From the Head of Secondary 22.08.2020

It has been wonderful to see all Secondary students back in school and I think that sentiment is felt by students, teachers and, I am sure, by parents as well. The SOP protocols that we have put in place seem to be working well and students are being very cooperative and understanding. There is an underlying sense that we are all determined to get back into active learning, and students have said that they are enjoying being with their friends and peers again. Everybody has their diary, their lockers and their books and are well equipped for what is coming up this year. Canteen food seems to be a hit and there are lots of satisfied customers there. Student leadership roles have been advertised and we await elections for some and volunteers for others.

I wrote to all parents last week and my letters included information about our new teachers who have, so far, been unable to physically be here. They are teaching their lessons from a distance and are already highly involved. With two English teachers still to arrive Ms Colley [Head of English] has been working to ensure that the students do not miss out and she has been meticulous in ensuring that Ms Young, Ms Milligan and the team of cover teachers understand their roles and coordinate with each other. Miss McNutt [Head of Humanities] has been in constant communication with Mr and Mrs Hallas in the planning and delivery of Geography and Business lessons.

On Monday Years 7, 10, 12 and 13 had their Induction Day. This was a particularly exciting day for Year 7 as they start their Secondary education. After spending a couple of hours in their Primary 6 classrooms they had a physically distanced assembly with Mr Kelly [Head of Key Stage 3] as he outlined expectations for Secondary. The day evolved into other activities which introduced them to some subjects and some teachers and they were allocated lockers and given homework diaries and books. Ms Service took control of the day for Year 10 as they embark upon their IGCSE courses. This is a significant step [from Year 9 to Year 10] and they were able to be well prepared in practical ways for what comes next on their educational journeys.

As we started the week with Years 12 and 13 we were still waiting for news from the Cambridge Examination Board. This was to do with the students’ IGCSE and AS Level grades [and also the A Level grades for our students who graduated from Year 13 in June]. I am sure that everybody will have followed the worldwide news about the disappointments that some students faced. We were delighted therefore when it was announced that CAIE had decided that grades they issued for the June 2020 series would not be lower than the predicted grade submitted by the school. This episode has been a source of huge stress for some families and teachers and we are delighted that this has now been resolved; students can now concentrate on the next stage, either AS levels [Year 12] or A2 studies [Year 13].

Mr Hallas, our new Deputy Head of Secondary and Head of Sixth Form, led the students through a careers workshop on Monday and has already set up individual meetings with our Year 13 students as they focus on university applications. On Monday we were also delighted that Ms Jasmine Leong from IEC was able to come along and lead an inspiring ‘Growth and Goals’ workshop. Part of this focussed on identifying what the students really wanted to achieve in their lives and how they could achieve those goals. One task involved thinking about and writing down our own good qualities, something that is surprisingly difficult to do; we all tend to focus on where we fall short! Ms Leong is a long-time supporter of KIS and, as ever, she was a huge hit with the students, so very many thanks to her, and to all staff, students and parents for an excellent start to the year, even in these unusual times.

Mrs Margaret Renshaw

Deputy Principal / Head of Secondary

In late June our Year 7 and 8 students took the delayed UKMT Junior Maths Challenge – a demanding (yet enjoyable) hour long multiple choice exam paper designed to test students’ deeper understanding of the curriculum material they routinely engage with. The delay in taking the Challenge was due to the Covid-19 pandemic and, for the first time ever, the test was done online.

Early in the July break we received feedback on the competition, and the results make for great reading. Thirteen of our students achieved special Awards.

The following students received the Bronze Award:

Y8: Sarah Jong, Isabella Luping-Cowan

Y9: Shotaro Asada, Ijin Han, Grace Lee, Ombeline Soubrier, Diego Vizamoro-Toro

The following students received the Silver Award:

Y8: Celine Hiew, Anny Ling

Y9: Leo Hen, Timothy Cheng

The following students received the Gold Award:

Y9: Jatin Sharma, Debbie Wong

All students who took part will receive a certificate of participation in the coming days, and the special award winners will receive their recognition at an appropriate assembly.

Mr Frank J Davis

Head of Secondary Maths