At KGS, the annual Christmas card competition is a cherished tradition that showcases the exceptional talent of our Art Scholars. Each year, students submit original designs for the Head Master’s official Christmas card, and the standard continues to rise - making the final selection an exciting challenge.
This year’s winning designs were created by Fourth Years Phoebe R students
Phoebe captured the London Road Building inside a snow globe using coloured pencil, creating a warm and detailed festive scene.
Freya employed gouache to depict a reindeer lifting a penguin, with a striking red postbox set against a night sky.
Georgia used acrylics to paint a vivid red KGS bauble against a deep green background.
Darshini imaginative image of a robin carrying a red KGS ribbon.
These outstanding works reflect the creativity and skill of our students and bring festive cheer to the entire KGS community. A heartfelt thank you to all our Art Scholars who participated this year. Your creativity and effort make this tradition truly special.
Mr J Dyson, Head of Art
CELEBRATING CREATIVITY
ART
Open to all incoming First Years, the theme of the Summer Art Competition was ‘My Summer’.
Amelia Wilkes – Winner
Leyla Sensoy — Runner Up
Marziya Kozhakmet –Runner Up
INSPIRING FUTURE SCIENTISTS
Just a taste of progress so far… and what’s to come!
Five Physics labs, four Science classrooms... but probably not a Partridge in a Pear Tree.
It was wonderful to welcome John (Kingstonian 1964) and Leslie Bridgen back to school recently to see the excellent progress made in the creation of the Bridgen Science Centre. They were able to see what a huge difference their extremely generous donation is making to the teaching of science at KGS.
The summer break had allowed our specialist contractors to complete nine new laboratories and science classrooms, swiftly followed by two new Computer Science classrooms and three Chemistry laboratories/science classrooms this term.
Work continues throughout the year, with the final phase seeing the installation of the Science Garden, Study Pods and new external facade.
Mr
D Leen, Director of Finance & Operations
The dedicated centre of excellence will help continue to inspire and empower the next generation of scientists, engineers and technological innovators.
BRIDGEN SCIENCE CENTRE — KEY FEATURES
SECOND FLOOR PHYSICS LABS, COLLABORATIVE STUDY AREAS
FIRST FLOOR MEZZANINE PHYSICS LABS
FIRST FLOOR BIOLOGY LABS, SCIENCE STUDIOS, STUDY BOOTHS, SCIENCE GARDEN
GROUND FLOOR
CHEMISTRY LABS, HIGH-PERFORMANCE FUME CUPBOARD, INTENSIVE CHEMISTRY LAB, COMPUTER SCIENCE & AI HUB, GENERAL SCIENCE LABS, LECTURE THEATRE
APPROX
3,000m2
of specialist science space across 3 floors
24
science-specific classrooms and labs
Strong scientific literacy develops students’ critical thinking skills, fosters innovation and is central to our ethos of developing their realworld skills.
With so many events, it’s no wonder that we’ve raised almost
£7,000 for charities this term alone!
The Macmillan Coffee Morning at the start of October was an excellent way to catch up with parents, colleagues and governors, all in the name of a really important cause.
Our CCF cadets took responsibility for collecting donations for the Poppy Appeal, and a number of them took part in the Remembrance Day Service in Kingston.
Taverner and Stanley did themselves proud with two brilliant House Bake Sales, together raising over £580.
The Houses’ stalls at the Christmas Fair raised money for all six of our School Charities, and donations from the Carol Service will be split between our two children’s charities, BRITE Box and Save the Children.
Service and Volunteering Programme
Lower Sixth students are an essential part of our partnership work with the local community, and most have now started their placements in local schools and charities. We are delighted that they are such enthusiastic participants, and we know that they will find their volunteering experience enriching and rewarding.
Mrs K Pinnock, Head of CAS
Happy U12s after a great morning on the pitch
Queen's took the crown in House Music
House Art Pompeii projects in Classics
The Young Enterprise team welcomed a new team member...
The winning bake!
Sixth Formers getting in the festive spirit
Inspecting gliders at RAF Kenley
Organising donations for Kingston Food Bank
Remembrance Sunday Parade
Autumn Concert
ECO-SCHOOLS AWARD
KGS has been awarded the Eco-Schools Green Flag Award for 2025, recognising the hard work, creativity, and commitment shown by students and staff in promoting sustainability across the school community. This achievement is the result of a year-long effort by an enthusiastic team of Sixth Form Geographers.
Throughout the year, the Eco-Schools initiative has seen us launch the Great Cable Collection, inviting students and staff to bring in unwanted electrical cables for recycling. The response was overwhelming: over 100 kilograms of cables were collected, helping to recover valuable materials and reduce electronic waste.
Our Third Year played a key role by taking part in a community litter pick. Working together, they collected more than 25 kilograms of rubbish, making a real difference to our local green space while raising awareness about the impact of litter and pollution.
A hugely popular Clothes Swap encouraged families to donate and exchange pre-loved clothing. The event promoted upcycling and gave many items a new lease of life, while sparking important conversations about how we can all make more sustainable choices.
Winning the Green Flag is a fantastic achievement for KGS. It shows the power of our school community when we come together with a shared goal — to protect our environment and inspire positive change. We look forward to building on this success as KGS continues its journey towards a greener future.
Mr
D Hammond, Geography Department
”Winning the Green Flag is a fantastic achievement for KGS. It shows the power of our school community when we come together with a shared goal.”
In DT Club, First Years enjoyed making framed mirrors from wooden pallets we recycled from KGS deliveries.
GAME CHANGERS. RISK TAKERS. BIG THINKERS. SOCIAL DRIVERS. POWER MOVERS. IMPACT CREATORS. NETWORK MAKERS.
FUTURES DON’T HAPPEN. THEY’RE MADE.
The KGS Accelerator, launched to our Lower Sixth students just three months ago, has fast become an integral part of the curriculum. Designed to inspire and provoke, it flips on its head the idea of the old careers talk.
Possible thanks to the generosity of our alumni who have given up their time, we have been delighted to welcome back eight fantastic speakers. What unifies these Kingstonians is that whilst their career journeys haven’t always been linear or straightforward, they have adapted, grown, showed resilience and kept on learning. They shared how lessons taken from their time at KGS have helped them navigate their career paths. Speaking with passion, creativity, and humility, they captured the spirit of the Accelerator perfectly: be bold, be courageous and do things differently; stand out, speak up and listen in!
From experiencing success and setbacks that taught resilience and team spirit to cultivating self-belief, the energy of the sessions has, I hope, inspired our Sixth Formers to prepare for a workplace that is uncertain, disrupted, and changing faster than ever before.
We look forward to another fantastic group of alumni being part of the KGS Accelerator in the Spring term.
Mrs D Sherwood, Director of International
CCF OCTOBER CAMP
Third Year Cadet George Whyte was voted Best Cadet at this year’s CCF October Camp at Crowborough. This is his round-up of the trip.
From intense night-time exercises to countless lessons in fieldcraft, rifle handling and surviving in the wilderness, there was truly something for everyone on the CCF Camp. We learned how to camouflage ourselves at night, the science behind night sight, and how to cook, putting our new skills into practice that evening with a meal made from our ration packs. The new recruits fired their first blanks and were taught how to set up bashers, which are tarps which cover you at night.
We watched a live demonstration of a section attack, which was a great opportunity to learn from senior cadets.
Night ops involved some of the seniors using infrared torches to spot us as we crept up a hill, trying to get close enough to grab a glowstick at the top. This was my favourite activity of the trip, and I loved the exhilaration of darting around in the dark, trying not to be spotted. It was a fantastic camp and I look forward to doing it all again soon.
”I loved the exhilaration of darting around in the dark, trying not to be spotted. It was a fantastic camp and I look forward to doing it all again soon.”
It was lovely to see the KGS community getting festive at the PSA Wreath Making masterclass last week. Beautiful wreaths were created, and parents enjoyed learning a new skill in a convivial atmosphere.
The professional florist kindly donated her wreath as one of the raffle prizes at the Christmas Fair. Thank you to the PSA for organising a lovely evening. Mrs S Humphrey, Director of Development
The Last Post, played beautifully by Flight Sergeant Isabelle Street in the Upper Sixth, marked a moment of sombre reflection at the Remembrance Assembly in November.
A GOOD READ
Lower School
Our Librarian, Ms McBride, shares her recommendations for titles to put under the Christmas tree. She suggests starting 2026 with a reading journal for your child, a simple habit which encourages reflection whilst also offering a creative outlet for their thoughts and ideas.
Upper School
The Warriors Graphic Novel Box Set
Books 1-3 by Erin Hunter
This full-colour graphic adaptation of The Prophecies Begin trilogy follows Rusty, an ordinary house cat who joins ThunderClan and rises to heroic status amid clan conflicts and betrayals.
Fia and the Last Snow Deer by Eilish Fisher
In prehistoric Ireland, young Fia flees her starving village with her snow deer Solas and cousin Mish on a quest to find the mythical Deer Mother. A hopeful verse-novel adventure of friendship, sacrifice and ancient prophecy.
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
Prequel to the perennially popular The Hunger Games series: sixteenyear-old Haymitch Abernathy is reaped into the brutal 50th Games (Quarter Quell) with twice the tributes per district. As he battles to survive, and protect loved ones, he becomes hardened, haunted, and forever changed.
Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton
When lockdown strikes, foreign-policy advisor Chloe rescues a wild leveret and raises it through a long, slow bond. This lyrical memoir explores nature, empathy, grief, and the lifechanging power of stillness as she learns to care for - and ultimately release - wild creature.
Sixth Form
Fallen City by Adrienne Young
In a walled city divided by famine and power, Luca and Maris fall in love on opposite sides of a brewing rebellion, catalysing a mythic clash of gods, politics, and revolution.
Butter by Asako Yuzuki Tokyo journalist Rika investigates gourmet baker-turned-murder suspect Manako, whose deadly cuisine shifts cultural expectations, blurring lines between food, power and feminine identity.
The Autumn term has seen a packed programme of events. A sunny Saturday weekend in September saw the annual 1st XI v Old Kingstonians FC match. It was a passionate game, with the Old Boys winning 3-1.
The following weekend we were delighted to hold our first Celebration of Rowing at the KGS Boathouse where we christened two new boats which are already being put to good use by our senior rowers. To mark fifty years since the death of RC Sherriff, we named the first of these ‘Rosebriars’, after his home in Esher.
The second boat has been named after alumnus Paul Stuart-Bennett (Kingstonian 1970) to recognise his contribution to rowing both at KGS and representing Great Britain, for whom he won gold at the 1977 World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam. It was an absolute pleasure to welcome him back to the boathouse and he duly christened his boat. We also welcomed our new Director of Rowing and former KGS student James Cracknell (Kingstonian 1990).
At our Entrepreneurs’ Evening, parents and students from Fourth Year upwards were treated to an evening of insights and advice about following your passions and setting up your own businesses. We heard from Peter Harris (Kingstonian 1971), co-founder of Hotel Chocolat, who talked about his modest beginnings and how he turned his ideas into a hugely successful business, and from Lara Mott (Kingstonian 2002) who spoke about her time at KGS and how she went on to establish a successful wellness business for the NHS. They were joined by Henrik Webster (Kingstonian 2008) who left KGS and set up his own reinsurance business. Paul Stratos and Johnathan Howell, KGS parents, along with MFL teacher Tom Diamond, talked about their unconventional career paths and how they have established their own businesses.
Finally, as we go to print, we will be looking forward to welcoming our KGS community to the annual Carol Service, a fitting and joyous end to a busy term.
Mrs S Humphrey, Director of Development
Join the Kingstonians community: Instagram: @kingstonians_alumni
LinkedIn: @Kingstonians
Facebook: @Kingston Grammar School Alumni
Reunions
November saw Decade and Half Decade reunions, with over 100 alumni meeting for drinks in Norbiton. We helped the Class of 2017 organise their own event on the South Bank and are always happy to support others who would like to do this.
We are always delighted when we can show alumni around the building and it has been an absolute pleasure to give Quentin Harris, Julian Soole and Alan Rickwood (Kingstonians 1960, 1978 and 1979 respectively) tours down memory lane, along with those who visited us for reunions.
GCHQ National Language Competition
The GCHQ National Language Competition takes place annually and aims to promote the study of languages at GCSE and beyond, showing how vital linguists are to the work of the security services.
For this year’s competition, the MFL Department organised a launch event in partnership with local schools. We wanted to highlight the importance of languages in any number of careers so were delighted to welcome Olly Evans and Rowan Wilson from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to speak to students about their fascinating careers in the diplomatic service.
Alongside 12 KGS students, 30 students from TKA, Southborough and Hollyfield joined us for a morning of code-breaking fun.
Andiamo in Italia!
We had a great trip to northern Italy at half term, travelling with 20 students in Second, Third and Fourth Year. After a full day in Venice, complete with a ride in a gondola, we spent the morning in school in Vicenza getting to know some students and chatting about school life in both countries. We explored Verona for an afternoon and during our day on Lake Garda enjoyed a boat ride around Sirmione before making our own pizzas for supper. A really busy few days with some lovely memories. Alla prossima!
UK Linguistic Olympiad
Four of our Sixth Form MFL students have been preparing for the UK Linguistics Olympiad advanced competition. They performed extremely well, with special congratulations going to Grace G, who achieved a Silver award. Well done!
European Day of Languages
We celebrated the European Day of Languages in September with a vibrant programme of activities. The canteen served a special themed menu, giving students a taste of European culture. Houses competed in a lively quiz featuring an especially entertaining music round that had everyone guessing Disney songs in different languages. Throughout the day, lessons included discussions on the importance of learning languages and embracing cultural diversity in the KGS community and far beyond.
