Kingswood Prep in Focus 2021/22

KINGSWOOD PREP IN FOCUS

HEADMASTER’S WELCOME

To write the introduction to the school magazine is one of the great privileges of being a Head Teacher. It has been quite a two years, in and out of Covid restrictions and having to react rapidly to remote learning and ‘bubble’ returns to school.

It would be naive to suggest that the Covid era has not had an impact on our school and our children. However, if you analyse our end-of-term data, it shows that the children have continued to make strong academic progress despite the interruption to their schooling and this has been down to three things: firstly, our staff have had to learn another way of operating and have quickly demonstrated resourcefulness and adaptability; secondly, parents have supported their children's learning as well as managing their own jobs and families; thirdly, our children have settled into a new way of working more independently, showing great resilience and determination. Finally, my management team were outstanding, adapting and reacting dynamically to a changing landscape.

So where does that leave us? There were, quite plainly, periods

of tension with remote learning, school fees and Key Worker programmes, but every community or family has to work through unexpected times and events. I really feel that the teaching profession has had an injection of respect and that there is a greater appreciation of how skilful the staff at KPS are in bringing the very best out of our children.

What has been great fun has been the re-emergence of normal school life. There have been some beautiful and magical milestones: whole-school assemblies, wonderful singing, plays, musical concerts, sports events, charity walks and so much more. For the children to stand in front of large audiences after a two-year gap and perform with such

We welcomed Mr Gordon-Brown to his first year of ‘normal school’ without Covid.

poise and skill is testament to their enthusiasm and confidence. We have also had a number of residential visits and over-nighters, with Year 6 enjoying an epic week in Anglesey. Having missed out on similar experiences in Year 4 and Year 5, it was extra-special to spend time with their friends before departing to their senior schools.

A highlight was the quite brilliant Summer Fair that was loved by the children and parents and superbly organised by our wonderful Friends of KPS. This group of parents go out of their way to bring people together and ensure that our community continues to thrive. Our end-of-term celebrations and services were particularly special. There was much laughter and general good fun with end-of-year parties, our traditional ‘dance off’, a quite remarkable and moving rendition of ‘Sweet Caroline’ at the Leavers’ Service, and a very well-attended Summer Ball.

We started the academic year with our new extended Nursery and administration area, further proof that we are continually striving to improve every aspect of our school. Our Pre-School experience is now second to none.

With two dedicated staff working with small groups and a diverse curriculum, the children will be brilliantly ready for Reception and their first year in the main school.

Welcoming new staff and children to our school is always a pleasure; they all settle in and feel part of the family so quickly, which says much about the warmth of the KPS community. This year we welcomed Dr. Torrance Jenkins, who has been tasked with inspiring our young scientists of the future. She is doing a magnificent job galvanising a love of practical, ‘hands on’ science. Mr Murphy has worked hard to revamp our STEAM Curriculum; our area upstairs in the Baines Learning Hub continues to focus on the technical and problemsolving skills required in a changing workplace. With Music, Sport, Art and Drama allocated equal billing, time and space in our busy days, together with our Extra Curricular Activities programme, the children have every opportunity to discover and develop the passions that they all have within.

We welcomed Mr Gordon-Brown to his first year of ‘normal school’ without Covid. He has many exciting plans for the Foundation and various capital projects; we look forward to supporting these over the next few years. Our parents’ support of the new play areas known as the ‘Patch’ will mean so much to all parts of our community all year round.

Please enjoy this magazine, but remember that it can only give a flavour of our school; I would really

recommend a visit and a tour as the best way to appreciate the whole KPS experience. The fact that we are currently fully subscribed is testament to our relentless desire to keep improving what we do and to maximise the benefit for our children, to value each child as the unique individual they are, and to bring out the very best in each of them in a kind and nurturing environment.

Mr Mark Brearey (Headmaster)

...children have every opportunity to discover and develop that passion that they have within...

CONTENTS

RESILIENCE & OPPORTUNITY

As you thumb through the pages of this year’s edition of KPS KIF I am sure your hearts will be warmed. If a picture paints a thousand words, then the 2021/22 edition is a veritable tome, highlighting through wonderful photos just how life at KPS came roaring back after a testing couple of pandemic years.

Starting my tenure as Principal of the Kingswood Foundation during this time of course had its challenges, but as Mr Brearey points out, the children of KPS have shown tremendous resilience, and continued to develop both academically and pastorally. Through a myriad of opportunities for Drama, Art, DT, Science, Languages and Sport, the experience of a KPS pupil is truly one of depth and breadth that enables each child to flourish.

The magnificent new Nursery and Prep buildings are now filled with the voices of happy youngsters being looked after by talented and dedicated staff. How blessed we are to have such wonderful facilities, on the edge of the Cotswold Way in the beautiful city of Bath. The four pillars of our Foundation strategic plan provide the framework that will inform the exciting years ahead as we care for each individual, educate children for life, serve our local community, and strive to live sustainably.

Looking to the future, 2023 marks the 275th anniversary of Kingswood School, during which time we look forward to engaging with our Kingswood families, present and past, to join our celebratory events. It is a privilege for me to lead this inclusive and unpretentious community, confident in our plans to continue to offer an education of breadth, balance and wellbeing. My heartfelt thanks to all our KPS parents for your ongoing support, and of course to Mr Brearey and his team for their joyful enterprise which, year after year, prepares happy young people to thrive as they graduate from KPS to the Senior School.

KINGSWOOD & COMMUNITY

I joined Kingswood at a time when Covid kept us separated in bubbles and I could only meet a couple of year groups at a time.

Ahighlight in that first term were the times when we gathered as a whole community on the Summerhill Lawn: first in a moving age-appropriate Remembrance Service where each class laid a wreath that they had made; and then in an end of term assembly when the whole school joined me in a dramatic telling of the Christmas story. A few staff members shed a tear on seeing those first moments of being together after so much time of separation. Learning to live in community is an important aspect of a Kingswood education; being there to share joy together and support one another in sadness. It was a real joy to witness the celebration of the Queen’s Jubilee and I so admired the children’s sense of occasion, care, and respect when we met to give thanks for the Queen’s life. A more recent highlight has been watching the older children become buddies to younger children and older monitors supporting the youngest in their now whole school assemblies, learning through helping and through being helped.

John Wesley our Founder envisaged an authentic community in which each person can flourish and in Jesus’ words, ‘live life in all its fullness’. A community in which we come with all our individual gifts and talents, where we can think differently but love alike.

We learn together, grow together, flourish together in a loving, caring and kind community. This is the place that I have discovered at Kingswood.

Rev. Katy Thomas (Chaplain)

Mr Andrew Gordon-Brown (Kingswood School Headmaster)

...buildings are now filled with the voices of happy youngsters being looked after by talented and dedicated staff.

STAFF NEWS

KATHARINE WILKINSON

Katharine Wilkinson leaves KPS after giving so much to our School through the Covid era. As Deputy Head Academic, she has led our remote learning, assessment, reporting and timetable with real drive and determination. She has been a brilliant sounding board for both Helen Worrall and me and has filled almost every teaching role while covering absent staff. Katharine has a vast knowledge of the primary curriculum and was instrumental in pushing for a Science specialist as part of our KPS team. She is a consummate professional and we wish her every happiness in the future as she slows down and spends more time with her family. Katharine will eventually be relocating to the Kent coast. We will miss her enormously and she is welcome back at any time.

MARIE GIBSON

Marie leaves KPS after 14 years of dedicated and skilled service

to our pupils. She has spent the vast majority of her teaching in the upper part of the Prep School, where her high standards and meticulous approach have really had a positive benefit on children’s learning in readiness for the Entrance Assessments. She has led our English department and as Library Coordinator has always kept children’s reading at the heart of what we do. Wells Cathedral Junior School are very lucky to have her, and we all wish her every success and happiness in the future. Thank you for all that you have done for our school, Marie!

ANDREW WARD

Mr Ward arrived with Mrs Ward and Sam and Charlie to be KPS House Parents at High Vinnalls. They established excellent relationships with the boarding pupils at the same time as major building work was taking place outside the boarding house. Having given up the House, Andrew has been instrumental in delivering our quite brilliant Activities programme and also pivotal in the PE and

Games department. Andrew’s good humour, collegiality and sheer hard work have meant he will be greatly missed. Enjoy being reunited with the family and savour that Cornish air, Andrew!

ELEANOR WOOD

Eleanor Wood, aka ‘Doc’, was one of the first staff members I met when I joined KPS. She has never had a bad day and has been such a brilliant colleague throughout her time at KPS. Her wise, knowledgeable, and totally pupil-centred approach has meant that children have loved being in her class and parents have felt reassured and confident.

I remember seeing Doc completely in her element on a camp-out with the children; her love of Science and Outdoor Education will be really missed. The previous 18 months have given us all time to reflect, and Doc wishes to spend more time with her family. I am delighted to say that she will be on our supply list, so we will be seeing plenty of her in the future. Thank you, Doc, for all you have done for our school!

WELCOMES...

JAKE WHITBY

We welcomed Mr Whitby into Year 5. He is a great addition to our team and is a gifted teacher. His main interests are ICT, sport and travel, and the children love being taught by him. We are very lucky to have Mr Whitby at KPS.

BEN SEAL

Mr Seal rejoined us from an International School in Brussels and is teaching Year 6. He has a passion for green issues, sustainability and protecting our

planet, as well as being a gifted linguist. He adds something different to our talented staff and we are delighted to have him back at KPS.

REBECCA TORRANCE JENKINS

Doc TJ has worked at two leading Prep Schools and brings to KPS a deep-seated love of Science and a mission to ensure that Science remains front and centre of what we are doing. It is the first time we have had a Science specialist teaching every class from Year 3 to Year 6. Doc TJ is also teaching in the Senior School in Years 7 and 8, which provides excellent continuity

for our children. She represents the final piece in our STEAM delivery; the combination of Doc TJ, Karen Fox and Dave Murphy ensures that there are exciting times ahead upstairs in the Baines Learning Hub.

BEN HOOTON

After two years in the Boarding House, Ben has thrown everything into his teaching career, and we were delighted to offer him a role teaching Year 5. He is a very skilled practitioner and true all-rounder. With a particular interest in ICT, languages and sport, he is a strong role model for our children.

IMAGINE, INVENT AND CREATE

Creativity abounds at KPS particularly in the English curriculum! This can only come from the most dedicated and inspiring teachers who offer our children active and dynamic opportunities to debate, explain, imagine, invent and create.

So often, the results of this hard work remains firmly hidden within the red covers of your children’s English books, so it is a special treat to be able to open those pages and share with you some of the beautifully crafted work produced throughout the year.

CHALLENGE AND EXTEND

Here at Kingswood, we are proud to celebrate success at every level from a child’s first attempts to form letters in the Nursery and Reception, through to their study of Shakespeare in Year 6. A wonderful writing challenge, which was open to all children, was the Christmas writing competition. The Christmas writing challenge was open to all children and we enjoyed reading some amazing pieces of work. Subsequently, some children had their work chosen for entry into the Mid-Somerset Festival in March, the results are below. Well done everyone!

THE RESULTS

WERE:

Laurie S Commended Antoine H-M Distinction Matilda H-M Distinction Jude C Commended

Marina M Commended Finlay C Commended James B Commended Rose H Merit

PRE-SCHOOL

Our Pre-School children have daily Read Write inc phonics sessions, giving them a head start for early reading in Reception.

They share a story of the week, and we have created many cosy corners in our new Pre-School building for children to look at books independently or with a friend. There are also many opportunities for mark making, starting with an awareness that the movements they make leave a mark on the paper, to more formal teaching of letter formation for those children who are ready.

The literacy highlight of our year is always National Book Week, where the children come dressed as a character from a book, and bring in books from home to share. We had many budding authors during that week who wanted to write their own story books and illustrate them.

...we have created many cosy corners for children to look at books...

YEAR 1

This year in Year 1 we have enjoyed using our topics to explore different aspects of English.

Some highlights have included an under the sea poem using similes and adjectives, role playing the story of Handa’s Surprise and writing fact files about countries around the world.

Children have developed their phonics skills within the Read Write Inc scheme, enjoying paired reading, talk partners and phonetic games. The children have been inspired by real world events and created their own imaginative stories.

RECEPTION

In Reception we have enjoyed learning a wonderful array of stories, letters, posters and fact files through picture storyboards, texts and books.

We have left our first year at school knowing over fifty stories off by heart! In the Autumn Term, a tiger came to tea and we labelled everything we ate. We also wrote a porridge recipe and invited Goldilocks and the three bears to join us. In the Spring Term, we wrote newspaper articles about Ernest Shackleton, and fact files about Arctic and Antarctic animals. By the summer time, we were able to complete a whole book about the planets in our solar system, and invent our own stories based on ‘Bob, Man on the Moon’.

YEAR 2

The children are introduced to a breadth of writing genres using knowledge of phonics and grammatical language covered in Year 2.

Alove of telling, reading and writing stories is brought to life by our termly topic non-fiction and fiction books. A firm favourite was 'George's Marvellous Medicine'. Could you write a recipe as disgusting as this one?

ARCHIE: “I liked it when the class helped me improve my sentence.”

PIPPA: “Similes are as good as a beautiful red and pink flower swaying in the wind.”

EVIE: “I loved 'Wind in the Willows' when they visited Badger's house. His kitchen was amazing and I enjoyed writing an advert to sell his home.”

TEXT EXPLORING IN YEAR 3

In Year 3, there is very close examination of how texts are put together.

After scrutinising techniques and highlighting features, children are then in a good position to have a go at writing their own masterpieces. It is important that there is a purpose to their writing, whether to entertain, communicate, inform or simply to express feelings. Whether writing a diary entry

from a different viewpoint, a gruesome recipe for Big Bad Wolf, an extra character and chapter for ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’, a shape poem, a new African tale or a newspaper report from the day Nelson Mandela was freed from prison, the relevant structures must be followed, and features included.

CREATIVE CONNECTIONS IN YEAR 4

By linking learning to exhilarating and exciting books and threading through the strands of the Humanities topics, English experiences in Year 4 are engaging and motivating.

Children have been taught to use clues in the text to draw the character Lila from 'The Firework-Maker's Daughter' and to develop the skills of seeing both sides of an argument by debating whether Bertie’s lion, from 'The Butterfly

Lion', should go to the Frenchman’s zoo. Descriptive writing experiences derived from studying the experience of the residents of Pompeii and from using the Harry Potter texts have enthralled and enthused the budding writers in Year 4.

YEAR 4 PUPILS

“Our teacher makes us make our own teacher comments.”

“I like how writing lets me express my imagination.”

“When you write, you can make anything happen on the page.”

EXPRESSING YOURSELF IN YEAR 5

Y5 PUPIL: “I really enjoy writing about characters in a story.”

Y5 PUPIL: “It helps if I have a picture to look at when describing somewhere.”

The children have been totally inspired by a range of exciting texts this year. From Greek myths and Roman legends to the heroic and gentle Iron Man; from the local tale of King Bladud to the gruesome epic poem 'Beowulf', Year 5 have developed their writing skills using figurative language techniques and varied sentence length. The have thought about the audience and the purpose of the piece, thus hooking in the reader and demanding attention to the very end.

As children reach the lofty heights of Year 5, they have developed a range of skills and most importantly, positive attitudes to creating and imagining in the English curriculum. ...developed their writing skills using figurative language techniques...

FINDING YOUR VOICE IN YEAR 6

We had fun enhancing our writing skills through expanding vocabulary, sharpening punctuation, strengthening structure, extending grammar and augmenting creativity.

The journey of Auggie in 'Wonder' by RJ Palacio, and Salva in 'A Long Walk to Water' touched the hearts of our Year 6 children and their writing reflected the compassion they felt for both characters. Showing the reader, rather than telling, through expression, movement and dialogue demonstrated the sophistication expected of our wonderful Year 6 writers. An introduction to essay writing involved forming persuasive arguments backed up with evidence, and in the Summer Term, the children developed their presentation skills through self-led research projects as part of the KPS Baccalaureate.

LEARNING SUPPORT

Supporting children to be the very best they can be is similar to helping them to complete a jigsaw puzzle. For some, the puzzle is easy to solve but for others, time, effort and patience is required. It is only when we give an individual the opportunity to explore and develop at their own pace that each child can flourish.

At Kingswood Prep, the children enjoy coming to Learning Support as it is a place where they can learn more about themselves, celebrate their strengths and develop skills in the areas they find more challenging. This year the children have engaged in many unique activities. However, it is the games that are particularly enjoyed. Whoops of joy can often be heard as they manage once again to outwit their teachers!

Look at the photo above to see just a few of the skills that we have worked on in 2021-22 to help complete each child’s individual puzzle.

...the children have engaged in many unique activities.

MATHEMATICS

Our children need to develop the necessary skills to make them 'deep thinkers' acquiring skills and knowledge that can be transferred and applied in different contexts.

Maths is essential to everyday life, critical to science,

PRE-SCHOOL

In Pre-School much of our Maths learning comes through play and the skilful interactions of the staff with the children.

technology and engineering, it helps us think analytically and develop problem-solving skills. Maths is the foundation for understanding the world and we want our children to know the purpose behind their learning and to apply their knowledge both at home and in school.

RECEPTION

Reception numeracy is taught as part of ‘Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy’, as the children get to grips with the ideas of numbers and calculations.

Our children use numbers every day, in a range of different ways. They use familiar objects to help them learn about how numbers are used in everyday life, and link numbers to topic work; for example, if they are learning about dinosaurs they could be making dinosaur pictures out of shapes. They are encouraged to be curious and explore numbers.

Maths forms a huge part of our everyday lives. By using number, simple addition and subtraction, the use of space, shape and measure in everyday situations, our children have started to develop an understanding of number, capacity, quantity and time, and have developed the vocabulary to use maths to solve problems. The children have been shop keepers, baristas, and hairdressers - handling money and counting objects as they play. They have used the construction kits to investigate shape and size, and explored capacity in the mud kitchen. We have learnt a number and a shape of the week during our circle time sessions, where we also sing the days of the week song. Our children have learnt to subitise for the first time this year, as this concept has been introduced into the early years curriculum.

Through their daily ‘Maths meeting’ they play number games, sing counting songs, find patterns and even become the teacher! It is so important for children to see just how much maths is used in everyday life.

Here are some ideas you can use at home:

• Practise counting

• Play hide and seek

• Save your cereal boxes and cardboard tubes for making models

• Do a jigsaw together

• Play card games

• Play with different-sized containers at bath time

Our creative and engaging Mathematics curriculum aims to maximise the development of every child’s ability and academic achievement. We want children to make rich connections across mathematical ideas to develop fluency, mathematical reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems.

YEAR 1

The maths curriculum in Year 1 has focused on using and applying the skills of addition and subtraction, sequencing number, time, shape and measure.

The children have enjoyed a variety of problem-solving activities and have applied the knowledge they have learnt.

Highlights have included Maths target games, building 3D shape models and practical measurement of capacity and weight. Each session has started with a carpet session, followed by a carousel of activities linked to the learning.

It was fun because it was a challenge. I'm good at them now.

I love learning my times tables, doing fractions and partitioning large numbers.

YEAR 2

In Year 2, children develop key Maths skills and expand their knowledge of important concepts, including calculations, times tables, geometry and more.

Mastering these maths concepts will support children in becoming educated citizens and developing key life skills.

There’s still a lot of practical and visual learning in Maths, using real-life situations children can relate to. The children learn to think about the methods they use to solve problems, and to check if they are correct. They start to work with logic problems and on solving Maths problems mentally.

YEAR 3

Year 3 marks an exciting change in the children’s Maths learning as they are now part of the Prep School and can bring their pencil case to the lesson!

The principal focus of Mathematics in Year 3 is to develop the children’s fluency with whole numbers and the four operations, including number facts and the concept of place value. Throughout their time in Year 3, children build on their learning from Key Stage 1 to develop the efficiency of written and mental methods. It is great to see them using the grid method and column addition so confidently by the end of the year.

Children deepen their critical thinking and problem-solving skills, delving into simple fractions and decimal place value. The Abacus syllabus aims to develop the children’s mathematical reasoning so they can analyse shapes and their properties, and confidently describe the relationships between them. Through practical activities and investigations, the children enjoy developing their accuracy with measuring instruments and begin to make more connections between measure and number.

Developing recall and fluency with the times tables becomes a particular focus in Year 3. Through targeted and regular practice, both at home and at School, the children start to see the inverse relationship between multiplication and division; they even comment on the fact they now understand why we learn times tables.

YEAR 4

By the end of Year 4, children have made rich connections across mathematical ideas, extending their reasoning and competence in solving increasingly sophisticated problems, including with simple fractions and decimal place value.

Negative numbers, Roman numerals, 24 hour clocks, lines of symmetry and decimal notation are explored more deeply. Amongst a range of topics, there is a special focus on geometry which is always a hit! Lessons include consolidating coordinates by playing games of battleships and interpreting data on line graphs. Links are made with other subjects, such as relating the graphical representation of data to recording change over time in a Science experiment.

MILLY: “Battleships and line graphs was fun work!”

MARTHA: “I learned more than I thought I would this year! I used to say ‘I’m stuck,’ now I say ‘I don’t get it yet’ because I know that I will understand it eventually!”

LACHIE: “I loved doing the shape translation by using my fingers to move the shape around.”

SAV: “I love column addition and subtraction.”

DARCEY: “I love all Maths lessons, but I particularly loved the robot coordinates lesson.”

GEORGE Y: “I really enjoyed the line graphs because it was complex.”

Children deepened their critical thinking and problem-solving skills...

YEAR 5

During Year 5, there are lots of opportunities to reinforce and consolidate previous learning, ensuring the children are accurate and consistent across all four of the written operations.

New content is introduced as we progress through the year and we begin to grasp some of the more challenging Mathematics which the children will need to understand over the coming years.

A major focus for the group has been on applying their understanding of mathematical concepts to more complex, abstract tasks. Developing their skillset to cope with problem-solving and

reasoning tasks really helps them to approach a whole range of questions more independently and any chances to use ‘real-world’ Maths at the weekend certainly supports this too.

The children are given plenty of practice using their mental strategies to complete questions under time pressure; they have lots of fun becoming confident in quick calculations and always improve hugely during the year.

YEAR 6

Year 6 continues to consolidate work from previous years as well as prepare the children for their transition to Senior School.

There are a range of activities aimed at Year 6s, but there are also activities from Year 7 for those who are able to access these. Over half of the year group are given the opportunity to enter the UK Junior Maths Challenge in April which encourages mathematical reasoning, precision of thought, and fluency in using basic mathematical techniques to solve interesting problems. There is also an annual Maths Competition at Monkton in November, to which Year 6 sends a team of four.

The structure of the lessons utilises the Abacus course to varying degrees throughout the year; some classes will use it more than others, depending on whether certain topics need to be looked at in more detail or extended.

There is a mixture of independent, group and class work as well as a growing amount of problem solving to open up the mind to the challenges of mathematics and the world around us in general.

...open up the mind to the challenges of mathematics and the world around us...

PRE-SCHOOL

Through the year, our Pre-School children learn about what life is like in different countries around the world as well as learning about different festivals that take place such as Diwali and Chinese New Year.

Our Upper Pre-School children showed a real interest in weddings earlier in the year, and went to the School Chapel to re-enact a wedding ceremony. They decorated a wedding cake, made invitations and flower arrangements, and some children even made their own wedding outfits by sewing their chosen fabrics. Rev. Katy showed the children photos of actual weddings that had taken place in the Chapel during one of her weekly assemblies.

The children learnt about the Queen and celebrated her Platinum Jubilee, joining Mr Brearey and the rest of KPS for a wonderful picnic. Each Pre-School class made a card which was sent to Buckingham Palace, and we received a much treasured thank you note from the Palace.

HUMANITIES

...we received a much treasured thank you note from the Palace.

RECEPTION

They learn to talk about their own personal past and love to tell us tales of their adventures. We read lots of stories to find out about different people and places and loved celebrating special days throughout year. During topic work they learnt about famous explorers, past and present, made and followed simple maps and loved learning about Inuit culture.

In Reception the children are busy building their knowledge and understanding of the world around them.

YEAR 1

During the Spring Term, Year 1 jetted off to a different country around the world each fortnight, learning about their cultures, language and landmarks.

They enjoyed using atlases to locate countries, oceans and continents. To complete our term’s topic of ‘Up, Up and Away’ we visited Bristol Aerospace and the children went on board a real Concorde!

In History, our focus has been on the Victorian era, particularly comparing the seaside and homes then and now. They have studied influential figures from the past including Jacques Cousteau, Grace Darling, inspirational females, Rosa Parks and Nelson Mandela.

In Religious Education children have learnt about different religious celebrations and traditions. They have been reflective in class discussions, listening to other children’s points of view and sharing their own.

YEAR 2

This year we saw it all, from castles in Term 1 to a trip down the river in Term 3, our Year 2 are adventurous explorers!

What a journey we have been on. We learnt about map symbols and used atlases and created our own imaginary lands.

THOMAS: “I loved learning about Brunel. He was an inventor who changed our lives with train travel.”

TOBY: ‘’I liked looking at the different keys.”

Year 1 Topic comments...

Which lesson have you enjoyed the most?

LUCY: ”I loved learning about the different animals on the river as they are so interesting, swans are so graceful.’

Which trip did you enjoy the most?

ROBIN: ”I liked visiting Farley Hungerford Castle as we lifted chain mail!“

LIBBY: ”I liked the boat trip as we had lunch on the boat and we saw lots of lily pads and cormorants, the SS Great Britain was also amazing!“

FREDDIE & ALFIE: ”The horned bridge was cool, so was the cruise ship with a helicopter on top!“

DANIEL: ”The SS Great Britain was massive and it was incredible sailing under the Clifton Suspension Bridge!“

Facts we’ve learn from our Topic lessons this year…

LUCY: ”Swans can break your neck!“

LIBBY & HARRY: ”Fruit bats are pollinators and so are butterflies.“

ALFIE: ”Bees have little suckers to suck the pollen!“

GEORGE: ”In the Middle Ages they used poo for concrete!“

CHARLIE & HARRY: “We liked going under bridges and seeing the SS Great Britain from a boat.”

YEAR 3

Term 1 started with an exploration into the origins of chocolate: where were cacao beans discovered? Who discovered them? And how did they go from being a tiny, bitter bean used by the Mayans as a form of money, into a bar of delicious Dairy Milk that you can buy in the supermarket?

To continue their research into this, Year 3 took a trip to Cadbury World! They learnt all about the history of chocolate including Mayan culture, saw the machines that create all the different Cadbury chocolate bars, and of course got to sample some themselves!

In Term 2 the children dived into a new topic: Footprints from the Past. Everyone had great fun learning about dinosaurs, how they became extinct and how fossils are formed. This was a brilliant opportunity for the children to share their extensive knowledge of dinosaurs and they even got to make their own ‘Top

Trumps’ card. They also had their residential trip to Magdalen Farm. The children took part in a host of exciting activities, like den building in a muddy forest, singing silly songs around the campfire, and feeding the farm’s pigs and goats!

During Term 3’s topic, ‘Different People, Similar Lives’ the children enjoyed exploring African culture. They had the chance to immerse themselves in drumming and dance workshops and created some beautiful pieces of woven artwork. They also had fun choosing and researching an African country and the children enjoyed presenting their findings to the rest of the class.

YEAR 4

The Year 4 children have been learning about how the movement of the tectonic plates can cause huge earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis that devastate communities across wide areas.

In their study of the geography of our planet, they found out about how the Earth is formed and what causes earthquakes.

LACHIE: ”We used different colours of plasticine to represent the layers of the Earth. We moulded them together then sliced them in half!“

ARTHUR: ”We used biscuits as tectonic plates to see what would happen when they collide, and then we ate them!“

YEAR 5

Georgian topic / River trip

Tudor world was the best! We got to role play and enjoy such an interactive experience!

YEAR 6

We have really enjoyed creating poster and factfiles and PowerPoint presentations for our topic homework all year!

We have enjoyed discussing and debating the ultimate questions in RE!

DID YOU KNOW...

In Japan they have blue traffic lights not green!

Africa isn’t what you think it is.

‘North Korea is a ‘bad’ place as you can’t wear jeans!’

Tudor houses were larger on the top than the bottom as they had to pay for the land underneath the house!

More people live in part of Asia than in the rest of the world.

The true life story of Salva Dut was very inspirational and opened our eyes to the struggles of some people in Africa.

The American Museum was brilliant!

Handling the real artefacts and learning about the journey of the first nation Americans was incredible.

SCIENCE

2021-22 saw the launch of the Science Department at Kingswood Prep. What a year it has been!

There are two factors that have made this year feel so utterly brilliant: firstly, Mr Breary’s aim that the new department should “get the children excited about Science”; and secondly the enormous scientific knowledge and curiosity that the children bring with them to each lesson.

Not only do we therefore have permission to go well beyond the confines of the National Curriculum into the areas of science that the children are fascinated by, but we

also have the mental drive with which to do it. For the majority of the time, we have been more ‘channellers’ of enthusiasm rather than ‘instructors’. The ‘Looking Table’ is groaning with wild bird’s egg shells, shark egg shells, crab shells, snail shells, fossils, feathers, crystals, a shark’s skull and a preserved alligator's head to name but a few. As the famous chemist Rosalind Franklin said, “Science and everyday life cannot and should not be separated” and this belief is very much upheld in the Science Department.

PRE-SCHOOL

What a fun year it has been for Pre-School Science.

Mrs Dodge trained as a Science Ambassador under a scheme called ‘every child a scientist’ and has been leading our Science provision through Pre-School.

The children have investigated planting and growing, floating and sinking, magnetism, melting and rain clouds in a whole range of fun experiments. They have also been nature detectives whilst playing outdoors.

Pre-School had a fantastic Science afternoon in the KPS Science room with the Year 5 students, who set up lots of chemical reactions for them to investigate in a potion making workshop.

We aim to have a practical element in all lessons: whether this is a fish dissection with Year 3, an investigation into the way liver can break down hydrogen peroxide in Year 4, using pulleys and levers to lift weights (and each other) in Year 5, or dissecting hearts in Year 6, the children have learned by doing.

The next three pages contain a selection of photographs of the children in action!

...fantastic Science afternoon in the KPS Science room with the Year 5 students....

YEAR 1

In the Autumn Term we learnt about materials, light & dark, trees and seed dispersal linked to our ‘Into the Woods’ theme.

We made shadow puppets and the children pretended to be seeds and simulated how seeds can be dispersed. The highlight was a visit to Westonbirt Arboretum where the children took part in a workshop called ‘Marvellous Minibeasts.’ Throughout the year, children have enjoyed learning about different habitats including nocturnal animals and sea creatures. We were able to experience these during a trip to Bristol Aquarium and a visit from Hedgehog Rescue. During the Summer Term they enjoyed building junk model boats and testing their waterproof qualities.

YEAR 2 SUPER SCIENTISTS!

Year 2 have had great fun investigating different aspects of Science.

The highlights of the year have been making electrical circuits, dissecting pollinating flowers to learn about the different parts, classifying animals and birds, and learning about food chains. We asked lots of questions and performed simple tests to help answer our questions.

We made a circuit with wires and attached it to a bulb - it lit up!

CLAUDIA AND FLORENCE

We closed our eyes and found out that our pupils get bigger to let the light in!

JONATHON

Our creative curriculum has enabled the children to explore and develop their scientific skills.

YEARS 3-6

The children in Years 3-6 have achieved a great deal in Physics, Biology and Chemistry. The department’s links to the Senior School have meant that any existing ‘step’ up to Year 7 will now be a gentle ramp; indeed there are many times when we have gone well beyond Year 8 (just ask the Year 5s to chat about escape velocities and black holes!)

As I reflect on the year, Darwin the tortoise is crawling around my desk. Thanks to the expert care from the children, his shell is oiled and his enclosure is well stocked with food and water. Nothing can replace the ‘awe and wonder’ of seeing eggs hatch, letting a tortoise climb over them, or finding the first baby brine shrimp swimming round the tank. Studies

show that encouraging children to take an interest in animals has a positive effect on their motivation and interest, and this has certainly been true at KPS. The children have learned to nurture and respect life, whilst becoming responsible animal carers. Seeing their faces as they watched chicks roll out of an eggshell was one of the very best moments of last year. Other highlights have been Fig W and Ben W’s participation in the WWF Global challenge, where they competed against children from around the world in a quiz about sustainability. The competition began with a message to all competitors from Sir David Attenborough himself!

The Year 6 Science Monitors managed to extract their own DNA from cheek cells which was rather brilliant. I am delighted to be able to share your children’s scientific journey at KPS, and cannot wait to see what they invent/create/ discover in the coming decades!

The children have learned to nurture and respect life....

STEM CREATIVE PROBLEM

Every year, I am amazed by the creativity and the thought process that happens in your children’s STEM lessons. I will often have an idea of most of the ways that a given problem is likely to be solved but without doubt there is always another solution or workaround presented in your children’s work.

RECEPTION TO YEAR 2

Reception to Year 2 lessons have focused on the fundamental skills

of measuring accuracy, sawing, cutting, weaving, assembly and basic coding principles. Coding both on screen and with robotic toys, the children have navigated around courses building up their familiarity with algorithms – the delight on their faces as their BeeBot crosses the finishing line never gets old. Within their Design Technology lessons, building and creating are key, with wooden cars, catapults, boats and

houses all allowing for them to get (sticky) hands-on experience.

YEAR 3 TO YEAR 6

In Year 3, the chocolate bar project was, again, a firm favourite and was their first taste (pun intended) of the solution-based project learning they will continue to experience through to Year 6. The research, the packaging, the adverts, the 3D models all push them towards manufacturing their incredible chocolate bars, ready just in time for Christmas!

Sustainability is a key consideration in the projects throughout and the Year 4 Wind Turbine design project studied how wind turbines work, and the children investigated innovative designs for testing.

Year 5’s Mission to Mars saw teams of children take on a variety of challenges requiring both coding and robot design to complete them. The more challenges completed, with the least amount of human interference, and in the fastest time leads to the winning team.

Year 6’s Escape Room challenge was their final project of KPS.

SOLVERS...

…our children are taught to think critically and solve problems by providing them with a good foundation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

...amazed by the creativity and thought process that happens in STEM lessons.

We had a jail, a detective’s office, a bedroom, a games arcade, a cinema, and an old house. It was an incredibly open group project where they designed and created challenges which drew upon all the learning strands they have covered from Year 3.

CLUBS

These will vary each year dependent on the staff available but those which will be staying for 2022-23 are the Green Goblin (Y6) and Coding Club (Y3-6).

Green Goblin is an opportunity for the creating of an electric go-kart and then to race in the Greenpower League. Coding Club is coding based activities based on a theme, a particular skill or free code and children have access to the robotics programmable equipment, micro:bits and Crumbles.

If you have any questions regarding STEM, or are interested in supporting STEM learning at KPS, please contact: dmurphy@kingswood.bath.sch.uk

Teaching STEM in the way that we do combines the Design Technology and Computing curriculum into one learning experience. Some lessons will naturally have a greater focus on Computing and others, Design Technology. To help guide our learning journey, we have Learning Strands and groups of curriculum elements, to help guide our planning of projects and the children's learning. Most lessons will have elements of multiple strands. In brief:

• Design Thinking: Problem solving, product research and iterative design development.

• CAD and CAM: 3D Modelling, 3D Printing and CNC Routing.

• Coding: Scratch, Kodu, BBC micro:bit, Crumbles, Sphero, BeeBot, ProBot, Botley programming.

• Construction: Using wood and construction kits (Lego, K’nex etc.).

• ICT Skills: Use of applications such as the Microsoft Suite.

• Online Safety: Tools and knowledge to improve online safety awareness.

As well as the core curriculum elements, there are STEM based clubs to choose from depending on your child’s age.

PRE-SCHOOL

Pre-School children learn STEM from an early age, whether taking photos of each other on the iPads, learning woodworking skills in Forest School, cooking tasty treats or sewing

There are always junk materials available to them if they want to make something, practising their skills of cutting and joining. This can be on a large scale, such as a pretend vehicle for their room, or on a smaller scale such as making individual rockets inspired by their story of the week.

YEAR 2 STEM

MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES

Teaching at Kingswood School for 12 years has allowed me to enrich my teaching experience and learn from my colleagues and leading language specialists such as Gianfranco Conti and Martine Pillette.

I truly believe in language for all and languages for life. Learning should be a journey of discovery, fun and achievement. The way in which languages should be delivered includes modelling, recycling, reviewing and re-using language, helping to build understanding and confidence.

I have developed a curriculum that allows all children to access languages, whether its recalling topic vocabulary, giving opinion, using short sentences or extending with conjunctions, frequency words and intensifiers. There is also a cultural element, added, which explores everyday life, geography, food, art and other aspects to ensure that learners are more aware of the world around them.

A positive experience of languages is at the core of our learning. Latin ‘tasters’ will also be offered to Years 5 & 6 towards the end of the Summer Term. The main focus of course content is building towards what students will be expected to do in Year 7 and 8. Early exposure to language terms and learning concepts, giving varied opinion, producing more complex sentences and exploring two tenses (present and simple future) will ensure that all children at least can recognise key

vocabulary and grammar, most will understand and some will be able to demonstrate that they can use it.

From Nursery through to Year 6, language learners will be offered French, Spanish and German on a rotational basis. I will teach the French, Spanish and Latin content, whilst German will be delivered by the assistant who will visit from the Senior School to Year 5 and 6 from January to May.

As part of my transitional role this year, I also teach a Year 7 group

and share a Year 8 class. This will enable me to keep developing the curriculum by working closely with each Head of Department at the Senior School.

I feel very privileged to have been given the opportunity to develop, teach and grow languages at KPS and am really passionate about lifting its profile so that we not only become a leader in primary languages provision, but also instil a curiosity and love for learning languages throughout the School and into the future.

We welcome Miss Robinson who is a French KS3-5 specialist. She discusses her passion for languages, and how teaching across the Foundation has enriched her experiences and allowed her to develop the curriculum, giving all children access to languages.

Learning should be a journey of discovery, fun and achievement.

Y1 French collage

Y1 French collage

KPS ART

Each Year group from Nursery to Year 6 have had a full experience of ambitious projects and we have been able to collaborate with the wider foundation, giving Year 6 workshops with the Nursery children and holding a joint exhibition with the Senior School.

OUR VISION FOR THE ARTS AT KINGSWOOD PREP

All abilities and interests are warmly invited into the Art Room and we aim to make the KPS experience an exploration of the senses. The underlying structure of the curriculum is in the Key Elements of Art - Line, Form, Space, Shape, Texture, Tone and Colour. Within this framework we practise planning, making, and reviewing our work. Each project encourages the children to refine their skill using a wide range of ambitious media.

However, the opportunities provided for the children outside the classroom provide the extra sparkle. Our talented Year 6 Art monitors launch and judge two school-wide competitions a year and run a Valentine workshop with the Nursery children. We have a supportive and ambitious scholarship session every week and produce a professionally printed Christmas card design for every child in the school from Reception to Year 6. Our list of extra-curricular clubs has increased even further, bringing in other talented teachers from around the School. A very popular addition during lunchtimes are the Open Door Art Sessions. Children use this opportunity to enhance their wellbeing, being able to create artwork of their own choice in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

...aim to make the KPS experience an exploration of the senses.

It has been a wonderful year in the Art Department, returning to the creative and lively atmosphere that we all love!

HOW ARE THE KEY ELEMENTS OF ART DEVELOPED IN EACH YEAR GROUP?

Let us look at one of the elements in detail. Being able to use LINE confidently and draft designs without fear takes time. In Reception, we try ‘follow-me’ lessons drawing polar bears and recording ideas such as rocket designs. Year 1 begin to look at depicting texture with their mark-making and learn about the proportions of the figure. They regularly draft out their final plan, including paisley prints and ceramic creatures. Our ceramic dragon project in Year 2 really tests these skills as their planning shows note-taking and use of appropriate tools. They are filling their pages with increasing confidence and end the year with a tonal self-portrait learning accurate proportion with careful observation. In Year 3, we begin to combine and enhance all of these skills. In depth planning to produce a personal ceramic cup design involves knowledge of Mayan symbols. In the Dinosaur Project, a range of media is tested where mark-making is combined with tone to accurately show a close-up of a head. Layering the media and persisting with accurate detail is key. Year 4 draw confidently, drafting overlapping patterns to

depict depth, challenging page layout on book cover designs and transferring their Egyptian drawings onto metal. By Year 5, children have learnt a range of methods to copy accurately. Using a ruler, turning your work upside down to compare shapes and angles, and using features of their Greek gods to check size, are some of the ways to success. Later in the year, we think about LINE in response to music, drawing freely and expressively along to Holst’s ‘The Planets’. Pattern and responses

to a talented local artist ends the year with a detailed river animal. Year 6 are challenged to use their sketchbook in a more organic way, to accompany their projects and plan their progress. Drawing from examples to inform their choices and evaluating their responses are important to progression. Creating an African mask composition with overlapping depth, cropping and a range of scales gives a balanced design before adding a range of ambitious materials. We study the concept of one-point perspective in the summer, learning about mathematical drawing to give the accurate illusion of space.

All of the key elements are written into the programme of study to provide the children with noticeable confidence and artistic vocabulary to draw upon during their Senior School journey. With our own kiln regularly in use, they are proficient in 2 and 3-dimensional design. Clay projects are taught in Reception, Year 1, Year 2, Year 3 and Year 6. Colour is a bright and vibrant presence throughout the School whether to express a mood or look for subtleties of tonal form.

As we move into another creative year, we look forward to more collaborations with the Senior School, our community and professional artists. It really is an exciting time to be a pupil in the Prep School!

KPS ART GALLERY

KPS PHYSICAL

After the most difficult of years with lockdowns and various restrictions on social distancing and ‘bubbles’, September saw the first tentative steps back towards “normality”. It was a joy to return to all the things which are the foundation of KPS PE and Sport.

Children in Year 3 to 6 represented the school in various sporting endeavours, and enjoyed the benefits of keeping active and working as a team. Challenging ourselves and learning alongside other schools once again was very much welcomed.

The range of activities grew over the terms: Hockey, Rugby, Netball, Cricket and Athletics with the occasional side dish of Cross-Country, Swimming, Tennis and Football thrown in too. Within each of these sports, we were back with a diverse offering to suit all of our children’s abilities. Rugby could return to contact for those who were ready and keen, but could stay as ‘touch’, for those who were not so sure.

As the term passed, we were able to take part in every event possible such as cross-country meets, swimming galas, festivals and tournaments. Our Saturday activities were also back up and running, building back skills, strength and community. Our lessons opened up and returned to a variety of energising activities, which gave our children many different opportunities, allowing them to build their depth of knowledge and experiences.

We noted a difference in swimming confidence, so a particular priority and focus has been given to this vital life skill for all year groups. We are lucky to have a great deal of outdoor grounds and woodland space which we used for a variety of team-

orientated play, creating opportunities to bring the community back together, gradually integrating different year groups again and re-learning how to play co-operatively together.

We are very proud of the way we have adapted as a school. Our children and our community have rediscovered skills and learnt new ones. We have had children swim in National Finals, win County Finals and at the same time, join extended families for Family Fun Runs. We want all our children to love physical activity and sport, and to truly understand the benefits it brings to our fitness and overall wellbeing.

Ian Shrubsole, Michelle Newman, Danny Openshaw, Heidi Firbank

PRE-SCHOOL

Our Pre-School children make full use of our beautiful grounds to be very physically active each week.

They love their trips to the Adventure Playground, their Forest School sessions with Mrs Harvey and their PE lessons with Mr Shrubsole. They were very excited to show off their skills to their parents during their Sports Day in the summer.

MUSIC

Music is very important to us all at KPS. The difficulties of the pandemic meant that during 2021/22, music events were very slow to return. Concerts with an audience were rare, and trips out ever rarer, although we did manage to take a group of children to sing carols to the elderly residents at Stratton House from their garden.

Clubs restarted and ensembles began to make progress as children were in school more often and able to sing and play together more. Finally, just before Easter, we were able to put on a Gala Vocal Concert in the Association Hall, in which over 100 performers – choirs and soloists – sang to an audience of nearly 200 parents and families. It was a fantastic, joyful occasion!

In the Summer Term, the department was very busy. Every week saw a different group performance and Mrs Cross was heard to repeat the phrase, ‘Another week, another show!’ There was a Pre-Prep Informal Concert; LAMDA Musical Theatre exams and concert; the Year 5 Summer Entertainment performance; a Summerhill Singers video recorded and sent to the Queen for her Platinum Jubilee celebrations; a return to the senior school Kingswood Theatre for Year 6 with their production of ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’; the Year 4 musical ‘Pirates versus Mermaids’; a choral performance in the school chapel to mark it’s 100th anniversary; a Year 3 music and drama concert; a Nursery Graduation performance; 33 ABRSM music exams; a special cello ensemble morning for all our school cellists; and three end of term services in the Chapel to finish the year! It was good to be back to normal and to know that collaborative music could continue to play a central part in school life as we go forward into the next academic year.

Mrs J Cross

PRE-SCHOOL MUSIC

The Pre-School children really look forward to their weekly music lesson with Mrs Cross.

Over the year we see them grow so much in confidence and by the summer they are singing their names to answer the register and joining in with the songs with great enthusiasm. They get the opportunity to try out different instruments during each lesson, from percussion instruments to drum kits and violins.

The children performed for their parents during our Christmas Concert, our Mother’s Day afternoon tea and at our first ever end of year summer celebration, and did so well at standing on the stage in front of such a big audience.

...Music could continue to play a central part in school life...

DRAMA

Drama is one of the great forms of human expression: it involves imagination and feelings and helps us to make sense of the world.

Our Drama education at KPS begins naturally with learning through dramatic play; eventually, it includes many elements of theatre. The benefits from engagement in Drama and public speaking activities are numerous, the greatest by far being the way that drama helps develop self-confidence.

FOUNDATION & PRE-PREP

During Foundation and Pre-Prep years, children are involved in class role-play and in speaking and listening activities. Familiar stories are re-enacted, favourite characters discussed and poetry shared. Additional time is given to preparing for participation in assemblies and ‘Nativity’ performances, where audiences range from peers to parents. There are also Drama workshops and special themed days where the chance to dress up is eagerly embraced.

During the year, pupils have the opportunity to pursue drama and public speaking through a whole host of activities, from staging a performance to achieving success in internationally recognised exams. This year, the opening of our new 'Katy Pillinger Drama Studio' gave us even more desire to tread the boards.

YEARS 3-6

A formal ‘Drama’ lesson is introduced from Year 3 wherein children create, perform and respond to Drama either individually, in pairs or in groups.

Stories, ideas and situations are explored through a range of stimuli and games are played to encourage cooperation and trust. Areas of focus include mime, masks and monologues and themes such as ‘Belonging’ ensure the subject is totally relevant. The curriculum in Year 3 and 5 also includes a theatre visit to watch a live professional performance.

Every KPS child is involved in a yearly production. There is a Nursery ‘Nativity’ performance and Pre-Prep Christmas Production. For our Prep children, there are Year 3 class performances, a Year 4 musical and Year 5 group scenes. Our oldest children in Year 6 present an ‘Evening of Shakespeare’ in addition to their end-of-school musical extravaganza. Their special productions take place in the Kingswood Theatre. As well as honing acting and singing skills, these productions also give children a chance to design the set, arrange the choreography, create artwork for the programmes, make props, work backstage and take charge of sound effects. Hard work for all but certainly a highly enjoyable and memorable experience.

Stories, ideas and situations are explored through a range of stimuli...

CHALLENGE & ENRICHMENT

Keen speakers may choose to prepare for English Speaking Board (ESB) exams in our ESB Club.

The exam involves delivering a talk, reciting a poem, reading a passage and answering talk-related questions before a small group of peers and an external examiner. It gives an excellent introduction to more formal public speaking and early preparation for that first job interview!

Another extra-curricular club provides the opportunity for children to prepare for the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) acting or musical theatre exams, which involve pupils performing two prepared pieces, either solo or duo, before an external examiner. This year, our budding thespians took their exams in our beautiful Drama Studio.

Club students are also encouraged to enter the local Mid-Somerset Festival. Classes targeted are Verse Speaking, Reading Aloud, Memorised Prose, Solo Acting, Duo Acting and Mime. To quote one former participant, “Once you’ve done Mid-Somerset, you feel so proud of yourself!” Rachel M was our Mid-Somerset star this year.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOLLOWING:

Lamorna W

Anna B

Nina U

Acting Entry Distinction

Acting Entry Merit

Acting Entry Distinction

Acting Entry Merit Charlotte H

Lily Blue J

Acting Entry Distinction Harriet W W

Acting Entry Merit

Acting Grade 1 Merit Bethany M D

Aila-Mae M

Acting Grade 1 Merit Sophia M

Acting Grade 1 Merit Florence H

Ella P

Acting Grade 1 Merit

Acting Grade 1 Distinction

Acting Grade 1 Distinction Lachie S

Ella B

Acting Grade 1 Distinction Rachel M

Jack M

Acting Grade 2 Distinction

MT Entry Distinction

MT Entry Distinction Rose L

Lucianna P

MT Grade 1 Distinction Emily G

MT Grade 1 Merit Abigail M

MT Grade 2 Distinction

MT Grade 2 Merit India H

Lola G

MT Grade 2 Merit Sophia D

MT Grade 3 Distinction Rose M MT Grade 4 Distinction

Rachel M

...confidence to explore, play and discover.

LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS IN THE GARDEN

In September there were some changes in The Garden. Our Pre-School children moved into their new classrooms in High Vinnalls allowing us to move our youngest children in the Nursery into two separate rooms. The Hedgehogs room is now for babies aged 9 months to 18 months and the Squirrels is a space for babies aged 18 months to 27 months.

The physical environment that children spend time in can have an enormous impact on their emotional wellbeing. Our rooms in The Garden are spacious, welcoming and warm, with windows that allow children to see out into the garden area and to the trees and countryside beyond. Natural light, high ceilings and wood in the rooms add to the sense of calm.

Nurturing a child’s emotional relationships is very much at the heart of what we do in The Garden. By Hedgehogs only having our younger Babies, we can ensure that their emotional, physical and developmental needs are met more easily.

Developing secure, empathic and nurturing relationships with their key person is essential. We know, as practitioners, that nurturing emotional relationships are the foundations of the majority of a child’s intellectual development, including creative and abstract thinking skills. Once those supportive, warm relationships are in place, the babies have the confidence to explore, play and discover.

Dividing the rooms has enabled staff to respond readily to the developmental needs of the children. They can also challenge the children and enhance their learning experiences in an age-appropriate way.

In Hedgehogs, the babies love to engage in sensory play, activities that stimulate children’s senses such as sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. Exploring sensory materials develops their sense of touch. This, in turn, lays the foundation for learning other skills, such as recognising objects by touch and using fine and gross motor skills. These skills can be developed and refined through scooping, moulding, splashing and shaping objects.

All children benefit from sensory experiences, with our young babies enjoying messy play in trays or baskets on the floor, whereas our older babies in Squirrels might sit or stand at a table to explore activities.

The Hedgehogs have enjoyed playing outside in their garden by exploring, crawling and climbing. The mud kitchen, the sand pit and small climbing frame are particularly popular. In Squirrels, the older babies have loved some new and challenging experiences that would not have been possible before the baby rooms separated. Forest School is now enjoyed each week, with the children

donning their waterproofs and wellies to visit The Secret Garden and yurt. Excursions to the cow field and walks in our beautiful school grounds are also a regular occurrence for the older babies.

Looking back over the last year, it is wonderful to see that the children are benefiting immensely from the changes that have been implemented in The Garden. Both the Hedgehogs’ and Squirrels’ rooms are full of happy, content babies who are confident, nurtured and who are being provided with the foundations that will stand them in good stead as they continue their learning journey into Pre-School and beyond.

All children benefit from sensory experiences....

FOREST SCHOOL FOXES

Children in Foxes experience a Forest School session in The Secret Garden once a week, all year round.

Playing this way has a natural impact on the type of experiences and activities they will enjoy, whilst also allowing them to experience the natural world in different seasons and weathers. We have created a nature-based community where teachers nurture learner-led exploration and discovery, providing meaningful experiences for positive lifelong impacts. Through recognition of the physical, emotional and social needs of our children, we guide and facilitate children’s learning and development during their time spent in a natural environment.

The Forest School environment and ethos are both particularly well suited to holistic development, enabling children to use every part of themselves to thrive and grow. A large and diverse environment to explore provides a myriad of opportunities for captivating the interest of all learners. The ethos also encourages exploration of and interaction with this environment in a way and at a pace that suits the individual.

RECOVERING FROM A GLOBAL PANDEMIC

Whilst we are all pleased to be over the pandemic, it has been really important for us as a school to acknowledge the impact it has had on our young people, parents and staff. The long-term effects will be studied and discussed for some time to come in research papers and in the press, and KPS have reflected on, and continue to notice, how our children have been affected.

...simply being back in school with their friends has been the best tonic.

Some of the impact has been positive. We have seen even some of our youngest pupils demonstrate independence by coming into school without a parent’s hand to hold, the ability to knuckle down to research tasks with focus and self-motivation and a renewed enthusiasm for being at school with friends and ‘live’ teachers.

Without doubt, some of our children have experienced

delayed speech and social skills development due to the lack of social interaction in the very early years. Reading facial expressions through a mask is difficult for anyone and part of learning to speak is observing movements of the mouth. We have noticed an increase in children displaying anxiety and some difficulties with friendships, which is reflected in the national picture for young people.

At KPS, we pride ourselves on pastoral care and putting the happiness and wellbeing of our children at the heart of everything we do. The great news is that we are already seeing calmer, happier children as we move further away from the periods of lockdown learning and re-embrace the buzzing, fun-filled learning environment that we know makes KPS such a special place to be.

Our pastoral tracking system, AS tracking, has been an invaluable tool to enable teachers to ‘see’ any hidden vulnerabilities that pupils may have and to do lots of work in the background to encourage

children to share worries and rebuild resilience. All teachers have created additional ‘time to talk’ sessions and we have placed great importance on valuing all opinions. Our Wellbeing Program has extended across the school with children working in small groups, whole class settings and even 1:1 sessions with staff who are there to listen, ask the right questions and allow children to reflect on things that are important to them. We have seen such positive outcomes for many children and they really look forward to these sessions. Our whole class sessions focus on building skills that are needed at all stages of life, such as problem solving, leadership skills, decision making, teamwork and effective communication. In Year 6, the children attend a weekly Wellbeing session with staff from across the school, and participate in a variety of different activities. Some children love to walk through our beautiful grounds, some do art and craft activities, some play games, all the while chattering endlessly and having that space to talk about school life.

We are extremely lucky to have a School Counsellor available to those children that need a little extra support and we have again noticed really positive outcomes for those children.

For many of our children, simply being back in school with their friends has been the best tonic and our playgrounds are full of laughter, chatter and smiling faces.

Buddy breaks are a big hit with all of our children

MAGDALEN FARM

Year 3 had a taste of organic farming life on their residential stay at Magdalen Farm.

After exploring the woodland and building some survival dens, the children learned how to use tools to create wooden jewellery. In the evening, lots of laughs were had around the campfire singing the silliest songs ever. The next day, it was up early to carry out the farm jobs: feeding the hungry piglets, collecting eggs and meeting the friendly goats and horse, as well as a tour around the greenhouses to taste some of the fresh produce. After lunch, we said goodbye and set off back home for a wellneeded bath and early night!

We had to build a waterproof den for our team. Rose

It was so much fun staying with my friends in the dorm. Isla

There was a door you could open in the hen house to take the eggs. It felt like we were stealing them! Jacob

The piglets were very greedy! Cecily

The piglets kept running off into the sunset. Esme

We had to collect the horse poo to help the vegetables grow.

We sawed a round bit of wood, drilled a hole and tied on some string to make a necklace. Henry

When we were in our dorm we could hear the boys snoring next door! Matilda

We went inside a polytunnel and tasted the vegetables. My favourite was sorrelit tasted fizzy! Oscar

Everyone sang themselves silly around the camp fire and then toasted some gooey marshmallows to end a perfect evening. My favourite was the banana song. Cecily

Jenny the horse was really calm and gentle with us. Tiggy

GOODBYE TO YEAR 6

Whether they were with us from Nursery or joined in Year 6, the children we said goodbye to in 2022 are an amazing group of young people.

Despite the challenges of the past few years, this cohort brought a smile to school every day and achieved many fantastic things. From entrance exams to the Baccalaureate, Shakespeare productions to a residential, sports matches, a musical, building an escape room, learning new languages, having art work exhibited in the Senior School, being monitors, Heads of School, House Captains and lots of hard work and fun in between, these children did it all with bags of enthusiasm.

THE CHILDREN’S OWN WORDS SAY IT ALL BEST...

TOBIAS: ”Kingswood is a place where I feel I can be myself and it is also a place where I can learn so that I can be set up for the wider world.“

TOBY: ”To me it’s a really friendly community full of wonderful people who are always able to help.“

MAYA: ”Kingswood School means a place of opportunity and learning, kindness and friendships, growing and exploring.“

LOLA W: ”I’ve loved all of the sports matches, the creative lessons and being taught by amazing teachers.“

JACK: ”Kingswood means to me a happy and inspiring place where teachers help develop creative minds.“

MAX: ”My favourite thing about Kingswood is the good food and how much sport we do.“

ROSE: ”My favourite things are the monitor roles, buddy breaks, residentials and lots and lots of club choices.“

MANI: ”I am so glad that we had wellbeing sessions as it made me feel like I could talk without being judged.“

FREYA: ”I will never forget Mill on the Brue. The food, the zip wire and Amelie falling in the river!“

ABI: ”My favourite thing about Kingswood is how homely it is and since I am a boarder, that’s important to me in particular.“

JAMES: ”The IT suite, Science lessons, drawing one-point perspective, the Music department, Drama, friends, the playground –the list goes on!“

OSCAR: ”It has to be the people that make Kingswood, Kingswood.“

Kingswood means joy and happiness to me...

Fun and adventures in Anglesey

Friendships are so important and the bonds formed can last a lifetime

Buddy breaks were a fantastic opportunity for our Year 6s to be excellent role models and create friendships with our younger pupils

College Road, Bath BA1 5SD T. 01225 734460

E. kpsreception@kingswood.bath.sch.uk www.kingswood.bath.sch.uk/prep