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A message from Mrs Knox

This week we welcomed many families to our Open Morning and they were extremely complimentary about our Year 8 tour guides who showed them around the School. Thank you also to the PADoK parents who joined us to talk to families about the School from a parent's perspective. We are so appreciative of the support you give us. Our Year 9 and Prep School parent information events were also very well attended and it was a pleasure to be able to share information about the learning journey of each child.

Thank you again for completing our parental surveys recently. We are using the feedback to begin the process of developing our new strategic development plan entitled: Towards 2030. We will be consulting with you further over the next few months as we develop the strategy and operational plan for the next five years. More information to come shortly. Have a lovely weekend.

Mrs Knox

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The School menu next week


Year 10 theatre trip 

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,

Yesterday, the Year 10s were treated to a production of Macbeth at the Yvonne Arnaud theatre in Guildford. A play never for the faint-hearted, this version will either incense or intrigue Shakespeare – it certainly had staff and pupils alike baffled, confused and bewildered!

Set in modern times, and directed by Richard Twyman, the play is still relevant today with its themes of obsession, corruption and overcoming tyranny. Performing to a full house with a range of creative layers and atmosphere to each scene, the creative team used on-stage and handheld cameras projected onto overhead screens that formed a natural part of the set. It allowed close-ups at poignant moments and it also enabled us to see what Macbeth (Noble) was seeing in his torment with no-one else in the room.

The focus on the psychological and domestic landscape of the Macbeths, leads the first half of the play to be based in the dark, claustrophobic four walls of their home. The reframing of the three weird sisters is a testimony of the witch hunts that pervaded England, Scotland and most of Europe during the 16th century, when Shakespeare originally wrote the Scottish play. So much is packed into this new interpretation, it creates some disjointedness to the timeline and storytelling generally. However, the experience of watching this live performance will enable the Year 10s to ask questions and engage with the study of the play later in the year.

A huge thank you to all the staff accompanying the Year 10s, and to the pupils for their excellent behaviour.

The English Department

Backpacks for Ukrainian orphanage

Thank you everyone for all your generous donations! You gave so much our house was bursting with toys, clothes and especially teddy bears – Mum was worried when there was a chance that all would not be collected as it was so snowy in the Ukraine.

We sent all the backpacks, furniture and beds to the Sokolyatko Orphanage in November, and have just received some very sweet pictures of the children receiving their Christmas presents. They were very excited to receive their own toys, books and clothes.

Thank you so much.

Edie H, Year 9


PADoK uniform shop

Thank you to everyone for your donations of second hand uniform. Just a gentle reminder that we only accept current uniform. Please also ensure the uniform has been washed and is named (so we know who to credit funds to). Many thanks in advance!


It was lovely to speak to many of you at our Prep Parent Meeting event yesterday, and I do hope you found your conversations helpful. Next Tuesday, we welcome Pre-prep parents for meetings with Form Teachers – more information on that will be emailed to you on Monday. Open Morning this week also gave us the opportunity to chat with many prospective families, and your children were super ambassadors for the School throughout their visit. At one end of the corridor we were able to show visitors Pre-prep dance lessons and at the other end, Year 7s less frenetic, but equally productive, essay writing in their history lesson; a wonderful illustration of the varied and dynamic all-through provision pupils enjoy here. 

In classes, Year 2 learned about rhyme, rhythm and repetition to add to their poems' flair, and Year 1 took a walk around the School in science, identifying materials and discussing their properties. Reception and Year 1 also headed off on an exciting trip to Winchester Science Museum, having learnt how to use the iPads to research facts about space beforehand. I suspect they still had many questions to ask of their guides in the planetarium!

The wet weather has disrupted some fixtures this week, but I know most have gone ahead, and we are grateful to the PE team for adapting so quickly to the conditions to ensure minimal curtailment – for some the venue changed, and for others even the sport! Certainly in the Pre-prep playground a bit of rain doesn't stop anyone having a rip-roaring time. Indeed it just adds to the sense of excitement, not to mention providing a different resource to play with – be it a dripping branch, a brimming pan in the mud kitchen or good old-fashioned puddles for stomping in. I am looking forward to another after-School hockey club this evening, where pupils' efforts over the past term or two are really coming to fruition in PE lessons and hockey matches. Congratulations to all who represented the School at our hockey tournament today, and also those who ran at the ISA cross-country earlier in the week. Enjoy a well-earned rest this weekend!

Mr Wright

Stars of the week

Nursery – Oscar S for super manners and showing great effort throughout the day.

Reception – Harry L for involving others in imaginative block play, your constructions are magnificent!

Oscar B for showing greater effort and focus in independent writing.

Year 1 – Mattie F for the effort she’s putting into her reading. It’s really making a difference.

Greg O for his fantastic attitude to everything we do and for his lovely neat handwriting.

Year 2 – Archie H for being a wonderful role model. You listen carefully to instructions and have beautiful manners.

Josh B for working hard to learn your spellings and consistently achieving full marks!

Mrs Henry

Another busy week, as we returned from half-term with an enlightening and engaging assembly by Mrs Douglas regarding LGBT+ History Month. On Monday afternoon we hosted the ISA London South regional senior cross-country competition with a number of pupils qualifying for the upcoming national finals at Worksop College. Well done to all the competitors! On Tuesday we had our Open Morning, with many of the pupils taking the opportunity to engage with our visitors and show them around their School, conducting themselves with maturity and discussing their experiences openly. 

With a huge number of House hockey and basketball matches taking place, as well as competitive fixtures against other schools in hockey and netball disciplines, the Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon games slots were certainly busy, whilst on Thursday afternoon Year 10 went to the Yvonne Arnaud to watch a challenging and thought-provoking modern adaptation of Macbeth.

Congratulations this week go to Freddie P, Dante R-D (Year 7), Poppy F, Sam H, Harvey R, Elliott S, Alex W (Year 8), Alice B, Hector W (Year 9), Alex K (Year 10) and Henry P (Year 11) who have all gained a multiple of 25 Merit Points and therefore received a prize at this morning's Celebration Snack Break. The following were also presented with a commemorative blazer badge due to gaining 100 Merit points; Florrie P, Quentin J, Alex B, George C and Kai G. Well done to you all!

Mr Wilson

Florence A stars as Chip!

Congratulations are due to Florence A in Year 5, who has just finished starring as Chip in the Ewhurst Players' production of Beauty and the Beast. Florence was a delightful Chip, bringing energy and professionalism to the role and singing and acting superbly. We are hugely proud of you Florence – well done!

Piano recital

There are still spaces for the recital by pianist Angelina Udovychenko on Thursday 29th February at 17.00.

Angelina left Ukraine last year and has been working as a piano teacher and professional musician in London. Since fleeing her home country, she has been keen to spread the healing power of music and we are delighted that she has agreed to come and give a piano recital at our School.

The recital will also feature performances from a few of our own musicians and the event will run from 17.00-18.30. Tea and cake will be served in the PA Hall.

If you would like to join us, please email Jenny Monk on office@dokschool.org just so we can keep an eye on numbers. There is no charge.

Children are also more than welcome to join you for this special musical event.

G Live

If you haven't yet bought your tickets for G Live then time is running out! Email bookings@dokschool.org to secure your seats for this sensational event!

The Tree of Time

Our annual Prep Production is taking shape and the children have been working incredibly hard in rehearsals. This year it is a story about a mystical tree called The Tree of Time, and the journey it goes on through the ages. Written by Mr Rye and our ex-deputy head Mr Macdonald it promises to be lots of fun! Watch this space for more information about tickets. The show is on Monday 18th and Tuesday 19th March at 19.00 in the PA Hall.

Mr Rye

ISA London South Junior Regional

On Tuesday, 21 Prep School pupils travelled to Radnor House Sevenoaks to compete in a very competitive cross-country field, to try and reach the national finals. Well done to all the pupils who took part as there were over 80 runners in each race over a tricky course. All the races started at a fast pace, with the front runners trying to get away from the pack. Then to finish off every race, there was a very tough hill that seemed similar to the Gladiators travelator. All the pupils performed brilliantly and should be proud of themselves.

Mr Green

Boys House basketball: Years 10 and 11

On Tuesday afternoon all boys from Years 10 and 11 took part in an afternoon of basketball. All four houses played three games, with each game being great fun for those participating. Each game showed great enthusiasm by everyone and also displayed great effort to both attack and defend! The overall results were very close, especially from second to fourth with points scored being the deciding factor. In fourth place came Kestrel, third place was Buzzard and second place was Hawk. Therefore, Peregrine claimed the top spot and, on the way to doing this, managed to win all of their games, producing great moments in all three games. All the boys looked to be having tremendous fun the whole time and made some great moments as a whole collective. Very well done to all the boys in Years 10 and 11 for such a great House match event!

Mr Clayton

Girls’ netball: U14/15 C Netball Team v King Edward’s School

On Tuesday afternoon, a mixture of girls in Years 9, 10 and 11 travelled to King Edward's School for some netball matches. It was a lovely afternoon and even featured a surprise appearance from the sun! The U14/15 C team had a large squad of players, so we rotated regularly to make sure everyone got lots of game play. Duke of Kent School started strongly with some great link-up play from Mercy M and Grace S to create opportunities for our shooters. Em F and Rose S worked brilliantly in GK/GD and kept King Edward's out of their shooting circle in the early stages of the game. However, King Edward's improved towards the second half of the match meaning the U14/15 C team also had to up their game! There was some well thought-out passing and movement by Eva P-R in C and the goals continued to come! Throughout the game, the team scored 13 goals in total with Annabelle O, Lucy M and Annabelle B all getting onto the score sheet! The score finished 13-7 to Duke of Kent School. A huge well done to all the girls involved!

Miss Vickers

Boys’ hockey: U13 B Hockey Team v Farlington School

The U13 B Hockey Team took to the Wilsons' pitch in trying conditions on Wednesday afternoon to play Farlington. The wind was raging and the rain relentless, but the team were buoyed by their team spirit and determination.

The game started evenly and, after some solid defending from Ben W, Ben J and Ethan N, Theo broke down the right and set John up for the opening goal. The rest of the first half the teams cancelled each other out but the second half was a different story...

Within five minutes Duke of Kent School had taken a commanding 4-0 lead. John completed his hat trick and Theo added one. George K then stuck in a fifth, and late on, after some great perseverance, Ben W struck. Harvey had worked relentlessly up and down the left wing and a special mention to Henry W in goal who kept a clean sheet. 6-0 Duke!

Mr Southee

Mixed netball: Year 2 Netball v Pennthorpe

On Wednesday morning Year 2 ventured over to Pennthorpe to play their first ever netball match. All the Year 2s were split into three teams and they all played three matches each against different Pennthorpe teams. It was amazing to see them display all the key skills they have been working on during their PE lessons. All three teams played brilliantly and all the children had great fun running around and experiencing their first time playing matches!

Henry P displayed some great defensive work, Archie H had good passing, both to others and to those on the bench when he was trying to score, and Alfred A had great moments on both ends of the court. Lottie F showed brilliant catching skills when passed the ball and Nola S found spaces on the court very well, leading to more room for her teammates. A huge thank you to all the parents who turned up and showed their support, it was wonderful to see you all there! Another thank you to Miss Vickers and Mrs Dann who made the matches run so brilliantly!

Mr Clayton

Girls’ hockey: U11 Hockey Team v Farlington School

On Wednesday afternoon, the U11 girls’ hockey team made the short journey to Farlington. Despite the drizzly conditions the team were very enthusiastic and raring to go! We started the match against Farlington's B team and showed dominance fairly early on with some lovely skills and goals from Halle S and Charlotte C. It was great to see the tackling confidence on show with some epic tackles from Bea T-R and Ruby W to regain possession for the team on countless occasions.

Next, Farlington's A team took us on! This was a brilliant, and very even, game with end-to-end play. Millie W and Hope N stood solid in defence, working well to make interceptions and pass the ball wide to their team-mates. This allowed Jasmine W to use her dribbling skills to get up the pitch and look for an attacker. The U11s had some great chances that fell to Amelie C and Ruby W with the Farlington keeper making some fantastic saves. As the afternoon went on the weather improved and everyone enjoyed a well-deserved match tea – what a great afternoon! Well done to all the girls involved and to Charlotte C who was awarded player of the game for a great performance in midfield.

Miss Vickers

Girls’ hockey: U8/9 Hockey Team v Farlington School

With the rain refusing to let up once again on a Thursday afternoon, the initial plans of an outdoor hockey match against Farlington had to change. With both teams keen to give the pupils the "match day" experience of a friendly and competitive match against another school (and a match tea!), we decided to adapt from an outdoor hockey match into an indoor netball/benchball tournament! The key was to get all the girls moving and enjoying an afternoon of sport. Farlington split into four teams, whilst Duke of Kent School split into two. All teams played each other and it was great to see how much the girls had remembered from last term's netball lessons and matches. It was lovely to see the enthusiasm and determination on show from all the teams. After a hip hip hooray from both schools, we headed up to match teas and enjoyed a well-deserved pizza. A wonderful afternoon considering the terrible weather!

Miss Vickers

Perse School of Cambridge Aristotelian Award for Research (Year 9)

The Aristotelian Award has been set up to promote the independent study skills in Year 9 pupils, while simultaneously providing an avenue to explore super-curricular interests in the arts, humanities and sciences.

The competition is split into two categories – art/humanities and sciences. Prizes are awarded to winners in both categories of the competition.

Closing date for entries to the 2023-24 competition is 17.00 on Monday 26th February 2024.

For more information on how to enter click here.

The Canterbury Tales writing competition (Ages 5-18)

Choose ONE of the following:

1. Write a poem or story about being new to a group.
2. Write a poem or story about being part of a group and what happens when a new person joins it.
3. Write a poem or story about a group working together.

Your writing should invoke the spirit of Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales.

All entries must be in English.

Think carefully about the language – choosing the words which best convey your intended meaning and message.

You are encouraged to use everyday language and colloquialisms but, if appropriate, please include explanations in brackets.

Think carefully about the characters in your writing and what they say about the world you live in.

Deadline for entries is 29th February 2024.

For more information click here.

Science Without Borders art competition (Ages 11-19)

The Science Without Borders® Challenge is an international contest that engages students and teachers in ocean conservation through art. This annual competition inspires students to be creative while promoting public awareness of the need to preserve, protect, and restore the world’s oceans and aquatic resources,

Deadline for entries 4th March 2024.

For more information please click here.

Mr Wyllie

What parents and carers need to know about Monkey

With Omegle finally shutting down in late 2023, the top spot among video chat services is up for grabs – and Monkey has its eyes set on the crown. Randomly matching its users for 15-second conversations, the platform’s developers claim to have created a dynamic online space for people to make new connections and, potentially, even some new friends.

Despite these innocuous-sounding intentions, however, Monkey has been criticised for moderation which may not be comprehensive enough to defend against the obvious dangers that unregulated, random video calls pose to the younger element of the site’s user base. Our guide tells trusted adults what they need to know about Monkey.

Click on the link to find out more information about "What parents and carers need to know about Monkey".

Also, Internet Matters is a great website that can help you deal with online issues, give you advice for different age groups, and give you step-by-step guides for setting controls for different devices.

Mr Boden
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February is LGBT+ History Month, so on Monday I delivered an assembly to the Senior School, highlighting some historical figures who identified as part of the LGBT+ community, at times when these choices were not necessarily accepted. This year’s theme is medicine, so we looked at those who’d made a significant impact working within the medical field. People such as Sophie Jex-Blake, the first woman to enrol at the University of Edinburgh to study medicine and who campaigned as part of the Edinburgh 7, eventually seeing the 1876 Medical Act passed which allowed women to be licensed to practice medicine.

Also, Cecil Belfield-Clarke, a Barbadian who won a scholarship to Cambridge to study medicine and set up a medical practice in South London. He created Clark’s rule, a formula to calculate medicine dosage for children which is still widely used today. He represented in the civil rights movement, was on the board of the BMA and lived openly with his male partner.

Meg Stacey was a leading figure in sociological research, particularly focusing on housing, poverty, gendered parenting roles and the impact of long-term hospital stays on children. She was married with five children, one of whom was fostered, and her work was inspired by her own children’s experiences. After her husband’s death she lived with her female partner until her own death.

We also learnt about Ewan Forbes, a Scottish GP who was assigned female at birth but was able to self-certify as male and marry his wife, Isabelle, following an application to re-register his birth certificate. He eventually received formal recognition as male when a cousin contested his gender right to inherit his family estate (women at that time being unable to inherit). He was widely accepted in the community that he served as a GP, having informed his patients of his status.

Finally, we learnt about George Ward, who appeared on the BBC show, RuPaul’s Drag Race, whilst working as a mental health nurse with psychologically-traumatised children and volunteering at a Covid vaccination centre. Ward also made a documentary Gypsy Queen and Proud, exploring his experience of coming out as gay within his traveller community. His hope was to start conversations about his communities and to be visible for those struggling.

Each of these people gave hugely to our society through their work in the medical field and their bravery to be “seen” for who they were, despite the expectations and sometimes isolation from the society around them. I hope that pupils were able to accept the message that we are all individuals, different from one another, but that we can accept and respect each other’s differences as these are what make us our authentic and wonderful selves.

An opportunity to discuss and celebrate difference is our Diversity Forum. The Forum was open to pupils this Thursday in the Wellbeing Room. An opportunity for student voice in a safe space.

Mrs Douglas

Year 8 parents should have received an email this week regarding the HPV Immunisation which will be given to pupils with parental consent at School on 25th April. Please complete your "e-consent" as soon as possible if you would like your Year 8 pupil to be immunised (the information letter can be found in "The Medical Room" section of the School website).

Year 9 pupils with parental consent will have their final School immunisations (DTP and MenACWY) at School next week on Friday 1st March. Please can pupils attend School wearing a short-sleeved shirt, blouse or games top that day for ease of access to upper arms. The consent portal closes at 16.00 on Monday for any last outstanding consents.

We have continued to experience some ill health across the School community after the half-term break. Chicken Pox continues in Pre-prep and Prep School. We have several cases of tonsillitis and chest infections in the Senior School, and a number of pupils have been unfortunate enough to get the vomiting bug this week (a reminder that pupils should stay at home for 48 hours after the last episode of vomiting or diarrhoea). Please remember, if you are sending medication to School (eg antibiotics) to be administered by the School Nurses, we need a completed parental consent form – this can be found in the medical room area of the School website.

Have a restful weekend.

The School Nurses

PADoK

Second Hand Uniform Shop

Please can we ask you to ensure all donations are clean, pockets emptied and that it is current and from Stevensons. As this is run by volunteers from the parent body, your help with this will be much appreciated.

Dates for your diary:

Après Ski – PADoK Event, FRIDAY 1ST MARCH

We have great numbers for Après Ski but we do have a limited number of spaces available so do book tickets if you would like to come. We need to know numbers for catering purposes by Tuesday next week. See details below…

Welcome drink, tartiflette and waffles with all the toppings.

Fancy a night that “goes off piste”?

Don a ski hat or dig out your ski suit to tuck into an alpine feast and bust some moves with DJ Noah.

Book your tickets by emailing padok@dokschool.org with your child’s name and year group.

Duke of Kent School Flyers – Wednesday 08.30-09.30 (Tara Coles and Lois Williams)

As usual, Wednesday's netball training provided an energetic and enjoyable start to the day. A quick warm-up, a bit of skills practice and then on with the game! Everyone brings something to the team and we face our first external opponents next Tuesday 27 February in a friendly match against Longacre School. Come and support us in Ness Hall from 7pm! So much fun to be had and so good for the soul.

Duke of Kent School Singers – Thursday 08.20-09.00 (Cathy Williams)

A fresh start at singing today, we moved on from Yellow and looked at some new song choices to work on. Mr Rye put on a few suggested choices, and we all sang along to each song. With Mr Rye and Cathy’s guidance, we will then decide which ones will work best for us. Watch this space!

Please do come along for a listen any Thursday morning following drop off (usually in the PA Hall). New joiners, singing or otherwise, are welcome at any time. No pressure to perform. A fantastic opportunity to switch off, practice some self-care and focus on something outside the normal routine. It’s well worth a drop in. Hope to see you there.

Any questions, please do contact Cathy Williams rhodricathy@sky.com/07813 282910 or please just come along!

A relaxed singing group run by our Director of Music, Mr Rye, who kindly gives up his time to teach us how to sing. It is always fun and uplifting rather than a pressured environment. Our focus is always on enjoying singing and getting the most out of our time together.

PADoK Book Club – Thursday 14th March at 20.00

We would love for you to join the PADoK Book Club when we meet on Thursday 14th March in the Old Hall at School at 20.00. We will be talking about this term’s Book Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. Join us over a glass of wine to talk about the book. We look forward to seeing you there.

Good Reads has described the book as “Spanning thirty years, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Venice Beach, California, and lands in between and far beyond, Gabrielle Zevin's Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a dazzling and intricately imagined novel that examines the multifarious nature of identity, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love. Yes, it is a love story, but it is not one you have read before.” It was the winner of Good Reads Best Fiction award in 2022 and it would be great to hear your thoughts on whether you would recommend the book to others.

PADOK Core Control: strengthen your body, improve your health with our physio-led stability group. Friday mornings 08.30, Astroturf

Do come along and meet Julia to find out more about the Core Control Club. Simply message julia@therunningspecialists.com for details and to confirm your spot.

Let's strengthen our cores and build a healthier, more connected community together! 

Click here for the WhatsApp group link.


Senior School optional hoodie

The Senior School hoodies have been redesigned by members of the School Council and the finished product can be seen below. They have done a fantastic job at putting this design together and now finally getting to see the finished product.

This new hoodie is available from Stevenson's on their website: https://www.stevensons.co.uk/.  There is also the option to have your child's initials printed onto the front of the hoodie for a slight additional cost, something we would advise, to avoid mixing up tops with other pupils. This hoodie is not an essential item of School uniform, so there is no expectation for pupils to have it.

If you wish to see the sample, please pop into the Main Office and have a look.

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School social media

At Duke of Kent School we have three social media platforms; Instagram (dukeofkentschool), Twitter (@DoKSchool) and Facebook (Duke of Kent School). All of our social media accounts are public.

We recommend following all three accounts to receive push notifications with news, updates, educational articles, interactions with other schools, communities and public figures.