Parent/Pupil Survey
In March 2006, we asked
all parents and pupils to complete a survey about the school. Forty-three
percent of parents and fifty-two percent of pupils returned the
questionnaire. The survey was analysed by an external company and the report
is approximately 170 pages. Results from the parents' survey show that 71%
of parents think that the overall performance of the school is very good.
New parents are most happy with school security, examination results and the
caring teachers. Parents have concerns regarding careers advice and some
aspects of school discipline. To address these two concerns, we have
increased the school careers time by 10 hours per week so pupils will have
easier access to advice. To address concerns over school discipline, we have
made behaviour a focus for this academic year. We have clearly explained to
our pupils in assemblies at the start of the year what is expected of them,
and emphasised school rules and uniform. We have also set up a Behaviour
Working Party who came up with recommendations that all staff are trialling
to ensure consistency of approach in the classroom. The pupils are
responding well to classroom rules and are on task in lessons. We have also
increased the hours of the Behaviour Support Worker to offer more support to
pupils in difficult circumstances.
The pupils are generally
happy with the school. Pupils are most happy with the available resources,
truancy control and the happiness of the child. Their main concerns were the
state of the pupil toilets and bullying. To address these two concerns we
have put a refurbishment plan in place, which will be completed during this
academic year. We have already started to refurbish the girls' toilets. To
address the concern of bullying, we have made this a focus for the year
through assemblies, tutor time, Personal, Social and Health Education,
Citizenship and School Council. We are currently investigating pupil
perceptions of bullying.
I would like to thank
all parents and pupils who completed the questionnaire, the results really
do help us to focus on your concerns and move the school forwards.
New Staff
I am delighted to
introduce a number of new staff to Kingshill who will add to the strength of
our team. Mrs Joanne Davies is the Head of German and has joined us from a
school in Swindon. Miss Clare Fuller has also joined the Languages Faculty.
Miss Victoria Richards has joined the Desigh & Technology Faculty to teach
Graphics and Miss Amy Moss is teaching PE. Miss Tanya Bourton is covering
maternity leave in the English Department. We also have three new Teaching
Assistants: Mrs Ann Morgan, Mrs Christine Larkin and Miss Kate Rochead. Mrs
Joanne Johnson is assisting with administration in the Special needs
Department.
Emergency Contact
Details
Please ensure you let us
know of any changes to telephone/mobile numbers, addresses, place of work
etc. It is vital that we can call you in case of illness or emergency.
Key Stage 3 and GCSE
Results 2006
The Year 9 pupils
achieved very good results in this Summer's National Tests. 79% of those
pupils that took the tests attained level 5+ in English; 87% in Mathematics
and 88% in Science. The percentage of pupils attaining level 6+ was 38% in
English; 75% in Mathematics and 67% in Science. The latter two results
represented the highest attained at Kingshill since the National Tests were
introduced. In Mathematics, a figure of 55% attained level 7+ and again this
is the highest figure we have achieved.
In the GCSE exams 64.1%
of the Year 11 pupils attained five or more passes at grades A* to C. The
results attained in the Core subjects, English, Mathematics and Science, are
particularly worthy of mention with all 3 subjects attaining over 70% A*-C
grades. Our figure of 59.3% for 5+ grades A* to C including English and
Mathematics is particularly pleasing, the difference between the two 5+
measures being just 4.8% compared to a national average of around 13%.
Year 9 SATs and GCSE
Examinations
Taking your child out of
school for a holiday during term time could lower your child's GCSE grades
or SATs levels. Vital coursework could be missed, important concepts may not
be fully understood and so poor answers may be given in an examination,
revision sessions may be missed or, even worse, the actual examination not
taken. Please think before you book - your child's future could be at risk!
Attendance
Did you realise?……….
90% attendance = 4½ days
in school per week.
= 4 weeks off the school year
= ½ a year off school during 11-16
secondary
education
It is clear that this
has a huge impact on the pupil both academically and socially. We will
therefore inform you if your child's attendance falls below 90%. Please try
to ensure that your son/daughter achieves a good attendance rate - it is for
their benefit. If your child does have to miss school, please make sure that
when he/she returns to school, he/she brings an absence letter for their
tutor.
School Governing Body
Kingshill School has
seven Parent Governors in total who play an important role in school life.
We currently have three vacancies for Parent Governors. Details of the
Parent Governor election and nomination forms will be sent out, by pupil
post, immediately after the October holiday. If you wish to know more about
becoming the role of a Parent Governor, please contact Mrs Maureen Richards,
Chair of Governors on 01285 657024 or email her at:
mrichards@cirencesterkingshill.gloucs.sch.uk
Uniform
Do you have any school
trousers that your son/daughter has grown out of? If they are still in good
condition. we would be glad to receive them to pass on to any needy families
or to use in times of emergency. Thank you.
County Satellite Netball
Congratulations to Jodie
Lister and Jenny Benton, Year 8, and Katie Denyer, Year 9 (second year), who
have been selected to attend the Gloucestershire County Satellite Training
this year at U14 Level.
Cirencester Netball Club
Players wishing to join
Cirencester Netball Club should attend Cirencester Kingshill School Sports
Hall on Monday's 6.30pm until 7.30pm. ALL ages welcome.
County Rugby Selection
U16 Level
The following Year 11
pupils have been selected to play in the U16 County Squad: Richard Tremblen,
Karl Collett and James Moss. Matches vs Somerset, Devon, Bristol and Dorset
to be organised. The Year 11 District Rugby Team results: Gloucester LOST
31-32; Cheltenham WON 19-17; Forest of Dean WON 42-24.
Dance Opportunities
We are pleased to
continue our partnership with Gloucestershire Dance this year offering two
extra-curricular clubs. Dan Brown is providing a break-dancing club on
Tuesday from 3.30-4.30pm. This club will continue if numbers maintain.
Street Dance is continuing on Thursdays from 4.30 -5.30pm with Mya Roberts.
At the moment, the dance club is full with 30 dancers. Sessions run for a
block of 10 weeks, pupils need to register their names at the beginning of
each block with a maximum of 30 dancers. The dance evening is planned for
March and we hope to share these performances with parents and friends.
Extension to Learning
Support
As a result of
successful negotiations with the Local Authority, we are awaiting the
completion of an exciting Learning Support new-build project. The suite of
rooms encompasses a specialist bathroom, exercise room, offices and
classrooms. It is all looking very smart and we are anticipating the final
handover in November.
Science - Refurbished
Laboratories
All five of the Science
Laboratories were successfully refurbished during last June and July. Using
the grant of nearly half a million pounds all the walls have been moved to
create better shaped and larger rooms, all of the cupboards, benches,
stools, doors, gas and water facilities have been replaced, new floors and
ceilings have been put in, as well as new blinds and the rooms have been
decorated. The Science teachers are really pleased with them and the pupils
think 'They are great!'
Industry Day
Industry Day involved
the whole of Year 10. This was a good opportunity for pupils to gain
information about different types of companies in Cirencester and see
exactly how they are run. We were very lucky so many different companies
supported us enabling each child to visit three different organisations on
the day. Armed with their questions, the groups had to navigate their way
between each company, ensuring they were on time, and gather as much
information as they could. The pupils then had to produce a presentation as
a team.
Careers Fayre 30th
November
We are organising a
Careers Fayre for Year 9-11 pupils, which will be a fantastic opportunity
for them to learn about further and higher education and work-based
learning. Representatives from Universities, Colleges and 6th Form Schools
have expressed a keen desire to attend our Fayre, as have people from
various companies ranging from plumbing to cookery and from nursery
education to the Armed Forces. We hope this event will encourage pupils to
think about, and prepare them, for their future careers.
European Day of
Languages
On Tuesday 26th
September 2006, pupils at Kingshill School celebrated the European Day of
Languages, by colourful face painting of European flags! They proudly wore
their choice of flags all day in lessons. Many lessons took on a European
"feel" for the day - this followed an Assembly where children greeted their
teachers in a wide variety of Languages.
Growing
Food Club
Our adventure began in
April, when Mrs Jolly asked us if we would be interested in growing our own
food. We decided that this sounded good, as we all love to eat! When we
started we really didn't know what to do. Luckily we had the benefit of an
expert from the Wilderness Centre to come in and give us a hand, her name
was Jo. She gave us lots of help and advised how to plant the seeds and keep
them alive. We began by planting seeds in trays so that they had a sheltered
environment to begin growing. We planted loads of seeds including carrots,
beetroot, cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes, sweetcorn, broad beans, peas, mange
tout, spring onions and tumble berries, which are a type of strawberry.
During a very hot sunny afternoon, we took to our spades and forks and began
the very tiring work of digging up the grass, turning over the soil and
giving ourselves large blisters and muddy clothes. We provided our own
manure from the horses that some of the group own. After Jo had left, we had
to face the gardening on our own. At first it was really hard and we all
struggled to keep the plants alive. The small plants wilted in their pots if
they didn’t have water every day, so the weekends were a bit of a problem.
Then, the rabbits attacked! We've learnt that they really enjoy small
cabbages and courgettes. Luckily the cress and alfalfa grew quickly and
when, it was ready, we all tried a bit. We think that gave us all the extra
enthusiasm we needed, from then on we all put in 110% effort to make the
plants grow. Then, the beetroot, radishes and broad beans grew and soon the
peas and mange tout followed closely behind. In July the Health and Social
Care group in Year 10 rose to the challenge of using our school-grown
produce and we were all really impressed with the colourful range of soups
and salads they made. A lunch-time tasting session went down extremely well
with both pupils and staff!! It really is true that it tastes much
better when you grow it yourselves! This year we hope to start growing
again, so if you have any spare plants, tools, compost etc, please contact
us at school.
Abby Wharton, Emma
Byrnes & Freya Dabson Yr 9
"Get Gloucestershire
Cooking"
On Monday 2nd October,
we were pleased to welcome Gloucestershire, Rob Rees, to Kingshill School.
Rob has travelled the world promoting British food and healthy eating. Our
year 8 and invited guests from Years 10 and 11 watched an informative
demonstration where Rob prepared dishes using local, seasonal food. Rob's
aim is to inspire everyone to cook locally grown produce and has spent
British Food Fortnight travelling Gloucestershire demonstrating to hundreds
of school pupils.
