The Opening of the Rausing Science Centre

The Rausing Science Centre

Opened by Professor Robert Winston

Saturday 27 April 2024

Welcome to the Rausing Science Centre

Building to inspire.

This ambitious project began in 2019 with the demolition of the old Mitchinson’s House, before a four-year build on a complex and intricate site. Beneath the new Science Centre lay a Roman road and important archaeological artefacts, while the challenges of getting materials and machinery into the Mint Yard and constructing a modern building in a World Heritage Site required meticulous planning.

As the new building began to emerge it rapidly became clear that this was going to be a very special addition to our remarkable school and to this stunning setting in the heart of Canterbury. Seamlessly linking old and new and settling immediately with its more ancient neighbours, this striking new building provides six state of the art laboratories for Physics, a beautiful Science Auditorium able to accommodate up to 140, and connects to refurbished facilities for the other sciences. All pupils at King’s study at least three sciences to GCSE and many choose to continue with science into the sixth form. The Rausing Science Centre will facilitate and reflect the

connections between these subjects and the collaboration between students and staff across these disciplines.

We are deeply indebted to the many donors whose contributions made this building possible. Their generosity has underscored our ambition to provide the very best facilities for our pupils and to be able to share these with our local community.

It has been said that ‘somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known’. For our pupils, the Rausing Science Centre will help to inspire countless journeys of discovery and of exploration and will sustain the flame of curiosity and wonder which is at the heart of a King’s education. I am delighted that we embark on this journey together today.

Jude Lowson Head

The History of Science at King’s

William Harvey received a classical education on the site of the new Rausing Science Centre. This was an essential prelude to studies at Cambridge and Padua for the author of Exercitatio Anatomica de Motu Cordis et Sanguinis in Animalibus.

Five of the School’s eleven Fellows of the Royal Society were educated here in the 18th century, but it was not until the mid-19th that science in the modern sense appeared in the curriculum.

A Natural Philosophy prize was first awarded in 1854 and at some point “a sort of scullery” at the back of no. 25 The Precincts “was transformed into a rudimentary laboratory, and here chemistry was taught for some time”. Yet when in 1870 the Dean and Chapter was asked for better provision for science, they merely responded with £4 for an air pump. Four years later they were more generous and the Alford laboratory was opened in 1875.

Scientific progress was thereafter slow but steady. The Naturalists Club was formed in 1884 and the Harvey Society in effect replaced it in 1892. The Harvey Laboratory was opened

in 1905 and after the post-war Drughorn scheme for a major science facility in Palace Street foundered, the Linacre lecture theatre and Tradescant laboratory were added in 1923 and a new chemistry lab replaced the fives courts in 1938.

The wartime interlude in Carlyon Bay meant that facilities were improvised with a breezeblock physics lab and an enormous wooden shed for three chemistry labs. Back in Canterbury, the Christmas Term rotulus of 1946 for the first time distinguished between VIb (A) and VIb (S) and a year later Classical V, Modern Language V and Science V were listed. Facilities gradually caught up. A prescient scheme of 1956 to build new physics labs in the Mint Yard was rejected and instead they were placed behind the dining hall and opened, improbably by Somerset Maugham,

in 1958. In the 1970s the Stanger Physics laboratory was added and the Parry Hall was converted into biology labs, with the latter extended upwards in 1989.

When Sir Herbert Jackson opened the new science buildings in 1923, he spoke of the long literary tradition of the School and said that it would be years before science could compete. Literary distinction has continued with LucieSmith and Morpurgo, Maxtone Graham and Mendelson, and a scientific tradition has emerged with Richard West, Hoare and Graham, Foale and Gurr. The RSC may inspire future FRS.

OKS FELLOWS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY

William Harvey died in 1657 – before the Royal Society was founded.

Robert Boyle, one of the founding members, was the son of an OKS – Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork.

Note: some of the following were not scientists in the modern sense – rather gentlemen with an interest in science or other scholarly matters.

Edward Milles (1714-76) KSC c1725-31

Osmund Beauvoir (1721-89) KSC c1731-38 and Headmaster 1750-82

Thomas Hollingbery (1732-92) KSC c1739-43

Herbert Marsh (1757-1839) KSC 1770-75

George Gregory (1790-1853) KSC 1797-1803

Francis Shuckburgh (1797-1876) KSC 1801-03

Stanley Smith Cook (1875-1952) KSC 1889-93

Hayne Constant (1904-68) KSC 1920

Richard Gilbert West (1926-2020) KSC 1940-44

Sir [Charles] Antony Richard Hoare (1934- ) KSC 1947-52

Christopher Forbes Graham (1940- ) KSC 1954-60

Above: laying the foundation stone of the Harvey Laboratory 1905; right: the 1956 plan for physics laboratories in the Mint Yard

Partnerships

Since its inception, the King’s Partnerships programme has had close links with local schools and enjoyed many collaborative initiatives with them, particularly in the sciences.

Highlights include Saturday Smarties, where we welcome bright and engaged Year 5 and 6 pupils to our Science Centre to take part in experiments and scientific activities. Recently, pupils have taken part in a ‘Forensic Science’ activity, tracking down the location of a missing dog through a series of imaginative experiments. Many of our older pupils volunteer to be involved in guiding and supporting the programme and they do an excellent job of engaging with the young budding scientists.

Other partnership events include hosting local schools at our Malthouse Theatre for a series of masterclasses, engaging in acting activities as well as workshops focusing on artistic performance. The following is feedback from a local teacher: Thank you so much for today. The students loved it and got a lot from the workshops. I genuinely think this was the best workshop I have taken students to. Both practitioners were engaging and had great

activities for the students. Both gave practical [takeaways] that the students could use and helped the students build confidence. The theatre is stunning, and a fantastic space and the lunch provided was delicious. Great day! Thank you again for the opportunity.

We also have pupil volunteers assisting with language classes and reading lessons at local primary schools each week. Our volunteering contingent continues to grow with pupils assisting not only in local schools: working with charities, taking part in local events, and being a positive presence in the local community.

Partnership projects offer many mutual benefits, enabling our pupils to develop valuable leadership and organisational skills as they contribute to the smooth running of the events and enabling them to broaden their own experience and the experiences of other young people.

Settling immediately with its more ancient neighbours

Photos on pages 1, 3, 7 & 15

© Jim Stephenson

Saturday Smarties

King’s offers science masterclasses for Year 5 and 6 pupils from primary schools in and around Canterbury as part of its Canterbury Primary Science Partnership.

These pupils, selected by their schools on the basis of interest and ability, attend three sessions across the year, each of which focuses on a different scientific theme.

Running for over ten years, over 500 pupils have been part of the Saturday Smarties programme, and our feedback has shown that many have been inspired to consider studying science at university. As a Year 5 boy from Sturry School said after one session: “This is the day I became a scientist.”

EKST

East Kent Schools Together (EKST) is a collaborative venture enabling school pupils and staff to share resources and expertise, and to exchange experiences to the benefit of all.

The EKST Partnership has two aims:

1. Raising aspirations: Pupils’ achievements and prospects are improved when schools collaborate.

2. Widening Horizons: Working together with children from different backgrounds is an enriching experience beyond the curriculum.

EKST is a pioneering independent-state school partnership. The Inclusion of Canterbury Christ Church University enables all to enjoy exciting and innovative educational opportunities.

Professor Robert Winston

Truly a “Renaissance man”, Robert Winston is a doctor, scientist, politician, and television presenter.

Widely regarded as our pre-eminent expert in reproductive medicine, Professor Winston is Professor of Science and Society and Emeritus Professor of Fertility Studies at Imperial College. He has over 300 scientific publications about human reproduction and the early stages of pregnancy to his name and runs a research programme at the Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology that aims to improve human transplantation. He is also Chairman of the Genesis Research Trust – a charity which funds high quality research into women’s health and babies.

Professor Winston was Chancellor of Sheffield Hallam University and Chairman of the Council of the Royal College of Music. In the field of politics, he sits on the Labour benches and speaks regularly in the House of Lords, particularly on science, education, medical ethics, and the arts. He is a past chairman of the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology.

A seasoned and popular television presenter, Professor Winston wrote and presented Superhuman, The Secret Life of Twins, Child of Our Time and the BAFTA Award winning The Human Body. He presented five series of Your Life in Their Hands for the BBC. In addition to his science-based programmes, Professor Winston displayed his musical abilities in Play It Again, where he learned to play a saxophone, from scratch, in five months. He has even appeared in an episode of The Archers, as a fertility expert.

A regular contributor to Any Questions, Question Time and the Today programme, Professor Winston has also appeared on Have I Got News For You, Start The Week and Desert Island Discs. He has contributed articles to all the national newspapers and to journals ranging from The Spectator to Good Housekeeping. He has written over twenty books on science for school children.

Opening Programme

12 noon to 12.45 pm

Shirley Hall

LECTURE AND Q&A BY PROFESSOR ROBERT WINSTON

“Will We Still Be Human in 100 Years?”

Following the lecture please make your way to the Mint Yard.

12.45 pm

Science Centre Terrace, Mint Yard OFFICIAL OPENING BY PROFESSOR ROBERT WINSTON

1 pm – 2 pm

Lunch will be served in the Mint Yard Quad

2 pm – 2.45 pm

SCIENCE CENTRE TOURS

Tours will start from the entrance to the new Physics Building. The circular route is signed and will take you from the Auditorium to Physics on the first floor, through the glass link to Biology and end in the Chemistry labs on the ground floor.

Menu

MAIN

Red Thai King Prawn Curry with Coconut Rice

Crustaceans, Fish, Chilli

Katsu Chicken, Jasmine Rice

Gluten, Egg, Mustard and Coconut

Barbecue Pork Hirata Buns

Gluten, Pork, Sesame, Mustard

Chicken Caesar Tortilla Cup

Parmesan Shavings

Gluten, Egg, Milk, Fish, Mustard, Sesame

Caesar Salad Tortilla Cup

Parmesan Shavings (V)

Gluten, Egg, Milk, Fish, Mustard, Sesame

Spring Vegetable Risotto

Egg, Milk

DESSERT

Chocolate Orange Flower Pots

Alcohol, Milk, Soya, Gluten, Dairy, Eggs

Raspberry and White Chocolate Universe

Soya, Milk, Egg, Dairy

(V) = Vegetarian

All of our dishes are produced in kitchens that contain allergens. Please advise the Catering Manager of any special dietary requirements, food intolerances and food allergy requirements.

Science at King’s

“We are more dependent on science and engineering than at any other time in history. However, there is plenty of evidence that far too many people are scientifically illiterate, often having been put off science at school.”

Robert Winston

Science at King’s is thriving. The Rausing Science Centre locates Biology, Chemistry and Physics in the same building for the first time for many years. Joining the venerable flint-clad Parry Hall to the brand new Physics department (also flint-clad), the Rausing Science Centre combines, as with many King’s recent building projects, the old and the new. Look out for stone buttresses (now on an inside wall), a gargoyle, the refurbishment of the Alford and Harvey Laboratories, a light and airy basement floor, and glass panels linking the new building to the old, with sectorleading facilities in both.

Each science now has six purpose-built teaching laboratories as well as prep rooms, storage and ‘breakout areas’ for pupils to work together or socialise. The Science Auditorium boasts a large High Definition micro-LED

display screen and a super-flexible teaching and lecture space for audiences of 20 to 140.

The new Seminar Room on the top floor of the Parry Hall is already useful as a meeting room for staff and as a space where pupils can meet, work, or host society discussions. The sciences are still taught as distinct disciplines, but the better facilities and proximity make collaboration far easier.

All King’s pupils study Biology, Chemistry and Physics for three years to IGCSE with Geology and Astronomy as further options. Over a third of our 400 Sixth Formers study at least one science A level, with many taking two and some three subjects. Significant numbers then go on to study STEM subjects at university, with medicine, veterinary science and engineering being popular choices. Our new

facilities provide clean, bright and spacious environments for learning and our wellqualified, dynamic and enthusiastic staff work together to give the pupils every opportunity to excel. We are proud of the strong exam results that our pupils achieve.

There are plentiful opportunities for pupils to go above and beyond the scope of their normal studies with our popular Harvey Society and Linacre Medical Society and numerous competitions. The Young Scientists Journal – an online international science journal written and edited by pupils – was founded at King’s a decade ago and we host the annual YSJ conference again in 2024.

Outreach is important to us, and our popular ‘Saturday Smarties’ programme has been running for several years. Other community projects include Family Science Days, workshops for local pupils and teachers, and our ‘Lab on the Lawn’ for primary school children during King’s Week. These provide opportunities to support the local community and are a chance for King’s pupils to develop their leadership and interpersonal skills.

An understanding of science unlocks an understanding of the world around us. We are passionate about inspiring, not putting off, our young budding scientists and we now have some outstanding facilities to help us do that.

Louise Comber Head of Science & Head of Physics

Luke Bartlett Deputy Head (Academic) & Chemistry Teacher

The Charter Awards

50 full bursaries, by our 500th anniversary, forever.

We are truly thankful for the generous donations that have supported the Rausing Science Centre, as well as those that have contributed to the development of many other state-of-the art facilities at King’s throughout the years.

King’s now seeks to build on this proud tradition of philanthropy, shaping a vision for the future where no talented child has to turn down a place here due to family circumstances.

Through The Charter Awards, King’s is looking to be able to provide 50 full means-tested places, 500 years after our first 50 scholars. Phase one of our campaign (2023 – 2026) aims to raise £3m towards this target, supporting more children who have the ability and determination to have their lives transformed by a King’s education.

To all those who have already supported us, thank you. It means so much to us and to the pupils that we help. If you are yet to commit, we hope you will consider joining us in our mission to give to children’s futures and transform more lives than ever before.

For more details or a confidential discussion

please contact Jenny Grant, Director of Development on j.grant@kings-school.co.uk.

Thank you.

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Thank You

In grateful recognition of those whose support has made this development possible. We thank the following OKS, parents, former parents, friends, and Governors whose support and generosity has enabled this project to be completed.

FELLOWS

Professor Hans Rausing, KBE, and Mrs Märit Rausing

Dr Jan Hruska OKS and Mrs Regula Voellm

PATRONS

Jim Browne OKS • Wol and Kerry Kolade • The Swire Family

Tony Venner OKS and Joan Venner • Ilya and Nataliya Yurov

SUPPORTERS

Fenwick Limited

• Henry Oldfield Trust

Mr and Mrs Kostia Belkin

Guy and Nicola Johnson

FRIENDS

• Bernard Sunley Foundation

• Philip and Gillian Broadley

• The Meddings Family

Mark and Margarita Boyne

Brooke Himsworth OKS

• Ian Gascoigne-Pees OKS

• Gavin and Nicola Ralston

• Sandy Dickin and Eric Karran

• Edward Holman OKS

Dilla and Donald Manasse

• Shan Zheng

• Angus and Marianna Fanshawe

• Sir James and Lady Leigh-Pemberton

• Dr Latha Parvataneni • Dale Xiang and Yi Wang • A. Tarik Yilmaz

Biology Lab

Physics Lab

Chemistry Lab

Auditorium

Seminar Room

Staff Room/Office/Prep Room

FIRST FLOOR GROUND FLOOR

SECOND FLOOR