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News from the Hill Issue 05, Michaelmas 2024

News from the Hill Issue 02, Michaelmas 2023

KHS Scouts Page 2

In this issue...

The Art of Debating

Spotlight on STEM

Hockey Tour to Lisbon

Armistice Day 2024

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Word from the Head One of the four key themes embedded in our culture here at Kingham Hill is resilience. It is important to us that our pupils develop their ability to keep going - treating success and failure as equally important learning opportunities. Our pupils are encouraged to step out of their comfort zone and have a go, whether that is persevering in the classroom when a subject is challenging, or taking on a co-curricular activity and learning new skills. Our 1st Formers were challenged to show their resilience early on in their Kingham Hill careers in September when they embarked on a residential trip to Rock UK Summit Centre in South Wales (see page 4). On their return we were delighted to hear the many examples of how the pupils supported each other and encouraged each other to success whilst participating in a range of challenging activities. Debating has also made a welcome return to School. Speaking in front of audience, putting forward a point of view and developing the ability to respond to questions whilst thinking on your feet is certainly something that requires a huge amount of resilience (see page 3). Resilience was also a quality that was much in evidence on the sports field this term, as our various sports teams competed against other schools and showed huge commitment in both their training sessions and their fixtures, realising that it’s not always the win that counts. It was a pleasure to recognise some of these achievements at our annual Hockey Awards in December (see page 7). I’m sure that in 2025 we will see many more examples of our pupils’ resilience, as they achieve small “wins” every day, as well as learn from experience when things may not go exactly to plan!

Pete Last Headmaster

Scouting Returns to Kingham Hill This academic year scouting has returned to Kingham Hill! It was a pleasure to welcome 1st Form Parents to School on the last day of the half term as we held the Scout Promise Investiture for our newly formed Scout group. There is a long tradition of Scouts at Kingham with the first group being traced back to 1908. It is very exciting to be running Scouts again and we were delighted to welcome Sarah Joiner, the Lead Scout Volunteer for the West Oxfordshire District, along with Hillian, Nick Holmes to the Ceremony. Kingham Scout Leader, Mr Waghorn, spoke about the importance of the skills that 1st Form will learn through their participation in scouting and the challenges and adventures

that will be on offer. The pupils will be working towards the completion of the Chief Scout’s Gold Award, which requires them to earn six activity badges and also complete nine challenge awards. After the pupils had made their Scout Promise and received their scarves (which are in the traditional colours of the KHS Scouts), Hillian, Nick Holmes, spoke about his experience of scouting at Kingham. He talked about his tremendous enjoyment of the activities he had been involved in, along with his thankfulness for the feeling of camaraderie of belonging to the group with his friends. He told the 1st Formers that the two most important things that you get from

being a Scout are the skills that you learn and the way that it aids the development of character. Mr Holmes has kindly donated his original Scout uniform to Kingham Hill so that it can be framed and kept as a reminder of the history of Scouts within the School. In their sessions this term the pupils have already covered a range of key skills through activities including climbing, archery, knot tying, sewing, photography, making paper aeroplanes and volunteer litter picking. They also sang at our Junior Carol Service, performing a lovely rendition of “Away in a Manger” as part of their work towards achieving their “Creativity Badge”.

Public Speaking and Debating

Brecon Peaks Challenge With a small amount of fear and trepidation, six Cadets (from 4th to Sixth Form) set off from Kingham to complete the Brecon Peaks Challenge in early September. Over three days, they completed a range of hikes, over challenging terrain including valleys, long ridges, steep descents, mountain peaks and some off the path navigating. All the while they were entirely self-sufficient – cooking over stoves and wild camping!

Lecture Series The finals of both our Junior Public Speaking and Debating Competition, as well as our Senior Public Speaking competition took place towards the end of term. Pupils, parents and staff came along to watch the competitions, along with the judging panel of Mr Last, Mr Williams and Mrs Berkeley. In the Junior Public Speaking Competition Seven speakers from 1st Form took to the floor, talking for approximately 3 minutes on a range of topics including animal welfare, being a twin, what it is like to be part of a military family, and why a four day school week could be better for everyone. The Junior Debating Final saw a team of pupils from 2nd Form take on a team from 3rd Form as they debated the motion “This House believes that historic statues should be taken down if they are no longer found to be positive role models.” The proposition (2nd Form) and the opposition (3rd Form) put forward some well thought out arguments both for and against the motion.

The Senior Public Speaking saw 4 groups of our 4th, 5th and Sixth Form pupils take on the challenge of speaking about an individual theme: Risk Taking Behaviour, Fake it Until You Make It, Nature vs Nurture and Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone. For each of the speeches there was a Chairperson, a Main Speaker and a Proposer of the Vote of Thanks. The judging panel provided all our speakers with some very useful individual and group feedback. Headmaster, Mr Last commented: “The ability to speak well before others is not just a skill - it’s a gift that allows us to inspire, lead, and create meaningful change. It is so good to see Kingham Hill pupils learning to cultivate this skill. The standard on both evenings was equally high and I commend every single pupil who pushed themselves to be part of these events. I am grateful to Mr Lee, Head of English, for reinvigorating Public Speaking and Debating here on the Hill.”

The KHS Lecture Series was back in action in this term. In October we welcomed historian and author Dominic Sandbrook, who delivered a very interesting talk on Post War Britain, taking us through a ‘Top Ten’ of Political Moments since 1945. In November we were joined by theologian and historian, Reverend Doctor Richard Turnbull who talked to us about the life and work of Lord Shaftesbury (1801-1885), a social reformer and one of the great figures of 19th Century Britain.

Heart Dissection In October our Upper Sixth Biologists went to Kingham Primary School to lead the Year 6 pupils through a heart dissection. Our pupils really enjoyed sharing the knowledge they had gained in the lab here at school with the younger children. It was also a great way for them to develop their leadership skills and help to inspire others to love Science!

Equipped to Flourish Pupil Talks Equipped to Flourish (ETF) is the foundation upon which everything we do at Kingham Hill is built, underpinned by the School’s informal motto, ‘work hard, play hard, serve well’. Its themes are woven into every aspect of school life with the aim of supporting our pupils as they grow and develop in character, enabling them to flourish both at school and beyond. Pupils have weekly ETF sessions, and for 4th to Sixth Form pupils this often takes the form of a lecture by a visiting speaker about a particular topic. A variety of topics have been covered this term including a visit from Patrick Foster who came to talk to pupils about making positive choices. Patrick is a former professional cricketer, insurance broker and school teacher whose life took a wrong turn

due to a serious gambling addiction. During the sessions with our pupils he talked about the dangers of addiction, the ways in which young people can protect themselves, and what to do if they need support. His main message was that if you have a problem with anything in life you should ask for help. The earlier that a problem is addressed, the easier it is to fix.

wanted to follow her true passion and forge a career in Gospel music. She is now Music and Another inspiring speaker was Anu Omideyi. Festival Director at Liverpool Lighthouse and Her theme was ‘Finding Your Path in Life’ the Co-Chair of the Gospel Music Industry and she shared her own story about how Alliance UK. Anu’s presentation was hugely she embarked on a career in law and inspiring for our pupils and showed that it is practised for 15 years as a highly successful possible to choose who you want to be in life, Criminal Lawyer. She achieved a lot of and achieve the goals you set yourself, success in her field, however, when a life when you are motivated and prepared event made her re-evaluate what was to work hard. important to her, she decided that she 3

Teamwork and Adventures for 1st Form Towards the end of September each year, Head of Lower School, Mr Oatridge, along with the Chaplain, Mr Hutchings and the Assistant Chaplain, Mrs Martin, take all of the 1st Form away for a three day residential. It is an opportunity for the year group to have time away from school where they can make friendships and lasting memories. It is always an incredibly rewarding time, and this year was no different! The group stayed at the Rock UK Summit Centre in South Wales. From crate stacking (more exciting than it sounds!), to climbing, canoeing and kayaking – they were all kept extremely busy. They also enjoyed some downtime together, playing games and watching films.

As well as taking part in all the activities, our 1st Formers also spent some time thinking about humility, kindness and teamwork - three attributes which we aim to instil and develop in all our pupils. Following their return, Mr Oatridge commented, “I was so impressed to see all of the pupils ‘giving it a go’ which is one of the things I have encouraged them to do each day since joining our school family. ‘I can’t do it yet, but I can give it a go’, is a really helpful mindset to have whether in lessons, on the sports pitch, in activities, boarding houses, at home and beyond.”

Culture Day We are lucky as a school community to have both pupils and staff from all over the world amongst us, so we wanted to celebrate that and learn a little bit more about our different heritages. Just after half term, we held Culture Day, when pupils and staff were invited to come to school dressed in clothing that represented their home nation or family heritage. It was lovely to see a variety of outfits on show, including some traditional dress representing Bavaria and Zimbabwe. During the day, pupils were invited to mark their family connections by placing a sticker on a world map. It is wonderful to see that our community is truly international.

Da Vinci Decathlon

Spotlight on STEM: Williams Racing In early December, Kingham Hill Cadets and Sixth Form Engineering students had the unforgettable opportunity to experience cutting-edge technology and innovation at Williams Racing. In the Heritage Museum, pupils admired the iconic cars that have delivered victories since Williams’ first season as a constructor in 1978, right through to present day. As the group handled various car components and appreciated the thought behind each element, the evolution of Formula One technology was explained by tour guide, Daniel. The group was even fortunate enough to examine the steering wheel from the car that took George Russell to the podium at the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix! In the esports lounge, pupils put their own racing skills to the test, competing across Abu Dhabi, Silverstone, Austria and Monaco. The impressive simulators require around half the pedal force of a genuine Formula One car and Williams Racing employs 30 professional esports drivers. Winners can be split by a tenth of a second! From behind the wheel to the boardroom, pupils were tasked to build crumple zones 4

for car nose cones. As a team of designers, mechanical engineers, finance managers and project managers, the groups designed, built, tested and refined their products from composite materials. Each team was required to adhere to size regulations and a budget of £100,000 for developing, manufacturing, and testing on the Williams Crash Test Rig. The day provided a fantastic insight into the motorsport industry and career opportunities available to individuals who study STEM subjects. Whilst 3rd Form begin to carefully consider their GCSE options, pupils in the Sixth Form continue to explore their post-school pathways.

In October eight 3rd Formers, together with Mr Savage, went to Oxford Trinity College to take part in the International Competition ‘Da Vinci Decathlon’. The Decathlon is an academic competition designed to challenge and stimulate the minds of school students. Our pupils competed with a number of other teams across 10 disciplines: engineering, mathematics, code breaking, art and poetry, science, English, ideation, creative producers, cartography and legacy. Well done to all involved!

Beekeeping Club It was a relatively slow start to the beekeeping year, due to hive losses over winter and cooler weather in May. However, the members of the KHS Beekeeping Club have been rewarded for their patience as they spun a number of frames of honey in November, which they then bottled just in time for Christmas!

UCAS Create Your Future Exhibition A group of Sixth Form pupils visited the UCAS Create Your Future Exhibition at the ExCel Centre in London in October. It was an amazing experience, providing them with the opportunity to discuss creative courses at different Universities and Institutions. It was a highly informative day and pupils left feeling that they had acquired a lot of useful information to enable them to make informed decisions about their futures, knowing more about the amazing opportunities that await in the creative industries.

Visitors from India In the first week of November we had the pleasure of playing host to 15 pupils and their teachers from three different schools in India. The Indian pupils spent time attending lessons alongside our own pupils and the teachers observed the differences between the British and Indian education systems. A highlight of their visit was the Indian Dance Extravaganza during which our visitors shared with us different aspects of their culture and heritage.

CCF Regimental Dinner Our annual CCF Contingent Dinner took place in October. It was a wonderful occasion providing an opportunity for all those involved in CCF at school, along with some guests, to come together and share in a delicious formal meal. We were privileged to welcome Maj James S. Young as our guest of honour for the event. Throughout his career, Maj Young has served as a Flight Commander, Squadron Operations Officer, Wing Executive Officer, and Major Command Headquarters Squadron Commander. He has completed

multiple combat deployments throughout the Middle East and it was very interesting for all those present to hear him speak about his experiences of military life. During the dinner some promotions were presented and the following positions confirmed: the Cadet Head of Corps - CSM Megson, the Cadet Head of Army - CSgt Thompson and the Cadet Head of RAF - FSgt Vickers. We look forward to seeing their leadership skills in action over the rest of this academic year.

Talking Science Fiction with 3rd Form In mid-November, author Olivia Levez paid us a visit to speak to 3rd Form about all things writing, science fiction, and aliens. Giving pupils an insight into her process as a writer, Olivia delved into the craft of character development, and technique of method writing. “When writing The Island, I foraged like my main character, and lived mainly on coconut water, porridge and Cuppa Soup. I found many weird and wonderful survival tips when researching this book” the author explained. After years of English teaching, Olivia decided it was about time she wrote a book of her own. She now works freelance as an author, tutor and mentor for students with under-resourced backgrounds. Her

books for teens have been described as “contemporary, page-turning and a little bit heart-breaking.” Impressed with 3rd Form’s questions and enthusiasm, Olivia commented “I loved visiting Kingham Hill School on a very snowy day to talk to the 3rd Form. My top tips for any budding writers would be, first of all, write everyday - you can use writing prompts that you can find online. The one that I used today was ‘I could rule the world but...’ The second tip is make sure you’ve got a support network. So, if you’ve got any friends that love writing, read each other’s stuff, give each other feedback, and make sure you encourage each other to write.”

Scan to watch a film of the dancing Industry in Action Sixth Form DT and Engineering pupils had the opportunity to see industry in action in the first half of term when they visited the MINI Plant in Oxford. A tour of the MINI assembly line enabled the group to see what they have been learning about in lessons in action - looking at robotics in manufacturing, flexible manufacturing cells, automated guided vehicles and just in time manufacturing methods. They also learnt about how the factory floor operates to improve performance and increase profits, as well as understanding how the welfare of a workforce is taken care of.

House Singing The annual House Singing Competition took place in early October – a chance for the members of each House to perform a song that they had spent the last few weeks rehearsing. This year’s theme was the 1990s and there was a wide variety of hits on show, complete with some wellchoreographed routines. From the Spice Girls, to Chesney Hawkes, Backstreet Boys, Oasis, Ricky Martin and Lou Bega. It was a brilliant night of entertainment for everyone to enjoy. Many congratulations to the eventual winners, Norwich House who hugely impressed with their energetic performance of ‘Rhythm is a Dancer’ by Snap!

Scan to watch a highlights reel from the event 5

Meet the Team Name: Mr Andrew Field

What is your role within the School? I am the Head of Art and Photography. What did you do before working at KHS? I worked at a secondary school in Redditch called Arrow Vale Academy as a Teacher of Art and Photography. What would you say is the most interesting part of your day-to-day work? Trying to help pupils make as much progress with Art and/or Photography as they can and to help to develop their confidence, creativity and love of the subjects I teach. What activities do you enjoy in your spare time? I love fishing, running with my border collie and watching football, especially Aston Villa when they win. Who, or what, would you say has most inspired you in life? My parents have been a constant support and encouragement and excellent role models. I am always learning and becoming inspired by so many people in different walks of life. Recently I found Jo Malone’s amazing attitude to life incredibly inspiring! Tell us one activity that is on your ‘Bucket List’ I would love to visit New York one day as the Art capital of the World, I am sure I would find the energy of the city uplifting and all the galleries to explore would be incredible. Finally, the best thing about working at Kingham Hill is… The wonderful people that I work with and the joy of driving up Kingham Hill every day to be surrounded by the beautiful landscape!

Careers at Kingham The KHS Careers Programme allows pupils of all ages to access insightful talks from industry professionals. As the term drew to a close, we benefitted from not one, but two superb speakers, discussing career opportunities in medicine and motorsport! Hillian, Dr Sam Liu, delivered a MedSoc talk to our pupils about forging a rewarding medical career and what it takes to get through medical school successfully. Dr Liu has a dual accreditation in both Cardiology and General Internal Medicine and is a Consultant Cardiologist and General Internal Medicine Physician at the North Middlesex

University Hospital. He is also honorary Consultant Cardiologist at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London and a founding member and medical director of MEDii Health, UK. Race Engineer, Alex Ridge, spoke in depth about what it takes to maximise the performance of a racing car and driver. He cited technical knowledge, analytical thinking and communication as the three most important skills for a career in motorsport engineering. After discussing his own route into the industry, Alex explained the ideal pathway he would take if he was 16 again.

The Return of Schools’ Challenge This term saw the return of the renowned general knowledge competition, Schools’ Challenge. Since its foundation in the 1970s Schools’ Challenge has been the primary national general knowledge competition for schools in the UK, and is intentionally based on University Challenge. The Challenge is for students of secondary school age who make up teams of four players each in three age-related categories – Senior, Intermediate and Junior. The questions cover a mixture of history, geography, arts, literature, sciences, popular culture and sport. There is also a

Christmas at KHS Over the last week of Michaelmas Term, the school community enjoyed a number of festive activities including Carols by Candlelight in the Chapel, carol singing for residents of Willow Gardens in Chipping Norton, the PA’s Pantomime, Inter-House Challenges, a delicious Christmas lunch, Mr Eyles’ Christmas Quiz, and the House singing of The 12 Days of Christmas! On the final day of term our Chaplain, Rev. Hutchings, led two wonderful carol services with readings from pupils, and music from Kingham Brass and the School Choir.

notable amount of academic content and current events. Kingham Hill has entered teams in Schools’ Challenge for a number of years and we are very pleased to be able to continue with our involvement this year. So far our teams have seen much success, including a 2nd IV Team 320-70 point victory against Oxford High School and an U15 IV second round win against Bedford School with a score of 610360. We look forward to seeing continued progress through the rounds in 2025.

Scan to watch a Christmas montage

Senior Hockey Team Tour to Lisbon During Autumn half-term, the Senior Hockey Team embarked on a tour of Lisbon. The week-long excursion to the coastal capital saw the team train with the Portuguese National Men’s Hockey Coach, and share the pitch with an Argentine Olympian, before putting their new skills into action over three demanding fixtures. “The three fixtures throughout the tour were tough, intense, but most importantly enjoyable.” said PE Teacher Mrs Juckes.

“Playing against some quality opposition, the girls rose to the challenge and did themselves proud. Some great teamwork and superb goals were scored.” In their downtime, the girls enjoyed a tree top adventure, catching some surf, playing volleyball, and getting creative with TikTok. “The girls were a credit to themselves, their families and the school. It really was a tour that will last long in the memories.” commented Mr Martin, Head of Wellbeing.

Showjumping Success Just before half-term the KHS Equestrian Team took part in the NSEA (National Schools Equestrian Association) Championships, having qualified for both the Novice and Intermediate Championships earlier in the year. In the Intermediate, Nell and Olive jumped faultless rounds, but unfortunately the team narrowly missed out on the final jump off. In the Novice, after the first round, the Team hadn’t accumulated any penalties which meant they qualified in the top eight teams for the jump off. Some speedy turns over a big course enabled the Team to finish in an impressive 3rd place out of 43 teams. Congratulations go to Maud, Olive, Nell and Abi on a really superb achievement.

Tennis – County Selection

Training with a Professional

Taekwondo Champion

In early October, Cheltenham Town striker Matty Taylor came to Kingham Hill to put our pre-season football squad through their paces. Matty has played for Oxford United, Bristol City and Bristol Rovers and it was a great opportunity for our players to learn from a professional footballer. After the session Matty commented, “They’ve taken on the feedback well and are a great group of footballers.”

Congratulations to Ruby (3rd Form), who won gold in her division at the British Taekwondo Championships in November.

In September we were delighted to hear about the success of 2nd Form pupil, Victoria, following her selection for the County Cup Girls U12 Tennis Team for Oxfordshire. The team spent a weekend in Woodbridge playing against Buckinghamshire, Suffolk and Bedfordshire. Victoria put on an impressive performance winning four of her six matches - a great result congratulations Victoria!

Ruby remarked, “It was a great experience overall! For my first competition it went really well and I am looking forward to doing it more in the future. My favourite thing about the sport is that it’s different. At school, CCF helps me with Taekwondo as it is about respect and discipline.”

Argentinian Visitors At the start of term we were excited to welcome pupils from a school in Argentina to play against our Seniors in competitive rugby and hockey matches. The visiting pupils were on a two week sporting, cultural and religious tour of the UK. Having already been to Edinburgh and London they stopped off in Kingham for the

fixtures. It was the first game of the season for both Kingham teams and unfortunately it was a loss for KHS on this occasion. However, against the strong Argentinian Teams our pupils put on a very good show. We are very much hoping to welcome the teams back to play us again next year!

Hockey Awards 2024 Our annual Hockey Awards Ceremony, which took place in December, is always a true celebration of women’s sport. From pre-season training days with Oxford Hawks, to a week-long tour of Lisbon, and all the fixtures in-between, hockey is a key sport in Michaelmas Term. It was a privilege to welcome guest speaker Sandra Roche to the Awards evening, to talk to those present about her journey in hockey, and the benefits of playing sport through school and adult life. We then had the pleasure of presenting awards for the most improved and most valuable player in each year group. 7

Armistice Day 2024 The School paused for our main act of remembrance at our Drumhead Service on Monday 11th November. Thoughtfully choreographed by Mr Williams, our resident military historian, the service took place on the Parade Square outside Top School with the whole school in attendance. The parade was commanded by newly appointed Cadet Sergeant Major Megson, as the whole CCF contingent and the recently revived Scout troop came to attention to mark the national TwoMinutes’ Silence, alongside all pupils and staff who had suspended their work to make sure they were part of this important event. During his address, Mr Williams told the moving story of Private George Brooks of the 18th Battalion of the Canadian Infantry,

Kingham Hill School Kingham, Chipping Norton Oxfordshire OX7 6TH

who had been a boy in Bradford House before the Great War. George died on 10th November 1917, killed by the explosion of an enemy shell at a position just outside the village of Passchendaele in Flanders: his body was never found and so he is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial in Ypres as well as on our Chapel memorial. We were honoured to have Major Vinet, one of the senior officers of Canadian Armed Forces in the UK, as one of our guests as we underlined the importance of our special historical ties with Canada owing to the number of our boys who emigrated to work on the Founder’s farm at Havelock, just outside Woodstock, Ontario. 19 of the men on the Chapel memorial had fought as

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part of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, having volunteered whilst at Havelock Farm. During the Service, Headmaster, Mr Last, read the names from our Roll of Honour: 64 men from the First World War and 12 from the Second World War. Through the research of successive 3rd Forms over the last ten years, it is remarkable that we now know more about these men than we have known for generations. We will continue to discover more and more about them and celebrate their memory. May we always be grateful to God for their service and sacrifice.

Scan to watch a montage of our acts of Remembrance