KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS
2019/20
KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20 | HEADMASTER'S WELCOME
Our Year 6 leavers set the tone for everyone else; they were a vintage crew who lit up our school with their vitality, enthusiasm and energy. We will really miss them. This was also the year that As I move into my Simon Morris retired as the tenth year of headship, Principal of our Foundation. I am indebted to all He has been a great the Kingswood supporter of the Prep School community... and thoroughly enjoyed his
HEADMASTER’S WELCOME What a tumultuous year this has been for the world, and for our school community in particular: Brexit, a General Election, an ISI inspection, a world pandemic, school closures, virtual school and a partial school re-opening to look forward to!
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ost-lockdown, we have all reflected on events and are determined to take the positives and build on them. There were some aspects of Virtual Learning that allowed children to be truly independent, to plan their day and to work at their own speed. If we are to teach our children to be independent learners, then we have a responsibility to build on this. However, one unquestionable fact to emerge was that, for children in our age-group, there is no substitute for a dedicated, passionate and dynamic teacher. Another undeniable fact is that a fully-functioning KPS provides the children with the most incredible experiences in the classroom, outside and beyond. How do we pack in as much as we do? I love the fact that all our children are encouraged to be true all-rounders: choir before school starts, a packed day of learning, sport, and then a poetry recital (still with dirty knees!) is a perfect KPS day. It is our job to
encourage the individuality of all our pupils, to truly celebrate difference, kindness and a positive attitude. I have a wonderful video filled with Lockdown Festivities, which gives a brilliant view of the positive way that KPS families accepted the challenges of working and being at home. It will put a smile on your faces! We now have a school fully able to adapt to working remotely and have created a platform that includes live interaction between pupils and their teachers. I really hope that our parents felt that we went the ‘extra mile’ through lockdown and that we embraced the unique challenges of virtual communication - not easy, particularly with 6-year olds! I loved my weekly trips to the Post Office to deliver 60 packs of resources to families. To have a full and buoyant school at the end of such a period of time says much for the culture and staff at the school.
term as Head of KPS when I was in hospital. Simon has a calmness and clarity of thought, which means that he was a perfect sounding board. We all wish Simon and Caroline the very happiest of ‘slow downs’. I am absolutely sure it will not be total retirement, but after running at such speed for 13 years, they fully deserve time to reconnect with family and friends, and to reflect on all that they have achieved at Kingswood. We welcome Andrew Gordon-Brown and his wife, Harriet, to Kingswood from Truro. Andrew will bring a fresh perspective to the school and we look forward to seeing lots of him at the Prep School. The academic year 2019/20 will long be remembered for obvious reasons! With my infamous tendency to “accentuate the positive”, I feel that it has given us an opportunity to re-evaluate what we do, to re-examine our practice and to build on all the success we have enjoyed. It would have been impossible to respond so effectively to the massive and fundamental changes that were forced on us without a strong team and the commitment of both my Deputies, Helen Worrall and Katharine Wilkinson, to our school in every respect has been outstanding. As I move into my tenth year of headship, I am indebted to all of the Kingswood community for invariably putting the children first and for their unstinting commitment and dedication. Enjoy the magazine - why not pay us a visit and see the school in operation!
Mark Brearey (Headmaster)
CONTENTS | KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20
CONTENTS
Editor: George Gardiner (Marketing & Communications Officer)
Headmaster’s Welcome
2
The Garden at Kingswood
6
Reception
8
Year 1
10
Year 2
12
Year 3
14
Year 4
16
Year 5
18
Year 6
20
Boarding
22
English
24
Maths
26
Science
28
Art
32
Drama
34
Music
36
Sport
38
MFL
40
Challenge and Enrichment
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KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20 | THE GARDEN AT KINGSWOOD
THE GARDEN AT KINGSWOOD It was a strong start to 2019/20, in The Garden. We have recruited some excellent new staff this year who have strengthened our team, bringing with them their own knowledge, passions and expertise.
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he highlight of the first term was definitely our Christmas play 'Whoops a Daisy, Angel', where the whole nursery came together to perform to a packed Association Hall. The children performed magnificently, overcoming their nerves to sing with gusto and looking so adorable on the big stage. This was followed by our annual ‘Breakfast with Father Christmas’ where parents were also invited in to share this special event with their child. The children in the Baby Room, now known as the Hedgehogs’ Nest, have enjoyed exploring the grounds and using the facilities in the wider school environment. They have made great use of the
PE ‘soft play’ equipment on rainy and dull days, as well as the fields and forest areas on warmer days. The Hedgehogs enjoy lots of sensory and social play, which has allowed them to build their confidence. The children in the Toddler Room, now called the Squirrels’ Drey, explored the grounds and the School's facilities, but there was a focus on developing their communication and social skills. The Squirrels loved going to PE with Mr Shrubsole, having Spanish lessons with Miss Katherine from Todo El Mundo, and Music lessons with Mrs Cross, where they played a variety of different instruments.
The Pre-School Room, now known as the Foxes’ Den, have had a multitude of lessons from Prep School teachers, including PE, Art, Swimming, Music, Technology, IT, and French, which they will continue to develop through their time at the School. The children are very much looking forward to spending more time with these teachers and will continue their relationship into Reception and beyond. The Pre-School teachers work hard to prepare the children for the next stage in their education, and the children learn to be independent, to listen and be focused, to play cooperatively with their friends, as well as having lessons in phonics and maths.
The children performed magnificently, overcoming their nerves to sing with gusto...
THE GARDEN AT KINGSWOOD | KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20
The Pre-School teachers work hard to prepare the children for the next stage...
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KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20 | THE GARDEN AT KINGSWOOD
SPRING TERM When Coronavirus hit and the School had to close to all but Key Worker children, we continued to provide ideas for activities and discussions, in line with the areas of development in the Early Years, across all age groups.
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iss Katherine provided online Spanish lessons for anyone to join, via Facebook Live. The nursery felt empty but we loved receiving photos of the children completing activities and enjoying unexpected quality time with their families. When we came back from lockdown, things were different. We had smaller groups and shorter days to allow for extra cleaning, but staff had been looking forward to welcoming back the children. After
three months away, the children took the return to nursery in their stride. We also welcomed new staff, who will take a lead on developing our exciting, new forest school provision, which will make even greater use of our wonderful grounds. We are so proud of all of the children and the resilience they have shown, and grateful for such a fantastic, passionate staff team.
Anna Ballanger (Head of The Garden / Head of EYFS)
We are so proud of all of the children and the resilience they have shown...
THE GARDEN AT KINGSWOOD | KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20
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KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20 | RECEPTION
RECEPTION AUTUMN TERM In the Autumn Term, Reception were welcomed to school with the topic “Wonderful Marvellous Me”, where they had a chance to learn about themselves and each other. They made stick family bundles, to represent the love that ties their family unit together. As a class, they explored every sense by going on taste, sight and smell walks. They even sampled fruit from the school gardens, and created their own perfume! The children made and listened to different instruments, and
discovered different textures. They loved making porridge with Goldilocks and the Three Bears! After half term, Reception learnt about their bodies from the inside. They made ‘blood’ using natural food products, and an organ model using balloons and straws. At the end of term, the children performed a wonderful Christmas carol concert in the school chapel, and enjoyed meeting Father Christmas when he came to visit Kingswood!
...they explored every sense by going on taste, sight and smell walks.
RECEPTION | KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20
SPRING TERM The next topic, “The Arctic and Antarctic” took the children on an exciting journey to the North and South Pole, where they discovered polar bears and penguins. They learnt about the life of Ernest Shackleton, and his voyage to Antarctica. They build his ship ‘The Endurance’, and made tea-stained maps of the South Pole. In Art, the children made clay penguins, and chalk polar bears. They also constructed a huge class igloo using foam blocks, pins and glue. Towards to end of term, the children had a chance at becoming eco-monitors around the school, and learnt ten different ways to save planet earth!
...the children learnt ten different ways to save planet earth!
SUMMER TERM
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eception blasted off into space from home for their final topic “To infinity and Beyond!” They learnt a planet rap during home school, and made an extensive planet book including fantastic facts about each of the main planets in our solar system. During their topic time, the children learnt about pressure in rockets, and some fired their own from their back gardens! They also made and launched parachutes when learning about gravity, and turned themselves into astronauts using photos and tin foil! Towards the end of the term, a space ship dramatically crashed outside the classroom, bringing news of Beegu; a lost little alien who needed to find her way home. The children enthusiastically helped her by writing ‘Lost’ posters, and pinning them up around school! They junk modelled rockets and made alien friends for Beegu!
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KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20 | YEAR 1
YEAR 1
The children could not believe some of the things we discovered!
Wow, what a year it has been! The children have had the chance to explore and develop their learning through our three termly topics: ‘A Walk in the Woods’, ‘Up, Up and Away’ and ‘Under the Sea’.
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'UP, UP AND AWAY'
e have journeyed through forests and woodlands to learn more about their inhabitants; navigated the globe to experience some of the world’s wonderful cultures; and dived headfirst into the sea to discover more about the worlds which exist in the depths of our oceans. The children coped amazingly with remote learning and with the return to school!
'A WALK IN THE WOODS' We kicked off this topic with a trip to Westonbirt Arboretum. The children loved being able to explore the beautiful woodland and discover what animals lived there. They particularly enjoyed trying to build their own badger sets to keep their hot water bottle badgers warm! We spent some time learning about how and why some animals are nocturnal and also had fun exploring the fascinating contents of owl pellets. The children could not believe some of the things we discovered!
Year 1 then had the chance to travel the world and explore some cultures different to our own. It was so special to ‘visit’ the countries that some members of Year 1 have family from and the children loved sharing and comparing the differences and similarities to our own life experiences. We visited the Bristol Aerospace Museum to learn about the history of air travel and even got to walk inside Concorde!
YEAR 1 | KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20
'UNDER THE SEA' Year 1 then dived into our final topic to learn about marine creatures and their habitats. The children loved being able to explore the secrets of the sea, from what lives in the Twilight Zone to whether or not they think Atlantis exists. After learning about how plastic is harming the oceans around the world, Year 1 decided to take matters into their own hands and wrote a persuasive letter to the Prime Minister, advising him to address the nation and encourage people to stop littering.
“I really liked seeing Santa (who I thought was Mr Shrub).” Scottie
“Did you know that some nocturnal animals hibernate, hedgehogs hibernate and badgers make their sett really warm. At Westonbirt we did an experiment to see how to keep badgers warm.”
It has been a wonderful year and a joy to see all the children grow in their self-confidence and in their thirst for learning.
Rebecca Howe
Cecily
(Head of Year 1 and 2)
“We learnt about instruments; I remember that if there’s a long string it makes a low pitch sound and if there’s a short string it makes a high sound.” Lottie
"My two favourite things this year have been World Book Day and Buddy Break time.” Lily Blue
“When we were remote learning my favourite bit was having the story at the end the day.” Edie
"My favourite trip during Year 1 was when we went to see Concorde! I loved it because we got to go inside. 'Up, Up and Away!' was the topic I particularly enjoyed doing because it was really fun making the hot air balloon!"
“It was so cool when we built shelters with Mr Chitson in the Secret Garden."
Tiggy
William
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KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20 | YEAR 2
MEMORABLE MOMENTS IN YEAR 2 From 'Turrets and Tiaras' to 'Whizz, Bang, Pop!', the children from Year 2 share some of their favourite moments from the 2019/20 academic year.
"What I loved most about Year 2 was Art, especially making the clay dragon. I had lots of fun with my friends in the classroom and I will really miss my teacher, Mrs Baumgardt." Jack
"I was amazed at all the stairs we had to climb in Cardiff Castle. I loved being put in the stocks too!" Jake
"My favourite memory of Year 2 is going to SS Great Britain because I loved the workshop." Aila-Mae
"I had fun painting an otter by mixing colours. I really love all the art and craft activities." Ella
YEAR 2 | KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20
"I liked learning about the weapons the knights used and making a trebuchet in DT - it worked!" James
"For my STEM lesson in lockdown, I made a tower - it was over 2 metres tall!" Jacob
REMOTE LEARNING
James read 5,000 words within seven weeks during lockdown!
The children coped amazingly with remote learning...
Alice made some madelines by weighing out the ingredients and setting the oven temperature!
Fred made a Viking longboat for his STEM lesson at home and was very proud of his final piece. Very creative, well done Fred!
George had tremendous fun with science, even conducting his own experiments from home!
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KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20 | YEAR 3
WE LOVE YEAR 3! The children in Year 3 have treated us to an acrostic poem as a way of celebrating the exciting year they have had!
W We have had the best year! E Everyone made lots of new friends
We have had the best year! Everyone made lots of new friends.
L Lessons were amazing, we achieved new goals O Oh yes, we did enjoy the staff panto! V Visitors like Mr Wetz taught us even more E Exciting trips took us to the theatre and Cadbury World Y Yummy lunches kept us going E Everyone loved the new playground equipment A Assemblies were cool - Mr B’s Chocolate machine, our favourite R Reading great books made learning fun T Topics were the top – from Chocolate to Dinosaurs! H House points and certificates made us feel proud R Remembrance Day was very special E Enjoying chess and the Secret Garden were extra treats E Even Lockdown was fun with quizzes, thunks and the fantastic
virtual concert
YEAR 3 | KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20
Exciting trips took us to the theatre and Cadbury World...
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KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20 | YEAR 4
YEAR 4
...home to an Ancient Egyptian exhibition and was a huge hit...
Highclere was the highlight!
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ear 4 sees the children go on a number of school trips which help bring their topic to life. For ‘Temples Tombs and Treasures’ we take the children to Highclere Castle, famously home to Downton Abbey and previously to the 5th Earl of Carnarvon who sponsored excavations of tombs in Egypt. He later accompanied archaeologist Howard Carter during the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922. The house is now home to an Ancient Egyptian exhibition and was a huge hit and real highlight for the children last year. The children also visited Wookey Hole caves to kickstart our ‘Active Planet’ topic at the beginning of the year, and a residential, which complements the ‘Land, Sea and Sky’ topic brilliantly, was planned for the summer term. Perhaps next year?
YEAR 4 | KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20
EMBALMING EXPLORATIONS
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upils in Year 4 became Ancient Egyptian embalmers as they explored the process of mummification. Practising on a tomato, the pupils first removed its core to represent the lungs, liver, stomach and intestines being placed into a canopic jar. Year 4 then created their very own Ancient Egyptian Natron by mixing table salt and bicarbonate of soda, which would be used during mummification to preserve the body. The children very much enjoyed the activity and it was a great insight into Ancient Egyptian practices.
WORK SHARE
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...pupils explained their lessons accurately and demonstrated their progress...
rep children hosted their parents over four work sharing days, with pupils from Years 3 – 6 having the opportunity to share their learning experiences.
The children thoroughly enjoyed presenting their work and their parents were amazed at how much they had remembered over the course of the Autumn term. The pupils explained their lessons articulately and demonstrated how much progress they have made term on term. The staff would like to thank the children for their hard work and effort throughout the year, and would also like to thank parents for coming into school for this special event.
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KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20 | YEAR 5
DISCOVERY AND CHALLENGE IN YEAR 5
A collective focus in Year 5 is to develop our independence, organisation and resilience.
It has been a year full of excitement, fresh discoveries, new challenges and plenty of fun for Year 5. The children who joined us for the ďŹ rst time made a fantastic start, throwing themselves into the full pace of our day and quickly forging friendships with the children moving up through the School.
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or all of the children it was their first opportunity to make the new building their base; the first few days were spent organising the classroom together and making it feel like home for everyone. For the Autumn Term, we jumped straight in to one of our favourite cross-curricular topics - 'The Great, The Bold and The Brave'. Our learning was centred around the concept of legacy and particularly the impact that various civilizations have had on Britain itself. Creating our own myths and monsters, spotting Roman architecture and investigating life in an Anglo-Saxon village made for lots of new learning and the children impressed the staff with their excellent attitude to their work. A collective focus in Year 5 is to develop our independence, organisation and resilience. Our children need to be
YEAR 5 | KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20
equipped with these attributes if they are to thrive over the next few years; this year group has really risen to the challenge! It would be remiss not to mention our particularly messy science lessons too; dissolving, separating, melting and creating materials certainly kept the sink in constant use. After only three weeks we headed off to Mill On The Brue, This year group are a wonderful centre just 45 certainly a talented bunch; minutes south of Bath. Four everyone was amazed long days were spent getting to know one another, having huge with the quality of amounts of fun and learning their singing. many things about how to work as a team. The children were guided by the experienced staff at the centre as they had the chance to build rafts, cross rope bridges, go caving, build fires and finally make their own cocoa to celebrate a hard day’s work! The week is always a great success and the children came back more confident and mature, packed full of stories to tell the family. Approaching Christmas, they worked hard learning lines and melodies ready for the end of term chapel concert. This year group are certainly a talented bunch; everyone was amazed with the quality of their singing. During the Spring Term, the children moved on to the ever-popular ‘Space Explorers’ and ‘Weather and Climate’ topics. We got this started with a visit from the fantastic ESERO-UK Space Ambassador, Jo Richardson. The children were treated to a unique and special day. The children were given an introduction into centrifugal force, they viewed outer space from within a virtual reality headset and created a human model of the solar system. Our learning continued through the first part of the term, even using toilet rolls to show the relative distances between the planets! We then moved to 'Weather and Climate' where we completed various activities that illustrated the water cycle, how air currents move and what causes certain seasons and climates around the world. The children loved creating scientific diagrams showing the different layers of the Earth’s atmosphere. Just before we finished the topic, lockdown hit! The Year 5 team have been immensely proud of the children and the effort and focus that they put into learning from home. It was not without its challenges, but we still managed to study our 'Rivers' and 'Georgians' topics. Some amazing pieces of work were uploaded each day, keeping the teachers busy with reviewing learning journeys and creating exciting lessons.
Naomi Harding (Year 5 Teacher)
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KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20 | YEAR 6
YEAR 6 We have had another action packed year in Year 6! It has been full of fun and learning around every corner!
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ear 6 is a year where confidence is at an all time high and everything is done to encourage children to try new experiences and challenge themselves. Throughout all three terms the children present many times in front of their class on topics close to their hearts. They presented on weird and wonderful plants and animal adaptations in Science, Shakespeare in our Tudors topic and the abolition of Slavery to mention but a few!
Academic lessons have been packed with exciting hands on experiences, in Science – we have used great equipment throughout the year, the children loved using the microscopes in particular! In DT children make their own constructions and tested them with weights and in History they formed their own timelines of key events!
Each child in Year 6 has a monitor role where they work closely with the academic head of department to promote the subject and make it fun and relevant for all the pupils in the school. The charity monitors raised lots of money for the Bath Cats and Dogs Home through running a ‘Scruffs’ event one Saturday morning! Wellbeing groups are small clusters of children who meet with a mentor each week and discuss the highs and lows of life! Often they make items like bunting or 3D models and they play games and have hot chocolate in the cold months! Friday Chef is a special highlight to the children, this is where they find and buy ingredients and make a delicious snack for their class each Friday!
...wonderful children who threw their heart and soul into every new experience!
YEAR 6 | KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20
The year would not be complete without lots of trips and visits. We love making the subjects come to life! In the Christmas term, we all dressed up as Tudors (teachers included!) and learnt lots about Tudor life. We made Pomanders that smelt beautiful, made clay Tudor roses, built our own model Tudor houses not to mention lots of Tudor dance and drama! We were graced by the presence of Henry VIII himself… although he had quite a resemblance to Mr G? We also visited lots of locations like the Mary Rose, The New Rooms and John Wesley’s Chapel in Bristol and we even heard a talk from Mrs Newman on her recent Jury Service – the children enjoyed re-enacting a trial in court! We celebrated all the wonderful work we created with our parents on our Termly Work Sharing morning! Parents and grandparents enjoyed coming in to see the children’s books and the children were certainly really proud of their progress. It has been a superb year and all credit is due to the wonderful children who threw their heart and soul into every new experience!
Miss Birchall, Mr Griffiths, Mrs St. Quintin & Mrs Hadley (The Year 6 Teachers)
We made Pomanders that smelt beautiful...
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KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20 | BOARDING
ONE YEAR ON – AND STILL AWAKE!
...all who came to stay settled in quickly to a warm and caring environment.
Doesn’t time fly when you are having fun?! Mrs Hooton and I can’t believe it has been a year since we moved to High Vinnalls as the new house parents.
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he year has been full of great experiences and fun times for both the children and us. It will definitely be a year we won’t forget! We felt so sorry that our Year 6 Boarders missed out on their closing chapter at the school and in the house. However, it just goes to show the wonderful resilience of children; they all took it in their stride and were more than ready for the next chapter at Westwood. Our main aim over the year was to make High Vinnalls as much like a family home as possible, so that all who came to stay settled in quickly to a warm and caring environment. We even bought a dog! Changing the fabric of the house has helped, however we feel that being available to the children as much as possible has proved to be the best way to achieve this.
BOARDING | KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20
The year has been full of great experiences and fun times...
Full time and casual boarder numbers have been strong throughout the year and looking healthy for September. Casual boarding, where children stay for the odd night in term time, and our wrap around care has been a valuable service for parents as well as great fun for the children involved. So we look forward to our second year with continued enthusiasm. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those that have helped High Vinnalls to grow over the past year, especially staff, both academic and support, and of course the parents. Your support, guidance and advice has been invaluable. But most of all, thanks to all the children to help us settle in so quickly, for working so hard and being so much fun; you make being a Housemaster the best job in the world. Now please be quiet and let me go to sleep!
Ben Hooton (Housemaster)
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KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20 | ENGLISH
It was such a pleasure to see the eager faces and bright eyes of our young readers...
ENGLISH
Throughout the academic year 2019/20, the English department have celebrated so many successes throughout the School.
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he children have engaged with reading for pleasure and understanding through newly supplemented library books, guided and reciprocal reading resources, World Book Day fun, Buddy Reading Breaks and through the Bath Children's Literature Festival.
THE BOOK FAIR The Book Fair which was held prior to Christmas, was a wonderful opportunity to find new and exciting stories and authors. It was such a pleasure to see the eager faces and bright eyes of our young readers as they looked for treasures among the titles on offer. We were able to use some of the commission earned to buy new books for our school library. The enthusiasm for reading is key to our children developing as successful readers and we thank you for all you do at home to support your children’s reading selections and appreciate your continued support in helping to develop positive attitudes to reading.
WRITING There were also opportunities to celebrate writing across the school with winners in the Mid-Somerset writing competition, an increased focus on the editing and improvement process for children in all year groups and a revision of our handwriting approach to ensure that even our youngest learners could learn the formation and fluency of letters quickly and efficiently.
ENGLISH | KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20
CREATIVE WRITING DAY BATH CITADEL •
Edie – 'The Softly Cow' placed 2nd in Year 2 and under the poetry category.
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Poppy – 'One Dark Night in the Forest' placed 3rd in the Years 5 and 6 poetry category.
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Henry – 'The Lighthouse' placed 3rd in the Years 5 and 6 short story category.
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Chloe – 'The Princess Who Wanted To Play Football' won the trophy for overall best story in the Year 4 and under category.
ONLINE LEARNING More recently, the children have had the opportunity to use DoodleEnglish and DoodleSpell to supplement their learning using an online platform, which so many children enjoy. The expectations of our children for spelling, grammar and punctuation (as laid out in the National Curriculum for English) are really The children challenging and we have found ever continue to amaze more creative ways to teach them. The us with their children continue to amaze us with their determination and determination and work ethic.
work ethic.
SPEAKING AND LISTENING Another aspect of the English curriculum is ‘Speaking and Listening’ and there are many opportunities for children to develop these skills. We were blown away by the standard of performance for our 'Poetry Out Loud' competition and the KPS Climate Change Summit provided another wonderful platform for children to speak persuasively and with confidence. English Speaking Board (ESB) exams were also held again this year, with a stunning set of results.
Naomi Harding (Year 5 Teacher)
ENGLISH SPEAKING BOARD EXAMS
A huge congratulations for a fantastic set of results to: •
Eli, Manu, Luke, Elspeth and Vivi from Year 4.
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Henry, Ben, Darcy, Esme, Ava, Jasper, Oscar and Reuben from Year 5.
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Charlie from Year 6.
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KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20 | MATHS
MATHS AT KPS “Promise me you'll always remember: You're BRAVER than you believe, and STRONGER than you seem, and SMARTER than you think.” – A. A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh
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athematics teaches children how to make sense of the world around them through developing their ability to calculate, reason and solve problems. Mathematics is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment. A high-quality mathematics education therefore provides a foundation for understanding the world, the
ability to reason mathematically, an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics, and a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject. We aim to support children to achieve economic well-being and equip them with a range of computational skills and the ability to solve problems in a variety of contexts.
Siân Higgins (Maths Coordinator)
Mathematics teaches children how to make sense of the world around them...
MATHS | KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20
GOALS IN MATHS At KPS, we aim for our pupils to: •
Become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including the varied and regular practice of increasingly complex problems over time.
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Reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, understanding relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language.
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Solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions.
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We use a huge range of tasks to make Maths fun, accessible to all and relevant to everyday life.
...breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions.
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KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20 | SCIENCE
SCIENCE It has been a year full of both excitement and challenge for our children and their learning in Science!
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Year 6 spent time dissecting and examining plants under microscopes...
uring the first half of the year, we were able to be in school together investigating, experimenting and exploring our way through the huge range of topics covered through the School. In Year 5, the children got messy with materials, dissolving polystyrene and finding ways to separate a messy mix of substances out - very helpful for those keen washer-uppers in the group!
Year 6 spent time dissecting and examining plants under microscopes, growing their own plants under different conditions and learning how different species have evolved over time. The Year 3 and 4 topics of ‘Chocolate’ and ‘Active Planet’ were as popular as ever with
SCIENCE | KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20
a plethora of edible experiments and homework for the children to get their teeth into - figuratively and literally! Our Pre-Prep children also had huge amounts of fun whilst discovering new things about the world around them. In Reception for example, model respiratory and digestive systems were created to help us understand how our bodies work and materials were scrutinised to decide which would best suit an arctic explorer! In Years 1 and 2 the focus was on the world around us. We carefully took apart owl pellets to learn about their diet and spent time exploring the Kingswood site for signs of local nature and wildlife.
'KITCHEN-SINK SCIENCE' The second half of the year was certainly more of a challenge, but the children threw themselves wholeheartedly into what has been traditionally known as ‘Kitchen-Sink Science!’ The class teachers have loved seeing the home experiments and adventures that have been virtually submitted. The staff were very grateful to our families for giving over the kitchens and shopping lists to make slime, let bread go mouldy, create carbon dioxide and even douse flames!
Luke Hopwood (Science Coordinator)
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KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20 | ART
Rubie - Year 2
Rose - Year 4
Fenn - Year 6
Freya - Year 6
KPS ART GALLERY
Sebbie - Year 3
Alfie - Reception
Jasper - Year 5
Connie - Year 1
Sawan - Year 5
ART | KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20
Chloe - Year 2
Woody - Year 5
Yang Yi - Reception
Evie - Year 1
Ame - Year 3
Ben - Year 5
Oscar - Pre-School
Jake - Year 2
Isla - Year 2
Noah - Year 4
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KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20 | ART
Buzzing and full of life, the KPS Art Room has seen some extraordinary talent this year. Development in drawing, colour, design and clay have been particularly exciting and we have enjoyed a whole year with our new kiln.
M THE ART ROOM
ore children than ever have used the room in ‘Open Door’ sessions and the quality of competition entries has been outstanding. From Pre-School to Year 6, we have loved seeing the fun and sense of achievement art can bring, enhancing motor skills and our general wellbeing.
The pride we have for our pupils’ classwork in art is boundless; however, there have been several notable moments worth focusing The pride we have on. Our art on display at the for our pupils' exhibition for Climate Change in classwork in art is 44AD Gallery in Bath was one of the boundless. highlights of the year. The Year 5 and 6 Art Club pupils designed their own interpretation of the theme and attended the Private View in November. A moving and heartfelt display of work from schools across Bath, served as a poignant reminder of our responsibility to look after the planet.
ART | KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20
It certainly is an exciting time to be creative! Our seven talented Year 6 art monitors have also been working very hard this year, facepainting for the Pre-Prep Nativity, helping to deliver a Valentine’s workshop for the Garden Pre-School class and organising a special Easter competition to design a new piece of art for the Boarding House. Very well done to Lexi, Hattie, Spike, Freddie, Charlotte, Eddie and Aditi.
Moving into the Lockdown period was certainly a challenge; however, our students have more than risen to it. Some stunning pieces of art have been proudly displayed and shared on Firefly learning portfolios, galleries and newsletters for everyone to enjoy. The warmth and enthusiasm for creating has shown just how versatile and open our community is,
bringing families together with shared projects. Art in the Prep School continues to take new strides in digital art, video tutorials and platforms to share virtual galleries. It certainly is an exciting time to be creative!
Karen Fox (Head of Art)
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KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20 | DRAMA
AUTUMN TERM The 2019 / 20 academic year has been an exciting one for Drama in the Prep School. The Autumn Term started off with preparations for the Year 6 Shakespeare productions of 'Richard III' and 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream.' The children did a fabulous job and, as always, impressed us with, not only their ability to remember the original Shakespearean language, but also their understanding of what the characters were saying. 'Richard III' was also performed in The Tobacco Factory Theatre and, with the addition of some very realistic looking blood, made for a dramatic performance.
The children did a fabulous job and, as always, impressed us...
YEAR 6 PRODUCTION
SHAKESPEARE
DRAMA | KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20
STAFF PANTOMIME
ALICE IN KINGSWOOD
SPRING TERM In the Spring Term, The Musical Theatre Club were entered into The Mid-Somerset Festival and, for the fourth year running, were placed first in their category for their performance of songs and dialogue from 'Annie'. They were also given the honour of being invited to the end of week showcase, in which the judges picked highlights from the whole festival to perform. The children worked incredibly hard and fully deserved this honour, their performance was fantastic.
SUMMER TERM The Summer Term presented new challenges for Drama at KPS and we certainly had to take a new and creative approach to teaching the subject. We were particularly worried that the Year 6 children were not going to be able to perform their end of year musical: ‘Singin in the Rain.’ We are the Drama department, however, and felt that ‘The Show Must Go On.’ So we decided to film the entire production, outside and socially distanced. This was not easy for anyone involved, but the children showed perseverance and teamwork and we finally got there. Now they will be able to watch their performance for many years to come.
Helen Birchall (Head of Drama)
One of the highlights of the School year for pupils, staff and teachers, has most certainly been the Staff Pantomime: 'Alice in Kingswood.' This was the first time we had ever attempted anything of this kind and was not an easy task. The staff, however, threw themselves into rehearsals and into their roles. With tickets selling out in less than an hour and managing to raise over £1000 for charity, the event was a definite success on all accounts. Singing, acting, dancing and a bit of improvisation: the staff surpassed all my expectations.
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KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20 | MUSIC
MUSIC 'Shine, Jesus, Shine'
‘Where Words Fail, Music Speaks’ Hans Christian Anderson
PREP MUSIC
I
would not normally start an end of year review with a quote from an author of fairy tales, but this has been a year where words have failed us, as we entered the chaos and isolation of lockdown and watched the world we know, with its comfortable repetitive rhythms, grind to a halt. A busy, thriving, joyful Music department was abandoned overnight, locked up and left alone as we all retreated to our homes and set about the task of staying healthy and looking after our families. A noisy school became quiet, our roads empty and our voices hushed.
But when words fail, music speaks. It refuses to stop or be snuffed out. It continues Out of the silence, to bubble up like a fresh everyone began water spring, and it cannot to hear beautiful be stifled. Out of the silence, music they had not everyone began to hear heard before... beautiful music they had not heard before: birdsong filled the air as never before, stunning, perfect, uninhibited, ecstatic songs, not just early in the morning but all day long. We stopped to listen and enjoy the music of nature that moved in to fill the silence and gradually, day by day, we came to realise that the music all around us had not stopped either, but continued to ‘express that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.’ (Victor Hugo, Shakespeare) Concerts, performances, productions, exams, services, assemblies, orchestras, ensembles, choirs, music lessons and school celebrations may not have happened in their usual way since March, but the amount of music going on has been staggering, and the quality of the music produced by the children has been truly amazing. I have always believed that music has to be experienced – it is a practical concept that involves the whole body and mind at once, and should be shared as a corporate activity that is felt both physically and emotionally. I worried that we could not do that in our homes and separated from each other, but I was wrong!
MUSIC | KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20
Individual music lessons moved seamlessly online and teachers soon found that children were more focused, with time and aspiration to concentrate, practise and progress. Many asked for extra lessons through the holidays and both teachers and children really appreciated the one-to-one contact with someone outside their family group. Class music lessons evolved into musical activities at home using everything from pots and pans to beat-boxing websites, from playlists to pictures, from stories to classical compositions, and from musical history to mindfulness. Children played and performed to their parents, their grandparents, their neighbours, their streets, their whole communities and their teachers. Parents made countless videos and audio files, and uploaded literally hundreds of photos, poetry and music research projects. Some children played duets, some wrote songs, some whole families performed together, some took part in the largest ever world-wide choir event with Young Voices. The Summerhill Singers Choir even recorded a Virtual Concert as a gift for the School and their families. School may have closed for a time and the Music department may have been shut for six months, but music has emerged nonetheless, and has given vast amounts of joy and happiness to all those who have participated, practised, played, performed, heard and received it. I have been thrilled to start my mornings listening to the latest pieces submitted to me online and I am so very proud of all our young musicians at KPS. It may have been a most unusual second half of our year, but it has ...we have all learned overflowed with music. I can’t wait to get back into that music will the Music department never stop and that and get it up and running it is vital to our again – I have missed it so very beings. much – but wherever we are, we have all learned that music will never stop and that it is vital to our very beings. To finish, two more quotations: Plato said ‘Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.’ I have this on a poster in the Music department but it continues to be true, even when we are not together. A much lesser known rap artist of our time said ‘Music is therapy. Music moves people. It connects people in ways no other medium can. It pulls heart strings. It acts as medicine.’ (Mackleson). I think that the KPS music family has found it to be exactly so.
Jackie Cross (Head of Music)
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KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20 | SPORT
LEARNING FROM LOCKDOWN I
n mid-March 2020 I took a group of Year 5 boys over to Bristol Grammar School to play our traditional triangular fixture with the hosts and Clifton College. The games were good but not especially memorable but I distinctly remember the discussions about whether we were going to shake hands or not once the game was over. Whilst I was aware of some talk about such things on the news, I thought this particularly odd and, quite frankly, a bit unnecessary and definitely “over the top”. Fast forward to the end of this remarkable year and I look back at that first “encounter” with Covid with amusement at my naivety, knowing what I know now. Like everyone, I never imagined myself performing a task such as sanitising rugby balls at regular intervals, let alone trying to teach PE and games from my kitchen. However – again, I assume like many people – lockdown, remote learning, working with key worker’s children and the graduated return to school has taught me so much about myself, school, the subject and physical activity in general. In no particular order, here are a few of those learnings… (warning: not much is earth-shattering).
...children want to interact with other children more than anything else.
AUTONOMY Left to their own devices, children are quite capable of organising things themselves whilst the freedom to choose what they do makes them far more likely to engage fully in that activity. Once they find what excites them, there is no stopping them!
CREATIVITY (CHILDREN) As adults (teachers) we decide what activities are best for a child to do and often determine what skills we deem essential for that activity. The children may not see this as relevant and, again, when allowed the freedom to explore they go off in all different directions – but ones that they see as relevant! Allow their creativity to flourish and all sorts of unexpected results are possible.
CREATIVITY (TEACHERS) The challenge to provide interesting and attractive online activities makes us as teachers re-evaluate what we are doing and how we present it. Taking us out of our comfort zone and think of how our activities appear to the children is a really challenging but valuable task. Once back at school, having to think more carefully about exactly how we teach is also a great exercise in creativity as we are forced to try new ideas and different approaches.
PARENTS No matter how much influence teachers wield, it is obvious that parents remain the greatest influences on a child’s attitude, progress and approach.
SPORT | KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20
FIXTURES
MIXED GROUPS The return to school has seen us strictly staying in our year group bubbles but the time with key workers’ children during lockdown showed how many great things come from a varied group. Different ages and ability levels working together can provide so many great opportunities for growth – developing different skills and character traits. Whilst everyone obviously has friendship groups with whom they choose to spend time with, in the end the children want to interact with other children more than anything else.
Whilst matches with other schools is often the area on which we focus most in “normal” times, the children did not mention them amongst the things they were most missing during the original lockdown. Since the return to school, the absence of fixtures have rarely been lamented and without the need to prepare for matches games lessons have been more flexible without the loss of any intensity. Even when we managed to have a few virtual fixtures, the children seemed to enjoy taking part but absolutely nobody asked me about the final score.
COMPARISONS We talk so much about children working hard to try to improve their own performance in whatever it is they are doing and I have long been a supporter of this idea. Significant time away from school and restrictions in place at school means that each child’s experience has been quite different over a prolonged period and so – even more than normal - we cannot expect them to develop at a similar rate. What’s more, comparisons between different year groups is (I believe) even more pointless making any statement about what I would expect a particular year group to have achieved particularly irrelevant.
TOPICS It’s obvious now really but making every link possible between what the children are learning about in the classroom and what they do in their PE and Games is so helpful. When things are made relevant they become more accessible and memorable and I am so grateful in particular for the topics of “Space”, “Under the Sea” and “Tales of the Riverbank” which really helped me to develop remote activities for our Pre-Prep children during the Summer Term. I could go on but hopefully that is a flavour of some of the things I have learned but I am sure there are many more and each subject area has learned a whole raft of different things. Whilst we all hope that the pandemic will be over as soon as possible, it is crucial we don’t just go slip back into everything we did before without using all the good things we have learned throughout the year.
Ian Shrubsole
BREADTH OF OPPORTUNITY Moving away from the standard curriculum has shown real value. Firstly, being able to find areas which appeal to different children whilst challenging them in new and interesting ways has proved a major tool for engagement and helps to develop the problem-solving skills that will serve them well in all areas of life. What’s more, the challenge of providing a wider variety of stimulating activities has been so good for the teachers too.
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KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20 | MFL
MFL: WORLD LANGUAGES DAY Language is a worldview - understanding culture and language are intertwined.
W
orld Languages Day at KPS was eagerly awaited by staff and pupils alike. The School was adorned with flags from many countries and there were some impressive costumes on show. Each year group had chosen a country and throughout the day the classes rotated around the various activities. They learnt about their country through art and craft, dance, music and food. Each class also enjoyed the challenge of exploring the language of each country. Guest speakers from Iran, Sweden, Nigeria and South Africa enthralled the children with interesting presentations. Language learning is inseparable from understanding culture in its other manifestations. Language literally changes the way you see the world. By adopting a second language, you will get to understand a new culture and learn to think
about things differently. What a wonderful opportunity this is! At lunch time, the staff and pupils were treated to an international lunch including Swedish meatballs, Sri Lankan Fish Curry and Beef Stroganoff, which was greatly appreciated by all. The day concluded with a whole school assembly in which much of the work was shared and presented. The children were able to showcase their learning and creations from the day. These included pyramids and papyrus from Egypt, stunning clay moonstones and elephants from Sri Lanka, singing and dancing to the sound of African drums, interesting facts about Nigeria, traditional Nepalese hats and artefacts, Persian rugs, a Swedish play and a presentation on Apartheid. It was so lovely to hear the children speaking a few words or counting in so many
By adopting a second language, you will get to understand a new culture and learn to think about things differently.
different languages including Arabic, Farsi, Swedish, Zulu, Yoruba, Nepali and Sinhala. Thank you to everyone for your support and participation and for making it such a memorable day. Events such as World Languages Day play an important part in helping to shape the attitudes of our children and to recognise, celebrate and respect the great diversity of the world in which we live.
Isabelle Turner (Head of Modern Languages)
MFL | KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20
¡ FELIZ NAVIDAD Y FELIZ AÑO NUEVO ! During a Spanish lesson back in December, Year 6 had a special Spanish visitor, Señora Montoya, who talked to them about how Christmas and New Year are celebrated in Spain. The children had great fun practising the cultural tradition to welcome the New Year, called “The Twelve Grapes of Luck” (las doce uvas de la suerte). This consists of eating a grape on each bell strike at midnight on December 31 whilst standing on one leg. They sang some villencicos (traditional Spanish Christmas Carols) and saw displays of beautiful 'Belenes'. These are model recreations of the nativity scene which are placed in different cities in Spain and parents traditionally take their children to visit. A big thank you to Señora Montoya for bringing these cultural differences to life for our children.
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KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20 | CHALLENGE AND ENRICHMENT
Our "Classroom of One" approach enables all children to shine in their own areas of strength.
CHALLENGE AND ENRICHMENT “The important thing is not to stop questioning.” – Albert Einstein
C
hallenge and enrichment opportunities are available to all children at KPS as we know that each child has his or her own unique area of ability. Our “Classroom of One” approach enables all children to shine in their own areas of strength. Curiosity, an enquiring mind and an openness to new experiences; these are attributes that all KPS children are encouraged to value and emulate in their approach to their lives at school and beyond.
self-esteem and the courage to learn from mistakes is at the heart of our teaching and learning. It enables our pupils to achieve their full potential academically, culturally, socially and physically. We know that education does not just happen at school - education and learning are happening all the time. At KPS, we equip children with the skills that they need to benefit from the different learning opportunities that they encounter, wherever and whenever that may be.
Our focus on the Growth Mindset and a love of learning, resilience,
The resilience, persistence and selfassurance that are embedded into
our teaching and learning came to the fore during the recent period of Lockdown. We know that every child’s experience of Remote Learning was different. The uniting and common element was the contact that they had with their teachers from KPS, twice and sometimes three times a day and the comprehensive programme of learning activities provided for every year group through the Firefly platform. The teacher interactions, whether through live teaching sessions, lesson introductions, class pastoral calls or 1:1 academic or pastoral
CHALLENGE AND ENRICHMENT | KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS 2019-20
sessions enabled our teachers to remain closely connected to the pupils and to work with parents to ensure the academic and pastoral wellbeing of the children. The Year Group Galleries and individual Learning Portfolios are vibrant proof of the breadth and depth of learning activities that children were engaged with as part of their Remote Learning programme. From wonderful shape poems to impassioned creative writing inspired by class novels, music compositions to science investigations, sporting challenges
to amazing artistic creations and so much more. Our pupils, with the fabulous support of their parents, have really made the most of the inspirational and varied activities available to them through our Remote Learning programme.
We know that the children are excited to recommence their journey with us, ready for the challenges and opportunities of the new academic year - from our very youngest pupils in The Garden, to the selfassured young people preparing for secondary school in Year 6.
As we look forward to the next academic This is a very special place to year, we celebrate go to school and our pupils the different relish the opportunities strengths and available both inside, and interests of a outside the classroom. We know that the wonderfully children are excited diverse range Katharine Wilkinson to recommence their (Deputy Head - Academic) of pupils.
journey with us...
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College Road, Bath BA1 5SD T. 01225 734460 E. kpsreception@kingswood.bath.sch.uk www.kingswood.bath.sch.uk/prep