Another superb term in the short history of Kents Hill Park School has flown by again. Well done to all the new Year 7 and Year 3 pupils who have settled so quickly and positively. It doesn’t seem like five minutes since they all nervously walked through the doors in September. It really feels like a ‘proper’ school now as all the year groups interact as part of our widening community. Year 8 and Year 4 pupils have also been excellent role models and welcomed everybody into the ‘KHP way’.

Our new teaching and support staff have also started fantastically well, and it is nice to have to find a larger room for our meetings as we continue to grow. We are already beginning the recruitment process for next year’s staff and pupils, so do please share our details and success with anyone you feel may be interested. New posts will appear regularly on our website.

Way back in September we started the year with an exciting day of activities for Year 7 at the Caldecotte centre. Abseiling, canoeing, caving, sailing and archery to name a few, really challenged the pupils and helped the important job of beginning to bond with their form. Year 8s also completed a First Aid course in school and learnt some really important life skills.

 

Our sporting success continued this year as our Year 8 girls won the MK Rounders League final, further adding to our already impressive trophy cabinet. I keep reminding the Year 8 pupils that this is a cohort of 120 pupils who regularly outperform schools with a much larger cohort of pupils to select from and shows the commitment and ethos the school has developed. Even the staff like to show their sporting prowess, with six staff completing the Silverstone 10K in a range of times!

Our links with the primary phase and our all-through philosophy continue to grow as Year 7 and Year 8 pupils support Year 4 and Year 3 pupils with their literacy and numeracy skills. It teaches them so much more than just academic skills and it is wonderful to see how they support and encourage each other.

We have also held our Year 6 Open Evening this term, which was extremely well attended and have conducted many tours as parents visit us to see the school in action on a daily basis. Similarly, our Year 7 curriculum evening was also well attended and gave an overview as to how and why we teach and deliver our curriculum in the way we do. The Year 8 curriculum Evening will be on 27th November.

The curriculum is far more than just what happens in the classroom, and trips play an important part of that. This term we have not only taken all of Year 7 to Caldecotte, but also taken Year 8 pupils to the Royal Opera House on two occasions. For all pupils, this was their first time at one the world’s premier venues, but for many it was also the first time on the Tube and into Covent Garden. We saw the Don Giovanni opera and Manon Ballet, and were blown away on both occasions by the skill and artistry of the performers. Sitting for three and a half hours and listening to people sing is also a skill in itself!

The children have responded really well to the introduction of Prep this year and are managing their own work and learning well. We are definitely seeing the benefit of the additional time that it gives them through the quality of work and knowledge retained by the pupils.

It has been another hugely busy and rewarding term and I know that we are ready for a well-deserved break.

Have a great half-term.

James Pilgrim
Headteacher

Categories