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KGS | Newsletter

Fantastic footballers

A fabulous season for girls’ football at KGS culminated in a win for the U12s in the Surrey Schools competition in May. The match was played at Meadowbank, home to National League team Dorking Wanderers.

The opposition were our good friends at Surbiton High, who we had lost to in the opening match of the season. Since then, the girls had remained undefeated so spirits were high.

The girls' attitude and commitment in training and matches this season has been exceptional. After an inspirational pre-match speech from captain Matilda C, the girls were ready. A nervy first half followed as both teams worked hard to make a breakthrough.

We knew that the match would rely on a few key moments: as it was, a couple of vital saves and tackles at our end allowed us to create more opportunities going forward. Evie B (who was named Player of the Match) scored what turned out to be the winning goal in the second half; we couldn't quite manage a second goal which added to the tension until the final whistle.

This is the first Surrey Cup win in KGS football history, and was a well-deserved win for the girls. I look forward to seeing this squad develop over the next few years.

Mr M Hall, Head of Girls’ Football

U12 SQUAD

› Emma M

› Kitty M

› Holly T

› Matilda C (Capt)

› Evie B

› Olive M

› Martha L

› Jessica D

› Lucia D

› Leonor F

› Maggie M

› Georgie R

› Poppy M

› Zahraa M

› Sadie C

COUNTY CUP SQUAD

› Kiera D

› Lauren K

› Emily P

› Sonali G

› Jemima M

› Iris O

› Hannah P

› Ellie P

› Antonia R

› Izzy T

› Olivia K

› Jo T

› Chloe V

INDOOR SQUAD

› Sonali G

› Jemima M

› Iris O

› Hannah P

› Ellie P

› Antonia R

› Izzy T

› Olivia K

› Jo T

The U15 team achieved the School’s first ever national trophy

Cricketing gold

The U15 girls have made us extremely proud this season. With a huge amount of hard work and dedication they achieved the School’s first ever national trophy, winning the ECB Girls’ U15 Indoor Competition that took place at Lord’s. They also won the County Cup, beating Charterhouse by 8 wickets in the final, making it three years in a row winning the title. They finished as runners up in the National 100 Ball Competition, losing in a super-over to Rugby School. What a season!

Mr B Dixon, Head of Cricket

**STOP PRESS** The U15s won the National T20 Competition on Wednesday evening. The team’s effort has been absolutely phenomenal: huge congratulations to them all. You can read more about their season in this year’s Kingstonian, out in October.

AN EVENING OF HOCKEY

On a balmy Friday evening in early May we were delighted to welcome back over 200 alumni, along with former and current parents and staff, for a Celebration of KGS Hockey.

The community came together to celebrate another superb year of KGS hockey and to remember those alumni who have given so much to the sporting life of the school. In particular, we were delighted to welcome back the father of Dan Kenn, a stalwart of KGS hockey in his time at the school. In a hard-fought battle, the alumni team were victorious but there were great displays of skill and expertise from both sides.

It was also wonderful to see the return of the Buttanshaw Cup played between the current Girls’ 1st XI and a returning alumni side. Once again, the alumni side narrowly won.

The games were followed by a barbecue on the cricket outfield. It was a glorious way to end the season. Our thanks to everyone who came along, especially to Mr Kenn who travelled from the north of England.

Sturgeon Cricket

In early June we hosted the annual Sturgeon cricket game down at Ditton Field. This was a wonderful celebration of school cricket, and it was fantastic to see so many alumni and former staff enjoying the summer’s evening. As usual the event was overseen by Kingstonian James Gordon. After a tight 20-overs game, the Sturgeon Cup was awarded to Tom P whilst the Sturgeon Trophy was handed to the alumni following their narrow win.

MCC Cricket

In early May the First XI boys played in the highly anticipated annual game against an MCC team. The MCC batted first and scored 238 for 2. Upper Sixth student Remy M took two wickets, with Lower Sixth student Tom P the other standout bowler; his off-spin was hard to play and after 10 overs only conceded 38 runs. The boys worked hard to try and bat out for a draw but unfortunately, with 8 overs left, they were bowled out. The top batsman for the day was Sam S who scored 41. It was wonderful to see so many alumni come and watch and to celebrate this prestigious fixture.

Mrs S Humphrey, Deputy Head; Director of Development

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

The Great Cable Collection saw an incredible 100kg of disused cables donated by families and staff being responsibly recycled at a local recycling centre in Kingston.

Electronic waste is a growing environmental concern, with millions of tonnes discarded every year. By collecting and recycling these cables, we have prevented valuable materials such as copper and plastic from ending up in landfill, where it takes centuries to break them down. Instead, these materials will be repurposed, reducing the demand for new resources and

100kg

lowering carbon emissions associated with mining and manufacturing.

Beyond the environmental impact, this initiative has shown that even small actions, when done collectively, can lead to significant changes. As the School continues to champion sustainability, this success reminds us that every effort, no matter how big or small, contributes to a greener, more sustainable future for us all.

Mr D Hammond, Geography

Die deutsche schule

Visiting the German school was an enriching experience. We were warmly welcomed with sweet treats before touring the school and sitting in on a Maths lesson (in German, obviously!). It was fascinating to see a different teaching style and curriculum in action. The following week, our German partners joined us at KGS, where their tour included a House Tug of War event. It was a brilliant cultural exchange, and we learned so much!

Ellie W, Third Year

Language Leaders

Our Third Year Language Leaders delivered three mornings of fantastic MFL taster lessons to around 600 pupils from St John’s, St Joseph’s and King Athelstan Primary Schools. The primary school staff were very impressed with how the students led the sessions and the pupils enjoyed them too!

In MFL we’re all passionate about languages and love helping our students to share this with the next generation of linguists. We’ll be recruiting again in September from the new Third Year so look out for more information from the MFL Department!

of disused cables were responsibly recycled

Mrs K Pinnock, Head of Community Action and Service; MFL

The recent First Year Outward Bound trip to Loch Eil in Scotland inspired Thomas B to put pen to paper and compose a poem about his experiences. Thank you to him for sharing it with us.

O pera Holland Park

Thank you to KGS parent Mr Angel for giving us the opportunity to attend the rehearsal without a full audience; it was like a private viewing!

Ms L Calder, Music

“I really enjoyed the trip to watch Wagner's Flying Dutchman. The lead soprano was really inspiring and gave me an idea of something to emulate in choir practice. The fact the songs were in German helped you focus on the voice rather than the words.”

Emily W, First Year

Our volunteers have been hard at work this term, wrapping up their year-long placements. Lower Sixth students have given over 1500 hours of their time at over a dozen placements across the borough.

VOLUNTEERING

I’d like to give a particular mention to the Homework and Chess Clubs at St John’s, as well as the Lunchtime Buddies. These three initiatives were set up this year at the request of the Deputy Head at St John’s, Mrs Singh, and have been a great success.

“Our parents have been delighted with Homework Club. This has been aimed at children who are reluctant to do any homework at home or whose parents are not able to give support. The KGS students do a wonderful job of getting them to complete their tasks! The pupils at Chess Club are so excited on Wednesdays to have the opportunity to learn to play the game with the help of the Sixth Formers, while the more advanced players enjoy the challenge of playing against KGS students and learning new moves.”

As for the Lunchtime Buddies: “The students have been amazing! Some have supported the younger ones with our giant Lego set, making sure they take turns and learn to share. Your students have introduced handball and this has increased overall pupil participation in active sport! There have been far fewer disputes in the playground and, with KGS students’ support, our pupils have been able to play sensibly, taking turns, following rules and listening to one another.”

Great work, Lower Sixth!

”The KGS students do a wonderful job of getting the children to complete their tasks!”

CHARITIES

A huge thanks for supporting our fundraising efforts this year. The First and Second Year fundraisers for BRITE Box and Kingston Churches Action on Homelessness raised almost £2,200 between them, and the Third Year cake sale at Sports Day raised money for Young Minds whilst providing a muchneeded energy boost!

This year as a school we will have raised over £15,000, which is a testament to the hard work and generosity of our whole school community. Lovekyn raised the most: well done, Mr Beggs and everyone in this House!

We’re looking forward to building on this success next year, with more involvement from students in devising their own fundraisers.

£15,000

raised by the whole school this year

PARTNERSHIPS

The Faraday Challenge saw 30 pupils from local primary schools take on the role of being aerospace engineers, building prototype aeroplanes and using circuits and motors to design and build a transport vehicle. They work as a team and the day gives them a sense of what a career in STEAM might look like. Congratulations to all the pupils who took part, and a huge thanks to Mr Benson for organising this event.

£2,000

raised for charities by First and Second Year fundraisers

We were delighted that the 15 pupils who joined the Primary Maths Challenge in September received their certificates this term. They should be really proud of their success and hard work. One student did so well that he was invited to the Kangaroo stage of the competition – a really exceptional achievement. The Primary Maths Challenge is run by Mr Skeates and the rest of the Maths Department, ably assisted by a team of A Level Maths students.

Mrs K Pinnock, Head of Community Action and Service; MFL

SEPT

This year we have continued to follow the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and broke our monthly focus activities into four key areas: Wellbeing, Sustainability, Service and Equality.

In September, all year groups participated in assemblies to set the scene for the coming 10 months of charity fundraising.

October’s Black History Month was celebrated to recognise Racial Equity across all areas of society. A magnificent library display was accompanied by student-led assemblies.

December kicked off with fundraising for charities that support children. The entire community celebrated Christmas Jumper Day with a riot of colour on top of our school uniforms!

DEC MAR OCT JAN MAY NOV

March saw us celebrating International Women’s Day by highlighting gender inequity around the world.

The cornerstone of January’s Religious Equity Month was our celebration of Holocaust Memorial Day. We also welcomed religious leaders to our Faith Forum, along with hosting a series of in-school debates.

Our Sustainability drive in May collected unwanted cables to be recycled. We put out Sustainability tips to our parent body and we were delighted with the work our L6 students did to gain the school Ecoschools accreditation.

Wellbeing Month in November mirrored a national campaign around mental health in young people, with activities that included specific training for staff, relaxation classes across the school and a visit from a therapy dog.

FEB

Wellbeing workshops were run in February to help staff manage their work-life balance.

JUNE

In June we celebrated Pride and LGBTQ+ Month with a wonderful display in the Library.

Mrs S Humphrey, Deputy Head; Director of Development

Huge congratulations to Third Year student Toby M who won the Mini Marathon U14 T33/34 race in April. Read more about his day in this year’s Kingstonian