum of collective parts becomes a magical whole of something beyond what those collective parts are.”

Mr J Lewis I Music Intern

“Language Leaders has been a huge opportunity for all of us to widen our skills and expand our leadership abilities. Our confidence has increased since we started teaching and our linguistic knowledge has improved massively through practising with students. We are all really enjoying this course – learning about teaching techniques, preparing resources and, of course, the teaching itself. Seeing the hard work pay off with the students learning more and enjoying themselves is rewarding. Overall, the course is always improving our communication skills and is an amazing experience.”

Watch this space for more news on their work next term, when our Language Leaders will be taking their skills to local primary schools to inspire a love of languages amongst the next generation of linguists!

Mrs K Pinnock I MFL

House Drama

This year’s House Drama was a triumph, with a record-breaking 110 students involved. The theme, ‘Through the Decades’, saw each house being allocated a different decade from the 1920s to the 2000s.

A packed crowd was treated to an Agatha Christie-inspired murder mystery from Taverner, a powerful physical theatre piece from Queen’s representing the struggles of women, the ‘swingin’ sixties’ from Lovekyn, Stanley’s brilliant re-telling of the events leading up to Live Aid in the 80s and a moving family tragedy from Walworth about the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004.

Our thanks to professional actors Tiffany Graves and Branwell Donaghey for their expert judging. The standard was exceptionally high this year...but there can only be one winner. Congratulations to Stanley for winning their first House Drama trophy. Well done to all involved from First Year to Upper Sixth, both onstage and backstage.

Mr R Gee I Director of Drama

Financial Times Student Advocate

Zain Noor has been appointed as a Financial Times Student Advocate for the coming academic year.

Not only will this allow him to further explore his interest in Economics but it will also allow him to develop his analytical, research and presentation skills. He is currently studying A Level Economics and it’s easy to see that he has developed quite a love for Economics and is one of the standout Lower Sixth Economics students. We are very proud of this achievement and are certain he will enjoy and excel in this role and, indeed, do KGS proud.

Zain tells us a little about the programme and his motivations:

The FT Student Advocate role is an opportunity not only to hone skills in analysis, communication and presentation but to meet like-minded individuals from across the globe. The position is, in essence, a promotion and analyst role, with student advocates from several countries pitching the FT to teachers and students to gain more readers. Articles are critiqued and discussed with a member of the editorial team.

I applied for the role because of my interest in the financial sector. I found the FT helped me to develop a deeper understanding of the subject. I also knew this would help me develop analysis and presenting skills – something that can be quite nerve wracking. As the Student Advocacy has begun, I have found it is everything that I had hoped for. This is a truly exciting opportunity, giving me a glimpse into the working world in a sector I am particularly interested in, while also helping to give me practical skills vital to my future professional life.

Mr W Bohanna I Head of Economics

Careers Evening

BFI Study Day

In February, Sixth Form French students had the opportunity to attend a study day at the British Film Institute.

The day revolved around activities relating to techniques used in La Nouvelle Vague as portrayed through film and was conducted entirely in French. This gave students a valuable opportunity to broaden their knowledge of two of the major themes of their A Level course: film analysis and the history of the cinematographic movement in France. We all enjoyed the opportunity to pursue our love of French outside the classroom and it was wonderful to reflect on how much their language and knowledge has developed.

Miss A Maclean I MFL

After a three-year break we were delighted to relaunch our KGS Careers Evening in person. We had approximately 400 students and parents attending the event on Thursday night, with over 30 speakers representing careers which included Architecture, Engineering, Law, Medicine, eSports and Theatre and much more besides. The evening kicked off with the Careers Fair where students and parents could talk to speakers to get an informal overview of a career area followed by the group presentations which gave students an excellent insight into career opportunities and a broader careers education.

Particular thanks must go to those who helped make the evening such a success. KGS parents continue to be a central part of the evening, without whose support the event would not provide such a wide range of inspirational and motivating careers talks – thank you so much for the help you offered. We also thoroughly enjoyed being able to welcome back several Old Kingstonians for the evening and greatly appreciate how much they give back to the School. Finally, thank you to the staff and Prefects who were involved. The whole evening requires such a large number of people to give of their time and expertise and this was greatly appreciated by all those involved, the students in particular.

Mr S Morris I Deputy Director of Careers & Universities

We loved how the projections and lights told the story of some of Cezanne’s most famous works and how they moved around us on the floors and curved walls.

A day in Paris

CEZANNE, CROISSANTS AND A CEMETERY...

After a 3am start, 24 Sixth Form Art students huddled outside St Pancras and were soon preparing ourselves for France with croissants and hot chocolates.

Our first destination in the French capital was Père Lachaise cemetery where we took photographs. We all admired the many stained-glass windows and intricate stone designs on many of the graves as they were so relevant to the Lower Sixth architecture project. We also visited some of the most famous graves including Edith Piaf’s and Jim Morrison’s.

We moved on to the fabulous Cezanne immersive experience. We loved how the projections and lights told the story of some of Cezanne’s most famous works and how they moved around us on the floors and curved walls. Lunch at a Christmas market provided more opportunities for photographs. The Musee d’Orsay was particularly interesting as the building was a former train station, meaning the architecture was more complex than a typical museum and we all spent a lot of our time admiring the giant gold clock! A quick dinner before travelling back to the Gare du Nord rounded off a great day admiring the sights of Paris.

Conor Carnegie-Brown I Lower Sixth

MFL: bringing language to life

Disneyland Paris the next day was hugely popular. Despite being extremely chilly, we enjoyed exploring and finished the day watching the evening parade, which was a real highlight. The special effects and music were outstanding.

The following morning was spent at the Palace of Versailles, learning about the former royal residence built by King Louis XIV. The palace is beautiful, and the tour was really brought to life by the audio-guided tour. We were also able to wander around the immaculate gardens surrounding the palace.

Saturday was FlyView day, where we took part in the virtual reality experience which simulated a flight above the Eiffel Tower and other Paris monuments.

After an early morning start, our group of linguists arrived in Paris where we swiftly set our sights on the Christmas market next to the Louvre. Students had a fabulous time wandering around the stalls, drinking hot spiced apple juice and trying out some of the rides. The view from the top of the ferris wheel – la grande roue – was unbeatable!

In a race to catch the sunset, we made our way up the (many) steps to Montmartre just in time to see the fantastic views over the city. The Sacré Coeur was beautifully lit up, and we spent the evening wandering around the area and doing some souvenir shopping.

Our last day began with a trip to the top of Tour Montparnasse, a 210-metre skyscraper offering unbeatable views of the city, followed by a boat trip on the Seine. As luck would have it, our final day coincided with the World Cup Final in which France were playing and we enjoyed watching the game back at the hotel.

It was a thoroughly successful trip and was made all the more so for the confidence with which students practised their language skills.

Miss A Maclean I MFL

In a race to catch the sunset, we made our way up the (many) steps to Montmartre just in time to see the fantastic views over the city.

Sorrento

Latin students visited Pompeii, Herculaneum and other sites in the Bay of Naples during February half term. It was incredible to explore these fantastic archaeological resources and learn more about life in Roman times and the impact of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

Miss L Andrew I Head of Classics

Dubai Cricket and Netball Tour

CRICKET

Over half term, a group of U14 and U15 cricketers travelled to Dubai and Abu Dhabi for a cricket tour.

While the main purpose of the tour was to develop our playing skills, we also enjoyed a trip up to the top of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, travelled across deserts in a 4x4 desert safari, took camel rides, went to the beach and water parks and had a trip to Dubai Mall, the largest in the world.

The main focus was the cricket, of course, with eight matches played in addition to practice opportunities. Our cricketers put in some exceptional performances, and improved day by day. Particular mentions must go to Tom Price and Rocco Nicol who both scored runs consistently throughout the tour. Alec Holden and Jem Prasher both made an impact with the bat and were hugely influential in a number of run chases.

The bowlers also performed well. Joe Taylor showed his skills with the new ball to constantly put the pressure on the opposition batters, along with Izzy Botha, whose control and game awareness made her a key part of her side. Spinners Aran Patel and Tom Price proved pivotal to the success of our teams.

With the week being wrapped up with an awards night, the trip was a wonderful experience for staff and students alike.

Mr S Lavery I Head of Cricket

NETBALL

The U15 squad arrived tired after the long flight but were revitalised by the glorious climate, a good night’s sleep and an incredible buffet breakfast. Their first tournament at Dubai College involved matches against a mixture of home teams along with two UK touring sides. Having won three games, drawn one and lost two, they were placed fourth out of six teams: a great start to the tour and their first experience of playing netball in the sunshine!

Their next match was against Dubai Hurricanes at Sevens Stadium. The girls were fired up and finished the first quarter 6–4 up. The game remained close throughout with the final score 17–17. A fantastic score against a strong, well-drilled side. There was some fantastic defending from Hana Wren and Tilly Bardell and some amazing shooting from Daisy Mack and Olivia Whitehead The team continued to bond throughout the week and became more united as they experienced excursions together, including a desert safari, water park and a trip to the top of the Burj Kalifa.

Their cohesion as a team led them to win the Shield Trophy in the Capital Netball tournament and finish their final fixture of the trip with a 22–25 game with Cranleigh School, Dubai. We were so proud of how focused the girls were and how they grew as players throughout the week: they were a delight to be with.

Mrs J Stapleton I Head of Netball

While the main purpose of the tour was to develop our playing skills, we also enjoyed a trip up to the top of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, travelled across deserts in a 4x4 desert safari, took camel rides, went to the beach and water parks and had a trip to Dubai Mall, the largest in the world.

OK Eva Gray left KGS in 2018 and has been taking wickets professionally ever since as part of the South East Stars and the Oval Invincibles in The Hundred. Last season, She won the South East Stars Bowler of the Year award. We’re delighted that she’s back with us at KGS coaching our aspiring cricketers. She spoke to us about her cricketing life.

Welcome back, Eva!

What are some of your fondest memories of KGS?

The sport at KGS provided memories that will stay with me forever. Hockey included everything from U13 regional final penalty shootouts to playing in the National Finals with the 1st XI at Lee Valley. And captaining the boys in cricket in my last year at the school felt pretty cool too!

How has it been to come back and coach at KGS?

It’s so good to come and give something back to the school that gave me so much. Seeing how far girls’ cricket has progressed since I left is amazing and I’m glad I can now be involved in that journey.

how far girls’ cricket has progressed since I left is amazing and I’m glad I can now be involved in that journey.

How did you get your big break?

I think that probably came from my old coach, Richard Bedbrook. He picked me for the Kia Super League when I wasn’t expecting it and everything just grew from that point.

Who inspires you? Do you have a sporting hero?

In day-to-day life it would have to be my mum, but in terms of sport, Jessica Ennis is a fantastic role model.

Tell us a bit about your cricket career...

I started playing seriously when I joined KGS, where I played with the boys from U12s all the way through to captaining the 1st XI. Alongside this, I played for Surrey through the age groups, and made my debut for the women’s team when I was 15. In my final year at KGS, I was picked to play in the Kia Super League for the Surrey Stars, which was my first taste of semi-professional cricket. We won the tournament in my first year with the team, when I was 18. I played regional cricket for the South East Stars for two years before joining the Sunrisers on a full-time professional contract when I left university in 2022. The best moments of my career, however, have been whilst playing for the Oval Invincibles in The Hundred –a tournament we won twice back to back in 2021 and 2022!

What’s your favourite KGS spot?

You can’t beat Ditton Field on a summer’s afternoon!

Tell us something about you that we don’t know already.

I have a first-class degree in Law from the University of Birmingham.

What is your top tip for anyone who wants to get into cricket? Where do they start?

I always think it’s best to start by just enjoying it and having fun. Don’t worry too much about the skills and the technique otherwise it’s quite overwhelming! Encourage your friends to come down to a local club and enjoy an evening in the sun!

Miss M Pawlowska I Marketing

It’s so good to come and give something back to the school that gave me so much. Seeing

Sports report

ROWING

The Hampton Head, held in February, has been running for over 50 years and is a prestigious event in the rowing calendar. The J18 pair of Matilda Drewett and Lola Crampin won the event, beating several GB candidates and medal winners. A huge well done to them.

• The J18 girls came 3rd out of 14 crews.

• The J16 girls came 4th out of 14 crews.

• The J15 girls came 10th out of 32 crews.

Mr E Green I Director of Rowing

GOLF

The 2023 KGS golf season got underway with a regional plate semi-final match against Hurtwood House at Slinfold Golf and Country Club near Horsham. Playing an unfamiliar course and an unfamiliar opponent, KGS didn’t know how the match would go but there was little sign of rustiness from a winter layoff as all three matches went our way. Jonatan Ronberg led off and while he didn’t have his best stuff, he won comfortably 25 to 15 in this handicap Stableford round. Natalie Ivory produced the round of the day to win 33 to 30 and captain Oli Dawson prevailed 31 to 20 despite claiming to have putted poorly. KGS now moves on to a regional final against local rivals Hampton.

Mr M Rodgers I Head of Golf

FOOTBALL

We really have experienced all seasons this term, with high winds, freezing temperatures and waterlogged pitches. With over 100 matches from boys’ and girls’ teams from the s through to the U18s, and record numbers of students attending training, we continue to be delighted about the development of the football programme at KGS. Each student has had the opportunity to represent the School in a fixture.

There have been some exceptional individual performances from Hanna Rouse and Gina Saltykova who have been representing Surrey Schools U14 and U16 teams respectively.

The traditional Classics v Moderns match was first played at KGS in the 1890s. The Classics this year were represented by the Upper Sixth, with the Moderns made up of Lower Sixth and Fifth Years. It was an easy victory for the Moderns, who ran out 6–0 winners: this bodes well for next season’s 1st XI team. Hopefully some leavers will join our Old Boys’ team who continue to do us proud in the Arthurian League. You can follow @oldkgsfc on Twitter for updates.

Mr

NETBALL

The U13s and U14s played seven games in a round-robin format in the annual Borough tournament earlier this month. The U13s came third and only lost two games and the U14s won all seven matches! They are Borough winners for the second year in a row. Well done to all.

Mrs J Stapleton I Head of Netball

HOCKEY U12A boys

The U12A + B boys played in their first major tournament of the year with the London Heats being hosted at Ditton Field in late February.

The As started their campaign with a slow start against Haberdashers and the early concession of a goal. Thankfully, some fast-flowing hockey ensured two goals for the home side in quick succession and the first three points of the day. In their second game, against Thomas’ Clapham, they went four goals clear by half time. A poorer second half performance meant the opposition scored twice but we came away with a win.

Trinity were always going to be tough but we certainly didn’t expect them to score five in the first half. After a change of tactics, the boys came out in the second half with positive energy. The game finished 7–2 to Trinity but we had done enough to earn ourselves a place in the London Finals.

The Bs got off to a flying start by beating HABS by two goals. Another flourish of goals against Teddington meant that, regardless of the next result, KGS would be into the London Heats semi-final. Their final pool against Trinity finished 3–0 but Mr Buckle used this as an opportunity to raise morale for their semi-final against Trinity’s C team. In an end-to-end game, we were the first to score and this remained the same until the final whistle.

Special mentions to both goalkeepers, Daksh Ravendran and George Tzortzis who, in the cold weather, remained focused throughout the tournament and pulled off some fantastic saves during the day.

Mid-March saw the London Finals at Eltham College, In the U12A pool the boys played Eltham, Whitgift and Trinity whilst the Bs played Royal Russell, UCS and St Dunstan’s as well as a classification match against Whitgift Bs.

The As got off to a positive start with a solid performance against the hosts. Eshan Patel managed to score two goals (one of which was a welltaken deflection over the goalkeeper) and Seb Merrison struck the ball into the sideboard to finish the game 3–1. Conor Barr started the goalscoring in the second game against Whitgift by drag flicking a penalty corner into the bottom corner of the goal. However, Whitgift came back into the game and won 3–1. It was a strong performance from the boys nevertheless. The last of their games saw some lovely hockey. Roman Gorczak and Matties Van Herwaarden transferred the ball well. Wilfie Lawrence, Locky Kirk and Dhara Chopra caused problems for the Trinity midfield and Kye Brown looked dangerous in the front line. Kye managed to score a hat-trick and Conor completed his hat-trick of drag flicks for the day as we dominated, winning the game 5–1. George Tzortzis made some outstanding saves at crucial times, all of which helped the U12A boys finish runners-up in the London Region.

The U12Bs had a great experience at Eltham College, playing four games throughout the day, most of whom were A teams. They started the day against Royal Russell which finished as a 1–1 draw. We then lost 2–1 to University College School and 3–1 to St Dunstan’s which meant a fourth place play-off against Whitgift Bs.

M Hall I Head of Football

Luke Bowyer scored a couple of lovely goals to make the game go to a penalty stroke competition. KGS were unlucky with the strokes but helds their heads up high and walked off the pitch graciously in defeat.

Well done, boys, for an amazing achievement: we’re proud of you all.

Mr D Bartram I Hockey

Coach

U14 boys

U13 boys

The U13s have enjoyed another excellent season, with both A and B sides qualifying for the London Finals in the Tier 1 & 2 competitions. The Bs finished fourth in their group, with the As waiting to conclude their competition at the time of writing.

A promising run for the A team in the Independent Schools Cup was cut short against a strong Eltham College team. Great performances v Merchant Taylors, Dulwich and RGS Guildford were particular highlights.

The B team had two great games against Reed’s as well as high-scoring games v King Edward’s and Sir William Borlase’s. A number of players have rotated between squads and experienced 11-a-side school hockey too, some for the first time.

The numbers who have attended after-school training and played for the C&D teams have also been really encouraging. All squads have produced a number of very positive performances against challenging opposition. The Cs have shown great potential and are playing some excellent attacking hockey. The D team, and E team, have played on a competitive fixture list and worked extremely hard as a group to improve.

There is great potential in the year group. Hopefully they will continue to develop the pace and power of their game to match some of their more physical opponents in the upcoming years. They have been great fun to coach and I know all staff have enjoyed working with them during the course of the season.

Mr A Watts I Director of Sport

The boys made the transition to 11-a-side hockey this season. At the start of the year, we set out some core principles and the boys worked extremely hard throughout to ensure each became a part of our hockey DNA. From this basis they have grown and flourished into a hardworking, skillful and smart team. At times this year they have played hockey beyond their years and have been rewarded with some fantastic results. They have also had their struggles, with some tough results at the London Finals. However, they always bounced back and enthusiastically threw themselves into training to ensure individually and collectively they came back the next week better than the week before. Some highlights of the year were our second-place finish at the Indoor Hockey Cup where we agonisingly lost by the width of the post, along with Holland where they managed to come away with three victories out of three. Even more importantly, they really gelled as a team. They have been a pleasure to coach, and we are all excited to watch them develop further next year.

Mr T McCarthy I Hockey Coach

U13A girls take bronze

Having had a had a tough pool in the London Heats, the U13As progressed to the London Finals at Eltham College earlier this month. An Olivia Klein hat-trick saw them win their opening pool game 3–0 against JAGS. Next up were Tiffin. The girls played excellent hockey, creating chance after chance but failed to convert. A defensive error saw Tiffin take the lead against the run of play. Despite having more opportunities to score, the side went down 2–0 after conceding from a late corner. There was also some excellent hockey in the game against Latymer Upper, with KGS dominating the play. Olivia scored followed up by one from Jemima Mack. Despite peppering the Latymer goal, the game ended 2–0 and meant we finished second in the group on goal difference.

This set up a semi-final against local rivals Surbiton High. The game was end to end, with both teams having opportunities to score but Surbiton took the lead from a short corner. The story of the day continued, with chances being created but not converted, leading to a 2–0 to Surbiton final score. KGS went on to take bronze, beating Alleyn’s 2–1 in the 3rd/4th play-off.

Ms A Byrne I Hockey Coach

U13B girls: “a great attitude and some brilliant hockey”

The U13Bs took part in the Tier 2 competition, beginning with a 2–0 win against Notting Hill and Ealing High School. Goals came courtesy of Maddie Robinson and Heidi Chambers. This was followed by a thrilling 1–1 draw against Croydon High School, in which Hannah Price levelled the scoring with a few minutes left. After going 1–0 down against Highgate School, the team rallied at half time, with Bella Brunati, Hannah Price and Maddie Robinson scoring a goal each in the second half.

The team required a win to top the group and progress through to the semi-finals in their last game. A hattrick from Hannah Price, two from Olivia Priest and a goal each from Heidi Chambers and Maddie Robinson sealed the deal against St Augustine’s. The girls then played Ibstock School in the semi-final, with the chance to progress through to the next round on the line. Unfortunately, after a hard-fought game, Ibstock won 2–0.

Having only played A teams throughout the day, the girls demonstrated a great attitude and played some brilliant hockey.

Miss H Naismith I Head of Girls’ Hockey

U15 girls: London Champions!

The U15s took part in the London Finals at Lee Valley Hockey Centre, playing against Forest School. They got off to a shaky start, conceding in the first quarter to go down 1–0 down. The girls continued to grow in confidence as the game progressed, athough Forest School edged further away early into the final quarter, making the score 2–0. With 5 minutes left on the clock, Anna Goodsman smashed a backhand strike into the goal from a tight angle to make it 2–1. Shortly after, a short corner was awarded to KGS, with Anna stepping up to rifle the ball from the top of the circle to even the scoreline.

After a tense 10 minutes of extra time, the score remained equal. Penalties were a nervous affair. Maya Hendrickx saved the first Forest School flick, with Anna, Charlotte Edwards, Daisy Mack all scoring. Jessie Yates narrowly missed after hitting the post. Emma Pope levelled the scoring with a perfect penalty into the corner to make it 4–4 and send it to sudden death. Anna scored the first and Maya saved the Forest School penalty to make the final score 5–4. It was a great display of hard work and effort from all the girls throughout the game.

Mr C Mackenzie I Hockey Coach

Community Service

Community Service continues to be an important part of life at KGS, with students committing their time, effort and expertise in a wide range of different areas to contribute to their local communities.

READING BUDDIES

Reading mentors from the Lower Sixth visit St Joseph’s Primary School each week and take sessions with the children, helping them to develop their confidence and literacy skills.

COOKING AT ST STEPHEN’S

Members of the Lower Sixth have continued to prepare delicious meals at St Stephen’s Church in Twickenham, supporting the local community with a wide range of dishes.

MATHS MENTORING

Lower Sixth Mathematicians provide support to other KGS students individually and in small groups to help them approach mathematical challenges more confidently. Others support students at The Kingston Academy by offering virtual sessions each week.

DRAMA CLUB

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TEA PARTIES

Students in the Second Year provided music, cake and games of bingo to guests from the local community who very much enjoyed their time at KGS.

A weekly Drama Club for students in Years 5 and 6 at St Joseph’s is also run by KGS Sixth Formers. In the Summer term, they will showcase their work in a brilliant production here at KGS in the Michael Frayn Theatre.

Miss V Paterson I Head of Community Service

“I volunteer as I had always struggled with reading in primary school as part of my dyslexia, so volunteering is a great opportunity to help others overcome that too.”

Lili

Working with the children at St Joseph’s is an amazing opportunity to pass on everything we have learnt as well as our love of acting. We can’t wait to see what we can create with the talented group in the weeks to come!”

Hannah

(Not so) Blue Monday

Reduce, reuse, recycle

The very first KGS Clothes Swap took place in January to raise students’ awareness of the detrimental impacts of fast fashion while promoting ways in which we can adopt sustainable shopping habits. First and Second Year students were invited to donate an item of unwanted clothing and choose one in return. The atmosphere in the Lovekyn Chapel was one of excitement as students saw their items going to a new home whilst picking out something for themselves.

Miss M Pawlowska I Marketing

The focus on wellbeing at KGS rightly includes staff too and January saw the inaugural Blue Monday workshops, which ran during what is commonly referred to as the ‘bluest’ time of the year. Run by staff for staff, almost 200 places were taken up, with much fun being had learning skills such as cocktail making, Indian block printing, life drawing, an introduction to British Sign Language, golf and Medieval dance.

The workshops were such a success that a ‘summer edition’ is planned, with sessions including opera, outdoor swimming, summer bouquet making, de-stress breathing, badminton and historic walks.

Mrs D Sherwood I Assistant Head

Charity fundraising

Thank you to the whole KGS community for all the fantastic fundraising efforts over the past two terms. From baking cakes and rowing the Thames to wearing Christmas jumpers and auctioning football boots, together, we’ve donated to an incredible array of charities and worthwhile good causes.

SAVE THE CHILDREN £940

RALPHH £21,252 DEC £2,700

MACMILLAN £2,161

OXFAM £300

BARNFIELD RIDING FOR THE DISABLED £940

Ocean health & conservation

Nathan Robinson (OK 2002)

is a renowned marine biologist who was at the forefront of the anti-plastics campaign when the film of him removing a drinking straw from a turtle’s nostril went viral. We were delighted to host a hugely successful webinar with him in January followed by a Q&A session where he told us more about his passion for ocean life.

What’s the best thing about being a marine biologist?

I love that it gives you endless opportunities to travel and explore! However, I think the best thing is probably that as a marine biologist working in ocean conservation you are part of a larger global collective that is working tirelessly towards improving the health of the oceans. The sense of purpose and fulfillment that are connected with work such as this cannot be beaten!

Where is your favourite place in the world and why?

The more of the world that you see, the more you realise that everywhere is equally amazing but for different reasons. That said, one of my favorite feelings in the world is when you are swimming in the ocean and when you look down, you see nothing but blue. So, my favorite place would be anywhere far from shore!

Do you think it will ever be possible to remove all of the plastic from the world’s oceans?

Sadly, no. As plastic degrades, it continues to break down into ever smaller pieces of plastic. The smaller that these pieces get, the harder they are to remove. These ‘microplastics’ are now found everywhere including the deepest point of the ocean – the Mariana Trench – at over 11,000m. We can remove the larger pieces but these smaller ones will remain until they biodegrade into their constituent molecules, a process that will take thousands of years. For us to have plastic-free oceans, we would need to stop adding extra plastic into the ocean and keep doing so for thousands of years! That said, this does not mean that our current fight against plastic pollution is hopeless. An ocean with one less plastic bag is still a cleaner ocean – and so every little helps.

If you could choose any conservation project to be a part of, what would it be?

Something with penguins. Last year, I went on a research trip to Antarctica and since then I’ve been obsessed with penguins!

What are your top three favourite animals?

I am going to prohibit myself from being too predictable and so I won’t mention giant squid or sea turtles. Instead, I’ll go with: Adelie penguins – they are the cutest animals alive and my latest obsession!

Lowland gorillas – gorillas always remind me that the difference between animals

and humans is not quite as obvious as we often think. When you look into the eyes of a gorilla, you see an incredible intelligence and a capacity for emotion that feels, for lack of a better word, ‘human’. Malayan tapir – a little-known animal that looks like a mix between an elephant and a pig. One of my first life-changing animal encounters was with a wild tapir in Malaysia and since then they have held a special place in my heart.

If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?

I would redefine what we considered to be a ‘successful’ life. We typically associate success with material wealth or power but I don’t agree. In my opinion, success is found in building meaningful connections with the people that surround us by working together for common goals. If we all strived to build deeper connections with each other and to build a global society that provides opportunities for everyone, I think the planet would be a much happier and healthier place.

How has your role changed since your videos went viral and how does it feel to know that millions of people have watched your videos?

Seeing the impact of my videos really sent me down a different path. Since then, I have spent less time in ‘hands-on’ conservation and more time using social media to enact behavioral change on a global scale. I feel very proud of the impact that my videos have had. It really has been a dream come true to think that my efforts have helped make the ocean that little bit cleaner.

You obviously love being a marine biologist but are there any other jobs you would like to do?

I have always been obsessed with monsters, and especially misunderstood giants such as Godzilla and King Kong. I also love drawing so I have often thought that if I hadn’t ended up as a marine biologist, I would have tried to work in creature design and animation for movies or TV shows.

What is a normal day at work for you?

Right now, I live in Barcelona and my life is much like most people who live in a city! For about 15 years, however, I would spend about 8 hours per night walking up and down beaches in Costa Rica, South Africa, Greece and The Bahamas to search for and protect nesting sea turtles. When I wasn’t patrolling for sea turtles, the rest of my day was a mix of sleeping, surfing and writing on my computer!

Who is someone in your profession that you really admire and why?

Dr Edith ‘Edie’ Widder: she was the first person to ever film a live giant squid and is a leading expert in bioluminescence (the light created by animals). Yet even though Edie is an intellectual powerhouse and international celebrity, she has remained inspiringly humble and will happily talk to anyone who is interested in ocean conservation. She’s been a mentor of mine for years and she makes me want to not only be a better scientist but a better human. I also can’t help but mention another long-term mentor of mine, Dr Pilar ‘Bibi’ Santidrian Tomillo. Bibi has dedicated her life to protecting the East Pacific leatherback turtle – the most endangered sea turtle population in the world. She has a selfless commitment to conservation and always ‘puts the turtles first’. She is an inspiration to everyone who knows her.

Huge thanks to Nathan for being so generous with his time. You can watch the webinar with Nathan here and learn more about his work by scanning the QR code below.

Ms A Williams I Director of Marketing & Admissions