Kingstonian 2018-2019

Kingstonian 2018/19

IN HONOUR AND GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE OF THOSE OLD BOYS AND MASTERS OF KINGSTON GRAMMAR SCHOOL WHO LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR COUNTRY IN THE GREAT WAR 1914–1918

Kingston Grammar School magazine

In Flanders Fields John McCrae In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie, In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.

Mrs J Halford, Archivist

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KGS remembers

George Augustus Woodforde came to KGS to teach English and History. At the outbreak of war, he joined the Artists’ Rifles, was injured and tragically succumbed to his wounds on Armistice Day. Gordon Cecil Winter, an Old Kingstonian who enlisted when he was just 17, was described by his Commanding Officer as ‘one of the smartest and most cheerful men in the Company’; he was killed on the 8th October 1918, just a day before he was due to return home.

Through research posted on our online archive, we were pleased to make contact with two of Gordon Winter’s nephews. Peter and David Winter, along with their wives, made a special trip from the West Country to attend the Senior Remembrance Assembly.

Afterwards, Peter said that he felt “gratitude and honour to be with the School and in the place where Gordon studied, to remember him and his sacrifice with so many others on the 100th anniversary of him being killed in action.” He added that “the fact that he has been remembered on the School’s memorial is special for his family as we have gone through our lives unaware of it, until recently knowing little about Gordon.”

Please do visit the KGS Archive at archive.kgs.org.uk to read the full stories of these two men, and those of the other Old Kingstonian soldiers who died in the Great War. We will remember them.

1918 – 2018

T

he centenary of the end of World War I was the focus of this year’s Remembrance events at Kingston Grammar School.

Captain Andrew Beggs, the CCF Contingent Commander, and members of the CCF, did an excellent job of leading the School to reflect on the conflict. They set the scene of the final months and hours of the war and told the stories of two Old Kingstonian soldiers who perished.

Your son was outstanding as one of the smartest and most cheerful men in the Company; he will be very much missed.

1918 – 2018

Royal Fusiliers Gordon Winter was born on 29th March 1898, the son of Charles Winter, manager of the Medals Department at the auctioneers, Spink. Gordon attended KGS from January 1913 until July 1914, leaving to take up a business traineeship at Harrods.

When war broke out, however, he quickly volunteered for active service, and on the 4th August 1915, at the age of 17, he joined the Royal Fusiliers where he served with the expeditionary force in France and Flanders.

After fighting in the trenches at Berles-au-Bois, he was sent to Colonel White on account of being underage and unfit for trench service.

The following information is extracted from De Ruvigny’s Roll of Honour, 1914-1919:

‘[He] was subsequently sent to the 7th Army Headquarters in Pas for a rest, where he was made the General’s Confidential Dispatch Rider and billeted on the Count of Arras at Pas. He was present at the fighting at Monchy on 9th April 1917 [and] the fighting at Gaveral on the 23rd, where he lost the whole of his team, but saved the life of Private A. J. Clerk, by dressing his wounds.

He took part in the battle of Messines, when his team captured an outpost of 50 Germans in a trench, for which the brigade major met them and gave them six days’ rest. Subsequently he was engaged in receiving prisoners and taking them down to the concentration camp.

He came home on sick leave in July 1917 and returned to France the following September.

He was killed in action on 8th October 1918, the day before he was due to come home, having been recommended for a commission in the Tank Corps.’

Capt. Colbourne wrote to Gordon’s parents:

‘I have known him since last May, when I took over command of C Company. Your son was outstanding as one of the smartest and most cheerful men in the Company; he will be very much missed.’

1918 – 2018

Sergeant Gordon Cecil Winter

KGS remembers

KGS remembers

2nd Lieut. W Bordle wrote:

‘I am so sorry to have to give you particulars of the death of your son...as he was such a good lad, and is a great loss, both to the Company and the battalion. Your son was killed instantly in an attack which was made by the battalion on a farm strongly held by the enemy, and his death must have been quite painless… Ever since the push started on 21st August, your son has been in every action in which the battalion has taken part.’

Sergt. HE Whitehead also wrote:

‘I have known him since he first joined up, and have had every chance of seeing his good spirits and cheerful disposition, and realize that we too have had a great loss. He was killed by a bullet in the left breast. Buried by the men of his battalion in Belais Farm Cemetery, Crevecoeur-sur-L’Escaut, south of Cambrai.’

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Captain Robert Cedric Sherriff

2nd Lt Richard Howard (Dick) Webb

9th Battalion East Surrey Regiment

Royal Field Artillery

1918 – 2018

KGS remembers

KGS remembers

Journey’s End, Sherriff’s lauded play based on his own experience of the Great War, was written with the authenticity of a soldier who was familiar with the nightmare of life in the trenches and the courage of those who fought there. It is still regularly performed and is studied as part of the English curriculum.

It was followed by a string of later successes including television and radio plays and screenplays. Sherriff was a generous benefactor to the School, and particularly to the Boat Club, whose social club bears his name.

He served at Vimy and Loos and was severely wounded at Passchendaele near Ypres in 1917. He was awarded the Military Cross.

The Surrey History Centre looks after the RC Sherriff Archive and has embarked on an exciting project to catalogue and celebrate the collection. The documents include hundreds of pages of correspondence with parents and friends. Amongst them is the moving letter from the father of Sherriff’s friend, Second Lieutenant RH Webb, who was one of the 34 Kingston Grammar School pupils who lost their lives in the conflict.

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Dick Webb attended KGS between 1905 and 1909 and was one of Sherriff’s earliest and closest school friends.

In fact, Webb was with Sherriff on a river camping trip the day war broke out in 1914. Sherriff quickly tried to obtain a commission in the East Surrey Regiment, but Webb first matriculated at London University (hoping to follow his father’s career as a solicitor), joining its Officer Training Corps in January 1915. He eventually received his commission in July 1916, was gazetted to the Royal Field Artillery, and sent to France at the end of the month. He was 19 years old. Sherriff kept two press cuttings about Webb in his scrapbook, and they recount the details of his death. Wounded by being shot through the hips while acting as an observation officer on the 19th September, he was transferred to the base hospital at Étaples where he ‘succumbed to his wounds’ on 10th October.

One of the cuttings includes quotes from two of his commanding officers. The Commander of the Ammunition Column to which he had originally been attached wrote to Webb’s father that: ‘I had formed a high opinion of him personally and of his promise as an officer. Personally also he was a great loss to our men, as he was always so fresh and cheery. In fact, all of us who knew him, from the Colonel onwards, heard of his wounds and death with great sorrow.’

Webb’s father later wrote to Sherriff directly, in a letter dated 23rd December 1916: ‘It gives me great pain to tell you that dear Dick succumbed to his wounds on 10th October at the Base Hospital, Étaples. My wife and I went over to him and I was there some days, but Mrs Webb stayed till the last. The doctors and nurses gave us every hope of his recovery and he seemed to be improving, but eventually passed away very suddenly…

You will understand the terrible blow it is to us.

One which we shall never get over. He was in such splendid health when he went away. Many other old KGS boys have given their lives for their King and country: Basil Cruiser, K Restall, VP Knapp, FN Marsh and TGN Gardiner (Master). How dreadful that so many promising young lives should be lost…We are all very run down as you may imagine…’

Richard Howard Webb is buried at Étaples Military Cemetery.

1918 – 2018

KGS remembers

1918 – 2018

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Journey’s End RC Sherriff Written in 1927, when the optimistic post-victory mood in the country had turned to disillusionment, the play spoke to many, whether or not they had served. Sherriff decries the enormous loss of life; millions had been killed, many of them in the maze of trenches that stretched across Europe.

Known as ‘Uncle’ by his men, Lieutenant Osborne is the second-in-command of C Company. In Act I he is talking to Raleigh, an eighteen-year-old new recruit who has just arrived on the front line. Raleigh expresses surprise at the almost-silence. s of ‘gloriou tion was t he finds. ta ec p ex Raleigh’s e unsettling quie alities th e re war’, not d innocent of th old the Naïve an d having been ‘s is is n of war, a ecoming a hero, th life. ch b dream’ of t experience of tren rs fi ’s h ig le Ra

“How frightfully quiet it is!”

“It’s often quiet…like this.”

“I thought there would be an awful row here…all the time.”

“Most people think that.”

PAUSE

the Drawing parallels with how have ld wou ing feel be ht mig enemy e’s orn Osb but eigh Ral seemed odd to rriff’s quiet humanity reflects She government wish to challenge the idea of years four er Aft . nda aga prop mans of war, Osborne knows the Ger rayed not to be the monsters as port but by the British war machine s, ght thou e sam the with le, peop emotions and fears as he and his men. Later in the play, nice, Raleigh says ‘Germans are ers.’ spap new the of ide outs really…

certed by Raleigh is clearly discon ivity. act and se the lack of noi er every This was the reality: aft sat and waited bombardment, soldiers so the cycle and t aul ass t for the nex of ‘we’ could use h’s would repeat. Raleig haps he is include the Germans; per the shared d hen pre com to ing beginn nt line. fro the on life of s experience

“I’ve never known anything so quiet as those trenches we came by; just now and then I heard a rifle firing, like the range at Bisley, and a sort of rumble in the distance.”

“Those are the guns up north…up Wipers way.

The guns are always going up there; it’s never quiet like this.”

PAUSE “I expect it’s all very strange to you?”

The play is set in a trench in Saint Quentin, near Aisne, France, nd on the Western Front. Although arou 100 miles from Ypres (pronounced ‘Wipers’ by the British soldiers), the heavy fighting would have d been heard. Sherriff had first-han experience, having been wounded at Passchendaele, near Ypres, in 1917.

“It’s…it’s not exactly what I thought.

It’s just this…this quiet that seems so funny.”

“A hundred yards from here the Germans are sitting in their dug outs, thinking how quiet it is.”

“Are they as near as that?” notes In fact, Sherriff’s scene “About a hundred yards.” y fifty yards say the two sides were onl ked up by bac apart, something that is “It seems…uncanny. It makes me feel we’re… ch reference whi s ent um doc historical ga we’re all just waiting for something.” bein y onl n ofte trenches e’s throw away’. nad gre nd ‘ha “We are, generally, just waiting for something.

When anything happens, it happens quickly.

Then we just start waiting again.”

“I never thought it was like that.”

“You thought it was fighting all the time?”

“Well, yes, in a way.”

Journey’s End is still regularly performed today.

archive.kgs.org.uk

CONTENTS

Contents Kingstonian 2018/19

Introduction from the Head Master Mr SR Lehec

SPORT 8

72

Athletics................................................ 74 Cricket ...................................................76 Football ............................................... 82

NOTICEBOARD

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Futsal ...................................................... 86 Golf ........................................................... 88 Hockey.................................................. 90

ACADEMIC LIFE 22 Art .................................................................22

Netball ...............................................100 Rowing ............................................. 102 Tennis...................................................106

Biology...................................................32 Chemistry......................................... 34 Classics................................................. 36

HOUSE REVIEW 108

Design & Technology...... 38 Drama..................................................... 40 Economics...................................... 44

SOCIETIES

116

TRIPS

126

ALUMNI

132

STAFF

140

English.................................................... 46 Geography...................................... 48 History.................................................... 50 Library......................................................52 Mathematics..................................54 Modern Foreign Languages........................................ 56 Music........................................................ 58 Physics................................................... 60 Politics.................................................... 62 PSHE......................................................... 64 Psychology..................................... 66 Religion & Philosophy..... 68 STEAM.....................................................70

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INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION From the Head Master

From the Head Master

2018/19

began as a year of celebration for Kingston Grammar School but it was also a time of commemoration and remembrance for us, as it was for the whole nation and much of the world.

I

n October, we marked 40 years of co-education at the School and were delighted to welcome back to KGS many of those first girls, now women, of course, and a spritely collection of the very first female staff brought in by the then Head Master, Mr Sidney Miller.

Celia Tullett, Pat Wisby and Elizabeth Cairncross swapped stories with staff and students from then and now and Mr Miller himself was the guest of honour, giving a warm speech in praise of co-education and forward thinking!

How interesting that so many have followed in our wake, if only in Sixth Form for some.

Back in 1978 the pressing questions were: Are there enough, if any, toilets for girls? Might they prove a distraction for the boys? Was their hockey any good?

Those first girls were brave souls who withstood the lack of toilet facilities as well as the glare of disapproving masters and proved themselves beyond doubt in academic studies, on the sports field and throughout school life.

Girls at KGS continue to carry the torch that was lit for them by their forebears forty years ago, as both I and Sidney Miller, along with all other Heads of the School since the Great War, carry the torch that was kept burning

by Mr CA Howse (pictured, far right), Head Master at that most troubled and difficult of times. It was Mr Howse who created the KGS house system and we often joke that perhaps he should have called it the ‘Howse’ system.

It was no laughing matter, however, that the sense of camaraderie instilled by the competition between the three original houses of Queen’s, Lovekyn and Walworth was much needed to lift the spirits of those affected by the First World War. Like many schools of the time,

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KGS lost a number of staff, students and alumni, all of whom are commemorated on the School Memorial, their names reproduced for this year’s Kingstonian.

We are fortunate to have many contemporary records, a wonderful link through the work of RC Sherriff and to be in touch with some of the descendants of those who fell, a few of whom were able to attend our centennial remembrance occasion and lay wreaths on behalf of their relatives. This coincided with a multitude of local and national occasions to honour the fallen and we were very proud to be attendant at many of them, laying wreaths for our Old Kingstonians and honouring their memory along with all those who perished.

Mr Howse presided over a school that, having already reinvented and re-established itself at the start of the 20th century, was having to make do, battle on and keep its chin up. Old-fashioned terms, maybe, but nevertheless things we sometimes forget to do in the 21st century.

A few years after the war, in 1921, Mr Howse created the fourth house, Taverner; you will all know that it wasn’t many years ago that the fifth house, Stanley, was created and populated to open up the opportunities and create the fiercely competitive and enjoyable House Championship that we all enjoy today.

The House Championship is just one aspect of KGS life that you’ll be able to read about in this year’s Kingstonian, along with many more adventures, both in and out of school. Some of them I was lucky to be a part of or witness to but all of them contribute to the rich tapestry of the KGS experience for our students.

This, of course, culminates in the exam season: whilst we were putting the finishing touches to the improvements to the QEII quad, the first new school hall floor since it was built and a much-needed upgrade to the heating system (it’s all very exciting – honestly!) we were able to take time out to celebrate with the Fifth Year their success in achieving the best GCSE results in the School’s history and with the Upper Sixth the joint best A Level results ever. We are very proud of and pleased for all of our students – and I am sure Mr Miller and Mr Howse would be too!

I hope you can all ‘Bene Agere Ac Laetari’ in 2019/20.

Mr SR Lehec

INTRODUCTION From the Head Master

INTRODUCTION

I hope you can all ‘Bene Agere Ac Laetari’ in 2019/20

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NOTICEBOARD

Results 2019 NOTICEBOARD Results 2019

GCSEs

I

t is fair to say that expectations were more measured this year as we prepared to receive the first full set of results from the newly reformed GCSEs.

Not only are the new examinations more ‘robust’ than their predecessor qualifications, but much has also been made in the media about the difficulty of achieving the top grade 9 (equivalent to a ‘high’ A*). All of which only served to make the success that much sweeter, as our students celebrated the best set of GCSE results in the School’s history, with an exceptional 67% of all grades at 9/8, an increase of over 10% compared to last year’s equivalent A*s. In fact, over half the students in this year’s GCSE cohort at KGS achieved grades 9 – 7 in all of their subjects.

Even more impressive is that nearly 40% of all results were at the top grade 9 alone, compared with just 4.5% nationally. There were notable successes for particular subject areas too, with STEM subjects securing over 80% grades 9/8. In Mathematics, nearly 50% of all grades were 9, compared to less than 5% nationally.

Likewise in the humanities, over 80% of grades were 8/9 in Religious Studies, and 60% at grade 9 alone in Geography.

Perhaps most pleasing is the demonstration that KGS continues to buck the trend of subjects that are in national decline. Not only are the numbers of students choosing arts, sciences and humanities strong, but modern foreign languages are in rude health too. 75% of students gained grades 9/8 in German, a figure that was closely matched by French and Spanish, and the number of students taking these MFL subjects as well as Italian and Mandarin Chinese is distinctly encouraging for the future.

We are incredibly grateful to our parent body for their unflinching support and engagement with the School

The top student performances came from scholars Penny CairneyLeeming, Isla Flett, Hannah Orrell, Ricky Rim and Oliver Sandry-Butler who all gained a clean sweep of ten grade 9s. This places them in the top 0.1% of students nationally, and in a group of only 800 students across the country to have achieved such outstanding results.

They were closely followed by Olivia Casci and Edward Knight, who both achieved nine grade 9s, as well as a further 21 students who all achieved a clean sweep of 9/8 grades.

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Over half the students in this year’s GCSE cohort at KGS achieved grades 9 – 7 in all of their subjects

We are exceptionally proud of our students’ achievements, not only in their conspicuous GCSE successes but across a range of activities and interests, including national, and sometimes international, representation in areas such as music, sport and drama. We are in an unsettling period of change in what we teach and how we grade young people’s academic efforts, often unwittingly exerting everincreasing demands on them; however, with the right teaching and support, coupled with their own aspirations and commitment, this cohort have come through the GCSE maelstrom with flying colours.

We are incredibly grateful to our parent body for their unflinching support and engagement with the School and they take no little credit for their children’s success. The same is true for our dedicated staff, who not only teach their subjects incredibly well but also act as wonderful tutors, mentors and, perhaps most importantly, role models for their students. Ultimately, however, most of the credit must go to the students themselves who have not simply coped with the demands put upon them, but have thrived and begun to demonstrate the fulfillment of their enormous potential. We look forward to this continuing as they embark on their Sixth Form studies.

Mr W Cooper, Deputy Head (Academic)

The top student performances came from scholars Penny Cairney-Leeming, Isla Flett, Hannah Orrell, Ricky Rim and Oliver Sandry-Butler who all gained a clean sweep of ten grade 9s

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NOTICEBOARD Results 2019

NOTICEBOARD

NOTICEBOARD

A Levels

T NOTICEBOARD Results 2019

he 2019 leavers certainly had their work cut out if they were to come close to matching the record-breaking results of their predecessors.

As I looked through the individual successes and tallied up the total of A* and A grades, I found myself having to check and re-check the figures. It simply seemed too much of a coincidence that for the second year running our students had achieved exactly the same outstanding results, to the decimal point – 66.7% A*/A!

These results are even more impressive when set against the national picture at A Level, with less than 8% of all grades being awarded the top A* grade this year. The 2019 cohort at KGS have far exceeded that with 28% at A*, and with half of all students achieving at least one A* grade.

A number of students gained a full suite of A* grades across all their subjects, including Jimmy Gibson, Alice Lehec, Finn Snow and Daniel Sykes, as well as twins Clara and Ellen Lyckeus, who all gained 3 A*s.

Max Cairney-Leeming achieved 4 A*s and takes up a place to read Mathematics & Computer Science at Oxford.

For the second year running our students had achieved exactly the same outstanding results, to the decimal point – 66.7% A*/A!

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Half of all students achieved at least one A* grade

Max is joined at Oxford by Hamza Ahmad (Biology) and Reuben Cooper (Classics) who both achieved 3 A*s, as well as Ellena Eley (Ancient History & Archaeology), Katie Orrell (Geography), Amelia Petersen (History) and Joe Young (Chemistry).

Taking up places at Cambridge University are Yiorgos Karidis (History), Zoe Samama (Law) and Toby Fairhurst (Geography).

Wonwoo Choi, who persevered through much of the Sixth Form to get his model aircraft to take flight, now has the opportunity to perfect his design by studying Aeronautical Engineering at Imperial.

It is particularly pleasing to see such a diverse range of interests amongst our students. The 2019 leavers will be pursuing over 50 different higher education courses between them, with no single area being under- or overrepresented. It is also reassuring to see that they continue to challenge gender stereotypes, with healthy numbers girls going into Engineering and other STEM areas.

NOTICEBOARD

Oxbridge entrants 2019 NOTICEBOARD Results 2019

Oxford Hamza Ahmad, Biology, St Catherine’s

Careers & University Department

It should also be noted that all of these students have managed to achieve this high level of academic success alongside extensive commitment to a wide range of co-curricular activities. This is particularly true of Millie Giglio and Sally Sime, who managed to gain a clutch of A* and A grades while fulfilling their demanding England Hockey duties.

Indeed, the contribution our students have made to KGS during their time at the School, as well as to their communities through their charitable and voluntary work, is hugely appreciated. We know that Old Kingstonians go on to make a positive difference to the world and we look forward to following their journey in the years to come.

We are very proud of them all.

Mr W Cooper, Deputy Head (Academic)

Max Cairney-Leeming, Maths & Computer Science, Lady Margaret Hall Reuben Cooper, Classics, Jesus College Ellena Eley, Classical Archaeology & Ancient History, St Hilda’s

A full calendar of events has seen us including even more extra-curricular careers trips, work experience opportunities and KGS in-house events in partnership with local schools.

Joe Young, Chemistry, St Hugh’s

Here are some of the year’s highlights:

Amelia Petersen, History, Balliol College

• Mock Medicine interview circuit with St George’s and local schools • Philosophy Foundation ‘Thinking Skills’ evening for local Oxbridge applicants • KGS Engineering Evening with more than ten local schools attending

Katie Orrell, Geography, Teddy Hall

Cambridge Toby Fairhurst, Geography, Girton College

• KGS & Imperial College Earth Sciences Day for Third Year students

Yiorgos Karidis, History, Fitzwilliam College

• Skills London Apprenticeship Fair

Zoe Samama, Law, Trinity Hall

• Engineering Careers Day at Kingston University • Annual Careers Fair in January • Visit to Somerville College, Oxford • Upper Sixth mock assessment centre • KGS UCAT preparation day (Medicine) in partnership with local schools Mr A Fitzgerald, Director of Careers & Universities Mr S Morris, Deputy Director of Careers & Universities

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NOTICEBOARD

Class of 2019 NOTICEBOARD Class of 2019

W

e are delighted that 80% of our students achieved places at Russell Group universities including ten places at Oxford and Cambridge.

Cardiff Chemistry with Foundation Chemistry with Year in Industry Economics & Philosophy Engineering Foundation Philosophy Politics & International Relations

English Geography Liberal Arts PPE Psychology & Cognitive Science Religion, Philosophy & Ethics Sociology

The five most popular university destinations were Nottingham, Birmingham, Bath, Oxford and Manchester. With national shortages in engineering, we are delighted that ten students have been accepted on a range of engineering courses at top universities. Other popular course choices include: History, Economics, Geography and Psychology. Two students achieved Art Foundation places at St Martin’s and Camberwell whilst two have places at medical school.

Central St Martin’s Art Foundation

Nottingham Trent Psychology

Coventry Automotive Engineering Mechanical Engineering

Oxford Ancient History & Archaeology Biology Chemistry Classics Geography History Mathematics & Computer Science

Bath Biochemistry Economics Engineering Management Mathematics Mathematics & Statistics Mechanical Engineering Politics & International Relations Birmingham Business Management Chemistry Civil Engineering Economics Engineering History Liberal Arts Physics Physiotherapy Sport & Exercise Science Bristol Biomedical Science Chemistry Engineering Film & TV History Law

Cambridge Geography History Law

Kingstonian

Exeter Economics History History & International Relations Law Psychology and Sport & Exercise Science Glasgow Geography Imperial College London Aeronautical Engineering Biochemistry King’s College London Classics Kent Comparative Literature Loughborough Product Design Sport & Exercise Science Leeds Business Management Geography International Relations Sport & Exercise Science Manchester Chemistry Drama & English Neuroscience Philosophy & Politics Physics with Philosophy Social Anthropology Newcastle History Mathematics Modern Foreign Languages

Camberwell Art Foundation

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Edinburgh German & History

Nottingham Biology Civil Engineering Economics Engineering 2018/19

Oxford Brookes Sport & Exercise Science Plymouth Geography QMUL Medical Genetics Physics Reading Art & Psychology Business & Management Pharmacy Royal Holloway Music Psychology Royal Veterinary College Bioveterinary Science Sheffield Computer Science Sheffield Hallam Quantity Surveying St George’s Biomedical Science Swansea Economics & Business UCL Architecture Engineering Urdang Academy Musical Theatre Foundation Warwick English & Theatre Studies Westminster Psychology York Psychology

NOTICEBOARD

75% Glasgow

Edinburgh

85% 67% 80% 10 of grades were A*/A/B

Newcastle

of grades were A*/A

York Leeds Manchester Sheffield Hallam Sheffield Nottingham Trent Nottingham Loughborough Birmingham Coventry

Swansea

Bristol Cardiff

Cambridge Warwick Oxford Brookes Oxford Bath

of students achieved places at Russell Group universities

Oxbridge entrants

Reading Kent

London (11)

Exeter Plymouth

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NOTICEBOARD Class of 2019

of students achieved their first-choice university

NOTICEBOARD Class of 2019

NOTICEBOARD

Au revoir, not goodbye The Upper Sixth Graduation and Ball were a huge success, and a testament to this year group’s time at KGS. The elegant ceremony took place in the Hall, with the Head Master praising the achievements of all students during their time in Sixth Form. A particular highlight this year was hugging his own daughter, Alice, and then being hugged in return by Rory Lynch!

This was followed by heartfelt and often moving tributes from tutors as they presented their tutees with awards and prizes. Ms Clifford certainly won the tutor popularity award with hugs from each and every one of her tutees! There wasn’t a dry eye in the house by the time she has got through her charges.

After a sunny drinks reception in the QEII quad for both parents and students, buses arrived to whisk the Leavers and staff away to Sandown Park for the evening. The racecourse is a fantastic location for this final celebration, and drinks on the terrace in the gorgeous evening sunlight was followed by a delicious three-course meal. Speeches by Katie Orrell and Josh Askew were a fitting tribute and were followed by dancing to round off the evening. Students (and staff, led by Mr Cooper and Mr Sorley!) packed out the dancefloor before the evening drew to a close.

It was a wonderful night, and a great way to say a fond farewell to this wonderful group of young men and women. They can be rightly proud of all they have achieved throughout their time at KGS. We wish them all the very best for the future, and hope that they will stay in touch.

Miss B McDonald, Director of Sixth Form

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Kingstonian

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NOTICEBOARD Class of 2019

NOTICEBOARD

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NOTICEBOARD 2019 leavers

NOTICEBOARD

2019

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leavers

NOTICEBOARD School Captains: Toby Fairhurst, Katie Orrell I School Vice-Captain: Olivia Gooding I Senior Prefects: Max Cairney-Leeming, Reuben Cooper, Ellena Eley, Millie Giglio, Isadora Jones, Yiorgos Karidis, Jonny Kerr, Freya King, Zoe Samama, Joe Schomberg, Joe Young I Prefects: Hamza Ahmad, Josh Askew, Aryan Bhasin, Alice Chevallier, Wonwoo Choi, Max Dawson, Hugo Delsol, Hugo Dreux, Amy Falconer, Lydia Fisher-Norton, Jess Francis, Frances Hedley, Rachel Heynike, Elin Humphrey, Sorrel Humphrey, Freddie Kar, Daisy Langton, Carrie Liu, Henry Lodge, Clara Lyckeus, Ellen Lyckeus, Lucy McNeil, Matti Musk, Amelia Petersen, Sally Sime, Charlotte Smith, Melina Williams I House Captains & Vice-Captains I Lovekyn Millie Giglio, Yiorgos Karidis, Amy Falconer, Molly Chesney I Walworth Alice Chevallier, Freya King, Freddie Harwood, Aryan Bhasin I Queen’s Josh Askew, Alice Lehec, Daisy Langton, Luke Good I Taverner Lydia Fisher-Norton, Matti Musk, Ellen Buttanshaw, Lauren Betts I Stanley Sally Sime, Lucy McNeil, Ben Harrison-Hyde, Charlotte Smith

NOTICEBOARD 2019 leavers

Lauren Anderson, Sophie Burden, Oliver Cann, Leah Chahine, Nadine Chahine, George Churchill, Zoe Clark, Serena Clarke, Alexander Clay, Charlie Davies, Anna Kimberly Djehanian, Aoife D’Mello, Tom Dugdale, Lucy Evans, Grace Everitt, Carlos Geoghegan, Jimmy Gibson, Anusha Gorin, Philippa Graham, Joe Gray, Jacob Hollaway, Sean Huh, Eren Humphreys, Oli Jackson, Tom Jennings, Daisy Kakkar, Rahul Khandelwal, Yoon Ha Kim, Stacey Kozhevnikova, Sam Langston, Alex Lieu, Olivia Lloyd, Rory Lynch, Will Mackintosh, Nikita Magnitskiy, Ryan Mahnke, Siddhant Manchanda, Jade McNicholas, Benedict Merriman, Georgia Merritt, Luke Mobley, Juhi Moghul, Grace Moore, Ed Nicholas, Sophie Palacios, Harry Paterson, Sasha Payne, Aadam Qureshi, Artie Rice-Oxley, Duncan Ridsdale, Allie Rivero Pilditch, Jasmina Rucinska, Stefan Saoulis, Zain Sayed-Kumar, Gemma Scott, Min-Woong Seo, Niall Shinn, Finn Snow, Lillie Sunderland, Daniel Sykes, James Thompson, Jack Thorpe, Kate Ukiah, Greg Vasilisin-Tack, Ellie Wall, Oscar Warman, Theo Weeden, Christian Werner, Bea Wilding.

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NOTICEBOARD

In other news...

NOTICEBOARD In other news...

A

balmy September night saw the KGS community put on its finest feathers for A Night at the Oval, the first KGS Ball to be organised jointly by the PSA and the School.

Guests sipped champagne on the Corinthian Roof Terrace with its views over the pitch and stunning London skyline whilst KGS students provided an exquisite musical backdrop.

Members of the KGS CCF, looking resplendent in their dress uniform, then ushered guests to dinner in the England Suite for a sumptuous meal with lots of entertainment.

Former England cricketer Matthew Hoggard MBE regaled us all with roguish tales from England’s epic 2005 Ashes series. A silent auction ran throughout the evening using interactive hand-held bidding technology and was followed by a live auction with our fabulous MC and auctioneer, award-winning comedian Dominic Holland, who kept everyone amused throughout.

As the auction closed, the elevenpiece live band, The Blunter Brothers, had the dance floor buzzing.

The generosity of those who attended and offered auction prizes meant that we raised £29,000 to upgrade the KGS minibus fleet and support the School’s Fee Assistance Fund, as well as £2,750 for Shooting Star Chase Children’s Hospice.

As ever, it takes a team of people for an event of this scale to be a success and this was no exception.

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From Liz Beatty, Head of Development to Mr Laflin, Director of Music and from Capt. Beggs, Contingent Commander CCF to a trusty band of KGS parents, the success of the evening is down to much hard work and commitment. Particular thanks go to parent Monique Lawson-Smith who threw herself wholeheartedly into helping secure sponsorship, advertising and prizes for both the live and silent auctions.

Suzanne McGillivray & Jenny Walker Co-Chairs, KGS PSA

Guests sipped champagne on the Corinthian Roof Terrace with its views over the pitch and stunning London skyline whilst KGS students provided an exquisite musical backdrop

NOTICEBOARD

The dog show was one of the many highlights, and it was lovely to see so many students entering into the fun with their pets. There was much oohing and aahing from the delighted crowd, and prizes were awarded for the waggiest tail, most talented pooch and the dog the judges would most like to take home. Thanks to KGS parents Naslee Hogarth and Claire Feltham for managing, and to Third Year student Imogen Marinko for the wonderful doggie logo created especially for the event.

Also a great crowd pleaser was the incredible display from the CCF, demonstrating the skill and agility made famous by the Royal Navy to assemble and transport a field gun around an obstacle course in the

and scrumptious hot food, refreshments and bake-off cakes.

There was even a chance to take on the Head Master in Beat the Goalie, but only three children succeeded in getting the ball past Mr Lehec!

There was even a chance to take on the Head Master in Beat the Goalie, but only three children succeeded in getting the ball past Mr Lehec!

Extra special thanks go to PSA Co-Chairs Suzanne McGillivray and Jenny Walker who, supported by the Development Team, worked hard for months to plan and deliver such a successful event. Sincere thanks to the parents (48!) who volunteered on the day, including Angela Dormer for managing the large food area and Steve Dormer for providing a running commentary to keep everyone entertained. Thanks also to our sponsor, Guy Salmon Jaguar Land Rover Thames Ditton, to the KGS Facilities and Ground Staff teams, and to the hundreds of visitors who supported us on the day. The event raised ÂŁ1,300 which will be donated by the PSA to help fund new staging equipment for the School Hall.

Miss L Beatty, Head of Development

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NOTICEBOARD In other news...

F

or one special day only, dogs were allowed on to the field at Ditton for the inaugural KGS PSA Summer Fayre.

quickest possible time. Not only did the cadets perform the feat twice, but they also worked hard on the day stewarding traffic. Our thanks go to all who took part, and to Capt. Beggs, Mr Gardner and Mr Casasanto for supporting the CCF in preparing and performing on the day.

Many talented KGS musicians took to the stage to perform an eclectic mix of modern and traditional sounds, including the Stanley Band, KGS Jazz Ensemble, Red Handed, Poly and the Phonics, newly-formed Magnesis making their stage debut and solo electronic music performer Joseph Oxborrow (1T). Thanks to Mrs Sankey for recruiting our performers and to KGS parents Sarah Jordan and Andrew Skeet for managing the live music.

As if all that wasn’t enough, visitors also enjoyed giant inflatable games, face painting, sports activities, shopping at the many market stalls,

ACADEMIC LIFE

Credits: (Top row from left) Amelia Metcalf (Fifth Year), Jack Atherton (Fifth Year), Josh Stainer (Fifth Year) (Centre row from left) Charlotte Higham (Fifth Year), Evie Yarde-Leavett (Fifth Year), Joseph Hughes (Fifth Year)

ACADEMIC LIFE Art

(Bottom row from left ) Shivani Rajasingham (Fifth Year), Lily Mercier (Fifth Year), Lily Mercier, Frances Chorley (Fifth Year)

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ACADEMIC LIFE

nce again, it was a truly creative and very successful year in the Art Department. All sixteen of our A Level artists produced outstanding work throughout the course and contributed to the most exciting, challenging and skillful Summer Exhibition we have ever mounted in the Finlay Gallery. All of them achieved A* or A grades in the final exam, which was just reward for their hard work. The sheer number of Sixth Form students working in the Department generated an incredible creative energy that served to inspire all who ventured into the Art Studios during the year.

The KGS Art Society continued its programme of Friday evening trips and kicked off early in the term with a visit to the annual BP Portrait Awards at the National Portrait Gallery. Subsequent excursions took in work by Frida Kahlo, Bill Viola and Michelangelo, plus a range of artists at the Newport Street Gallery and the Hayward Gallery. The Leyshon Summer Art Competition, which has run since 1998, was won this year by Alicia Bramwell from the Second Year with a beautiful and joyous painting of a child leaping into a swimming pool. Our Sixth Form students always undertake a course of in-house life-drawing classes but this year’s cohort were especially lucky to have a visiting tutor from the Royal Academy Art School run a day-long life-drawing workshop via the RA outreach programme. The experience truly enriched the students’ artwork and much of their submissions for the rest of the year displayed influences from this intensive day of study, with a large painting of a sleeping figure by Jess Francis, which currently hangs in the Baxter Gallery, being an excellent example.

Our Art Scholars are always the leading lights of the Art Department and do so much to enhance the standard of work and overall experience of all the students at KGS. This year they produced wonderful designs for the Head Master’s official KGS Christmas cards and fine paintings to adorn his office.

They were lucky enough to take part in a sculpture workshop run by Michelle Castles at the Landmark Arts Centre in Teddington and a course of in-house enrichment classes run by Mr Garcia. These opportunities served to expand their technical skills and push conceptual boundaries for the young artists.

The spectacular Summer Exhibition was attended by students, parents and many friends. Highlights included work by Fran Bern, Emilia Hazel, Gabi Bergmann-Chornik, Olivia Casci, Lara Hood, Nyah Lear, Amelia Metcalf, Maria Uria Kabashima, Charlotte Higham, Wenqian Liu, Lily Mercier, Madeleine Wynne and Evie Yarde-Leavett at GCSE level. A Level artists produced a varied and spectacular display of paintings, drawings, sculptures and an installation that included a frightening film made by Lauren Betts. We are extremely proud of all of these artists and the work they produced. The display is in full view of the general public who pass on the London Road and makes a fabulous addition to the new Sixth Form areas in that part of the school.

All the Upper Sixth who applied won places at the country’s top art schools to study Foundation Art & Design or Architecture: Daisy Langton is going to Camberwell School of Art, Anna Kimberly Djehanian to Central Saint Martin’s School of Art, Ellen Buttanshaw to Reading University and Clara Lyckeus is studying Architecture at University College London. We wish them all the very best and shall miss their artistic endeavours.

Mr J Dyson, Head of Art

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O

Art

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Credits: (Top row from left) Anusha Gorin (Upper Sixth), Milo Dickens (Fifth Year), Ellen Buttanshaw (Upper Sixth), Maria Uria Kabashima (Fifth Year), Tim Daw (Fifth Year), Lillie Sunderland (Upper Sixth) (Centre row from left) Lara Hood (Fifth Year), Nikita Magnitskiy (Upper Sixth), Patrick Gubbay (Fifth Year), Olivia Casci (Fifth Year), Evie Yarde-Leavett (Fifth Year)

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(Bottom row from left) Olivia Casci, Natalia Box (Fifth Year), Lauren Anderson (Upper Sixth), Jamie Moore (Fifth Year), Annabell Theron (Fifth Year), Matilda Halliwell (Fifth Year)

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Credits: (Top row from left) Stacey Kozhevnikova (Upper Sixth), Daisy Langton (Upper Sixth), Joe Gray (Upper Sixth), Carrie Liu (Upper Sixth), Clara Lyckeus (Upper Sixth) (Centre row from left) Eva Molchanova (Fifth Year), Jess Francis (Upper Sixth), Flora Gilmour (Fifth Year), Millie Giglio (Upper Sixth), Millie Giglio, Ellen Buttanshaw (Upper Sixth)

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(Bottom row from left) Sophie Burden (Upper Sixth), Anna Kimberly Djehanian (Upper Sixth), Clara Lyckeus (Upper Sixth), Anusha Gorin (Upper Sixth), Lauren Betts (Upper Sixth)

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ACADEMIC LIFE Art

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Credits: (Top row from left) Shivani Rajasingham (Fifth Year), Tarun Ramphul (Fifth Year), Francesca Bern (Fifth Year), Wenqian Liu (Fifth Year) (Centre row from left) Evie Yarde-Leavett (Fifth Year), Patrick Gubbay (Fifth Year), Max Burrows (Fifth Year), Andrei Vasilisin-Tack (Fifth Year), Nyah Lear (Fifth Year)

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(Bottom row from left) Daisy Langton (Upper Sixth), Rohan Saha (Fifth Year), Patrick Gubbay (Fifth Year), Carrie Liu (Upper Sixth), Emma Sloan (Fifth Year), Sam Cooper (Fifth Year)

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ACADEMIC LIFE Art

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Credits: (Top row from left) Tim Daw (Fifth Year), Maria Uria Kabashima (Fifth Year), Madeleine Wynne (Fifth Year), Sibel Eksi (Fifth Year), Stacey Kozhevnikova (Upper Sixth) (Centre row from left) Annabell Theron (Fifth Year), Elena De Mello Martin (Fifth Year), Charlotte Higham (Fifth Year), Freya Worsley (Fifth Year), Francesca Bern (Fifth Year)

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(Bottom row from left) Sinan Eksi (Fifth Year), Zoe Mason (Fifth Year), Milo Dickens (Fifth Year), Gabi Bergmann-Chornik (Fifth Year), Thomas Aymat (Fifth Year), Finlay Worsley (Fifth Year)

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ACADEMIC LIFE Art

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ACADEMIC LIFE Biology

Biology Exam successes 2018–19 was another successful year for the Biology Department. The academic results were very pleasing: 42% of all A Level students gained an A or A* grade, one of whom was Hamza Ahmad who gained a place at Oxford to study Biology. It was the first year of the new 9–1 graded GCSE, with the students excelling in unprecedented numbers. More than half achieved a grade 9 (53%) and the majority achieved a grade 8 or 9 (85%), the equivalent of an old A* grade.

Perdix perdix Field trips The arrival of grey partridge eggs in June proved to be one of the most exciting school events of the year. Ten eggs were delivered and the whole school was on the edge of its seat as we live-streamed the hatching, waiting to see what would happen next! The Biology Department has never had so many frequent visitors, as students and teachers alike came to admire and observe the chicks.

Junior Science Club This year has seen another stellar group of students joining Junior Science Club. The highlight during October was the Egg Drop Challenge.

All students started with a limited number of resources (all plastic free!) that they had to use to build a protective device for their eggs that would protect them from multiple drops of increasing height. The variety of designs produced was amazing and over half the eggs survived all drops! Rainbows became a theme after Christmas as pH rainbows were made using different chemicals; coloured water was walked between beakers and white light was split into its constituent colours. As Easter approached the students investigated how to make eggs float and started planting seeds for the summer. During the Summer term the Second Year projects were finalised and included a model catamaran, waterproofing a pizza box and investigating the suitability of pizza boxes for decomposition and growing seeds.

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Five eggs hatched but unfortunately two of the chicks didn’t survive into the following week. The remaining three chicks, however, were feisty and developed fast. Infant mortality amongst bird populations in the wild is natural, where survival rates for hatched chicks may only be 28%: our 60% survival rate can be deemed a great success. The viable chicks spent the remainder of their ten-day stay with us in the brooder before being collected and taken to a grey partridge conservation facility. They will stay there for up to a year in order to grow and mature before being released into the wild. Hopefully, this small contribution to conservation of grey partridges in the UK will help ensure the survival of the species for generations to come.

Our co-curricular exploits really caught the headlines this year.

In a change to previous years, our Second Years visited Marwell Zoo in Hampshire. The students toured the expansive site and carried out a treasure-hunt-style search for endangered and threatened animal species housed at Marwell. With the site being much larger than London Zoo, students were able to observe a very different array of animal species from the ones they may encounter in NW1.

The A Level field trip to Leeson House in June was a fantastic experience for our Lower Sixth.

We were again blessed with pleasantly dry and cool weather that was conducive to the hard work that was expected. The group proved to be very focussed and industrious and synthesised some exciting individual research projects that are assessed as part of their A Level practical endorsement award.

Outbreak!

British Science Week this year saw the arrival of Operation Outbreak to KGS. Using paper bands, the whole Lower School simulated a disease outbreak across the school site.

Students were able to come to the KGS Infection Clinic in the Hall to report where and when they became infected and then collect more bands with which to infect others. With students asking questions about disease spread, sanitation and learning about vaccinations, this was an exciting week, especially once teachers could be infected with the mutated virus!

Mr M Rodgers, Head of Biology & Mr J Flavell, Biology

The arrival of grey partridge eggs in June proved to be one of the most exciting school events of the year. Ten eggs were delivered and the whole school was on the edge of its seat as we live-streamed the hatching, waiting to see what would happen next!

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ACADEMIC LIFE Chemistry

Chemistry T

here was a lot of change in the Chemistry Department this academic year, not least saying goodbye to Miss Hall, who left us after 18 years’ service.

As both Head of Science and Head of Chemistry for 17 years, she was a stalwart of the Department and will be very much missed (see page 141 for our farewell piece). At the same time, we welcomed Mr Casasanto and Mr Reay who have been excellent additions to the team, and have brought with them lots of creativity and new ideas.

W

e had a fun and keen bunch of Upper Sixth students, and our numbers going on to study Chemistry or Chemistry-related degrees at university is one of the highest in recent years.

Kingston Grammar School @KGS_Science The main change this year has been the arrival of the Chemistry Department on Twitter!

We have enjoyed embracing the opportunities it provides to promote our subject to the outside world and whilst we are obviously unable to showcase some of the more impressive videos (go to @KGS_Science to see them!) we thought you would like to see a selection of our most aesthetically pleasing tweets opposite...

Aryan Bhasin Biochemistry at Imperial Tom Dugdale Chemistry at Manchester Amy Falconer Chemistry with Year in Industry at Cardiff Sean Huh Chemistry at Cardiff Artie Rice-Oxley Chemistry at Birmingham Duncan Ridsdale Chemistry at Bristol Finn Snow Biochemistry at Bath Joe Young Chemistry at Oxford We wish them all the very best in their endeavours at university and we look forward to hearing how they get on with their studies!

Dr L Winning, Head of Chemistry

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#followusontwitter

ACADEMIC LIFE #KGS3rdYear are studying rates: reactions go faster at higher temperatures. #Glowsticks are brighter (but don’t last so long) when in hot water [left], or dimmer (but last longer) when on ice [right].

ACADEMIC LIFE Chemistry

You might not have heard of ketones such as propanone or benzophenone, but we’re sure you’ve heard of #toblerone!

IUPAC purists will see that this one is tobler-2-one. Thanks to Mr C for a great (and tasty) #chemistryjoke to start the week in the #KGSchemistry office!

First time distillation with #KGSlowersixth #KGSchemistry

Model building proved quite fiddly and tricky to complete in the time, but some excellent progress on an atom-scale model using @CochranesOxford Orbit model system. Also some good structural models in card, showing the minor and major grooves in the double helix structure.

#KGSlowersixth #KGSchemistry students making use of their organic practical skills in this morning’s core practical, preparing 2-chloro -2-methylpropane.

On Tuesday in #ScienceClub we’re making walking water! Making use of capillary action the dyed water will move between beakers!

1T/Sc paying close attention to changes when calcium carbonate is mixed with sulphuric acid! I think #effervescence is our new favourite keyword! #KGSchemistry #KGS science @KGS_HeadofFirst

Follow us on twitter

@KGS_Science

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Classics ACADEMIC LIFE Classics

The highlight of the year was the Second Year trip to Sorrento.

The students showed great enthusiasm throughout, making the packed three days very enjoyable for all concerned. From exploring the Flavian amphitheatre at Pozzuoli to walking along the streets of Herculaneum and Pompeii, they were immersed in the culture behind their Latin course.

The Fifth Year Latin and Greek students performed wonderfully in their GCSEs, with 78% of all grades being 8 or 9

C

lassics enjoyed another highly successful year.

As always, it was sad to say farewell to the outgoing Upper Sixth students but they left with superb A Level results.

We are delighted that Reuben Cooper and Ellena Eley will take up their places at Oxford for Classics and Ancient History & Archaeology respectively. Zain Sayed-Kumar also found it too difficult to leave Virgil and Cicero behind and will read Classics at King’s College London. The Fifth Year Latin and Greek students performed wonderfully in their GCSEs, with 78% of all grades being 8 or 9.

Lower down the school we were encouraged by the large number of Second Year students opting to continue with Latin and the loyal

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band of Junior Classics Club enthusiasts in the First Year. In addition to frothing Vesuvii, students produced writing tablets, plays and mosaics with a healthy dose of Percy Jackson and confectionery thrown in for good measure.

We were fortunate to have the help of Mrs Russell, whose Italian fluency was greatly appreciated, Mr Wenham, and Mrs Macfarlane, whose geographical know-how proved invaluable as we scaled the sulphurous heights of Vesuvius.

Despite some confusing assertions that the Neapolitan pizza was not a patch on Domino’s, the students were a credit to KGS and a joy to be around.

Dr L Snook, Head of Classics (until July 2019)

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ACADEMIC LIFE Classics

From exploring the Flavian amphitheatre at Pozzuoli to walking along the streets of Herculaneum and Pompeii, they were immersed in the culture behind their Latin course

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ACADEMIC LIFE Design & Technology

D&T C

ongratulations and a huge well done to Team Descalator (Saskia Thompson, Polina Turnbull and Ben Reilly) for winning the Design & Construction category in the National TeenTech Awards Competition held at the highly prestigious Institute of Engineering and Technology, Savoy Place, London. The TeenTech Awards are an annual initiative that challenges young people aged 11–19 to tackle key societal and environmental issues using the power of science, technology and engineering and maths. Each year, finalists present their ideas live to a panel of judges made up of celebrities, journalists and eminent academics. In addition, more than 35 universities and 70 companies mentor the students.

Descalator is a ‘down-only’ escalator that uses generators to produce electricity when people descend stairways. This energy is then stored in batteries and used to power low voltage lighting and computers. There are huge reserves of potential energy from people in office buildings and public spaces created when people ascend.

The students worked hard to develop and refine their idea whilst attending the Technology Club during the Autumn and Spring terms. The judges were very impressed with the originality and creative idea and commended the students on scooping the top prize in the Design & Construction category with a TeenTech trophy and £1000 to spend on future projects. Very well done to them all!

Mr D Farr, Head of Design & Technology

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ACADEMIC LIFE

A LEVEL PROJECTS

Student’s fold-down desk, Oscar Warman

B

Automatic cat feeder, Alex Lieu

ack in September, Fourth Year Graphics students started working on their StarPack design brief, Alternative Advent: in the age of technology and digital interaction is the traditional advent calendar outdated? How would you mark each day of advent, rather than with a piece of chocolate?

The Schools’ Starpack Packaging Design Awards are designed to encourage students to take up a career in the exciting world of consumer packaging design.

Packaging is an industry that is around us every day but one that we take little notice of. Look around you – in the supermarket, in your home, in your school – every item has arrived in a package and outer packaging used for transportation.

Packaging has three main functions: preserve, protect and promote.

Following the completion of their work, six students were put forward for judging: Amelia Barnes, Amelia Booker, Josh Dugdale, Will Egby, Matthew Harley and Sophie Morris.

The judging took place in May 2019 and their work was scrutinised by industry professionals from Graphic Packaging International, the awards sponsor.

Amelia Booker was awarded a Silver prize for her Netflix calendar, Matthew Harley a Bronze for his breakfast cereal concept and Josh

Dugdale was highly commended for his Scandinavian-style Christmas tree. Together with Mrs Hetherington and Miss Beckford, the prize winners were invited to the awards ceremony at the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining. They collected their well-deserved prizes and to celebrate their achievements, along with the winners from other schools, they travelled through London on a vintage Routemaster bus which took them to the London Eye, where they enjoyed spectacular views.

Congratulations to the winners and to all the Fourth Years who took part in the competition.

Mrs R Hetherington, Design & Technology

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ACADEMIC LIFE Design & Technology

Child’s ride-on toy, Ben Merriman

ACADEMIC LIFE Drama

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Drama UNLUCKY FOR SOME *************

13 by Mike Bartlett was a thought-provoking piece which questioned the responsibilities of powerful leaders in government and civil movements and the choices they make.

The initial focus is on John, a missionary and public speaker.

Rory Stroud played him with immense skill and charisma, occasionally showing signs of harshness under his warm and welcoming exterior.

John negotiates with Lydia Fisher-Norton’s Prime Minister and Stephen, her apathetic, terminally ill adviser (Alex Clay). The plain stage layout of only a slowly rotating table allowed the actors to perform in the round for heightened realism.

We see John’s disciples realise he is not the innocent they had believed him to be. The lighting around him fades to black, leaving his followers with only the lights from their phones. This could symbolise how he is no longer a beacon of light for them, and the only guidance they have left is through social media – which, ironically, is from where most of his followers know him.

The closing monologue was from the perspective of a soldier, ignored and side-lined throughout the play. Full of raw emotion, his words suggested that the people on the front line experiencing trauma and intense moral dilemmas were the ones heard least during the debates leading up to war.

Marina Kornilova, 5CLB

*************

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME ************* The Wizard of Oz was a charming, spirited production. Lucy Medley (2W) was a wonderful Good Sorceress of the North who helped Dorothy (Alicia Bramwell, 2T) return home to Kansas. Along the way, Dorothy came across Nell Gudgin’s (1Q) brainless Scarecrow, the Tin Man (Ethan Harcourt, 1W) on a quest to get a heart and Ffion Rowe’s (2S) cowardly Lion on the hunt for courage. Along with puppeteer Amelie Lear (1Q) who subtly led Toto around the stage, they made their way to the Emerald City to meet the Wizard of Oz (William Taylor, 2L) and to fight The Wicked Witch of the West (Dayoung Ko, 2L). It was impressive to see new interpretations of these roles such as a bolder Dorothy, a guileless Wizard and a more anxious Tin Man. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when we heard him say “now I know I have a heart, because it’s breaking.”

A live orchestra of Juliet Gray (4JJK), Sophia Snow (4JJK), Jemima Jordan (3Q) and Lila Skeet (3S) superbly accompanied the actors as they performed classics such as Follow the Yellow Brick Road and Over the Rainbow.

Behind the scenes, Sixth Formers Anand Aggarwal and Isabelle Whitehill headed up a student crew who used projection and strobe lighting to make the transition from the tornado in Kansas to the munchkin-land of Oz in a matter of seconds, with Toby Ison (3T) making his debut as Sound Operator. Special thanks as ever to Mrs Borrows for her delightful costumes which would not be out of place in the West End. Mr R Gee, Acting Head of Drama (until July 2019)

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SIMPLY ‘GREAT’ *************

Richard Bean’s satirical comedy Great Britain shines a sharp light on the three Ps – press, police and politicians – and explores the corrupt chain binding them. This was an ambitious choice of production but the thespians executed their undertaking with flair, humour and panache.

A convincing cast of lurid characters included Tim Daw as Wilson, the foul-mouthed newspaper editor.

Ben Temple-Bowles ably played Pascal O’Leary, a man offering unqualified support to a political party in exchange for the right to bid for ownership of ITV. A host of other blossoming actors filled the press office and busied themselves throughout, digging dirt on everyone from Princess Anne to Vladimir Putin.

The chief focus, though, is on the dynamic, ambitious news editor, Paige Britain. Her desire for a story leads to enlisting police help to nail the supposed killer of two missing children and to work hand in glove with phone-hacking private investigators. In this role, Louisa Marshall gave a performance beyond her years.

Great Britain, a kaleidoscope of short scenes, is blessedly funny.

Far and away the most absurd character is the Police Commissioner, played with admirable straight-laced sincerity by Zain Ahmad. Faced with an intractable murder inquiry he makes a television appearance only to announce – “a clue is the one thing I’ve not got” and subsequently allows himself to be publicly tasered in the interests of good PR. This was a most impressive production led by an inspired director and executed with energy and bravura.

Great night, great fun, Great Britain!

Mrs S Corcoran, Head of Learning Support

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*************

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EDINBURGH FESTIVAL *************

ACADEMIC LIFE Drama

I

t has become custom for KGS to take a production to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival every two years. This year, the KGS Theatre Company performed the little-known play, Rattigan’s Nijinsky by Nicholas Wright at The Space in Surgeon’s Hall.

The play explores the playwright Terrence Rattigan’s fascination with the celebrated dancer Nijinsky.

During his final years, Rattigan is working on a script about Nijinsky’s life, marriage and relationship with his mentor. The script is a cathartic experience for him, enabling him to use Nijinsky to express his own demons and sexuality.

Nineteen Sixth Form students took part in this nuanced and sophisticated piece. It is a complex play, with shifting time periods and locations. Mr Crohill did a brilliant job of conveying this through original, simple staging and highly effective black and white moving projections.

There were many stand-out performances, notably Alex Clay (U6) as the tormented Rattigan, Matti Musk (U6) putting his ballet skills to perfect use as Nijinsky, Marcus Tapper (L6) as the predatory Diagolev and Izzy James (L6) as Nijinsky’s wife. The supporting cast permeated the play with beautifully observed cameos: a troupe of Russian Ballet dancers, chief executives, eccentric doctors and theatre ushers. All were fully immersed and switched roles seamlessly. This is a credit to the directorial skills of Mr Crohill and the outstanding talent of our students.

The play gives a snapshot of two extraordinary real-life figures from the past, leaving you wanting to find out more about their work.

Mr R Gee, Acting Head of Drama

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There were many stand-out performances, notably Alex Clay (U6) as the tormented Rattigan

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*************

Under the watchful eye of our professional judges, Mark Hilton and Rosie Whitney-Fish, the audience were treated to a night of top-quality entertainment.

As well as solo performances, the hosts Amari Dahlhaus (5NHR) and Matti Musk (U6MWC) (now training at The Brit School and Urdang Academy, respectively) treated us to a poignant, subtle and original duet inspired by the film La La Land. Just as they got their breath back, they were ready to introduce the first set of dances: the duets. Notable performances included Walworth’s Florence Chevallier (4NAR) and Emily Parnis (3W) dancing to Bird Set Free

by Sia. Lovekyn’s Lara Pilcher (3L) and Caitlin O’Donovan (3L) danced with such poise and grace to Deadly Valentine by Charlotte Gainsbourg.

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HOUSE DRAMA *************

The Autumn half term ended with an outstanding evening of House Drama. The theme this year was ‘The Unexpected’ and every house performed innovative and polished pieces. Interpretations of the theme ranged from a young boy trying to fit in at a new school by pretending he had a scar, to a web of confusion in a modern-day family. The overall winner’s award went to Walworth for their play, A Boy with a Scar.

Walworth executed it with humour, pathos and poignancy; a deserving winner. It was fantastic to see so many students involved, including many First Years treading the boards for the first time!

KGS were thrilled to have guest judges Amelia Morse from Queen’s College and Arthur Darvill from Dr Who and Broadchurch fame.

Both gave fantastic feedback to the houses and were bowled over by the breadth of talent at KGS.

CURTAIN UP!

Throughout the year the Drama Department, with selected year groups, have enjoyed a huge variety of live theatre including: Road at the Royal Court directed

by John Tiffany

ACADEMIC LIFE Drama

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STRICTLY DANCE

The Musical Theatre section certainly raised the roof of the Michael Frayn Theatre this year and comprised songs from ‘jukebox’ musicals. We were treated to choreography to Uptown Girl from Movin’ Out, All Over The World from Xanadu, We Built This City from Rock of Ages, Should Be Dancing from Saturday Night Fever and Baggy Trousers from Our House.

Judge Mark Hilton picked out Diya Wadhwani (3Q) as having ‘star quality’.

A special mention must also go to Angelica Pasamontes Steel (3W) for delivering an outstandingly graceful solo routine. Congratulations should also go to Walworth who choreographed and performed with such unison in their Michael Jackson Medley.

The Lower Sixth boys from Taverner deserve special mention too: Tom Hollands, Cameron Macpherson, Thomas Driver and Matthew Shipley danced their parts with focus and skill in their Backstreet Boys ‘mash up’.

Huge congratulations to Queen’s who were chosen as the overall victors.

Jez Butterworth’s The Ferryman at the Gielgud Theatre directed

by Sam Mendes and starring Paddy Considine Tom Stoppard’s The Real Thing at The Rose, Kingston starring Laurence Fox Jane Eyre at the National Theatre directed by Sally Cookson

WINNERS: Best actor senior male: Joshua Stainer (Stanley) & Zac Sampson-Regal (Queen’s) Best actor senior female: Maddie Prichard (Lovekyn) Best actor junior male: Max Crampin (Queen’s) Best actor junior female: Ella Simon (Queen’s) Best male supporting actor: Joe Dudgeon (Taverner) Best female supporting actor: Anna Duggan (Taverner) Best direction: Walworth Best Original Script: Stanley Best Direction: Walworth

Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet at the Playhouse Theatre The Snow Queen from Quantum Theatre at the Michael Frayn Theatre Frantic Assembly’s production of Things I Know To Be True at the Lyric Hammersmith Matilda the Musical at the Cambridge Theatre Anthony Nielson’s The Prudes at the Royal Court Sophie Treadwell’s Machinal at the Almeida Frantic Assembly’s Fatherland at the Lyric Hammersmith An American in Paris NT Live at the Michael Frayn Theatre

Best ensemble: Queen’s Overall winner: Walworth

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ACADEMIC LIFE

ACADEMIC LIFE Economics

Economics I

n December, 33 Sixth Form Economics students travelled to the Emmanuel Centre in central London to take part in ‘Economics in Action’, an annual event where students are lucky enough to hear from some leading thinkers in their field.

Becky Maule, Head of the External Engagement Division at the Bank of England, spoke about the process by which monetary policy is administered. She went into detail about the power of the Bank of England to impact the economy through changing the Bank Rate (currently 0.75%), as well as the use of quantitative easing, when new money is injected into the economy.

Catherine Colebrook, Chief Economist and Associate Director for Economic Policy at the IPPR, discussed economic justice and how a society such as ours could achieve it in a period when technology is advancing at an accelerated rate, with economic injustice rising at far higher rates since 2008 in the UK.

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How can a society such as ours achieve economic justice in a period when technology is advancing at an accelerated rate, with economic injustice rising at far higher rates since 2008?

She proposed several solutions, including a requirement for firms to pay a higher minimum wage to workers hired on flexible terms and auto-enrolment into trade unions.

For Colebrook, these solutions aimed to ‘hard-wire’ justice into the economy and set a precedent for the future in which firms consistently distribute income equitably.

Next was Sam Dumitriu, Head of Research at the Adam Smith Institute, who discussed the economics of Uber. He detailed the way asymmetrical information can be combatted both through occupational licensing and by Uber’s own systems which rate the drivers using a star system, ensuring the drivers are safe and of a high quality.

The next speaker was worldrenowned author and columnist at the Financial Times Tim Harford, who answered the question ‘What do we get wrong when we think about new technologies?’.

He argued that most people view innovation in completely the wrong manner, in a similar way to the 1982 film Blade Runner in that innovation will necessarily lead to incredibly sophisticated and ‘futuristic’ pieces of technology.

Harford argued, however, that it

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We are delighted that so many Upper Sixth students have gone to study Economics or related degrees at university:

is the most efficient technology that paves the way for the future (particularly in terms of capital use), which can be as simple as the shipping containers that have enabled the growth of global trade, allowing countries to exploit their comparative advantage more fully. This can be seen with the emergence of solar power as a primary source of energy in developing countries not because it’s eco-friendly but because it’s cheap.

Oliver Cann Economics & Business at Swansea Molly Chesney Business Management at Birmingham Aoife D’Mello Economics at Nottingham

DID YOU KNOW?

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his year, students have given presentations on the lives and works of some of the great economic thinkers. From Adam Smith’s invisible hand to Richard Thaler’s use of behavioural economics in policy making, students were able to explain how these economists’ theories influence the world we live in. A particular highlight was Bijan Ghamsari’s explanation of the work of Daniel Kahneman. Repeating a series of experiments ran by Kahneman, Bijan showed how his peers tended to let loss aversion affect their rational decision making.

Anusha Gorin Business Management at Leeds Rachel Heynike Business & Management at Reading Freddie Harwood Economics & Philosophy at Cardiff Oliver Jackson Economics at Exeter Ryan Mahnke Economics at Bath

Finally, Stephen King, Senior Economic Adviser at HSBC, discussed the impact of emerging nations on Western economic prosperity. This talk was particularly focused on China’s explosive growth, with their economy expected to surpass the USA’s by 2029, making them the largest economy in the world.

Mr P Ricketts, Head of Economics (until July 2019)

Luke Mobley Economics at Birmingham Niall Shinn PPE at Nottingham

A source for many of these presentations was Old Kingstonian Niall Kishtainy’s book A Little History of Economics. The book is endorsed not just by the Economics Department at KGS but also by the Financial Times’s ‘undercover economist’, Tim Harford and Nobel Prizewinning economist Robert Shiller.

Described as an intellectual treasure trove, A Little History of Economics is published by Yale University Press.

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ACADEMIC LIFE Economics

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his year’s Pre-U results were again very pleasing, with Jack Thorpe and Zoe Samama gaining D1 grades, which only a handful of students obtain nationally.

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A SHORT STORY

ACADEMIC LIFE English

Going Home by Miri Scott

English Lower Sixth student Izzy Hepburn writes about her experiences studying English as she applies to read English & History at Oxford University.

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hough I’ve been a bookworm for most of my life, English wasn’t always one of my favourite subjects.

The last few years have changed that. Recently, my enjoyment of a text has often increased while studying it – Macbeth in Third Year was probably the earliest significant example. Analysing poems and plays as well as novels has also led me to seek out more literature in all these forms.

Before A Level, I rarely chose to read poetry in my spare time; that’s no longer the case, largely thanks to studying Duffy and Larkin.

English at KGS has been useful as well as fun, always challenging me to delve deeper into ideas, explore a greater variety of literature, and consider the wider literary and cultural context of the works studied.

The predominantly discussion-based lessons haven’t just helped me to understand particularly difficult poems or scenes, they’ve developed several skills that will be essential later in life. As I’m planning to study English at university as part of a joint degree, the more subject-specific skills I’ve learned will be useful: the next few years will contain a lot of close analysis and contextualisation of literature. Discussing ideas with an open mind and knowing how to craft an argument will be crucial at university and beyond that, whether as part of a job or simply in everyday life. On a similar note, the skills English Language gave me are still useful post-GCSE. 46

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In particular, the importance of knowing how to write persuasively has become apparent while drafting and re-drafting my personal statement.

Of course, there are many things to enjoy about English besides classroom discussions. I really liked the Lower Sixth trip to see Hamlet at Kingston College – although no two productions of a play are ever entirely the same, this one particularly stood out thanks to the gender-swapped cast. It was also notable for being the only theatre production of Hamlet I’ve had the opportunity to watch live, making this a memorable day out as well as making it easier to visualise the play when analysing it back at school.

Although the literature we study covers quite a wide mix, I’m glad to have the opportunity to extend this even further. Over the last few months, I’ve been attending extension classes and discussions of texts ranging from Old English epics to sixteenth-century satire. In giving me a taste of both the style of university seminars and the types of literature I might want to study after A Level (particularly medieval texts, which I’d had little prior experience of), these classes have been invaluable. Most importantly, they’ve developed my enthusiasm for studying texts and literary movements alongside the periods of history they belong to – exploring the connections between disciplines can often be illuminating, providing a better understanding of both literature and the culture it’s a part of. Vital though it is to learn skills that will be useful for life, that’s not my favourite aspect of studying English. Its ability to give me a deeper appreciation for an already-loved book, play or poem (or make me reconsider a text I’d previously been less positive about) is probably what I’m most grateful for.

I scream. Sit up. Sweat’s pouring down my face. Realise I had a nightmare – lie down again. I gaze at the tarpaulin ceiling of the refugee camp that has been my home now for years. Afghanistan is so far away, but the memories creep ever closer.

Mum. Armineh, my poor baby sister.

She’d be about four now, surely.

Despite the grief, the pain it gives me, I recall their faces, their eyes, their smiles. It’s getting harder each day to remember, like they’re slipping away from me, pouring through my memories like sand, until I have nothing left. I force myself to list their features – Mum’s deep-set, thoughtful eyes, her wavy black hair… or was it straight? For an awful moment I can’t remember. Wavy?

I will not just sit here and let my family leave me, I will not forget their faces.

Afghanistan is my home, but going back there…

Or straight? I can’t take it any longer.

I will not just sit here and let my family leave me, I will not forget their faces. Afghanistan is my home, but going back there… I shiver at the thought of it. Of the soldiers and bombs and mangled bodies left lying in a heap on the side of the road, mouths still twisted in an eternal scream. I barely escaped, but I have to return. I have to find my family.

No one asks where I’m going.

Nobody cares. I’m just a child, a parentless child, another mouth to feed. If I want to leave, who’s going to stop me? My rations will feed someone else tonight. In my head, I run through the plan. It’s hopeless, I know, but I have nothing else.

Deep in my mind, I unearth a memory I’ve tried to suppress. The smuggler’s boat. The storms and the sway, the cries of the babies, the foul smell of sick that raked through your stomach for more precious food to join it.

The constant fear that someone would find you, catch you, take you back to Afghanistan. Or that the storm and the sea would take you for themselves. Last time I was on that boat, I had been leaving the war-torn country. But this time, maybe I could go back.

The smuggler’s boat is worse than I remember. Storm Freya is here, and she is howling through the shuddering metal of the boat. A few inches beneath me is the cold, icy grasp of the sea. I can feel it beneath me, gripping, tearing, its watery fingers stroking the walls around me. I feel bile rise up in the back of my throat, force it down. It clambers back up again, and bursts out of my mouth. I cough, blink back the tears threatening to fall. Close my eyes. Try to sleep.

A kind, wizened face looks down at me. Smiles, claps when he sees I’m awake. Who is he? I struggle up onto my elbows, my eyes darting around in panic. He sees it and murmurs something soothing that I can’t quite make out, and lies me gently on my back again. I protest feebly until I see the plate of food he’s holding out to me. I haven’t eaten in days, and hunger is gnawing at my stomach ferociously. I forget my worries, and eat.

Awake again, and I’m creeping out.

I feel a pang of guilt at leaving this kind stranger, but this world cares nothing for kindness. I need to find my family, but they are behind the border.

Behind the soldiers with hearts of steel and guns desperate to fire.

Behind the wall of barbed wire, with menacing watchtowers and guards at every entry. It’s hard enough to get out, let alone to get back in. I walk.

The cold bites me, relentless and cruel. I fall into a rhythm, just letting my feet carry me onwards, trudging impassively into a nightmare land.

For days, I stumble past dead-eyed children weak with hunger, and tragic, desperate families whose eyes have lost all hope. With every step I feel my fragile resolve slipping, crumbling, but it’s too late to turn back now. I keep going. Suddenly, I am woken from my sleepwalk by the fast-looming border to Afghanistan. I start to find my way in.

My body begs me to stop, to rest, but I keep searching through the night.

And it is worth it – as the stars take up their positions in the deep, inky sky, I am rewarded for my efforts.

There – a gap in the spikes of the fence! It’s risky – if the sharp, glaring light of the watchtowers turns its eye on me, I will be shot. Bang. Dead.

Breathless, cold, and stiff with fear, I push myself down under the wire.

It’s a tight squeeze, and with every movement I feel as though I have been seen. With a final shimmy, I’m through, and now I’m running, sprinting, trying to be quiet but feeling every footstep like a drumbeat through my veins, my heartbeat so loud I’m amazed no one can hear it. I’m so close, I can feel freedom reaching for me.

Our fingertips touch for a moment but suddenly she is ripped roughly from me by the swiftly approaching glare of the watchtower light. For a second, I am illuminated, another star in the ebony cloak of night. It’s exhilarating.

Awake again, and I’m creeping out.

I feel a pang of guilt at leaving this kind stranger, but this world cares nothing for kindness.

But then the silence ends and I hear the frenzied voices behind me, the deafening noises raining around me as bullets pepper the earth. One is louder than the others, and as it screams by me I feel a sharp stab of agony in my leg. Have I been shot?

I keep running. Slowly, the bullets fade – I’ve lost them. The adrenaline slows, and a fresh wave of pain overcomes me. I inspect my leg.

I haven’t been shot but a piece of stone has buried itself deep in my flesh. Tearing off a piece of my T-shirt, I wrap it round the wound.

Get up. Move on.

Sleep eludes me. It is cowardly, chased away by the snarling pain that tears apart my leg. Yet my home, my family, I can’t just leave them. I go on.

However, with each faltering step I take towards them, the ominous feeling grows stronger. I limp past familiar buildings, places I knew and loved. They are nothing more than the echoes of the past now, desolate and ruined. My head is so full of tattered memories, I hardly know where I’m going. I just walk.

Suddenly, I turn a corner, and there is my house... No. It’s bombed, looted, the windows shattered and the door bashed in. The walls have crumbled and it has no roof. It’s empty like me, a shell, a horror. I don’t want to look, but my eyes are drawn to it. Where is my family? I sit down and cry.

Tears blur my eyes, but through the watery veil I see… a note? Flapping pathetically in the wind in a pitiful cry for attention, its thin paper fingers flowing with the breeze. Confused, numb with grief, I reach for the scrap.

For your safety, all inhabitants of this town are required to move to the nearest military base, located 200 miles south east from your current status.

You will remain there until further notice.

You are permitted to bring two items of clothing, one photo, one – I stop reading. I hold the fragile page like it could fall to pieces at any moment.

I am so tired, and I just want to stop, but I’ve been given hope and I can’t just let it go. I clutch the phrase to my chest. Two hundred miles south east. I repeat it like a mantra. I hold the page close. I sit and start to think – how can I reach them; how will I get there? Two hundred miles south east...

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Geography ACADEMIC LIFE Geography

Geography I

n the Geography Department we pride ourselves on it being a subject that is equally at ease outside the classroom as inside it. Even within the relative confines of the school walls, KGS Geographers will negotiate a dynamic journey through our diverse and ever-relevant subject.

We are very proud of the seven KGS students that are heading off to read Geography at university this Autumn, including School Captains Katie and Toby reading Geography at Oxford and Cambridge respectively. This year, 53% of A Level Geographers gained an A* whilst 80% of grades were A*–A. However, if you were to ask these students to discuss their most vivid and fond memories of their lessons it is, more often than not, their experiences outside the classroom, on field trips abroad and around the UK, that they remember.

Through lessons on OS maps in First Year we bring to life the human and physical landscapes of the United Kingdom

Through lessons on OS maps in First Year we bring to life the human and physical landscapes of the United Kingdom. In Second Year, students will explore Antarctica, the world’s most inhospitable region and be transported up into our Atmosphere to study Weather and Climate. At GCSE we study Rio de Janeiro, Nigeria, water management in Lesotho and Rajasthan and sustainable cities in Freiburg.

Closer to home, our lessons focus on regeneration in Bristol and the Purbeck coastline to name just two topics. We hope that having navigated successfully thus far, our students will continue their journey into A Level and beyond.

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These experiences not only helped to consolidate their knowledge and build their skills but, in many cases, confirmed their desire to discover more.

Second Year students, having studied Tectonic Hazards in First Year and Cold Environments in Second Year, visited Iceland, a Geographer’s paradise. Students in Fourth and Fifth Year spent a day in Seaford and Birling Gap, looking at the impact of coastal erosion and human attempts to manage it. Fourth Years also visited Bristol where they collected data on the impact of regeneration and explored this diverse, fast growing

Students in Fourth and Fifth Year spent a day in Seaford and Birling Gap, looking at the impact of coastal erosion and human attempts to manage it

and ever-changing city, from Banksy’s artwork to Clifton Suspension Bridge. GCSE Geographers were rewarded for this hard work, with 62% receiving a grade 9 this year and 100% of the cohort achieving grades 9–7.

Once a KGS Geographer has successfully navigated these experiences, in and out of the classroom, they are ready for A Level study and the residential trip to the Isle of Arran on the West Coast of Scotland. Here they collect data for their independent investigations which they write up in the Upper Sixth and which counts towards 20% of their A Level grade. This four-day residential trip allows the students to put into practice all the skills and knowledge they have developed in their Geography education to date and whilst working hard to gather data they also develop some fantastic memories to add to the many they have from their time at KGS. Mr A House, Head of Geography

We are very proud of the seven KGS students that are heading off to read Geography at university this Autumn, including School Captains Katie and Toby reading Geography at Oxford and Cambridge respectively

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ACADEMIC LIFE

ACADEMIC LIFE History

History Following the Armistice of November 1918...the School acknowledged that there was a lot to do to repair the pain, loss and division that had been created by the conflict

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ommemorating the First World War was naturally a key focus this year. We began with our annual combined History and English Third Year trip to Ypres, where we visited the German trench system at Bayernwald, Langemark German War Cemetery and the St Julien Canadian Memorial at Vancouver Corner.

The Senior History Society have spent much time on primary research; as you will read below, members explored the KGS Archive and the School’s very early documents held at the Kingston Borough Archive, including the original charter.

Dr K Kennedy, Head of History

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Boys and masters Around 250 boys and masters served in the British armed forces: 38 of them never came home. In 1920, KGS honoured their memory by commissioning the memorial plaque that we see in the Hall today.

We are lucky to have several first-hand accounts of their wartime experiences, sent into school during the conflict. July 1915’s Kingstonian, for example, featured a letter which talked about the noise of the ‘whiz-bang gun’ and the unpleasantness of not being able to wash whilst stationed in the trenches for a number of days, describing that after ten days you would end up a ‘rather picturesque sight, plenty of dirt and a long beard!’.

The following summer, the Kingstonian notes that WHS Collins was in Russia teaching English in a college at Kiev and when war broke out he joined the Russian Army as

a volunteer. For a little while, Collins taught the Russian soldiers to drive cars and later became a despatch rider. He was the first Englishman to enter Premyszl after the capitulation.

Sadly, Collins later contracted cholera and, being too ill to be moved, ended up becoming a prisoner of war at Deutsch-Gabel in Bohemia. He was awarded the (Russian) Medal of St. George for carrying despatches through territory occupied by the enemy.

Second Lieutenant JH Joy was captured and held as a prisoner of war, as was his brother, GE Joy, who was imprisoned in Antwerp.

In July 1916, the deaths of Captain BC Winser and 2nd Lieutenant GF Lambert were reported. Winser was in command of his Company during one of the German attacks on Ypres and he was last seen surrounded by Germans and fighting with both the butt end of his revolver and his fists. Lieutenant Lambert

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was sorting out tangled barbed wire outside his trench when he was shot through both legs. He later died in hospital. The Kingstonian recorded that the men were known in their regiments as ‘gallant and able officers’.

In November 1918, it was reported that a Mr Woodforde, who had been badly wounded in the foot in October 1918, died of pneumonia on Armistice Day.

ACADEMIC LIFE History

Freddie Pflanz, 4JJK

The house system and the development of the School The house system, introduced just months before war broke out in 1914, quickly became an important aspect of school life. Among the many early examples of house spirit was the occasion, in 1916, when one house turned out all but one of its members for a sports competition; the Kingstonian noted this fact with pride, stating that “keen Houses make a keen School”. Initially, inter-house competition was limited to sport, and there were only three houses: Lovekyn, Walworth and Queen Elizabeth (now referred to as Queen’s). The KGS CCF was founded in 1915 and these two areas of school life were closely linked for the rest of the war.

However, the war also impacted the house system in other ways, most notably the departure of all three House Masters to fight.

The House Master of Lovekyn, Mr Gardner, was killed in action in 1916 and Walworth’s House Master, Mr Rutherford, died two years later.

Mr White, however, survived the war and returned to KGS to continue as House Master of Queen Elizabeth.

In the early 1910s, KGS had fewer than a hundred pupils. Several issues of the Kingstonian from this period acknowledge this and refer to the possibility of a much-coveted “century”, referencing one of the School’s most popular sports, cricket. The achievement of this number not long after war broke out was due to the arrival of three Belgian refugees, which increased the number of students to 101; the March 1915 Kingstonian stated that KGS “owes an extra debt of gratitude to Belgium” for this, and students were granted a holiday to celebrate.

Izzy Hepburn, L6SRM

Looking to the future Following the Armistice of November 1918, whilst the School acknowledged that there was a lot to do to repair the pain, loss and division that had been created by the conflict, KGS was looking forward to a ‘new era’ when the School would ‘blossom as the rose, and its life be full of beauty and life’. In 1919, the first Speech Day was held since the start of the war and it was here the Head Master announced that school fees were to be increased by an extra 30 shillings per term to which the audience responded with laughter.

Soon after, the School received a war-worn German trench mortar from the War Office to “provide unborn Kingstonians with tangible evidence of the Great War which they will read about in their history books”. It is now our responsibility to preserve the memory of the First World War and, in particular, the sacrifices made by the KGS community.

Senior History Society

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ACADEMIC LIFE Library

Library

Extrem Readin e g

The annual Extreme Reading competition never fails to inspire students to find some slightly off-beat locations to indulge in their love of the written word!

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eptember began with our most ambitious National Poetry Day yet.

Sixth Former Lillie Sunderland was crowned the School’s first poet laureate, World Slam Poetry Champion Harry Baker performed and led poetry workshops, Craft Club produced stunning hand-decorated rocks and we launched our podcast, The Guilty Librarian, featuring a recording of Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky by some of KGS’s finest.

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otter fans were invited to a Harry Potter Book Night party complete with a sorting ceremony, chocolate frogs and Patronus charm bracelets.

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ur Lit Quiz teams had their best result yet, scooping the Kingston Lit Quiz and Inter-borough Lit Quiz cups in both the Junior and Senior categories.

We also said a sad goodbye to our Fourth Year students who will be too old to compete next year but ended their lit quizzing careers on a high!

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his year’s Trinity Schools Book Award on the theme of ‘Secrets and Lies’ really captured students’ imagination and for the first time had joint winners: Alice Broadway’s Ink and Paul Dowswell’s Auslander. After debating the shortlist, students met the authors at the awards ceremony.

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ore success continued with Second Year Anna Helbing winning the national competition to design a certificate for the new Kate Greenaway ‘Shadowers’ Choice’ award. She won a ticket to the Carnegie Medal ceremony where she presented her certificate to the winning artist.

Incidentally, this is the first year that KGS agreed with the Carnegie judges – Elizabeth Acevedo’s The Poet X was our shadowers’ firm favourite.

Mrs H Cleaves, Librarian

And finally...

We ran a Potter-inspired spell competition for which students were challenged to create a new cunning spell by combining elements of two different languages.

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n World Book Day students were lucky enough to meet Alex Wheatle MBE, whose heartbreaking life story had a profound impact on many and saw the longest queues yet at an author event with students desperate to get their hands on his award-winning Crongton Knights series.

First Year Izzy Reilly won the overall prize for the ‘best creative response’ with her breathtaking ‘skin book’ and tattoo photo gallery. Second Year Milly Gregg was awarded Highly Commended for her Ink-inspired ‘skin book’ with invisible writing.

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n October we were lucky enough to be visited by Heather Morris, author of the bestselling Tattooist of Auschwitz, who shared Lale’s fascinating true story with our older students and revealed some breathtaking additional stories that don’t feature in the book.

Editor’s note: She’s too modest to say it herself but our wonderful Librarian, Mrs Cleaves, made it into the final three of the School Librarian of the Year Award. After the nomination in December, two judges spent a day at KGS meeting staff and students, observing the Library and even joining a Lit Quiz coaching session. Run by the School Libraries Association, the award aims to recognise the excellent work carried out in school libraries every day, and to highlight the best practice of those whose work is outstanding.

Congratulations, Mrs Cleaves!

LIBRARY NEWS >> Tomas Caldon was Highly Commended in the Wimbledon Book Festival Young Writers’ Competition with his short story, Scopophobia, which was subsequently published in an anthology.

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What a busy year it’s been in the Library.

Needless to say, we’ve enjoyed many new books and, of course, the heated debates afterwards!

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Mathematics ACADEMIC LIFE Maths

A*/A grades). This was the first year that the top two sets sat the Additional Maths qualification, and 25 of them were awarded an A grade, the highest grade available for this Level 3 qualification. The Add Maths specification is excellent preparation for A Level Mathematics, particularly for those wishing to take either Further Mathematics or ASFM (Maths A Level and an AS in Further Maths). It also extends our IGCSE candidates and supports more of them in achieving their grade 9.

This was the first year of the new A Level exam, yet despite the well-publicised national problems with Edexcel’s papers, our students did themselves proud

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his has been another exciting year for Mathematics at KGS – our students achieved another set of fantastic results at both IGCSE and A Level. We have had the challenges of the first examinations for the new A Level syllabus, and the first year that all Fifth Years have sat the new Grade 9–1 IGCSE; and within the Department we continue to introduce fresh initiatives.

Last year we saw a 20% increase over the previous year in the number of our Sixth Form students taking A Level Mathematics with well over 54

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half the Upper Sixth now studying the subject. This was the first year of the new A Level exam, yet despite the well-publicised national problems with Edexcel’s papers, our students did themselves proud with 20 A* grades and 57% getting A*/A grades. Our Further Mathematicians got 11 A*/A grades, with Max Cairney-Leeming getting his place at Oxford to read Mathematics & Computer Science and Wonwoo Choi going to Imperial College to study Engineering, and a total of six students going on to study Mathematics degree courses.

At IGCSE, 49% of our students were awarded a grade 9, including Ricki Rim who scored 100% in both papers, and 90% of students achieved grades 7/8/9 (the old

We continue to ensure that we engage and stretch our top mathematicians; in the First to Fifth Year we take the top handful of mathematicians out of class once a week for extension lessons where they explore topics beyond the syllabus and prepare for the UKMT Olympiad competitions.

Our Lower Sixth Oxbridge applicants attend weekly extension classes; these support not only those applying for Mathematics but also for Computing Science, Engineering, Physics and Economics.

These advanced classes are popular not only with Oxbridge applicants but also with students just wishing to tackle some challenging material.

There are several lunchtime Mathematics clubs. The Hans Woyda Club and ‘Maths Competition Club’ prepare our teams for the various regional and national competitions.

Our Hans Woyda team, comprising Charlotte Smith (captain), Toby Cole, Samuel Arwas, Leon Feltham, Ricky Rim and Daniel Wilding, had a strong season with a few nail-biting finishes against Hampton and the two Tiffins.

There are several lunchtime Mathematics clubs. The Hans Woyda Club and ‘Maths Competition Club’ prepare our teams for the various regional and national competitions

Angelina Campbell, Daniel Hepburn, Daniel Wilding and Henry Hill were selected to attend a series of Royal Institute masterclass lectures at Kingston University on topics such as the mathematics behind the Fibonacci sequence.

The national UK Maths Challenge competitions continue to be very popular; students this year won a total of 63 gold medals, with 44 going through to the second round kangaroo stage and six going through to the top-level Olympiad round where Anas Boulahmi, Leon Feltham and Charlotte Smith all gained Distinctions.

We also incorporated practical options to develop teamwork and problem solving into our syllabus for *See page 141 for their farewell pieces.

whole year groups. The First Year celebrated Pi Day on March 14th with a series of activities including Count Buffon’s needle experiment to find π and the Second and Third Years took to the Fairfield to use trigonometry to calculate the height of the trees.

We continue to develop our range of options for studying Mathematics; this year we introduced the option of studying either Statistics or Mechanics as the advanced A Level Further Mathematics applied module. This year we are also preparing some of the upper sets for the AQA Further Mathematics GCSE; this is slightly less demanding than Add Maths but again is excellent extension material for our strongest mathematicians and good preparation for the transition to A Level.

In November we took two groups of Fourth Year and A Level students to the ‘Maths in Action’ series of lectures at the Emmanuel Centre in London to listen to talks on topical and/or unusual applications of mathematics. Speakers included Bobby Seagull (of University Challenge fame), talking about the four mathematicians from history he would select for his ultimate University Challenge team, Cerys Bradley talking about the mathematics behind the ‘dark web’ and Colin Wright talking about the mathematics behind different juggling routines.

At the end of the year we said a fond farewell to Mrs Cook and Mr Buttanshaw, both longstanding members of the KGS Mathematics Department*. We thank them for their commitment and dedication to hundreds of students over the years and their invaluable contribution to the success of our team. We wish them both much enjoyment in their retirement.

Mr J Skeates, Head of Mathematics

A* 11 6 90% 20 students achieved the top grade at A Level

Further Maths students achieved A*/A grades at A Level

KGS students are going to study Mathematics at university

of GCSE students achieved grades 7/8/9

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2019 saw a 20% increase in students taking A Level Mathematics

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Modern Foreign

ACADEMIC LIFE Modern Foreign Languages

Languages T

he academic year kicked off with fantastic European Day of Languages celebrations in late September. Celebrated every year since 2001, the event aims to promote plurilingualism throughout Europe. Our Lower Sixth linguists presented assemblies and, as always, the Cultural and Languages Quiz, a house event won this year

by Walworth, provided much entertainment. This was followed by a European lunch and school-wide spelling bee competitions in different languages.

Italian students attended a fast-paced workshop, involving quick-fire vocab games, mime, teamwork and some healthy competition!

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n the Summer term, First and Second Year Italian students attended a fast-paced workshop, involving quick-fire vocab games, mime, teamwork and some healthy competition! The workshop was designed to revise vocab the students had covered during the year, and they racked their brains to come up with the answers that would beat their peers. The actors used very visual humour and lots of gestures to help the students understand. Grazie mille to Anna Landi and Giovina Guerra for bringing us their workshop again this year.

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L

ater in the year our First and Second Year Spanish and German students enjoyed plays performed by the brilliant foreign languages theatre company, Onatti: El Viejo Saloon and So eine Nervensäge.

Onatti have been visiting KGS for many years and always deliver highly entertaining but educational plays.

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ur Language Leaders Programme goes from strength to strength. Aimed at developing students’ leadership and linguistic skills through the preparation and teaching of language lessons to primary school pupils, our students gain a tremendous amount of satisfaction and confidence from sharing what they know with others.

As well as being hugely enjoyable, It is also known that we retain the knowledge that we teach actively to others far more effectively than that which we take on board in a more passive way.

W

e were delighted to welcome guest speaker (and parent!) Mr Burkhardt to speak to our Sixth Form German students. He talked about his experiences growing up in Dresden, in the former GDR, a topic of particular relevance to us as the GDR and Germany’s reunification features on the German A Level syllabus. To hear about it first-hand and to read original Stasi files about conversations that took place over 30 years ago was fascinating.

Danke sehr, Mr Burkhardt!

To hear about it first-hand and to read original Stasi files about conversations that took place over 30 years ago was fascinating

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I

n the Spring term our Mandarin students celebrated Chinese New Year along with the Dragons in Europe team. They had a full day of cultural activities which included learning about the cities and provinces of China, foods and traditions of Chinese New Year and the history of the festivities. Students practised traditional calligraphy and made models of dragon boats. The day was concluded by watching the classic Chinese film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Mrs T Russell, Head of Modern Foreign Languages

LANGUAGES SPOKEN AT KGS KGS is a melting pot of languages, both mother tongue and second and third languages. Here’s just a small selection spoken by staff: Arabic ACADEMIC LIFE Modern Foreign Languages

In the Spring term our Mandarin students celebrated Chinese New Year along with the Dragons in Europe team

ur senior linguists represented the School in debates throughout the year.

At Ibstock Place School, the Upper Sixth German team of Zöe Clark and Izzy Jones performed strongly with two wins and a loss, putting them in third place. Tom Hollands and Grace Lloyd performed brilliantly, winning all three of their debates and won the Lower Sixth competition overall.

Meanwhile, the Fifth Year team of Harry Fletcher and Oliver SandryButler won one and lost two of their debates, but as with all the teams, the competition served as brilliant practice for their upcoming German speaking exam. Yiorgos Karidis (Upper Sixth) and Aleks Brown (Lower Sixth) travelled to Alleyn’s School for a day’s debating in Spanish.

The boys argued against the motion that meat consumption should be reduced, both confidently presenting their arguments and counter-arguing points raised by the opposition.

They highlighted the need to consider the debate not only in the context of western Europe, but also in developing countries, winning this close debate by one point.

In the second debate, the boys argued for the motion that feminist movements are essential in Spain today. They presented well-researched and convincing arguments, carefully listening to their opponents while calmly refuting their points. Sadly, they lost by one point but what a great way to practise their Spanish speaking skills amongst their peers.

Cantonese Catalan (Spanish dialect) Creole (Mauritian) Czech Danish Dutch Farsi Gallego (Spanish dialect) German Gujarati Hakka Hindi Japanese Luxembourgish

HOLA

Mandarin Polish

CIAO

Portuguese

HELLO HALLO

Swedish

SALUT

Russian Tamil Welsh

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ACADEMIC LIFE Music

Music W

e were delighted to welcome internationally renowned acapella group, Voces8, for an October workshop and concert.

Voces8 have built up an amazing reputation over the past decade as one of the world’s leading vocal ensembles and we were very much looking forward, with anticipation, to their arrival.

KGS MUSIC DEPARTMENT PRESENTS INTERNATIONAL CHAMBER CHOIR

FEATURING PERFORMANCES FROM KGS CHOIRS

7PM, TUESDAY 2 OCTOBER 2018 KGS MAIN HALL TICKETS ARE COMPLIMENTARY BUT BOOKING IS ESSENTIAL

BOOK ONLINE AT WWW.TRYBOOKING.CO.UK/FTF

VOCES8.indd 1

04/09/2018 14:50:23

They certainly didn’t disappoint and during the afternoon delivered two excellent workshops to students; the first with Junior Chamber Choir and the second with a large group of keen and enthusiastic singers from across the school. During these sessions, the choirs were taught a range of different warm-up techniques and four songs that they then performed alongside Voces8 in the evening concert. These ranged

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from a traditional African song to an arrangement of Jessie J’s Price Tag. Perhaps the highlight was US tenor, Blake, teaching the Junior Chamber Choir a Latin American Bossa Nova, complete with falsetto improvisation and vocal rhythms.

The rest of the concert comprised musical items from Voces8’s expansive repertoire. We were treated to music from Renaissance Germany through to the present day with a good smattering of folk, swing and pop along the way.

It was a concert that will live long in the memory of all those present and we look forward to arranging a return visit, hopefully in the not-too-distant future.

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he Annual KGS Choral Society concert was held at St Andrew’s Church, Surbiton and what a success it was.

The choir performed two contemporary choral works, Bob Chilcott’s Little Jazz Mass and John Rutter’s The Gift of Life and were joined by members of the KGS choirs on the evening.

Despite the repertoire being new to most members of the Choral Society, they set about the task of learning the notes with enthusiasm and I am indebted to the assistance provided by Peter Bullett who accompanied rehearsals on the piano as well as leading sectionals.

On the night itself the choir were accompanied by a mixture of instrumental forces; Chilcott’s Little Jazz Mass is exciting in that it is backed by a trio of piano, bass and drums. Our very own Mr Tierney on the piano and Mr Terian on drums certainly livened things up and the

acoustics of St Andrew’s helped to really lift the sound, making it an exciting experience for both the choir and audience.

Following on from that, the KGS Junior Chamber Choir performed Rutter’s ever-popular Gaelic Blessing and I thought it would be fitting to give the singers a little respite by showcasing the fine Hunter organ at St Andrew’s by playing Rutter’s lively Toccata in Seven.

The Gift of Life is an unusual piece in that it draws its text from a number of sources, including Rutter himself, and was composed as a celebration of life; in contrast, many large-scale choral works reflect on death. The version we chose to perform was accompanied by a chamber ensemble of piano, organ, harp and a myriad of percussion instruments. Despite a ‘minor’ hitch on the day, when we discovered the organ at St Andrew’s was tuned considerably flatter than concert pitch, necessitating a mad dash back to school to pick up our own digital organ, these forces blended very well in the church.

It was very encouraging to have Lower Sixth Music Scholar Grace Lloyd performing the timpani part and this relatively new piece of music was very well received by the audience.

We are always on the lookout for new members to join us so do consider coming along to sing next year. Our rehearsals take place on a Wednesday evening from January until the concert in March and it is a great way to meet new people and enjoy singing in a convivial atmosphere – no previous experience required!

Mr M Laflin, Director of Music

ACADEMIC LIFE

ACADEMIC LIFE Music

On the night itself the choir were accompanied by a mixture of instrumental forces; Chilcott’s Little Jazz Mass is exciting in that it is backed by a trio of piano, bass and drums

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ACADEMIC LIFE Physics

Physics T

he 2018–19 academic year was another fun-filled potpourri of trips, experiments, visiting speakers and academic success. We try to adhere to the old adage, “the Physics may be theoretical, but the fun is real”. Given the burgeoning numbers at A Level, we welcomed Mrs Dieu to the School.

We try to adhere to the old adage, “the Physics may be theoretical, but the fun is real”

The Physics Department waited with bated breath for the new 9 to 1 IGCSE results to be published.

In previous years, the majority of KGS students would achieve an A*; with this grade having been replaced by two (an 8 and a 9), we were left wondering what the mix would be. We were delighted with the outcome: 54% of grades awarded were a 9, an exceptional performance. We had 27 students sitting A Level Physics, half of whom achieved an A or A*. 30% of the cohort achieved an A*, a new record for the Department in this particular iteration of the A Level specification.

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Freya Kille (OK 2017) is now the national face of civil engineering, promoting both the discipline and women in science. She came in to talk to all our Lower Sixth Physicists, setting them a design challenge and explaining the course in more detail. She then met our Upper Sixth Engineering applicants, going through the nitty gritty of the application process. Hopefully her outreach work has inspired some of our current cohort to follow in her footsteps. 11 of our Upper Sixth students are embarking on Engineering degree courses this year (2019) and we wish them all the best.

In March, KGS also hosted the Careers in Engineering & Technology Evening, with over 120 students taking the opportunity to meet up with alumni, university course providers and employers from a range of disciplines.

A final honourable mention goes to Anand Aggarwal, Toby Cole, Ciara Kennedy, Cameron Macpherson, Gabriel Oxley and Matthew Shipley for their contributions to the Lower Sixth Physics Essay competition.

The time and effort that they all put into producing high quality essays, showing insight into their chosen areas, was much appreciated.

The top three submissions were: • Toby Cole – Climate Change and Energy • Ciara Kennedy – Medical Physics • Cameron Macpherson – Renewable Energy and Hydrogen Fuel Cells Congratulations to all contestants.

This is exactly the kind of thing that makes your personal statement stand out from others and shows that you have already begun to develop undergraduate study habits.

Mr I Deepchand, Head of Physics

British Physics Olympiad This year eight students sat Round 1 of the British Physics Olympiad.

Congratulations go to Daniel Sykes, Stefan Saoulis and Clara Lyckeus for their commendation scores. Jacob Hollaway, Jonny Kerr and Min-Woong Seo achieved a Bronze II Award and Jimmy Gibson attained a Bronze I Award. Sitting at the top of the tree is Wonwoo Choi who achieved a Silver Award, placing him in the top 400 students nationally. Well done to you all – you have done yourselves and the Physics Department proud!

Women in Engineering When we arrived at the Emirates exhibition our first job was to explore the route taken by baggage when it is transported from one country to another. There were games on big screens to help you understand all the preparations needed before flying, such as the suitcase arrangement, the jigsaw of getting the plane onto the runway, cleaning the plane and much more. In the corner, there were seats arranged exactly as in a real plane with a screen with headphones allowing us to listen to a talk about the Airbus A380.

Our next activity was an explanation about the science behind flying and the airbus A380. We learned that the four forces needed to fly a plane are lift, weight, drag and thrust.

When flying, the four forces balance each other and the shape of the plane makes it aerodynamic, meaning less friction. We learnt the stages of how a jet engine works: suck – the engine inhales air as the fan blades spin on the front; squeeze – the air is funnelled into a pressurised stream; bang – the concentrated air is mixed with fuel and ignited; blow – the air blown out of the back produces thrust.

The fuel must be heated to 2000 degrees centigrade (half the temperature of the sun) and the

blades of the fan are made from titanium. There was a jet engine in the corner of the exhibition for us to have a look at in a bid to see and understand the four stages.

The final activity was the best – flight simulators. We got into pairs and had a go at flying the plane.

We were each given various responsibilities and duties to make sure the plane was running correctly, and we had to make sure everything was in the right proportions.

Then we attempted to land the plane and had three tries; two of mine were a disaster and one was a success! It was certainly more difficult than I thought.

Nina Chamarette, 2S

The final activity was the best – flight simulators. We got into pairs and had a go at flying the plane

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ACADEMIC LIFE

ACADEMIC LIFE Politics

Politics T

he spirit of internationalism was alive and well at the Model United Nations (MUN), an extremely worthwhile project which helps promote to students a set of life skills and shared values, leadership qualities, key knowledge of global political issues facing humankind and an empathy for those much less fortunate than themselves. Since 2004 KGS has taken part and they are always thought-provoking events.

This year we represented Germany as well as sitting on five committees.

Germany is a non-permanent member of the Security Council and our delegate, Ben Harrison-Hyde, argued with conviction to ensure his resolution resolving the human trafficking crisis in Libya was passed in committee.

Tom Hollands managed to steer his resolution on curbing the detrimental effects of meat consumption on the environment with a unanimous decision in the Environment Committee whilst Sophia Habl achieved a number of co-sponsors for her resolution to legalise marijuana and argued with passion to ensure its passing in committee.

Anand Aggarwal was also successful in passing his resolution dealing with electoral fraud across member states. Sitting on the Human Rights Committee, Grace Lloyd put forward carefully researched resolutions which sought to meet people’s fears of increasing government surveillance and the lack of rights of expectant parents in prisons.

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Germany is a non-permanent member of the Security Council and our delegate, Ben Harrison-Hyde, argued with conviction to ensure his resolution resolving the human trafficking crisis in Libya was passed in committee

We were unlucky not to win any awards at this first session at Guildford High School but had more success at the follow-up event at Epsom College. Here, KGS picked up three awards, with six students achieving the rare distinction of having their resolutions pass in committee.

Two students – Paul Adams and Tom Hall – had both their resolutions passed and Alex Pelling, Joe Studholme, Freddie Pflanz and Toby Cole each had one passed.

Moreover, Paul Adams achieved the accolade of ‘Highly Commended

Delegate’ in representing the USA on the Economic and Social Committee. Freddie Pflanz achieved ‘Highly Commended Delegate’ in representing the USA on the Human Rights Committee, as well as having his resolution selected for debate in the General Assembly, a distinction achieved by KGS just once before.

Finally, Tom Hall, representing Germany on The Economic and Social Council, achieved the rare accolade of ‘Outstanding Delegate’ at the conference, last achieved in 2005. All students worked very hard to become experts in their committee topics in the weeks leading up to the conference and it paid off handsomely.

A

s part of our programme of regular talks by local politicians, Zac Goldsmith, Conservative MP for Richmond Park & North Kingston, visited KGS in October. He spoke to our Sixth Form students about the threats facing wildlife from the illegal trade in animals and the problem of shrinking habitats in Africa, Asia and the Americas. Zac, a passionate believer in environmentalism, has switched his attention from the burning issues of the late 20th century, which included global warming, globalism and the damage to our green spaces, to a more focused campaign to save the world’s endangered species.

His visit took place days before an international conference held in London which brought together global leaders, wildlife experts and environmentalists to discuss the threat of the illegal wildlife trade.

Zac explained that the illegal trade is a multi-billion-pound business which fuels the worst of organised crime in most parts of the world.

He highlighted the perceived medicinal benefits of rhino horn and elephant tusks to certain societies in the Far East, which was fuelling a rapidly expanding market in these products.

Many iconic species, like the Sumatran Tiger and White Rhino, are on the brink of extinction and less well-known mammals, namely the armadillo, are now under threat, as people have developed a taste for the meat of this endearing creature. It was not all doom and gloom, however, as Zac noted the efforts of governments around the world to combat poaching, especially in Africa, and the UK’s funding and training to aid conservation.

Mr D Sorley, Head of Politics

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PSHE

ACADEMIC LIFE PSHE

O

ne in ten 10 to 16 year olds are presenting with diagnosed mental health problems and the age at which mental health difficulties start is getting younger. With teenage suicides at a 17-year high, poor mental health amongst children and adolescents has reached epidemic proportions.

Another day, another media headline about the deteriorating mental health of our children.

The increasing concern about childhood wellbeing has been the subject of much discussion recently but the latest piece of research, published by NHS Digital and based on a survey of over 9000 children and young people, is no less alarming for all that.

Key findings were that one in eight 5 to 19 year olds surveyed had at least one mental health disorder and that mental health problems increased with age. Up until the age of 11, boys were disproportionally affected while between 11 and 16 the sexes were roughly equally affected. Between the ages of 16 and 19 girls were more than twice as likely as boys to have a mental health disorder with the truly shocking figure that, for girls aged 17 to 19, nearly one in four were deemed to be suffering. The survey was particularly notable for including data on children as young as two and found that as many as 5.5% of two to four year olds were experiencing mental health difficulties.

This survey comes on the back of Government pledges to increase funding for mental health and the appointment last month of a Minister for Suicide Prevention. While the overall suicide rate is falling overall, the number of teenage suicides increased by 67% between 2010–2017.

So what’s going on?

Reasons for this rise in mental health problems are complex but certainly include family breakdown (20% of children experience divorce), pressure to achieve academically,

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an increasingly materialistic culture, increasing sexual pressure and body ideals and, of course, the influence of 24-hour social media and the internet. Whatever the reasons, what is increasingly clear is that if the tide is to be stemmed then early and appropriate intervention is vital. We know that half of all lifetime mental health disorders start by the age of 14 and three quarters by the age of 24.

Providing children with appropriate and effective early help before problems escalate clearly puts a huge emphasis on schools. Schools are powerful institutions in the lives of young people (second only to the parental home) and hugely impact on their present and future development.

At KGS our integrated wellbeing strategy centres on our ‘Ac Laetari’ or ‘Be Happy’ programme that begins in First Year and continues right through to the Sixth Form. Issues such as self-esteem, body image and mental health are openly discussed and sit alongside a comprehensive relationships and sex education programme. Children are taught about maintaining health and wellbeing and include strategies to promote resilience. The approach is very much ‘whole school’ and this includes regular advice evenings for parents while staff are also encouraged to think about their own mental health and wellbeing through talks and INSET sessions.

Many of our staff have received specialist mental health training allowing us to identify children in distress and enabling us to respond quickly and supportively. Referral to our school counselling service or to outside agencies ensures that students who are struggling with their mental health can embark on an appropriate treatment pathway as quickly as possible.

We know that for some students, the transition to university can be a challenge; they are expected to cope when there are suddenly no boundaries and nowhere near the level of pastoral care that they are used to.

Mr N Forsyth, Head of Wellbeing

Spotting the signs Symptoms of depression may include…

• Persistently feeling down or sad for no reason • No longer interested in things they used to enjoy • Lack of energy and motivation • Becoming withdrawn and isolated from friends and family • Changes in sleep patterns and appetite • A lack of caring about what happens in the future • Feelings of despair, hopelessness, worthlessness

What parents can do • Be alert to changes in behaviour or mood that may indicate depression • Recognise that depressed teenagers may find it hard to express their feelings or may not understand what is happening to them. They may not even be aware of the symptoms of depression • Maintain good communications.

If they are reluctant to talk at first, keep trying. Show that you take their feelings seriously • Depression can make someone feel isolated and alone. Offer reassurance that you are there for them • If feelings persist, consider getting professional help from a GP or counsellor

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The students sampled mindfulness, yoga, gardening, Lego building and cooking while considering the importance of healthy eating, keeping safe around the home and outside as well as being a valuable member of the community.

As part of this, they spent a day away from their usual timetabled lessons in May to explore some of the issues around keeping safe and considering those around us at the Sutton Life Centre, a unique, state-of-the-art educational and community facility. Here, they took part in the Life Skills Tour which aims to help develop skills to face an increasing range of risks and tricky social situations as they continue development into their teenage years. The Life Skills Zone is Europe’s first super-classroom. Part movie set, part learning experience, it teaches students about citizenship, personal safety and the environment using the latest cinematic technology.

Giant projection screens, powerful surround sound, evocative lighting and interactive elements all combine to create an immersive learning environment like no other.

An internet safety workshop focussed on using social media, online gaming and the potential dangers associated with grooming and sexting. Students also took part in a drugs workshop on the differences between legal and illegal drugs and discussed some of the social, financial, legal and health consequences implications of getting involved with drugs.

The students came away armed with lots of information to help them navigate the wider world around them both in and out of KGS.

ACADEMIC LIFE PSHE

n 2019 we introduced our ‘Be Happy’ programme to First Years, designed to help them make the most of their lives both in and out of school by considering what they need to keep themselves healthy, safe and, of course, happy!

The students came away armed with lots of information to help them navigate the wider world around them both in and out of KGS

Mrs M Robinson, Head of PSHE 65

ACADEMIC LIFE

Psychology AACADEMIC LIFE Psychology

GENDER STEREOTYPING RESEARCH PROJECT

What is gender stereotyping?

Gender stereotyping refers to the practice of distributing specific attributes to a man or a woman by reason only of his or her membership in the social group of women or men. Harmful stereotypes can be both hostile and negative (e.g. women are irrational) or seemingly benign (e.g. women are nurturing). For example, the fact that childcare responsibilities often fall exclusively on women is based on the latter stereotype. Gender stereotyping is wrongful when it results in violations of human rights and fundamental

by dressing and behaving modestly.

Gender stereotypes compounded and intersecting with other stereotypes have a disproportionately negative impact on certain groups of women, such as women from minority (or indigenous) groups, women with disabilities, women from lower (caste groups or with lower economic states) socio-economic groups or migrant women, for example.

Wrongful gender stereotyping is a frequent cause of discrimination against women and a contributing factor in violations of a vast array of rights. (United Nations Human Rights) 1

Why does it matter?

Harmful stereotypes can be both hostile and negative or seemingly benign

freedoms. An example of wrongful gender stereotyping is the failure to criminalise marital rape based on the societal perception of women as the sexual property of men.

Another example is the failure to effectively investigate, prosecute and sentence sexual violence against women based on the stereotype that women should protect themselves from sexual violence

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Culhane and Bazeley (2019) 2 published new research on the lifelong impact of gender stereotyping in childhood. 45% of people said that they experienced gender stereotyping as a child and were expected to behave in a certain way because of it. 51% of women respondents reported it constrained their career choices and 44% said it harmed their personal relationships. This does not have an effect solely on women; boys and men feel it too. Men were as likely as women to say that gender stereotyping had negatively affected their relationships. Sam Smethers, Chief Executive of the Fawcett Society, reported “Gender stereotypes hold us all back. We have boys who cannot express their emotions, become aggressive, under-achieve at school and go on to be part of a culture of toxic masculinity which normalises violence. We have girls who have low self-esteem and issues

We have a heavily segregated labour market where just 8% of STEM apprentices are women

with their body image, with one in five 14-year-old girls self-harming.

We have a heavily segregated labour market where just 8% of STEM apprentices are women. Gender stereotyping is at the root of all of this. We have to grasp the challenge to change it.� 2

New legislation On 14th June 2019 the Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP), the group responsible for writing and maintaining the UK advertising codes, developed a new standard on advertisements that feature stereotypical gender roles or characteristics. The Advertising Standards Authority will administer and enforce the new standards but the general public will also be able to report advertisements they feel breach the code, such as those depicting scenarios where a man is struggling with household chores or a woman is failing to park a car. 3

ACADEMIC LIFE

Research by KGS students

If you see gendered products or displays in a shop or advertising for children on TV, online or in a catalogue that reinforces stereotypes, why not raise it directly with the retailer or the manufacturer?

AACADEMIC LIFE Psychology

How toys are labelled and displayed affects consumers’ buying habits

The Lower Sixth Psychology students were set the task to investigate whether gender stereotyping still exists in products marketed at children. They used techniques such as content analysis and self-reporting to study a range of products aimed at children.

Sam Mayhew found that boys’ t-shirts more frequently had words such as ‘brave’, strong’ and ‘cool’, whereas the girls’ t-shirts more frequently had the words ‘little’, ‘smiles’ and ‘happy’. Heidi Wort found that boys’ t-shirts were more likely to feature aggressive/predator animal designs such as dinosaurs,

Gender stereotyping in children’s products Recent campaigns such as the ‘Let toys be toys’ campaign are asking the toy and publishing industries to stop limiting children’s interests by promoting some toys and books as only suitable for girls, and others only for boys. How toys are labelled and displayed affects consumers’ buying habits. Many people feel uncomfortable buying a boy a pink toy or a girl a toy labelled as ‘for boys’. Other buyers may simply be unaware of the restricted choices they are offered.

There are noticeably fewer science kits and construction toys advertised in the ‘girls’ sections, or arts and crafts and kitchen toys in the ‘boys’.

If they are never offered the chance, a child may not find out if they enjoy a certain type or style of play.

The ‘let toys be toys campaign’ is asking retailers, booksellers and manufacturers to sort and label toys and books by theme or function, rather than by gender, and let children decide which toys they enjoy best. 4

Many people feel uncomfortable buying a boy a pink toy or a girl a toy labelled as ‘for boys’

When looking at children’s television programmes, Theo EisensteinLevett found many examples of gender-stereotyped behaviour in older children’s programmes such as Jonny Bravo and Peppa Pig. However, Lucy Pearce looked at current programmes shown on Cbeebies and found much less stereotyping in the characters’ professions.

What can you do?

crocodiles and sharks, whereas girls’ t-shirts were more likely to feature animals that were more typically prey such as rabbits and deer. Other research focused on toys and whether they were modelled by boys or girls, with both Ben Mallinson and Natasha Burrell finding that nerf guns were all modelled solely by boys and household toys were modelled solely by girls in two shop catalogues.

Support the retailers that are selling without gender stereotypes. This may be by labelling toys and books by theme, age or activity rather than ‘girls’ or ‘boys’ signposting.

Tell the retailers/manufacturers/ advertisers what you think. If you see gendered products or displays in a shop or advertising for children on TV, online or in a catalogue that reinforces stereotypes, why not raise it directly with the retailer or the manufacturer?

Mrs A Edwards, Head of Psychology

Gender stereotyping United Nations Human Rights https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Women/WRGS/Pages/GenderStereotypes.aspx> Culhane, L., Bazeley, A. (2019) Gender Stereotypes in Early Childhood A Literature Review. https://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/Handlers/ Download.ashx?IDMF=e8096848-cbdb-4e16-8713-ee0dadb3dcc5 3 Lyons, E. (2019, June 14) Ban on ‘harmful’ gender stereotypes in advertising comes into force, Marketing Week https://www.marketingweek.com/harmful-gender-stereotypes-advertising/ 4 Let toys be toys http://lettoysbetoys.org.uk/why-it-matters/ 1

2

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ACADEMIC LIFE Religion & Philosophy

Religion & Philosophy T

he RP Department has enjoyed another exciting and successful year, filled with super exam results, action packed trips and thoughtprovoking discussions.

Exams and beyond

A cause for great celebration were the Department’s GCSE and Pre-U results. This was the second set of results from the new OCR GCSE RS course (which covers Philosophy of Religion, Religious Ethics, Christianity and Islam), and we were extremely proud of our students’ achievements; 53% of students achieved grade 9 alone (surpassing even the KGS record-breaking achievement of 40%). 81% of students achieved a grade 8 or 9. Meanwhile, in Sixth Form, students have excelled in their exploration of the Philosophy and Theology Pre-U course. They have grappled with the ideas of Sartre, Mill, Polkinghorne and Hick, and emerged with their own, distinct and inspiring responses to these texts.

Their confident evaluative skills were best demonstrated in their impressive performances in the exams this summer; half the cohort achieved a Distinction overall (the equivalent of high As and A*s), with 100% of students achieving a distinction in their Philosophy paper alone.

A large number of students have also chosen to study Philosophy and Theology-related courses at university this year, including PPE, Economics & Philosophy, Physics & Philosophy, Philosophy & Politics and Religion, Philosophy & Ethics.

Our hope is that the rigour, depth and breadth of the Pre-U course will increasingly inspire our students to explore such courses at Russell Group universities.

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Debate and discussion Touchstone, our Sixth Form philosophy club, continues to welcome many RP and non-RP students into our classrooms on a Friday lunchtime. We are even struggling to seat everyone, given the numbers that this club draws!

Students have debated topics that include the ethics of gender, the role society should play in treating obesity and when the life of a foetus actually begins.

Touchstone, our Sixth Form philosophy club, continues to welcome many RP and non-RP students into our classrooms on a Friday lunchtime.

We are even struggling to seat everyone, given the numbers that this club draws!

We look forward to more cuttingedge debates in 2020 with Mr Tunley, our new member of staff at the helm. HIGENFY (Have I Got Ethical News for You), our Lower School Ethics club, also goes from strength to strength, this year debating topics such as Brexit, Trump. Banksy and whether advertisements for online gambling should be allowed.

Well done to Mr Lawrence for the absolute moral compass with which he leads these discussions!

Not only were philosophical discussions being had in classrooms, but we also continue to welcome many visitors to discuss their world views and experiences with our students. In February, we welcomed back Anna and Bob Kirk to share their experiences of the Kindertransport.

As ever, this inspirational pair gave our Third Years much to think about, sharing their memories of Nazi Germany, Kristallnacht and their arrival in the UK. In June, Mr Lawrence organised a fantastic Faith Forum for First Year students. We welcomed four speakers from different backgrounds and religions (Tina Higgins from the Kingston Liberal Synagogue, Adam Rylett the vicar at St Paul’s Church on Kingston Hill, Jamie Hepburn, a Quaker from the Kingston Quaker Centre and Tom Sweatman from the Cornerstone Church in Kingston).

Mr Lawrence expertly led the group through a host of compelling topics including the book of Genesis, how the Bible should be interpreted, evil and suffering and life after death.

We thank our fantastic panel for speaking with great honesty about their views, while also demonstrating to our First Years how to respectfully challenge the views of others.

We look forward to inviting the panel back next year and hope to invite a representative from the local Muslim community to broaden the debates even further.

Further afield Our RP students have also enjoyed some exciting trips to support their studies this year. The Second Year visited the Wat Buddhapadipa Buddhist temple in Wimbledon, followed by a visit to the Shah Jahan Mosque in Woking. Both places of worship gave us a warm welcome and encouraged our students to ask

ACADEMIC LIFE Religion & Philosophy

ACADEMIC LIFE

Our RP students have also enjoyed some exciting trips to support their studies this year.

The Second Year visited the Wat Buddhapadipa Buddhist temple in Wimbledon, followed by a visit to the Shah Jahan Mosque in Woking

open and honest questions about these faiths and lifestyles. While at the mosque, students also observed the call to prayer, a really wonderful experience for all.

Our GCSE and A Level students attended RP conferences and enjoyed lectures from many influential philosophers and theologians including Peter Vardy, Keith Ward and Alistair McGrath.

We very much look forward to this year’s Sixth Form conference where our students will be lucky enough to hear the fantastic Richard Swinburne and AC Grayling debate.

Our Sixth Formers will also join the Drama Department on a trip to see God’s Dice by David Baddiel at the Soho Theatre in November.

Here, students will be asked to imagine what would happen if someone was able to prove, scientifically, the existence of God? Thought-provoking stuff indeed!

Mrs C Williams, Head of Religion & Philosophy

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STEAM I

t has been another fantastic year for KGS students in STEAM, with successes in national cyber security and computational thinking competitions, as well as brilliant digital making achievements with PiWars and AstroPi. Central to all this has been the wonderful attitude of the students: persistence, resilience when it goes wrong and a desire to find out how stuff works.

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e have made great strides in developing our computing curriculum to provide engaging activities that spark that curiosity and motivate our students. Thanks to the generosity of the PSA, we were able to incorporate LEGO Mindstorms into our lessons for the first time.

The lessons were challenge based, encouraging students to use their creativity to solve problems. In doing so we are encouraging them to embrace the process of failure, otherwise known as trial and error!

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or a number of years now, thanks to the support of alumnus Mansoor Sheikh, we have run a Junior and Senior STEAM prize competition. This year, the Junior competition featured an update of the classic egg drop challenge.

Students were tasked with creating a device that could protect an egg from a two-storey drop, whilst fitting into a shoebox. In addition to the survival of the egg, extra points were awarded for lightweight construction, innovative design and drop accuracy.

In a keenly fought contest, Kerry Wang held off stiff competition from Leon Feltham’s parachute design and Ella Robinson’s innovative ‘Eggavator’ to take first place.

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What I cannot create, I do not understand Richard Feynman

schools. The BBC Micro:bit is a physical computing device packed with LEDs and sensors that is accessible and fun to use, providing a great way to engage younger students with programming and allowing students to create their own physical computing projects with ease. We hope to continue to offer more opportunities like this in future to help primary schools deliver great STEAM learning.

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he new National Curriculum for Computing has presented some problems for primary schools nationally, as it can be a struggle to find teachers who are confident with the subject matter.

As a school we are increasingly looking to engage with local primary schools to find ways to support them in delivering engaging and effective computer science lessons.

This year, thanks again in part to Mansoor Sheikh’s generosity, we were able to provide training and Micro:bit equipment to 11 local

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his year’s Senior STEAM prize competition encouraged students to pit their coding skills against a series of mathematical problems designed to be solved by computer. Points were awarded for solving each challenge, with bonus points available for the first past the post. The leaderboard changed regularly over the course of the 5 weekly challenges but the contest was eventually won by Sam Arwas, closely followed by Alex Furmston in second and Toby Cole and Jessica West joint third.

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ast year the entire Third Year participated in the UK BEBRAS, a computational thinking competition led by Oxford University and supported by Google. The contest is designed to be accessible to all students, regardless of coding experience. The cohort performed brilliantly with 31 Distinctions and 32 Merits overall but special mention has to go to Leon Feltham who achieved one of the highest results in the country. As one of the top 50 from over 100,000 participants, he was then invited to the final at Hertford College, Oxford where he again performed brilliantly and finished in the top ten. Having had a flavour of the challenge of higher level computer science problems, Leon has since been inspired to pursue his computing education at GCSE and further his programming skills.

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icking off in January we had a fantastic level of interest in the GCHQ Cyber First competition, with a KGS record of 16 Second Year girls taking part!

The aim of the competition is to inform and inspire girls to consider a career in cyber by setting a series of increasingly challenging online puzzles. The teams learnt a huge amount along the way, decoding complex ciphers and honing their ethical hacking skills. Participants of the competition were also offered free residential courses in cyber security at locations around the UK. Five of the girls went on to participate and had a fantastic time.

At the upper end of the school, students in Fourth Year to Upper Sixth took part in the brilliant Cyber Discovery competition, again run

by GCHQ’s National Centre for Cyber Security.

isitors to KGS will probably be familiar with the DT Department’s terrifying Robot Wars competition robot, Frostbite but might be less aware of its little sibling, Frostmite. Though less destructive, Frostmite is the brains in the family, equipped with a range of sensors and some rather nifty omni-directional wheels. Members of the school Digital Maker’s Club constructed Frostmite to participate in the annual PiWars robotics competition, which takes place in Cambridge University’s wonderful computer science facility. The contest pits Raspberry Pi-based

robots against each other in a series of autonomous and driven challenges. After last year’s creditable tenth place, the team, made up of Sebastian Rugina, James Sadler, Paul Adams, Matthew Mace and Finlay Pickrell, were itching to improve their placing for the 2019 edition They performed brilliantly well, winning the Autonomous Maze category and coming second overall in the Experienced category.

They were rewarded for their efforts with probably the coolest trophy in the school, packed with rainbow LEDs, touch-sensitive buttons and even its own LCD screen!

The scale of this competition is mind-blowing, with hundreds of challenges to be undertaken over a period of many months. Starting from a beginner level but ending with industry-level skills, this programme aims to identify the next generation of cyber professionals.

Many of our students deserve great credit for the effort they put in but special mention has to go to Alex Furmston, who was in amongst the top 1% in the country and was therefore selected to go on a six-day residential as part of the Cyber Discovery Elite programme.

This is a serious achievement and the product of many, many hours of hard work and tremendous resilience in the face of some incredibly difficult challenges.

After an intensive week of training and yet more hours of revision,

Alex is now a GIAC-Certified Forensic Examiner, having taken his exam in September. Huge congratulations to him; he is now looking to take his skills to the next level by applying to read Computer Science at Oxford. We wish him the best of luck.

Mr T Benson, Head of STEAM

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National Sporting Honours National level participation 2018/19

Zoe Clark Kayaking GB Junior Squad

Will Egby Karting Junior British Karting Team

Millie Giglio Hockey U18 & U21 National Squad

Harry Fletcher Telemark Ski & Rowing Junior GB Team GB J16 Rowing Squad

Clara John Football U17 ISFA Squad & Reading FC U16 Team Benjamin Sporleder Baseball U15 GB Junior Team

Sally Sime Hockey England U18 Squad Ellie Lord Hockey England U18 National Age Group Training Trials

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Athletics I

t was an excellent year on the athletics field across all age ranges. The girls started off the season with a superb win of 262 to 230 points against St George’s College, representing KGS with pride. A couple of weeks later, Kingsmeadow was the setting for the annual Borough Athletics where our First Year boys and girls took first and second place respectively.

To end the season, KGS competed in the Claremont Fan School’s athletics meet. Special mention must go to the U13 boys who came first in their age group and the following students who won their events:

There were many individual successes too, with Seb Latimer, Toby Anderson, Adam Sloan, Rachel Barnicoat, Angelina Campbell, Becky Jones, Kea Murray, Ellie Hauck and Fia Mahdi being selected to represent Kingston Borough in the Surrey Schools Championships.

There were some excellent efforts from the students.

We returned with two trophies – for the First Year boys and girls

Maddie Sloan

U12 800m

Tula Knowles

U12 shot

U12 girls’ relay Anas Boulahmi U13 200m Jamie Kennedy U13 300m Ed Wheeler

U13 high jump

U13 boys’ relay Miri Scott

U13 discus

In addition, the following First Year students also won their races in the Kingston Borough Championships: Freddie Lett

1,500m

Seb Cockerell

800m

Mattia Galvani

300m

Sophie Bailey

300m

U12 boys

4x100m

Congratulations to all on a superb athletics season!

Miss A Fletcher, Head of Athletics

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Our decision to make cricket our main summer sport was taken only three years ago and the progress has been impressive

We can look at all our teams, some playing in Surrey finals and many just enjoying friendlies; we can highlight key individuals such as Eve Abbott, Jemma Dreyer, Emily Bryce and Emily Barker who represent Surrey and act as super role models, just as their own role model, OK Eva Gray, has led the way with many others now looking and believing they can follow and surpass her achievements within the England Programme. She returned for a day to support our girls and we hope will join us next year to spearhead the programme.

Girls U16 The girls have had a fantastic season having played touring sides, local sides and even visiting Somerset in the National Cup. The campaign started with a friendly game vs Excelsior CC (a touring side from Holland where they are pushing for greater participation in girls’ cricket), one of nine planned fixtures where KGS batted first.

Jasmin Good retired on 46 runs.

Amy Smith also had a dominant bat, scoring 41 runs and hitting the ball hard over the boundaries. When it came to bowling, Emma Sloan and Clara Hinde put in solid performances which allowed us to win by nine wickets.

KGS and Reed’s managed to organise many local fixtures and the girls produced mixed results, winning two and losing one.

The highlight of the season was venturing down to Millfield to play in the quarter-finals of the National Cup with what was a relatively young side. Jamsin, Millie and Madi Good led the bowling, as well as strong spells from Eve Abbott.

The bowling from Millfield proved too strong but there were some good batting performances from Emily Bryce, Issy Morton and Amy Smith. KGS lost by 67 runs but the experience was fantastic and we look forward to what the future brings to girls’ cricket at the School.

Mr S Hardy, Head of Coach Education & Sports Outreach

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his is the first year that KGS have run a 1st XI girls’ cricket team and it marks the next significant step in the growth of our sporting programme. The decision to make cricket our main summer sport was taken only three years ago and the progress has been impressive; importantly, though, enjoyment of the game is at the heart of what we teach.

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opportunities as possible to develop their batting and bowling. Madi and Millie Good played with determination and power, both enjoying representing the boys’ A team. Amy Smith bowled and batted well, as did Kea Murray. Thank you to all for such a great season.

This U14Bs were a force to be reckoned with. Throughout the season, the team have all progressed with both their bowling and batting techniques and are developing into strong cricketers.

winning nine out of their 11 competitive games, culminating in the best girls’ game of cricket ever, The Surrey Cup Final against St. George’s, where they were narrowly defeated by 15 runs. These girls have shown maturity, determination, great sportsmanship and huge potential with a ball, a bat and in the field. I have no doubt they will be a team to be reckoned with in seasons to come!

U15 The U15s were a mixture of Third and Fourth Years who had a very successful season, playing 13 matches and winning 11. They progressed to the latter stages of the Lord Taverners indoor tournament where we lost to a very strong Bede’s School.

The side batted deeply, with Sophie Wood the leading run scorer for the year. The wickets were shared around with Eve Abbott, Madi Good, Maddie Prichard and Emily Bryce all chipping in. Hopefully this group of girls will continue to progress together as they move towards becoming the first KGS senior girls’ side next summer.

Erin Lawson-Smith has led the team well; her knowledge and understanding of the game inspired and guided the girls to many victories. Bonnie Murphy and Imogen McGillivray have been the top wicket takers this season, with Lilah Jones showing some great skills with the bat. Well done, girls on an excellent season of cricket!

It was also a successful year for the U13Bs. They mastered soft ball cricket and moved on to play hard ball, enjoying the new equipment and developing their fielding skills. Having lost their first couple of matches, they turned around a tricky start with a winning streak of three matches during the middle of the term. Their greatest triumph was an away victory over Emanuel School by 20 runs.

U13 The U13As are proving to be a talented team. Katherine DonWauchope captained the side fantastically, aided by Ella Robinson and Jemma Dreyer. Overall, the team were incredibly successful,

U14 The U14A team played six fixtures although the weather did take its toll. One match was lost by the very narrow margin of six runs. The main issue for this age group is finding the right calibre of teams to play, with many girls easily able to play in the boys’ A and B teams and making confident contributions. There was a determination from all coaches to provide as players with as many 78

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U12 The U12A team started the season well, with a hard ball match before the term had even started against an U13 side from Surbiton High.

The girls improved consistently throughout the year, with a few

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With regular fixtures, the U12B girls saw a real improvement in bowling accuracy and fielding. They worked steadily on their communication skills when batting and reduced the number of run-outs. Unfortunately, they didn’t win any of their games but enjoyed every fixture and worked well as a team. With many of the players playing in the A team and starting hard ball training already, the wins will start to come.

Boys 1st XI The 1st XI suffered the loss of a large number of strong Upper Sixth players in 2018. Regardless, the dedication from the squad was impressive and hopes were high for a strong start. In the first half of the season there were close losses in T20 matches with Wilson’s, Ewell Castle and Latymer. Ben Mallinson, Danny Sullivan and Artie Rice-Oxley were the backbone of the batting order and only in a very few matches did they not contribute.

The flagship MCC match was a tighter affair, with Artie bowling superbly at the start. However, the team were unable to make use of this and the MCC eventually won by over 50 runs. One of the highlights of the season was seeing the four Upper Sixth students (Artie RiceOxley, Max Dawson, Luke Mobley and Rahul Khandelwal) keep the morale and commitment high in spite of some tough matches and the inevitable exam pressure. This allowed the introduction of some younger players into the team, notably Jamie Hughes, James Dick, Harry Pink and Toby Thorpe. All of these boys put in strong performances as we played two South African touring sides in good spirits. We were unable to reach the final of the KGS Festival despite yet another strong bowling performance from Joe Studholme and Tom Hollands.

Overall, the boys were disappointed with their results but progress was made. Our thanks to the departing Upper Sixth and we look forward to them playing for the Sturgeon XI next year!

Mr D Reed, Head of Cricket (until July 2019)

The U12C/Ds played five fixtures and showed plenty of improvement and potential for the future. A highlight for the C team was the victory against St George’s, the only U12 team that managed to do it this season. Well done to all.

2nd XI Although not a glorious season for the 2nd XI team, it began positively enough with an encouraging performance against Reigate Grammar School in a 20/20 fixture which resulted in a narrow defeat.

The next fixture saw a heavy defeat to Emanuel, whose middle order recovered with some lusty hitting after some good KGS bowling in the early overs. They posted a total that was higher than we might have expected, and one that we struggled to keep up with in the run chase.

However, acknowledging that this defeat was indeed the low point, the season was finished with a very close result in the annual fixture against the OK Sturgeon 2nd XI which could have gone either way and was enjoyed by all. On a positive note, a large number of students represented the School with some younger players in particular gaining valuable experience of playing against older age teams, something which bodes well for the future.

U15

The U15As lost narrowly in the Surrey T20 to City of London by two wickets which was disappointing.

As in previous years, this team is a stepping-stone for those able to play senior cricket at school or club level. Many of the team made this adjustment and faced some challenges as they moved on to senior cricket representing the 1st and 2nd XIs. Towards the end of the season their reward for all the hard work was to beat Emanuel and Whitgift.

These photographs have been reproduced by kind permission of Gillman & Soame photographers and can be ordered by visiting www.gsimagebank.co.uk/kingstongrammar/t/kp4j3a2019

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of them playing up and with the boys’ team. The main highlights were finishing in second place in the Kingston Invitational, losing in the final to a strong St George’s, as well as finishing as runners-up in the U13 Borough Championship.

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The U15Bs played some tough fixtures, playing the likes of St George’s, KCS Wimbledon and Portsmouth Grammar and, regardless of the results, they managed to improve their fielding positions and batting as the season progressed. Throughout the season there were notable performances from Fergus Duncan and Tom Hewer, who managed to take a haul of wickets, as well as Emily Bryce who bowled many maiden overs against good batting

totals or chase successfully as our games against Latymer Upper and Reed’s showed.

It is no coincidence that the additional work each of these batters completed on the bowling machine really helped their confidence and striking. The team possessed pace in attack and increasing guile with Jai Gujral (top wicket taker at 11), Abdullah Qureshi, Harry Venning, Eve Abbot and Jake Dowding bowling a variety of paces and ball types to achieve a breakthrough.

Our fielding was generally good and joint captains Oli Dawson and Dan Roberts communicated fantastically well and learnt to set

technique that under pressure would deliver. Bowling wides or no balls unfortunately was the main disappointment facing us when fielding which, with practice, can easily be corrected.

U13

sides. Ivan Yazikov had strong games as wicket keeper and some big sixes were hit by Tom Hill on more than one occasion. However, the highlight of the year came from the captain, Joseph Steel, who managed to hit an impressive 80* on what was one of the hottest days of the year against Whitgift. Joseph managed to open the batting and together with Laura Kimber had a fantastic batting partnership. The standard of cricket from this team improved massively during the season; well done to everyone who managed to represent the School.

U14 During the season the U14As played largely T20 matches and were competitive in all aspects of play.

Across the group many players were able to bat, bowl and keep proficiently which was a big strength of the group. Alex Watkins (top score 73*), Dan Roberts (leading run scorer at 232) and Oli Dawson (81) were able to score freely and enjoyed striking the ball cleanly, though were equally adept at rotating the strike and scoring singles.

They generally ran well between the wickets and they could set difficult

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strong fields but were flexible with their bowlers to keep pressure on the opposition. Alex and Dan shared the keeping duties and learnt to organise their fields and put pressure on the batters. A great season, boys – well done.

The U14Bs enjoyed their cricket and developed an intensity in their play, which created some exciting finishes and a good victory against Portsmouth Grammar. Each batter or bowler began to understand the importance of persevering to develop controlled

Over the course of the season, the U13As showed how much they had matured as a team. With Tim Bryce leading the team as captain and Mikey Eldridge as vice-captain, many challenges faced them.

Each player at every point in the season put their hand up in contributing to many victories with both bat and ball. Unfortunately, the team was knocked out in the quarter-finals of the cup, which was a blow, but they have certainly set themselves the challenge of going all the way next season.

The U13Bs had a very successful season, only losing one match to an Ibstock U13A side. This was testament to the strength of the side and their application both during training and matches.

Throughout the year there were notable batting performances by Joe Raven against St George’s (64 off 29 balls), Joe Tooth and Henry Sandry-Butler who carried the top order well. Whilst the batting was impressive throughout the year, it was the fielding and bowling which allowed the team to be so successful. Notable bowling performances came from William Taylor (3 for 12 off 4 overs against Portsmouth Grammar) and Christian Park (2 for 5 off 2 overs against Emanuel) who gave the opposition batters little respite.

U12

For the rapidly developing and enthusiastic U12s, 2019 was an encouraging year. Entering the season with only a limited amount of cricketing experience within the group it was vital that they showed a level of commitment and they were not to disappoint. With some boys playing their first games of cricket, progress was constant and every game, barring a cup defeat to Wilson’s, was highly competitive.

As we regularly rotated the squad to give players a variety of roles, responsibilities and experiences, it became clear we have a group with real potential. The stability brought to the batting order by the likes of Sam Sloan, Dylan Gilmore and Liam O’Neill was key in allowing some of our stroke makers and power players the freedom to take risks and learn along the way.

Freddie Steel was one such player, whose power and technique devastated oppositions at times,

particularly the Whitgift spin attack whom he posted over the boundary time and time again. This aggressive approach was also taken up by Jack Brady and Luke Lawson-Smith, both of whom showed promise with their clean striking and positive intent.

The innings of the season came from our own “little genius”, Priyam Patel. His ability to play shots well beyond his years baffled oppositions at times including Reed’s Head of Cricket and ex-Surrey CCC Head Coach, Keith Meddlecot, who could only watch on in amazement as Priyam posted his first KGS 50, depositing the Reed’s attack to all parts of the field and surrounding gardens.

With the ball the U12As have consistency in depth. And what they may have lacked in firepower at times, through increasingly smart field placing (often from a combination of Ollie Stone, Sam Sloan and Ethan Harcourt) and consistently accurate bowling, they were able to slow opposition batsmen and create frustration.

Emily Barker, Jonatan Ronberg and Finn Jeffrey regularly showed off their skills by slowing down the opposition scoring rate and building pressure.

The team had two ‘go to’ men with the ball. Seb Cockerall showed control and spin throughout, despite managing a major technical change early season. Always a man to create something out of nothing, he caused problems throughout the middle of the innings, including figures of 3/11 against Reigate Grammar.

The star of the season was unquestionably Roshaan Sornalingham. A genuine quick bowler who can swing the ball at will with incredible control, Roshaan was rarely hit off the square. Taking 10 wickets in his 30 overs, he only conceded 75 runs and stood out amongst all players each week.

Roshaan undoubtedly has a bright future ahead.

With five wins and five defeats, including victories in four of the last five matches, this really was a season of ongoing progression for the U12As; with a strong preseason planned for 2020, we’re sure to see some quality cricketers developing from this group.

Perhaps only the exploits of the England cricket team in the World Cup Final could eclipse the U12B boys’ performance against Reed’s early in the season.

Needing 119 to win, Mattia Galvani and Tomoki Delucia steered the boys home with two balls to spare after Freddie Lett had helped set up the win with four wickets for two runs. This was one highlight amongst many in an eventful season. Aidan Seymour impressed with some sharp, accurate bowling but his run-out against Reed’s with a direct hit from the boundary sent the boys into a joyous, slightly stunned, celebration. Zain Mannan, Naael Mausoof, Thomas Ahearn and Dilhan Boran-Bailey bowled consistently well throughout the season while Kieran Samarasena developed into a very effective spin bowler. Hugo Land proved to be a proficient all-rounder and Freddie Lett could be relied upon to score his runs quickly and save scores of runs with his athleticism in the field. Tarun Desai contributed useful middle order runs and some tidy bowling while Tomoki Delucia took some stunning catches as well as hitting boundaries. Mattia Galvani made great strides as wicket-keeper and Sonny Carlisle was arguably the most improved fielder and batter.

The boys were great fun to work with in a most enjoyable and entertaining season.

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Football

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hat a busy and exciting season on the football pitches and Futsal courts it has been.

It was another year of record numbers of players and teams regularly representing KGS and the year also saw the inclusion of an U16 girls’ team, making a total of 13 football and six Futsal teams. It was one of the most successful seasons on record as the U12 girls made the English Schools (ESFA) National Quarter-Finals.

Boys The boys had a difficult time in the cup competitions this year; unlucky with the draws, they all played strong opposition in the opening rounds.

The First XI played Hampton in three different competitions and, although they lost each one, improved with every encounter.

To put the losses in perspective, Hampton went on to be crowned national champions this year.

KGS did, however, reach the London Independent Schools Semi-Final with good victories over Whitgift and Mill Hill. A pleasing victory was recorded over St George’s in a fixture that began in 1890.

The boys played well throughout the season and registered good wins against Ibstock, RGS Guildford, CLFS and Colfe’s. They should be all be proud of their performances.

The Second XI started the season well, with good wins against Ibstock, Eton College, Kew House, Box Hill

and St George’s College. Sadly, cup defeats to Dulwich and University College School followed, which ended their season prematurely.

With the exception of the 10–2 win against Kew House most of the Third XI’s games were close affairs and there was very little in all their matches. Wins against Ibstock and Reigate Grammar were the highlights of the season and even when they were down on their luck the team never gave up.

It was another year of record numbers of players and teams regularly representing KGS and the year also saw the inclusion of an U16 girls’ team

Wins against Wellington College and Thames Christian College raised expectations early in the season for the U16s but it was not to be: it was another year of cup heartbreak as they lost 3–2 in the County Cup and suffered an extra time defeat in the ESFA Cup against Phoenix Academy. A 5–0 win against a Whitgift side ended the season on a high and showed what they are capable of.

Many of the U16 players also played their part in more senior sides.

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Girls

The highlight of the U15s’ season was their performance on the FC Porto tour. Many players represented the School for the first time this year and they should all be proud of the progress they made.

The U14s also had a tough season.

There were fantastic performances on tour but a loss on penalties to Overton Grange in the County Cup was hard to take. Their first match in the ESFA Cup was against a strong Royal Russell side who went on to finish in the last eight. Let’s hope the draw will be kinder next year.

The highlight of the U15s’ season was their performance on the FC Porto tour. Many players represented the School for the first time this year and they should all be proud of the progress they made

Senior House Football Queen’s 10 points Taverner 7 points Lovekyn 6 points Stanley 3 points Walworth 3 points

Junior House Football The U13s started the season really well as joint winners of the Twickenham Prep tournament. They put on another good performance in Portugal on the football tour but their domestic form was very much a work in progress. Good wins against Thames Christian, Gordon’s and Kew House put the team in good shape before playing the previous national champions, St John’s Enfield. Although they lost this game it was a chance for the boys to see what level they should be aiming for.

The U12s had a tough start to their KGS football careers with a couple of challenging cup matches. Many of this group hadn’t played much football before but, nevertheless, exhibited an excellent attitude and impressive commitment. We look forward to seeing them develop.

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First Year: Lovekyn, Taverner, Queen’s, Walworth, Stanley Second & Third Year: Lovekyn, Queen’s, Taverner, Stanley, Walworth

Girls’ football at KGS enjoyed a record-breaking year. Not only did we manage to field teams from U12s all the way to U16s but many girls played regularly alongside the boys, representing KGS on the pitch in both girls’ teams and in the boys’.

The U12 team of Amelie Glynn, Maya Buchanan, Lina Kraft, Holly Seabrook, Hanna Garghouti, Gina Saltykova, Amelie Amalou, Emily Barker, Charlotte Comard, Amelie Stark and India Catford really had a year to remember, reaching the last eight in the country, the best performance from a football team ever at KGS. This fabulous achievement saw the girls playing in all weathers (rain, snow, wind and sunshine) across five counties to reach the quarter-finals.

The U13s had a fantastic season too, including reaching the AFC Wimbledon Regional Finals, suffering a narrow loss in extra time.

Despite losing a few key players to cricket fixtures, the team also managed to reach the ISFA SouthEast Quarter-Finals where they lost to the eventual winners on penalties.

The U14, U15 and U16 girls all had cup competitions, with the U14s and U15s both unlucky to go out in extra time.

All the girls have worked so hard individually and as part of their respective teams and are a real credit to the School. We are all very proud of them all and as girls’ football continues to grow we look forward to having a 1st XI team next year!

Staff v Leavers Leavers 4–2 Staff A huge thank you to all the football staff and a special mention to Mr Davies, Mr Scott and Mr Reed for all their support to the football programme during their time at KGS. Mr M Hall, Head of Football

Individual honours Clara John – ISFA National Team, England U17 Training Camp Charlotte Cahn – Surrey Schools FA

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All the girls have worked so hard individually and as part of their respective teams and are a real credit to the school.

We are all very proud of them all and girls’ football continues to grow we look forward to having a 1st XI team next year!

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Futsal K

GS is one of the leaders in school Futsal, a game that is the FIFA- and UEFA-approved format of small-sided football. It plays an important part in the KGS football programme and is an exciting sport in its own right. The game is well suited to technical and tactical players and promotes skills which can be transferred to the 11-aside game.

It was another successful year on the courts for KGS, with the U14 boys exorcising the disappointment of losing the 2017 ISFA national final to a strong Repton side. This year, the team of Alex Clarke, Dhilan Chopra, Lucas Dwyer, Harry Venning, Alex Watkins, Oliver Davis, Daniel Hepburn, Daniel Roberts and Finlay Dickinson beat Millfield to become ISFA National Champions.

Congratulations to them all.

Route to the trophy : 1 – 0 Westminster 1 – 4 Hampton 3 – 1 Bede’s School 0 – 0 Brighton College 1 – 0 Winchester College (semi-final) 3 – 1 Millfield (final)

The U13 boys had a great experience at the ISFA Championships, finishing third after beating local rivals Hampton in the third and fourth place play-off.

Well done to the team of Freddie Abbott, Lucas Hagler, Charlie Hunt, Tom Hunt, Miles Parsons, Patrick Priest, Aman Harchowal, Joe Tooth, Harry Rees, Jamie Kennedy and Henry Sandry-Butler.

The U13 girls played really well throughout the year and managed to reach the regional cup final, the county final and the national cup final. Unfortunately, they couldn’t quite get over the line despite being so close. However, the team of Orla Parker, Katherine Don-Wauchope, Ellinor Comard, Francesca Delbe-Waldron, Natalie Kavanagh, Jasmine ProcterTarabanov, Francesca Pavry, Lina Kraft, Jemma Dreyer and Lara Pickard should feel proud of their second place at the ISFA Championships, being Surrey Schools finalists and AFC Wimbledon Futsal Championship runners-up. With many of the U15 boys playing their first Futsal it was a tough season but the team of Fergus Duncan, Oscar Evans, Nathan Gorin, Sebastian Latimer, Fred Mills, Felix Pluck, Ben Turner, Finlay Pickrell, Sidney EisensteinLevett and Freddie Moore should be proud of their progress throughout the year.

The U15 girls (Charlotte Cahn, Beatrix Page, Eve Abbott, Katie Elmes, Matilda Drewett, Caitlin Gleeson, Rebecca Jones, Fia Mahdi, Caitlin O’Donovan and Sophie Tomison) had limited Futsal experience but improved with every game in the Surrey championships (where they finished second) and the ISFA competition.

Mr M Hall, Head of Football

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Futsal facts

Five-a-side game

Uses hockey-sized goals

Played indoors

The size four ball has a reduced bounce Played to touchlines Players are free to enter the penalty area The ball can be played over head height 20 minutes per half Played to a stopping clock (similar to basketball) with time-outs permitted

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KGS is one of the leaders in school Futsal, a game that is the FIFA- and UEFAapproved format of small-sided football.

It plays an important part in the KGS football programme and is an exciting sport in its own right

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Golf I

t was always going to be hard for the KGS golfers to follow up on the success of the 2017–18 season having lost two single-figure handicap golfers but the team gave it a good go in the matches they played.

The season started in September with a very pleasant trip to play Epsom College in the HMC Foursomes at Walton Heath GC, which was due to host the European Tour’s British Masters

The season started in September with a very pleasant trip to play Epsom College in the HMC Foursomes at Walton Heath GC, which was due to host the European Tour’s British Masters a couple of weeks after we had played.

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The new pairing of Jonathan Moeller-Schwartz and Oscar Evans battled well in their match and only lost on the last hole to a much stronger pairing from Epsom. The other two matches were not as close and KGS were again knocked out of the foursome event in the first round.

As defending regional champions, hopes were high for another good showing in the ISGA Matchplay at the end of September. Our first round match was against local rivals Hampton, the alma mater of PGA Tour star Paul Casey.

On a desperately difficult day at Fulwell GC, with wind gusts of close to 40mph, Jonathan, Oscar and team captain Max Dawson played well but we lost the match 2–1, with all games finishing just before the 18th hole. As first round losers, KGS entered the ISGA plate draw and played St. George’s across the delightful Longcross course at Foxhills GC in March. It was again a very windy day and KGS came up only five points short in the team Stableford event.

At the start of October, KGS were defending another title, the Southern Schools Invitational played at Reigate Heath GC, which had moved from June the previous year into the early October slot; what a defence it was with Max and Jonathan finishing as runners-up in the team scratch event. Jonathan also finished 8th in the individual scratch event.

Our first win of the season came in early April in a friendly against one of the strongest schools in the area, Reed’s. The handicap fourball match was played across our home course, Malden GC, which is always in great condition any time of the year these days. KGS won the match 2–1, with strong showings again from Moeller-Schwartz and Evans and our youngest pairing of Oli Dawson and Joe Raven.

The annual Past vs Present match took place again at the start of May, played over the narrow Coombe Wood GC as our usual course, Malden, was unavailable. Quite how the match went ahead I am not sure as it poured with rain all night and the morning of the match. But, as in previous years, the clouds seemed to part at just the right time and the course held up magnificently to allow all but the final match to be played without any further rainfall.

Our first win of the season came in early April in a friendly against one of the strongest schools in the area, Reed’s

The Present again ran out comfortable winners 11.5 to 8.5 with Oli Dawson and Joe Raven starring for the Present, winning all four of their available points and helping the School retain the John Makin cup for the third year in a row. Max Dawson signed off from the KGS golf team after years of service by representing the School at the Surrey Schools Golf Championships, played at Addington Palace GC near Croydon. Max has been a stalwart of the team over the years and we hope to see him back on the golf course with KGS soon.

Mr M Rodgers, Head of Golf

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Max Dawson signed off from the KGS golf team after years of service by representing the School at the Surrey Schools Golf Championships

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Hockey

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O

ver 250 matches or tournaments have been entered or been played this season across the age groups and ability levels.

The U12A boys should be congratulated for winning over 80% of their matches, whilst our national competing age groups at U14, U16 and U18 in the Tier 1 competitions found qualifying from Surrey challenging. With new fixtures came more travelling for the First XI and the need for strength in depth a shown to be essential; for each and every match the team has to be – and remain – competitive.

Surrey and the south remain very strong across all age groups and as this format is rolled out now into U16 and U14 age groups, the experience to play one-off matches at high intensity is essential.

1st XI It has been a slightly frustrating year for the team in terms of results and performances. At the start of the season we focused on moving the ball on the counter-attack and being difficult to beat in defence. The boys showed off some of the hockey they were capable of playing and we quickly learnt you cannot be even a little bit off defensively when up against some of the sides we faced.

As the season went on there was some outstanding hockey played but it just wasn’t consistent enough.

Going forward, Josh Askew, Jonny Kerr and Artie Rice-Oxley always combined well in midfield or out of the back but at times we lacked that bit of quality and composure in the circle. Defensively we started looking stronger with Sam Mayhew and Hugo Delsol playing crucial roles at the back. Will Mackintosh was exceptional in goal all year.

I want to say thank you for all the effort the boys put into the season and for the leavers, Josh Askew, Jonny Kerr, Artie Rice-Oxley, Hugo Delsol, Will MacKintosh, Jacob Hollaway, Toby Fairhurst and Luke Mobley for their contributions to KGS hockey over the last few years.

U16A The boys played some outstanding hockey but were not able to progress as far as we would have hoped in the Tier One competition. The season began with wins against Whitgift, Portsmouth Grammar and Millfield, followed by the first round of the South Indoor competition where KGS won five games, beating a strong Caterham side in the final.

Unfortunately, the next round of the indoor competition proved tougher. Despite scoring goals against all the sides we played, we did not play well enough on the day to progress to the Nationals. As ever with KGS indoor hockey the boys did fantastically well to compete with and beat several schools that have indoor facilities and can practise regularly.

In January, KGS competed against the strongest sides in the south of England. Dr Challoner’s were beaten 4–0 in the second round which set up a third round game with local rivals St George’s College. In an edgy game with both teams defending well, KGS scored first but St George’s equalised just before half time.

Despite several opportunities in the second half we were unable to find the crucial goal meaning that the game was destined to be decided by a penalty shootout. It was not our day, losing 4–1 in the shootout meaning that after just two competitive outdoor games we were out. Alas such is high level competition.

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Boys

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STOP PRESS >> England and GB players Zach Wallace and Jack Waller are part of the GB selection team for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo

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U16B The boys have had to use their technical skills to compete against some very physical teams.

They showed a bit of fight and took on board tactical advice. Lucas Brenninkmeijer and James Fairhurst were solid defensively at the back the whole season and with the likes of Tom Hewer, Lucas Griffin and Ollie Rosner they were able to play forward into the next line easily.

Tom Hill provided us with the quality we needed at times to put the ball in the back of the goal and with big improvements from Luca Fielden and other members of the squad I am looking forward to seeing how the boys progress into senior hockey next year.

U15 The U15s play a small number of matches as the boys tend to play as U16s yet they compete in the National U15 Independent Schools competition. In recent years we have been disappointed not to go much further in this competition and after this campaign we continue to have this feeling. The boys were unfortunate to lose on strokes in the third round having drawn with Churcher’s College. Despite Jacob Eley saving two strokes to take the competition to sudden death, the luck wasn’t with us that day. Churcher’s went on to win every other game convincingly and win the tournament.

U14A After the successes of last season expectations were high.

Some changes to our Games programme enabled the boys to experience life on the water as well on the hockey pitch meaning, understandably, that our results were a little disappointing up to Christmas. However, the boys qualified in the regional heats at Charterhouse with some excellent team performances. The Second Year trio of Ed Wheeler, Teddy Warner and Tim Bryce made telling

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contributions and with Adam Sloan in fine form in front of goal the boys doggedly fought their way into the South quarter-finals for an away tie with Churcher’s College.

Luis Knowles and Alex Clarke developed an excellent understanding in defence over the course of the season and started controlling the opposition forwards. Dan Roberts provided the heartbeat of the team in central midfield, ably assisted by the skilful Sam Harcourt and Finn Dickinson. The boys took the game to Churcher’s and created many goal-scoring opportunities so it was disappointing to go behind in the match. Toby Anderson and Dhilan Chopra worked tirelessly in the forward line and received plenty of support from half-backs Oli Dawson and Ben Temple-Bowles. Frustratingly, the boys lost the tie with their best performance of the season despite largely dominating the match; Churcher’s coach was gracious enough to say that the better team on the day had lost the game but it came as scant consolation to the boys who had played their hearts out. This was a team that had made significant progress since the start of the season and who have shown a good deal of potential for the future.

U14B The U14Bs had a challenging season that tested their team spirit and enthusiasm as much as it did their skills. While they didn’t manage to pick up a win, they did make big improvements as the season developed. Week by week, players gained invaluable opportunities to play a range of roles in varied positions on the pitch, something that has already proven useful and will no doubt stand them in good stead for the future. Both Ben Reilly and Jacob Patterson proved a constant threat to opposition defences with their combination of pace and finish prowess. Saves from Daniel Jolly and Ollie Fairweather kept us in many a game; their bravery and reactions between the posts

were appreciated by the whole team, perhaps more often than they would have liked. Notable progressions came from Oli Prasher, whose elevated work rate saw him control matches single handedly at times. Tom Evans continued to grow in self-belief, leading by example in encouragement as well as effort. Harry Venning’s continually developing match awareness will no doubt see him play A team hockey in the future. The most pleasing point of all, however, in the enthusiasm that the team had for the game and manner in which they supported each other.

While some players were more experienced than others, and certain individuals may have had more success, everyone stuck together and backed their teammates throughout.

This is what they should remember when they look back on 2018/19.

U13A+B Throughout the season two central themes have been followed: passing to the outside and keeping our opponents on the outside of the pitch. Within this, of course, there are many other areas of individual play that have developed for each player at different times and speeds.

The difficulty over selection has been created by the fierce competition for places but also the commitment to improve and embrace change shown by all.

Within our Surrey-based circuit we are fortunate to compete with some very strong teams who win national titles most years and this environment encourages even greater improvement, though it can be tough at times.

Our keepers Christian Park and Harrison Lloyd, under the watchful eyes of Fortitude coach Rose Thomas, have grown in confidence and understand the importance of developing sound basics. They are learning to communicate with their defence, Tim Bryce, Jamie Kennedy, Aman Harchowal and Joe Tooth who can now defend from positions

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The difficulty over selection has been created by the fierce competition for places but also the commitment to improve and embrace change shown by all

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of strength and look to pass forwards and support. In midfield Freddie Haynes, Thomas Bristow, Joe Goodsman, Johnny Barr, James Johnson, Harry Rees and Matthew Jonkergouw have worked tirelessly supporting their forwards, covering their defences. They have developed far greater awareness of when to carry and when to pass. Our forwards are now much more aware of the broader skills they need to develop to continually create problems for teams especially in the D, but also to press under control and win the ball back.

Edward Wheeler, Teddy Warner, Maxim Osipov, Henry Sandry-Butler, Max Carnegie-Brown, Joe Raven, and Conor Carnegie-Brown have all scored important goals and created opportunities for others.

U13C The U13C boys had an excellent season. They showed commitment in training during the year and worked hard in all the matches.

The highlights were the three wins (one of which was 9–2!) against local arch rivals Reed’s School and a tight game against Langley Park. It was, however, slightly disappointing to let half-time leads slip on more than one occasion. Overall, though, a most enjoyable season. Goalkeepers Jack Shute and Sol Procter-Tarabanov were solid in goal and both were good shot stoppers. Will Taylor, Max Billar, Ethan Hammond and latterly Harry Rees defended with composure (sometimes a little too much!), but passed the ball well out from the back. Josh Whitelam and Daniel Skilton’s pace and direct running often unsettled opposition defences, while Ben Sporleder and Christian Faergemann provided stability in midfield. Lucas Thompson’s pace was always a handful and threatening up front. Over the year the squad improved and it would be nice to see one or two of these players break into the B team next year.

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U13D The U13Ds had mixed results over a very enjoyable season.

Attendance at training was always high and the work rate and positive attitude in matches was pleasing.

The highlights of the season were the wins against Merchant Taylors’ (4–0) and Reigate Grammar (6–2: Robbie Proddow scoring all six goals, an impressive performance!).

Jashan Kaushal, Theo Ritchie and Charlie Ives were solid and reliable in defence with Jashan’s ‘take no prisoners’ approach often particularly effective! Tom Morris, Hamza Elmansoury, Jack Skeates, Ben Forster and Freddie Thompson shared midfield duties, with Jack Skeates and Tom Morris particularly impressive. Robbie Proddow and Sam Kelly provided the ‘bite’ up front. Nick Ho and Theo Pflanz also played in some of the games.

The team definitely improved over the season and showed great spirit throughout.

U12A+B This exceptionally talented and athletic group of young players enjoyed a highly successful first season of hockey. The skillful Ollie Stone led the team as captain and showed maturity beyond his years in guiding the A team to some outstanding performances.

Jonatan Ronberg, Ethan Harcourt and Sam Sloan were experienced hockey players already and probably did more than their coach to help develop the skills of the newcomers to the game. Jack Brady, Dylan Gillmore, Freddie Lett, Tomoki Delucia and Mattia Galvani demonstrated a considerable aptitude and rapidly developed into very adept and exciting young players indeed. Sonny Carlisle was a reliable presence in goal and his consistency and good humour were an important element in the cohesion of the team.

The B team were also busy making big strides in their development. Luke Lawson-Smith was highly influential in the centre of midfield and was never shy of firing in a shot in the opposition D. The tenacious and feisty talents of Nelson Kinzler, Jaime Sanchez-Ruiz and Nestor Sacreste ensured the opposition never had an easy ride, while Joe Aymat and Priyam Patel provided some creativity and firepower in attack. Hugo Land and Finian Jeffrey proved finesse in midfield and the dynamic Freddie Steel made some sensational saves in goal.

It was a great privilege to oversee the technical and tactical development of such a talented and committed group but it was also an immensely enjoyable experience for all the coaching staff who worked with the boys over the course of season.

U12C+D It was a wonderful year for the U12 C and D teams. Most of the boys had not touched a stick before coming to KGS but their improvement over the course of the season bodes well for the years to come. Highlights for the Cs included two very tense 2–1 losses to Reed’s as well as a nailbiting 1–0 victory over Merchant Taylors’.

The away fixture at Caterham was an absolute goal fest, with KGS coming out as 4–2 winners. The only thing that tasted as good as that victory was the match tea laid on

by Caterham. The D team changed week to week to allow as many boys as possible to represent the School, with the 4–3 win over Langley Park being an exciting highlight. Results are one thing but the friendships that developed during freezing Wednesday nights at Old Cranleighans and song-filled coach trips to Portsmouth and elsewhere are a highlight of the year.

Mr S Hardy, Head of Coach Education & Sports Outreach

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Girls

In the Independent Schools’ Cup, the U19s beat Christ’s Hospital (9–0), Godolphin and Latymer (7–1), Surbiton High (2–1) and Rugby School (4–3) to reach the final against Repton. It was a tough physical battle with Repton emerging victorious, but the girls signed off the season in great style. Our fond farewells go to the ten Upper Sixth players leaving us for university.

The U15s, meanwhile, beat Royal Russell (18–0), Reigate (1–0), Ipswich (2–1) and Bradfield (2–0) to meet Millfield in the last two.

A 1–0 defeat followed but the girls should be proud of their achievements over the course of the season. Our thanks to the Hockey Society for providing transport so that our younger players could come and support.

In the National Schools’ Championships, the junior sides led the way, with both the U14s and U13s making the National Finals.

The U14s continued their winning season, beating Sedburgh 1–0, Sevenoaks 2–0 and drawing 0–0.

Unfortunately, we did not make the final on goal difference but did qualify for the 3rd/4th play-off match against Clifton College.

Sadly, it was just not meant to be.

KGS finished in 4th place (their first loss of the season!) but still a truly amazing achievement.

The U13s had qualified in great style, winning the South heats with victories over Surbiton High and Cheam. KGS had a tough first couple of games at the Nottingham Hockey Centre, but the girls showed tremendous character, coming back to win their next games against Oakham and St. Olave’s.

These results secured second spot in the group and a place in the bronze medal match where they faced Loughborough High School.

It was a closely fought contest which ended 0–0: only a penalty competition could decide the winner.

Jemma Dreyer and Miri Scott both scored penalty strokes and Katherine Don-Wauchope made two exceptional saves to win it 2–1 for KGS and ensure they took home the bronze medal. Third place in the country is an excellent achievement and the whole squad should be incredibly proud of the season they have had.

1st XI For most of the team this season was the last opportunity to reach a national schools’ final. We started our campaign with the London tournaments at the beginning of the year where decisive victories led us to the top of our group, qualifying as winners to take us to the South competition.

Our quarter-final match against Wellington in the run-up to Christmas showed our true character and determination against a strong side and we were extremely unfortunate to lose 2–1 in a knockout game.

Although this temporarily affected our confidence, it meant we could now focus on the Independent Schools’ Cup, where we reached the final.

One of the most crucial games in this tournament was the semi-final against Rugby, where we won 4–3 after a tense and hard-fought match.

This victory meant we faced the national champions, Repton, in the final at Lee Valley where we were unfortunate to lose despite putting up a good battle throughout the game. This was an amazing experience for the whole team as we got to face strong competition in a well-respected tournament, and the strong support from the younger KGS players and many parents really helped us to perform well.

2nd XI The 2nd XI had a fantastic season, winning 10 of their 13 matches.

The fixture list started with the annual game against Old Kingstonians, which was a perfect game to prepare the girls for the forthcoming season.

Unfortunately, the girls lost 3–1 but as a new team it was clear that they had potential to play fast-flowing hockey. A draw against Portsmouth Grammar and a loss against Millfield provided the motivation that was needed as the girls produced quality in the way they played and remained unbeaten for the rest of the season.

In total, the 2nd XI scored 46 goals and conceded only 13 which shows their attacking and defensive qualities. Special mentions must go to Sophie Fairweather who finished top goal scorer and Izzy Pleasance who has been exceptional in goal.

Player of the season was Kitty Griffin for her outstanding tackling and distribution from the back. Thank you to everyone that made the season so enjoyable and good luck to those who have moved on in their hockey careers.

3rd XI The team was made up of a 21-player squad, allowing for ‘Olympic team-like rotations’ (reflecting the current depth of girls’ hockey at KGS). At times, there was some fantastic hockey played and some historic victories, the away match against St. George’s College being a highlight early on in the season. Perhaps due to the large numbers keen to show their wares, consistency across the lines was hard to establish. Players who stood out this season were Melina Williams (la capitana), Gaia Aherne (holding centre mid-field role), Anouk Delattre (lethal in the circle) and Elin Humphrey (a strong driving force down the line) to name but a few.

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T

he 2018/19 season was certainly one for the record books as it’s not every year that sees four teams reach the National Finals.

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U16A

U15A

This year the U16 girls managed to reach the South heats in what was a tough season. KGS were off to a great start in their campaign with some early wins against Royal Russell (9–0) and JAGS (4–1) which put them through to the semi-final of the London Cup. The girls played some excellent hockey and managed to beat Streatham and Clapham 4–0 to earn themselves a place in the final against Surbiton High. Unfortunately, the previous year’s winners proved too strong and the girls only qualified for the regionals. Here, the girls were drawn in a group of five and in their first game came away with a 2–1 win against Churcher’s College.

St Teresa’s, who boast many England internationals, were their next opposition and they were just too strong; KGS lost 3–1 but qualification was still a possibility. A win against Latymer Upper meant that it was all to play for against Brighton College in the last game. However, a narrow loss resulted in the girls coming third and not progressing.

Well done to everyone who has represented the U16s this year.

The U15 girls had a truly amazing year, finishing runners-up in the Independent Schools Hockey Cup. They started their campaign with an outstanding 18–0 win against Royal Russell School where some fast-flowing hockey proved too much for the opposition. They met Reigate in the third round which we knew would be a tough test.

After a first-half goal put KGS in the lead, Reigate came back fighting, applying lots of pressure to the KGS defence. An extra time win against Ipswich School secured their place in the semis, where they were drawn against Bradfield College. Another victory and they were in the final against Millfield. The final itself was a close encounter, with Millfield taking control of the game in the first half and managing to score early in the second half. However, KGS started to play stick-to-stick hockey and put a lot of pressure on the opposition for the remainder of the game.

Sadly, it wasn’t enough to change a 1–0 score line and KGS finished as runners-up.

U16B With four year groups represented in this team, it was a tale of two halves (one team before Christmas and one team after). There were some consistent performers, however – Grace Neil, Sofia Procter, Molly Verow and Izzy Rosser always played with a determined attitude and gave it their absolute best.

When available, Charlotte Cahn was a sure-fire shot-stopper and kept the team ‘in it’ despite some ‘hairy’ moments against other teams’ U16A and 2nd XI teams! Special thanks to all the Third Year regulars who stepped up and gave it 100% when asked. Hopefully they learnt a lot and made huge improvements in such a short space of time. These girls will grow in confidence and stature next season.

U14A The U14s had an excellent year which ultimately saw them competing at the Nationals Finals at Lee Valley. With only three losses, it was a testament to how the girls applied themselves through what was a very long season. Notable performances came in the London Final against Surbiton High which saw KGS come out on top in what was an excellent match. Having qualified second in the South Finals on goal difference it meant the girls had to have a play-off match against Marlborough College. Despite it being touch and go whether the match would be on due to snow, the girls produced a very professional performance which meant a 2–1 win qualified them for the National Finals at Lee Valley.

There were notable performances throughout the year from Kea Murray, Amy Smith, Millie and Maddie Good, Evie Hurn, Jess Walker, Elsie Callen, Fia Mahdi and Grace Slevin. Throughout the year all of the girls made a huge contribution to the team and they all should be extremely proud of what they achieved.

U14B Throughout the season, the U14B team, captained by Sophie Garner, had 13 matches in total with 10 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw. We participated in one tournament where we played well but unfortunately were not able to reach the final after some difficult games. We were very fortunate to have a large squad this season, which enabled us to rotate different combinations throughout the year and learn from our performances.

Throughout the season, our teamwork improved as we became closer, learning to work well as a group and winning more matches together. The forwards improved on their hitting, the defence improved on transferring the ball across the pitch and the midfield improved on passing the ball into space. During training sessions, we worked on shooting, building a strong defence and 3D skills.

In the midfield, Angelina Campbell developed into a key performer, using her skills to distribute the ball with ease. Sophie Garner developed into a strong and knowledgeable captain, as well as scoring great goals as a forward. Finally, Lilah Jones and Eva Johnston were pivotal defenders in ensuring a very successful season. Congratulations to all the girls who have all grown and developed throughout the season!

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U13A+B

U12A+B

The U13A team had an exceptional season. With strength and depth across the squad they sailed through the London Cup and Southern tournaments; winning both, they scored 28 goals in each and conceded only one. Goalkeeper Katherine Don-Wauchope made two fine penalty saves to ensure the girls came back with a bronze medal, an excellent achievement.

The whole squad deserves a mention as they all made significant contributions to the team’s success throughout the season. Audrey Dunwoodie has been one of the most improved players, and Ella Watkins and Louisa Parker worked tirelessly upfront to put pressure on the opposition and score some great goals. They will continue to improve in the 11-a-side format as U14s next season.

The new First Years proved great additions to KGS hockey. Despite many having not picked up sticks, or indeed been in goalkeeping pads before, they embraced the training sessions and thrived upon the competition of games. A very early fixture against Alleyn’s proved a good lesson for both squads: victory for the As but a heavy loss for the Bs. This match was a great indicator of the progress that was to be made.

The As continued their winning streak at the Latymer Upper tournament and picked up their first gold medal of the season.

The Bs also performed well in a predominantly ‘A team’ tournament.

Throughout the season, all made huge progress. Tula Knowles and Josie Roux stepped up to the U13As and went on to win a Bronze Medal in the National Schools Finals. Alice Cowin began linking her fast feet with good dribbling technique, causing problems for the opposition, with Hanna Garghotui demonstrating fantastic vision and comfort on the ball.

The teams recorded only four losses between them in a fixtureheavy season. I look forward to working with this talented group in the future and seeing them grow and flourish.

U13C+D The U13C & D teams worked tirelessly throughout the season to develop their stick skills, their tactical awareness and their teamwork.

The Cs played 14 matches and won eight. This is a fantastic achievement and is a reflection of their enthusiasm and commitment.

The Ds played 13, winning four and drawing four which again is a great achievement and shows how hard they worked as a unit.

The girls have been a pleasure to coach throughout the season and we look forward to seeing them develop to 11-aside next season.

U12C+D The U12 Cs and Ds had an enjoyable two terms of hockey, training with enthusiasm and having applied a hard-working approach to their game throughout the season.

Both teams suffered defeat in their first match against Alleyn’s School.

However, they came back fighting in their second fixture and beat St John’s Leatherhead with impressive scores of 2–1 for the Cs and 9–3 for the Ds. Isabel Harris was impressive as made some strong and fast attacks.

Their confidence and skill levels gradually improved as the first term progressed. In particular, their push passing accuracy and the power of their passes both got stronger.

Maya Buchanan, Amelie Glynn, Charlotte Wellman and Freya Ludlow started to implement some good decision-making skills in fixtures, which gave both teams an opportunity keep possession.

The C team’s last six matches saw 3 draws and 3 wins with some unlucky shots at goal. Anoushka Bate and Sienna Rosenbaum worked tirelessly in midfield to support the forwards and performed some fast runs back to offer the defenders support.

The D team had a mixed bag of results throughout the season.

Despina Estrada and Amelie Stark provided a good level of support in defence and were not afraid to go in for a tackle. Towards the end of the Spring term their pitch awareness and positioning were starting to take shape.

Both teams had players who were versatile and would happily play in different positions each week which in turn improved their game.

All players showed a dedication to their training and fixtures every week. Well done to all involved!

Miss H Naismith, Head of Girls’ Hockey

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The difficulty over selection has been created by the fierce competition for places but also the commitment to improve and embrace change shown by all

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Netball N

etball continues to grow, with girls training and playing matches most evenings. Each age group has had a mixed bag of results with their performance highlights being the achievements at the Borough tournaments where the standard has risen considerably over the years.

Netball continues to grow, with girls training and playing matches most evenings

Borough The U12As played some of their best netball this season in the Borough competition. They started well by beating Tiffin Girls but then had a difficult game against Surbiton, resulting in a loss. Having won all their remaining games it came down to the last game against Holy Cross for the silver medal position. After an incredibly close game and some excellent netball, the girls lost 7–9 which placed them third in the borough. A fantastic performance.

The U13s played exceptionally well, narrowly coming runners-up to Tiffin, with great team performances against Surbiton and Holy Cross.

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was to Tiffin, which placed them second overall in the borough. There was some lovely teamwork, with outstanding shooting from sisters Jess and Meg Francis, relentless defending from Sophie Burden and calm centre court play and feeds from Sara Gotham-Pardo.

The U18Bs also took part in the Boroughs this year and despite a difficult first game played some good netball. They improved as the tournament progressed, beating Hollyfield and narrowly losing to both the U18A team and Holy Cross to come fifth overall.

The U14s played some outstanding netball and worked well as a squad, supporting and encouraging each other. The defence were strong and worked hard to gain possession, with excellent play from Kea Murray, Eva Johnston and Sophie Tomison.

The attacking positions kept calm with Amy Smith, Grace Slevin and Katie Mullally all playing with confidence and there was some amazing shooting from Eve Abbott and Fia Mahdi. The team played six matches and won five convincingly, losing one to their rivals, Holy Cross, with a final score of 8–9. They finished the tournament with a total of 26 points, drawing with Tiffin, but sadly lost on goals scored to become runners-up.

The U15s finished fourth overall having played some excellent netball against Coombe Girls and Hollyfield and narrowly losing to Surbiton.

Special mentions must go to Anna Duggan for her composed play down the court and excellent shooting from both Maddie Prichard and Anna Le Huray.

The U18As played well, winning four out of five matches in what is always a tough tournament with our main rivals being high-achieving netball schools. The girls’ only loss

We are always very proud of everything the girls do and achieve; they are all a credit to themselves and to the School

Notable congratulations must go to Tula Knowles, Amy Marshall and Fia Mahdi for completing their first season with Surrey Netball.

They have all made it into the 2019/2020 squads, along with Eve Abbott. A fantastic achievement!

As coaches, we are always very proud of everything the girls do and achieve; they are all a credit to themselves and to the School.

My sincere thanks to Miss Fletcher, Miss Butler, Miss Hicks and Miss Parkes for all their help and support throughout the year.

Mrs J Stapleton, Head of Netball

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The U18As played well, winning four out of five matches in what is always a tough tournament with our main rivals being high-achieving netball schools

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Regatta season

Throughout the Autumn and Winter the senior squad focus was on the small boats. Several athletes recorded competitive results in the single and double including a second place for Fran Chorley and Lily Abbott in the WJ17 2x at Hampton Head and a top five place for Harry Fletcher at the same event.

Late Winter and Spring sees the squad preparing for the major head races of the season. These are the Schools’ Head of the River Race and the National Junior Sculling Head.

Promising results for all the boats at the Hammersmith Head were not followed up at the Schools’ Head due to high wind causing the cancellation of several events.

Fortunately, the National Junior Sculling Head did not suffer the same fate and the J16 quad of Ben Short, Sam Cooper, Harry Fletcher and Tom Romberg was able to get two good runs in over the 1900m course at the London 2012 venue to place seventh out of 37 in this very competitive category.

During the Summer term the Senior squad took part in the usual round of regattas leading up to the National Schools Regatta at Eton Dorney at the beginning of the half-term break. Lily Abbott won the first event at Wallingford Regatta in the WJ18 single. She went on to win the single at Nottingham City Regatta and at the same regatta was joined by Holly Blake in the W2 – which they won by a considerable margin. At our local Thames Ditton Regatta the J16 boys, now sweeping, won at Thames Ditton Regatta, and Lily won again in her single.

Training camp During the Easter break we travelled to the Wycliffe College Boathouse on the Gloucester Sharpness canal for a regatta season preparation camp. This saw the senior boys learning to sweep with much promise and the girls starting to put together a coxless quad.

At the end of the week, owing to her consistency and focus, Gabi Bergmann-Chornik was the winner of the prestigious ‘Athlete of Camp’ award.

National Schools Regatta The J16 coxed four of Harry Fletcher, Ben Short, Sam Cooper, Tom Romberg and cox Annabel Roux put in a consistently paced time trial which ensured an A final placing. In the final the medals were just out of sight with the crew placing fifth. In the small boats Holly Blake and Lily Abbott achieved their target by progressing to the semi-finals in the Girls’ Championship pairs; Lily achieved the same result in the Girls’ Championship single, gaining valuable experience which she can make good use of.

International duty Throughout the year Lily Abbott has been trialling for the Great Britain Junior team. Her progress through the year saw her rise from outside the top 30 in November to 8th at the April trials and at the final trials she earned a seat in the top girls’ sculling boat at the Coupe de la Jeunesse. At the Coupe, Lily’s crew placed sixth, a superb result.

At the J16 level Harry Fletcher placed 15th at the February GB trial over 5km; in June, with a view to seeing how much he had progressed, he entered the single trial for the GB versus France match.

The progress was good, he won the trial and went on to represent Great Britain against France at the match in Nottingham on July 11th.

This is an outstanding result for Harry and excellent experience prior to his first year as a J18 triallist.

British Rowing Junior Championships The final race of the domestic season for the club was a successful one for two of the most impressive athletes. Fran Chorley and Gabi Bergmann-Chornik took on 30 WJ16 doubles in strong headwind conditions, not ideal for these two smaller students. The girls placed third in the time trial and held that position throughout the side-by-side racing to win a superb bronze medal. A well-deserved reward for a season of hard work.

Mr E Green, Director of Rowing

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The Heads

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J15 One of the first things that Fourth Year rowers are told each September is that it will be another two or three years before we will be able to determine whether the J15 year has been successful. This is a key development year, laying foundations for the methods and ethics needed to be successful for the rest of a school career and beyond.

However, it is nice to pick up some silverware while doing all that, and this year’s squad duly obliged.

Twelve of the 15 boys in the group and five of the 10 girls finished the year with either a tankard for a regatta win or a medal from a multi-lane event, a fixture or the ‘head race’ time trials that fill the first two terms of the year.

The Autumn term was spent mainly in small boats, with Alex Middleton and Isla Howell Bayes the fastest singles in our internal time trial in October after a solid period of building skills for all.

We entered Kingston Small Boats Head in October in matched crews but Alex, Douggie Bradley, Arthur Prince, Charlie Canning and cox Miland Gajree won the J15 B quadruple sculls event, a handful of seconds ahead of the other KGS boys’ quad.

Two quads returned from a fixture at Bedford in early December with medals – the girls’ combination of Isla, Sasha Lacey, Marta Console Camprini, Holly Farrer and cox Annabel Roux and the boys’ group of Douggie, Alex Middleton, Charlie, Alex Currie and cox Matthew Mace.

January brought a home fixture against Windsor Boys’ School on the morning of the boat club dinner, which gave us a clear idea of the speed of the best J15 crews in the country. We would see Windsor 104

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regularly during the following six months.

At the National Sculling Head in March the top boys’ quad of Douggie, Luka Boyle, Charlie, Alex Middleton and cox Annabel finished 13th from 70 crews, a result that gave cautious optimism for the summer. The boys’ B quad were second-fastest of 21 such crews, although there wasn’t a dedicated event for second boats, while the girls’ quads finished about halfway up similar sized fields in their event.

We were back in matched quads for the Kingston Head five days later, with Jordan Miao and Matthew Harley joining the fastest crew in the J15 A quads event. The girls’ crews finished second and third behind Walbrook RC, which were also pleasing results.

A week in Gloucester beckoned at the beginning of the Easter holiday, where the squad prepared for the start of the regatta season.

The weather didn’t oblige but we managed to spend all but one session on the river, getting a clearer idea of the requirements of side-by-side racing. The squad also refined their singing skills during minibus journeys. If their coaches did not already harbour hatred for the work of Freddie Mercury and Avril Lavigne, they certainly do now...

In the first regatta of the Summer, in Bedford, both A quads made it to finals. Alice Cassidy, Ifeyinka Dombrowsky, Sasha Lacey, Holly Farrer and cox Isabella WalshWhitfield beat King’s School Ely and The Grange School Hartford on the way to a match-up against a very good Royal Shrewsbury School crew, which they weren’t able to win. The boys’ A and B boats both fell victim to Windsor Boys, the A crew by just a third of a boat-length in an exciting final.

While the leading quads had a frustrating time on home water at the Thames Ditton Regatta the following Saturday, a Tier Two quad of Kaveen Samarasena, Jordan, Alex Pelling, Ethan Geddie and cox Jack Emerson clinched victory, as did the double scull of Charlie and Douggie.

The highlight of the season for me came at the National Schools’ Regatta, where the boys’ A quad of Douggie, Luka, Charlie, Alex Middleton and cox Annie, coached

by Mr Burke, finished seventh in the country by winning their B-final at Dorney Lake. After a strong time trial, they weren’t able to qualify from their semi but made amends later in the day, racing side by side with the crew from Bryanston School for much of the 2000m race but crucially holding their pace for longer to cross the line first.

After a week off, our aim in the second half of term is to gain as much racing experience as possible, with regattas almost every weekend.

At Marlow Town Regatta the C quad, with Kaveen in the stroke seat, made the final, as did an impressive double of Alice and Ife. The boys’ quad lost to Windsor in a frustrating final at Thames Valley Park Regatta but Sasha and Isla also made the final in their double, as did the girls’ A quad.

The end of the season came on a boiling day at Peterborough Junior Championships, where racing was over 1000m in four lanes. The weather encouraged the growth of weed in the lake, which hampered many crews but Marta and Sasha emerged with a silver medal, as did the C quad of Kaveen, Jordan, James Sadler, Paul Adams and cox Jack.

Despite being the strongest crew in the squad, the boys’ A quad had failed to gain anything shiny to show for their efforts until now. Thankfully they put that right in style, finishing 13 seconds ahead of a final field comprising Yarm School, a Windsor Boys boat and Grange School.

Douggie took silver in his single too.

As the new season gets under way, I hope the new J16s will reflect on last season with fondness but that they will be able to put the experience gained and lessons learned during those 12 months to good effect over the next year.

Mr MW Gough, Rowing

J14 This has been a historic year for rowing at KGS, with a whole year group getting out on the river to see if rowing was for them. It was a hugely popular change; for some it confirmed that rowing was a sport they wanted to try whilst for others it was an opportunity just to try something new before heading back to hockey, cricket, football or tennis.

Over 60 of them chose rowing as their Summer Games option which was fantastic, and sessions focussed on working hard at 18 strokes per minute, learning how to move boats on water and on land, and discovering the technical and physical aspects of the sport.

Our aim was to have as many racing at Peterborough Junior Regatta on the last Saturday in June.

With just 16 sessions on the water plus eight ergo sessions this was always going to be a tall order, but we like a challenge and were confident the students could rise to it.

Water sessions showed a dramatic improvement very quickly from many students. This was a group of determined young athletes.

We were disappointed not to be able to register more than 38 students for the Peterborough Regatta; the gremlins of British Rowing’s website and the event organisers rejected some entries in oversubscribed events.

The day itself was an early start, with students leaving school at 5.30am to make it to Peterborough in time for the earliest races.

The first crew on the water were the Girls’ J14 Octuple of Emilia Smith, Amelie Scott, Rebecca Jones, Sophie Hunt, Alice Connell, Rosie Symons, Lila Skeet, Sophie Garner and Olivia Rosser. They finished third, beating a crew who had been rowing since September.

The Boys’ Octuple of Sachin Patel, Ben Reilly, Luis Knowles, Edward Phillips, Toby Anderson, Adam Sloan, Adam Comley, Finn James and Thomas Evans followed. Not to be outdone they also finished in third place and at times threatened to finish in second and make it through to the next round. Sadly, they could not quite hold their form but nonetheless it was a fantastic effort from the boys.

The quads were next to race, with two of our girls’ crews badly affected by the sudden appearance of huge amounts of weed from the lakebed.

Sadly, due to the weed they were unable to complete the race as so much was entangled around the oars and the steering mechanism.

They weren’t the only crews to suffer this fate with some events being won or lost as crews from around the country saw hopes and dreams snuffed out by thick weed. However, the girls’ quads of Lola Crampin, Matilda Drewett, Sophie Jones, Maddie Sibley and Katie Monaghan performed well and should be proud of their efforts.

The crew of Xian Leonard, Harriet Fowles, Eva Johnston, Vicky Brierly and Emily Parnis performed well enough to make it through to the next round, which was a fantastic achievement but were unable to progress to the final.

The boys fared well too with two crews qualifying for the final.

The crew of Melker Lannero, Alistair Anthony, Ben Reilly, Luis Knowles and Jacob Watkins had a great row in their heat, with a display of work rate over style seeing them book a place in the final. The final saw this crew encounter some bad luck as the rigger bolts had not been fully tightened and sadly their rigger came off the boat in the first half of the race.

Happily, the other boys’ crew of Edward Phillips, Toby Anderson, Finn James, Adam Sloan and Thomas Evans excelled in the final and came home with a silver medal.

With the aim of the day being to give the J14 squads a chance to experience a regatta and learn about the whole experience we were not expecting any significant results. It was great to see the students had other ideas and went out looking to win races. We hope to see these young athletes stay with rowing as I have no doubt there are some future KGS stars in the group. They have also set some high standards for those following behind so our expectations of our next J14 squad will be even higher!

Mr P Simmons, Rowing

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Tennis I t was another superb season for the tennis programme, with six different teams qualifying from their LTA Team Tennis groups to reach the quarter-final stages and beyond, the inaugural holding of the Kingston Challenge Cup between KGS and Tiffin and a trip to the Wimbledon Championships.

Once again, we entered boys’ and girls’ teams into the U12, U13, U14, U15 and U18 Surrey Leagues and boys’ and girls’ A and B teams into each of the Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 LTA Team Tennis competitions.

The highlights were: • U12 Girls LTA Team Tennis South East Region Champions LTA Team Tennis Surrey County Champions • U13 Girls LTA Team Tennis Surrey County Semi-Finals • U14 Boys LTA Team Tennis Surrey County Quarter-Finals • U14 Girls LTA Team Tennis Surrey County Quarter-Finals • U15 Boys LTA Team Tennis Surrey County Runners-up • U15 Girls LTA Team Tennis Surrey County Quarter-Finals Notable individual team fixture wins: • U18 Girls v Reed’s • U15 Boys v Tiffin, King Edward’s Witley, Kingsdale Foundation, Grey Court • U15 Girls v Surbiton High, Putney High, Alleyn’s • U14 Boys v Rutlish, Howard of Effingham • U14 Girls v Putney High, Reigate Grammar, Ursuline 106

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• U13 Boys v KCS Wimbledon, Tiffin, Ewell Castle

• U13 Girls v Howard of Effingham, Claremont Fan Court • U12 Boys v Farnham Heath End • U12 Girls v St George’s College, Putney High, LEH, Wimbledon High, Bede’s School Indeed, special mention must go to the U12 girls who had an incredible season, only losing one fixture (4–5!), with Natalie Ivory and Josie Roux undefeated in doubles in the Surrey League and LTA Team Tennis competitions.

The annual KGS Road to Wimbledon U14 Boys & Girls tournaments was held in May, with approximately 50 students playing. As ever, there were several closely fought matches.

Natalie Ivory emerged victorious, defeating Josie Roux in a high-quality final while Oliver Davis successfully defended his title, beating Freddie Haynes in another well-contested match. Congratulations to our champions who also went on to represent KGS in the county rounds of the competition. Particularly well done to Natalie who went on to win the Girls’ Surrey County Final. Not only is this a superb achievement in its own right, and a first for KGS, but it is even more impressive given she was an U12 playing in an U14 tournament. Natalie then went on to play in the National Finals on the grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in August where she competed really well, just losing her match narrowly in a deciding champions tiebreak third set.

Furthermore, our top pair from each of the U12s, U13s, U14s and U15s competed at the Boys’ and Girls’ Surrey Schools Festival at St George’s College in May which was a great experience for all involved; Sophie Morris and Juliette Den Hoedt (U15s) and U12 girls Natalie Ivory and Josie Roux both reached the semi-finals after wins over St George’s, JAGS, Claremont,

Harrodian and Croydon High in the U15s and Surbiton High, St George’s, JAGS, Caterham and St Theresa’s in the U12s.

It was a bumper year for entrants in the annual Family Tennis tournament at Ditton Field.

The competition was run as a two-group round robin doubles tournament with ten pairs in each group. After eleven rounds of non-stop play, Natalie and Bruce Ivory and Benny and Thomas Romberg emerged unbeaten from their groups, just ahead of Kea and Jake Murray, Hannah and Sarah Wood, Miri and Debbie Scott and Sophie and Tom Morris.

The final was a very close contest with Team Ivory coming back from an early deficit to win 10–8 and become this year’s Family Tennis champions – congratulations!

2019 also saw the inaugural holding of the Kingston Challenge Cup between KGS and Tiffin. Set to become an annual event and ‘classic clash’, our U12, U13, U14 and U15 boys competed against their Tiffin peers to become the first-ever holders of the Kingston Challenge Cup. An incredibly tight and exciting contest saw Tiffin edge ahead by three rubbers after the first two rounds on the Monday and Tuesday, but KGS then staged a superb comeback on the Wednesday with the U13 boys levelling the overall score at 13–13, setting up the final round between the U15s on Thursday to be a ‘winner takes all’ event. Once again, the Thursday was extremely closely fought, and KGS came through to win by the narrowest of margins 5–4 (including winning the decisive rubber on a sudden death point!) and thereby claim overall victory 18–17. Massive congratulations to all the boys involved – fantastic attitude and team spirit. Well done!

The tennis season ended on an incredibly exciting note with the trip to Day 3 of the Wimbledon Championships where we were fortunate to see two-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka lose out 8–6 in the fifth set to Reilly Opelka (the tallest player on the Men’s Tour at 6 feet 11 inches!) and Simona Halep (the eventual Ladies’ champion) win her match in three tight sets. Fingers crossed we get lucky in the ballot again next year!

Mr S Morris, Head of Tennis

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The tennis season ended on an incredibly exciting note with the trip to Day 3 of the Wimbledon Championships where we were fortunate to see two-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka lose out 8–6 in the fifth set to Reilly Opelka

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HOUSE REVIEW House Championship

HOUSE REVIEW

House Championship The 2018–2019 House Championship was once again a hotly contested affair and as we headed into the last week of term, everything came down to the final event, House Athletics (also known as Sports Day).

O

ver the course of the year each house has had its highs and lows. Current champions Lovekyn began as they had finished 2017–18 by establishing an early lead with wins in the Senior Girls’ Hockey and the Junior House Football. By half term, however, they had been eclipsed by Walworth, who won the MFL Quiz, House Chess, the Senior Tug of War and the much-coveted House Drama trophy. The second half of the Autumn term saw a resurgent Lovekyn as they won the House Technology. Queen’s, meanwhile, took maximum points in the House Art whilst Stanley scored successes in the House CCF and the Junior House General Knowledge.

The early part of the Spring term belonged to Queen’s as they took

victories in the House Dance, the Intermediate and Senior House Ergos and the Junior House Table Tennis, shooting up the leader board and looking like potential challengers for the crown. Seemingly stunned by their run of wins, Capt. Beggs was able to reinvigorate Lovekyn, and wins followed in both the Junior Girls’ and Junior Boys’ Hockey along with a clean sweep in the Basketball.

Stanley took the title in the House Swimming Gala at the end of March; there were wins for both Walworth and Queen’s in the House Cross Country events with Walworth victorious in the Senior Netball and Queen’s in the Senior Football.

Taverner picked up a win in the Senior Debating and Stanley won the Senior House General Knowledge.

By the beginning of the Summer term it was something of a ‘threehorse race’ between Lovekyn, Queen’s and Walworth with Stanley and Taverner vying for the ‘wooden spoon’. Taverner scored early on with a win in the House Shooting, but there were big points for Lovekyn in the Junior and Intermediate Tug of War competitions. Queen’s argued their way to victory in the Junior Debating and Stanley aced the House Tennis. Honours were shared between Lovekyn and Walworth for

the House Cricket and, in a fantastic evening of entertainment, Lovekyn won House Music.

Lovekyn were the eventual winners of Sports Day, despite a gallant effort from both Walworth and Queen’s, both of whom led at various points on the day. Lovekyn therefore retained the coveted House Championship trophy for the third year in a row having amassed an impressive 608 points overall.

Walworth were second with 562.5, Queen’s third (553), Stanley fourth (502.5) and Taverner fifth (439).

Well done to all the students who have represented their houses with distinction and enthusiasm across the academic year and special thanks to all the House Captains and Heads of House for helping to organise the masses.

In particular, thanks must go to Miss Brackley (Head of Stanley) who is stepping down from this post at the end of term and to Mr Scott (Head of Queen’s) who is moving on to Hampton School.

Mr Beaumont leaves his post as Head of Taverner to take on the role of Head of Boys’ Hockey next year.

Mr A Beard, Assistant Head

Results 2018–19 Lovekyn

Queen’s

608

553

points

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points

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Stanley

503 points

Taverner

Walworth

points

points

439

563

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HOUSE REVIEW Lovekyn

e did it again – House Champions 2018/19.

The purple eagle continues to soar! With wins in Music, Basketball, Tug of War and Sports Day to name but a few, Lovekyn really is going from strength to strength.

It was another exciting one to be a Lovekynite, with a bumper crop of students achieving their house colours, raising their levels of participation in events and creating a real buzz generally around everything purple. I would like to commend everyone for stepping up repeatedly when it came to representing Lovekyn; to quote Billy Ocean, ‘when the going gets tough, the tough get going’.

By the end of the Summer term Lovekyn had built up a commanding lead meaning we claimed the title of House Champions 2018/19 with a very impressive 100 points to spare!

With a rollercoaster of results and position changes throughout the year leading up to the Easter break, Lovekyn still had it all to do going into the Summer term. Following a rousing house assembly, our first back following Easter, Lovekyn were determined to show their true spirit and rallied round to claim back the coveted first place position in the

championship. With wins in both House Music and Sports Day, by the end of the Summer term Lovekyn had built up a commanding lead meaning we claimed the title of House Champions 2018/19 with a very impressive 100 points to spare!

However, with each success brings renewed determination from the other houses to try and knock the purple eagle from its perch – and with several new heads of houses being appointed for this year’s competition the opposition keep getting stronger. A special thank you goes to our House Captains 2018/19 for all their efforts in motivating and encouraging people to take part in the house events and for motivating Lovekyn to yet another House Championship.

*WINNER* 2018/19

Long may it continue!

Capt. A Beggs, Head of Lovekyn 109

HOUSE REVIEW Queen’s

HOUSE REVIEW

Q

ueen’s took a more ‘gentlemanly approach’ in the Autumn term of 2018, allowing the other houses to get some wins under their belts in order to boost their confidence.

It was not until December that the first outright win was achieved in the House Art competition.

Confirmation, if it were needed, that Queen’s had more than its fair share of creative geniuses. In fact, this had already been alluded to just before the October half term break where a second-place finish in House Drama saw 36 points swell the Queen’s total to 137 points by the end of the term.

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If, in the Autumn term, Queen’s had started slowly then it seemed that there would be no stopping them as the new term began. Wins were delivered in the House Dance, Intermediate and Senior House Ergos and the Junior Table Tennis

Nevertheless, Queen’s still lagged someway behind both Walworth and Lovekyn and only just ahead of fourth place Stanley. If, in the Autumn term, Queen’s had started slowly then it seemed that there would be no stopping them as the new term began. Wins were delivered in the House Dance, Intermediate and Senior House Ergos and the Junior Table Tennis.

Queen’s now appeared to be on an unstoppable surge but Lovekyn responded in kind, winning the next five events. However, wins in the ‘nail-bitingly close’ Senior Football, Junior House Football and First Year House Cross Country saw Queen’s amass an astonishing 266 points in the Spring term alone (more than any other house). This placed us on 403 points, just six behind the mighty Lovekyn (2017–18 Champions). There was then, a real chance for victory in the Summer term. Lovekyn, however, were in no mood to surrender their trophy and despite some heroic efforts, notably in the Junior House Debating (a Queen’s win) and at Sports Day (second overall) it was not enough, and Queen’s finished third with 553 points. Or as we prefer to see it, in the bronze medal position!

Well done to everyone who competed for Queen’s in 2018–19; you did a fantastic job and a lot of fun was had along the way! Special thanks to Mrs Jones and to all of Captains and Sixth Formers who helped to lead and manage the House and to support the younger students in their endeavours.

Go, Queen’s!

Mr M Scott, Head of Queen’s (until July 2019)

Editor’s note: Seemingly exhausted by his efforts to inspire Queen’s to victory in 2018–19, Mr Scott determined to move onto pastures new in September 2019. He was an inspirational and larger-than-life character who was a passionate believer in the value of the house system and it is right that we record our thanks to him here and wish his successors, Messrs Bartram and Simmons, the best of luck for 2019–20.

HOUSE REVIEW

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ithout wanting to be clichéd, for Stanley this year it really was the taking part that counted.

HOUSE REVIEW Stanley

Despite a fourth-place finish in the House Competition at the end of the year, we had excellent levels of participation and amazing enthusiasm across the year groups.

Lead by our stellar team of Sally Sime, Lucy McNeil and Ben Harrison-Hyde, Stanley worked on a policy of allowing everyone to ‘have a go’, no matter their ability.

It didn’t always mean a win, but it did mean that everyone had fun and knew they were a valued house member of Stanley.

Stanley worked on a policy of allowing everyone to ‘have a go’, no matter their ability.

It didn’t always mean a win, but it did mean that everyone had fun and knew they were a valued house member of Stanley Highlights for the stags this year included: an amazing performance in House Drama, written by the talented Josh Stainer; triumph in the Swimming Gala for the third year running; another success in the House Dance duets for Lila Skeet and Sophie Garner and an incredible performance in House Music, which saw the brilliance of Build Me Up Buttercup win the performance night for Stanley.

This dream team will be supporting the new Head of House, Mr Gee, who has taken over from me and Mr Lawrence. With such strong leadership, Stanley is hoping to provide some real competition for Lovekyn – could this be the year we knock the eagles off their perch?

Miss K Brackley, Head of Stanley (until July 2019)

The end of the year brought some changes for Stanley. We wished a fond farewell to our incredible Upper Sixth team and welcomed in House Captains Marcus Tapper and Sara Gotham-Pardo, joined by the new Vice Captains Kian Das, Ciara Kennedy and Suzi Garforth.

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HOUSE REVIEW Taverner

HOUSE REVIEW

I

t’s fair to say that it wasn’t a vintage year for Taverner.

Despite pushing so close for the title in the previous campaign, and a fluttering of hope from a second-place finish in House Art followed by third in House Dance, we just couldn’t get enough momentum.

Overall the lesson that must be drawn from this campaign is the importance of participation and a willingness to have a go at something new

Fourth- and fifth-place finishes in big events such as the Swimming Gala, House Hockey and Tug of War meant that we dropped further down the leaderboard and, despite an absolutely brilliant win in Senior House Debating, we were not able to stop the drift downwards.

As ever, the climax of the house calendar was Sports Day and it was an appropriate representation of the year. Early promise, and the odd flourish, was not backed up

by enough third-place results to keep us in contention.

Overall the lesson that must be drawn from this campaign is the importance of participation and a willingness to have a go at something new. So many promising efforts were undone by undermanned teams or empty seats at events.

Our heartfelt thanks to Ellen Buttanshaw, Lauren Betts, Matti Musk and Lydia Fisher-Norton who were enthusiastic and committed House Captains and Vice-Captains and we wish Giulia Duggan, Holly Blake, Tom Driver and Matt Shipley all the best as they take over.

As I sign off to become Head of Boys’ Hockey, I wish my successor, Mr Casasanto, well and am sure he and the new team will lead Taverner into a new era of success.

Mr T Beaumont, Head of Taverner (until July 2019)

I wish my successor, Mr Casasanto, well and am sure he and the new team will lead Taverner into a new era of success

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HOUSE REVIEW Walworth

HOUSE REVIEW

I

t was an exciting year in the House Championship with Walworth having a very strong start to the competition.

There were wins in House Drama, for the fantastic piece The Boy with the Scar, written and directed by the Lower Sixth team of Rory Stroud, Matt Wilson, Issy James and Emily Adam. The MFL Quiz was another resounding win for some of Walworth’s very knowledgeable brains! Walworth also won House Chess and the Senior Tug of War, a fitting swansong for some of our Upper Sixth who have been regulars throughout their time at KGS!

The MFL Quiz was another resounding win for some of Walworth’s very knowledgeable brains!

On the sporting side we had wins in Cross-Country, Senior Netball and Cricket. House Captain Alice Chevallier led another stellar House Dance performance which saw us placed second. The levels of participation and student engagement in the competition meant Walworth led the House Competition for a significant part of the year.

Despite all our best efforts, though, we were unable to hold off Lovekyn, but went one better than the previous year by finishing strongly in second place. I would like to thank everyone who took part this year; fingers crossed we can go one better next year and lift the House Cup! Good luck, Walworth!

Mrs R Wakely, Head of Walworth

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HOUSE REVIEW Sports Day

There is always a certain energy around school as we approach Sports Day and this year was no different – and it was a year of records being smashed, both on the track and field.

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HOUSE REVIEW

Records tumbled on the track‌

Relay

and on the field...

Zach Wallace, our OK guest of honour and GB hockey player, praised students for their efforts throughout the day and, having only left KGS four years ago, spoke fondly about his time here and the opportunities on offer to the students. The Victor Ludorum, the prize for the male competitor who acquired the most points throughout the day, was awarded and presented by Zach to Adam Sloan and the Victrix Ludorum was awarded to Kea Murray.

High jump

1,500m

Three year group records were smashed, with victories from Freddie Lett (First Year), Angelina Campbell (Third Year) and Douggie Bradley (Fourth Year).

800m The endurance continued, with Kea Murray breaking the Third Year record as well as Freddie and Dougie both breaking their second record of the day.

300m

Sophie Bailey (First Year) and Ellie Hauck (Third Year).

200m

The House Athletics trophy was presented to Lovekyn who accumulated the most points across all events. Well done to all competitors.

Miss H Naismith, Head of PE (until July 2019)

Jamie Kennedy (Second Year), Amy Marshall (Second Year) and Rachel Barnicoat (Third Year) all set new 200m A strand records whilst Second Year Sol Procter-Tarabanov set a new B strand record.

Audrey Coursey (Second Year) and Adam Sloan (Third Year).

Vortex Ben Sporleder (Second Year) threw a huge 51.27m

Shot put Joe Tooth (Second Year), Tula Knowles (First Year) and Asa Clayson (First Year) set new records.

Discus Miri Scott (Second Year), Sam Sloan (First Year), Lucy Hicks (Fourth Year) and Ollie Fairweather (Third Year) all set new discus records.

Long jump Josie Roux (First Year) and Sol Procter-Tarabanov leapt to victory in the long jump, setting new records along the way.

100m

Sasha Lacey (Fourth Year) broke the B strand record, with Sophie Bailey, Amy Marshall (Second Year) and Jacob Watkins (Third Year) all demonstrating excellent speed in the A strands.

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Walworth’s Second Year girls set a new record time of 59.73 with Lovekyn Third Year girls and Walworth Third Year boys setting new times of 56.66 and 53.80 respectively.

SOCIETIES

SOCIETIES Christian Union

Christian Union

I

t has been another fun-filled year for the Christian Union.

Here are some particular highlights.

This year we revamped the format of the Senior CU. Most weeks we had mini CU meetings scattered around school, where individual year groups met together, whilst every three to four weeks we all gathered back together in HP5 for ‘SCU Central’. The generosity of the Domino’s delivery man, and a feast of cookies and doughnuts, made these Central meetings particularly pleasant occasions, and we enjoyed learning about some big Bible words ending in ‘-shun’, such as adoption, justification and sanctification.

Christmas saw the return of the great ‘Krispy Kreme Kristmas Kwiz’ – with around 100 students packing out JCU and SCU to pit their wits against the quizmaster whilst enjoying a doughnut as a reward for attendance.

(You may be beginning to spot a theme – 2018–19 was a big year for

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Summer Camp this year had the best weather we had enjoyed in a long time. Wall-to-wall sunshine meant that we were outdoors the whole time, and able to enjoy a wide variety of activities

food at CU!) Since it was such a hit, the doughnut theme then continued into JCU the following term where we looked at the ‘I am’ saying of Jesus. A good mixture of food for the stomach and food for thought.

The level of ridiculous activities on our trips really stepped up a level.

At the JCU houseparty, we borrowed from the Taskmaster theme and were very entertained by some weird and wonderful

challenges – from eating a watermelon as fast as possible to destroying a chocolate cake as beautifully as possible.

The consequences were hilarious, and we enjoyed watching the videos back on the final morning.

On camp this year, the theme of Team Games was ‘The Glasto Games’. Teams named after Glastonbury Headliners such as Stormzy, Kylie and George Ezra went up against each other in challenges ranging from rewriting lyrics to one of their songs to creating the most exotic sandwich – and then eating it. At the end of the week Team Ezra were crowned victors at the end of a hectic relay, which finished with having to spell out their victory in Alphabetti Spaghetti!

Summer Camp this year had the best weather we had enjoyed in a long time. Wall-to-wall sunshine meant that we were outdoors the whole time, and able to enjoy a wide variety of activities including the famous ‘Surf the Plastic’ as well as a bit of Alpaca Trekking and Paddleboarding. Camp’s got Talent also exceeded expectations, and this year we were treated some actual talent and entertainment! As always on CU trips, we had a chance to investigate what Christians believe: morning and evening we had some excellent sessions and discussions thinking about some of the questions that God asks of us.

All in all, it has been another great year for the CU. We said farewell to Zoe Clark and Amelia Petersen who have been stalwarts of the Christian Union for many years, and who have led the committee this year.

We wish them well for the future.

Mr C Wenham, Head of Christian Union

SOCIETIES

SOCIETIES Christian Union

As always on CU trips, we had a chance to investigate what Christians believe: morning and evening we had some excellent sessions and discussions thinking about some of the questions that God asks of us

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SOCIETIES

SOCIETIES Young Enterprise

Young Enterprise I

t has been another very successful year for the Young Enterprise programme at KGS. Twenty-four students took part in Young Enterprise and formed two teams, One Fine Pallet led by Izzy Pleasance and Joe Studholme and Expresso led

by Callum Farr. Both teams enjoyed a great deal of success over the course of the ten-month programme.

One Fine Pallet identified a need to recycle wooden pallets that would otherwise end up in landfill.

Concerned by the statistic that approximately 200,000 tonnes of wood are wasted yearly, the team wanted to reduce wood waste by encouraging others to upcycle wood. One Fine Pallet did this by creating beautiful wooden signs to sell to customers at KGS and at various trade fairs across London.

Many lunchtimes and after-school sessions were spent in the Design & Technology Department cutting, sanding, painting and decorating the signs ready for sale.

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the year. One Fine Pallet wanted to appeal to young children, students, adults and parents, with designs such as ‘Rather be sleeping’ and ‘Working-ish’ for the student demographic, as well as ‘Wine o’clock’ and ‘Welcome home’ for parents and adults. They had a very successful afternoon of sales at the KGS Christmas Fair and this kick-started the team’s later success in February 2019 at Spitalfields Market when One Fine Pallet won the award for ‘Best Trade Stand’ out of the 45 teams present, an award presented by former The Apprentice candidate Jackie Fast.

Many lunchtimes and after-school sessions were spent in the Design & Technology Department cutting, sanding, painting and decorating the signs ready for sale

One Fine Pallet’s success continued at the Kingston Company of the Year Showcase evening held at Surbiton High School in April 2019, where the team was represented by Managing Directors, Izzy Pleasance and Joe Studholme.

Izzy and Joe enjoyed great success at this event, winning the ‘Teamwork Award’ for their company’s outstanding collaborative approach throughout the programme.

They delivered an excellent presentation to a large audience of other competitors and parents

and successfully managed a seven-minute interview with the judges. All in all, it was an extremely successful year for One Fine Pallet both in terms of the team’s success in the Young Enterprise competition and on a personal level for many of the members of the team.

The sustainability theme was shared by Expresso in its quest to reduce coffee cup waste by selling reusable cups. Discovering that more than 99.75% of takeaway coffee cups are not recycled due to the paper and plastic mixture of the lining, Expresso decided that this was a global problem that required tackling. Having sourced collapsible coffee cups in a range of attractive pastel colours, Expresso enjoyed excellent sales figures at both Spitalfields and Kingston Trade Fairs.

Expresso worked well as a team, developed their communication skills and made an excellent contribution to the quest to reduce coffee cup waste amongst the commuters of London.

Well done to both teams for a very successful year of business!

Dr K Kennedy, Young Enterprise

SOCIETIES

SOCIETIES Young Enterprise

Expresso worked well as a team, developed their communication skills and made an excellent contribution to the quest to reduce coffee cup waste amongst the commuters of London

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SOCIETIES CCF

CCF

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H

appily, the year started with one of the largest numbers of Third Year joiners in recent years, and Warrant Officer King and Sergeant Major Eley proudly took the leadership reins.

The first test was the recruit training camp held at Pirbright under the command of Flight Sergeant Headley and Sergeant Das. The camp was successful despite the cold October and the recruits got their first taste of what CCF can offer.

The Remembrance assemblies are always an important part of the CCF’s calendar where past students and masters are remembered, both in school and on parade in Kingston town centre

Upon their return, a squad of ten cadets (six senior cadets and four lance corporals) represented the School at the annual Guthrie Cup. Although the contingent failed to win, there was much success to be celebrated along with strong performances both team and individual.

The Remembrance assemblies are always an important part of the CCF’s calendar where past students and masters are remembered, both in school and on parade in Kingston town centre.

In the run-up to Christmas the focus was on House CCF. Due to an imbalance in numbers between the houses, many cadets embraced their values of sportsmanship and represented other houses to their fullest ability. Taverner/Stanley emerged victorious but all the students should be praised for the way they went about competing.

The Spring term brought the opportunity for cadets to improve their shooting ability. A February half term return to Pirbright for a range camp run by Sergeants Richardson and Katzauer allowed cadets time to improve their basic marksmanship. With the Upper Sixth and Fifth Year cadets now returned from their trial exams, the entire contingent looked towards the Easter adventure training camp in Sennybridge, Wales. Delivering thrills via rock climbing, abseiling and caving, practical skills were also tested in orienteering and navigation exercises.

Three senior cadets were selected to attend international exchanges via the wider cadet organisation with Sergeants Ewart-Ellison and Richardson winning a place on the Baltic exchange to Lithuania.

National recognition

Upper Sixth student Freya King made it through to the next round of nominations for the Sir John Thomson Memorial Sword. The Sword is awarded each year to the cadet judged to be the Best in the Combined Cadet Force (RAF) in the country. Cadets, who will commonly be the most senior in their school’s contingent, will have to demonstrate the highest level of CCF commitment and involvement as well as being highly regarded.

Capt. A Beggs, CCF Contingent Commander 121

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SOCIETIES CCF

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SOCIETIES CCF

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SOCIETIES

SOCIETIES Serving the community

Serving the community V

olunteering is part of the fabric of life at KGS from the Lower School, when students find themselves making tea and cakes for residents of local residential homes, or helping bouncy primary school children with their English, Maths or Drama classes.

When they move to Middle School many volunteer as part of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme.

After such a varied introduction to what it means to volunteer, it is no surprise that so many of our Sixth Form students choose to take on a regular commitment to the local community. Volunteering can be life-changing, widening experiences and connections, developing skills such as teamwork, responsibility, timekeeping and resilience, while fostering compassion, empathy and a sense of social justice.

Many of our Sixth Form volunteers talk about the strength of the relationships they forged while at their placements. Gaia Aherne, who volunteered at Wingham Court Care Home, spoke of the close bond she developed with the person to whom she read: ‘I learned about her life and all the things she had done before she came to Wingham – I could appreciate how much her life had changed’. Annabella Francis also reflected upon the eye-opening nature of these relationships. She volunteered at Joel Community Project, an award-winning shelter in Kingston: ‘It was so rewarding to be with others from our community – you see the same people every week and they open up about their situations. I now appreciate how little it can take to find yourself

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homeless’. Anand Aggarwal and Millie Whittle both volunteered to help with reading at St Joseph’s Primary School. Millie said that she ‘really looked forward to seeing the children and how they tackled the problem of reading – every child is very different which was quite interesting – and there were some big characters I got to know over the year’, while Anand highlighted how it was nice to see them ‘regularly, talking about the books they read and why they liked them’.

Others speak warmly about the new skills they have learned – Lexi North, who chose to be part of ‘Something to Say’ at Richmond Mencap, highlighted how volunteering had helped her time-management skills, as well as giving her the opportunity to meet a wide range of people. Izzy Hepburn’s commitment to Kingston Museum’s Thumbs Up Thursday initiative has enabled her to develop many creative and organisational skills and interests while she devised and delivered a series of children’s holiday activities. Chloe Taylor, who volunteered to cook meals for people experiencing homelessness at St Stephen’s Church in Twickenham, mentioned the valuable culinary skills she would take with her to university. These must be of quite a high standard, as one meal was judged to be “restaurant standard” and “hands down the best meal they’ve ever had” – praise indeed from the long-standing supervisor, who has a CBE from the Queen for services rendered to the drop-in!

Overwhelmingly, the students talk about how important it was to use their time to have an impact on their own community in some small way. Gaia talked about how these activities help to develop both

‘compassion and empathy’ and Izzy mentioned how rewarding it was to see children from her local area take an activity she had created ‘and make something of their own with it’. Chloe, who probably spoke for all our volunteers, was pleased to be able to ‘help other people out in a practical way and connect with your own community’.

Lower down the school, under Miss Andrews’ wing, our Second Year students hosted a series of lovely tea parties for residents of Rosclare Care Home, producing some delicious cakes worthy of the Bake Off tent! Many of our Third Year students then spent part of the day during the Summer term at St Joseph’s and St John’s primary schools, lending a hand with reading, maths, drama, PE and art.

We are all hugely proud of our students’ engagement with the local community and their willingness to throw themselves into new challenges. I want to thank the dedicated staff members at KGS who help to make this possible by looking after these projects, so special thanks go to Mr Deepchand, Ms Clifford, Miss Hall, Miss Hicks, Miss Robinson, Miss Sharp, Mrs Hunt and Mrs Cleaves. A final thank you goes to Miss Andrews who stepped up to Deputy Head of Community Service and now looks after the Second Year tea party project amongst other things.

To any Sixth Form students who haven’t already signed up for Community Service this year, please have a look at the opportunities available on our Firefly pages or get in touch with me via email at kpinnock@kgs.org.uk Mrs K Pinnock, Head of Community Service

SOCIETIES

Where we volunteer

3 community groups Elmbridge Community Link Joel Community Project Richmond Mencap

St Stephen’s Church Community Cooking Project

2 care homes Wingham Court Care Home Rosclare Care Home

1 museum Kingston Museum

3 schools St Joseph’s Primary School St John’s Primary School Bedelsford Primary School

I volunteered at Wingham Court Care Home for about a year, where I read books to residents who had physical or neurological disabilities.

I can’t say it wasn’t a hard thing to do; it was emotionally demanding to see the challenges faced by the residents, people whose lives had been drastically, and permanently, changed.

Going there each week made me think about what I have as well as what I can give to other people – and how we can all use our time to do something for someone else Camila Carbajal, Lower Sixth

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1 church

TRIPS

TRIPS Canada

Canada

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O

n Saturday 16th February, 39 students and six intrepid staff set out for Jasper, Canada on the annual KGS Ski Trip. It was a long day of travel involving two flights and a coach journey and everyone was certainly ready for bed when we arrived at the Lobstick Lodge that evening.

The skiing began in earnest on the Sunday morning. The jet lag helped the students be up early for the 6am buffet-style all-you-can-eat breakfast, which included cereals, fresh fruit, toast, pastries, eggs, bacon and pancakes. The latter, covered in maple syrup, were a real highlight.

Following a 30-minute coach ride, we turned up at Marmot Basin resort, ready and raring to go for a full six days of skiing. We skied in groups ranging in size from six to eight, receiving instruction from experienced Commonwealth ski instructors. Our one snowboarder was given his own personal instructor for the week, all the way from Scotland! Staff joined the groups and hit the near-deserted ski slopes in earnest. The first hour was cold but everyone soon warmed up, as did the weather, as the day progressed. The snow was powdery and fresh, with a few centimetres being dumped the day before we arrived, making for

excellent skiing conditions for the whole week. This allowed everyone to improve their skiing over the course of the holiday, whether they were absolute beginners or advanced level.

The trip was not just about skiing.

Each evening was packed with exciting events and a hearty all-youcan-eat meal in the hotel restaurant (apart from our trip to The Jasper Pizza Place, which was undoubtedly the dining high. Students experienced a snowshoe walk through part of the Jasper National Park and enjoyed sledging, swimming, shopping and a cinema trip, as well as the traditional KGS Ski Trip Quiz, won this year by some of the Fourth Year boys.

The weather conditions were pretty good all week, with blue skies on most days and little of the very cold temperatures that the ‘Winter Vortex’ had delivered in the preceding weeks. The ski instructors frequently commented about the courtesy, attentiveness and enjoyment they received from instructing the KGS students and there were no major injuries to speak of, which was a relief.

We arrived home tired but happy, having enjoyed a memorable week away. Thanks must go the ‘ski team’ of Mr Bequignon, Miss Hicks, Miss Butler, Mr Hardy and Mr Turner for their unwavering support.

Mr M Rodgers, Head of Biology

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TRIPS Canada

TRIPS

TRIPS Portugal

TRIPS

Portugal

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TRIPS

Everybody played really well and enjoyed themselves. The U13s had a terrific game, with Harry Rees finishing off a great team move in the first half. The match finished 1–2 despite our best efforts to get back into the match in front of the local crowd. It was then the turn of the U14s and U15s, with the former playing really well. It looked like they had secured an excellent 2–2 draw but a last-minute winner for the opposition decided otherwise.

The U15s finished off with a fantastic 6–2 win.

TOUR STATS

5 TRIPS Portugal

O

ver the February half term, 45 students travelled to Porto for the much-anticipated football tour, including our first-ever girls’ team.

days on tour

45 Upon arrival students headed to FC Porto to watch them play Vitoria Setubal in the fantastic Estádio do Dragão. The atmosphere was amazing and it was a great opportunity for the students to see a live football match and hopefully take a few pointers for the rest of the trip. A comfortable 2–0 win for FC Porto proved the perfect start to the tour.

Days two and three saw the KGS teams training hard with the FC Porto coaches in preparation for our upcoming matches. The U14 girls played a local football team and some great performances made the game very close and a good spectacle watch. Our U13, U14 and U15 boys played Dragon Force with victories in each match. A second match was played against another local team, Neves Futebol Clube.

The U13s, U14s and U15s had three fantastic matches under lights, with our U14 girls playing in a mixed team.

KGS students

The final day saw students heading back to Estádio do Dragão for a fantastic stadium tour followed by lunch and final presentations in one of the Executive Club boxes.

We then had a lovely afternoon exploring Porto itself whilst the evening was filled with football on the beach and the final tour presentations. A big thank you to all the staff – Mr Scott, Miss Robinson, Ms Clifford, Miss Parkes and Mr Mettioui – for what was a hugely successful tour for all involved.

4 football teams

7 matches

Mr M Hall, Head of Football

3

training sessions

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TRIPS Iceland

TRIPS

Iceland

A

fter an absurdly early start at Ditton Field we were soon all gathering at Luton Airport, excitedly waiting for our flight to Reykjavik and the start of our Iceland adventure.

As we crossed the North Sea, heading further and further towards the tiny island in the middle of the open water, the clouds came down and it started snowing — heavily.

On arrival we exited the terminal building into snow and freezing temperatures — an atmospheric start to our Icelandic adventure!

The first stop was the ‘Bridge over the Continents’ where the plate boundary can be seen clearly slicing through the landscape. Here, the ice and snow smashed into our faces as the storm took hold. After an amazing lunch of Icelandic lamb burgers, we made our way across the empty landscape towards the most northerly capital city in the world – Reykjavik. After a quick orientation we had an hour to have a quick look around and find some lovely souvenirs to take back – cuddly puffins, hats with horns on them and lumps of solidified lava.

We then made our way to the farm that was to be our base for the next three nights. We were met by the two gorgeous farm dogs who would play in the snow with everyone as the sun went down at the end of the day.

The first full day dawned clear, bright and dry. We headed out along the south coast, following the ring road – the Number 1 – until we reached the Sólheimajökull glacier.

Here we donned crampons and set off across the glacier surface.

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Following our trusty glacier guides we learnt about moulins, crevasses and the effects of climate change on glaciers. Some of the holes in the glacier surface were as big as houses and the ice was streaked with blue and white crystals. Then it was back to the coach before visiting many of the spectacular waterfalls on this stretch of the coast, Skogafoss being the most famous. We climbed the 260 steps to the summit and watched as the water crashed over the waterfall lip.

In the 11 years I have been coming to Iceland I have never been here when it isn’t raining – until now!

Then we travelled down to the most southerly point in Iceland – the ancient town of Vik – and I for one was delighted; in the 11 years I have been coming to Iceland I have never been here when it isn’t raining – until now! The sun shone and we were able to see the rock formations out at sea and the icy water of the North Atlantic crashing on the black sand beach.

Day two started with a trip to the hot springs at Fludir, always a highlight of any visit. From the changing rooms to the hot water this is always an experience.

Once suitably refreshed we set off to Gulfoss, the amazing waterfall that falls into the open chasm, before climbing onto our ‘monster truck’ for the eight-wheel drive trip up onto the ice cap. As we headed further inland the weather closed in and by the time we reached the summit we were in a whiteout.

Snow balling and making snow angels was the highlight of our brief stop, as the temperature was very low and the snow was falling fast.

As we descended from the plateau the sun came out and the whole snow-covered area was bathed in beautiful sunlight.

Day three started with a trip to the amazing geysers, super-heated columns of water popping out of the ground every five minutes.

Walking amongst the yellow sulphursmelling landscape was fantastic.

Then we made the short drive to the enormous plate boundary at Thingvellir. Walking amongst the lava fields, looking at the different types, it was clear that this was a hugely active area of tectonic activity.

We saw the site of the world’s oldest parliament and walked through the rift valley before travelling back towards Reykjavik. Our final night saw us have dinner at the Viking restaurant where we enjoyed Icelandic fish and chips followed

by Skyr, the traditional yogurt.

This was an amazing trip and Mr Lehec, Mrs Lett, Mrs Macfarlane and I agreed that the students were a joy to take away.

Mrs VS Humphrey, Deputy Head (Pastoral)

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ALUMNI

ALUMNI KGS Friends

KGS Friends It has been another busy year for alumni relations and we have enjoyed seeing many OKs still taking a very active interest in the School.

W

e welcomed in the new school year with the inaugural KGS Hockey Festival at Ditton Field and the opening of our new blue Finlay pitch. A hardy alumni team took on KGS 1st XI Boys in the Dan Kenn memorial match, with the OKs celebrating a 6–4 win.

T

he annual Sturgeon fixtures enjoyed hazy sunshine as Old Kingstonians returned to Ditton Field to take on the School.

The Sturgeon 1st XI made a blistering start before Ronan Harvey-Kelly fell for 56. KGS maintained the

pressure, with three wickets a piece for Danny Sullivan and Max Dawson.

The Sturgeon XI ended up on 166 from their 20 overs and were confident of securing victory.

In reply, KGS were patient and measured as Ben Mallinson and Jamie Hughes picked off everything thrown at them. Ben departed for 32 and Jamie for 55, leaving a tense finale. Needing 11 off the last over, the School could only manage five runs, meaning another Sturgeon victory.

On the 2nd XI pitch KGS were on fine form. Third Years Oli Dawson and Alex Watkins set the tempo with 66 for the first wicket which helped them reach 177. The old boys had periods of brilliance balanced by moments of comedy.

Sadly, Will Pengilly’s hat-trick wasn’t enough to stop Mr Bartram hitting the winning Sturgeon runs with two overs remaining. As ever, it was a great day that celebrated the best of KGS cricket.

As in previous years, it was a great day that celebrated the best of KGS cricket

T

he Hockey Society and KGS Friends then sparked up the BBQ and spectators and players enjoyed the rest of the afternoon with food, drink and more hockey – the highlight of which was the KGS U16A Girls v Old Kingstonians Hockey Club. The final score was a phenomenal 10–1 to KGS!

T

he annual KGS Friends quiz night in October saw teams of former students and parents pit their wits against each other in the spirit of good-humoured competition and quizzing fun.

The mighty Pugh/Park team, aka The Team With No Name, once again took first place – even if only by a whisker of half a point! Second place went to The Strawbs, with The Fab Four coming in third.

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ALUMNI

2020

ALUMNI KGS Friends

ALUMNI EVENTS

May Class of 1995 25-Year Reunion

S

ummer was dominated by our annual alumni events celebrating cricket and rowing.

Old Kingstonians were triumphant in the Sturgeon cricket match, with victories against both the 1st and 2nd XI KGS teams. And rowing alumni of all ages once again donned their striped blazers for our annual reception at Henley Regatta, hosted jointly with the Sherriff Club.

T I

he long-standing Mid-Fifties Club, for those who left KGS in the 1950s, welcomed 25 OKs for their annual lunch.

t was also a busy year for reunions, beginning with 17 members from the Class of 1968 celebrating their first gathering since leaving KGS 50 years before – better late than never!

June Sturgeon Cricket Class of 2015 Five-Year Reunion Class of 2010 Ten-Year Reunion

July

T

he Class of 1989 enjoyed their 30-year celebration with a tour of the School followed by lunch, the Class of 2014 met in London for their five-year reunion, and students and parents from 2018 gathered for pre-Christmas drinks at the annual One Term On reunions on Kingston Riverside.

Henley Regatta Reception

September KGS Hockey Festival

October KGS Friends Quiz Night

December Class of 2020 One Term On Reunion

Connect with us: KGS_Friends

KGS_Friends

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1978–2018

ALUMNI Co-Education

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF CO-EDUCATION AT KGS

T

he highlight of the KGS Friends calendar was a special event to celebrate the 40th anniversary of girls joining KGS in 1978. Former staff and students gathered for dinner in the Hall to mark the occasion and reminisce on those pioneering early days.

Guest of honour, former Head Master Sidney Miller (1977–1986), recalled “I remember the question of names caused some perplexity in those early days. In such unregenerate times, it was usual for staff to call boys by their surnames (and even the boys called each other by them too) but it seemed odd to most of us to call girls by their surnames”.

Other former staff attending included Tony Kemp, Nick Bond, Phil Cooper, Elizabeth Cairncross, Pat Wisbey and Mary Rushforth, who was the first female teacher at KGS. Many of the girls from those early days also joined us including Anita Farrant (Saliba), one of the original seven from 1978, along with Jo Botibol, Judith Hunt (Evans),

Heather Rickman (Mills) and Claire Saul (Phinbow) who were four of the first eight girls to join the Lower School in 1979. Claire, who is the current Chair of KGS Friends, she recalled:

My overwhelming memory of joining KGS as a 10-year-old girl is the lack of any female toilets or changing rooms.

We all thought it hilarious that we used the Head Master’s loo for the first term or so. When we eventually had our own cloakroom there were enough toilets almost to have one each – we even put posters up inside!

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ALUMNI

1978–2018 1979

Fiona Clark was the School’s first female athlete. She won the javelin at the Borough Athletics Championship.

1981

1983

Daphne Clark and Alex Stubbs were entered for Bedford Ladies’ regatta where they beat a much-fancied Thames Tradesmen’s pair in the final.

1984

A slightly embittered boys’ cricket team blamed their poor season on “The fact of having girls throughout the school taking up places previously held by boys...”

(The Kingstonian, Autumn 1984). Little did they know that in 2018 it would be the girls leading the way in cricket, with Eva Gray, 17 at the time, being called up to join the 15-strong Surrey Stars squad.

1984

Lisa Bocking (1983–85) was one of just three cadets who gained their gliding licence, the first of a number of girls to do so. In 1986 female cadets produced an orienteering team and went onto win the national championships twice in a row.

1988

At the RAF section Easter Camp at Linton-on-Ouse, near York, the Kingstonian reported that “as a result of her splendid all-round performance, Jo Leach (1984–91) was voted best cadet of the week from all the schools present…”

2012

Sophie Hosking wins Olympic gold at London 2012 in the lightweight sculls with partner Kath Copeland.

2018

The participation of girls in the CCF has gone from strength to strength with Florence Haly (OK 2018) recently reaching the rank of Cadet Regimental Sergeant Major. This is the highest rank available for any cadet. In addition, she was also awarded the Lord Lieutenant’s award for Kingston Upon Thames for her outstanding contribution to KGS CCF and the wider cadet organisation.

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ALUMNI Co-Education

The first girls joined both sections of CCF.

ALUMNI Travel Awards

This year’s recipients were siblings Will Garside (OK 2018) and Beti Garside (OK 2014).

Will writes: After leaving KGS in 2018, and with my place to study Veterinary Medicine at Nottingham University for September 2019 secured, I was determined to put the twelve study-free months I had allocated to myself to good use.

VSO ICS (International Citizen Service) seemed to offer a perfect opportunity for ten weeks of travel, cultural and practical education and the chance to help those less fortunate than myself.

All stages of the application for ICS VSO are designed to ensure not only that you are the right 136

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person for the programme, but that the programme is right for you.

I had no idea where I would eventually be sent; Uganda, Zambia, Tanzania and Nepal had been mentioned as possible destinations, but I was delighted when I learnt that I was to be situated in Prasat Sambour in Kompong Thom province, Cambodia, where I was to complete a livelihoods project which was divided into three sub-teams: Employment, Entrepreneurship and Volunteering. I was to be part of the entrepreneurship team where we worked with young people to set up small businesses as a means of providing alternative income.

All volunteers are placed with local families who are paid a small grant for hosting. My Cambodian family – the head of which was the Chief of Police – consisted of 14 people and ranged across three generations; this made it a very lively household but also a lot of fun. I shared a room with my counterpart, a Cambodian volunteer for VSO called Rath, whilst another UK and Khmer volunteer stayed in the room adjacent to us.

As if the house wasn’t full enough, the first floor was also used as a guesthouse for teenagers from other areas who attended the neighbouring school.

Everyone made me feel incredibly welcome and we were soon communicating through a mix of Khmer and English and trading language lessons. I was particularly

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ach year, the KGS Friends Committee offers travel awards to students leaving the Upper Sixth and to alumni who have left in the previous ten years. To qualify for support, applicants must show how they will benefit from the intended travel and include an element of voluntary community work.

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lucky to have been placed with Rath who was extremely friendly and helpful; most nights we sat together while he taught me Khmer – something which proved to be very useful in the community – but he also taught me how to wash my clothes without a washing machine and acted as a translator between my host family and me.

Before arriving in Cambodia I had not set foot out of Europe so was determined to immerse myself in Cambodian culture, fully, from the start. Trying street foods was an enjoyable part of the process but I also really enjoyed learning and practising Khmer and was very pleased that, by the end of my stay, I could speak with my host family (even if it was just a couple of basic phrases).

I not only came to understand the differences in etiquette between Khmer and UK culture but also learnt a lot about the Cambodian education system where the state only provides free half-days of schooling and expects families to fund their children if they want to continue for the rest of the day.

ALUMNI

our training so far had been, and how international the language of medicine really is; despite the sweltering heat and the restricted resources, all the theory remained the same.

In the limited space and time designated to each antenatal clinic (which only ran once every six weeks), for example, although two women were examined in one room at the same time, the health checks they experienced mirrored those in the UK; I found that I was soon able to be of practical help.

Beti writes:

ALUMNI Travel Awards

Working in the Entrepreneurship team allowed me to learn about the different routes open to those who wanted to start their own business and how common it is for people to use their own home as a shop; the front of my host home was a shop that sold items ranging from deodorant to petrol!

All the above helped me to realise and understand a range of things about myself and about the wider world. I learnt that, whilst challenging at times, I can cope, and thrive on, being somewhere completely outside my comfort zone and (perhaps, more importantly) that cultural differences aside, everyone really is just trying to do the best they can for each other and those they love.

When coming to my fondest memory it is hard to choose as I have so many! I enjoyed so much of the trip, from playing volleyball with the local school children, to going to a school and running an International Women’s Day (where we provided education to all about the menstrual cycle), to just walking around the village with my fellow volunteers and exploring the surrounding area.

One of my favourite moments, however, must be an invitation to a wedding next to my host home.

I was amazed to learn that a normal Khmer wedding can last for seven days. Seven days! Luckily, the one we attended only lasted for 48 hours, which was lucky for me as the music and dancing (which started at 5.30am each morning) was not only very loud, but the UK volunteers were encouraged to dance – the Khmer/ English dance merge is not an easy skill to master.

There is no doubt that I have benefitted from my involvement with VSO ICS; I know I have grown in confidence, I have become more organised in my work and it has encouraged me to be a lot more productive. It has also given me a greater understanding of how lucky I am in the education and experiences I have had. I still plan to follow a career in Veterinary Medicine, but the project has opened my eyes to work beyond the UK. With a bit of luck and lots of hard work and commitment, I hope my future career will enable me to travel and work in sanctuaries around the globe.

As part of our final year studies as medical students, Nottingham University encourages all to apply to electives abroad to develop our understanding of the process and practice of our chosen careers.

I had the privilege of spending eight weeks in Sri Lanka, six of which revolved around my work in Karapitya Teaching Hospital in Galle, an old Dutch fort town in the south of the country.

The opening two weeks of my placement were based in community clinics, including antenatal and GP sessions, and it was eye-opening to see how similar medicine can be despite the unfamiliarity of the setting. Particularly comforting was the realisation of how thorough

Similarly, in the General Practice setting, I attended patients suffering from conditions common to the UK, such as asthma and diabetes, alongside those suffering from dengue fever. The latter provided a unique opportunity to understand and explore the management of conditions I had not previously encountered, dengue fever not tending to feature in the East Midlands.

For my final four weeks in Sri Lanka, my base in the Karapitya Teaching Hospital reflected the career I hope to pursue in the future - paediatrics.

It was fascinating. One of the duties I had to perform was participating in weekday ward rounds with the Sri Lankan medical students, whilst another was to attend their teaching sessions. Both gave me a newfound appreciation for the NHS. Overall, I left Sri Lanka with a confirmed love of paediatrics, a fuller understanding of the struggles of healthcare in different settings and a new favourite country.

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ALUMNI RELATIONS ALUMNI Alumni Abroad

Alumni abroad

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BAHAMAS Nathan Robinson (OK 2002) Marine Biologist specialising in sea turtles and Director of the Cape Eleuthera Institute, a world-class research, education and conservation facility AUSTRIA Kerem Hasan (OK 2008) Winner of the prestigious Nestlé and Salzburg Festival Young Conductors’ Award in 2017 and now Chief Conductor of the Tiroler Symphonieorchester Innsbruck.

USA Jonathan Friend (OK 1974) Jonathan moved to the USA in the 1980s, where he has been Artistic Administrator at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York for almost 40 years.

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LATVIA Andris Berzins (OK 1990) Managing Partner of Change Ventures, a Silicon Valley-style venture capital seed investment fund providing financial backing to start-up businesses across the Baltic region.

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UAE Victoria Thatcher (OK 1990) Owner and Managing Director of Hot Media Publishing, a leading content marketing and publishing agency based in Dubai.

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INDIA David Ratcliffe (OK 1975) David’s civil service career has taken him to many countries around the world, including working for UK Trade and Investment in China and Kazakhstan. He is currently based in India working in the area of visas and immigration.

AUSTRALIA Simon Burmester (OK 1993) Based in Adelaide, Simon is Sales Director for the Oceania region for satellite communications provider Satcom Global.

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KGS offers its students life-changing travel experiences that open their eyes to different cultures and challenges around the world, creating future generations of international citizens. Today, the diaspora of KGS alumni is truly global and we enjoy keeping in touch with former students from all over the world.

STAFF

From the Common Room T

The start of the year saw another new crop of staff joining KGS. We welcomed Nico Casasanto in Chemistry, Matt Emmerton in Maths, Sarah Dieu in Physics, Adam House as Head of Geography and Laura Parkes as Educational Visits Co-ordinator. We also welcomed Stephen Launchbury who filled in as Interim Bursar until David Leen arrived in June 2019 to become Director of Operations and Finance.

At Christmas we said goodbye to Rosella Pastore who was replaced in the MFL by Alexia Arcos Villanueva and also to Victoria Ward and Dean Hewitt who had been covering maternity leave for Rebecca Hetherington and Casey Beckford. Rebecca and Casey came back to work at the start of the Spring term. During the year we also welcomed Dinah Coomes as Clerk to the Governors.

In the Sports Department Sam Lavery joined as Assistant Director of Sport at the beginning of the year.

Coach Nicola Attwell left the rowing team and we welcomed Bethan Green who later in the year went off on maternity cover.

Rowing coaches who left at the end of the year were Imogen Walsh, Joshua Burke and Matthew Christie.

Looking forward to having her baby, Amy Angell left to go on maternity leave at Easter and we welcomed Charlie Deakin as her maternity cover in History.

Support Staff additions at the beginning of the year included Liam Omnou who joined the IT Department for a year-long assignment.

Natalie Man returned from maternity leave, Anabel Vilasoa joined as Sports & Co-curricular Administrator and Ed Thomas joined us short term as a Data Analyst.

The Admissions Department changed over the year with Ann Miller starting as Assistant Registrar in September, Jodi Shalgosky arriving in October as Senior Registrar and Charlotte Ribolla and Kerry Riches leaving in November and January 2019 respectively.

Over in Art, Susan Parkes left in November with Gavin Garcia filling her post as Art Technician; later in the year Polly Bailey left with Jennifer Starmer filling the Theatre Technician post. During the year we also said goodbye to Felix Dieu and Barry Kent down at Ditton Field.

At the end of the academic year we said goodbye to Yvonne Greaves in IT, Rebecca Justice and Ben Campbell in English, Livy Wigmore in Geography, Tyler Deas and Dominic Reed in the Sports Department, Lucy Robinson in Drama, Natalie Reynolds in MFL, Mark Scott in RP, Laura Snook in Classics, Helen Cook and Anna Blatiak in Mathematics, Julian Davies in History and Caroline Hall in Chemistry.

@KGS 1561

STAFF From the Common Room

he academic year 2018–2019 was another exciting year full of personal milestones.

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We thank them all for their hard work in their departments. We also said goodbye to Joanne Halford, Rebecca Taylor and Polly Bailey from the administrative side of the School.

Outside of school we have had the following births and marriages to celebrate. In the summer of 2019 Rebecca Justice married Michael, Gavin Garcia married Katharine in Gibraltar and Alan Raey married Rebecca, changing his name to Alan Wadsworth-Raey.

In total, KGS welcomed six new babies. There were two sets of first time parents: Amy and Paul Angell welcomed Evanna (Evie) and Charlie and Matt Jones welcomed Amelia.

Second children were born to Harriet and Matthew Hunt who welcomed Joseph (Joey); Louise and Dave Rhys who welcomed Matilda; Jay and Subaginy Jayanthan who welcomed Aathikesh and Tim and Frances Benson who welcomed Joseph Patrick. We send everyone our warm congratulations and wish good sleep to them all!

Mrs VS Humphrey, Deputy Head (Pastoral)

STAFF

Farewell to...

H

elen Cook left KGS at the end of the year after 11 years teaching Mathematics.

In the classroom, Helen was an excellent teacher with a marvellously reassuring style. Her deep mathematical knowledge inspired the most able students whilst her patient explanations gave confidence to those for whom Mathematics was not their strongest subject. She was calm and completely unflappable and was always happy to spend extra time helping students whenever necessary.

Helen never professed to be an IT wizard, but she excelled herself when she set up the office computer for real-time monitoring of Richard Smalman-Smith’s progress as he rowed across the Atlantic, a trip that was avidly followed by the whole school.

She was always famously busy, both in and out of school. She was forever dashing on her trusty bicycle to some commitment or other – rowing, Brownies, badminton, swimming, choir. A keen follower of sport, she was always fully up to date on the cricket score or the progress of her favourite rugby league team, Leeds Rhinos.

Helen and husband John have so many plans for their retirement that she will certainly not be putting her feet up, although with more long distance travel plans her bicycle may be getting a well-earned rest!

She was a much-valued member of the Mathematics team and will be greatly missed by colleagues and students alike. We wish Helen and John all the very best for their retirements.

Mr J Skeates, Head of Mathematics

Julian Davies

Caroline Hall

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Mr D Sorley, Head of Politics

Mr C Wenham, Chemistry

ulian Davies arrived at KGS in 1990 as Head of History bringing with him a wealth of new ideas; he launched fortnightly testing of GCSE classes and monitored progress, setting individual teacher ‘pass’ targets (A–C) for all. I was delighted as a novice teacher to receive a pat on the back for a creditable 86%, with instructions to “get 95%” in 1992.

Although Julian will be chiefly remembered for the miracle he performed with examination results over his 29-year tenure, he threw himself with considerable vigour into constructing a stimulating co-curricular programme which included trips to Bodiam Castle, the Imperial War Museum, HMS Belfast and the Cabinet War Rooms. Later, the Department launched excursions to the Somme, Ypres and Normandy.

In his three-year tenure as Head of Queen’s he steered the house to two victories and his inspiration and vigour encouraged students of all abilities to volunteer for their house in record numbers.

Co-Head of Football in the noughties, he threw students into a training programme which neatly dovetailed the twin requirements of physical fitness and skills. Along with Neil McKay, Julian increasingly ‘professionalised’ KGS football, a far cry from the talented amateurism of the Sorley era of management in the 1990s. Results soared. KGS football was finally on the map.

Nevertheless, it is his teaching that he will be forever remembered.

Julian was a master of the art of storytelling, possessing an extraordinary ability to slowly ratchet up the tension and hold classes of all age groups quite spellbound. It didn’t matter if he occasionally had a cavalier disregard for historical accuracy; that wasn’t the point. Students left his lessons buzzing with questions and excitement. He is already sorely missed.

fter 18 years’ service at KGS we bid a sad farewell to Caroline Hall. Having pioneered the introduction of the IGCSE qualification, her leadership saw fantastic year-on-year improvements in the percentage of grades at A*. She leaves this continued success, along with the extremely healthy uptake of Science subjects at A Level, as her most significant legacies at the School.

Another obvious change under her tenure was the refurbishment of the laboratories. Ten years ago, most of the labs were dingy and extremely tired around the edges; today’s students (and teachers!) enjoy bright, modern and airy rooms which are much more conducive to learning.

It was her care of staff and students, though, for which Caroline will primarily be remembered.

She mentored many new staff over her 18 years here, being a constant source of wisdom and advice whilst giving them space to develop and flourish in their own ways. There will be countless students who will never forget the hours of extra lessons that she was willing to put on to help support them in the run up to their examinations; she always went the extra mile to support those around her.

On top of all this there are many personal anecdotes that should be included – she was always able to lighten the mood with a hilarious story, and her love for chocolate was unrivalled: the Chemistry staff lost count of the number of times that she announced ‘I’ve given up chocolate’ whilst simultaneously helping herself to a chocolate from Mr Wenham’s desk!

We are extremely grateful for all that Caroline Hall contributed to the teaching of Science – and in particular, Chemistry. She was a stalwart of the Department and will be very much missed. We wish her all the very best for the future.

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Helen Cook

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STAFF Farewell to...

Farewell to...

Denis Buttanshaw

D

enis Buttanshaw joined Kingston Grammar School on the 1st September 1980, when Sidney Miller was the Head Master of the School.

He came to KGS as a Mathematics teacher and hockey coach but, as time progressed over an extraordinary teaching career spanning almost 40 years, he would take on numerous additional responsibilities including becoming Head of Taverner, Head of PE, Head of Squash, Head of Basketball, Ski Trip Leader and, eventually, Master-in-Charge of Hockey, Head of Hockey and finally, Director of Hockey. In 2017, Denis determined to step down from the all-encompassing role as Director of Hockey and at the end of the Summer term he retired from teaching Mathematics. We are, however, delighted to have retained his services as a hockey coach.

Upon Denis’s arrival in September 1980, the School had only relatively recently become independent (1975) and more recently still, co-educational (1978). In terms of the buildings, the most recent additions were the top floor of the Fairfield Building which

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He came to KGS as a Mathematics teacher and hockey coach but as time progressed over an extraordinary teaching career spanning almost 40 years he would take on numerous additional responsibilities

now houses the Modern Languages Department and the School was approximately a third smaller in terms of numbers than it is today.

Nevertheless, KGS already had an enviable national reputation in hockey, with 37 individuals having already gone on to attain full international colours, including such titans of the sport as Stanley Shoveller and Gerald Logan at the beginning of the 20th century. It was into this context that Denis, a genial young Irishman, stepped forth.

In his early days, Denis worked alongside several KGS sporting legends in the guise of Arthur Hammond, Gordon Evans, Rodney Sturgeon, John Cook, Richard Barker and Jon Royce.

Typically, he threw himself into the hockey with enthusiasm and the Kingstonian from 1981/2 reports that at the end of the Autumn term Denis’s family in Dublin welcomed the Boys’ 1st XI on a mini tour where the hockey was “exciting, tense and unpredictable” and the enjoyment of the tourists is best summarised by the comment, “what hospitality we received!”.

Unsurprisingly, KGS returned the following year, where boys and masters were “right royally entertained by the Buttanshaw family and friends in Dun Laoghaire” in what was fast becoming a tradition in the KGS sporting calendar.

At the time, KGS home games were frequently games of ‘field hockey’, with the now commonplace astro pitches so familiar to the modernday player only beginning to become a more regular occurrence on the school hockey circuit as the 1980s progressed.

By the mid-1980s, Denis’s talents had, unsurprisingly, been recognised and he took on additional responsibility, becoming the House Master for Taverner, a role which he would maintain until 2007. He took to the role with the impressive organisational skills for which he had become renowned amongst colleagues and was able to inspire the students of Taverner onto victory in the House Championship in 1989, 1990, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2005. Indeed, one wonders whether there has ever been as successful a House Master.

Hockey, however, remained Denis’s true passion and in 1993 he was the obvious choice to succeed Richard Barker as Head of Hockey. He was able to build upon the work done by Richard and his predecessors and,

alongside the 1st XI coach Jon Royce, he played an important part in the Boys’ U18 team winning the National Youth Cup an unprecedented three years in a row between 1991–1994 (and becoming indoor champions in 1995–96 and outdoor champions again in 1996–97). This truly was a ‘golden era’ for KGS hockey and one for which Denis can be truly proud to have been integral to. Indeed, anyone who has ever met Denis in a professional capacity knows him to be fastidiously organised.

Throughout his career, he could be found working his way through his diary and checking off one by one all the organisational matters which go into the smooth delivery of a sporting campaign.

Denis has devoted a lifetime to KGS and in doing so he has positively influenced the lives of thousands of KGS students

In fact, a great deal more logistical organisation goes into providing the necessary arrangements for a successful hockey season than many of us shall ever know and the smoothness of Denis’s ‘operation’ is testament to his abilities in this regard. One should not, however, be fooled into thinking that this was (or is) the limits of his talents, for it is not. Denis is a very good hockey player and coach in his own right and when not arranging fixtures and teas, coaching sessions, sorting goalkeeping kits or driving students to fixtures, he can normally be found umpiring games. In fact, it is amazing to think how he found time for anything else and yet he did…

Denis was always a reassuring presence in the classroom, explaining the required mathematical concepts in clear language that was easily understood; he never unsettled students with the latest pedagogical fashions! His preferred classes were the middle sets, particularly those with a rich sprinkling of hockey players. Relationships established on the hockey pitch meant that even the most boisterous of players were transformed into model students in his lessons. He was greatly liked and respected by all his students.

One cannot pass comment on Denis without noting the numerous hockey tour groups which he led all over the world. South Africa, New Zealand, Argentina and Australia are just some of the destinations where KGS students have represented the School. It is not to overstate Denis’s role to highlight how these tours have served to build the bonds amongst generations of KGS students and to open their eyes to different cultures and parts of the world. The annual U14 tour to Holland at Easter was a fixture of the hockey calendar for many, many years. As such, his and the School’s reputation has developed far beyond the shores of the UK and Ireland.

Denis was instrumental in building the exchange with Wageningen HC where he retains friends to this day. And this is to say nothing of the years of ‘legendary’ ski trips which Denis led, stories from which have been passed down into KGS folklore.

The rich vein of success that KGS hockey enjoyed through the 1990s continued into the new millennium with Denis at the helm and working closely with a pool of talented coaches including Mike Williamson, Jon Royce, Adele Brown and Natalie Bell. From the boys doing the ‘double’ in 1999/2000, winning both the indoor and outdoor national titles, and the girls winning back-to-back national titles in 2002/03 and 2003/04, to indoor and outdoor titles again for the boys in 2005/06, 2006/07

and 2007/08 to the girls taking the outdoor title in 2010/11, Denis concluded his hockey career at KGS by seeing the boys’ team take the indoor title in 2017 in his final year in charge – and against none other than Whitgift on their own turf!

Denis’s retirement as Director of Hockey was marked by the inaugural Festival of Hockey at Ditton Field where a barbecue was held with many former staff and students in attendance to pay tribute to his astonishing contribution to the School.

The girls’ XI competed against a St George’s XI for the Buttanshaw Cup, a trophy named in Denis’s honour.

Denis is pictured below with fellow leaver and Maths teacher Helen Cook and a rather splendid cake!

In his ‘retirement’, we are delighted that he will be continuing to coach for us part time as well as spending time with his wife Janet, his daughters Ellen and Laura and occasionally trying to catch his beloved Manchester United play football. Denis has devoted a lifetime to KGS and in doing so he has positively influenced the lives of thousands of KGS students.

Thank you, Denis!

Mr SR Lehec, Head Master; Mr A Beard, Assistant Head; Mr J Skeates, Head of Maths; Mrs N Maclean, Director of Sport

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The Kingston Grammar School Roll of Honour 1914 –1918 L.A. BAKER, L.R.B. E.H. BELCHAMBER, ROYAL FUSILIERS M. BESSELL, CAPT. ROYAL (QUEEN’S) WEST SURREY REGT. W.B. BLACK, CANADIAN INFANTRY M. BROWNE, CAPT. I.A.R.O. W.P. CLIFFE, BEDFORDSHIRE YEOMANRY R.E. DOCKER, SOUTH AFRICAN INFANTRY E.J. DURRELL, SGT. ROYAL (QUEEN’S) WEST SURREY REGT. C. ELRINGTON, 2ND LIEUT. EAST YORKSHIRE REGT. H.C. FORD, GNR. R.G.A. F.G.B. GARDNER, 2ND LIEUT. R.F.A. L.W.C. IRELAND, 2ND LIEUT. MANCHESTER REGT. H. JOLLY, MUNITIONS CHEMIST L.B.C. KEMBALL, NORTH STAFFS. REGT. V.P. KNAPP, 2ND LIEUT. EAST SURREY REGT. D.W. LAMB, LIEUT. LONDON SCOTTISH G.F. LAMBERT, 2ND LIEUT. HERTFORDSHIRE REGT. F. MARSH, 2ND LIEUT. ROYAL (QUEEN’S) WEST SURREY REGT. E.F. PALMER, SGT. AUSTRALIAN INFANTRY D.E. POTTS, QUEEN’S WESTMINSTER RIFLES K. RESTALL, LIEUT. MIDDLESEX REGT. W.M. RUTHERFORD, 2ND LIEUT. EAST YORKSHIRE REGT. R.F. RYDER, ROYAL FUSILIERS A.R.H. SAWYER, CPL. R.E. C.S. SHILSON, L.R.B. C.H. SIVERS, GLOUCESTER REGT. G.H. STOODLEY, SGT. MULE CORPS, INDIAN ARMY H.O.D. STOWELL, L-CPL, MIDDLESEX REGT. H.M. SWIFT, 2ND LIEUT. WELSH REGT. G.R. THATCHER, M.C. LIEUT. R.F.A. A.J.O. TREW, ENG.-LIEUT. R.N.V.R. R.H. WEBB, 2ND LIEUT. R.F.A. E.R. WHEATLEY, 2ND LIEUT. R.F.A. D.A. WHITE, 2ND LIEUT. EAST SURREY REGT. F.B. WHITEHEAD, 2ND LIEUT. YORKSHIRE REGT. B.C. WINSER, CAPT. LANCASHIRE FUSILIERS G.C. WINTER, SGT. ROYAL FUSILIERS G.A. WOODFORDE, ARTISTS’ RIFLES

SIC ITUR AD ASTRA Used by Virgil in The Aeneid, SIC ITUR AD ASTRA translates as ‘thus one journeys to the stars’

Kingston Grammar School An independent co-educational day school for boys and girls aged 11–18 London Road Kingston upon Thames KT2 6PY 020 8546 5875 enquiries@kgs.org.uk www.kgs.org.uk

KGS1561

KGS1561 kingstongrammar Acknowledgements: Thank you to the many staff, students and alumni who have supplied both articles and photographs.

We welcome feedback via marketing@kgs.org.uk on what you’d like to see in future issues of Kingstonian.

Front cover: Inscription on the KGS Roll of Honour in the School Hall.

Other credits: Chris Edwards, Gillman & Soame, Keith Larby and Adam Scott.