Kingswood in Focus 23/24

KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS

CELEBRATING 275 YEARS

Dear Parents and Friends

Education transforms lives when young people are inspired both to develop their existing talents and to try something new, discovering other interests and passions along the way. The aim of education is as much about action as it is about knowledge, and it is heartwarming to see how generously pupils and staff share these talents in the service of others.

This was a year when the ISI inspectors came calling. A team of six highly experienced educators spent most of a school week with our pupils, talking in small groups, scrutinising their work, observing lessons, getting out and about to observe clubs and activities. I think they really got under the skin of the School as they evaluated the achievements and personal development of our pupils. In the final report, Kingswood achieved a resounding overall ‘excellent’ grading and I am proud of the team effort of pupils, staff and governors which contributed to this outcome.

As you know, in the summer of 2022 our pupils managed to buck the national trend and achieve the School’s best ever A Level and GCSE results. That certainly put a spring in everyone’s step as we made a start to the Autumn term last September. Fast forward to the summer of 2023 and our pupils have continued to achieve very highly. 83% of all A Level exams were graded A*/A or B which is testament to the fine attitude our Year 13 leavers brought to their studies and the outstanding teaching and learning that happens each and every day in the classroom. At GCSE, over 40% of all grades were an 8 or a 9. This academic excellence is one important part of our mission to produce well-rounded young people who have both the academic

HEADMASTER’S WELCOME

qualifications and the personal qualities to lead fulfilling lives.

When lessons are over, the other half of school life springs into action. I have certainly enjoyed witnessing our pupils’ growth in self-confidence as they have performed in choirs, orchestras and musical ensembles, not to mention the excellent school productions this year: Little Shop of Horrors, Lord of the Flies and The Witches. The art and design exhibitions this year were stunning, and featured a wide range of highly creative and professional work. Pupils have successfully competed at local, regional, national and international levels in a range of sports and activities. Every term there have been sports teams who have enjoyed unbeaten seasons, in a very competitive South West fixture circuit. I am so grateful to our hugely dedicated and generous staff who have enabled Kingswood to field multiple teams across all year groups each week. Our supra-curricular programme continues to go from strength to strength: I have handed out very many certificates to commend pupil success in a range of intellectual pursuits, including Science Olympiads, Mathematics challenges, F1 in Schools and Philosophy competitions. And, as ever, many of our pupils have achieved Bronze, Silver and Gold certificates in the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme. I am grateful to our pupils for getting so stuck into school life and making the most of the opportunities on offer.

This year we celebrate our 275th anniversary and it was a privilege to welcome delegates from Methodist institutions all over the world to Kingswood, where Wesleyan education took root. Bound by shared values, over 250 educational leaders travelled from all corners of the globe to connect in person,

to enjoy fellowship, to talk about joys and challenges, to nurture existing relationships and to seek out and create new ones. We draw strength from our association with this network of schools, colleges and universities, and it is humbling to be reminded that Kingswood is an important part of a wider global educational community.

The 275th anniversary has provided an opportunity to launch a campaign to raise funds to be able to deliver three really excellent initiatives: transformational bursaries to attract talented pupils from around the world whose parents are not in a position to afford the fees; a refurbished space for our senior students to promote collaboration and to prepare them for life beyond school; and finally to build a state of the art Cookery School to enhance further our enrichment curriculum. Thank you to the many parents and alumni who have already supported our campaign which will continue for the remainder of 2023.

Whilst achievement should be lauded, the route of a Kingswood education is in the development of character and wisdom. It is a real joy therefore to work in a school with a palpable sense of community and a hard-wired culture of kindness and compassion. Thank you to my colleagues who nurture this culture on a daily basis and who guide our charges in these ways. I hope you enjoy thumbing through the pages of this year’s edition of Kingswood in Focus which has been lovingly and expertly put together by these same excellent colleagues.

Every good wish to you all.

Mr Andrew Gordon-Brown

The pages that follow offer a snapshot of the journey we have travelled as a school community over the past year. It’s an impressive and happy picture which celebrates many of the remarkable achievements of our students and reflects the breadth of a Kingswood education.

Editor: Theresa Faux

FROM THE CHAPLAIN

The first week of the new school year ended with a sense of shock, shared by the nation, on hearing the news of the death of Queen Elizabeth ll.

The whole school gathered to reflect and give thanks for her long life of duty and service. We recalled her words from a Christmas Day speech that resonated with Kingswood’s values of compassion, kindness and service: “It does matter therefore what each individual does each day. Kindness, sympathy, resolution and courteous behaviour are infectious.

Acts of courage and self-sacrifice… are an inspiration to others.”

A Book of Condolence was available in the Chapel for staff and students to sign and the boarders met there to watch the livestream of her Majesty’s funeral service. I was impressed by the deep respect that was shown by all, no matter each person’s thoughts about the monarchy.

November saw the other poignant moment of the year when the whole school gathered outside the Chapel for the Remembrance Day service. That moment when crosses are laid and silence is held between the Last Post and Reveille, perfectly played this year by Charlotte Nicholson in Year 13, was, as always, so very moving.

But there have been times of celebration this year, too, beginning with our Advent Boarders’ Service, Westwood Carols in St Stephen’s and our traditional Carols in Bath Abbey. We are blessed to be able to meet in such a beautiful, sacred space. As we concluded the year with our Commemoration Service, so many people commented on the joy of hearing not only the choir but the whole congregation joined in song.

A new song, ‘The World is my Parish’ based on the words of John Wesley, was written and recorded by former Director of Music Richard Mainwaring to celebrate our 275th anniversary. It was wonderful to see Westwood Voices alongside senior singers and school groups from around the world sharing the well-known words, ‘Do all the good you can’.

There have been plenty of opportunities for the community to ‘do all the good we can’ as you will read in these pages. One 275 initiative has been the offering of Afternoon Teas to local residents at the Kingswood Pavilion. Tutor groups from Year 9 and 10 as well as the 1st XV Rugby Team have baked cakes and hosted, impressing guests with their hospitality.

To coincide with our anniversary, Kingswood was invited to host an exhibition of the Methodist Modern Art Collection which was first housed in Summerhill Mansion in the 1960s. The artwork was chosen to reflect the theme of Transforming Lives, the title of the 275 Methodist Schools International Conference, with one particular piece, ‘The Washing of the Feet’ by Ghislaine Howard

highlighting Jesus’ depth of love and service.

It was a joy to welcome the Conference guests, heads, teachers, chaplains, and church leaders from Methodist schools around the world. As the chapel filled with the stunning music of the Senior choir, we gave thanks for our shared heritage rooted in John Wesley’s passion that education can transform lives, especially when grounded in love and grace. It reminded me of the privilege we have to be a part of this special school and worldwide community that seeks to keep worship, love, grace, kindness and service at its core, whilst offering a breadth of academic study alongside genuine pastoral care.

...education can transform lives, especially when grounded in love and grace.

Rev. Katy Thomas (Chaplain)

KINGSWOOD 275

As we celebrate the 275th anniversary of Kingswood School in 2023, we have been delighted to host an array of events to mark this significant milestone.

TRANSFORMING LIVES EXHIBITION –

The Power of Art to Engage

TRANSFORMING LIVES –Methodist Education International Conference

Commemorating the 275th anniversary of the founding of our school by John Wesley, and the resonance today of the initial principles on which it was based, some 260 school and university leaders and representatives from all corners of the globe travelled to Bristol and Bath, where Methodist education began, to attend the Methodist Education International Conference bound by shared values and a belief in the power of education to transform lives.

Headmaster Andrew Gordon-Brown, said:“I feel sure that the pebble that this conference has dropped in the pond will create a lasting legacy as delegates return home with a renewed commitment to collaborate for the benefit of the young people we have been called to guide.”

Scan the QR code to read a full account of the conference in the 2023 Transforming Lives Newsletter.

WALK FROM OLD KINGSWOOD

A group of twelve pupils and staff walked the ten miles from the original site of Kingswood School in Bristol. Starting in the city streets of Kingswood, the group soon made their way to Siston Common, then through Wick and finally up onto Lansdown and then home, all in an impressively quick three hours.

The Transforming Lives Art Exhibition, including eleven artworks from the Methodist Modern Art Collection came to Kingswood School for display in the Summer term. At the launch in April, thirty guests, welcomed by the headmaster, listened to a fascinating talk by Professor Ann Sumner, Chair of the Collection and Kingswood Alumni. Ann spoke about the origins of the Collection, first housed at Kingswood in the 1960s, and the particular significance of some of the most notable pieces. Rev. Katy, who selected the pieces on show, explained her choice, sharing the transformative experience of using art in prayer and reflection.

COMMEMORATIVE TIE

We launched a competition to design a tie to celebrate our 275th anniversary and Year 13 Tilly Bankes produced the winning design. Tilly has a keen interest in textile design and wanted to ensure that her design for the tie represented Kingswood’s 275 years of history by celebrating the diverse aesthetics and movements that have shaped the institution. The glamour and elegance of the 1950s Art Deco era heavily influenced her initial design, incorporating bold motifs and patterns.

As with any design project, the tie design underwent numerous iterations to ensure that the Kingswood logo was preserved and Tilly worked with the Marketing Team to shape the final design.

LECTURE SERIES

The 275 Lecture Series presented a rare opportunity to hear from accomplished leaders and individuals in their respective fields. Our guest speakers, who have achieved great milestones, shared their experiences and insights to inspire and motivate.

KINGSWOOD REPAIR SHOP

Adam Reilly in Year 10 worked tirelessly to restore the original model of Wesley’s Pulpit made by former Head of DT John Allison.

In 1748 on the original Kingswood School site, a pulpit was built into the chapel for John Wesley. When Kingswood moved to Bath in 1851 the pulpit was left in Bristol but was moved to Bath before Wesley’s Chapel was demolished in 1919. In 1983, after a significant time in storage, the then Headmaster, Laurie Campbell, retrieved it and began to plan for its rebuild.

Paralympic table-tennis champion Will Bayley led an interactive coaching session with pupils, followed by an evening talk for all the Community when he spoke about his life and career to date, overcoming some significant obstacles on the way. He spoke passionately about his fight to make each day count and to promote a fully inclusive world for all.

Dr Rebecca Torrance Jenkins, Head of Preparatory Science at Kingswood, spent a decade working in the field of educational neuroscience trying to use science to explain what makes a great teacher so great. In both the independent and state sector, she improved the flow of information between practice and theory by examining whether laboratory findings stood up in real classrooms. In her talk, she summarised the top takeaways for parents. (Scan the QR code to watch a recording of the lecture.)

Sophie Montagne came to talk about her experience completing the 2017 Antarctic Ice Maidens expedition. Students learnt about the mindset required to be successful in significant personal challenges, and had the chance to study and try on some of the kit Sophie used during the expedition. Her story is an inspirational one and everyone who attended left wondering what their own big challenges could be in the future.

In September, we look forward to welcoming Ed Haddon to talk about his practical experience from working as an entrepreneur, the academic side of human psychology, and techniques from coaching people to make real changes that make their lives better. We also look forward to hosting Ben Smith in October; in 2015-16 Ben become the only person in the world to run 401 marathons in 401 days and in doing so raised money for two anti-bullying charities. The project won the coveted BBC Sports Personality Helen Rollason Award, along with other awards including the ITV Pride of Britain National Fundraiser of the Year Award.

John Allison, then Head of DT, worked with drawings of the original to rebuild the Pulpit into the balcony of the Dining Hall, which is where it has remained for 20 years. John Allison also made a model of the pulpit from card, which was recently rediscovered, and had broken sections and water damage. DT scholar Adam repaired intricate details of the model, stripping back old paint work and meticulously hand painting, masking off and airbrushing new paint onto the model.

Before After

The model will now go on display in the museum at the New Room in Bristol, the oldest Methodist building in the world. Adam has enabled this model to be appreciated by so many people in the future.

To find out more about our 275 campaign, please scan the QR code

Photo: Posnett Library

Will Bayley

Sophie Montagne Dr Jenkins

ART SCHOLARS’ EXHIBITION

To mark the 275th anniversary, our Junior Art Scholars were set a challenge to visually represent 275 years of Kingswood.

A selection of scholars’ responses are framed in the Headmaster’s corridor at School, demonstrating a variety of interpretations. Many chose the theme of John Wesley’s portrait, and we are sure Wesley would have loved the opportunity to celebrate his image in these multifarious forms. Other pupils decided to celebrate what Kingswood means to them and some illustrate the importance of words and singing in the Methodist tradition.

 ART SCHOLARS' EXHIBITION KEY

KINGSWOOD THROUGH THE DECADES

WELSH THREE PEAKS CHALLENGE

Year 13 students: Freddie Stockton, Charlotte Nicholson, Tobina Laurence and Grace Cardwell, accompanied by staff Mr Moat, Miss Wilson and Mr Smyth took on the Welsh Three Peaks. The objective was to climb Snowdon, Cadir Idris and Pen y Fan in under 24 hours: a total distance of 27.5 km.

It was the cumulative ascent (nearly 8000ft) that made this a real challenge. Starting at Pen y Pass, the group climbed up to Snowdon and back down in a rapid three hours. Cadir Idris was the next peak and, given the inclement weather, the group had the mountain to themselves for four hours with absolutely no views from the top! The final peak of Pen y Fan seemed like a gentle walk after the first two and the team managed to get up and down in about an hour, with some racing back to the bus.

Chapel

Classroom

Orchestra

Admiralty Occupancy

Admiralty Occupancy

Physics Lab

Moulton Hall

1. Eve Jotcham (Y7)

2. Leo Muscroft (Y9)

3. Maria Rozhkova (Y10)

4. Bea Meier (Y7)

5. Aditi Rai (Y9)

6. Rosie Davies (Y9)

7. Amelie Laugharne (Y8)

8. Noah Giles (Y7)

9. Lila Elsom (Y10)

10. Luca Worthy (Y7)

11. Beatrix Willis (Y10)

12. Adam Reilly (Y10)

FUNDRAISING

In the Autumn term, Miss Tamblyn’s Westwood tutor group camped on the Upper and raised over £2000 for STEP UK; Mrs Lopez and Year 13 Tobina ran the Bath Half for The Life Project; Aimee in Year 10 took on the Tough Mudder 10km challenge for ALK Positive; Year 13 students organised a charity football match vs staff in aid of Movember; the whole community collected Advent calendars and donated 30 bags of books to Genesis Trust; 130 cards were made for BANES Compassionate Christmas; the senior prefects directed our senior management team in a hilarious depiction of Cinderella, raising over £1,000 for Rainbow Migration; Year 10 and 11 enjoyed their annual Christmas Ball and raised funds for charity projects in Malawi; the Eco-Alliance Club organised a second hand clothes sale for the Environmental Justice Foundation; Summerhill pupils created packages for Genesis Trust; Fonthill pupils sold hundreds of candy canes for Restart

Africa; and the whole community got involved in Christmas Jumper Day, raising money for Save the Children.

In the Spring term, Mrs Francis took on the Frostbite Challenge in aid of Young Lives vs Cancer, with the support of her Westwood tutor group; Year 13 Hall House boys set off on a 10k running route in aid of Cancer Research UK; Freya in Year 7 walked the 4-hour walk to and from school with her mum every day and raised over £5,000 for African Promise and even made it on to local news channels; Isaac in Year 12 camped out to raise money for a house-building project in Mexico; Upper House boys organised a World Cup fundraiser for Mind; all students had the opportunity to opt in for a solidarity lunch of soup and bread, savings from which went to the Generators for Ukraine appeal; Summerhill held a bake sale for Greenpeace; School House held their annual ‘Pink Week’ for Alzheimer’s Society and Cancer

Research UK; everyone collected Easter Eggs for the Bath Foodbank; students organised hockey and netball matches vs staff in aid of FIGO and Rainbow Laces; the Grand Jumble Sale took place to raise funds for projects in Malawi and the DEC; and Easter concerts raised over £1000 for The Egg Theatre’s Wonderfund, enabling all children to access Theatre.

In the Summer term, Bea in Year 13 ran the London Marathon for Alzheimer’s Society; Upper House boys organised a mufti day and ‘Upperfest’, a day of traditional summer fete games and bake sales for Mind and British Red Cross; we held the Kingswood Rugby Festival in aid of Masiphumelele Rugby Club in South Africa; ice-creams were sold at Sports Day for charities in Malawi; the Year 9 production of Lord of the Flies and the Year 7 and 8 production of The Witches raised funds for The Egg Theatre’s Wonderfund; Middle held a Boot sale and made pizzas for the DEC Ukraine appeal; a community Bridge Day raised more funds for charity projects in Malawi; and numerous Westwood bake sales took place across the year, raising funds for Young Minds, the DEC and several other charities that were close to the hearts of our youngest pupils.

In line with our Wesleyan motto, ‘Do all the good you can’, pupils and staff continued to organise numerous charity initiatives across the year.

Upperfest

Hall House Run

Mrs Francis' Frostbite Challenge

Westwood Bake Sale

Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.

John Wesley

Staff vs Pupils Netball

Touch Rugby Festival

Summerhill Bake Sale

Fonthill Elves

Summerhill Genesis Trust Packages

Mrs Lopez & Tobina after the Bath Half

Staff vs Pupils Football

Aimee at Tough Mudder

Bea with her London Marathon Medal

SUSTAINABILITY

Kingswood continues our pledge to work towards becoming carbon neutral by 2030, and the Eco-Alliance team have been busy this year working closely with the School’s Sustainable Development Committee to address the School’s own environmental footprint after declaring a climate and ecological emergency.

The events started early in the academic year with Sustainability Week. This involved numerous organised events including: a vegan lunch menu, a second-hand charity clothes sale, and tutorial activities and assemblies educating our pupils about the impacts of climate change and what we can do to reduce the problems.

The Eco Alliance Club attended a tree-planting event, making our contribution to help plant over 1,000 trees funded by Tree Source UK. The team also attended the annual BANES Climate Summit and, later in the year, some Year 9 pupils attended the West of England Climate Summit. The School has installed more bike racks which has resulted in an increase of staff and students cycling to school, and more staff have opted to enrol on the electric bike scheme with the aim to reduce our emissions.

As a school, our greatest role is to educate students and make them

aware of the issues we face and the urgency needed to tackle them. We have strongly focused on our food waste consumption this year, and students are now clearing their own plates at mealtimes, with the aim to increase our food waste awareness. We have also built a compost pile which the Eco Alliance group have regularly been filling up with our fresh vegetable peelings, whilst used coffee grounds are being collected and taken home to those who want them in their own compost bins.

More recently, Kingswood partnered with The Woodland Trust and over 100 parents, staff and pupils got involved with planting 420 trees on our Middle School playing field; Year 7 and 8 students enjoyed working on joint sustainability projects in Science and Geography; we have seen more weekly studentled activities and whole school assemblies; Year 9 have continued their Global Goals course, which culminated in a Global Goals Day for the whole year group.

Sustainability rightly continues to be a top priority on the School’s agenda.

GLOBAL GOALS DAY

Towards the end of the Summer term, Year 9 pupils took part in Kingswood’s Global Goals Day.

The day started off with pupils listening to an assembly from the Eco Alliance group, reminding them about the impacts and strategies of climate change. This was followed by students having a morning full of fun, participating in sustainabilityrelated workshops run by members of staff. Workshops included a sustainability-focused escape room, a recycled art workshop, creating solar stove ovens, a water purification challenge, upcycling, a Kinder Egg challenge, a recycled book workshop, a nature walk, creating seed bombs, and a climate change debate.

After this, students were fortunate to have the opportunity to listen to parents and past students and teachers about the different pathways available to them to get into the sustainability job sector. They learnt that this sector is rapidly growing and available to all, no matter what subjects you study.

The day concluded with presentations from eleven Global Goals students. Students were tasked to come up with a solution to tackle one global goal of their choice and present their findings to their year group. All the presentations were of an exceptionally high standard, with strong presentation skills and a high level of detail and knowledge demonstrated through their talks.

Students were left with the understanding that they are the future for our planet, and all of us are able to stimulate change and make a difference.

...all of us are able to stimulate change and make a difference.

MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2022-2023

Model United Nations (MUN) sees students learn to research and debate topics affecting the global community, and representing the views of different countries. It is a great skill to master and develops rhetorical skill, argument and confidence. We have had a large number of students attend our weekly MUN activity and have debated some challenging topics including women’s educational rights in Afghanistan, Artificial Intelligence, and the conflict in Ukraine.

BISMUN

This year saw Kingswood play host to the 32nd Bath International Schools’ Model United Nations conference. Approximately 300 students took part, representing 66 member states of the UN in two days of debate on a range of issues facing the global community today, including Artificial Intelligence, LGBT rights, the Israel Palestine dispute, climate change and China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea.

The conference began with an Opening Ceremony which saw two powerful speeches from Kingswood students. Eloise Wilson, Secretary General for this year’s conference, addressed the delegates, speaking eloquently about the role of MUN in shaping her own personal journey as well as the importance of international cooperation when faced with crises such as the recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

Nikita Briazghin then gave a very personal and heartfelt speech about what has happened in his homeland of Ukraine over the past year, reminding everyone present

that the issues they were about to debate were all too real.

The Opening Ceremony was followed by a period of lobbying, during which delegates sought to build support for their resolutions. The second day saw a day of committee based debates on the issues on the conference agenda, before the conference climaxed on the third day with the always popular emergency scenarios, where delegates are asked to respond to an unexpected international crisis; this year these ranged from a crisis in the Straits of Taiwan to an Israeli air strike against Iranian nuclear installations.

Congratulations to the Kingswood students who represented New Zealand and Malawi over the course of the weekend, and in particular to Tom Gilpin and Oscar McGurdy, who were both commended for their work in the Political Committee. Special mention should also be made of the 40 Kingswood Sixth Formers who served as chairs of the committees, on whose efforts the success of the conference rested. The visiting teachers were full of praise for their professionalism and warm and welcoming manner. The head chairs for the weekend were especially impressive, and deserve a special mention: Eloise Wilson, Rachel Bedding, Zenzi Oluoch-Olunya, Freddie Williamson, Leyla Aysan, Dan Zukas, Henry Solomon, Louis Record, Josh Thornton, Alex Paris, Can Kucukcan and Jacob Barton.

EXTERNAL MUN

This year we were delighted to see the return of an in-person external MUN event after a two year focus on online conferences. In November, twelve members of the Sixth Form travelled to Oxford to take part as delegates in Oxford Global’s MUN, the largest conference in the UK. Featuring nearly 600 students from 21 different countries including India, Brazil, Germany, New Zealand and Switzerland, the event had a truly international feel. Each student thoroughly prepared to represent their assigned countries, such as Brazil, Iran and Cambodia.

The conference took place in the unique and inspiring surroundings of Oxford University, with our students debating in the lecture rooms used by Oxford University students, as well as the use of Oxford City Hall for the opening and closing ceremonies. Students engaged in three days of intense debate on a range of issues across a variety of committees, such as climate change, weapons of mass destruction, intellectual property theft, genomic sequencing and even the historic 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

...intense debate on a range of issues across a variety of committees...

In addition to the main conference, our students were also treated to a guided tour of Oxford University, a workshop on outstanding university applications by the Oxford University admissions team, and a visit to the fantastic Blackwell’s bookshop. Our delegates arrived back having had a great weekend and inspired by their experiences. Many made lasting connections with students from across the world. Particular congratulations to Freddie Williamson who was commended as one of the top delegates in his committee, an impressive achievement given the scale of the conference.

With the Oxford MUN trip returning in the Autumn of 2023 as well as other conferences lined up for 2024, now has never been a better time to get involved in MUN.

Craig Woodgate and Mr George Newbould

Mr

ACADEMIC NEWS

ENGLISH

This year was another busy one for the English department.

It saw the launch of the Cosy Corner in En4; a quiet space available during break and lunchtime for students to come and relax, read or do other mindful activities such as journalling and crochet.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

In November, Sixth Form English students visited the theatre to watch a performance of Agatha Christie’s ‘The Mousetrap’ – the longest running show, of any kind, in the world. This was an excellent complimentary performance to the students' study of Christie's popular, 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd', and students enjoyed making wild conspiracies about ‘who dunnit’ in the interval.

In February, Year 12 and 13 English students went to the Odeon, Bath to watch a National Theatre Live production of 'Othello'. We saw a discussion panel as well as the play, which helped to inform the students about directorial decisions. The controversy of the production choices made for some outstanding discussions in class and a deeper revision of the play than if everything had been seemingly perfect!

SPELLING BEE

In June, Erik Brown, Sophia Leonard and Tutku Yalabik represented Kingswood at Hayesfield School to compete in their Inter-School Spelling Bee. These three students had already won a tough heat earlier in the term and were full of energy on the way to Hayesfield. The words were very tricky and required a level of confidence to be able to deliver them in front of an audience. Erik and Sophia made a noble effort and Tutku successfully got to the third round; an excellent achievement.

LIBRARY BOOK COVER CONTEST

For World Book Day 2023, the library hosted a competition to re-design an existing book cover. The goal was to create a book cover that was original, unexpected, and eye-catching to draw new readers in. We had many impressive entries.

WINNERS:

• Frankie Jensen (Year 8) with ‘It’ by Stephen King

• Grace Asplin (Year 13) with ‘Heartstopper’ by Alice Oseman

...relax, read or do other mindful activities...

VISITING AUTHORS

We were treated to author visits this year from some of the most dynamic and progressive voices in modern children's literature and poetry.

Elle McNicoll came to speak to Year 7s about her third book, 'Like a Charm'. Elle's books always feature characters with neurodiversity, offering a fresh perspective and interpretation to the way that the narrators see the world and react to events within them. Her talk was very engaging with our students asking a range of thoughtful questions throughout.

AI cannot truly write stories, because it has no soul...

Year 8 very much enjoyed returning guest, Harry Baker. The way that he uses rhythm, rhyme, comedy and maths to establish his point of view on many topics and poignant issues is always a pleasure to listen to; the students were hooked on his every word.

Year 9 got to hear from Simon James Green, an author who writes unashamedly about LGBTQIA+ issues. He read extracts from his latest book, 'Gay Club' and our students couldn't wait to purchase his book afterwards for a signed copy! In June, we were very lucky to be visited by Diana Janney, whose latest novel, 'A Man of Understanding', is a runner up in this year's 'People's Book Prize'. Diana spoke passionately about following your urge to be creative and was scathing in her attack of AI produced fiction - 'AI cannot truly write stories, because it has no soul', she rightfully declared.

ENGLISH LITERATURE

In May, a group of Year 12 English Literature A Level students headed into Bath to watch Emma Smith in conversation with Farah KarimCooper (‘The Great White Bard’) and Sophie Duncan (‘Searching for Juliet’). Students came away with a number of questions they wanted to explore, and a greater understanding of how Shakespeare can still be incredibly relevant in 2023.

In June, all Year 12 English Literature students visited the Jane Austen Centre in Bath, where they learned about Jane Austen’s life and family. Students heard about significant locations in Bath, where Austen lived or danced or worshipped, and how the city inspired so many parts of her writing. They were particularly excited about the opportunity to dress up in Regency style clothing, and enjoyed trying the assortment of fans, bonnets and waistcoats available! Afterwards, they had the opportunity to browse some of Bath’s excellent independent bookshops and went across to Persephone Books for an enlightening talk by its founder, Nicola Beauman.

CREATIVE WRITING ANTHOLOGY

In May, the English department launched the publication of this year’s creative writing anthology, ‘Endless Memories of an Endless Universe’, designed to celebrate Kingswood’s 275th anniversary with stories that feature the number 275 and poems that have been based on the theme of ‘memory’. The title was taken from Matilda Lang’s poem, and the anthology contains the writing of seventy students, as well as photography and illustrations. At the launch event, we heard from several writers who performed their work for the audience with confidence and charisma. We were also treated to stunning musical performances by Alyssa Chu and Elsa and Polly France.

AFA CREATIVE WRITING

At the start of the Spring term, Year 12 AFA students travelled to London to see Zadie Smith’s ‘The Wife of Willesden’. This was an excellent opportunity to see a live performance of one of their set texts, and gave the students plenty to think about as they began their module on scriptwriting.

EMPOWERING GIRLS IN STEM

Dr Jenny Wood and Year 13 students, Anouk Caney and Grace Cardwell, organised a series of sessions for girls in Years 10-13 who were interested in finding out what it might be like to work in a STEM related field. The first session looked at ‘Imposter Syndrome’ and future meetings included female speakers from a range of backgrounds, including those conducting data analysis for the football premier league, meteorologists, and engineers from the Ministry of Defence.

In June, AFA students headed to Oxford, where they spent the morning in Blackwell’s bookshop, enjoying the beautiful setting and the huge range of options available, and then embarked on a tour of several parts of the Bodleian Libraries. They saw locations where historical and literary figures such as King Charles I and Oscar Wilde once held court, and learned about the way that the libraries had grown over the years.

STEM departments had another busy year of activity and here are just some of the highlights.

OLYMPIADS AND CHALLENGES

Every year, some of our students choose to take part in the fiendishly difficult online Olympiads and Challenges, testing core mathematical and scientific knowledge and problemsolving skills.

The challenges contain questions set in novel contexts that the students are unlikely to be familiar with and really stretch them beyond the confines of the curriculum. This year’s top results are shown here.

AWARD NAME PLACEMENT

Biology Olympiad Gold: Florence Burton, Hannah King

Biology Challenge

Gold: Joss Armstrong, Wilf Burton, Sophia Lethbridge, Jim Pilkington, Ellis Robinson, George Williams, Max Wilson, Ethan Y Wong, Charlie Woodward. Jim (Year 9) and Joss (Year 10) were joint Best in School

MACLAURIN MATHEMATICAL OLYMPIAD

Chemistry Olympiad

Physics Olympiad

Junior Physics Challenge

Y11 Intermediate Physics Challenge

Senior Physics Challenge

Gold: Akira Asakawa, Manaka Koreyasu, Nao Ueda (Nao was also within the top 2% of all entries)

Gold: Akira Asakawa, Oscar Bankes, Adam Estcourt, Emily Hersch, Jack Stephens, Nao Ueda (Nao was also within the top 50 of all entries)

Gold: Hannah Atkins, Ivor Branigan, Arthur Davies, Jim Pilkington, James Wadsworth

Gold: Jiwoo Yang, Crystal Yu

Gold: Adam Estcourt, Akira Asakawa

Isaac Physics Senior Physics Challenge Daimu Tsuneki qualified for the SPC Summer School, having achieved a top 50 place of those who entered

Certificate of Qualification: Emily Hersch

Certificate of Merit: Manaka Koreyasu

Mathematical Olympiad

Certificate of Distinction: Akira Asakawa, Nao Ueda Akira and Nao were only a few marks away from the top 100 in the country

Following his success in the Intermediate Mathematics Challenge, Jiwoo took on the UKMT MacLaurin Olympiad where he had to construct Mathematical arguments to solve six tricky problems across the disciplines of number theory, trigonometry, advanced geometric thinking, proof, and logic. Jiwoo achieved a distinction in the competition, and his score placed him in the top 100 students in the country for his age group.

Y9-11 Intermediate Mathematics Challenge

UKMT Senior Mathematics Challenge

Gold: Jiwoo Yang (Best in School), Keenan Chan (Best in Year 10), Spike Salkeld (Best in Year 9), Evie Campbell, Cyrus Chan, Jamie Douch, May Haddon, Mathijs In Der Rieden, Nicole Kwok, Oyin Obe, Ernie Padfield, Jim Pilkington

Gold: Akira Asakawa, Rohan Harvey, Emily Hersch, Alexander Keogh, Manaka Koreyasu (full marks), Kit Marrack, Matt Miyamoto, Jago Neech, Daimu Tsuneki, Nao Ueda, Andy Wang, Lainee Weng, Eddie Wong, Ricky Wong

MEI Ritangle Challenge

Team ‘The Exponentials’, made up of six Year 12 Further Mathematicians, reached the final stage of this year’s MEI Ritangle Challenge, a national competition which requires sustained problem-solving across a range of applied Mathematical disciplines

In February, Year 11 attended GCSE Science Live! in Bristol. Students heard from five of Britain’s top scientists all working at the cutting edge of their specialisms. From mimicking nature in the design of synthetic materials, to jellyfish matching the refractive index of their bodies to that of the water they are in, and the prediction that quantum computers will be with us ten years from now, all the speakers were excellent and the students came away enthused and inspired by their stories.

BIOLOGY

In June, Year 12 Biologists took a trip to FSC Nettlecombe Court. It was a great day in which they explored the differences in biodiversity between mown and unmown grassland in the morning, and carried out a freshwater sample in the afternoon. They looked at the differences in abundance of freshwater invertebrates between riffles and pools and then set up choice chambers to check for preferences. It was a really productive day that saw them complete multiple endorsed practicals, and learn a lot about the importance of maintaining a high level of biodiversity in British ecosystems.

CHEMISTRY

In November, Year 12 and 13 Chemistry A Level students took part in an interactive session to gain a greater understanding of the chemistry of fireworks. Mr Deacon talked about the origins of bonfire night, the chemistry of the explosives used in the gunpowder plot (that are almost the same as in many fireworks in use today), how fireworks produce different colours and noises and also the environmental issues associated with fireworks and bonfire night activity. Some explosive demonstrations then followed, mimicking the reactions that take place in fireworks in a laboratory environment.

COMPUTER SCIENCE

OZARIA

In Computer Science, we introduced Ozaria into Year 9 which teaches students how to code in a gamified environment. Students really enjoyed this and their computational thinking skills developed exponentially.

BEBRAS

This year all Computer Science students in Years 7 to 9 took part in the BEBRAS Challenge – an international Computational Thinking competition which requires students to solve a range of logical puzzles using decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction and algorithmic thinking; the cornerstones of Computer Science. 61 students achieved an outstanding Gold award which places them in the top 10% nationally.

Ben Davies (Year 9) was the top performer in Kingswood who achieved 194/200, which was amongst one of the top results in the country.

In April, Year 12 Chemists were visited by three PhD Chemistry students from the University of Bath for the ‘Spectroscopy in a Suitcase’ event. The students brought with them some rare and valuable chemical analysis equipment. Later in the year, our students went on to visit the University of Bath Chemistry labs to synthesise some chemical compounds and analyse them using larger and more sophisticated versions of the apparatus that had visited Kingswood.

Year 13 Chemists finished their lessons before study leave began with a hearty breakfast and quiz to test their skills on Chemistry Conundrums, Chemistry Teacher Facts, and The Chemistry Spelling Bee! They also enjoyed a Chemistry escape room and fun demonstrations and finished their time in the Chemistry department with a flourish!

MFL (MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES)

In September, the MFL department marked European Day of Languages with some celebratory lessons and an international themed lunch for the whole school to enjoy.

Years 8 and 9 took part in some language-based quizzes and Year 7 undertook a scavenger hunt as part of Challenge Day, where they had to hunt for clues around the school and listen to people from around the world speaking in their native languages.

Year 7 took part in an MFL Spelling Bee in French, German and Spanish. Pupils were challenged to learn over 200 words in a foreign language and be ready to attempt to spell as many of these in the target language as they could in 60 seconds. Emily Bulgin, Alice Park and Annabelle Godson were crowned school champions and went on to represent Kingswood in the South West Regional Final of the Routes into Languages Spelling Bee at Hayesfield School. To gain a place in the final, the girls had already beaten over 2,400 pupils nationally and were in the top 1.5% of Year 7 language learners nationally. The competition was fierce, with competitors from schools all over the South West. We extend our congratulations to Annabelle Godson who became the 2023 German South West Spelling Bee Champion. Annabelle will compete in the national final later in the year.

Year 7 also took part in the British Council Languages Challenge whereby they could create anything they liked from a French, German, Spanish or Mandarin speaking

country. We had some wonderful entries ranging from biscuits, a Sacher torte, a Lego Brandenburg gate, a French cooking video, and detailed work about Spanish cuisine and Spanish culture. All entries were very impressive and the MFL department were incredibly impressed with their hard work and innovative ideas.

In February, thirty pupils from Years 9-13 took part in the UK Linguistics Olympiad. In the advanced competition, Kingswood faced stiff competition with a record entry of 1,686 candidates in the Advanced category and the most challenging set of questions to date. Congratulations to all Advanced competitors, and a special congratulations to Aoife Targett

who achieved a Silver award. This is no mean feat, as the papers are incredibly challenging at all levels. In the Intermediate and Foundation categories, we had some excellent results in an extremely competitive field of over 4,600 pupils nationwide. Congratulations to all involved, but a special mention to Kara Kirkham and Ernie Padfield, who came top of the Kingswood competitors with some excellent scores.

The MFL Christmas Card Competition was also launched this year, with the theme of 'Lyrics from a French, German, Spanish or Mandarin Christmas song or carol'. We had some wonderful entries, integrating these into the design of pupils’ cards.

Lego Brandenburg Gate

IN FRENCH...

Several students of French entered the 2023 Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators competition. This was a challenging competition with over 15,000 students across the UK taking part. Oscar Salter in Year 9 received a Commendation for his translation of the poem ‘La Méridienne du lion’, by Victor Hugo, written in 1865.

In the Flash Fiction competition, Madeleine Waring was awarded a Commendation from the University of Oxford for her creative story “la vie d’une baguette”.

IN GERMAN...

Our pupils in Year 8 were treated to a German breakfast whilst studying the topic of food and daily routine in lessons, and were able to sample an authentic breakfast picnic while using their language skills to describe their experience in German. There were lots of role plays and wonderful descriptions of a traditional German breakfast – although not everyone loves ‘Roggenbrot’ in the afternoon!

Year 9 had a brief look at the history of Germany during the time of the Berlin Wall by undertaking a mini film project about the new film ‘Ballon’, which tells the story of an East German family who try to escape to West Germany in a hot air balloon. This was a lovely film to study and discuss, not only from a language point of view, but a historical one too.

Kingswood German also now has a new Instagram account where you can see lots of the events that take place during the year. We very much hope to include more trips and competitions next year, so watch this space!

 IN SPANISH...

Kingswood welcomed renowned author Jason Webster who gave a seminar about the intricacies of Spanish history and culture, and in June, Mr Walker and Miss Sobey rewarded the hard work of their Year 12 and 13 Spanish A Level pupils by taking them for some delicious tapas. Pupils enjoyed octopus, squid ink croquettes, Spanish tortilla, beef cheeks, smoked sardines, and Spanish sausages, amongst other things!

IN MANDARIN...

Thirty-one Year 9 to Year 11 students visited Chinatown, London, where they saw buildings and streets decorated with Chinese features such as dragons and lanterns. They also visited Chinese supermarkets and shops where they tasted Chinese bread, cakes, snacks and bubble tea, followed by a delicious dim sum meal at a restaurant. Barbecue pork buns were everyone’s favourite! Afterwards, they visited the British Museum and did a Treasure Hunt activity in the Chinese gallery. Students learnt about the different Chinese dynasties through artifacts and historical records of the time. They all got to know more about Chinese culture and history through this enjoyable and educational trip. (Photo 1)

Year 10 and Year 11 Mandarin students participated in the national ‘Challenge of China’ business competition organised by Business Language Champions. Students spent the morning engaging in a series of tasks using their Mandarin in an authentic business context. Each of the year groups chose to work on an English product which was to be promoted to the Chinese market. They also practised their employability skills as they produced promotional leaflets, TV adverts, writing emails and making phone calls to their potential ‘clients’. The students all participated actively as they put their heads together to pitch the products to the judges. Congratulations to our Year 10 students who were the first runners-up in the whole competition! (Photo 2)

As part of the Chinese New Year celebrations, our Mandarin students practised Chinese calligraphy and learned about the Chinese Zodiac. We were very impressed with how well our pupils picked up calligraphy. (Photos 3)

LATIN COMPETITION

James Wadsworth won the Year 10 Latin trip competition with his amusing cartoon, inspired by a trip through Bath. Well done, also, to runner-up Maisy Routh.

Oscar Watkins in Year 7 was one of the Westwood historians to enter the prestigious Townsend-Warner History Prize. Previous winners and runners-up of the prize have included author George Orwell and Kwasi Kwarteng MP. Oscar did brilliantly on Paper One to qualify for the second paper, sat by only 250 students nationally.

Oscar Shonfeld in Year 12 was awarded the runner-up prize in the ‘Schools Category’ of the ‘Student Essay Prize’ by the Society for Army Historical Research. Oscar undertook independent research outside of class time on a subject of his choice, the role of the Australian Army during the Vietnam War. This was an exciting and under-researched topic which impressed the judges. The Society for Army Historical Research invited Oscar to its Annual Reception and Prize Giving, held at the National Army Museum where he was presented with a cheque and a commemorative glass.

RPE (RELIGION, PHILOSOPHY & ETHICS)

PHILOSOTHON

In February, ten Kingswood philosophers from Years 9-13 travelled to KES for the Philosothon competition, hoping to retain the title won last year. A Philosothon is a friendly competition between small teams in which pupils participate in a series of ‘Communities of Inquiry’ and are judged by the quality of their participation in the discussion. The pupils competed against five other local schools and were involved in group discussions with other pupils in their year group, as well as in mixed year groups. As part of these discussions they were invited to consider questions challenging whether humans are free to act as they choose or if everything is already pre-determined, as well as looking at the meaning of success, and enquiring what the essences of a person is. They were judged in each conversation on active listening, creativity, leadership and their skills as a philosopher.

After an enjoyable evening in which all pupils were fully involved in engaging and impressive discussions, Kingswood were announced as the winners. The judges commented on how impressed they were by the involvement and skill of the Kingswood

pupils, meaning that they were the standout performers of the evening. There were also individual prizes given and special congratulations should go to Orla Reddin and Lily Saunders who were both awarded ‘Best Philosopher’ for their respective year groups, and Rubysha Malla who was commended for her participation. The rest of the team was made up of Manvis Cheung, Clemmie Coxen, Ferdie Goddard, Amy Robinson, Elfriede Wong, Ethan Y Wong and Iris Worley.

PRIZE GIVING & FINAL ASSEMBLY 2023

The event gave us the opportunity to recognise talent and to inspire students to strive for excellence as we celebrate all that our Year 13 Leavers have achieved, and celebrate the many talented young people following in their footsteps in the years below.

As soon as we started it became apparent that this was indeed a very special event, celebrated in a uniquely Kingswood way. With joy and opportunity at the core, there was humour, music, gratitude and humility throughout the morning. As I read out the names of our incredible students we were engulfed in rapturous applause and celebration as we were able to give time to properly recognise the talent, ambition and energy of our students. The day seemed particularly poignant using The Forum in the

centre of Bath as our venue, with our winners parading across the stage whilst the names of those who were highly commended scrolled on the big screen in the background. It was truly an honour to speak the names of these students and we are full of anticipation and excitement as we follow their academic journey throughout their school lives.

But the day served as more than just a celebration of the prize winners, worthy though they were. Prize Giving 2023 stands out as a special day, a double celebration, honouring the School’s rich 275-year history and its continued commitment to nurturing excellence in a truly holistic educational setting. The event not only recognised the achievements of the current study body, but we were also reminded of our School’s rich history. The academic year leading up to this day has not been without challenge. The world has faced unprecedented challenges and our community has had to adapt to new learning environments, external pressures and deal with unknowns. Yet, despite these challenges, students, teachers and staff have demonstrated resilience in ensuring that education, in all its senses, remained a priority. This year’s event celebrated the collective strength, ambition and perseverance of the entire school community. Moments such as these remind us just how special it is to be part of the Kingswood community.

The ceremony celebrated the usual eclectic mix of achievements that take place during a typical Kingswood school year. Academic departments awarded their prizes for Attainment, Effort and Highly Commended as they usually would,

and the incredibly high level of these young people’s achievements was phenomenal. As is tradition, both Prize Giving and Final Assembly were deeply enriched by performances from some of our senior musicians and artists. Anna Read, Will Thomas and Emily Watkins gave a characteristically engaging rendition of ‘Requiem’ from the hit musical Dear Evan Hansen, and the singing certainly gave an air of poignancy as it dawned on us that it might be the last time we would hear such talented voices before having to purchase tickets beforehand. Sunday Johnston’s incredible violin virtuoso was a joy to listen to and she delighted the audience with her skill and musicianship; we will

It was a joy to celebrate my first Prize Giving ceremony at the end of term, and to mark a set of crossroads in the rich history of Kingswood School.

...testament to Kingswood’s commitment to nurturing wellrounded individuals

follow her progress with interest and pleasure over the coming years of her school career. The range of talent on show served as a testament to Kingswood’s commitment to nurturing well-rounded individuals who are not only academically accomplished but also compassionate and socially responsible.

Our ‘special prize’ categories help to encapsulate the Kingswood vision of what excellence looks like when we think about great education. The special prizes range widely, as you can see elsewhere on this page. The eclecticism of the awards speak to the breadth of vision for education that we hold so dearly at Kingswood. Of course, in many ways our world is much changed and more complex than that of Wesley, but the Wesleyan vision for a Kingswood education seems as relevant today as it did in 1748 – indeed, the real ‘prizes’ we celebrate are the young adults we send out into the world with the commission to be people of virtue and character, change-makers, who might just help save us all.

The Final Assembly also gave us an opportunity to say farewell to long-standing members of staff, who collectively have shaped and enriched the lives of countless young people over the years. Mr Duke, Dr Wood, Mrs Wilcock and Mrs Solomon-Gardner were all rightly honoured for their long-standing commitment to the mission of education at Kingswood. The celebration of the School’s anniversary, coupled with the extraordinary accomplishments of the students, teachers and staff, made this year’s events an unforgettable and special experience for everyone involved. We are a school full of confidence and excitement about our future and that of our students, and we will continue to strive for excellence and to make a positive impact on the world over the next 275 years and beyond.

I emerged from the Forum into the sunshine uplifted, proud and excited about the future of our school. I wondered what the next set of crossroads would bring in a year’s time, and what exciting opportunities our 276th year will bring.

Dr Rachel McIlwaine (Deputy Head Academic)

PRIZES FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO THE SCHOOL 2023

The Heart of Westwood Award Madeleine Waring & Joshua George

The Charlotte Hecquet Butterfly Award for Fine Art Tilly Bankes

The Duchars Award for Art Elsa France & Polly France

The John Allison Memorial Award for DT Rufus Sokell Thompson

The Golden Mask Award Dasha Gorbunova

The Tom Pritchard Award for Music and Drama Elsa France

The Jean Pratten Award for Music Emily Watkins

The President’s Prize for Contribution to Science Grace Cardwell

The Dikran A. Knadjian Award for Medicine Emily Watkins & Sienna Websper

The E.P. Thompson Award for History Magnus Sankaran

The Model United Nations Award Eloise Wilson

The William Cross Award for Politics Molly Williams

The Rebecca Bleathman Travel Scholarship Award Aoife Targett

The Simon Morris Award for Super-Curricular Achievement F1 in Schools Team “Impetus”

The Jo Heap Award for Contribution to Sport Fergus Kerr & Charlotte Nicholson

The Warmann Shield for Team Sport Girls U12A Hockey Team

The Sandy Burgon Award for Sporting Commitment out of School Annie McCarthy

The Cooke Award for Fortitude Armorel Bird

The Friends of Kingswood Award for Community Spirit Dominic Fairley

The Chaplain’s Award for Charity Sean Choy

The Opie Award for Kindness Connie Slater

The Burns Family Leadership Award Bert Fryer

GCSE RESULTS 2023

Students in Kingswood School celebrated very strong GCSE/IGCSE results this year.

With 42% of all results awarded at grades 9 and 8, and 62% at grades 9 - 7, students have achieved very highly across both GCSE and IGCSE examinations. Even with the well-publicised return to pre-pandemic grading levels, these results are an improvement on the grades achieved in 2019 and are a testament to this cohort’s talent and tenacity having experienced several years of unique challenge to their education.

In addition, 26 students (nearly a quarter of the year group) achieved eight or more grade 8 and 9s. Over 10% of the year group achieved a full set of 8 and 9 grades.

“I am so proud of the efforts of our Year 11 pupils who worked with real purpose to achieve these impressive results. Given the move back to pre-pandemic grade boundaries, it is no mean feat that these results are ahead of 2019 and I am delighted that, once again, our pupils have set the bar high for themselves and that our teachers have guided them with such dedication and expertise.

Exciting times are now in store as they step up to take on the joys and challenges of life in Year 12. They will be joined by an equally talented group of new recruits who we have selected to join our Sixth Form. I look forward to watching them develop as our student leaders and role models over the coming terms. This strong set of results leaves them well placed to thrive in their further education, and in true Kingswood fashion, I expect to see them making the most of the many opportunities to develop their talents, both inside and outside the classroom.”

Mr Andrew Gordon-Brown (Headmaster)

Students

at Kingswood School celebrated outstanding A Level results in 2023, with 53% of all grades at A* or A, 83% at A* - B and a 100% pass rate.

In a year that sees a return to pre-pandemic grade boundaries, these outcomes buck the national trend and are a continuation of the very high levels of student achievement of recent years. Marking a dramatic increase on the overall grades achieved in 2019, Kingswood students continue to benefit from passionate and enthusiastic teaching and an environment that promotes success in all endeavours both inside and outside the classroom. We are very proud of our young people who, despite years of disruption to their education, have nevertheless demonstrated impressive strength of character and dedication to their studies, alongside a commitment to a wide holistic education.

We are particularly pleased with students’ achievements across a broad range of subjects, with many seeing over 90% of students achieving A* - B, including: Mathematics, Physics, Spanish, Politics, Economics, French, DT, Drama, Chinese, and RPE. This demonstrates the depth and breadth of a Kingswood education. Importantly, those students who applied also celebrated overwhelmingly high rates of acceptance at a university of their choice, despite increased competition.

A LEVEL RESULTS 2023

“These results are a cause for great celebration! I am very proud of our Year 13 leavers whose efforts have produced such a great outcome. Their fine attitude and commitment to their studies has been matched by the expertise and generosity of our teachers. It is heart-warming to see how our commitment to care for each individual and to educate them for life has come to fruition in this way. A Kingswood education is all about breadth, balance and wellbeing, and I am delighted that our leavers are armed with both the excellent qualifications and personal qualities to influence the world for good.”

Mr Andrew Gordon-Brown (Headmaster)

This demonstrates the depth and breadth of a Kingswood education.

WESTWOOD HOUSE (LOWER SCHOOL)

The next morning they were joined by the returning Year 8s who were full of beans as they returned to Westwood as ‘old hands’, full of news about their summer holidays. Activity signups, team-building challenge days, meeting teachers, starting lessons, and parents meeting tutors at the annual afternoon teas on the Westwood terrace were just a snapshot of all that followed.

Suddenly, in what seemed like a space/time continuum glitch from a science fiction movie, time accelerated away from us and the year concluded with our final assemblies and prize giving. At these, amongst other things, we said goodbye to our Year 8s as they move on to the senior houses, and celebrated so much that has gone on this term and before.

Our house captains – Harrison Watts, Sam Milborrow, Esme Hersch, Livvy Hicks, Pippa Gatehouse, Will Butterworth, Sawan Tamling and Thea Wilson – gave great speeches at the end of the year looking at things they have loved about their time in Westwood, things they are

grateful for, things they are looking forward to and, of course, the round up of the all-important Inter-House competitions. Mulberry provided worthy opposition throughout the year and finished strongly, winning the Inter-House Swimming, Debating, Year 8 Rounders, Year 8 Cricket, and Year 7 Boys’ CrossCountry relay in the Summer term. Phoenix, however, did prove very strong this year and cleaned up the majority of the other competitions throughout the year, including the athletics on the last Wednesday of term to emerge as the worthy winners of the inaugural Duke Trophy for the Westwood InterHouse competition, presented to us by Mr Duke as he departs after 20 years here at Kingswood.

From a charity perspective, we had another great year. As well as the efforts of the weekly baking teams, under the guidance of Miss Griffith, who raised a considerable amount of money for our charities, we also had numerous tutor group and individual fundraising efforts, including Freya Hyslop’s incredible walking to and from school for African Promise.

Mrs Curtis put together an eclectic programme for morning tutorials, as well as the Flow and Rest/Recharge days which took place before or after the exams for the different year groups. We cannot wait to see what next year will bring.

Our musicians showed their talents in many areas, both in and outside of school: concerts, choirs, assemblies, Bath Voices recordings, the Abbey Choir and more. In Drama, a good number of our pupils gave exceptional performances in the Lower School production of The Witches; it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening of drama from a very talented (and sizeable) cast. The countless hours of rehearsals that make these music and drama performances look so polished is truly impressive.

Sport continued at pace, and a big thank you must go to everyone who took part at many different levels against various internal and external opposition. We continue to do our best to match ability with opportunity to play matches, which continues to be a challenge due to the large and enthusiastic cohorts we have; long may this challenge continue! We had a number of very good team results this year against other schools, and in tournaments and regional competitions, for which those involved should be congratulated. Above all, however, the greatest thanks goes to every single pupil who took part at any level and demonstrated the team spirit and support for each other that is the absolute bed rock on which all sport should be built.

It seems a long time ago since the first Tuesday afternoon of the academic year when the new Year 7s came in to meet their tutors, find their lockers and look ahead with excitement and some trepidation to life at the Senior School.

This year saw the introduction of the House Reward League, where houses competed to achieve the most Merits and Commendations throughout the year. Westwood gathers so many of these awards that we had our own tutor group competition away from the senior houses to give them a chance! Well done to Mrs Sim’s tutor group who finished top with a total of 730 reward points; a very impressive performance.

There are so many remarkable things that happen on a daily basis here at Kingswood and my final word, therefore, is one of thanks. Thank you to all the tutors, teachers, parents and many support staff in their various roles, without whom none of the above would be possible. Equally importantly, my thanks to all of this year’s Westwood pupils whose willingness to tackle anything thrown at them with good humour and resilience has made Westwood the wonderful, memorable place it has been this year.

Mr Steve Pentreath (Head of Lower School)

FONTHILL HOUSE

Interviewing Lower Sixth for prefect positions, I put the question: ‘What makes Fonthill, Fonthill…?’ and received responses suggesting that the house identity and spirit is stronger than ever.

Most people highlighted the house ethos of having fun through service and participation, and somebody summed it up as: Fonthill is ‘always there’. Looking back at the year, this has definitely been true, as we made up the bulk of numbers in many areas of school life: from Senior Choir and the Little Shop of Horrors cast; the only girl in the 35-mile Ten Tors team; those helping with events like the Malawi Jumble Sale, or tours on Open/Association/275 Days; those entering Kingswood competitions for Christmas cards or poems/short stories for the Anthology; to those in Philosothons, F1 in Schools and Youth Climate Summits… It really was a busy year, with Fonthill representation throughout!

Having settled many new members into the Fonthill ‘family’, we paused to mark the death of the Queen, before re-commencing business as usual. House Performance (returning to the Theatre) was a joyous event with much energy on stage as the Fonthill and Hall Upper Sixth enthusiastically coached the Houses in lyrics and a routine for ‘You’re the One That I Want’. Great progress was

made during the day, however (in what is now a regular occurrence!), we eventually came second to Summerhill/Middle’s excellent effort. Having narrowly (unfairly?!) lost last year’s ensemble, this year our version of ‘We Are the Champions’ won, orchestrated and organised by Emily, with a cast of singers including Matilda, Oyin, Fade, Erin, Beth & Elfriede happy to be front and centre.

Performance was a theme carried through the year, as Music and Drama collaborated in the spectacular Little Shop of Horrors With Oyin as the plant, Emily, Beth and Ella key members of the singing group, Monica, Phia, AiLing and Daisy in the dance group, and Janice and Rosie contributing much backstage and in the tech team (as well as many more in the cast), Fonthill was well-represented, although Clemmie’s performance as the dentist really stole the show, earning her a standing ovation in our end of term house assembly. Inspired by this, there were many members of Fonthill in the Year 9 production of Lord of the Flies, notably Martha impressing as one of the twins ‘Sam ‘n’ Eric’. KATS recognised the year’s Drama and

Music achievements, with Daisy, Phia, Monica and Emily all winning awards. Music was equally strong, and Fonthill members performed in all ensembles on many different stages. Individually, Elfriede, Emily, Alyssa and Snow led the way, all performing virtuosic solos, and members of the choir were rehearsed hard by Mr Barton to provide the aural backdrop to key events such as the 275 celebration services in John Wesley’s New Room and Kingswood Chapel, and Christmas/Commemoration services in Bath Abbey.

Throughout the year, the House competed valiantly in sporting events. We definitely (sorry Summerhill!) DID win Senior Hockey, through a disallowed goal and then a shuttle penalty calmly put away by JoJo (we have never seen Tobina so excited!). The Year 10s’ fantastic team-work won their Netball, with A team players Connie, Maddie and Ella well-supported by regular B/C teamers. We also smashed the Inter and Senior Swimming galas, thanks to the talents of Maisie, Jess, Avantika, Nish and other willing swimmers, however we discovered that running is not our house forte;

we even had some disqualifications from the Cross Country – a Kingswood first! However, the number of people willing to put themselves through the challenge of running up Kingswood’s hills was commendable. Poppy deserves a mention for finishing highest in the Cross Country, willingly running in the Cross Country Relays, and also the 1500m on Sports Day! Tobina, Bert, Grace, Izzy, Viv and Evie all also did their bit, with Tobina and Bert bravely taking on the Sports Day Steeplechase and its infamous water jump as the final sporting act of their Kingswood careers! Although we lost Sports Day by just two points overall, again willingness to participate was much in evidence, and continues to be a huge part of the house ethos. At School sport level we did well, with senior members of the House captaining teams (Bert, Iris, Eve and Romilly in Hockey, Netball and Tennis), and Tobina achieving a captaincy ‘hattrick’ in Hockey, Cross Country and Athletics! Individually, both Masha and Maddie excelled in various sports, both making debuts in Senior squads, despite being only in Year 10, and May’s England U16 Bridge training provided us with our most unusual ‘sporting’ achievement! In other house competitions, Wed debated with skill and confidence, and everyone (Emily B most of all!) contributed to two terms out of three topping Mr Davies’ inaugural House Rewards League. We were only pipped to a year ‘clean sweep’ by just a few points behind Middle!

Charity, as always, played a big part in the year. The elves were hard at work again, with Dipti’s amazing video (the best ever?), and new Fonthill member ‘Freddie the Elf’ helping publicise the Candy Cane sales which were as popular as ever. The Malawi Jumble Sale was another epic event, with many Fonthill members enjoying setting up (cue amusing fancy dress outfits!) and manning stalls, the Year 9s hosted a community tea party, Bert had a drastic haircut and Tobina ran the Bath Half.

In boarding, the House enjoyed many events: some planned, some spontaneous! Highlights included

Sports Hall games and sleepovers with Summerhill, a snow day and epic igloo build, Bank Holiday (x2!) fun, tree planting, International presentations, cake and more cake for birthdays, pizza from our oven, several trips to A&E (Tobina’s hand; Erin’s leg!), Bingo nights, Bake Off entries, trips organised by Mr Harding, year group picnics in fields and much more. Extremely sadly, Fonthill boarding said some goodbyes at the end of the year –to Upper Sixth who have called the House home for five years, and one-year Spanish exchange, Marga, but also to Miss Galloway and Miss Moore. The latter has been Resident Assistant for five years, and it’s hard to imagine someone giving more to the life of the House, and even more difficult to imagine the House without her (or Twiglet) next year. We are all in denial…

House entertainments with Hall were bigger and better, including ice skating and dodgeball. A (somewhat unplanned) change was July’s inflatable fun, which spontaneously merged with Summerhill and Middle’s waterslide; the mass enjoyment as four houses mixed together in organised chaos was a fitting end to an action-packed year. The only events that then remained were Prizegiving, with Fonthill wellrepresented (including Headmaster’s Special Prizes for Armorel, Bert and Molly), Commemoration Service in Bath Abbey opened by a vocal

trio including Izzy and Beth, and the Leavers’ events. What a great bunch the Fonthill Upper Sixth turned out to be this year, characterised by determination to make the most of opportunities and seek fun wherever it could be found. Led by Tobina and Bert, this group were fantastic role models, and true ambassadors for what every parent surely hopes the outcome of a Kingswood education to be!

As ever, the final house assembly was an emotional affair, made more so this year by farewells to Mrs Gardner and Mrs Meredith –Fonthill tutors for the last four years, and both to be really missed in the House in the future. The annual House Awards added a positive note, with Bert voted as the Spirit of Fonthill, Emily winning the Sergeant Leadership Award, and Phia The Wright Way. Tobina and Bert spoke wonderfully about the privileges of a Kingswood education, and left the House with the message to enjoy every Kingswood moment and seize every Kingswood opportunity. They have been wonderful House Leaders this year, and hand over to Dipti, Eve and Izzy (as Head of School –Fonthill’s first for a number of years!) to continue to nurture Fonthill’s house spirit. Looking through the House, this seems guaranteed for a number of years to come!

Mrs Juliette Mainwaring (Senior Houseparent)

HALL HOUSE

Hall House had a fantastic year in terms of sports, music, arts, charity work and individual accomplishments. Let's take a closer look at some of the highlights.

The House Music competition set the tone for Hall's success at the start of the academic year, with Hall House winning ‘Best Ensemble’. The students' musical talents were on full display once again during the Spring Concert, where many Hall boys performed with their instruments.

In sports, the House Rugby competition and hockey events showcased the athletic prowess of Hall's students. Athletics also had some notable sportsmen, with students excelling in Cross Country and Ten Tors.

The charity fundraising events were a great success, with the Charity Run for Upper Sixth raising an impressive £500. The Bake Off event, featuring Will Wong, Logan Hartwell and Jiwoo Yang, was also a big hit and the money raised went towards a good cause.

The Arts also had a strong showing with an art exhibition featuring work from Hall's students, and Will Thomas, Matthew Wadsworth, Eddie Barbato and Milo Worthy featured in the brilliant school production of Little Shop of Horrors.

To mention a couple of individual accomplishments: Seb Miller had success in Karting Racing, and Jack Williams played for Bath Academy Rugby and became the youngest ever Judo Black Belt in the country; this is a huge achievement and we hope that he will continue to perform well on the international stage next year.

Finally, the 7s Rugby tournament featured some of Hall's best athletes including Euan McDade, Jack Adams, Jack Williams and Milo Worthy. The Year 10s also shone in the House Hockey competition, winning the event! Hall also took home second place in the House Music competition, with the Year 10s coming in first place.

Overall, Hall House had an outstanding year, full of achievements and successes in various fields. Hall’s talents were on full display with everyone’s hard work and dedication paying off in spades. Congratulations to all the students and staff who made this year a memorable one for Hall.

We wish all the leavers the very best for their future and of course we wish to thank Mr Reeman for his dedication to his years of duties in Hall. As he steps down from this role, we calculated he has amassed 1,225 evenings on duty; now that’s a good innings in anyone’s book! We also say goodbye to Mr Wright who has been tutoring the Lower Sixth this year. I know his tutees will miss him and his dedication to their wellbeing is well noted. As he skis the Alpes next year we will hope to get regular updates from him.

Mr Barney Brown (Senior Houseparent)

SUMMERHILL HOUSE

After rehearsals all morning, the musicians in the house ensemble gave an incredible performance of a mash-up of ‘Sweet Dreams’ and ‘Seven Nation Army’. The rest of us spent the afternoon learning choreography, and later we continued our winning streak, winning the ‘House Song’ with our performance of ‘Party in the USA’. It was great to see so many involved!

This year it has been amazing to see so many Summerhill girls involved in sport within school. The Autumn term brought Hockey season with the House dominating the 1st team, having eight players as well as the captain Izzy Canham and Eleanor Reilly in goal. The end of the season brought house matches where our winning streak continued after championing the Senior and Year 9 matches. Almost all members of the House took to the pitch in the freezing cold to represent Summerhill and show our amazing team spirit. The Spring term saw the arrival of Netball season, with four members of the House representing the 1st team and Mia O'Driscoll vice-captaining. Once again it was time for house matches where the House was victorious in the Senior A and B teams, winning all matches! Sophie Farmer captained the 1st Tennis team, alongside many players amongst all age groups

who represented the school each weekend of the Summer term. May saw the arrival of the infamous Cross Country relays across all age groups, where teams of four faced the brutally hilly course. Finally, the end of the Summer term saw numerous girls step up to compete in Sports Day. It was amazing to see so many members of the House across all year groups participating in a wide range of events. Once again, a special mention should go to Emily Hersch who broke the Senior Girls’ 1500m record.

Summerhill has also been heavily involved in drama this year, from devised GCSE and A Level pieces to drama clubs, and productions including Year 9’s performance of Lord of the Flies, as well as the whole school musical – Little Shop of Horrors. Many seniors played lead roles including Elsa as Seymour, and Anna as Audrey. Polly and Eloise portrayed glamourous singing street urchins, Phoebe and Ishika were some of the lead dancing street urchins and Dasha did much of the lighting design for all the performances this year.

Similarly, there’s been lots to get involved with in music this year –from the Stage and Screen concert in the Autumn term, to the Sixth Form Showcase and both end of

term and lunchtime concerts. In June, the annual KATS awards took place, which celebrates the arts at Kingswood over the year. A mention must go to Elsa and Dasha who won two of the most sought-after awards – Actors’ Actor and Techies’ Techie, marking a very successful year for Summerhill in both the Music and Drama departments.

We have continued to support multiple charities this year. In the Autumn term, we put out a campaign for care packages for the Genesis Trust, which is an annual initiative. We all put together and donated a vast number of care packages, which were distributed throughout the local community at Christmas. In the Spring term, Bea in Year 13 had a bake sale to raise money for her chosen Alzheimer’s Research charity. She then ran the London Marathon in April, which was an outstanding achievement, and in total raised over £2,700. The whole house also put on a spring bake sale for our chosen environmental charity of Greenpeace. As many of us are concerned about climate change and sustainability, it felt important to support a charity that campaigns for climate justice. Lots of baking went on within the House and in total we raised over £300, which is an amazing achievement.

This year's successes would not have come about without the tremendously hard work of our tutors, duty staff, matrons and, of course, Mrs Lopez and Miss Hay. It’s safe to say they have done an outstanding job this year, both jumping into their new roles – no one noticed! They have worked tirelessly organising house events and ensuring the smooth running of the House. Thank you so much for all the work you have done for us, it certainly doesn’t go unnoticed.

Connie Slater and Zara Kellagher (Y13, Head & Deputy of Summerhill)

Although it took place a little later than usual, House Music still kickstarted a busy year for Summerhill.

What a year it has been! There are so many positive memories, amazing achievements and fun moments to reflect on during my first year as Houseparent of Summerhill. I have been so grateful to the remarkable teamwork that has made so much happen. Connie and Zara have been a source of energy, professionalism and creativity in making so much happen whilst remaining positive and enthusiastic at all times, all while juggling the demands of Year 13, exams and future choices. Rachel Bedding was a wonderful Head of Boarding, helping Miss Hay and I learn the ropes and keeping everything in the house in order and training the younger students up in tidiness, cleanliness, respect and good etiquette!

I have also had an incredible team of tutors. It was sad to say goodbye to Mrs Wilcock who has been a beloved and deeply caring tutor in Summerhill for 12 years. We also acknowledged Mrs Chua who has faithfully done boarding duties over the last eight years. She (thankfully) stays with us in Summerhill but has been promoted to Second in Department in English which she will be brilliant at. Miss Hay has been a constant support and source of energy, care and compassion to everyone. I was also thankful to Mrs Edwards who stepped into Summerhill temporarily to help with the Sixth Form tutoring. I could not have done my role without the invincible team of housekeepers – Sarah, Les, Jayne and Caroline.

I have been constantly surprised and delighted by the talents, commitments and willingness to get involved by so many of our students. I love the attitude of making the most of the opportunities available and can see numerous examples of that as I reflect on the year. Well done to all the prize winners, recipients of house colours and to those who have been awarded a plant for exemplifying FLOURISH qualities. I have also seen countless examples of students living out our motto of ‘Have Courage and Be Kind’.

PRIZE WINNERS

• Good Egg Award: Connie Slater

• Perseverance Award: Annie McCarthy

• Summerhill Dragon Award for Sport: Charlotte Nicholson

• Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Award: Zara Kellagher

• Flourish Award: Naomi Thomas

COLOURS

FROM MRS LOPEZ

Mrs Monica Lopez (Senior Houseparent)

• Anna Allen, Grace Asplin, Gaby Davies, Phoebe Gilpin, Emily GordonBrown, Emily Holt, Emma Meier, Iona Robertson, Poppy Squires

MIDDLE HOUSE

The year has been one with much success to celebrate.

The Autumn term kicked off with the House Music. Middle and Summerhill managed to win this with a bouncing rendition of ‘Party in the USA’. This was a great opportunity for the house leadership team of Freddie, Rufus and Dom to get the House organised. A large number of boys represented senior rugby teams, but special mention should be given to Charlie Ward and Leo Palmer who have represented Bath Under 18s on a regular basis, despite them both being one year below the age category. Many of the boys in the House also featured in the Christmas concert; we have some notable singers and it was great to see Daimu and Anson make up the choir whilst a large number of other boys were involved in various ensembles. The term finished with House Entertainment, and we broke with tradition in style. The Wide Games on the Upper were usurped by Ice Skating at Bath Pavilion, with Mr Webb and Mr Gordon impressing like Torvill and Dean.

In the Spring term, we had notable success on the hockey and football pitches, with a huge representation from the House in senior and junior teams. The day boys have been a pretty solid spine running through

Kingswood School Hockey. Both Ollie and Toby represented the Bath Buccaneers in National League fixtures for the first time together. Toby has also been selected for England and travelled out to Spain to play in a 5 Nations event. Cross country has also seen boys from the House represent the school at both senior and intermediate level. We had a good showing in the House Cross Country with both Owen Brown and Tom White is Silver medal spots in their respective races. Tom had a good season over the country and also represented Avon at Regional and National level. After Christmas we had started to have some welcome news on the university front with a number of offers from top universities such as Cambridge and Imperial starting to arrive with our Year 13s. It has been great to see them all excited about next steps.

Towards the end of the year, we celebrated our musicians at KATS. We had a large number of nominees and eventual winners. Will Greig won the outstanding GCSE composition; Outstanding GCSE Performance was won by Gordon Tse; whilst Freddie Stockton won the Outstanding Contribution to Music award. We were also treated to a

performance of Lord of the Flies, with Lexi Nwabueze and Nathan Hayes in leading roles and Woody Wood also in a large part. Rufus Sokell Thompson and Marco Chan had the excitement of attending the F1 in Schools final up in Leeds and it was a huge achievement to get this far in the competition. Sport was also a theme of the Summer term with many choices on offer. Senior Cricket called upon Middle men to fill the ranks and Noah Davis led the charge with key performances for the 1st XI as well as Somerset Under 18s. Tom White and Charlie Haines represented Avon at the English Schools Athletics Championships. Charlie podiumed last year but found he was in a very competitive heat this year and missed out on the final. Consolation though was breaking the Intermediate Boys’ 800m record, which had been held by former Middle House resident, Tom Kingsnorth, since 1996. We had high hopes for Sports Day, but Hall and Fonthill pushed the Middle and Summerhill teams hard and it came down to the final Senior Boys’ relay to decide; fortunately, we came out on top this year. House swimming was not the same story, but Mr Gordon said it was actually one of his proudest moments of the year as he witnessed boys enjoying themselves and getting on with representing the House, despite not being team swimmers.

Throughout the year Will Paice and Callum Voisin managed to balance considerable sporting commitments with school. Will is the reigning Under 18 Epee champion and finished third nationally at the Sheffield Sports Arena back in April. He also represented Great Britain in tournaments across Europe and managed to combine this with notable cultural experiences. Meanwhile, Callum Voisin has been in his second season of GB3 racing for Carlin at iconic race tracks such as Silverstone. Callum often claims

podium spots and is certainly in the minds of several professional teams. Both boys are extremely modest about such considerable achievements.

Finally, at the end of the year in our House Assembly, we said farewell to our leavers. This group weathered the New Block (or rather the New Block weathered them) during the pandemic, but they have remained positive and have made the most of their time in Middle House as well as at Kingswood. We also said farewell to Mr Redman

and wish him the best of luck in his new role as Head of Physics at the Royal High School. He has been a popular tutor in Middle and we have all appreciated his calm approach and the care he has shown for his tutees. Finally from me, a huge thanks to the matrons as well as a great house tutor team for supporting the boys. Also big thanks to Freddie, Rufus and Dom in all they have done to help lead the House this year.

Mr Steven Smyth (Senior Houseparent)

SCHOOL HOUSE

I cannot believe a year has now past since becoming Houseparent for School House and what a year it has been!

The girls have got stuck in at every opportunity, worked together as a team and supported each other which has been brilliant to see. There have been tutor breakfasts, picnics, several House Just Dance assemblies as well as some competitive daisy chain making and rounders!

Autumn term kicked off by welcoming the new Year 9s into the Senior House with a day of surfing and beach games in Porthcawl. Despite the cold (and distinct lack of surf), the girls had fun mastering some of the key skills needed on a board as well as honing their balance and teamwork on an enormous paddle board! House Music took place in November, and School House and Upper worked together to put together a brilliant musical rendition of ‘Tequila’ as well as choreographing a routine for ‘We’re All in This Together’ from High School Musical. This impressed me greatly, as getting over 60 people to dance, in sync, is no mean feat! Christmas was quickly upon us, and the House celebrated with homemade tree decorations, gingerbread making and Secret Santa. Most of the House joined us at Bath Ice Rink for the annual ice-skating event, where it soon became clear that several members of the House had a real talent for skating (whilst others not

so much, preferring to be pushed around)! School and Upper House Entertainment was Dodgeball, which again was highly competitive. The students were resolute in their commitment to this and were decisively victorious in the final staff vs pupil showdown! We ended the term in the Abbey for the Carol Concert, a real highlight for me was Amelie Antoniades’ solo of ‘Once in Royal’, which was utter perfection.

January arrived and with it the Sixth Form dinner, which provided an opportunity for the Sixth Formers in School House to get dressed up and enjoy some food and excellent conversation. It was also the term of House Netball, which took place with all of the School House teams being placed 2nd. Shout-outs should go to Miya Moore, Elise Hocknell and Chrissy Randall who all got mentioned for their exceptional play in the House report. Year 9s also played some competitive matches, with Ruth Pentreath and Laura Martin being brilliant on court. The end of the Spring term meant that Pink Week had come around and all Year groups took turns to host bake sales before the week culminated in ‘Pink Day’ and an opportunity for the School to don pink in support of Breast Cancer UK and Alzheimer’s UK. The fundraising efforts paid off and School House raised £2,557 to

help support these amazing charities. The final Thursday saw School and Upper come together once again for a House Quiz, followed by pizza and ice-cream. The end of term also meant House Cross Country, and I could not have been prouder as School House girls (identifiable by their pink headbands, face paint and fancy dress) took to the course to compete as a team. This event was a decisive win for School House, both at the Senior and Inters level. Grace Cardwell took second place in the Senior event, with Georgie Thompson coming in a close third. Emily Franklin-Adams won the Inters, with Izzy Casdagli coming in third and a whole host of Year 9s in the top 10. An absolutely brilliant day for School House, with lots of comradery and support on show!

Summer term came around quickly and with it the Cross Country Relays. Again School House put out strong teams for both the As and the Bs, with the Senior As winning their race (shout out to Izzy Milborrow who was a late addition to this team and who ran brilliantly)! School House also put out teams for the Swim Gala, with the Seniors and Inters placing second in both of these events. Annabelle Hicks and Florence Bankes deserve a mention as they swam brilliantly and were keen to step up whenever they were

asked. Many of the House attended the KATS ceremony and it was lovely to see Alma Bode nominated for an award. Sports Day and House Entertainment marked the end of a busy year. Again, School House showed grit, determination and team spirit and filled every spot on the programme, with several pupils stepping up to take part in events which they had little experience of. Zenzi Oluoch-Olunya was brilliant in the hurdles and the Junior As stormed to victory in the 4x100 relay, with Alice Hubbard leading the way in a nail-biting race to the line! The BBQ and inflatables provided an excellent way for School and Upper to celebrate the final few days of school and it was great to see the pupils enjoying the sunshine and some downtime with their peers. Commemoration Service marked the end of the academic year, again with an amazing performance from Katie Green who sang beautifully as part of a trio. Then it was the Leavers’ Ball, threatened by rain but in the end in glorious sunshine, which allowed Year 13s a final opportunity to celebrate the end of an era.

Thanks must go to the brilliant team of tutors who have gone above and beyond to support their tutees. This year we say goodbye to one of the best – Dr Jenny Wood who has championed School House values throughout her time here. She leaves big shoes to fill and we wish her all the best as she moves on. A big thank you also to my superb Head and Deputy Head of House – Georgie Thompson and Liv Mohr respectively. They have been a delight to work with, both positive, friendly and inclusive members of the House who have been brilliant in their roles. I wish them, and all the leavers, the very best as they embark on their next adventures! Please do keep in touch!

Mrs Sarah Musgrove (Senior Houseparent)

COLOURS

• Leyla Aysan

• Emily Franklin-Adams

• Jess Iles

• Gala Marrack

• Liv Mohr

• Zenzi Oluoch-Olunya

HOUSE AWARDS

The Jackie Reeman Sunshine Award: Lily Saunders

Pave the Right Way Award: Imogen Isaac Spirit of School House: Alice Hubbard

UPPER HOUSE

Well, where did that year go?! Ten months gone in the blink of an eye, but a host of events and opportunities crammed in along the way.

Alarge and enthusiastic bunch of Year 9s started their time in Upper in September but had to wait for the usual start of year event, House Music, due to the Queen’s passing. However, a memorable performance of ‘Tequila’ by the ensemble left the judges quite literally speechless (!) and an energetic performance of ‘Party in the USA’, complete with Jamie Hart’s back somersault, still wasn’t enough to bring home the title! The inquest is ongoing…

The prefects ran a football tournament that was enjoyed by all but it was Toby Knight’s team that took home the coveted yellow traffic cone. House Rugby for Years 9 & 10 followed with almost all of the 26 boys in Year 9 taking part – the true meaning of Inter-House sport. The vast majority of the House also got behind the charity World Cup Sweepstake and the Autumn term finished with a double helping of house events. First, there was the dodgeball tournament in conjunction with School House that was highly entertaining and the term then finished with a trip to the ice-skating rink. The main aim of bringing all the students home in one piece was accomplished – sadly, some of the staff were not so fortunate!

One final highlight as we approached Christmas was the charity staff vs students football match. Upper men Louis, Josh and Alex were the driving force behind the event which was enjoyed by all who witnessed it (which wasn’t many given the thick fog!) However, more importantly, the event raised a significant amount of money for charity, not least due to the fact that the boys bullied Mr. Stuttard into agreeing to shave off his beard if the total topped £500. True to his word, the facial hair was gone the following day. Mr Stuttard also won the ‘Man of the week’ award in the first term, having successfully completed his training to become the Designated Safeguarding Lead for the Sixth Form. Unfortunately, his new role means he will be stepping down as Assistant Housemaster but happily he will remain with us as part of the Tutor team. He has been a huge support to me in my first year in the House and I cannot thank him enough for all that he has done. Mr East will be taking over the Assistant Housemaster role and we all wish him well.

Other ‘Men of the week’ awards this year saw James Linegar recognised for his England rugby selection, Toby Greatorex Brooks for his outstanding start in a new school, Roger Davis for his national swimming success, Archie Hamilton for completing a skydive and Terence Beekma for progressing through to the regional boxing rounds (only to meet his match in the form of the London area champion!). Ethan Y Wong was another deserving winner as he averaged more than 91% across 12 subjects in his Year 9 exams, as was cricket captain Elliot Ede for taking a 1st XI hat-trick. Alexander Kirkwood was also rightly recognised for his all-round positive contribution to the House and the School as a whole, whilst Head of House Rory Bushell received the award following his successful application for an Army

achievements.

scholarship. There were many more besides and it is one of the most pleasing parts of the role that we get to recognise so many different students each week for such a vast array of achievements.

The Spring term really saw Upper come into their own on the sporting front and in a leadership capacity. Oscar Power captained the 1st XI football team and Rory Bushell led a very successful 1st XI hockey team that included seven other Upper boys. Upper won Senior House Football, Senior House Hockey and the Inter and Senior Cross Country events, with Wills Hudson, still only in Year 11, winning the Senior event outright. The ever popular School and Upper quiz, run by the prefects, was a fitting end to the term, especially as that day saw torrential rain, so being tucked up in the theatre was an added bonus!

On the Drama front, Charlie Woodward produced a memorable performance in Little Shop of Horrors. Kit Hawking, Oscar Bankes and Ethan Y also ‘trod the boards’ at various times throughout the year. I’ve also enjoyed watching George Cardwell, Louis Record, Oscar Power, Joe Randolph, Tom

...we get to recognise so many different students each week for such a vast array of

Gilpin and Alexander Kirkwood in musical performances throughout the year.

And so to the Summer term. Despite exams looming large on the horizon for many, there was still time for the main charity fundraiser of the year, ‘UPPERFEST’! The brainchild of Rory McLeod, who was well supported by Hari Master, this summer fair themed event involved all the boys in Upper manning various stalls throughout the day and culminating in the ever popular ‘throw wet sponges (or in some cases a bucket!) at the teacher’. The day was a lot of fun and raised nearly £1,000 from the stalls, with the accompanying Mufti Day helping to push the total close to £2,500 for the two chosen charities: MIND and the British Red Cross.

As we neared the end of term, our Year 10 boys managed to win House Cricket thanks to a triple-wicket final over from Jamie Douch and participation levels were fantastic for the Senior Sports Day, with Oscar Easen’s 400m win the highlight of the Upper performances. From here, we went straight to the Summer term House Entertainment, enjoying some inflatable fun with School House on the Upper. This was followed by an evening for the leavers before the formal house goodbyes were delivered on Friday morning. It was a real shame that Rory Bushell couldn’t be here for that final week of term due to a preuniversity course in Newcastle. He has been an outstanding Head of House; good fun, totally reliable and so unassuming. He is a fine example to the younger students and I am certain he, like the rest of this fine group of leavers, will go on to great things. Just remember to all pop back down to Upper whenever you’re back in Bath.

Mr James Brown (Senior Houseparent)

BOARDING AT KINGSWOOD

KINGSWOOD CELEBRATES A NEW KING & QUEEN WITH THE BIG HELP OUT

Whilst day pupils were able to enjoy an extra bank holiday at home this year, for those living onsite, there was plenty of opportunity to mark the Coronation in May.

On the day itself, each House celebrated in their own way, watching the ceremony together, or making special meals. The following day, the whole boarding community enjoyed a gentle 6km stroll along the Cotswold Way to the Charlcombe Inn, where they enjoyed ice creams in the glorious sunshine, before heading back to school.

Later that day, residents enjoyed a fantastic barbecue. Burgers, hotdogs, pizzas (courtesy of Mr JM Davies and his amazing pizza oven), lots of salads, and chocolate eclairs provided a meal fit for a king and queen! Several of the boarders attempted some limbo dancing, whilst others played a gentle game of boules. They even received a fly over by six Royal Navy helicopters. The sun shone into the evening, and the atmosphere was lovely.

On the bank holiday Monday, residents mucked in for the national Big Help Out. Mr JW Davies put together a programme that divided the community into groups to help out in a variety of different ways. In Primrose Wood, a nature

survey took place alongside some wood clearing by an army of boys from Middle and Hall. Meanwhile, up at school the Sports Hall was transformed into an Exam Hall, with pupils helping to move tables and chairs. Beaconfield Garden and the raised beds were prepared for the imminent move of the Westwood boarders to their new home, and some bug houses were made in the DT department by a team mainly

from Summerhill, led by Mr Brown. There was also a group on the Middle field, led by Dr McIlwaine and Mr JM Davies, laying mulch around the recently planted trees.

All in all, it was a great weekend to mark the Coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla and the Kingswood onsite community really came together to create some lasting memories.

ART

The following images show a selection of A Level and GCSE artwork from this year.

GLOBAL GOALS

Year 9 Global Goal students embarked on morning workshops in Art.

Using donated fabric, that otherwise would have gone to landfill, and old plastic bottles they created this patchwork fabric. Some groups dyed the fabric for others to then print collagraphs of old plastic bottles, whilst others created cyanotypes using rubbish and news articles on ocean pollution. The final groups began sewing the fabrics into a patchwork and made buttons out of old fabric conditioner bottles. Discussions were had around crude oil as a finite resource and pollutant, along with the reduction of plastic use in the first place.

It has been another packed year for the DT department.

Some highlights include: Year 7 pupils enjoyed making poppies in their DT lessons ready for Remembrance Day, creating a beautiful display to fill the Westwood gardens; Year 8 enjoyed a trip to the Coventry Transport Museum where they saw some of the fastest cars in the world and developed innovative designs for future transport methods using only recycled materials; and Year 10 and 12 visited London’s Design Museum and produced their own designs for lights and chairs through drawings and models based upon set briefs.

Members of the Kingswood Repair Shop were asked to restore a commemorative bench on the school grounds, and Adam Reilly in Year 10 did an outstanding job bringing a model of John Wesley’s original pulpit back to life, which is now on display in the New Room, Bristol, for future generations to admire (more on that elsewhere in the magazine).

F1 IN SCHOOLS

This year, Kingswood attended our first F1 in Schools meet and the teams had no idea how they were going to fair against the competition.

We took three teams to the regional finals. In the professional class we had team ‘Impetus’ (Stan Wood, Marco Chan, Rufus Sokell Thompson, Ben Howes and Jack Stephens). In the Entry class we had teams ‘Sizzle’ (Swazi Gurung, Alice Hubbard and Harriet Jones) and ‘Infinite Speed’ (Charles Wellington-Clarke, Tom White and Thomas Lam). The teams had to design and make the fastest F1 model car, produce engineering and design portfolios, create a pit display and have interviews with a panel of industry experts. All the teams performed admirably and gave a good account of themselves. Team Sizzle picked up fastest car in their category, whilst team Impetus won best engineered car, best team branding and came first in their category. This qualified them for the national finals in Leeds six weeks later.

After some extremely long hours in the workshop both at home and in school developing their car, and hours spent trying to fundraise for their trip and getting sponsors on board for their professional advice, the team set off for Leeds in high spirits with high hopes. A whirlwind two days saw them impress the judges beyond expectation. The team won best pit display as well as Rufus winning the Lightning Reaction award. 28,000 schools take part in the competition worldwide with over 1,200 coming from the UK. To be placed 11th in the UK on their first attempt is astounding.

We look forward to seeing what all the teams can achieve next year with a little more experience under their belts.

A whirlwind two days saw them impress the judges beyond expectation.

GCSE & A LEVEL DT WORK

DRAMA

It has truly been an extraordinary year for the Drama department! We have been thoroughly entertained by the remarkable talent showcased by our designers and performers in both curricular and cocurricular Drama. Their incredible work has been elevated by a wide range of trips, masterclasses, and workshops that have enriched our year.

TRIPS

We've had some fantastic trips, including watching Juliet Stevenson's mesmerising performance in The Doctor. Noises Off was a brilliant way for the Year 10s to start their GCSE course, and GCSE classes also enjoyed a fantastic visit to the National Theatre, where they not only had a backstage tour but also had the privilege of watching The Crucible. Similarly, our Year 9 students were thrilled to watch Noughts and Crosses, the set text they had been studying throughout the year. Drama Scholars have enjoyed a page-to-stage masterclass and a trip to see the National Theatre's The Ocean at the End of the Lane

New York

During the Easter holidays twenty-three pupils travelled to New York City accompanied by Ms Brayton, Mrs Ward, and Mr Francis. Read a full report on this later in the magazine.

VOLOZ

As part of the 275th celebrations, we were honoured to host a performance of The Man Who Thought He Knew Too Much by VOLOZ THEATRE COMPANY, an internationally acclaimed physical theatre company. It was a delight to have Emily Wheatman, a former Kingswood student and the artistic director of the company, perform in the show and conduct brilliant workshops on physical theatre for our exam students throughout the day.

LAMDA

Just before Easter, we welcomed Mr Thomas to Kingswood, who has started teaching the LAMDA Acting and Public speaking courses. This has been tremendously popular, and we are looking forward to entering our first students for exams in October.

If you are interested in finding out more about LAMDA lessons, please contact Jo Brayton.

PRODUCTIONS

Undoubtedly, the highlights of the year come from our three school productions. The whole-school musical, in collaboration with the Music department, was Little Shop of Horrors. Auditions kicked off in early September, and rehearsals quickly began, taking place three times a week until February. This ambitious endeavour was a tremendous undertaking that proved to be immensely rewarding for everyone involved.

THE WITCHES 

Congratulations to the cast and crew of The Witches, who delighted audiences in the penultimate week of the Summer term. An audience of Year 5s and 6s from Weston All Saints Primary School, St Crispin's, and Kingswood Prep School enjoyed a special matinee performance, followed by two sold-out shows for the school community and family and friends.

The cast of seventy students drawn from Year 7 and Year 8 gave commendable performances, portraying their characters with conviction and commitment. The cast was expertly led by Joshua George and Sophie Laugharne as Boy and Grandma, delivering outstanding performances. Their professionalism throughout the rehearsal process set the tone for the rehearsal room. Eleanor Linegar gave a steely and chilling performance as the Grand High Witch, while Frankie Jensen brought comedic brilliance with his hilarious portrayal of Bruno Jenkins. The rest of the cast worked tirelessly, each bringing a unique energy and personality to their role, creating a cohesive ensemble that worked together seamlessly. The many hours of rehearsals over the final few weeks certainly paid off!

Mr Harding and Ms Brayton said that they thoroughly enjoyed the process and the whole Drama department are excited about the talent demonstrated by these Year 7 and Year 8 students. A special acknowledgment must be given to Miss Tamblyn, who skilfully handled the props and costumes for our cast of over 70 pupils - no small feat!

LORD OF THE FLIES 

In June, a cast drawn from Year 9 performed Lord of the Flies. In the early stages of rehearsals one of the cast members asked Mrs Ward a very intelligent question; why stage such a dark and traumatic story? Theatre has always been a platform to help us seek answers to life’s complicated and impossible questions. Playwright’s often want to make their audience think and question our roles, as well as entertain, too, of course.

First published in 1954, William Golding's debut novel, now a classic, is a stark story of survival, probing the depths of human nature, and what happens when civilisation collapses. This haunting tale of a group of children stranded on a desert island raises timeless and profound questions about how easily society can slip into chaos and savagery when rules and order have been abandoned; the classic story of innocence lost.

Lord of the Flies makes us think about our role in society and humanity. We all have the potential for great courage, resilience, love and kindness, but also brutality, cruelty, hatred.

Who might we be or what might we resort to if we were thrust into such a situation as the children? We all have a responsibility to think carefully about our actions and the impact they have on others. We may squirm in our seats and find it difficult to watch, but it will make an impression and perhaps make you stop and think. That is why theatre is such a powerful medium where difficult stories can be explored and communicated.

The cast did a brilliant job and brought this brutal and timeless novel to life so vividly. Mrs Ward would like to thank the cast and crew for their hard work, determination, energy, sense of fun and professionalism throughout rehearsals. This was a brilliant team effort and huge thanks must also go to Mr Francis, Miss Tamblyn and Ms Brayton for their creative support.

GCSE AND A LEVEL PERFORMANCES

In addition to these incredible performances, our GCSE and A Level students showcased outstanding practical examination pieces, impressing us with their ability to create, perform and design at an exceptionally high standard.

A LEVEL DEVISED PIECES

The Clock Shop, inspired by theatre company ‘Complicite’, was devised by Elsa France, Phia Jones, Evie Kidd, Zenzi Oluoch-Olunya, Bea Meadowcroft, Tilly Bankes and Dasha Gorbunova. It told the story of three characters who were processed into a world outside of time and given opportunity to earn the right to amend their past. The group created a strikingly original piece combining traditional storytelling, physical theatre, and projection. They created a visual piece of theatre that captured the imagination of the audience, leaving them all wondering what they would do if that had the power to manipulate time.

Quake was created by Lucas Bond, Phoebe Gilpin and Millie Hawking, with lighting design from Leyla Aysan. The group created a verbatim piece of theatre in the style of 'The Paper Birds' theatre company. They collected first hand reports and dialogue from people who had been involved in the recent Turkish and Syrian earthquake. The piece highlighted the urgent need for global aid and compassion. They worked brilliantly as an ensemble and embraced a real spirit of play in the rehearsal room as they experimented with different skills and performance techniques. The final piece was exquisitely executed. It was a difficult watch at times, but this only contributed to the overall effectiveness of the piece. They certainly deserved their standing ovation at the end.

GCSE DRAMA DEVISED PERFORMANCES

In May, our Year 10 GCSE Drama students presented a thoroughly entertaining evening with their devised performances. Their starting point was an exploration of the cost of fame and the story of Icarus, one of the most well-known tales from antiquity, which depicts a young man who exhibits hubris and flies too close to the sun.

Each of the five groups impressed the audience with their mature, thought-provoking, and moving work. The standard of each piece was excellent, and each group offered something unique, applying a variety of techniques and skills.

A LEVEL DRAMA TEXTS IN PRACTICE PRACTICAL CONSTELLATIONS

Bea Meadowcroft and Elsa France painstakingly explored the multiverse of potential outcomes, applying Katie Mitchell techniques to answer nanoquestions about each character’s intention. The final performance was a mature, touching and relatable expression of the early stages of a relationship, whilst reflecting the pain the couple experience when Marianne struggles with her terminal diagnosis. Tilly Bankes’s costume and make-up design for Marianne was a new challenge; choosing very mundane, everyday clothes but cleverly researching the minute details that make our clothes a landscape of our lives. Tilly’s acute eye for detail added a powerful dimension to the piece.

MOSQUITOES

Phia Jones’s interpretation of Alice from Lucy Kirkwood was exceptional. Working alone, Phia had to carefully research and answer fundamental questions about biography, circumstance and intention. Phia communicated Alice’s regret, anger and grief with truth and intensity, leaving the audience to consider their moral responsibilities.

CONSTELLATIONS

GCSE DRAMA TEXTS IN PRACTICE

The cohort explored a variety of texts and had to realise their interpretation live, on stage. Each student worked hard to capture their character’s intentions and brought humour, tension and tenderness into their work. Daniel Abrishami’s lighting design also provided a very fitting backdrop for Art, enhancing the action very well.

The Drama department would like to say a fond farewell to Miss Tamblyn, who has been a brilliant teacher and Drama Assistant. We wish her the best of luck and happiness in her future.

Ms Jo Brayton (Head of Drama)

Zenzi Oluoch-Olunya, Evie Kidd and Dasha Gorbunova worked brilliantly together to realise their complex extract from Nick Payne’s modern classic Constellations. Both Zenzi as beekeeper Roland, and Evie as the quantum physicist, Marianne explored Katie Mitchell’s hyper-realistic acting methods, placing this ever-changing relationship under the microscope. Their performances showed great sensitivity and created excellent tension for the audience. Dasha’s beautiful lighting design, inspired by Malcolm Rippouth, placed us cleanly in Roland and Marianne’s world. She paid close attention to small, everyday details, cleverly captured through subtle and evocative projection. Dasha’s inspired star constellation lighting in the final scene was a beautiful and memorable moment.

It was clear that it was going to be a great show, but the hard work that the cast and crew maintained in the final days of rehearsal meant that the show skyrocketed into something really phenomenal! With every run of the show, the whole team became more confident and the camaraderie on stage was palpable. The whole creative team couldn’t have asked for anything more.

The cast and crew were drawn from students across every year group, and it was fantastic to see such a range of talented young people coming together to share in a creative vision. The principal members led the cast with aplomb and gusto. Elsa France (Year 13) shone as Seymour, each night delivering his nervous energy and sweet, well-meaning demeanour, despite some more

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS

obvious character flaws! Anna Read (Year 13) was a fantastic counterpart in Audrey, bringing warmth and heart to the role and such an incredible vocal performance. The vocal prowess of Will Thomas (Year 13) shone as the failed florist, Mushnik, and Clemmie Engley-Duffy (Year 10) was utterly compelling and hilarious as the sadistic dentist, Orin. Alongside, Oyin Obe (Year 11) displayed incredible vocal range and mandatory sass as the voice of Audrey II, the man-eating alien plant!

However, the principal named roles are just a snapshot of the talent involved in this production. Every single member of the cast gave their all to the show and the stage was alive every night with wonderful performances and so much to catch the audience’s eye.

Alongside the cast on stage was a large and incredible team of technical and backstage crew. Mr Francis’s and Miss Tamblyn’s teams were crucial to the success of this show, be it working on lighting, sound effects, hair, make-up, costume, runners –the list goes on and on. It’s wonderful to see so many of our young people so invested in the Performing Arts and so willing to take up these opportunities to learn and be part of such a vibrant production.

A massive well done to all involved for rising to the enormous challenge of putting on a full musical of this scale. The details, large and small, all fed into something truly spectacular. It’s difficult to put into words the enormity of what the students have achieved – so thank you all for being so brilliant!

Ms Jo Brayton (Head of Drama) & Mr Andy Barton (Director of Music)

Just before the February half term saw the production run of this year’s musical...

...the stage was alive every night with wonderful performances...

MUSIC

This year has seen many a highlight for Kingswood’s musicians. At all levels, the musicians have shown themselves to be determined, creative and dynamic, and there truly has been something for everyone to enjoy across the year.

From the glorious majesty of services in Bath Abbey to concerts out and about in the local community, the Music department has had another busy and fulfilling year, and the talent and dedication of our young people never ceases to amaze us. This article is a mere snapshot of the hours and hours of dedicated practice and performance that goes into a year of Music at Kingswood – well done to each and every musician for all they have achieved.

MUSIC EVENTS 2022-2023

With musical events nearly every week of the year, there has been a huge amount for audiences to enjoy, as well as events and trips for our young people to develop as musicians.

• Woolley Church – October 2022 saw the welcome return of our annual visit to the beautiful All Saints Church in the village of Woolley. Kingswood has a long-standing tradition of performing is this tiny chapel, and the local audience were overwhelmed by the standard of the performances. As ever, the evening was topped off with refreshments organised by the community, making for a very special return to Woolley.

• Music for Stage and Screen – a treat of an evening, with vocalists and instrumentalists taking to the theatre stage to entertain the audience with a wonderful variety of music from Hollywood and Broadway. From well-loved showtunes from Chess and Phantom to modern classics from Six and In the Heights, the performers wowed with their stunning takes on these musical numbers.

• Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra – a quick hop across the border into Wiltshire to see the acclaimed BSO perform music by Dvořák, Mendelssohn and Mozart, alongside international sensation Felix Klieser, who was born without arms and plays French horn with his feet!

• Heywood Prep – our Music Scholars spent the morning with musicians from Heywood Prep, telling them all about life in the Music department at Kingswood.

• Carols from Kingswood – the Foundation’s choirs released their glorious album of Christmas carols, raising over £2,000 for the charity Action for Children.

• Christmas Concert – the annual concert in the last week of the Autumn term saw the whole department take to the stage, with a selection of traditional festive items.

• Carol Services at Bath Abbey and St Stephen’s Church – Kingswood Choir and Westwood Voices each led their own carol services, providing a wonderful end to the term in preparation for the Christmas period.

• Little Shop of Horrors – we were thrilled to collaborate with Drama on this incredible production; read about it elsewhere in this edition!

• The Scholars’ Concert – featuring the department’s Music Scholars: Year 8 – Ben Bradford, Sunday Johnston; Year 9 – Beth Dinnis, Leo Muscroft, Ellis Robinson, Santiago Tankard, Elfriede Wong; Year 10 – Alexander Kirkwood, Max Wilson, Jayden Yip; Year 11 – William Greig, Anna Haldenby; Year 12 –Katie Green, Imogen Hall, Joe Randolph; Year 13 –Freddie Stockton, Emily Watkins.

• Piano, Guitar & Harp Concert – a charming showcase of our pianists, guitarists and harpists from across all the year groups.

• The Spring Concert – a showcase of all the major ensembles, including Senior Orchestra, Westwood Orchestra, Kingswood Brass Ensemble, Kingswood Clarinet Ensemble, Kingswood Strings, Westwood Voices, Kingswood Choir and Kingswood Jazz Orchestra!

• IAMSCU Conference – as part of the International Methodist Conference, the choir were pleased to lead services in John Wesley’s New Room and our own chapel. The delegates were incredibly moved by the choir’s singing.

• Sixth Form Showcase – entirely devised and organised by the Sixth Form musicians, this evening was a wonderful celebration of the many and varied talents of our senior students.

• The Bath Festival – Kingswood Jazz Orchestra took to the erected stage in Bath Abbey for the opening of Party in the City, which made for an impressive new venue for the group. A selection of Year 7 & 8 singers took part in the second Schools’ Voices project, singing songs written by all the schools across the city in a wonderful Concert for the People of Bath, alongside Bath Philharmonia.

• KATS – the annual Music and Drama awards celebrated the many achievements of the department’s musicians, alongside their dramatic counterparts – read more about it elsewhere in this edition.

• Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama – at the end of the Summer term, the Music Scholars took a trip over to Cardiff to meet teachers and students at RWCMD. It was inspiring to hear what it is like to study Music full time at a conservatoire. The day ended with an incredible concert performance of the musical Guys & Dolls!

• Commemoration Service – the final service of the year is always a wonderful occasion, and this year was no different. Kingswood Choir led the service in Bath Abbey, singing beautiful music including Vaughan Williams' O Taste and See and Howells’ majestic A Hymn for St Cecilia

• Lunchtime Concert series, Whole School Services & Assemblies – a whole host of individual and group performances have provided excellent opportunities for our musicians to showcase their talents and hone their performance skills. Well done to each and every performer this year!

YEAR 13 MUSIC SCHOLARS & A LEVEL MUSICIANS

• Anna Read

• William Thomas

• Freddie Stockton

• Emily Watkins

This year’s Year 13 Music Scholars and A Level Music group have all been excellent leaders in the department. Over their years, they have each contributed hugely to our concerts and events, from performing extensively as soloists and in ensembles, setting a wonderful example to the younger musicians, and leading rehearsals and sectional groups with brilliant humour! We wish them all the very best for the future and know that they will continue to excel as musicians in the years to come.

OUTSTANDING EXAMINATION RESULTS

The Music department were delighted to celebrate the following students who achieved their Grade 8 this year, a significant musical achievement:

GRADE 8

• Amelie Antoniades

Singing with Distinction

• Ai-Ling Crossley

Singing with Merit

• Anna Read

Singing with Distinction

• Max Wilson

Guitar with Distinction

• Elfriede Wong

Piano with Distinction

• Anson Yuen

Singing

Mr Andy Barton (Director of Music)

This highly anticipated event has always been a highlight of the year, and it was a delight to witness the students and guests come together under the glorious sunshine, brimming with anticipation and enthusiasm. The evening kicked off with drinks and a delightful buffet on the Dixon Lawn, creating a festive atmosphere and setting the perfect tone for the guests before our students walked the red carpet.

Owen Thomas, our new LAMDA teacher, opened the awards ceremony. His presence set the tone for the evening as he graciously shared his personal journey, paying homage to his Welsh heritage, and delving into his inspiring transformation from a classroom teacher to a celebrated BAFTA award winner. The audience listened attentively as he imparted valuable advice about embracing one's unique talents, emphasising the importance of hard work and approaching every opportunity with humility. His words resonated deeply, reminding us that we never truly know where a single opportunity may lead. As Mr Thomas concluded his speech, he generously treated us to an exclusive extract from his upcoming play, leaving us eagerly anticipating the full production.

Mr Harding, as always, gracefully took on the role of the compère, and the awards ceremony commenced, celebrating the outstanding achievements of our talented students. Throughout the evening, the audience was treated to performance highlights from the year. Elsa France and Anna Read delivered a joyous revival of the number “Suddenly Seymour”, which was last seen in the whole school musical in February. Clemmie EngleyDuffy provided a highly entertaining performance as the sadistic dentist from Little Shop of Horrors. Both of these numbers were supported by ensemble members of the cast who were delighted to revisit the world of Skid Row one last time. Matthew Wadsworth, Harry Lye, and Charlie Whishaw presented a hilarious scene from Yazmina Reza's play “Art”, and Anna Read showcased her vocal prowess in her performance of “Easy Money” from the musical This Life

As the evening drew to a close, a slideshow featuring our departing

In June, our Year 10-13 Drama and Music students, parents, and specially invited guests gathered for this year’s festivalthemed KATS Music & Drama Awards.

...unforgettable celebration of Music and Drama...

students, for whom this was their final KATS awards evening, evoked a wave of nostalgia. The Year 13 Leavers' Band took the stage with their heartfelt performance of “Time of My Life”, from the 80s classic Dirty Dancing

Thank you to all the dedicated staff in the Music and Drama departments, whose hard work and dedication made this event possible. Special recognition goes to the incredible technical team, whose expertise and hours of preparation ensured the evening ran smoothly. Thank you to Ms Smith for her behind-the-scenes efforts, as well as the Catering department for providing us with a delicious feast. Lastly, we would like to thank everyone who attended and shared in this unforgettable celebration of Music and Drama at Kingswood.

KATS 2023 NOMINATIONS & WINNERS

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO GCSE DRAMA

• Ivor Branigan

• Ella Savage

• Daisy Wellings

• May Haddon

• Harriet Ward

OUTSTANDING GCSE COMPOSITION

• Daniel Abrishami

• Will Greig

• Alyssa Chu

• Gordon Tse

BEST A LEVEL DEVISED PERFORMANCE

• The Clock Shop – Bea, Dasha, Elsa, Evie, Phia, Tilly and Zenzi

• Quake – Leyla, Lucas, Millie and Phoebe

OUTSTANDING GCSE PERFORMANCE

• Will Greig

• Poppy Squires

• Anna Haldenby

• Gordon Tse

BEST TEXT IN PERFORMANCE

• Art – Charlie, Daniel, Harry and Matthew

• BU21 – Alma

• Constellations – Dasha, Evie and Zenzi

• Constellations – Bea, Elsa and Tilly

• Mosquitoes – Phia Jones

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO MUSIC

• Amelie Antoniades

• Anna Read

• Emily Watkins

BEST DRAMA DESIGN

• Elsa France

• Freddie Stockton

• Leyla Aysan – Lighting, Quake

• Leyla Aysan and Dasha Gorbunova – Lighting, Little Shop of Horrors

• Tilly Bankes – Costume, The Clock Shop

• Elsa France – Set, The Clock Shop

• Dasha Gorbunova – Lighting, The Clock Shop

COMMITMENT TO MUSIC

• Polly France

• Louis Record

• Charlotte Nicholson

• Will Thomas

UNSUNG HERO IN A MUSICAL

• Monica Mba Ivina

• Ryan Salter

• Milo Worthy

• Ollie Morgan

• Charlie Woodward

BEST INDIVIDUAL PERFORMER IN A MUSICAL

• Clemmie Engley-Duffy

• Oyinlola Obe

• Will Thomas

TECHIES’ TECHIE

• Leyla Aysan

• Dasha Gorbunova

ACTORS’ ACTOR

• Elsa France

• Evie Kidd

• Zenzi Oluoch-Olunya

MUSOS’ MUSO

• Anna Read

• Will Thomas

• Elsa France

• Anna Read

• Tilly Bankes

• Jerry Lam

• Phia Jones

• Bea Meadowcroft

• Freddie Stockton

• Emily Watkins

GIRLS’ HOCKEY

Scoring 392 goals and winning 77 out of 115 games, this year’s Hockey season had an impressive win ratio of 67%.

We welcomed Mr Jackson as our new hockey specialist, and players enjoyed the opportunity to be coached by such an experienced and passionate hockey player.

JUNIORS

Our U14A and U12A squads both made it through to the Regional Finals, with the U14s just missing out on the National Finals on penalties. This clearly demonstrates our strength at the top of hockey in the area, but also our strength in depth.

The most impressive statistic is that we have had nearly 300 students representing Kingswood Hockey this season – from complete beginners, to young players with huge potential, to senior players who sadly leave us this academic year but take their sticks with them on their next adventure. This has given us such a special environment that caters for all, values pride in representing Kingswood and fosters a lifelong desire for participation.

Westwood Hockey thrived this year with eight teams consistently representing the School. Our U12s had an extraordinary season with the As, Cs and Ds not losing any fixtures! Pippa Firbank was a driving force in midfield and top goal scorer, whilst Katie Bulgin’s work rate was

outstanding. Well done to Amber Bourne, Freya Hyslop and Greta Saracino who were consistent for their respective teams. The U13s had a few unsung heroes who always gave 100%, and contributed to the score lines; well done to Amelie McKenzie, Thea Wilson, Alice Dalton and Charlie Moore, and Iris Greenwood who was the best newcomer this season!

The 14As made huge progress, with Maya Sapkota and Hattie Brown working well together. In the Bs, Alice Hubbard was impregnable in goal and Kripa Gurung an asset in midfield. The U15As had a superb win rate, winning 7 out of 8 and drawing the other, with a 10-0 win against Prior; Emily Franklin-Adams and Iona Robertson were real game changers here and Sam Brown received most improved player. The U15Bs came through at the end, with two convincing wins against Prior and King’s Taunton, Sophia Lethbridge being pick of the players.

SENIORS

Senior captains Sienna Websper, Bert Fryer and Ciara Newcastle led by example and helped with the senior teams’ organisation.

The 4th XI won 4 out of 6 matches; well done to goalkeeper Poppy Squires for only conceding 4 goals

the whole season, with help from the defensive team consisting of Rachel Bedding, Chloe Viner and Sienna Websper.

For the 3rd XI, Clemmie Coxen and Daisy Bassett were stand out forwards and Sophia Bailey, Lexie Game and Ella Burton were rocks at the back. Coaches player of the season was Gaby Davies for pulling out superb saves in most matches we played.

The 2nd XI only lost one match all season, against one of our toughest opposition, Dean Close, putting defenders Ciara Newcastle and Romy Sloane to the test, who worked hard in every match. One of the youngest players, Amy Robinson, is the player of the season for her hard work.

The 1st XI scored a total of 41 goals this season, including three 5-0 wins and two 5-1 wins. The season began with a 5-0 win against Headington Oxford in the first round of the National Cup, followed by a 5-0 win against Prior in Round 2 before a disappointing 3-1 loss against BGS in the third round. In the first half of the season, 22 goals had been scored in 7 matches, with 16 goals being scored in the 6 matches during the second half of the season.

Year 11s Iona Stokes and Anna Allen joined the squad this year, with Iona in defence and Anna impressing in midfield. In Year 12, Eleanor Reilly contributed to the team’s success with her ever-reliable saves in goal, and the defensive duo of Emma

Meier and Imogen Hall was flawless all season. In midfield, Phoebe Gilpin, Grace Cardwell and Caitlin Barefoot worked tirelessly all season, and Emily Hersch’s pace won her every race. A special mention must go to Emily for scoring 24/41 of our goals and getting hattricks most games.

Amongst the leavers were Jocasta Spooner in defence and forward Sophie Farmer. Captain Izzy Canham was accompanied by Vice Captains Charlie Hollywood and Tobina Laurence.

It was an absolute honour to captain the 1st team. A big thank you to the girls for being such incredible people to spend time with on and off the pitch, and for putting 100% effort into every training session and match.

COLOURS & AWARDS

COLTS COLOURS: Anna Allen, Iona Stokes

HALF COLOURS: Grace Cardwell, Sophie Farmer, Imogen Hall, Emily Hersch, Jocasta Spooner

FULL COLOURS: Izzy Canham, Charlie Hollywood, Tobina Laurence

GROVE TROPHY: Tobina Laurence (for the greatest contribution to Kingswood Hockey)

1ST XI Captain: Izzy Canham | Vice-Captain: Charlie Hollywood

Izzy Canham (1st XI Captain)

RUGBY

Kingswood’s rugby teams

played

exactly

100 matches in the 2022 season with a percentage win rate of 63%.

There were five teams that lost just once: 1st XV, both U14 teams, and the U15B and U16B teams. The U15As were the only team to manage an unbeaten season and also produced arguably the performance of the season to turn around a 35-0 defeat by Blundell’s in 2021 by winning 38-10 this time around.

Our team of coaches identified some key players from their respective squads who make up our ‘teams of the season’:

‘B’ TEAM (selected from Junior ‘B’ teams and the 3rd XV)

Left wing Mohammad Zaheb, U12B

Full-back Henry Evans, U15B

Right wing George Warden, U14B

Outside centre George Hancock, U15B

Inside centre Barney Husband, U14B

Fly-half Frank Cotton, U13B

Scrum-half Mathijs in der Rieden, U14B

Flankers Tom White, U14B; Oscar Lambert, 3rd XV

Second row Ted Minor, U15B; George Cardwell, U16B

Number 8 Ben Bradford, U13B

LH prop Mishari Al Rkayan, U16B

Hooker Sayan Dhaya, U12B

TH prop Jack Stephens, 3rd XV

Coaches Mr Darwin; Mr East

‘A’ TEAM (selected from Junior ‘A’ teams and the 2nd XV)

Left wing Milo Worthy, U15A

Full-back Oscar Power, 2nd XV

Right wing Zac Hutchinson, U12A

Outside centre Charlie Day, U14A

Inside centre Archie Wake, U16A

Fly-half Sunny Curtis, U13A

Scrum-half Tobias Collis, U12A

Flankers Milo Powell, U14A; Harry Caveen, U14A

Second row Oscar Easen, U16A; Harrison Watts, U13A

Number 8 Jack Williams, U15A

LH prop Nisek Tumbahangphe, U12A

Hooker Euan McDade, U15A

TH prop Archie Engley-Duffy, U16A

Coaches Mr Matthews; Mr Reeman

1ST XV

The 1st XV enjoyed a memorable season and an upturn in fortunes from 2021. Following some hard work in the off-season, the team arrived well prepared for the annual pre-season Kingswood festival. Twelve teams were in attendance, the Upper playing fields looked fantastic and the feedback from visiting teams again showed what a popular event this has become in such a short space of time. It also proved to be excellent preparation for the Kingswood boys as they racked up a number of wins in hard-fought games and it was only a very good Blundell’s team that kept them from an unbeaten season.

As always, the team comprised a number of Year 13 students and some key younger players. Three of these younger players were particularly influential. Leo Palmer was the cornerstone of the team’s forward effort and vice-captain Charlie Ward was crucial to the group’s success with a skill set that enabled him to fill a number of roles within the team. Although still in Year 11, James Linegar orchestrated the team’s attack, drove the older players and caused every opponent problems with his ability to run, kick, and pass

so effectively. All three of these boys have already represented Bath Rugby in the U18 Premiership.

Of the Year 13 leavers, Oliver Williams and Hari Master were dependable performers in the front row whilst Louis Kenyon and Will Connors played a huge part in enabling the forward pack to get the better of the majority of the teams they encountered.

Tom Shakespeare, the team’s utility player, featured at scrum-half and wing, whilst Rory Bushell and Bruin Ward struck up an exciting centre partnership, strong in defence and giving the team a focal point in attack. This often allowed Joe Dunn and Josh Thornton on the wings to

COLOURS & AWARDS

COLTS COLOURS:

Oscar Easen, Olly Goodall, James Linegar, Archie Wake

HALF COLOURS:

Jasper Barazandeh-Nejad, Jacob Barton, John Bean, Basti Langkilde, Hari Master, Wilbur Riddoch, Tom Shakespeare, Ollie Williams

FULL COLOURS: Rory Bushell, Will Connors, Joseph Dunn, Louis Kenyon, Leo Palmer, Joshua Thornton, Bruin Ward, Charlie Ward

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER: Can Kucukcan

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Charlie Ward

receive the ball in space and use their pace to good effect in scoring a number of the team’s tries.

Thanks go to Jack Beveridge who generously gave up his time to film matches which enabled the squad to develop their game through regular video analysis sessions. They also received great support from their coaches, Mr Webb and Matt Banahan, who helped the boys to improve their knowledge and understanding of the game which ultimately enabled them to enjoy the success they had this season and enable them to look back on this time in their school life with great fondness.

Fraser Riddoch (Captain) and Louis Kenyon (Vice-captain)

NETBALL

The Netball Club had 22 teams competing this season with a total of 165 matches. You can always rely on Kingswood for our depth and athleticism; working hard on court to apply patterns of play to outwit our opponents.

Westwood had eight teams competing most weekends and the U12s were remarkable. Both the U12Cs and Ds only lost one fixture and the A’s highlight was winning the area tournament, beating all local rivals. Well done to Pippa, Ellie, Sophia and Molly who are pick of the players for their teams this season. The U13A’s highlight was the KES block fixture where the As beat KES by 8 goals after losing to them the week before. Isla Black was pivotal in the Bs and Georgia Greenhill and Pippa Gatehouse were influential in the Cs and Ds.

The U14Cs had an unbeaten season under Mr Webb’s guidance and well done to Kitty Campbell who blossomed into a fantastic shooter. Ruth Pentreath was the most consistent player in the As and Sofia Shonfeld was the glue of the B team.

The U15s showed lots of potential for the Senior teams. Indeed, Iona Robertson and Maddie White were clinical on court for the As and Emily Holt’s work rate in the Bs was outstanding. Sophia Lethbridge was crucial in the Cs and Eleanor Dalton made huge progress.

The 4ths were lucky to have Rachel Bedding and Zenzi Oluoch-Olunya in defence and both Kim Mugo and Izzy Evans were hugely versatile, whilst in the 3rds Oyin Obe was a game changer at GK and Aoife Targett was so accurate. Tilly Byrne made great progress in the 5ths but the player of the season award goes to Chloe Viner for her coverage on court and work rate.

The 2nds grew in confidence this season with Izzy Milborrow owning the Goal Defence Bib, and Eve Hopkin’s injection of energy was pivotal, mirrored by the calmness of both Imogen Hall and Sophie Farmer.

1ST VII

The first team had an incredible and competitive season with seven wins and only three losses. The team won our pool in the county and narrowly missed going to Regionals by an unlucky golden goal. However, we did not let this dampen our spirit, going on to win the plate at the Collegiate tournament 13-5.

It’s been fantastic to see the team grow and strengthen as a squad. In attack Daisy and Lily gelled and became a threatening unit, switching to defence with ease, and putting up shots with accuracy. Lily’s commitment and ability to work the D was pivotal, whilst Daisy showed strength and flexibility, catching every ball thrown her way.

In mid court, without fail, Clemmie would throw herself into every interception and movement. Phoebe Gilpin brought a muchneeded calmness to the court watching and dictating the play at centre effortlessly.

Every member of our defence this season had been key to our success. Ciara’s positivity is contagious, making incredible fly interceptions with a smile on her face. Sienna’s height is unbeaten, with her oneon-one marking shutting the goalshooter down. In attack and defence Emily’s entrance on the court is game changing. She brings agility, strength, and passion.

Mia’s energy and speed is the talk of the court as she leaves her player miles behind, while her vision leaves us all in awe as she skilfully feeds into the D.

Iris is such a talented netball player

with an incredible drive for success, making inconceivable interceptions each match. Not only is Iris a standout player, but her determination and positivity on and off the court made her an excellent captain.

A special mention to coaches Miss Becconsall and Mrs Curtis, but the biggest thank you must go to Mrs Sim. Whilst driving our team to victory through her competitive spirit, her kindness taught us that being a good team player is more important than any win. It’s this that makes the season so memorable for all of us.

COLOURS & AWARDS

COLTS COLOURS: Daisy Neary

HALF COLOURS:

Clemmie Coxen, Phoebe Gilpin, Emily Hersch, Ciara Newcastle, Sienna Websper

FULL COLOURS:

Mia O’Driscoll, Lily Saunders, Iris Worley

OUTSTANDING PLAYER

AWARD: Iris Worley

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER: Lily Saunders

Iris Worley (1st VII Captain) and Mia O’Driscoll (1st VII Vice-Captain)

BOYS’ HOCKEY

It was another excellent year for the boys’ hockey teams. In a short term with only eight weekends, we managed to play 115 matches involving over 250 boys, and finished with an overall win rate across all teams of 75%.

The U15Bs and Cs and the U13Cs all finished with 100% records and there were five teams that lost just one match. Add to that the 1st XI progressing to the last 16 of the National tournament and it is clear that Boys’ Hockey at Kingswood is in a very good place. A large part of that is down to the staff who have given up so much time to enable twenty teams to play fixtures and at times we fielded sixteen teams on a single Saturday. This often involves staff ‘doubling up’ on a Saturday as well as doing all the other bits like driving buses, writing match reports and posting team sheets which are all the added extras that sometimes go unnoticed.

The 1st XI can be extremely proud of their efforts, only losing one match from fifteen, and playing some outstanding hockey along the way. The season started off with some team bonding at the pre-season tournament at Cardiff Met University. The boys underwent strength and conditioning training, video analysis and a lecture on sports nutrition that helped them to manage their busy schedule throughout the season and boosted local sales of chocolate milkshakes along the way! An excellent win against Bradfield College on the final day saw Kingswood win the tournament for the second season in succession.

There have been multiple highlights since then with every player contributing to the team’s success. The Lower Sixth provided some key players. Ollie Day was the team’s main distributor at sweeper, Will Shardlow and Joe Watt brought energy and a physical presence to the midfield while Joe Randolph brought composure and patience in the key position of left back. The four Year 11s also coped incredibly well with the step up to 1st XI Hockey, Toby Day being the main goal threat and Owen Brown consistently skilful in the midfield.

Year 13 were given the best possible send-off. Harry Charlesworth settled in well to his new role in the forward line, his hold up play being vital to the team’s attacking

Team Player of the Season Most Improved Player

U12A Tobias Collis Zac Hutchinson

U12B Freddie Breen Christopher Docton

U12C Bardan Gurung

Mohammad Zaheb

U13A Sam Milborrow Hans McPhedran

U13B Beau O’Mahony

U13C Sawan Tamling

U14A Charlie Day

U14B Seb Easen

U14C Jack Bowra

U15A George Hancock

U15B Jack Watts

U15C Henry Evans

2nd XI Louis Kenyon

3rd XI Isaac Archer-Pratt

4th XI Eli Williams

Frank Cotton

Joshua George

Milo Powell

George Warden

Kurtis Wong

Harry Bates

Archie Tillett

Sam Jones

Joshua Thornton

Toby Davies

Sean Choy

play. Noah Davis scored some crucial goals and Kit Marrack was a versatile performer in midfield and attack.

Joint vice captains Louis Record and Oskar Billett brought a composure and maturity and their approach to Senior Hockey in the past few seasons has been exemplary. Similarly, Rory Bushell’s calm presence in goal and as the team’s captain gave confidence to those in front of him and he pulled off some crucial saves at important moments. There was not a better keeper on the circuit this season.

Finally, Mr Jackson has stepped up incredibly well to fill Mr Opie’s shoes. His tactical insight has been hugely appreciated by the team and he has worked incredibly hard to support the boys through a jam-packed, but ultimately successful season. With many of the squad remaining next season, they will be hoping for even more success in 2024.

COLOURS & AWARDS

COLTS COLOURS: Owen Brown, Toby Day, Archie Hamilton, Wills Hudson

HALF COLOURS: Noah Davis, Ollie Day, Kit Marrack, Joe Randolph, Will Shardlow, Joe Watt

FULL COLOURS: Oskar Billett, Rory Bushell, Harry Charlesworth, Louis Record

THE IDRIS CUP: Louis Record (For outstanding contribution to Kingswood Hockey)

Boys’ hockey at Kingswood is in a very good place.

BOYS’ CRICKET

Despite the wet weather at the start of the Summer term, we managed nearly 90 cricket matches in a little over eight weeks.

Many of these took place on the Upper which is testament to the ground staff as no-one else in the area seemed to be able to host their fixtures.

In the younger age groups, all of the ‘A’ teams managed to get to at least the semi-final stage of the Bath & Bristol Schools Cup, with the U13s going on to win their competition and be crowned Champions.

On the batting front, Ernie Padfield, Hector Howard, Sam Tisdale, Hugo Astin and Sam Douglas all had strong seasons for their respective age groups. Teddy McCrum was the pick of the bunch, however, anchoring a number of wins for the U13As and culminating in his first century for his County side.

Of the seam bowlers, Max Uzel, Henry Kinch, George Wylie, Alex Lowe, Mohammed Zaheb, George Warden, Ivor Branigan, Jack Andell and Fin Belmont all made life uncomfortable for opposition batters,

whilst spinners Alex Kirkwood, Thomas Brown, Joss Armstrong and Laurie Stirling added variety to their team’s bowling line up. Wicket keepers Max Sephton, Johnny Knott, Ed Armstrong, Leo Muscroft, George Hancock and Jack Hooton did fantastic jobs behind the stumps.

The final group can be compared to Ben Stokes: the players that influence the game with bat, ball and in the field. Mathijs in der Rieden, Henry Evans, Otto Douglas, Barney Husband, Freddie Cheetham, James Sullivan, Jasper Sieberhagen, Tom Stappard and Tobias Collis have all filled the all-rounder role in their teams with distinction.

1ST XI

The first team enjoyed another good season with 10 wins from 16 matches. The season began with seven wins in a row, then with some of our strongest players out of play because of A Levels and GCSEs, this provided many younger players with opportunities to impress, making their debuts for the 1st XI; Owen

Brown, Harry Bates, Ed Armstrong, Fin Belmont, Mathijs in der Rieden and Sam Tisdale all stepped up.

Younger player Freddie Stappard played the majority of his school cricket in the 1st XI, the first Year 9 to do this since Noah Davis. He kept wicket and batted in the middle order very impressively all season and will be better for the experience in the years to come.

COLOURS & AWARDS

COLTS COLOURS: Archie Baker, Owen Brown, Toby Eayres

HALF COLOURS: John Bean, Elliot Ede, Louis Kenyon, Oscar Power

FULL COLOURS: Noah Davis

The Cricket Trophy for outstanding contribution to one of the Kingswood teams: Freddie Stappard

Two Year 11 players were also key performers: Toby Eayres played more matches than any other first team player, and was the top run-scorer with over 300 runs and the joint highest wicket taker; Archie Baker was excellent with the ball, topping the averages, and occasionally with the bat, scoring a near match-saving innings of 42 against the MCC.

Of the Year 12s, Ollie Bates, John Bean and Charlie Ward were all influential but also managed to register nine ducks between them! However, John’s off-spin was an important part of the team’s success as we managed to bowl out most teams we came up against, and he finished the season as joint top wicket taker. Charlie’s power hitting against gave the team a point of difference and his innings against Kingswood Old Boys entertained the healthy crowd as he smashed 50 off just 25 balls.

LEAVERS

Rory Bushell made his debut for the 1st XI this season, and his match-winning knock of 49 not out against Prior Park would have pushed Charlie close for innings of the season. Louis Kenyon, playing his third year in the 1st XI, also had his moments, most notably his 47 against Dauntsey’s in the unfamiliar role of opener. Oscar Power was a virtual ever present - a reliable bowler who returned good figures week in week out and also chipped in with some very useful runs. He would be a strong contender for the Most Improved Player award.

Co-captains Elliot Ede and Noah Davis have contributed so much to Kingswood cricket over the years. Elliot is an excellent seam-bowler with a strong action who has turned himself into a genuine allrounder through sheer hard work. When he is batting well there are few better to watch and he is one of the most reliable characters to have played for the 1st XI. Noah is surely one of the top three batsman ever to have played for Kingswood. He has scored well over 1000 runs and would surely have been closer to 2000 had it not been for the Lockdowns. In recent times, it is clear to see that he is operating on a different level to most other school cricketers. He is also a canny off-spinner and excellent fielder and it will be intriguing to see how his cricket progresses in the years to come.

Elliot Ede and Noah Davis (Co-captains)

GIRLS’ TENNIS

1st VI Captain Sophie Farmer wrote a poem to highlight her favourite moments of the Girls' Tennis season.

Ellie and Sasha stand out for the under 12Bs, They have so much energy on the court it’s plain to see.

In the under 12As and with a forehand to die for, We can’t wait to see what else Izzy and Rebecca have in store!

Most prepared, most steady, Gracie and Thea are always ready, For the under 13As are Esme Hersch and Livvy Hicks, Consistent, lively, creative, always down for a hit.

For the Under 14s, top of the tables, Emily and Ruth scored the most bagels. Maya and Erin, always laughing and smiles, You can hear their cackles for miles and miles!

Most improved are Eva and Priya, Technically skilled and show no fear.

Onto the seniors, starting with the seconds, The First team for many surely beckons. Jimmy and Amelie, an amazing pair, When they play it’s always kind and fair. Katie and Aoife are constantly alert, We are so proud they wear the Kingswood shirt.

My little family of the Ones, Hope me and Romilly have been good mums!

Holly and Amy, a sister act, I’m scared to play you – and that’s a fact!

Hayley, thank you for making this season the best, I’ve loved this more than all the rest!

Charlie, my partner from Year 7, Your cross-court shots are a weapon.

Romilly Burke, the serving menace, Can’t believe this is our last season of Kingswood Tennis. Your positive glow is always emitted, Thank you for being so committed.

COLOURS & AWARDS

COLTS COLOURS: Anna Haldenby, India Master, Amy Robinson

HALF COLOURS: Romilly Burke, Charlie Hollywood

FULL COLOURS: Hayley Crowhurst, Sophie Farmer, Holly Robinson

THE MOST IMPROVED PLAYER SALVER: Imogen Hall

THE BLEATHMAN CUP: Aoife Targett

BOYS’ TENNIS

Captain: Ollie Williams

Vice-Captain: Ollie Brown

The Senior Boys’ Tennis teams enjoyed great success this year with the 1st team only losing one fixture and the 2nd and 3rd teams finishing the season undefeated.

Our Kingswood prowess was demonstrated by the outstanding form of our 1st team which was strengthened by the addition of younger players. Individually, Sam Nash and Ollie Brown are two hugely talented players, but when paired together they are truly unstoppable. Ollie’s aggressive fencing style volleys, coupled with Sam’s relentless consistency led to them only dropping one set all season; a hugely impressive feat.

Louis Record had another strong season and proved to be an integral part of the Kingswood 1st team. The combination of Ollie Yates’s aggressive backhand, and Louis’ unintentional winners often proved

too much for their opposition. However, one cannot deny that what Louis occasionally lacks in finesse he more than makes up for in maintaining team morale. Leavers Kit Marrack and Fergus Kerr were a dynamic duo this season. Their highlight was their 1st team debut against KES where they sailed to a straight set victory.

Year 10 was a rich pool of tennis talent this year with Charlie Barton, Fergus Keen and Miro Cairns-Lowe all putting on performances to be proud of. Ed Davey kept a cool head in his numerous 1st team matches, whilst Harry Williams exhibited his ever improving whippy forehand.

COLOURS & AWARDS

COLTS COLOURS:

Sam Nash, Ollie Yates

HALF COLOURS: Louis Record

FULL COLOURS:

Ollie Brown, Ollie Williams

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER: Fergus Kerr

TOP PLAYER: Ollie Brown

Our 2nd team enjoyed an unbeaten season this year, with talent from a wide range of year groups contributing to its success. Wills

Hudson and Archie Hamilton both showed a vast array of shots from the baseline, whilst Freddie Blofeld and Theo Williams were dominant at the net. Likewise, the bond between Stan Wood and Jamie Phillips was palpable and they frequently vapourised the opponents’ hopes of winning. Jacob Barton’s tennis season was unfortunately cut short due to an injury, however he played his first few games valiantly and him and his partner Isaac Archer Pratt proved to be a formidable pairing.

As study leave began and exams slowly loomed closer, the Year 11s and 13s became increasingly unavailable, allowing several younger players to step up to the mark. Year 10s Charlie Woodward, Charlie Hanson-Brown and Ozzie Smith all trained well and Year 9s Kian Alizadeh, Spike Salkeld and Jonty Lambah-Stoate possess real potential for the future. In addition, Jax Ma (Year 7) got a chance to showcase his talent at the end of the season with a straight set win against Warminster, coupled with Ed Davey.

Vice-captain Ollie Brown has been playing in the 1st team since Year 7. He is graceful on and off the court and his Federer-esque single-handed backhand has always impressed. Dangerous at the net and strong at the back, he has pulled off some incredible shots – the ‘between the legs’ lob being his favourite.

There are very few tennis players who can return difficult volleys as well as captain Ollie Williams, and his serve is a force to be reckoned with. Ollie captained Kingswood to one of our best seasons ever, only losing one fixture. He led by example at training sessions and matches, being an excellent role model for all players. He was always the first person to congratulate players after a win, or console them after a loss, and he did all this whilst completing his A Level exams and being Head of Hall House, further showing his dedication to tennis at Kingswood. Ollie will be sorely missed next year.

Mr Walker, Mr Wright, Mr Allchorne and Mr White were essential to the success of the teams, but particular thanks go to Mr Duke who has been integral to tennis at Kingswood for 15 years. His dedication is unparalleled and, as we reflect on him leaving, it’s clear to see the impact that he’s had. Mr Duke never missed a training session or an opportunity to play, no matter the weather or time of day. Thank you to Mr Duke for his dedication and service over the past 15 years and we hope he will carry on playing.

“It has been an absolute honour to captain a sport which means so much to me this year, and I am so proud of how much our team has improved. Going forward, I am confident that Kingswood Tennis will continue to flourish, and I wish the boys all the best with their tennis in the future.”

Ollie Williams (Captain)

CROSS COUNTRY

2023 was a very successful year for Cross Country at Kingswood with some excellent individual and team performances in House, Inter-School and Regional competitions. This, combined with some of the greatest mass participation teams Kingswood has ever seen, meant that we had to upgrade from minibuses to a coach for many of our fixtures!

The growth of Cross Country has been substantial and very impressive this year. In the Autumn term, Kingswood played host once again to the BANES County Championships from which we had multiple runners qualify for the Avon Schools Championships representing BANES. Charlie Haines, Tom White, Elspeth Marke and Grace Cardwell all qualified for the South West Championships at Blaise Castle, with Charlie Haines then qualifying for the English Schools Cross Country Championships, a great achievement.

Of all our fixtures, we had some memorable outings with some

outstanding team and individual performances. The Junior boys were successful in the Sherborne Girls Relays. Charlie Haines took Gold, Grace Cardwell Silver, and Tobina Laurence and Ferdie Goddard Bronze medals in our home fixture, the newly coined Kingswood ‘Off-Road’ Race. However the highlight was the Canford Relays, in which the Inter boys of Ferdie Goddard, Theo Eugster and Max Graham secured 1st place in the team competition and won some significant trophies in the process, with Ferdie also setting the fastest time of the day.

The most impressive thing about the team this season has been their incredible togetherness and family spirit fostered by our captains and cascading down all areas of the squad. The students have behaved impeccably and represented Kingswood with great pride and respect. This season has been a great success in more ways than just winning trophies and silverware.

HOUSE CROSS COUNTRY

Heavy rain made the courses especially muddy and slippery at both the House Cross Country race and relay events. The House Cross Country event was the premier event of the term with each race being well contested.

Mr Matt Deacon (Cross Country Co-ordinator)

CAPTAINS

It is with sadness that we lose our captains this year and our two most senior Year 13 runners. Tobina Laurence and Grace Cardwell have done an excellent job this year and have been superb role models and catalysts of our great team spirit. They have been great servants to Cross Country during their time at Kingswood and will be greatly missed by the team. They are both awarded their Half Colours.

HOUSE CROSS COUNTRY WINNERS (Girls and Boys races)

WINNING HOUSES

WESTWOOD Pippa Firbank/Noah McClelland-Lofters Phoenix

INTERS (Years 9, 10)

SENIORS (Years 11, 12, 13)

Emily Franklin-Adams/ Ferdie Goddard School/Upper

Emily Hersch/Wills Hudson School/Upper

HOUSE CROSS COUNTRY RELAY

WESTWOOD

INTERS (Years 9, 10)

SENIORS (Years 11, 12, 13)

WINNING TEAMS (Girls and Boys races)

Phoenix 7A/Phoenix 8A

Summerhill A/Hall A

School A/Upper A

Overall wins for Phoenix, School and Upper Houses across all age groups.

THE SAFE CUP TOURNAMENT

In October, Kingswood was pleased to host the inaugural ‘SAFE Cup’ football tournament for girls in Years 7-9, to help raise awareness of National Hate Crime Awareness Week. Avon & Somerset Police were the driving force behind the tournament and schools from across the Bath area were invited to take part.

FOOTBALL

Our first fixture of the football season was against Wycliffe who now promote themselves as a school where football is very much one of the main sports.

Aclosely fought game between the two first teams was 0-0 at half time, but Wycliffe’s greater experience of playing and training together as a team from a young age saw them pull way to win 2-0. However, this suggested that the season could be a competitive one. Sadly, poor weather affected the next two months and we only got to play another three matches. A narrow 1-0 loss against another ‘football school’ QEH was immediately after a convincing 5-2 win away to local rivals Prior Park. The final match of the season was away to Dauntsey’s and the home team put on a convincing display where everything clicked whilst we struggled to get good enough procession to threaten their goal. Notable mentions must go to captain Oscar Power who has completed three seasons playing in the first team and also Alex Paris, Josh Thornton and Elliot Ede who all put in strong performances in each game.

The second team also played the same opponents and were involved in matches that produced 34 goals; 12 of these goals were for Kingswood, the others weren’t! Entertainment was certainly at the top of the agenda for this team.

Coaches Harding and Gordon very much saw this season as a transitional one where we started to build for the future. Next year we already have seven fixtures booked in and, weather-permitting, look forward to a highly competitive season for the football club.

Kingswood entered a 7 a-side team in each tournament. What started out as a fantastic opportunity to develop their football skills soon became a competitive afternoon against some well drilled local schools including Oldfield, Wellsway, Ralph Allen and St Gregory’s. In the Year 7 and 8 tournament, Kingswood’s first three matches were well matched and, although these games remained goalless, Emily Anderton, Livvy Hicks and Iris Greenwood showed potential as key strikers. It was in the final two matches of the tournament when Kingswood started to excel and came away with a 4-0 and 2-0 win. A special mention must go to Livvy Hicks who scored a hattrick. In the Year 9 tournament, Kingswood faced some tough opposition and were unfortunate to not come away with any wins. However, Baci Davies was outstanding in goal, making some excellent saves, whilst Ciara Targett and Maya Sapkota were instrumental on field.

Our Year 7 and 8 team went on to win their tournament and consequently were pitted against the winners of the Year 9 tournament (Oldfield School) in a penalty shoot-out. The shoot-out was an intense event with both teams putting the ball in the back of the net. However, Kingswood goalkeeper Ellie Godwin made some great saves which gave her team the overall win!

The tournament ended with short speeches from Her Game Too representatives, SARI (Stand Against Racism & Inequality) and the Avon & Somerset Police Officers. It was such a great afternoon on the Upper and we look forward to hosting this fantastic event again.

Year 7 & 8 Winners Year 9 Team

ATHLETICS

This year the Athletics programme grew in size and offered a more diverse array of competitive opportunities.

We attended meets on a highly competitive circuit comprised of well-renowned schools from the South, South West, Central, and London areas. Each week, it was the Kingswood team that had the largest number of athletes competing, and it was the Kingswood team that most passionately supported their teammates. This is something that we are incredibly proud of as a club.

The season started with the Lutra Shield hosted by Sherborne. We used

this ‘Seniors only’ meet as an additional training opportunity, taking quite a few of our younger athletes. The following weekend the whole team headed to an 11 Schools meet at Dauntsey’s. In the glorious sunshine, the Kingswood Inter and Senior teams competed incredibly well, placing 2nd overall behind the hosts.

It was then time for the Nitro Athletics meet at Marlborough College. Nitro Athletics is an exciting form of ‘team’ athletics that tests all-round athleticism and tactical skill. Each team consists of eight athletes, with four competing in each event. Kingswood was unable to field a Senior Girls team but sent Girls and Boys teams from every other agecategory. If we exclude the Senior Girls scores, Kingswood placed first overall ahead of the teams from Marlborough College, Wellington College, Clifton College, St Edward’s Oxford, Winchester College, Bradfield College, and Cheltenham College! A truly phenomenal performance by our athletes.

The following weekend we hosted our inaugural Nitro Athletics meet for schools from around Bath. The event was a major success with the scope to extend the invite to schools from Bristol next year. At the large Millfield inter-schools meet, we saw the true strength of

our Inter Boys team who topped the points table at the end of a tough competition.

This year we entered two meets targeted at our Junior (Year 9) and Minor (Year 7 & 8) athletes, hosted by Dauntsey’s. It was fantastic to see our youngest athletes growing in confidence and competing so valiantly. As is usually the case, we took part in two meets at Marlborough College in the second half of the term. Despite one of the competitions being abandoned due to a sudden tropical storm during the 1500m, our athletes claimed many of the top positions in their respective events.

Our Junior team, comprising of Year 9s together with a few Year 8s, had its most successful season in recent memory and enjoyed record numbers of athletes. For the boys, Tom White excelled as an 800m specialist and was selected to compete at the English Schools Track and Field Championships. Sam Glassick worked tirelessly at optimising his 100m sprint – from doing video analysis of his starts in his garden, to reading a book about ‘mentality’, he was rewarded with a good win in the final meet of the season. On the girls side, Kitty Mumford, Alice Hubbard and Ciara Targett all improved their performances substantially over the season. Freya Dyson was superb whilst competing against girls from the year above her, and forms part of what is a very promising group of Year 7 and 8 girls coming through the School.

In the Inters category, Milo Worthy rarely lost a race in the 100m and 200m; Joseph Bailey explored and conquered a new event – the 300/400m; and when recovered from injury, Charlie Haines returned to his competition, destroying ways in the middle distance events before heading off to nationals. On the girls side, Iona Robertson took charge of each 100m and 200m she ran before her season was unfortunately cut short due to a shoulder injury. Evi Ogbaide was a consistent feature in the team throughout the season, and when available, Emily Franklin-Adams performed strongly.

In the Senior category, the Year 12s stepped-up incredibly well. Joe Watt, Ollie Day, Oscar Belmont and Tom Martin performed well against strong competition, and co-captain Bruin Ward showed us that he’s still the fastest out of the blocks in the 100m. The Senior Girls team was built around the robust performances of Monica Mba Ivina, Emily Hersch, Clemmie Coxen and Co-captains Tobina Laurence and Grace Cardwell.

Unfortunately it is not possible to tell the story of every athlete and the challenges they have faced or the progress they have made this term. The pursuit of self-improvement is one of the core elements which makes sport so special, and we can confidently say that each athlete has made progress on this journey.

Mr Digby Webb (Athletic Development Co-ordinator)

SWIMMING

Boys’ Captain: Dan Adams

Girls’ Captain: Georgie Thompson

The Swimming Club at Kingswood had another extremely successful season placing within the top two of all our galas!

The boys’ teams were outstanding during competition, beating numerous talented and experienced opponents to win all their fixtures. These superb results demonstrate the breadth and depth of our everexpanding swim team, and we look forward to what the future holds for all our swimmers.

We celebrated multiple highlights as a club during the 20222023 season, but some standout performances include Ed Davey’s multiple wins in the U16 Boys’ Breaststroke, Georgie Thompson’s success in the U18 Girls’ Butterfly and Roger Davis’s dominance in the U16 Boys’ Individual Medley. This year’s winner of the Tench Cup, for the most successful school swimmer, is club captain Dan Adams. Dan won every event that he entered and often finished the U18 Boys’ 50 metre Backstroke a whole length ahead of his competitors. Dan worked tirelessly to achieve Kingswood’s U18 Boys’ 100 yards Backstroke record, which he broke during the Senior House Swimming Gala with a time of 53.86 seconds!

The swimming club was lucky enough to welcome a magnitude of new talent this year. Firstly, Jessica Haines in Year 12 fitted into the team with ease as she impressed with her performances in the U18 Girls’ Freestyle and Individual Medley. Jess’s infectious smile and warm personality make her a wonderful role model to our younger swimmers in the club. Another new joiner, Lukus Kung in Year 9, has also been an amazing addition to our Intermediate Boys’ team. His stylish stroke and commitment have certainly paid off, gaining him multiple titles in the U16 Boys’ Butterfly

COLOURS & AWARDS

HALF COLOURS: Connie Slater, Will Wong

FULL COLOURS: Georgie Thompson, Dan Adams

MOST IMPROVED SWIMMER: Eve Jotcham

THE TENCH CUP: Dan Adams

THE BERESFORD SHIELD: Logan Hartwell

and Freestyle races. Finally, The Beresford Shield was awarded to new Year 11 student Logan Hartwell, who has been incredibly dedicated to every aspect of swimming at Kingswood. Logan is often the first to arrive and the last to leave after putting away the lane ropes and has given up his time to support junior galas on multiple occasions. He’s pretty good in the pool, too!

Several students in Westwood displayed their wonderful talent in the pool this year. Annabelle Godson (Year 7) won the U16 Girls’ Individual Medley where she beat students in Year 10 from our opposing schools, and Ben Bradford (Year 8) dominated the Junior Boys’ category and demonstrated his ability to lead the team. The cup for the most improved swimmer went to another Westwood pupil this year, Eve Jotcham. Eve has been determined to improve her stroke technique, as well as her confidence when diving and turning, often staying to practise “just one more dive” after team training. Eve’s hard work has paid off as she has achieved faster times at each junior gala. The future of swimming at Kingswood is certainly bright!

Unfortunately, the time has come to say some bittersweet goodbyes. Firstly, to our exceptional Swim Team captains: Georgie Thompson and Dan Adams. Georgie’s and Dan’s talents have been a huge addition to the Swim Team throughout their journey at Kingswood, and after an incredible two years of dedication, hard work, and leadership, we wish them the best of luck for the future; they will be missed! We also say goodbye to Mrs Jo-Anne Wilcock, our wonderful Westwood Swim coach, after a remarkable 12 years of service to the Kingswood Swim Team. Thank you for all you have done for so many of our young swimmers, Mrs Wilcock, you have made a real difference.

ATHLETIC DEVELOPMENT

The athletic development programme has continued to thrive, limited only by space and time! There were a good deal of opportunities for pupils from Year 7 to Year 13 to get involved in developing their overall athleticism.

In Years 7, 8 and 9, the focus was on mastering fundamental movements. These sessions were run within the Core PE programme, and provided the pupils with developmentally-appropriate movement progressions. This part of the athletic development programme provides pupils with their initial introduction to physical literacy. In Years 10 and 11, the pupils have the opportunity to advance their training further using more advanced methods.

The strength and conditioning club, which runs multiple times a day, proved once more to be incredibly popular, with pupils from Years 9 to 13 sharing the space whilst working through their own training programmes. Pupils who engage in this club do so for a variety of reasons: some enjoy the challenge of improving their overall fitness; others see the performance benefits in their sports; whilst others purely use it as a chance to blow off some steam. What unites everyone in the club is a mutual respect for one another, and each pupil takes ownership for ensuring that the environment remains a positive and supportive space for everyone.

...a positive and supportive space for everyone.

PURSUITS OUTDOOR

DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S AWARD

BRONZE EXPEDITION

The Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Qualifying Expedition took place in June, with just over 100 Year 10s completing two days on the Mendip Hills. The groups walked one of two routes, but both took in the popular Cheddar cliffs just to the east of Cheddar Gorge, Beacon Batch (the highest point on the Mendip Hills) and the delightful Chew Valley. The Bronze participants coped well with the hot weather, steep hill climbs and inquisitive cows. At times the intricate navigation also represented challenges. However, all of the participants overcame these and made excellent progress over the two days. As well as the expedition, each participant has completed a physical, skill and volunteering activity over a period of three to six months, demonstrating commitment to a range of activities.

This year, we say goodbye to Mrs Wilcock who has always been extremely supportive of the DofE participants. This was her last Bronze expedition, having not missed a single one in her 12 years at Kingswood. She will be sorely missed.

SILVER EXPEDITION

At the end of June, forty-eight Year 11 students undertook their Silver DofE qualifying expedition on Exmoor. Despite some fairly miserable weather on the first day with wind and rain on the moor, they all coped really well and remained very positive. Navigation was challenging at times, particularly in the valleys outside Porlock, but all groups found their end points and enjoyed some usual DofE food when in camp. The whole expedition requires three days of walking and two nights of camping and all participants successfully completed this, showing great teamwork, support of each other and determination.

GOLD EXPEDITION

After a practice expedition in October and months of preparation in-between, in the first week of the summer holiday the Gold DofE expedition participants set off for the Lake District, where pupils had to remain selfsufficient while they walked and camped for four days. We were not blessed with the best weather conditions this year, however each of the five groups showed great resilience in the face of extended periods of wind and rain. The groups completed routes taking in the Langdale Valley, as well as climbing up to High Raise. They also passed through Grasmere and were able to enjoy one day of sunshine with a lunch stop at Grisedale Tarn. The final day once again brought rain as they walked the length of Ullswater to finish successfully at Pooley Bridge. During the expedition, each group also had an aim to complete, with some identifying mountain flora and fauna, others picking out the geographical features of the glacial landscape, and one group impressing Mr Davies with their poetry which was written to encapsulate their experiences. Well done to all twenty-five Year 12 pupils who have now successfully completed this aspect of their Gold DofE.

TEN TORS 2023

Ten Tors requires significant commitment due to the tough training and selection process, during which pupils develop their ability to navigate independently across Dartmoor and to work together as a team in challenging conditions to enable them to complete the event.

THE TEAMS...

Y10: 35-MILE ROUTE H

• Adam Reilly (Team Leader)

• Harry Williams

• Sam Jones

• Ed Davey

• Seb Stenning

• Rob Armor

Y10: 35-MILE ROUTE I

• Charlie Woodward (Team Leader)

• James Ardus

• Charlie Barton

• May Haddon

• Henry Evans

• George Williams

Y12: 45-MILE ROUTE R

• Stan Wood (Team Leader)

• Lily Bradley

• Jack Beveridge

• Charley Lunt

• Will Shardlow

• Oscar Shonfeld

Training began in January and continued throughout the Spring term, with the final practice expedition taking place on Dartmoor at the end of the Easter holiday. As part of the training, pupils completed two local walks, two circuits on Dartmoor, and a 3-day expedition where they camped and carried their own kit.

The final event started at Okehampton Army Camp where Kingswood had three teams of six taking part. The teams planned their routes and completed thorough kit checks to ensure they were fully prepared for the weekend ahead. On the Saturday morning, our teams set off in a mass start at 7am midst the 400 teams that had entered from all over the South West. Our two Year 10 teams had 35-mile routes to walk and the Year 12 team had a 45-mile route. They all made excellent progress on the first day, covering a significant distance and camping overnight on Dartmoor. The Kingswood teams were all up and away by 6am the next day, meaning all three groups finished in impressive times. Both Year 10 teams were the first to complete their routes, finishing at 10:15am and 11:00am. The Year 12 team also completed in excellent time, finishing second on their route at 12:15pm.

All pupils who took part should be congratulated for finishing such a tough challenge where they have also developed a range of new skills and shown their ability to work together in difficult conditions.

Y10 Route I

Y12 Route R Y10 Route H

YEAR 7 HIKE

Forty pupils and staff completed a 9-mile hike on the rolling Marlborough Downs. Conditions were warm and muggy but the rain stayed away and everyone was able to enjoy the historic sites of Barbury Castle and Avebury on route. The group walked well and finished the hike in good time.

YEAR 8 HIKE

Forty-five Year 8 pupils enjoyed a sunny stroll through the Cotswolds, walking a section of the Cotswold Way from Selsley Common near Stroud to Dursley via Cam Long Down. The hike was initially planned to take place in the Mendips but to avoid heavy rain in the morning the decision was made to head north and the weather was warm and dry for the whole day, much to everyone’s relief!

YEAR 9 HIKE

Fifty-one Year 9 pupils and staff completed a 9-mile circular walk from Priddy in the Mendips. The walk took in the dramatic Ebbor Gorge and lunch was enjoyed whilst looking at splendid views of Glastonbury Tor and the Somerset levels.

ACTIVITIES

Kingswood is proud of the extensive range of activities on offer throughout the year, tapping into the incredible wealth of talent amongst our staff.

3D Print Club

Affinity Group

Aikido

Art Club

Athletics

Backstage Club

Badminton

Basketball

Big Bang

Bird Watching

Board Games

Body Combat

Brass Ensemble

British Sign Language

Black Students at Kingswood (BSK)

Calligraphy Club

Card Game Club

Cardmaking Club

Chess and Lofi Music Club

Chinese for Business

Christian Chat and Chill

Clarinet Ensemble

Classics Society

Climbing Club

Comedy Improvisation

Craft Club

CREST Award

Cricket

Crochet Club

Croquet

Dance Club

Debating Society

Dissection Club

DofE (Bronze, Silver & Gold)

Drama Club

Drone Building and Flying

Dungeons and Dragons

Eco-Alliance

Economics & Business Society

Empowering Girls in STEM

F1 in Schools

Film Club

Flute Ensemble

Football

Forensics Club

French Creative Writing

Garden Club

Hockey

Indoor Fitness

Intermediate Maths Club

Japanese Needlework

Jewellery Making

Junior History Society

Just Dance

Kayak & Paddleboarding Club

The list below shows examples of the activities that were available this year, either as morning, lunchtime or evening clubs.

Kingswood Choir

Kingswood Jazz Orchestra (KJO)

Kingswood Repair Shop

Kingswood Strings

Knitting Club

Learn to Swim

Lego Club

Macrame

Mandarin

Maths Club

Micro:bit Make: Code

Mindful Colouring

Mindfulness

Minecraft Education

Model Making Club

Model United Nations

Musical Theatre

Netball

Once Upon A Time

Orienteering Club

Outdoor Survival

Photography Club

Pride Club

Python Programming

Retro Gaming

Rowing Training

Rugby

Run Clubs

Sackett Society

Scalextric Club

Science Documentary Club

Scrabble Club

Senior Boxing Technique

Senior Orchestra

Sewing Club

Simpsons Auf Deutsch

Sixth Form Literary Society

Spanish Debating Club

Swimming

Tennis

Theatre Tech

Touch Typing

Turing Tumble Club

Ultimate Frisbee

Volleyball

Walking Activity

Westwood Orchestra

Westwood Podcast

Westwood Rounders Club

Westwood University Challenge

Westwood Voices

Yoga Chill Out

Young Engineers Club

COMPUTER SCIENCE TRIP TO SAN FRANCISCO

Over February half term, thirty-one students went to San Francisco on the Computer Science Silicon Valley tour. We found out about how innovation was driven throughout the history of Silicon Valley and visited many of the biggest companies in tech. From 1 Hacker Way to Googleplex, we explored the sites.

We visited Muir Woods to see the giant red woods where students created a graph to identify the optimal route around the site. Many also took the opportunity to walk the 1.7 miles across the Golden Gate Bridge.

Students then went to Alcatraz which used to house some of the most notorious criminals in US history. At the Tech Interactive, we saw preserved human bodies which had been opened up to explore different organs and had the opportunity to explore a virtual dissection using some of the latest MRI scanning technology. We also created social robots in an enjoyable workshop.

At the Computer History museum, we saw the largest collection in the world of historical computing artefacts, many of which we study in Years 7 and 8. On a visit to the Intel museum, we heard about the history of Intel and how they are once again bidding to become the market leader in their fields.

On the way back to the airport, we all took part in a mentally stimulating escape room which involved cracking

ciphers and code. The Year 13s completed the challenge, discovering a new life form which delivered the secret to eternal youth in the process.

The students were brilliant ambassadors for Kingswood Computer Science and were so engaged in the various activities throughout the week.

Mr Gareth Edgell (Head of Computer Science)

NYC DRAMA TRIP 2023

At Easter, twenty-three pupils travelled to New York City accompanied by Ms Brayton, Mrs Ward and Mr Francis.

After arriving in New York, we headed straight out into Times Square for dinner before making our way to the Empire State Building. Sadly, the weather was against us, and the fog prevented us from fully appreciating the amazing views of Manhattan. Thankfully, what followed was three days of glorious sunshine in New York, where we enjoyed the sites, including Times Square, Central Park, the beautiful Art Deco interior of Radio City Music Hall, Statue of Liberty, and the High Line walk.

One highlight was going to the top of the Rockefeller Centre. The views from the top were amazing, especially the view of the Empire State Building. Radio City Music Hall was incredible, and the more we learned about it, the more impressed we all were. We got to see how the acoustics worked in the main hall, as well as meeting one of the Rockette dancers.

The three shows that we saw were a real treat. The dance numbers in Chicago were amazing, the set of New York, New York was breath-taking, and the general design for Hades Town was spectacular. Meeting and greeting the cast of Hades Town was a real bonus at the end of the trip.

After seeing Chicago the musical, we had the unique opportunity for a Q&A with one of the actresses. We found out what life as an actor on Broadway is like and got some tips for auditioning and making it in the showbiz world. This was such an incredible experience and something that captivated everyone in the room. Putting a name and face to the talent that we saw on stage was something very inspiring - we saw the actor as a real person who had experienced failures on their way to success.

Standing above the 9/11 Memorial was eye-opening and deeply moving. The area is peaceful despite its city location, and we walked in silence, lost in thought as we read the names listed around the Memorial. The experience was extraordinary and, despite its contrast to the rest of the trip, this was one of the biggest highlights.

The Drama department hopes to run this trip again in two or three years, giving younger pupils the opportunity to enjoy this trip in the future.

Ms Brayton (Head of Drama and Theatre)

HISTORY TRIP TO BERLIN 2023

The first Saturday of the Easter holidays saw fifty Year 10 Historians travel to Berlin. Berlin is the perfect place to visit, with GCSE units on 20th century Germany and the start of the Cold War featuring heavily in many of Year 10’s History lessons this year.

Agreat deal of currywurst was eaten and many miles were walked as students visited sites such as the Olympic Stadium, Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, and the site of the Potsdam Conference.

It was an emotionally challenging trip, with many students wrestling with the difficult exercise facing modern Germany - how do you avoid glorifying a toxic past, without simply erasing it? In Berlin, these challenges are everywhere, with the 1936 Olympic Stadium that was built to glorify the Third Reich still hosting pop concerts and football matches today.

The trip was a great opportunity to walk in the footsteps of Churchill and Stalin at Potsdam, and to see the concrete reminders of the divisions brought by the Cold War in the form of the Berlin Wall and its watchtowers.

It was a great trip, and one which was made all the better by the enthusiasm and easy-going nature of the students involved who were enjoyable to be around and couldn’t do enough to help the staff and each other.

We look forward to Berlin 2024!

Mr Dan Darwin (Head of History & Politics)

...a great opportunity to walk in the footsteps of Churchill and Stalin...

Every October half term, the Geography department take their GCSE students to explore the wild and untamed landscape of Iceland and give students the opportunity to visit the landscapes they have learned about in the GCSE course.

ICELAND 2022

After an early start, we arrived in Iceland to be greeted by our driver and guide Antoine. We hit the ground running, with a first stop at the bridge between the continents, a point where the European and North American plates are diverging. We then went to our first activity, lava tube caving. This entailed walking and then crawling (and some rolling) through tubes created by low viscosity lava formed over the past few thousand years. We then travelled to our accommodation at Hotel Viking where we were well fed and serenaded by the local minstrel.

On the second day we awoke to a beautiful sunrise before heading to the lava centre, an excellent interactive exhibit which explained why Iceland was so volcanically active and gave students a chance to experience what it feels like to be in an earthquake. We then headed to Skogafoss waterfall where many of us got drenched as we approached too closely! After lunch we drove to a nearby glacier and spent the afternoon donning crampons and helmet before heading onto the ice to explore the different features of the glacier, an activity which for many was the highlight of the trip.

Over the next few days we visited several other waterfalls, each more stunning than the last, saw Geysir erupt majestically, visited several local, geothermally heated swimming pools and saw some Northern Lights. A further highlight for many of us was the afternoon riding in a monster truck up a remote river valley fording many tributaries. As we got out of the bus to explore the landscape, Miss Moore was even given the opportunity to take the monster truck for a spin!

Finally, we spent the last morning before departure exploring Reykjavik (and in particular the bakeries and fish and chip shops) before heading to the airport and a safe and smooth ride back to Bath.

Iceland’s landscape is truly unique and the Geography is unparalleled. From getting soaking wet feet hunting for a hidden waterfall to trying to last more than 10 seconds in the freezing cold water at the swimming pool to watching the Northern Lights in the small hours of the morning, this was a truly unforgettable experience.

Bring on Iceland 2023!

Mr Tom Moat (Head of Geography)

...this was a truly unforgettable experience.

USA HISTORY & POLITICS TRIP

Against a back drop of a political crisis at home and highly charged election campaigns abroad, twenty-nine Sixth Form students of History and Politics travelled to the United States in the first week of the Autumn half term break.

Landing in Philadelphia, capital of the US during the 1790s, students visited the excellent Museum of the American Revolution. They also followed in the footsteps of the Founding Fathers at Independence Hall, in support of Year 12's study of the American Revolution, before filling their stomachs at the eclectic food hall of Reading Terminal Market.

While in Washington D.C., students were able to spend time in the US Senate chamber, seeing the founding documents of the nation up close at the National Archives. Later that evening, the group enjoyed an NBA game where the Washington Wizards triumphed over the Detroit Pistons.

Whether speaking with protestors outside the White House, watching political attack ads and Fox News, or simply learning to negotiate a foreign subway systemeveryone felt like they had learnt a lot on the trip. Moreover, our time in America has given rise to far more questions than answers concerning issues such as the health of US democracy and the efforts to deal with America's history of racial discrimination.

Mr Dan Darwin (Head of History and Politics)

THE VILLAGE SCHOOL, NAPLES, FLORIDA

Kingswood was the first Methodist school in the world, founded by John Wesley himself. There are now hundreds of Methodist schools and colleges across the world and during October half term, seven Kingswood Lower Sixth Formers visited the newest Methodist school in the world, The Village School in Naples, Florida.

Our students stayed with host families and were absolutely blown away by the welcome they received. It was even more amazing because a lot of Naples had been literally blown away by hurricane Ian less than a month before. One teacher of The Village School had had to swim to safety with her four-month old baby, and her cat in a plastic box, which would be scary enough, even without alligators and sharks for company.

The group enjoyed lots of activities on the trip including a haunted corn maze, an airboat ride through the mangrove swamps, spotting alligators, and some kayaking through the swamp to get a close up look at dolphins playing all around in the water. Students spent a day at Busch Gardens, home to a large number of rollercoasters, where they also enjoyed a mini safari to feed the giraffes.

Seeing how different life was for American teenagers was the highlight of the trip though. Our students had the chance to encounter America for real, not through the distorted filters of the media, and they found it to be a beautiful, exciting, challenging land with friendly and generous people.

Mrs Sarah Dakin (Head of Classics)

...students had the chance to encounter America for real...

SKI TRIP 2023

Sixty-three Year 9 pupils donned their ski kit and set off for the resort of Les Menuires in the French Alps for the first week of the Easter holiday.

The trip began with two days of snow meaning it was not the easiest skiing conditions, especially for the beginner groups, but ensured that there was plenty of fresh powder to make the most of.

In the middle of the week pupils enjoyed a blue bird day, with excellent skiing conditions enabling them all to progress significantly and practise bits of off-piste skiing. There was also time to have fun in the snow park and have a go at jumps of varying sizes.

...pupils enjoyed a blue bird day...

During the evenings pupils enjoyed a number of different activities, such as ‘Speed Mountain’ which is a toboggan on rails that is a fast and exhilarating 1,000 metre ride down the mountain with lots of twists and turns. They also played games in the snow as well as basketball, table tennis and badminton in the local sports centre. The pupils were all excellent ambassadors for the School and relished the opportunity to go abroad with their peers and enjoy the fun that skiing has to offer.

Miss Harriet Wilson (Activities Co-ordinator)

MALAGA 2023

Pupils from Years 10 to 13 went to Malaga and we all enjoyed multiple Spanish lessons in a local language school and explored lots of sights in the area. We all loved the great weather and appreciated the opportunity to get some February sunshine.

On the first day, we went to Ronda and Marbella where we were met with incredible views from the Puente Nuevo. It was impressive to see this 230-year-old bridge, from which we could see the whole valley. We then visited the biggest bull ring in Spain that everyone appreciated the significance of and learnt about this historical Spanish sport. One of our favourite activities was eating at a local tapas restaurant where we tried typical Spanish dishes. The food in general on the trip was a highlight for us as we went to a food market as well as trying Moroccan tea in a restaurant with such an authentic atmosphere.

During the trip we got to learn about other cultures...

During the trip we got to learn about other cultures such as when we visited the Alcazaba, the Arabic fortress, in Malaga. Our guide helped us get an insight into how significant the Arabs’ prescience was on Spain. On some of the mornings we went to a language school that gave us a great opportunity to test our knowledge in a different setting. It was so exciting for everyone, and particularly the art students, to see some of such an important artist’s work at the Picasso Museum.

We finished off the trip by having a delicious meal at a local pizza restaurant. We are so grateful to the teachers for organising this trip and it was so nice to be in Spain soaking up the language.

Amy Robinson and Anna Haldenby (Year 11)

GIRLS’ HOCKEY TOUR

BELFAST 2023

In Mr Jackson’s first year at Kingswood as Head of Hockey, our hockey players were invited to visit his home country, Northern Ireland. This tour to Belfast offered much culturally and gave plenty of opportunities for personal and team growth, creating many lasting memories along the way.

The following tour diary has been written by tour captains Jimmy Hall, Emily Hersch and Emma Meier.

DAY 1

Upon a very early arrival in Belfast on Monday morning, we kicked off the tour with some intense training at Queen University – training which made a lot of the team realise how a summer fitness programme would have been incredibly beneficial. After training, we checked in at the hotel and were able to explore a bit of Belfast city centre. In the evening, as if we were not tired enough, we hiked to the top

of Cavehill. Despite the ache, we were blown away (literally) by the panoramic views of Belfast.

DAY 2

Day 2 started with another training session in the morning when we focused on penalty corners and pressing. This preceded our first afternoon match against Methodist College – another John Wesley founded school and the largest school in Northern Ireland. It was a promising start for our squad with Maddie White confidently contributing to the defence, handling Methody’s Irish underage player. Orla Reddin and Amelie Girdher dominated the midfield, connecting everyone on the pitch. Emily Hersch scored twice, and Clemmie Engley-Duffy scored a late equaliser to draw 3-3 in a well-balanced, competitive first match. That evening was equally as competitive in a game of ten-pin bowling, with Emily Franklin-Adams getting her name on top of the daily leaderboard with five strikes.

DAY 3

Facing the Ulster Schools’ 2023 champions, Royal School Armagh, was a tough ask but the girls learned a lot about the character required to remain competitive. Emma Meier and Jimmy Hall were outstanding in the face of some

relentless attacking, thwarting as much as they could. Eleanor Reilly was excellent in goal doing her bit to organise the defence. Although it was a tough result, success is a lousy teacher, so this would have been a particularly useful lesson. In the evening, Miss Hannah and Mr Jackson arranged a quiz challenge night involving games like cream-cracker eating, balloon relays and hotel staff selfies. Everyone loved the range of activities, with lots of laughs and edible prizes. Team ‘Lucky Charms’ won and were treated with a ‘wee’ souvenir each.

DAY 4

After receiving some impressive results on GCSE results day, the girls came out for their final match against Sullivan Upper with real

2023 saw the first sports tour since the pandemic and it did not disappoint.

purpose and energy. They went 2-0 up in the first quarter through Emily H and Emily F-A. Emily H then got a third in the third quarter and the front five were working incredibly well, our wide midfielders Isobel Martin, Ellie Lewis and Amy Robinson, in particular. Sullivan Upper were an equal adversary and without the composure of Ella Clarke at right back and Sam Brown in goal, it may have been a closer scoreline. Winning 3-0 was a great result to finish the tour and the girls rightly had smiles on their faces. Any cramp in their legs was flushed

out with the cold-water therapy of the Let’s Go Hydro aquapark. This was a great way to bond as a team and, for some, to push outside their comfort zone. So much fun was had, particularly on the big slide with Jimmy managing to land a front somersault. Mr Jackson was also spotted giggling on a giant inflatable unicorn.

DAY 5

No trip to Northern Ireland is complete without visiting its only UNESCO world heritage site and the trip to the Giant’s Causeway was

well anticipated by all. After checking out, lunch was served at 55o North with stunning views over the East Strand and out to the Causeway coast and Scotland beyond. After a short walk down to the Causeway, the girls lapped up the remaining sunshine and photo opportunities. Despite a bit of downpour, the unique hexagonal structure amidst the crashing waves from the North Atlantic Ocean, made for a magical setting on which to reflect on an amazing tour and experience. Thank you to Mr Jackson and Miss Hannah for everything they did before we set off and for creating a great environment during the tour to allow us to enjoy every second.

A huge thank you from Mr Jackson to Mr J W Davies and Mrs Sim for their support, and especially to Miss Hannah for co-leading on the tour and offering so much energy and ‘craic’ throughout the five days.

The players deserve a huge amount of credit for the way they conducted themselves throughout, carrying a deep sense of togetherness, humour, and gratitude. They all represented Kingswood impeccably and have set a wonderful precedent for future hockey tours. See you in a wee bit, Belfast.

Mr John Jackson (Head of Hockey)

HEADS OF SCHOOL

LOUIS RECORD

Whilst I still can’t quite believe Sophie and I were Heads of School, the last year, and the six before that, were simply a pleasure. Kingswood is just one of those places you can never really leave; there will always be aspects and qualities of the School ingrained in everything I do, as well as even more events to participate in after we have left.

We really have been so fortunate to experience a school like Kingswood and I’m so grateful to everyone who has helped make my time here so special and shaped me into who I am today. In the classroom, on the sports pitches, even in Friday morning assemblies, Kingswood and its amazing teachers have truly inspired me and many others.

The notion that Kingswood is a community is often thrown about, but it is more than true. All who are involved in Kingswood, from pupils to teachers to parents to ground staff to catering and beyond, make it a community, a home, for everyone.

My final year at Kingswood has been a really special one. It’s fair to say that it has been quite busy, which, to me, is the Kingswood way - getting stuck into every aspect of school life is what this school is all about. It has been amazing to see the staff and pupils come together to raise money for charity through various sporting events as well as the pantomime. For charity the teachers took on the Year 13s at Football, Hockey and Netball, as well as taking to the stage for their unique rendition of Cinderella organised by the PR. The teachers’ willingness to thoroughly engage in these events made them so brilliant, especially some of the cameos in the staff pantomime from the protagonists in Mr Woodgate (Cinderella) and Mr Davies (Prince Charming). I think these events demonstrate what a unique school we have in Kingswood, as trust, respect and co-operation have been so often seen this year between staff and pupils.

It has been an absolute pleasure to have been at Kingswood. I know I will miss the School and everyone in it, as well as all the leavers who I’m sure will go on to do so many varied and fascinating things in the future. Although the next few years are truly exciting, it seems strange that I won’t be coming back to Upper’s lovely basement in September, ready for another busy year.

Finally, to any pupils reading this, I just want to leave one piece of advice for you. Get stuck in to every single opportunity at Kingswood. Don’t waste a moment at this amazing school, as before you know it, your last day will arrive. Leave with no regrets.

...Kingswood and its amazing teachers have truly inspired me and many others.

SOPHIE FARMER

Family is a noun that is consistently used to describe the Kingswood community, and rightly so; 275 years of nurturing every individual and encouraging us to nurture each other to help us meet our full potential.

If I could have my time here all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing. It’s a strange feeling not knowing what life will hold for you in a couple of years’ time. Moving from Year 8 to Year 9, I thought leaving Westwood and joining Summerhill was the biggest deal of all time. Moving from Year 11 to Year 12, stepping into the Dixon and finding my new study felt so unreal; time really did flash before my eyes. I am sure many of my peers agree that after A Levels we have all really reflected on our time here and just how extraordinarily lucky we have been. Having such a safe, warm and positive environment surrounded by creative and inspiring staff has just been our norm for as long as we can remember. Now, moving onto the next chapter in our lives feels like a jump, but in many ways, Kingswood has been preparing us right from the very start. University doesn’t seem as daunting compared to all those years ago.

A huge thank you must go to all our leavers this year who have ensured that this is a year we would never forget. It has been wonderful to see everyone blossom over the years, whether that’s from Year 7 or even just over these last couple of years in Sixth Form. I also wanted to thank Louis and the PR for all the time and effort they have put in, week in and week out, in their houses but also in the wider school. Each one of you should be so proud of yourselves, I know I am.

We have all overcome so much in these past few years, especially with Covid, so it has been very special to have a united Dixon as well as enjoy playing sports with lots of year groups. It is definitely something that I will never take for granted. Finally, “have courage and be kind” and up the wood!

THE PR

Rory Bushell

Grace Cardwell

Sophie Farmer

Tobina Laurence

Nisha Lewis Watts

Rory McLeod

Louis Record

Lily Saunders

Connie Slater

Freddie Stockton

Georgie Thompson

Molly Williams

Ollie J Williams

2023 LEAVERS

TEACHING STAFF 2022-2023

NAME JOINED SUBJECT

Mr Andrew Gordon-Brown 01/09/2020 Headmaster and Principal of the School Foundation

Mr John M Davies 01/09/2017 Senior Deputy Head & Vice Principal

Dr Rachel McIlwaine 01/09/2022 Deputy Head (Academic)

Mr John W Davies 01/09/1994 Deputy Head (Co-Curricular)

Mr Jamie Matthews 01/09/2002 Deputy Head (Pastoral)

Mr Ed Allchorne 13/06/2016 Assistant Head of Sixth Form (Academic); Head of Biology

Mr David Allies-Curtis 01/09/2021 Art and Photography

Mrs Sophie Andell 01/09/2017 MFL

Mr Andy Barton 01/01/2018 Director of Music

Miss Emily Becconsall 01/09/2022 Geography

Miss Rosie Bond 01/09/2019 MFL

Miss Taryn Borys 01/09/2022 Librarian

Mrs Abi Bowman 01/09/2020 Psychology

Ms Jo Brayton 01/01/2022 Head of Drama

Mrs Natalie Brett 01/09/2022 Physics

Mr Barnaby Brown 01/09/2010 DT; Houseparent Hall

Mrs Emma Brown 01/09/2017 Head of English; Head of Gifted & Talented

Mr James Brown 01/09/2009 Head of Boys' Games; Houseparent Upper

Mr Stephen Brown 01/01/2011 Head of Art

Mr James Castrique 01/01/2018 Head of DT

Mrs Ilona Chamen 01/09/2017 Head of Study Support

Mrs Charlotte Chua 01/09/2015

Mr Roderick Duke 01/09/2003 MFL; Housemaster Westwood

Mr Olly East 01/09/2018 DT

Mr Gareth Edgell 01/09/2010 Head of Computer Science

Mrs Claire Edwards 01/09/2008 Head of Psychology; Assistant Head of Sixth Form

Miss Sophie Elliott 01/09/2015 Art

Miss Charlotte Evans 01/09/2020 Head of MFL

Miss Alice Fox 01/09/2017 Second in Mathematics

Mrs Elaine Francis 01/09/2015 Music

Mr Euan Gordon 15/05/2017 Geography

Miss Natalie Hannah 01/09/2019 Head of Academic PE

Mr Darrell Harding 01/09/2002 Drama and Theatre; Head of Boarding

Miss Sophie Hay 01/09/2022 PE and Games

Mrs Sarah Herlinger 01/09/2012 Co-Head of Middle School; History & Politics

Mr James Hills 01/09/2022 Business Studies

Mrs Sarah Hopkin 01/09/2018 Head of Economics

Mr John Jackson 01/09/2022 PE/Hockey

Miss Amy Jenkins 01/09/2022 History & Politics

Mrs Hannah Jenkins 01/09/2022 Chemistry

GOVERNORS 2022-2023

Mr Paul Baines Miss Beth Garner Mr David Humphreys

Mrs Helen Bools Mr Malcolm Gordon Mr Nick Kirkham

Mr Ian Falconer Mr Robert Hill Mr David Lane

(SMT members shown in bold)

NAME

JOINED SUBJECT

Mrs Anna Knights 01/09/2004 Mathematics

Mr Jamie Knights 04/09/2006 Music

Miss Felice Laake

Ms Priscilla Lam

Ms Ruoshan Li

Ms Debbie Longland

Mr Luke Lorimer

Ms Nicola Lowe

Mr Paul Lynch

Mr Peter MacDonald

Mrs Juliette Mainwaring

Mrs Alexandra Matthews

Mrs Lucy Meredith

Biology

Head of Mandarin

Physics

Biology; Co-Head of Careers

Mathematics

Study Support

Head of RPE

Assistant Head (Academic); History & Politics

English; Houseparent Fonthill

Geography Miss Alice Moore

Mr Tom Moat

Mr Jonny Moore

Miss Amy Murtagh

Mrs Sarah Musgrove

Mr Garrod Musto

Mr George Newbould

Miss Michelle Newman

Miss Sam Page

Mrs Eugénie

History & Politics: Head of PSHCE

PE

English

Miss Nadine Robinson

Miss Kathy Shaw

Mrs Victoria Sim

Mr Matthew D Smith

Mr Matthew W Smith

Mrs Laura Smyth

Mr Steven Smyth

Miss Louise Sobey

Mrs Janine

Mrs Nicki Sparks (Gerrish)

Mrs Nat Stewart

Mr Barney Stuttard

Ms Najat Taibi

Miss Antonia Tamblyn

Mr David Walker

Mrs Lizzy Ward

Mr Digby Webb

Mr Roger White

Mrs Jo-Anne Wilcock

Miss Harriet Wilson

Dr Jenny Wood

Mr Craig Woodgate

Mr Tristram Wright

Chemistry

French

Spanish

Drama

Head of Sixth Form (Pastoral); RPE; Activities Co-ordinator

Head of Science

of Sixth Form; History & Politics

Economics; Head of EPQ; KS3 Careers Lead

Mrs Dorothy Nancekievill Mr Chris Stafford

The Revd Dr Jonathan Pye Mr Andrew Tait

Mr Peter Freeman Mr Guy Hinchley Mr Tim Lindsay (Chair of Governors) Major General Anthony (Tony) Raper Mr Otty Warmann

Dr Clare Millington Mrs Morag Smith

STAFF FAREWELLS

The following words are an adaptation of the Headmaster’s valedictions to this year’s staff leavers.

MISS ANNA GALLOWAY

We bid a fond farewell to Miss Galloway, a remarkable Graduate Music Assistant, who has graced the Music department with her exceptional talent, dedication, and unwavering support for the past two years. As a cellist, oboist, and pianist, she has inspired us all with her performances and left a lasting impression on all of Kingswood’s musicians. Miss Galloway has helped to shape the next generation of musicians. Alongside Music, Miss Galloway has supported pupils in Fonthill and her caring manner has been invaluable in the House. As she embarks on a new chapter at the esteemed Academy of St Martin in the Fields, we express our deep gratitude for everything she has done. She will be hugely missed; thank you, Miss Galloway, for your dedication, talent, and unwavering support.

MISS ANTONIA TAMBLYN

MR ADRIAN COTTLE

Mr Cottle delivered lessons in Computer Science to all year groups throughout the last year. He joined the Silicon Valley Computer Science trip to San Francisco and made a very positive contribution to the life of the department. Many pupils really enjoyed his activities which included kayaking and the ever-popular retro gaming activity. As he departs Kingswood, we wish him all the best in his new role at Beechen Cliff where we are sure he will continue to go from strength to strength.

MR BERNARD REDMAN

Mr Redman joined Kingswood in September 2020 as a former accountant turned teacher and he leaves us three years later as our Head of Lower School Science. Mr Redman has an intellectual curiosity and enjoys challenging both himself and his students with the most difficult Physics problems. He has been an excellent tutor in Middle House, being dependable and constant as part of his tutor team. Outside of the classroom, Mr Redman supervised Badminton and Run Club activities, and provided a safe space for the scientifically curious Year 7 students at Turing Tumble Club. Mr Redman leaves us to take up the role of Head of Physics at Royal High School, which is an exciting challenge for him and the perfect move for his family. Thank you, Mr Redman, for all you have contributed to Kingswood over the last three years.

Miss Tamblyn has been fully dedicated to the Drama department over the last two years. Her energy, creativity, support and baked goods have been massively appreciated and we wish her the very best as she moves on to Guildford Grammar School to continue her career as a Drama teacher. Miss Tamblyn has made a significant impact at Kingswood, working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure our recent productions have been to the highest standards, as well as supporting pupils with their Drama work. We are confident that Miss Tamblyn will go on to enjoy a fantastic career in teaching, and we hope that we will see her back at Kingswood again at some point in the future. Thank you, Miss Tamblyn, for all your work these last two years.

MRS LUCY MEREDITH

Mrs Meredith leaves after four years in the Maths department. She has a calm and kind approach in the classroom and her pupils have enjoyed her wealth of knowledge and the skilled way in which she imparts wisdom. She has a love for Maths and inspiring young people that we will miss, and a warmth that will live on. We wish Mrs Meredith the best of luck as she begins a new career outside teaching. We are confident that she will make a great success of this new adventure, although we hope, too, that Mrs Meredith may find her way back to the classroom in future. Thank you, Mrs Meredith, for all you have done over the last four years for Kingswood.

MRS BETH ROLFE

Mrs Rolfe has been a highly valued member of the Biology department for the past eight years and has enjoyed an excellent career at Kingswood. She cares deeply about the pupils she teaches and tutors. She made her mark as Head of PSHCE (now Life Skills), and completely transformed the programme, bringing so much benefit to all. We wish Mrs Rolfe well as she moves on from Kingswood and we are sure she will continue to make a big difference to the pupils she teaches in future. Thank you, Mrs Rolfe, for all you have done for us over the past eight years.

MRS JO-ANNE WILCOCK

Mrs Wilcock started work in the Chemistry department at Kingswood in 2011 as a maternity cover and stayed on as a fulltime teacher for the next 12 years. During that time, she contributed hugely to the Chemistry department, the Science Faculty and the School as a whole. In her teaching capacity she has seemingly endless patience for her pupils and has always given her time generously to those who need extra help. Beyond the lab she made highly valued contributions to Duke of Edinburgh expeditions and saw over 800 participants through Bronze Award, supporting the weekly sessions and every qualifying and training expedition over her time at Kingswood. Her encouragement and kindness towards those participants that have found it particularly challenging will have got them through it and across the line. She was equally generous with her time and encouragement with Swimming, demonstrating kindness with younger pupils, in particular. Mrs Wilcock will also be missed in Summerhill where she has been a tutor, guiding and helping her tutees to deal with and celebrate the highs and lows of life in the Sixth Form. She will be remembered with extreme fondness by them and by her teaching colleagues and will be greatly missed. Mrs Wilcock is leaving teaching to recommence her original work as a paediatric dietician, a role I am sure she will excel at and we wish her all the very best for the future.

DR JENNY WOOD

MRS JANINE SOLOMON-GARDNER

Mrs Gardner has been a hugely valued member of the Kingwood community. For ten years she has inspired us, made us laugh, really listened to both staff and students alike and ultimately upheld what it means to be a good human. She has helped give individuals a voice and championed diversity, equality and inclusion, whilst moving forward the School’s DEI strategy, helping to establish our new Wyvern Society. Many students have turned to her in times of need and she has been so present for them. Kingswood is losing a fantastic teacher in Mrs Gardner. I am delighted, however, that Mrs Gardner will continue to stay connected with Kingswood and that, whilst she will not be teaching next year, she will continue to work with us to help us continue her fine work in the area of Diversity, Equality and Inclusion.

MR TRISTRAM WRIGHT

Mr Wright joined us just over three years ago in the Economics department. His energy and enthusiasm about his subject motivates and inspires the pupils to achieve their very best. He drove forward the Chess Club at Kingswood, and organised several fixtures against other schools. He has done boarding duties in Westwood, and has been a valuable part of the on-site Kingswood community. He contributed to Tennis at Kingswood, taking girls' teams, and helped with the ever-popular early tennis activity. Mr Wright leaves Kingswood for an adventure in an international school next year. Best of luck, Mr Wright, with your move and your next career step.

Dr Wood joined us first as Head of Chemistry, before stepping up to be the Head of Science for the last five years. In this time, she helped to shape our science departments and drew together the scientific disciplines. In preparing teams for the Big Bang competitions, she championed STEM subjects, and was a key cheerleader in supporting our young women to explore and begin careers in a whole range of areas that challenge gender stereotypes. Indeed, the work she has done with our Sixth Form students to create safe places for them to share their experiences of life growing up as young women at Kingswood has been vital. We wish Dr Wood the very best in the next phase of her educational journey, as she completes a Masters Degree and helps tutor and coach a new wave of teachers just beginning their careers. They couldn't have a better role model. Thank you for all you've done for us, Dr Wood.

MR RODERICK DUKE

Mr Duke has been a key figure in the Kingswood community for twenty years. He is a genuinely kind and caring teacher and is the kind of person who will always seek to help anyone in need.

Over the years, Mr Duke made a significant contribution to our sports programme by taking teams in Rugby, Hockey and Cricket, as well as running Boys’ Tennis very successfully for his final ten years at Kingswood. Mr Duke organised the very popular annual pupils and parents’ Tennis day, and during Lockdown, he climbed the elevation of Everest using the Westwood stairs, raising significant funds for charity.

Mr Duke genuinely cares about people, and any pupils who have passed through Westwood will be in no doubt about his passion for being a houseparent. Throughout his twenty-year tenure, he never lost his levels of enthusiasm or sense of fun. He has been an outstanding teacher of German and a highlyeffective Head of Languages, and many pupils have benefited from his subject knowledge and his ability to convey information and inspire a love of learning languages.

Perhaps the greatest compliment that we can pay Mr Duke is that, over the course of twenty years, he has sought to live our defining ethos to ‘do all the good you can’. Mr Duke has certainly achieved a huge amount of ‘good’ in his time with us, and our community will certainly not be the same without him in it. We wish him the best of luck as he seeks a new adventure in a new school next year. Roderick, thank you for everything you have given this community.

...he never lost his levels of enthusiasm or sense of fun.

E.