The Chronicle 2020‑21
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Contents
Welcome to the 2020‑21 edition of The Chronicle:
Welcome
4
Seasons at Junior King’s
6
the magazine that celebrates the Junior King’s community. Another momentous year in the life of Junior
School Community
11
Boarding
20
News from the Chaplaincy
30
Charity Fundraising
35
Pre‑Prep
40
our boarding community had to continue to join us
Arts
62
where we made the very best of the opportunities
Humanities
71
Sciences
78
Sport
83
Extracurricular Activities
89
in this strange year. I hope you enjoy this edition of
House Pride
90
Mrs Lovegrove‑Bacon, Editor
Junior King’s Online
96
Speech Day
104
Farewell
107
King’s and its community has gone by, with the continuing
COVID-19
pandemic
forming
the
backdrop to another productive, exciting school year. Wonderful, jam-packed Autumn and Summer Terms sandwiched a Lent Term that was conducted almost entirely online due to government-ordered school closures at the start of 2021. A number of online beyond this and were sadly missed on the site, available to us and enjoyed our Summer Term to its fullest, within the necessary restrictions. Though the pandemic continued to have an impact on our idyllic little piece of Kent countryside this year, these pages will show the many experiences, achievements and happy times we were able to enjoy as a community The Chronicle.
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Welcome
FROM THE HEAD
L
Mrs Emma Károlyi, Head
ooking back at the academic year, what a year this has been! We have navigated through a global pandemic, keeping everyone safe along the way, and have had to react swiftly to every guidance update. It has been a real team effort. Our first term this year was an extremely successful one at school but, due to the national lockdown, the teaching in the Lent Term was transformed once again into an online platform, enabling our pupils all over the world to access all academic lessons live and engage with their teachers every day. Our priority during this time was to keep our sense of community alive and real. The last weeks of the Summer Term brought us all a little more normality, although still very much within the safety limitations and routines which have become so familiar. Everyone at the school is immensely proud of all that the pupils have achieved this year, but also in the way that they have shown courage, adaptability and resilience throughout. Despite the disruptions, the children have been able to enjoy many of the usual events and activities alongside the academic lessons, all led by my dedicated staff team. This latest edition of The Chronicle encapsulates our lovely school, along with achievements and special events that have taken place over the course of this last year. It captures the spirit and demonstrates the exuberance, creativity, vibrancy, commitment to excellence and fun that is an accurate reflection of daily life at Junior King’s and also online. Our pupils are nurtured as individuals and are encouraged to discover their particular special strengths, interests and talents, and we offer breadth and depth in all learning, while instilling a positive ethos and ‘can do’ attitude. We enjoy real diversity in our school and have a strong sense of community. We have a committed team of staff who work with energy and dedication, inspiring all our pupils, day and boarders, with a life-long love of learning. Our pupils are the finest role models for our school, of which they clearly feel proud to be part. The Friends of Junior King’s committee builds strong family links through their social functions and networking, and every family is welcomed into our supportive community. We are proud to be a community that embraces and unites people across nations, that promotes a spirit of tolerance and understanding in order to build a better society tomorrow with the young people of today. Our philosophy at Junior King’s is that every child matters, and we believe that happy children will achieve their full potential, flourish and develop, supported by our high-quality, experienced and caring teaching, pastoral and support staff team. We combine tradition with a modern outlook, the local with the international and high academic standards with meeting the needs of all learners. A true Junior King’s pupil is one who is kind and caring, who values relationships and conducts themselves with others, showing genuine support and encouragement for others’ joys and achievements as well as disappointments. We prepare our pupils to be well-rounded individuals who are prepared for life beyond prep school. Our values of responsibility, readiness, respectfulness, and resilience are at the centre of all that we offer as a school. By instilling these values early, our pupils make our school and the world, a far better place.
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Welcome
FROM THE HEAD BOY AND GIRL Adapted from their Speech Day Reports
This year has been odd by anyone’s standards. We have had to learn to exist with masks, hand sanitising, social distancing and some poignant pandemic statistics. Who would have thought that we would be facing a global crisis in 2020/2021. Although, perhaps the historians amongst us should have predicted it, because if you look back in history, pandemics have been present in 1720, 1820, 1920 and now 2020? Makes you wonder. Yet, we should focus on the positives. This year has also demonstrated adaptability and the four Rs of the Junior King’s ethos. Resilience, Respect, Readiness and Responsibility can be found amongst us all here today and you should be proud that you have got through this unpredictable and sometimes stressful year. What I think must be noted is the leadership and support we have had from all of the staff and fellow students during this time. The sense of community that has been built when we have managed to be face-to-face, even though we are socially distanced with masks, and even online, has been tremendous! As I think back on my time here at JKS, I am filled with joyous memories and much nostalgia. Through drama, dance, music, academic studies, creativity and sport, I have learnt so much about myself and the world as a whole. I can honestly say that every day of my time here, I have learnt something. The immense number of opportunities I have received are amazing and my advice to anyone would be to take those opportunities; just do it. There will be little to lose, but so much to gain. But finally, the academic year ends once again and we are filled with relief, a bit of sadness and perhaps excitement for the next year. I personally have been in many speech days, but I did not think I would stand up and talk in one. This is a very bitter-sweet type speech as it is an honour to talk in front of you all, but I know that it will be the last. Thank you to all the staff and pupils for their continued support and I look forward to new possibilities arising in the future. I wish everyone success in all that you do at JKS. Have a great summer. Theo, Head Boy
This year has been quite different from others. The school has endured periods of isolation within different year groups, as well as national lockdowns. Without the enthusiasm and hard work that each individual pupil put in, online and at school, I doubt that we would have got through to the end of this year in one piece; but we made it. This year has been tough, but has taught us a lot about appreciating what we have and how to have hope of getting to the other side. We have been more fortunate than last year, as at least this year we have spent more of it at school, enjoying the company of our friends and not searching through our calendars to see what lesson is up next. One of my highlights in Pre-Prep were the fish. I can remember sitting next to the tank on my first day at JKS, when I was a bit worried and unsure about changing schools. Watching the fish swimming peacefully around was rather therapeutic and I became calm quite quickly. I also remember the tortoise we were allowed to feed cucumber. The peacefulness of the animals helped to make us feel more relaxed and even helped us to focus more. I have been at this school for over eight years. During this time, I have learnt how to read and write, how to be part of a team and how to persevere. Although this year has brought various difficulties, there have been many great times as well. We have managed to enjoy sporting fixtures and most of us have been able to return to school after isolations and lockdowns. There have been so many wonderful opportunities at JKS, that without them, I would never have found my love for music and the Arts. Many people have found comfort in these during lockdowns. I believe that you can cross the river without a bridge, but it might take some time to do so. This means that it does not matter if it takes a while, you may even learn some things along the way. Our time at Junior King’s is one to remember. I would like to thank every teacher. There would be no school without its pupils, and there would be no school without its teachers. Everyone plays a role in creating a school, and how you play that role depends on who you are uniquely. Pani, Head Girl
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n o s s a a e t S
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Seasons at Junior King’s
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Seasons at Junior King’s
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Seasons at Junior King’s
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Seasons at Junior King’s
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School Community
SCHOOL COMMUNITY A strong sense of community lies at the very heart of Junior King’s. Everything we do is child-centred. We ensure that we prioritise the pastoral care and the success of our pupils in every area of school life. It is clear that the parents share the passion and loyalty of the pupils and staff. Everyone has a voice; everyone is heard. Our pupils are encouraged in such a way that they journey through the school with growing confidence, learning about themselves in the process. Successes are collectively celebrated; supportive networks are set up when hurdles are encountered or mistakes made. Pupils are taught about the importance of community and their role within it. The Junior King’s community is frequently referred to as a family. The warmth and care shown to each and every member are palpable. New joiners settle quickly; leavers depart with happy memories and enduring friendships. Members of the Junior King’s community are undoubtedly members for life. Mrs Hutchings, Deputy Head (Pastoral) and Head of Boarding
New School Value: Responsibility
Assemblies Together... Virtually
At the beginning of the academic year 2019/20 we launched our three school values: respect, resilience and readiness. But the world of our school looked very different in September 2020 to how it had the same time the previous year and so a fourth “R” was added to our existing values. Responsibility became a key theme for our school this year as our pupils got to grips with the many new safety precautions in place: the one-way systems, staggered lunchtimes, separate play areas and year group “bubbles”. There was no better time to learn this life skill than September 2020, between the UK’s first and second lockdowns, and the Junior King’s community rose to the challenge as always.
In any normal year we would expect to enjoy time together in the Barn for whole-school assemblies and in St Nicholas’ Church for chapel services. This year, with year groups in “bubbles” and unable to mix together in the same room, we came together virtually as a community, with assemblies and services screened directly to form rooms. Just like in any normal term, our virtual programme explored a wide variety of ideas and themes, with Monday assemblies held by Mrs Károlyi, and a series of “chapels”, house and section assemblies presented by teaching staff. In this way we were able to continue to benefit from learning things together and to starting the day together as a school as we would normally.
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School Community Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow
OJKS Made King’s Scholars
Charitable giving is very close to our heart at Junior King’s. Outside of our regular school fundraisers, we love to hear about charitable contributions by pupils and staff made on their own initiative. At the beginning of the academic year, three members of our Junior King’s community independently chose to go under the hairdresser’s scissors in order to donate their locks to charity. Year 7 pupils Anaïs and Asuka, along with teaching assistant Miss Frost, all braved the cut, with Anaïs and Asuka going from hip‑length hairstyles to swishy, shoulder‑length bobs, totalling a donation of approximately 90cm between them, and Miss Frost donating an impressive 30cm. Anaïs and Miss Frost shared their ponytails with The Little Princess Trust, which provides beautiful wigs for young people. Asuka’s cut took place over the summer holidays and was donated to a charity in Japan.
We were very proud to hear in the Autumn Term that seven former Junior King’s pupils, Elias Boehmer, Jake Evans, Isabel Farooq‑Garces, Vladimir Kozlov, Theo Mills, Sam Piggins and Issy Sugden, were made King’s Scholars at the senior school and awarded honorary academic scholarships in recognition of their excellent GCSE results. King’s Scholars are part of the Cathedral Foundation established by King Henry VIII at the re‑founding of the school in 1541. Traditionally, the Scholars attend school cathedral services in white surplices and enjoy small privileges within the school and the Cathedral.
King’s Scholars in their white surplices, c.1910.
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School Community National Poetry Day 2020
At the beginning of October, we celebrated National Poetry Day with English lessons that took poetry as the focal point and classes that examined this year’s Poetry Day theme of “vision”. We also launched a poetry competition, with the only rule being that the poems must incorporate “vision” in some way. First, second and third prizes were up for grabs in each of the three sections: Junior House, Middle School and Upper School. We had some marvellous entries and the poems by the First Prize winners from each section, George (Year 3), Sasha (Year 6) and Rahman (Year 8), are printed here. Well done to Cassiopea (Year 3), Grace (Year 6) and Jack (Year 7) for scooping the second prize awards and to Hanya (Year 4), Tom (Year 6) and Ava I (Year 8) for their third prize-winning pieces.
Visions My vision is different to your vision, And your vision is different to my vision, I have a vision, You have a vision, She has a vision, He has a vision, We all have visions, This vision, That vision, Her vision, His vision, All these visions will come and crash down on us, All these visions, Will create, Will inspire, Will change the world. Sasha (Year 6)
Mirror Mirror
The Vision of the New Year The moon is shining like milk, the stars are shiny silk, a dark sky is obsidian, a bat flew quickly at the meridian. Dreaming of dragons every day, watching films as we play, we see dragons come out at New Year, people know from what they hear. Dragons look as red as volcanoes, their teeth are sharp everyone knows, tails swish past our eyes very quickly, going around the street quietly, let me show you a secret, if you don’t believe you will regret. George (Year 3)
I saw that day what no one else could – It saw me back but didn’t move. I wanted to do something But by the time I was ready There was nothing I could do. It showed me something new – I couldn’t tell what it was But after some time I got used to it. Everyone possesses it But not everyone loves it. That day it showed me what I looked like – I was deeply terrified But also really mystified. I never understood why. It possessed some dark magic Which I needed to obtain. To do this I needed to get to the main domain. I decided to take a long think and look. I broke it and it all shook; Everything was like out of a book. This was an ordinary thing – It was a simply terrifying thing: A mirror! Rahman (Year 8)
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School Community Year 8 Positions of Responsibility With the closure of our school due to the lockdown during the last academic year, we were unable to appoint prefects and other positions of responsibility at the end of the 2019/20 year as we would have normally done. This gave all the Year 8 pupils a chance to return to school and impress with their leadership qualities, skills and responsibility for half a term before these roles were finally chosen and announced in October.
Heads of School
Jasper J
Pani and Theo
Molly
Deputy Heads of School Zara and Erik Heads of Boarding Ruby (Juckes)
Georgia Deputy Heads of Boarding Chiara (Juckes) Leo (Kipling)
Youmans (Kipling)
Senior Boarding Team
Heads of Houses
Wendy and Onize (Juckes)
Flavia and William (Cockas)
Rahman, Thomas H and Adrian (Kipling)
Hermione and Jasper S (Kakas)
Heads of Choir
Sage and Joseph (Keas) Emily P and Rahman (Macaws) School Prefects Charlie B
Alex and Emily Y Head of Orchestra Sabrina
Archie
Heads of Ensembles
Olivia
Xiao Xiao and Samuel C
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School Community Scholarship Awards We are very proud of the achievements and hard work of all who took up the challenge of entering for a scholarship award. We were delighted that our pupils were awarded a total of seven scholarships and nine exhibitions overall at The King’s School, with
11+ Exhibitions Saku Chloe Romilly Aadham Casper 13+ Academic Scholarships Holly 13+ Academic Exhibition Alex Flavia 13+ Music Scholarships Xiao Xiao Pani Joseph
16 of our pupils placed on excellence programmes. At 11+ level, five of our pupils gained exhibitions. Congratulations to all those who were offered awards or places on excellence programmes and a big well done to everyone who entered.
13+ Sports Scholarships Archie
13+ Drama Exhibition Molly
13+ Sports Exhibition Emily
13+ Drama Excellence Programme Ayshia Thomas H Hermione Joseph Flavia
13+ Sports Excellence Programme Olivia Jasper Molly Kosi 13+ Tennis Academy Kosi 13+ Drama Scholarship Theo
13+ Dance Exhibition Theo 13+ Art Exhibition Caroline
13+ Art Excellence Programme Chiara Maria Anna 13+ DT Scholarship Misha 13+ DT Exhibitions Rupert Thomas H Toby 13+ DT Excellence Programme Scarlett Sabrina Georgia
Play Equipment Refurbished While our school site was closed to the children, we took the opportunity to ensure that two of our much-loved items of play equipment, the adventure playground and Pre-Prep’s pirate ship, were looking
their very best in time for pupils’ return at the end of the Lent Term. Lovingly refurbished, it was a real joy to see the children making full use of the treehouse and the ship on their return to the site in March.
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School Community World Book Day 2021 World Book Day took place this year on 4 March, right at the end of the period of online learning that began 2021 with the start of the national lockdown. With pupils at home, in Kent and further afield, we had to employ a certain amount of creativity in order to mark the day together as a community. Book themed lessons abounded on the day itself and throughout the week, with everyone given an opportunity to share
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their favourite author, character or book with their friends. Among the many activities enjoyed by the different year groups was a “Masked Reader” challenge (Pre-Prep), writing book recommendations (Year 8), listening to an author talk by Emma Yarlett and learning to draw a character from her book, Dragon Post (Year 4), discussing favourite books on Zoom (Year 6) and, of course, dressing up!
School Community The Junior King’s Community in Lockdown
L o c kd o
wn
c
h
en all
ges
Through The Week newsletter, weekly challenges were set for pupils to get involved in, providing activities that could be undertaken away from screens. Challenges included making origami cranes, baking shortbread to celebrate Burns Night, photographing the most interesting thing we could find outside the house and making pancakes for Shrove Tuesday.
Pu p i l c
h ar
yi
nit ia tiv es
A number of pupils in our community decided to take the lockdown as an opportunity to look outwards and undertake their own charitable initiatives in their own time. Cicely (Year 3) and Eleanor (Year 5) baked dog biscuits to raise money for the NHS, Oliver (Year 5) took part in an online fundraising concert for Help Musicians UK, Casper (Year 6) and Charlotte (Year 5) did a sponsored 220km run for mental health charity Mind, and Savannah (Year 1) and Luke (Year 7) undertook a 150k sponsored walk as their final challenge in their fundraising challenge to raise £15k for the Evelina London Children’s Hospital.
it
Find out more about what we got up to during the 2021 start-of-year school site closure, when we relaunched our Junior King’s Online Learning Programme, later in this edition of The Chronicle.
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School Community
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School Community
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Boarding
BOARDING 2020-21 Reports from the Boarding House Heads
This year we have done a lot of things. At the start of the year, we welcomed the new boarders on the first weekend of term and helped them settle in. One of the highlights of boarding for me was the different activities we did every week. My favourite two were Laser Tag and Mini Golf - all the boarders really enjoyed them. After the Autumn Term, the lockdown forced the school to move online. Luckily we had the Christmas Lunch before it, but we still missed some part of the school year, which was a shame. During lockdown, we still had the chance to chat with teachers once a week and talk about the online learning. Most of us connected with our friends in our free time between lessons. Eventually, we could come back to school again, and we organised many FIFA tournaments on the TV. We had an air hockey table in the games room too, so we also organised air hockey tournaments. Because most of us like to play football, the teachers made the Kipling League. Teachers divided us into different groups and we normally have two matches a day, this makes us communicate with each other. Because of Covid, some of us chose to stay in school during the exeats. This meant our teachers had more work, so I really appreciate that they spent more time with us. At the end of the year, I have very good memories. I’d like to thank the SBT, boarding tutors, Mr Stevenson and Mrs Hutchings for making everyone so happy. Youmans, Head of Kipling
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This year boarding has been a whole new experience. From rules, to coronavirus we have had to do many things differently. Firstly, Sunday activities have not been the same. We weren’t allowed to leave the school campus, however we still did many fun activities. Such as; mini-golf, inflatables, laser tag etc… They had all been brought to the sports hall. My favourite memory from Juckes House is by far the Christmas dinner, the night is so memorable and exciting and gives us a chance to get to know people better, which I personally really enjoyed. In Juckes we have many different ways to make people feel welcomed when joining Juckes. For example, we have an angel system. Every girl gets assigned an angel and given another girl to ‘angel’. An angel’s job is to look after and care for their girl. Whether it be giving compliments or leaving gifts and notes on their bed. This really helps the new girls to settle in and helps the house to feel more like family. The staff in house are always there if we need them and looking out for us. They deserve a lot more recognition than they receive and thank you so much for helping us every day. Being Head of Juckes this year has been different, but enjoyable. I feel Juckes house is like a family away from home and everyone should feel safe and welcomed. Ruby, Head of Juckes
Boarding
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At Home at Junior King’s We needed to get creative in Boarding this academic year. With trips off the cards due to the pandemic, our boarding community spent their free time at school this year at home in the grounds, engaging in a series of exciting weekend and evening activities. These ranged from relaxing with board games, films and crafts to camping in Junior House garden, playing laser tag in the Sports Hall and trying out some Capoeira. Needless to say, we didn’t let the restrictions stop us from enjoying the boarding experience. Although the UK government’s closure of schools at the beginning of 2021 meant that pupils had to spend time significant time away from the boarding houses, our community stayed strong and we were thrilled to be able to welcome back those that could travel in March for the end of the Lent term.
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Boarding
Settling in Arty activities Selfie treasure hunt Swimming pool games Board games Ice cream party Rounders Bingo Produce harvesting
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Boarding
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Exeat camping Sleeping in tents in Junior House Garden Making mocktails Bushcraft in Forest Park Toasting marshmallows
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Boarding Celebrating Nigerian Independence Day and the Chinese Moon Festival In the Autumn Term, the boarders marked Nigerian Independence Day with a special meal. Some of the pupils then celebrated the Chinese Moon Festival.
On the 1st of October 1960, Nigeria gained independence from British rule. It is the day that Britain decided that Nigeria should be an independent state. In schools it is usually celebrated by wearing your tribal attire and bringing in foods from your tribe. The kitchen staff put together a lovely Nigerian dish consisting of Nigerian jollof and plantain. It was divine! Onize
It was great showing everyone from other countries what we sometimes eat in Nigeria. We loved the jollof rice! The puff puff was great too and we told our friends all about it! Ayo and Bayo
This Saturday we celebrated the Moon Festival. We ate the moon cakes, which Mrs Tugwell ordered, and they were amazing. We also drank bubble tea. This helped to remind us of home. Wendy wrote about the Moon Festival in Chinese
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Julie and Nora
Boarding
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Autumn Term Capoeira Inflatable obstacles Pumpkin carving Balloon decorating Doughnut eating Laser tag
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Boarding
Autumn Term Scalextric racing Baking Board games Golf Jewelley making Fashion show Pampering Model making Light-up frisbee Christmas dinner
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Boarding
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Lent Term Dog walking Easter crafts and baking Gardening Easter egg hunt Paper plane making
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Boarding
Summer Term Making mug cakes Treasure hunt Swimming Gardening
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Summer Term Crafts Local walks Baking Athletics Gardening
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News from the Chaplaincy
NEWS FROM THE CHAPLAINCY Harvest Festival On 8 October we held our Prep School Harvest Festival. Although we missed the beauty of being together in St Nicholas’ Church, we embraced a new way of giving thanks. Junior House enjoyed a service with Rev Collins in the dining room, with all the generous harvest donations provided by our wonderful community laid out on the tables. Mr Frost sang the harvest hymn, For the Fruits of His Creation, for everyone, which was also recorded for the online service that everyone else enjoyed in their bubbles. We also heard a recording of Maël (Year 4) playing Andante in F by Joseph Haydn beautifully on the piano. Catching Lives and Canterbury Food Bank do amazing work in our local community and we were so grateful for everyone’s support for them in such a difficult year.
We are very grateful for the close relationship we have built over the years with St Nicholas’ Church, which lies on our doorstep in Sturry. We said farewell and a big thank you to its Rector and Methodist Minister Peter Cornish in June as he begins his retirement after 23 years at the church. Peter has always been very supportive of Junior King’s and has attended many of our school events over the years. We presented Peter with a beautiful drawing of the Barn – a view which he has enjoyed from his rectory. We all wish Peter the very best for his retirement.
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News from the Chaplaincy Act of Remembrance
On 11 November, the Prep School gathered in their year group “bubbles” to undertake our annual Act of Remembrance. Fanned out around the flagpole near the entrance to the school, pupils and staff gave thanks to all those whose great sacrifice allowed future generations to enjoy peace and liberty. Led by Rev Collins and Father Martin and with 2020 marking the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, we
remembered those, in particular, who helped defend our skies from attack during this campaign. Our School and Boarding Heads gave four exceptionally assured readings, with Head Girl Pani delivering a reading on George Edwards from Kingston, Jamaica, who died as one of many who came from overseas to help Britain in its hour of need, and Head Boy Theo reading to us from Micah 4:1‑5. Heads of Boarding
Ruby and Youmans then led an Act of Commitment to pledge our support for those who work towards peace and welfare around the world. The service ended in a silent, reflective procession around the front of the Barn towards our Memorial Garden. Here, the wreaths were laid and every pupil and member of staff placed their poppies in the urn at the centre of the garden.
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News from the Chaplaincy
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Our Virtual Carol Service As December approached and pandemic restrictions were set to prevent us from gathering together as a community in Canterbury Cathedral for our much-loved and anticipated end of term Carol Service, we were presented with the challenge of how to bring an alternative service to parents and pupils. The finished product was a creative take on our usual celebrations, with carols sang at a social distance in year groups in St Nicholas’ Church,
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lovely readings from pupils and a dramatic nativity tableau from Junior House (featuring a very special four-legged guest), all woven together to produce a film that could be enjoyed virtually by our community. Although we were very sad to not be able to gather together in the cathedral, our virtual production allowed us this year to share our service with all members of the community, including those who would not normally be able to make it to Canterbury.
News from the Chaplaincy
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Charity Fundraising
CHARITY FUNDRAISING Fundraising during a pandemic has been challenging, but it has been possible! As a school, we have held several successful events, and raised money for local, national and international causes. Through charity fundraising, our community of pupils, parents and staff works together to support others. The pupils, staff and parents have all contributed ideas, time and money, to help those less fortunate than we are. We look forward to the next academic year, the return of the Christmas Bazaar and the Fete, and all the fun that charity fundraising brings! Mrs Anstey-Watson, Charity Coordinator
Macmillan Virtual Coffee Morning In September, the Friends of Junior King’s kicked off our charity fundraising for the year with a challenge: how to host their usual Macmillan Cancer Support World’s Biggest Coffee Morning event during a pandemic. As always, the Friends proved equal to the challenge! Parents were able to order delicious baked goods and Junior King’s apple and pear juice online from the comfort of their homes. Orders were beautifully packaged and then brought home by the children after school the night before the event so that their parents could enjoy their purchases remotely. In addition to this, an online auction was also held for a beautiful autumnal showstopper, made by a very talented parent. The winner of the auction kindly donated this to the In staff, who were able to enjoy some socially distanced slices with their break time September, coffee. In school, on the day itself, pupils also enjoyed some enormous cupcakes the MFL made by our talented catering team at morning break, in exchange for £1. In total, department donated a phenomenal £1,913.90 was raised. Thank you to everyone who baked, packaged, 500 textbooks to a bought and ate! charity supporting schools in Africa.
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Charity Fundraising
Children in Need £2,375.07 raiSed
In November, pupils threw themselves into raising money for Children in Need with a series of activities in their year group bubbles. PrePrep went all out, as usual, wearing polka-dotted clothes and enjoying creative activities such as producing Pudsey artwork and decorating special Pudsey biscuits. Junior House got hygge after lessons with a pyjama party and received their own personalised Pudsey calendars, while Middle School broke a sweat with sponsored circuits, accompanied by the Junior House
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boombox. Finally, Upper School had their very own Pudsey (or Beetle) Drive and an adrenalinefilled duck race on the river, with prizes for the winners (pictured opposite). Always a highlight of the Autumn Term, this year’s Children in Need activities felt just a little bit extra special. Undertaken in year group bubbles and occurring during the second national lockdown, the separate fundraising activities acted as a uniting force as we worked towards a common, charitable goal.
Charity Fundraising
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Charity Fundraising BookTrust Christmas Appeal
On the last two days of term before the Christmas holidays, well before we knew most of our Lent Term would be conducted remotely, we came to school in our very best Christmas jumpers in aid of the BookTrust’s Christmas appeal, which raises money to gift books to children who are vulnerable or in care at Christmastime. Looking fetching in our winter woolies, we enjoyed a special video put together by the prefects, in which they read some very amusing storybooks. We also took part in all kinds of special Christmassy activities in our year group bubbles, from drinking hot chocolate and making Christingles to house quizzes, carol singing and biscuit decorating!
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Charity Fundraising Comic Relief
Upper School Fundraising Challenge
Comic Relief gave us our first chance to raise money together as a community on our return to school in the last three weeks of the Lent Term. We wore our own clothes with a splash of red for this worthy cause, and had a special virtual assembly about the work that Comic Relief does, courtesy of Mrs Anstey-Watson. It was wonderful to be able to donate our total of £808.20 to this brilliant cause.
Back at school at the end of the Lent Term over the weekend of 20-21 March, Years 7 and 8 undertook a monumental fundraising challenge in aid of Cancer Research UK, completing a remote variation on the London Marathon together. The aim was to collectively travel from Junior King’s to London (63.9 miles), run the Marathon (26.2 miles) and return to Sturry again (63.9 miles). With the two year groups together and a total of 137 pupils, the aim was to complete the whole journey twice with the total distance of 308 miles covered if each pupil were to get an average of 2.2 miles under their belts. Covering the distance in a variety of different ways, the pupils recorded their times via an electronic movement tracker so that the miles could be totted up. Together, Upper School travelled a tremendous 364.81 miles, smashing their 308-mile target, and raised a whopping £1,559! This was a marvellous opportunity to do something together without geographic location being an impediment. With a number of our pupils still overseas at this point in the year and unable to physically be in school with their classmates, this fundraiser served as something to do as a community to bring everyone together for a greater purpose. Well done, Upper School!
Junior House Jumble Sale In May, Junior House held a fabulous jumble sale, in the spirit of reducing waste, to raise funds for WWF and Surfers Against Sewage. It was wonderful to see pre-loved books, toys and games going to excited new owners where they will have a second life. They managed to raise a wonderful £326.
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Pre-Prep
PRE-PREP Regardless of the challenges posed by this past year, life within the Pre-Prep continued to flourish. The children rose to every occasion and gave their absolute best. As you will see from the delight on their faces, they are dedicated to fun and laughter. With such an upbeat outlook, every child reaches success and thoroughly enjoys the journey along the way. Mrs McConkey, Head of Pre‑Prep
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Pre-Prep Year 2 Lend a Hand Mrs Károlyi’s first Monday assembly of the Autumn Term saw Year 2 play an important role in showing the whole school the importance of hand washing in helping to prevent germs spreading. They filmed a special song that they learned, which came complete with hand motions, on how to wash our hands carefully and correctly. Thank you, Year 2! RECEPTION EXPLORED THE SCHOOL GROUNDS ON A LISTENING WALK
LEARNING A NEW SONG, ‘BIG RED COMBINE HARVESTER’, IN NURSERY
YEAR 2 CREATED PIRATE PUPPETS
YEAR 1 EXPLORED OUR SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT IN THEIR GEOGRAPHY LESSONS The Chronicle 2020-21 | 41
Pre-Prep
YEAR 2 WITH THEIR PIRATE PARROTS
Reception Bring in the Harvest
BUTTERCUP THE RABBIT MADE NEW FRIENDS IN NURSERY
Reception made the most of the late summer sunshine in September, visiting the school orchard to pick apples that they then turned into delicious apple crumbles. Yummy!
YEAR 1 LEARNED ABOUT FICTION AND NON-FICTION BOOKS IN THE LIBRARY
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Pre-Prep Clay Play with Year 1 As autumn set in, Year 1 made their own delightful hedgehogs out of clay and let them snuffle around in autumnal leaves collected from the school site. Each hedgehog had its own character and was given its own name too.
RECEPTION EXPLORED SIGNS OF AUTUMN
YEAR 2 MADE THEIR OWN COMPASSES AND LEARNED ABOUT DIRECTIONAL LANGUAGE
NURSERY WENT ON A CONKER WALK AND USED THEIR FINDS TO PRACTISE THEIR COUNTING The Chronicle 2020-21 | 43
Pre-Prep YEAR 2 CREATED SOME TERRIFIC TIGER ART
RECEPTION CELEBRATED KIPLING DAY BY CREATING 3D ELEPHANTS INSPIRED BY THE JUNGLE BOOK
Teddy Bear Sharing in Nursery For Music and Movement, Nursery brought their teddies into school to take part in the teddy bear sharing song. Everyone got very good at passing the teddies between their friends.
YEAR 1 LISTENED TO ANIMAL STORIES AND PRACTISED THEIR OWN WRITING
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Pre-Prep Year 2 Uncover Treasure Trove Year 2 discovered a box of treasure and used it to think of as many interesting adjectives as possible to describe the delights inside. They also learned about alliteration and similes, before writing their own descriptive treasure poems.
YEAR 1 PLAYED “PREY AND PREDATOR” IN FOREST SCHOOL
RECEPTION WENT ON A PUMPKIN HUNT
NURSERY EXPLORED PUMPKINS IN ANTICIPATION OF HALLOWEEN The Chronicle 2020-21 | 45
Pre-Prep YEAR 1 WORKED IN GROUPS TO ACT OUT SCENES FROM A BOOK
NURSERY EXPLORED THE MINI FOREST IN FOREST SCHOOL WE WELCOMED OUR NEW YEAR 2 CATERING COMMITTEE AND SCHOOL COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR THE AUTUMN TERM
Bonfire Night with Reception After learning about Bonfire Night and with Covid restrictions in place preventing fireworks parties, Reception decided to build their own bonfire! and celebrate together. Miss Moore went to the shops to pick up marshmallows and everyone enjoyed “toasting” these over the “fire” and drinking hot chocolate. For some it was their very first taste of marshmallows and the jury was very much out on whether or not they were delicious! After refilling mugs with the last of the hot chocolate, everyone retreated inside to the lovely warm classroom. 46 | The Chronicle 2020-21
Pre-Prep Reception Honour Remembrance Day Reception learned all about why we wear poppies for Remembrance Day. Everyone worked together as a team to make a class poppy wreath to lay in the school’s memorial garden. The class also made their own poppy art, which they sent to the residents of Highland House Care Home with a note that read: “These are my hands holding a poppy to show you that on this day we’ll forever remember you”.
YEAR 2 PRACTISED THEIR HOCKEY AND SAW HOW EXERCISE AFFECTS THEIR BODIES
NURSERY EXPLORED THE NIGHT SKY IN THE MOON SCRAPE MESSY TRAY
YEAR 1 LEARNED ABOUT SIGHT AND LIGHT IN SCIENCE BY CONDUCTING AN EXPERIMENT The Chronicle 2020-21 | 47
Pre-Prep
THE CHILDREN ADORNED THE NURSERY READY FOR CHRISTMAS
YEAR 2 LEARNED ABOUT INSTRUCTIONAL TEXTS, RECEIVING A PACKAGE TO HELP THEM MAKE JAM SANDWICHES
Year 1 Celebrate Diwali Year 1 made lanterns to coincide with Diwali celebrations. They assembled their own lanterns by using mathematical nets, cutting them out and putting them together to make three-dimensional lanterns.
RECEPTION MADE MUD PIES IN FOREST SCHOOL
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Pre-Prep Nursery in the Christmas Spirit As Christmas approached, Nursery spent time learning about why Christians around the world celebrate this special day. They discovered the Nativity story and spent plenty of time roleplaying in the stable and with “small world” Nativity characters. The children also thought about what they are grateful for this Christmas and wrote a Christmas Prayer together.
YEAR 1 LEARNED TO DESCRIBE POSITION, DIRECTION AND MOVEMENT
RECEPTION HELD A BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR GLADYS, THE CLASS GIRAFFE – EVEN BERTIE THE TORTOISE ATTENDED
YEAR 2 CELEBRATED PIRATE DAY IN STYLE
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Pre-Prep
Christmas in Pre-Prep
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Pre-Prep Year 2 Celebrate British Science Week Year 2 enjoyed learning about British Science Week in March and discussing this year’s theme – “innovating for the future”. They worked together in teams to complete two STEM activities: the Paper Tower Challenge and the Paper Cup Challenge. Excitement and tension abounded as pupils worked hard in groups to use logic and scientific reasoning to succeed in the tasks.
YEAR 1 TRAVELLED BACK IN TIME TO LEARN (AND PLAY!) LIKE THE VICTORIANS
NURSERY EXPLORED THE FIRST SIGNS OF SPRING IN FOREST SCHOOL
RECEPTION READ THE STORY OF THE GINGERBREAD MAN AND UNDERTOOK A HOST OF DELICIOUS THEMED ACTIVITIES
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Pre-Prep YEAR 1 DID SOME EGGCELLENT EASTER ACTIVITIES TO GET READY FOR THE HOLIDAY
RECEPTION WERE ABUZZ ABOUT BEES IN THE LENT TERM
Year 1 Searched for Signs of Spring Year 1 went for a walk around our beautiful school grounds to look for signs of spring. Before they went on their walk, they thought about what they might see: flowers blooming, blossom on some of the trees, nesting birds and seasonal flowers like daffodils.
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Pre-Prep NURSERY LEARNED ABOUT THE LIFE CYCLE OF THE HUMBLE BUT FASCINATING CATERPILLAR
Reception Celebrated Earth Day
YEAR 2 CREATED AN EARTH CANDLE IN FOREST SCHOOL YEAR 1 PLANTED BEANS TO HELP THEM OBSERVE THE PROCESS OF GERMINATION
Earth Day is celebrated on April 22 every year and this year, Reception thought carefully about why we need to look after the Earth. They learned about how bad oil spills are for birds and investigated this further by creating a mini ocean in their water tray. They started with pristine water and happy fish but then an oil tanker hit a rock and spilled crude oil (vegetable oil and cocoa) into the water, polluting it. The children observed how the oil sat on top of the water and launched a rescue mission to stop it from getting to the animals. Eventually, we were able to clean the oil off the creatures with cotton wool but they learned that it is very hard to return the ocean to its original, clean condition once it’s been polluted. Reception decided to keep thinking of new and better ways of cleaning and protecting our oceans.
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Pre-Prep
RECEPTION LEARNED ABOUT RABBITS AND MET A NEW FURRY FRIEND
YEAR 2 MADE PLEDGES FOR EARTH DAY TO DO THEIR BEST FOR OUR PLANET
Nursery Were Full of Bluster Nursery enjoyed some windy day activities outside during the windy weather we had at the beginning of the Summer Term. They took full advantage of the bluster and blow by playing with rippling fabrics and using teamwork to prevent the wind from stealing their parachute.
YEAR 1 ILLUSTRATED LUSCIOUS FRUITS AFTER BEING INSPIRED BY THE DRAWINGS IN HANDA’S SURPRISE BY EILEEN BROWNE
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Pre-Prep
RECEPTION LEARNED ABOUT BIG HANDS AND LITTLE HANDS
NURSERY PAINTED SYMMETRICAL PATTERNS ONTO BUTTERFLY WINGS
Year 2 Welcomed May During Forest School, Year 2 “woke up” the Earth by hopping from foot to foot and chanting at the same time to encourage the growing season. Then they enjoyed the tradition of dancing around the Maypole wearing their own beautiful handmade garlands.
YEAR 1 MADE THEIR OWN JULIA DONALDSON-INSPIRED STICK MEN
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Pre-Prep Year 1 Created Happy Places In honour of Mental Health Awareness Week in May, Year 1 talked about “happy places” and thought about what makes them happy in our learning. They then made their own miniature garden environments and populated them with toys brought in from home to create their own happy place. They were given free time to play with the gardens in the sunshine together to help spark their imaginations for a creative writing task. And at the end of the week they were even able to take the whole thing home!
NURSERY LEARNED ABOUT SPIDERS AND MADE THEIR OWN HAIRY, SCARY ARACHNIDS, COUNTING THEIR EIGHT LEGS
YEAR 2 EXAMINED AND COMPARED SEEDS AND BULBS IN SCIENCE
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Pre-Prep If You Go Down to the Woods Today... Pre-Prep celebrated Mental Health Awareness Week by thinking about “happy places”. They took a mini walking trip in their bubbles out to the nearby woods with Mrs McConkey’s dog Teddy and Miss Moore’s dog Winston to see the beautiful carpet of spring bluebells. Everyone had a wonderful time in the bluebell wood “happy place”, admiring the flowers and playing and laughing with friends.
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Pre-Prep
YEAR 1 WENT ON A FACT-FINDING MISSION TO ST NICHOLAS’ CHURCH
Reception Dissected Dino Dung In May, Reception thought they spotted a dinosaur stomping around the playground! It didn’t cause any damage, but it did leave behind some droppings. The children decided to investigate the droppings (cunningly recreated with chocolate Play-Doh) and discovered that there were meat and bones inside them. This led to lots of discussion about different types of dinosaurs and their diets. They learned that some dinosaurs were meat-eaters (carnivores), some ate only plants (herbivores), while some dinosaurs ate both plants and meat (omnivores).
YEAR 2 DECOUPAGED PLANT POTS FOR THEIR GROWING PLANTS
NURSERY LOOKED FOR BUGS IN THE GARDEN WITH THEIR MAGNIFYING GLASSES
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Pre-Prep Bee-eautiful Summer Days in Nursery Nursery were as busy as the bees they were investigating in May. They held their own minibeast dress-up day and learned all about how bees make honey and how it’s extracted from honeycomb and stored in jars. They also made their own honey sandwiches and cut them into squares, rectangles and triangles. They were very fortunate to have Mr Brinton, George’s daddy, come to school to talk to them about beekeeping. He brought a hive into Nursery to show how the bees use this to make honey. Everyone was fascinated to learn that bees provide their own central heating in winter to keep warm and their own air conditioning in the summer to keep cool. Thank you, Mr Brinton, for such an informative visit and for allowing us such a fantastic hands-on experience!
RECEPTION MADE THEIR OWN BOOKS ABOUT A DINOSAUR’S LIFE CYCLE
YEAR 1 LEARNED BASIC PROGRAMMING SKILLS IN THEIR COMPUTING LESSONS
YEAR 2 REHEARSED THEIR BEATRIX POTTER CHARACTERS FOR THE SUMMER SHOW
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Pre-Prep The Sun Eventually Came Out For Sports Day After heavy rain forced Pre-Prep Sports Day to be postponed in Summer Term, the children were so excited when they finally hit the sports fields a week later!
YEAR 2 LEARNED ABOUT OUR RESIDENT TORTOISE BERTIE
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ANDREW TOLD YEAR 1 LOTS OF INFORMATION ABOUT HIS BIKE
Pre-Prep
S c h t s o e o r o l F During their time in the Pre‑Prep department, as well as the formal curriculum, children are given the opportunity to take part in Forest School activities. These take place in our own woodland site on the school grounds, Forest Park, and aim to provide experiential education – that is, interaction with the natural environment, which is proven to promote health, learning
and emotional well‑being. Within this learning programme, the children develop a variety of life skills – independence, competence, cooperation, communication – and are encouraged to assess safety issues for themselves and others. The programme also intends to engender a sense of respect and appreciation for woodland and begin to instil an environmental ethic.
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Arts
ARTS
Year 6 acted out the story of The Emperor’s New Clothes, “colouring in” the words though tone of voice and movement. Year 8 did a project on the art of Africa.
Ivan’s Art Selected for Exhibition
In DT, Year 3 got to grips with using new tools like coping saws safely.
Ivan (Year 8) had his artwork chosen for display in the Pilgrims Hospices Bookshop, Canterbury Books, as part of the Canterbury Festival Arts Trail. Mrs Sylvester entered pupil artwork in a competition run by Pilgrims Hospices for local school children to create works of art that expressed their individuality. Ivan’s portrait was chosen for display as part of a selection of work taken from the exhibition. Congratulations, Ivan!
Music is a vital part of Junior King’s life and we were so pleased to continue in-person lessons in the time that we spent on-site this year.
Year 7 worked on a self-portrait project with the help of mirrors.
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Arts
Although we weren’t able to hold our usual programme of special concerts this year, we were able to allow pupils to continue to benefit from the experience of playing for an audience through a series of informal virtual concerts held over Zoom.
Year 3 worked on teamwork in Drama, working in groups to devise their own mini plays, acting out a trip to the beach.
Year 6 put together physical theatre pieces in Drama.
Year 6 experimented with tie-dye in Art as part of their colour and pattern project as they looked at the art of Africa.
Year 7 made lanterns in DT.
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Arts Singing and Acting in the Carol Service Film Production Although the strict coronavirus safety measures in place on the school site this year prevented us from engaging in our usual much-loved programme of musical and dramatic events, we were able to come together in a different way to perform in a special filmed Carol Service production towards the end of the Autumn Term. Carols were sung by year group choirs at a safe social distance, and Junior House put on a series of marvellous nativity tableaux, which featured a very special equine guest. All this was captured on film and shared with families to enjoy virtually on the day our traditional Carol Service should have taken place in Canterbury Cathedral.
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Arts Oliver Awarded Young Musician of Promise We were thrilled to hear in January that Oliver (Year 5) was named Young Musician of Promise in the Maidstone Young Musician 2021 online competition. With Mr Frost accompanying on the piano, Oliver received high praise from the adjudicator for his “effortless” performances. Well done, Oliver!
Year 7 produced plasticine maquette designs for masks.
In December, Years 3 and 4 enjoyed amazing panto workshops with West End in Schools, learning an Aladdin-inspired choreography routine where they had to represent a whole host of characters through movement and dance.
Year 6 made architectural models in DT and superimposed them onto photographs of the Junior King’s site.
Year 6 took inspiration from architecture, art and the work of Philip Treacy to create their own hat designs.
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Arts
In the time we were on the school site this year, our ensembles met in smaller formats in their year group bubbles to practise playing with others.
Year 4 prowled the boards in Drama, embodying different animals through movement.
Year 5 Pottery Throw Down As part of their studies into William Morris, Year 5 designed their own Morris-inspired mugs and brought these to life with the help of visiting King’s School ceramics teacher Gillian Farrell and her pottery wheels. Pupils learned how to “throw” the spinning clay into the basic pot shape for their mugs, taking to the wheels quickly and making some fabulous little pots, while the final of the most recent series of The Great Pottery Throw Down played in the background for inspiration.
Year 5 used the computer suite to design the parts for their automata in DT.
Year 3 depicted Greek gods in Drama.
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Arts
Luke Accepted to British Youth Music Theatre Company At the beginning of the Summer Term, we congratulated Luke (Year 7), who successfully auditioned for the British Youth Music Theatre Company of 2021. Luke will be performing in their musical version of Peter Pan at Powderham Castle in Devon later this year. Rehearsals will take place over a couple of weeks in the summer holidays with industry professionals. Having cut his teeth in the lively Junior King’s version of Peter Pan Jr last year, we know Luke will have lots to bring to the table! Getting through the highly competitive audition stage is a fantastic achievement.
Year 6 created their own Rex Ray-inspired collages.
Year 8 studied Tanzanian art and created Ankara wax prints.
Year 4 made puppets in DT for a puppet show.
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Arts
Year 7 made their own wooden lanterns in DT, using the laser cutter to bring their designs to life.
Year 7 worked on developing and decorating their clay masks in Art.
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Year 6 put their engineering skills to the test by making and racing toy cars in DT.
Arts
ART PORTFOLIO An unusual year in Art, but still a productive one. The pupils have had lots of opportunities to work with visiting artists and the topics, from Celtic Designs to Arts fo Africa, have complimented their academic studies. I hope you enjoy the Exhibition. Mrs Sylvester, Head of Art
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Arts
DESIGN TECHNOLOGY PORTFOLIO Welcome to the Summer Exhibition 2021. We are delighted to share some of the creative highlights of this Academic year from the studio, workshop and online. The work shown here represents the creative endeavours from students in Years 3-8. We hope you enjoy. Miss French, Head of Design Technology
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Humanities
HUMANITIES
Year 8 drew mind maps in History.
Year 5 learned about the history of our school in their Humanities lessons, sketching our 16th century Barn and comparing it with the recently‑built Sports Hall to see the differences in architecture over time.
Pupils Published in Mind’s Eye Prep
Year 3 explored a treasure trove of replica Tudor artefacts, learning all about catgut lute strings (yuck!), ruffs and the stocks.
We were thrilled to see four of our Year 8 pupils published in Mind’s Eye Prep’s 2020 edition. Produced by the senior school and featuring a selection of the best writing by prep school pupils in the South East of England, this year’s magazine featured articles by Theo, Erik, Alex and Molly. Tackling a range of topics, their pieces were extremely well written and thoughtful. We’re so proud to see their writing reaching a wider audience.
Year 5 acted out a scene depicting the school’s opening for Kipling Day.
Year 7 celebrated National Poetry Day in English, thinking about the theme, “vision”.
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Humanities
Earth’s Saviour This is not a landfill, this is where the world will end. The smell and heat it produces, can destroy our lives. These aren’t resources, These are what we rely on to live. If we run out of these, we won’t be able to survive. Recycling isn’t what we should ignore, every part can change eternally.
One-to-one lessons for bilingual pupils continued.
Reusing them isn’t just a second chance, it’s our big U‑turn. Animals are suffering, stop this from continuing. Every day thousands die, act fast to save our world. You might think this is a joke, but it’s definitely, definitely not. Yinjun (Year 8)
Year 4 made crosswords with letter tiles to help them learn their spellings.
Members of Year 6 completed a project over the Autumn half term break on Roman villas, producing some exciting creations out of recyclables.
Year 7 made models of the Earth in Geography to demonstrate its structural components.
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Humanities
Year 4 made their own rainforest environments out of shoeboxes.
Year 7 made Christmas cards in Spanish to practise their seasonal language skills.
Year 8 made coastal landforms and features out of Play Doh in Geography.
View from a Window
After practising the testudo (tortoise) formation with lunch trays in History, Year 4 made their own Roman shields.
I wake up. I open my eyes to the dappled sunlight streaming in through the window, scattered by the leaves of my plants. I yawn, rubbing the sleep off my eyes, and sit up. I go to my balcony. I am instantly hit by the dizzyingly sweet aromas of the marigold and honeysuckle that I grow on the terrace. I gaze over at the sun-kissed city drawn out below me and feel at peace. I am above the hectic bustle of city life, just out of reach, but not far enough to be alone. I look beyond the sandstone and white buildings to the sea. Holly (Year 8)
Year 5 delved into the world of Harry Potter and made some creative adverts for a new shop in Diagon Alley. The Chronicle 2020-21 | 73
Humanities
Spring is Coming Spring is coming by many signs; The chorus of daffodils all in a line An orchestra of birds singing beside The snow of winter has disappeared, no sign Flowers are blooming like opening hands The rivers unfreeze as the children stand by Birds build their nests and birds learn to fly Spring is coming, just look at the signs. Steven (Year 7)
Year 3 studied hieroglyphics and learned how to write Egyptian numbers.
Inverness Daily The year 1040
YOUR DAILY SCOTTISH NEWSPAPER
Price: 2p
Deadly Daggers Destroy Duncan
R.I.P King Duncan
In the early hours of the morning, the king was sadly murdered with two sharp daggers while he was sleeping. We still don’t know who has done it. Astonishingly the king was murdered in Macbeth’s castle. Evidence of the murder inside the king’s chamber included the two guards’ sharp daggers covered in King Duncan’s rose red blood. Macbeth was so angry at the guards for
murdering the king that Macbeth quickly murdered them without wasting time, because of this horrible act that they had done. Macbeth said, “King Duncan was an amazing king and I am distraught that this happened in my castle.” Malcom might have done this but would he kill his father? His guards said that he was in his chamber but he could have gone and given Duncan’s guards money so that he could do the deed for him and that night when he was sleeping in his quarters he heard cries of murder, and he fled the country.
cold castle could there be a murderer? What could happen next? In the next few days will there be a funeral for King Duncan? Will his sons attend? They seem to have quickly fled the country. We hope Macbeth will be crowned and other people will be grieving for the loss of King Duncan.
At Inverness Daily we wonder why Macbeth acted so fast and why there were smaller hand prints on the wall. Maybe a woman did this? It couldn’t be Lady Macbeth though because she acted so worried and she even fainted. Within this large,
Year 7 studied Macbeth and undertook a creative writing assignment to write newspaper reports about the death of King Duncan. Great work here by Oliver. 74 | The Chronicle 2020-21
Year 8 discussed mythology in their Classics lesson.
Year 5 recreated scenes from Harry Potter in English.
Humanities Townsend-Warner History Prize This year, we were proud to enter our very best Junior King’s historians for the Townsend-Warner History Prize. Every year the test is tough, and 2021 was no exception. At the beginning of the Summer Term, we learned that Year 8 pupils Luca and William had advanced to the second round, making them among the top 255 pupils qualifying from a field of 1,250. Junior King’s has a strong record of achievement year after year in the Prize and we were so proud to have Luca and William representing us in the second round this year.
Year 6 visited Forest Park in English to use the woodland environment as a stimulus for their creative writing.
Year 5 practised performing the poem ‘Chocolate Cake’ by Michael Rosen.
Year 4 looked at flags of the world in their French lessons, writing about their chosen flags in French.
‘Fair is foul, and foul is fair: hover through the sunshine and fresh, Kentish air’: members of Year 7 acted out scenes from Macbeth in the sunny orchard.
Year 4 learned about the Victorians and practised their deportment.
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Humanities
Pupil Articles Shortlisted for Mind’s Eye Prep In the Summer Term, six of our Year 7 pupils had articles shortlisted for possible publication in Mind’s Eye Prep magazine. Isabelle’s account of animal testing was well researched, while Sophia’s piece focusing on mental health – entitled ‘Mind Out!’ – gave insight into issues faced by young people today. Olivia’s article, ‘Leatherbacks Lost Forever’, highlighted another important cause – the threats to the turtle population – whilst Nick’s exploration in ‘Antarctica’s Mega Meltdown’ illuminated the ever-pressing concerns of climate change. On a lighter note, Millie offered a refreshing look at the benefits of crocheting in her article, ‘Hooked!’, and Josie examined the scientific discoveries of black holes in her editorial, ‘The Hole Truth’. We are very proud of their achievements.
Year 4 read newspapers and discussed their features in English.
Year 3 looked at instructional writing in English and created their own “fruit pizzas”.
Open Window, Collioure by Matisse
Year 5 gave individual poetry performances in Junior House Garden in English, focusing on tone, emphasis, speed, volume and gestures. 76 | The Chronicle 2020-21
Long green vines hanging on the wall successfully create a photo frame. Boats swim slowly on the salty sea, Rainbow coloured walls shine in everyone’s eyes, and the sky is like a melted pink marshmallow. The cherry window opens widely to the beautiful view and the flowers turn excitedly to the bright sunlight. Flora and Darren (Year 7)
Humanities
Year 5 presented their Spanish prep on their favourite things about Spain to the class.
Year 6 wrote and performed post-exam poems based on being present in nature.
Annabel N (6P), Lili S (6M) and Freya J (4W) were selected as prize winners in a series of national short story competitions that were open to children aged 7-12. The Federation of Children’s Book Groups hosted three competitions in honour of Short Story Month in May, with renowned authors setting story starters for the themes Myths, Magic and Mayhem in the three competitions. We were thrilled that Annabel and Lili won 1st and 2nd place in the Myths competition respectively. The judges commented that “their entries really stood apart from the crowd with great use of language, description and ideas”. Freya was also awarded 3rd place in the Mayhem competition, with the judges saying they “were really impressed with her story”.
In Language Support, Year 6 read the first Harry Potter book and made a poster about it.
Our librarian Mr Cox brought the Year 6 boys a selection of exciting summer reading material. The Chronicle 2020-21 | 77
Sciences
SCIENCES Year 7 Hit Forest Park Nature Trail In October, Year 7 visited the nature trail on the little piece of woodland on our school site known as Forest Park, where the Pre-Prep have their Forest School lessons. Led by Dr Clive Nuttman, an environmental educator, the pupils learned all about “adaptations” in nature through our local flora and fauna. Dr Nuttman explained that everything around us has adapted to thrive in its environment. Pupils then explored the woodland themselves, collecting items to discuss with the class.
Year 3 enjoyed a virtual “visit” from a dentist, who told them all about how to keep their teeth clean and healthy. Everyone got a lovely goody bag at the end, which went down a treat!
Year 4 explored friction in Science. They tried picking up jelly with chopsticks, with and without oil on the jelly, and they created rollers with pens to test the difference between sliding friction and rolling friction 78 | The Chronicle 2020-21
Sciences
Pupils Strike Gold in Primary Mathematics Challenge
Year 3 conducted an experiment to see how many pennies a paper bridge could hold in Science.
In December, Year 7 welcomed back environmental educator Dr Clive Nuttman, who visited us to deliver workshops on animal classification. Year 7 had the opportunity to look at (and gently handle) some fascinating creatures, and there was even a chance to see some Physics in action with a thermal heat camera, which demonstrated temperature changes.
Middle School took part in the Primary Mathematics Challenge in November, stretching their logic and problem-solving skills on this year’s tough round of questions. 27 pupils achieved Bronze Certificates, 17 achieved Silver Certificates, and 9 of our 84 Year 5 and 6 pupils achieved Gold Certificates by scoring 17 or more out of 25. Congratulations to Kyle and James in Year 5, and Chloe, Casper, Aadham, Jihan, Daniel, Saku and Valerie in Year 6 on their Gold Certificates. A further congratulations to Kyle, Chloe, Casper, Aadham and Jihan, who qualified for the February bonus round with their scores. Although it wasn’t possible for the bonus round to run this year, the Primary Mathematics Challenge distributed badges to celebrate this further achievement.
Junior House joined other local primary schools virtually in March for an interactive RoboKids show with Spacefund, a company that produces educational science shows for young people. The show was a great way for the children to celebrate British Science Week and they particularly loved seeing all the incredible robots and taking part in a virtual rocket launch. The Chronicle 2020-21 | 79
Sciences
Year 4 studied the human body in Science, consolidating their knowledge at the end of the topic by assembling a model skeleton.
Year 3 conducted experiments to investigate durability in Science.
Year 4 explored electrical circuit building.
Year 3 examined different soil samples, adding water to them to observe their properties.
Middle School enjoyed some pre-Easter fun with rounds of maths problem Bingo. A steady stream of Mini Eggs was doled out in a Covidsafe manner as rewards for winners.
Year 6 learned about forces in Science, conducting an experiment outside and measuring the results. 80 | The Chronicle 2020-21
Sciences
Celebrating World Maths Day We celebrated World Maths Day as a school in May by taking part in the world’s largest online maths competition. Our pupils joined millions of other children across the globe for the 48-hour maths event, which is so big it’s even been in the Guinness Book of World Records! In their year groups, pupils logged in on the school iPads and made full use of our IT suite in their lessons to earn points for correct answers to quick-fire questions in the live maths games. Always up for a challenge, everyone very much enjoyed taking part in this global celebration of learning.
Year 3 learned about germination in Science, undertaking two experiments: wrapping seeds in cotton wool and placing them in greenhouse environments attached to the classroom windows and planting sunflower seeds in pots for growing in the school greenhouse.
In Science, Year 5 learned about the chemistry of chocolate, conducting an experiment to change the state of some of the delicious sweet stuff by heating it over a Bunsen burner and discovered the importance of “tempering” and how temperature affects the crystals in chocolate. Needless to say, the labs smelled delicious afterwards!
In Maths, Year 4 folded 2D sheets of paper to create a labelled 3D shape.
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Sciences Pupils Impress in Junior Mathematical Challenge In April, pupils in Middle and Upper School undertook the Junior Mathematical Challenge, a competition run by The UK Mathematics Trust for school pupils across the UK. This year, our pupils achieved an amazing total of 10 gold, 22 silver and 17 bronze certificates. With over 270,000 pupils from across the UK sitting the challenge, only 6% received gold certificates, 13% silver and 21% bronze, making this a fantastic result for our junior maths whizzes. On top of this, gold certificate awardees Jihan (Year 6), Jake (Year 7), and Samuel, Wendy, Bouma, Matthew, Sage, Elena and Adolph (Year 8) placed in the top 3.4% of pupils in the UK, qualifying them for the Junior Kangaroo follow-on round, while Kyle (Year 5) qualified for the Junior Mathematical Olympiad with an extremely impressive score that put him in the top 0.4% of entrants. A truly remarkable achievement. A huge well done to everyone who took part in the challenge, and massive congratulations to all certificate awardees. Year 3 dissected flowers in Science.
Year 4 went on a science walk.
Years 3 and 4 got hands on with some experiments during our annual Junior Science Morning.
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Sport
SPORT
This year was like no other before, and the pandemic required great patience and perseverance. In September we wondered if there would be a chance to play any matches against other schools in the Autumn Term. Little did we know it would not be until May that inter-school fixtures would begin again. During the first term, we played LOTS of football in our games sessions. Within our year group bubbles, we played regular internal games, tournaments and House matches, and saw a significant improvement in the overall skill levels. In November, we moved to rugby and found that not only were we unable to compete against other schools, we were not even allowed to ruck, maul, scrum or tackle. As a result, we focused on our fitness and passing skills, doing drills, practices, playing tag and touch We were fortunate to have regular input from a number of top RFU coaches who worked with our JKS coaching staff to help the boys reach a higher level of handling skills than in any previous year. January saw a new term and sadly a whole new period of online learning. It wasn’t until the beginning of March that we could get back to school and by this time we were on to hockey. The boys relished the opportunity to be back to sport once more. Then came summer when – at last – we were able to play other schools once more. The thrill and excitement of representing the school again was incredible. In addition to our traditional team sports we were able to enjoy some fabulous sporting House events. The inter-house Cross Country event in October was a great afternoon of fun, vigour, determination and endurance, the eventual winners being Macaws. We also had a fabulous Sports Day, which saw every child running their hearts out for their House. The results on the day were 1st Macaws. 2nd Kakas. 3rd Keas and 4th Cockas. We have made the most of our disjointed year but look forward with enormous excitement and anticipation to a whole new year of sport ahead as we seek to build on all the skills we have learnt in this past year. Mr Jamieson, Director of Sport
What a year it has been for everyone! Who would have thought that the matches fifteen months ago, in March 2020, would have been the last representative sport in which the Girls’ Games Department could take part? Certainly not me… With that said, I am delighted that we have been able to resume matches during the latter stages of this summer term in both tennis and cricket. Although we have faced unprecedented times, I would also like to think of this time as an opportunity. We have been able to focus our attention on developing fitness, technical skills, tricks, penalty strokes and shuffle competitions, as well as all sorts of inter-year-group matches. Whilst we would have addressed some of these areas in a normal year, having an increased amount of time on the training field has allowed all the girls to fine-tune their skills. By working in year group bubbles, it has also provided the chance for the girls to play with others that perhaps they would not normally. This has had a hugely positive impact on so many, picking up skills from the more experienced players and allowing for far greater leadership to shine through. All in all, I can see many positives from this year. It has been lovely to see the joy that the return of fixtures brought to all our teams. Seeing excited young sportswomen waiting for oppositions to arrive, re-establishing friendships with local schools, getting on the bus to travel to an away match, reading a match report and quite simply enjoying the buzz that sport brings to us all has been truly heart-warming. I congratulate all the girls for their perseverance and commitment this year; it will certainly be a year we all remember! Finally, I would like to thank the Girls’ Games staff for their ongoing commitment and dedication to the girls. It has been a hugely demanding year, but, as ever, they have gone above and beyond to ensure the pupils have had a great sporting experience. I wish all of our leavers the very best for the future and wish them well for their sporting careers. Miss Scott‑Kilvert, Head of Girls’ Games
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Sport
Hockey practice with the Year 6 girls.
Hockey Kit Handed Out It was heartbreaking to postpone our hockey tour to Holland and Paris in March last year due to the pandemic. In September, the kits for the tour that would were handed over to the Year 8s to wear with pride. The bobble hats especially went down a treat!
Practice for the inter-house cross-country featured in Autumn Term PE lessons.
Year 5 warmed up after the summer break with some football drills.
Year 4 ready to clash sticks on the hockey pitch.
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Sport
Year 8 competed in their bubble. Lottie (Year 7) and Archie (Year 8) pursued their passion for hockey through attendance at the Kent Development Centre Hockey Training programme in the Autumn Term.
Year 7 tackled the start of rugby season.
Zara Back in the Saddle Zara (Year 8) represented The King’s School in the National Schools Equestrian Association (NSEA) Show Jumping Qualifier in early September at Petley Wood. She competed at 70‑75cm and 80‑85cm and went clear. In the 80‑85cm she was fast against the clock and eventually came 12th in a class of 58 competitors. The following week she also competed at Chilham Park in a one‑day event of show jumping, dressage and cross‑country, coming second in her class. Absolutely fantastic results. Well done, Zara!
Our rugby season was sadly cut short by the national lockdown in January, but we made the most of the time we had, welcoming five RFU coaches who joined us to assist with coaching. The coaches worked across all ability groups with the focus on developing core skills and, of course, having lots of fun. The Chronicle 2020-21 | 85
Sport
Lucinda Landed Junior Associate
Year 8 honed their hockey skills in their training sessions
We were thrilled to hear over lockdown that Lucinda (Year 3) had successfully auditioned with the Cecchetti Ballet Associates and offered a place as a Junior Associate. Initially unable to attend training in person due to Covid restrictions, Lucinda joined the other Junior Associates on Zoom for virtual training.
Oliver Made Waves in Dubai Swim Series Whilst taking part in the online learning programme in Dubai in March, Oliver (Year 6), competed in his first open water swimming competition, coming an amazing 11th place in the 200m Open Water Swim Series with a time of 5 minutes 30. Well done Oliver!
Years 3 and 4 enjoyed their first Prep School cricket Games lessons this year. The boys worked with our experienced staff coaching team and the girls trained with a specialist from ECB Cricket. 86 | The Chronicle 2020-21
The boys caught the end of the hockey season post-lockdown.
Year 8 got some pre-season netball in just before the lockdown.
Sport Jack Fences Competitively Again In the Summer Term, as easing restrictions allowed some sporting events to start up again, Jack (Year 7) was able to take part in a number of competitive events, including an U12 competition for the Luso Épée Cup, in which he finished second overall, and a Youth Series event in Manchester, where he walked away with a bronze medal. Year 8 enjoyed some mixed doubles tennis.
Year 7 faced the ball machine to brush up on their tennis form.
Years 3 and 4 got to grips with the basics of cricket.
Year 8 practised their bowling and batting.
We continued our fencing coaching this year with covid-safe one-to-one lessons.
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Sport
Breaking the Grass Ceiling We experienced a historic moment in the life of the school in the Summer Term when, for the first time ever in Junior King’s history, we played mixed cricket house matches. Boys and girls bowled, batted and fielded alongside each other to win points for their houses.
Year 4 practised their high jumps in PE.
The Year 6 girls hit us for six with their cricketing prowess.
It was wonderful to have the entire school out in the sunshine for our annual Sports Day. Congratulations to the Macaws, who won by an incredibly narrow margin of just 10 points from the Kakas. 88 | The Chronicle 2020-21
Extracurricular Activities
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES Unfortunately, pandemic restrictions necessitated the pausing of our extracurricular activities programme this year for the most part, with evening activities eventually able to resume in a condensed form and in year group bubbles in the Summer Term. We are very much looking forward to resuming our full programme of activities when this is possible again. The list below features some of the highlights we will be looking forward to enjoying together again in the future.
Advanced Design Technology
LAMDA Exam Preparation
Animation
Musical Theatre
Basketball
Netball Training
Board Games Boarders’ In‑House Time Chapel Choir
Orchestra Prep
Chess
Relax, Chat and Sew
Code Club
Rowing
Cookery
Rugby Training
Crafts Cricket Training Dance
School Play Rehearsals Speech and Drama
EAL Relax and Read Group
Squash
Extension Art
Student Newsletter
Fencing
Swimming
Film Club Table Tennis Football Training Fun iPad Activities
Technical Theatre
Golf
Tennis Coaching
Hockey Training
Townsend Warner Prize / History Club
Horse Riding
Yoga
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House Pride
HOUSE
I X
PRIDE
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House Pride House Photography Competition Winners
Kakas
In the Lent Term, pupils turned their hand to photography for the House Photography Competition. There were some fabulous entries on our theme of “hope”, with three winners selected for each house. Well done to our 12 winners – you can see their snaps below – and particular congratulations to the Kakas, who were judged the overall winners of the competition by the Head of Art at The King’s School. Second place was awarded to the Cockas, with Keas and Macaws coming in third and fourth place respectively.
Martha (Year 5)
Lucinda (Year 3)
Michaela (Year 5)
Zara (Year 8)
Cockas
Marina (Year 3)
Keas
Abigail (Year 7)
Scheherazade (Year 6)
Caroline (Year 8)
Macaws
Juno (Year 3)
Ella (Year 4)
Ottilie (Year 6)
Thomas H (Year 8)
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House Pride
COCKAS It has been a slightly unusual year for the Cockas house and I have really missed the opportunity to meet with everyone each week for our House Assembly. With the wonders of technology, we have still managed to retain the house spirit. Perhaps the highlights of the year have been the Inter-House sporting events. Gathering together as a school back in the Autumn term for the Cross Country, we could all see how important the house system is to everyone. I was so impressed by how supportive everyone was of each other during an event that for some children, is extremely hard. Following the prolonged periods online during the Lent and Summer terms, it was equally rewarding to see the spirit of the Cockas house at Sports Day. We had some fantastic performances and everyone seemed to enjoy the day. I look forward to next year, where hopefully there will a resemblance of normality and perhaps a victory with the parrot! Mr Lapthorn, Head of Cockas
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House Pride
KAKAS We come to the end of a very different school year for all the houses. Sadly, we have missed out on many of the events that we would normally enjoy. However, it was a pleasure to watch everyone in Kakas race at Sports Day recently and see the whole school together for this event. We may have come second place for our points total but when it comes to determination, house spirit and sportsmanship we were winners! Well done to all of you for your hard work in the Lent term in winning the Parrot. Have we done enough this term to win again? At time of writing, it is unknown. I’d like to say a big thank you to Jasper and Hermione our Heads of House for everything they have done for Kakas. I’m keeping everything crossed for House Assemblies and events to resume in September as they once were and look forward to seeing you all together again. Mrs Chandler, Head of Kakas
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House Pride
KEAS It has been such a pleasure being a leader of the Keas this year. School life has been difficult at times as we have all struggled with the different challenges of being online. Yet the Keas have all supported each other and have made some wonderful memories too. Sports Day and the Cross Country events have been so special. We have safely gathered outside as Keas and enjoyed ourselves immensely. Every person in our house has contributed in so many different ways. From Sasha with her colourful Keas banner to Saku with his unbreakable positivity and confidence. Under the leadership of Sage and Joseph we have celebrated great moments both big and small. Their leaving speeches and advice will certainly stay with me for a long time. Those who have joined the house this year and those who are leaving the school have felt the sense of fun, support and friendship that comes with being a Kea. We hope that next year will go back to the old normal, but we shall never forget the experiences of this year and the experiences which we have all shared along the way. Mr McKeating, Head of Keas
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House Pride
MACAWS
It has been another successful year for the ‘Mighty Macaws’, albeit in slightly different circumstances. Back in September we were all delighted that we were physically in school and some more ‘normal’ events were able to take place. One of these events was cross country. We were in our year group bubbles but were able to cheer on all the fantastic runners in Macaws. Everyone did so well that day and it was great to win the whole event and lift the Cross Country shield once again! After Christmas we were forced back online and it was a shame that we did not manage to hold our swimming galas this year. Going into the summer term everyone was looking forward to getting back into school. It has been so lovely this term to watch the first mixed, boys and girls cricket house matches. The way the Macaws support each other on the sports field has been another highlight of mine this year. Our recent sports day was my main highlight of the whole year. Every single member of Macaws that took part gave 100% effort in every race. At the midway point we were in second place and everyone did so well to pull it back in the relays which resulted in the Macaws claiming a fantastic victory. Cross-country and Sports day doubles do not happen very often! Each and every Macaw should be proud of their efforts. I would like to thank Emily and Rahman for leading the Macaws so well as Heads of House this year. It was great to see you both lifting the trophy at sports day! A fitting end to an excellent year for those in green! Mr Smith, Head of Macaws
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Junior King’s Online
JUNIOR KING’S ONLINE Starting the Lent Term in Lockdown
As we were preparing to open the school to pupils once more for the start of the Lent Term in January, schools across the UK were once again asked to close their doors to help limit the further spread of the coronavirus in the community. After the success of our initial launch of the Junior King’s Online Eduction programme in the Summer Term of the previous year, teachers once again taught their lessons online, with pupils logging in for a comprehensive, creative remote education. Unlike the first full UK lockdown in 2020, on this occasion our Nursery was allowed to remain open, bringing life to a corner of our site and joining children of key workers, who we continued to care for through this second school closure.
Year 3 learned about springs and springy materials in Science, discovering that they could make musical instruments out of materials that vibrate to make a sound. Here are Henry and Cassiopea with their improvised instruments.
Our pupils proved adaptable, responsible and resilient in the face of this further lockdown, despite the mid-year disruption to their in-person teaching, and once again they impressed with their attitude to online learning, resulting in some truly excellent work. On the following pages, you will see a snapshot of what pupils accomplished away from their classrooms; a glimpse into a very different start to 2021.
Reception learned all about winter weather
Nursery kept winter at bay, reading in front of the “fire”
Pop Art by Pippa and Henry (Year 5)
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Junior King’s Online
A Boy’s Best Friend (A Sonnet) Maya and Nala my beautiful dogs. Ears like velvet and nose as black as night, They sleep all day and night and lay like logs. Walkies they love but give others a fright. Maya’s seven and comes up to my waist, Fawny brindle in colour with hazel eyes. Nala is ten weeks and goes around with haste, She dreams when she sleeps and takes deep sighs. They play ball and tug on thick knotted rope, They jump and bark at a knock on the door. I have to stay fit to allow me to cope, I teach them tricks and they give me their paw. Love and cherish, enjoy when we play, I have pride when they obey what I say.
Year 1 learned about life in and around castles and designed their own coats of arms. Here are Luca and Isabella modelling their work.
Oscar F (Year 7)
In DT, Years 7 and 8 designed and constructed phone stands Year 6 designed their very own seal rings in Latin. They learned through translation work that rings with a seal on the top were used to sign contracts on wax tablets in Ancient Rome. Designs here by Madhu and Yurino.
Year 2 learned about Sikhism. Unable to visit the impressive Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara in Gravesend as they would have done in normal times, pupils watched a video about it. Here are Rafferty, Amara and Daniel’s Nishan Sahib (Sikh flag), with the Khanda symbol carefully drawn on.
Devita and Serena’s (Year 4) river feature drawings for Geography
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Junior King’s Online
Nursery investigated ice in the school grounds
Year 5 undertook a design challenge in DT, building the tallest tower possible using only 10 sheets of A4 paper. Pupils had to think outside the box and get creative with limited resources. Great work here by Emma and Ciall.
Arcimboldo-inspired collages and compositions for Art by Hannah and George (Year 7)
Isabelle and Charlie R (Year 2) learning about 3D shapes in Maths
Year 3 studied the Egyptians through a range of creative activities, including making their own Pharaoh collars and constructing sarcophagi replicas; Zen, Findlay, Hajun and Jessica with their creations
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Junior King’s Online
Stefanie and James (Reception) practised their addition and subtraction skills with a board game
Maia and Olivia (Year 1) built towers for Rapunzel as part of their themed learning
Limerick There was a young pup called Basil Whose hair, when wet, would frazzle He loves going for a walk Chasing birds that squawk And flashing his white teeth in a dazzle Lewis (Year 4)
Limerick There once was a boy called Chip Who wanted a pancake to flip He tried it in Ealing It stuck to the ceiling And his kitchen turned into a tip! William (Year 4)
Year 8 made abstract collages to inspire compositions; work here by Alec and Wendy
In PSHE, Year 7 were challenged to try new things; here are Nehemiah, Bayo, Anaïs and Sophia’s new things
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Junior King’s Online
The Nursery children made a beautiful heart for all of their friends who were unable to attend school during the lockdown. The children loved staying in touch with their friends, near and far, through photos and videos. From New York to Switzerland, Wales to Canterbury, the heart symbolised how their missing friends remained a part of the Nursery community and how much they looked forward to being all together again.
Year 3 made illuminated positive message boards with interchangeable messages in DT. Lovely work here from Melody, Amory, Alex and Juno.
Ozzy (Year 6) created this fantastic comic to tell the story of the Peasants’ Revolt
THE PEASANTS REVOLT 1381 by Ozzy Durran 6M
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Junior King’s Online
Festival of Literature We very much enjoyed taking part in the Festival of Literature, which allowed us digital access to some wonderful author talks while we were all locked down at home. Different year groups had the chance to hear from writers such as Emily Hanna-Grazebrook, Anna McNuff, Joseph Coelho, Anthony McGowan, Matt Oldfield and more! Some great discussions and work came out of the talks, including some impressive creative writing! Some examples of work inspired by the talks can be found on this page.
Year 6 enjoyed Matt Oldfield’s sporty talk about his football books. They watched clips from an infamous penalty shoot-out and listened to the song ‘It’s Coming Home’ before writing about a tense football moment.
The Horror Pen It was down to the final penalty. Gareth Southgate was to take the strike that would carry England to the finals. As the team wished him good luck, he strode onto the pitch with his head held high. He picked up the ball, put it on the penalty spot and walked back slowly. He looked at all the corners of the goal and then straight at the goalie. Suddenly he ran hard and pelted the ball straight down the middle but the goalie saved it easily. That meant that if the Germans scored now they would go to the final and England would not!
Mrs Holland’s Year 7 EAL English group had a go at writing their own rondel poems, inspired by Joseph Coelho’s talk.
A Place I’d Like To Go There is a place I’d like to go So much to see, so much to write. The mountains are a wonderful sight But when I want to go The Government says no. Even if it’s just one night There is a place I’d like to go So much to see, so much to write. Mountains covered in snow Such delight Powdery and bright Melted below There is a place I’d like to go So much to see, so much to write.
The crowd gasped with disappointment as the German player stepped up to the “P” spot and kissed the ball for extra luck. He put the ball down, then stepped back by five. He looked where he wanted the ball to go and shot the ball in the top right corner! We all knew what this meant... Germany would go on to the final. And England would just watch. Kit (Year 6)
Bobby (Year 7)
Year 4 listened to Emma Yarlett’s talk and learned how to draw the Dragon Post dragon! The Chronicle 2020-21 | 101
Junior King’s Online Let it Snow snow arrived in Blanketing most of Kent in glittering white, down days. Pupils February to relieve us from grey winter lock workers in school at home in the local area and children of key in their photos by made the very most of the occasion and sent ds in The Week. the snow plough-load to share with their frien
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Junior King’s Online
Year 8 celebrated Chinese New Year in Maths by making shapes using the ancient tangram Chinese dissection puzzle
Reception read the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Pupils learned how to make porridge in Maths (Kiara enjoyed trying a selection of toppings) and here is Kaylan with his Goldilocks paper plate. Year 4 built their own robots for DT. Each homemade robot have to have a simple machine and at least one moving part. Work here by Kayesha and Darius.
Year 2 learned about Valentines Day; here’s Gabrielle with her heart biscuits and Charlie S with his handmade card
Mitzi with her bear chair, created for a Year 1 STEM challenge
Year 5 made posters on the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism. Here’s Dhiya’s.
Year 6 produced their own work inspired by their Aboriginal art topic. Designs here created by Lili and Chloe. The Chronicle 2020-21 | 103
Speech Day
SPEECH DAY Words from our Year 8 Speech Day Service
Mrs Emma Károlyi, Head
T
his is a particularly special moment for us all to be together again in celebration, parents, pupils and staff for the first time in over 15 months. Today is an occasion for us to say thank you for another school year together. A chance for us to celebrate our lovely school, to appreciate each other’s achievements and successes, and to reflect on the last academic year. And, my goodness, what a year it has been – we have all lived through a global pandemic! Throughout the most challenging of years, Junior King’s has remained a caring and special place. Our core value of kindness, and the school values of resilience, responsibility, readiness, and respect have remained a central rock of stability while other things, around us changed so much. Now, how many of you enjoy doing jigsaws? I LOVE doing jigsaws. 104 | The Chronicle 2020-21
As you know, all the pieces in a jigsaw are of equal importance.
special things about your time
Our school is like a jigsaw puzzle in many ways. Each piece of the Junior King’s jigsaw represents a different department or section, made up of groups of important people. Just like a puzzle that is unfinished, no one part of the school can work properly without the others being there. We need to join all the different departments and parts together for the school to run smoothly.
I hope that you will look back on
One of those pieces of the jigsaw are our parents. You play a really key role in our school. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for giving your children the best head start at Junior King’s. Another very special and central piece of the JKS jigsaw to make the picture whole represents all of you. All our pupils!
you have learned at JKS:
Year 8, you have all been amazing and a wonderful year group, always setting a fine example to the rest of the school.
things at your next school. Not
We have all been on quite a journey together, through the ups and downs of the year, and in and out of isolations, but we have had fun together along the way too. You are at a significant point in your lives. You have reached the top of the Prep School. It may not seem quite real yet, especially for those who have been here since Pre-Prep. Suddenly, you are leaving. Everybody here in this room can probably name more than a few
at this school. your time at Junior King’s with happiness and affection. Your teachers have given so much of their time and energy to ensure that you are happy, that you achieve and succeed. So, as you start your next journey, remember to equip yourself with these three things ‘Carpe diem’ - Seize the day! Life is precious. Make the most of every day and don’t waste time. When you get to the end of each day, reflect on all that you have achieved. Keep that love of learning you have now and, go on and try new only will it stimulate your mind, but it will open up many new and exciting opportunities. Remember our Junior King’s value of kindness. Your actions and words should always be rooted in kindness and humility. This will help you find deeper contentment and happiness in life. All that remains is for me to wish you all well, and to have a lovely summer holiday.
Speech Day
The Very Reverend Dr Robert Willis Dean of Canterbury
A
s Dean of the Cathedral and also Chair of Governors of Junior King’s School, it’s wonderful to be able to speak to you all online, virtually as we say, and have learned to say. Normally, at this time of year, we would have gathered as a community of Junior King’s in the Cathedral for an end-ofyear service when we would have been singing together and having lots of contributions. But most of our work, this year, has had to be online and that is how I am addressing you this morning. We have had times in the last 12 months when we couldn’t even be together and all our teaching was done online, magnificently by the staff here and I know we all feel a huge debt of gratitude to the staff for teaching online and teaching at the same time when we’ve come back to school in two completely different methods. That’s quite a hard thing to do and your focus changes, but let’s all think about what this year has taught us as well because there have been some good lessons. One of the lessons, I think, has been that we have learned to appreciate so many things that before, we
simply took for granted and at the highest part of that list, I would say, we took it for granted that we would always be able to be together, meet our friends, be in the classroom with our teachers, be able to travel and see other people and suddenly, all that stopped, and we found ourselves in lockdown – a new word, and we had to get used to that. As we did so, we began to miss the fact of coming together. Of course, we can do things online and that is wonderful, but it is not quite the same as the excitement of being together in groups. So that we shall look forward to again, but at the same time, when we were in lockdown, we tended to learn different kinds of skills to keep ourselves amused, and I am not talking just about members of the school. I mean people from all over the world, because they suddenly found themselves all by themselves, if they lived alone. Many of them learned different skills of creativity and had a rethink about their lives and how they wanted it to be after we come out of this because God has given us unique creative skills and sometimes we can learn them quite far on in life. But I am sure all of you too will have been doing things which have been enjoyable and at the same time, at the back of your mind, thinking, I wish I could be doing this with so and so. Well, I don’t think it is too long before we shall be able to do that. But, at the same time as I hinted about people right across the world, one of the lessons we have learned is that we have all shared this crisis together as a human race. It’s not just something that has happened to
England; it’s not just something that has happened to the United Kingdom, nor to Europe, it has happened everywhere and people have shared resources as best they can. We are better at taking down barriers and having a global concern for the beauty and life of our planet. The silence, which suddenly fell when aeroplanes stopped flying overhead and traffic stopped outside because we were all in lockdown, was something of a gift because it caused us to look around, and last summer was very beautiful. This summer has been a bit wet and cool but we remember looking around and seeing the beauty of this planet, and knowing that it can be attacked by dangers like this pandemic and knowing how we can take steps to protect it. That’s a really big subject, but it is a life-long subject too. Yes, this has been a hard time and it’s so good to be together and know that the health of the school and the vitality of the school is still here. But at the same time, let’s not forget these have been special times and let’s learn some of the lessons of collaborative behaviour, looking after one another and finding gifts that we didn’t know we had inside us of creativity of different sorts because those are precious lessons. As we step forward into a new academic year then let’s say, as we always do to the leavers, please don’t worry. You are still in our hearts and minds and every end is a new beginning. May it be so for us all as we come out of this pandemic and go into the future together
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Speech Day
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Farewell
FAREWELL . . . and Thank You to Year 8
8M 8L
8S
8SK
Thank You to Those Who Undertook Positions of Responsibility This Year Pani (Head Girl)
Charlie B
Jasper J
Sabrina
Theo (Head Boy)
Chiara
Jasper S
Sage
Ruby (Head of Juckes)
Emily P
Joseph
Samuel C
Youmans (Head of Kipling)
Emily Y
Leo
Thomas H
Erik
Molly
Wendy
Adrian
Flavia
Olivia
William
Alex
Georgia
Onize
Xiao Xiao
Archie
Hermione
Rahman
Zara
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Farewell
Mrs Willatts, Teacher
Mr Wilson, Teacher
Mrs Willatts has been an inspiration at Junior King’s as a Drama teacher, producing outstanding work with pupils and nurturing their theatrical talents. Mrs Willatts leaves us to work for the Institute of Cultural and Creative Industries at the University of Kent, where she will be coordinating and delivering all of the community engagement and outreach work across Kent.
In his time at Junior King’s, Mr Wilson has been an invaluable staff member who has contributed so much to the wider life of the school. He has been an inspirational teacher, loved by the children, and was greatly missed on his departure in December. In addition to his teaching, in his last year and a half at Junior King’s, Mr Wilson was an extremely successful Head of PSHE. We wish him well for his new life in south-west France with his family.
Mr Miller, Head of Fencing
Miss Perruca, Assistant Tutor
In 19 years working as our Head of Fencing, Mr Miller has made an outstanding contribution to the life of the sport at our school, which has gone from strength to strength under his enthusiastic and inspirational leadership. Mr Miller leaves us for Shanghai to join Dulwich College Pudong as their Head of Fencing and we wish him all the very best in his new role.
Over the last two years,
Mrs Lovegrove-Bacon, Marketing Assistant
Mr Shingleton, Assistant Tutor
In her time at Junior King’s, Mrs Lovegrove-Bacon has played an important role in revamping the design of both The Week and The Chronicle, as well as acting as editor for both. She has also provided assistance on the website and run our different social media platforms. We wish her luck in her new role as a Content Editor for an educational institute.
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Miss Perruca has made a big
contribution
to
the
languages department and to the bilingual children she has so ably assisted, but also to the boarding community. She has greatly enjoyed her time at Junior King’s, and it will always remain a special two years for her. She will be greatly missed by colleagues and pupils.
Mr Shingleton has been a very loyal and reliable staff member who has enjoyed all aspects of working at Junior King’s, both in the school, in the boarding community and on the sports pitches. We have all greatly benefitted from his time here. We wish him the very best for his teaching career ahead and his sport. He will be missed by everyone in the community.
Farewell
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Farewell
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Sturry, Canterbury CT2 0AY registrar@junior‑kings.co.uk | +44 (0)1227 714 000 www.junior‑kings.co.uk
