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Education in 2020
WHETHER YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT SCHOOLS OR COLLEGES, EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES OR TUTORING, OUR EDUCATION GUIDE IS PACKED WITH USEFUL INFORMATION.
KINGSWOOD SCHOOL Lansdown, Bath Kingswood Prep School is situated on a magnificent 100-acre site, a short distance from the Senior School. It embodies a bucolic atmosphere, with open fields and plenty of space for the children to explore. A familyfriendly day and boarding school, Kingswood balances academic rigour and real objectives for all pupils with pastoral care that was rated ‘excellent’ in their latest inspection report. The Senior School meanwhile has the highest aspirations for all pupils. Within a community that promotes the importance of shared values, they encourage a real enthusiasm for learning and a spirit of enquiry. Firmly based on Christian principles, Kingswood is a happy, vibrant and forward-looking school. Intellectual achievement is highly valued, and the pursuit of excellence in other fields is central to the School's commitment to provide the very
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best all-round education. You can have a virtual tour online or book a spot on their COVID-19 safe
Kingswood prizes intellectual achievement alongside a pursuit of excellence in other fields
Open Events. The Sixth Form Open Evening takes place on Tuesday 29 September and the Whole Senior School Open Morning is on Saturday 3 October. The Prep School and Nursery Open Days are on Thursday 1 October. If you are interested in any of these events, complete the appropriate event registration form on the website. • kingswood.bath.sch.uk
ST MARGARET'S PREP SCHOOL Curzon Street, Calne SN11 0DF St Margaret’s is a thriving independent day school for boys and girls, sharing a site with St Mary’s, Calne. Entry is from 3 years when children join Kindergarten and children move to senior school at the end of Year 6 when they are aged 11.
Your child will learn in a safe, nurturing environment and spend each day in modern, stimulating and purposebuilt teaching spaces. 30 acres of campus and offsite facilities means there’s space to explore, learn, play, let off steam, relax, think and grow.
Teaching throughout the school is tailored to meet the needs of the individual child. Children
are encouraged to reflect and evaluate their own learning and, with support, identify their next steps. Specialist teachers offer a wide range of experiences and as a result, the teaching delivers truly personalised learning for each child. An extensive range of technology enhances learning across the curriculum.
St Margaret's packs excitement and fun learning experiences into every day
Of course you want your child to be happy, alongside giving them the best possible start in life. They will join a school with real spirit and energy, which lives each day to the full. Excitement and learning experiences are purposefully packed into every moment.
Find out more by registering for their next Open Morning on Thursday 8 October. Due to current guidelines, the plan is to hold two virtual events, however, if restrictions are relaxed, they will hold the Open Morning at St Margaret's at 9.30am.
The first virtual event will take place at 10am and will be an Early Years Open Morning. This is designed for parents whose child would be entering Kindergarten or Reception. The second virtual event will take place at 4pm and is for parents who currently have child(ren) at school and who are in Year 1 or above. • stmargaretsprep.org.uk
STONAR SCHOOL Cottles Park, Atworth SN12 8NT A co-educational day and boarding school that goes from Nursery to Sixth Form, the school is highly ambitious for its pupils, providing a nurturing education which brings out the best in every child. Pupils benefit from exceptional teaching, strong relationships and great facilities, including an outstanding equestrian centre, all in beautiful Wiltshire countryside, yet within easy reach of Bath.
If you are a prospective family looking for a school for your child, the Admissions Office is open and members of the team are available to talk to you. The team can also arrange for video meetings with the Headmaster Matt Way, Head of Prep and other senior academic staff. In addition, they are also able to offer a limited number of pre-booked tours in line with social distancing requirements.
Stonar are also hosting a virtual whole school open morning on Saturday 26 September at 10am. Families can join the virtual meeting, hear from the Headmaster, meet teachers and pupils and ask them questions about life at Stonar. For more information please call 01225 701741 or email admissions@ stonarschool.com. • stonarschool.com
TUTORING
KIP MCGRATH 45 Castle Street, Trowbridge Kip McGrath provide professional tuition in English and maths to children aged 6 - 11 and science to secondary school children in Wiltshire. They aim to provide the best specialist facilities and professional expertise to help children realise their potential in English, reading, writing, spelling, maths and science. Children can study at their centre or via a bespoke interactive online platform. Whilst studying, students grow in confidence as they are provided with a programme that is tailored specifically for them, with any new or difficult concepts clearly and patiently explained. Kip McGrath’s
tutors find that increased confidence can have a massive impact on a child's progress, and this can affect all subjects.
All tutors at Kip McGrath Trowbridge are fully qualified, DBS checked teachers. What’s more they provide feedback on a regular basis so parents can see how their child is improving. “We emphasise the positive aspects with every child so outright failure is eliminated. Kip McGrath Education Centres provide an opportunity to repair self-esteem and confidence, in an atmosphere of encouragement where learning can be fun,” said Centre Director Matt Hughes. To find out more call the Trowbridge office on 01225 777514 or email trowbridge@kipmcgrath.co.uk • kipmcgrath.co.uk/trowbridge
KUMON Frome Frome Kumon Instructor, Susan Gatward, continued working with students in online classes throughout the COVID -19 crisis to ensure they received the continuity and progression in their learning that is so crucial during this unprecedented time.
Children now have the option to work at the Kumon Centre, in small distanced groups, or online if they prefer. There is also currently the option of a free trial.
Susan said: "The children have continued with their structured daily home studies. I am so impressed with how they have adapted to a new way of working with me online and we will continue to offer this to families who would prefer not to attend the centre.
Progress has continued in line with targets and at Kumon's recent online awards ceremony there were over 80
DBD Play specialises in outdoor play and learning
awards for children working ahead of the level expected for their age. This included eight students who have reached GCSE level while still in primary school." If you would like more information about Kumon Study or the Free Trial, please call Susan on 07930 127919. • kumon.co.uk PLAYTIME DBD PLAY Dbdplay specialises in the design and installation of school playgrounds. They are passionate about creating outdoor environments that stimulate learning and discovery, as well as activity and play. Their range includes equipment that encourages Active Play such as Jungle Climbers, Towers and Timber Trails. To inspire curious minds the Imaginative and Creative range includes Mud Kitchens, Story Telling Chairs and Bug Hotels. They offer a comprehensive range of outdoor classrooms and canopies to extend the learning environment or provide a shelter for waiting parents. A key range is also fencing, storage and furniture, particularly considering COVID-19, as schools have been required to create separate zones for different bubbles. Finally, they offer surfacing and landscaping ,which is critical if you want to ensure your playground is accessible and mud
free all year round. The best place to start is with a meeting, from this we will prepare a proposal including scale plan and detailed quotation. Call today on 01249 470100 to start your playground development. • dbdplay.com
You can learn 8 different languages at the FLC FOREIGN LANGUAGES CENTRE University of Bath The Foreign Languages Centre at the University of Bath offers foreign language courses for members of the general public. The courses are in 8 different foreign languages: Arabic, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Brazilian Portuguese and Spanish. They conveniently run during the day, at lunchtime or in the evening to suit the needs of everyone.
The teachers are qualified language teachers, with years of experience teaching at every level. The courses are offered in the fantastic setting of the University of Bath Claverton Down campus or at the University Virgil Building on Manvers Street. The classrooms at the university have been recently refurbished and they are equipped with up-to-date teaching technology.
The courses, which usually last 10 or 11 weeks, will start this September. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn a foreign language in a friendly, but effective manner! • bath.ac.uk/flc
NEW HEAD AT KINGSWOOD SCHOOL
ANDREW GORDON-BROWN has been appointed the new Headmaster at Kingswood Senior School and takes up the position on September 1, 2020.
CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND? The gift of growing up in a loving family, as the second of four children, has been the single most defining element of my life. It underpins the optimistic, down to earth person I aim to be. My first few years of life were in Cape Town before we relocated to Johannesburg where I went to school. This was in the 70s and 80s during the height of apartheid South Africa. With the benefit of hindsight, this experience has instilled in me an appreciation of the importance of young people being exposed to the major stories facing the world today if they are to effect positive change.
My adolescent years were characterised by a fair degree of fear of missing out, so I got stuck into school sport, music and drama and plenty of socialising with friends. My undergraduate years were at the University of Cape Town where I came away with an honours degree in Commerce and a contract with Deloitte to complete my articles to qualify as a chartered accountant. It is UCT I have to thank for the discovery that my physiological makeup was rather suited to rowing, a sport which was to dominate the next 10 years of my life. Rowing took me to the Olympic Games in 1992 and to Oxford University which is where I met Harriet, both of us studying for a Master of Science degree. We have been married for 23 years and have
Kingswood School is situated on a magnificent 200-acre site in Lansdown, Bath
been blessed with three children, all now teenagers.
Between 1994 and 2003 I worked first in management consulting and then in the City as an investment banker at UBS and JP Morgan, before seeing the light and switching career to become a teacher.
YOU INITIALLY WORKED OUTSIDE OF THE WORLD OF EDUCATION. WHAT BENEFITS DO YOU THINK THAT HAS BROUGHT TO YOUR APPROACH? Having worked in different industry sectors in different roles on different continents gives me an ambition on behalf of my pupils that they too should have the chance to gain the qualifications and develop the character to be in a position to respond to a good opportunity, wherever in the world that may be. Secondly, my experience in the world of banking and finance is unusual in a Headmaster and gives me an insight in education as a business and, I hope the ability to take a progressive and entrepreneurial approach to moving the School forward.
WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO THE POST AT KINGSWOOD? My initial perception of Kingswood as a fine school with a great ethos in a lovely part of the world was more than confirmed during my very first visit where I was struck by the palpable sense of community, the pride and loyalty of the staff and the unpretentious pupils. This is the kind of environment where I’m sure I will feel at home.
WHAT PARTICULAR STRENGTHS DOES THE SCHOOL HAVE? Hard wired into the School’s DNA is a
belief that children develop best in a caring family community. I love the inclusive ethos where excellence in all its forms is pursued.
WHAT DO YOU SEE IT AS YOUR ROLE TO IMPROVE? Ask me this question again in a year’s time once I have had a chance to look, listen and find out. Every Head’s main desire is to leave a school a bit better than he or she found it. Simon Morris hands over an excellent school, my job is to move it forward, ensuring that each child continues to have an excellent education of breadth and balance.
YOU HAVE TRAINED AS AN ELITE ATHLETE - IS SPORT PARTICIPATION AND EXCELLENCE PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT TO YOU? The short answer is yes. But, it’s about a whole lot more than sport. I know from personal experience that finding and fulfilling talents (whatever they may be) is life changing and so the importance of each child at Kingswood having the chance to learn as much outside the classroom as inside it will always be one of my mantras.
WHAT ARE THE KEY BENEFITS OF AN EDUCATION AT KINGSWOOD? When you choose Kingswood you are joining a lifelong community of past and present pupils, parents, staff and other stakeholders. You are buying into an ethos that cares about the wellbeing of each child and offers an education of breadth, balance and excellence that will prepare them pre-eminently for work and service in society.
DO YOU HAVE ANY UPCOMING OPEN DAYS WHERE WE CAN LOOK AROUND THE SCHOOL? We have several Autumn Term events for Sixth Form on Tuesday 29 September, for Prep School and Nursery on Thursday 1 October and for the Senior School on Saturday 3 October. Please check out our website for further details.
See the website for full details on open events and for the information on the admissions process for the Nursery, Prep and Senior School.
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