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A message from Mrs Knox

We are well into the Summer Term now – despite the stubbornly cold weather! I thoroughly enjoyed the Choir Trip Showcase on Wednesday evening. The audience were treated to a wonderful snapshot of the tour with photos, videos and some beautiful singing from the choir. They had a fabulous trip with some wonderful long-lasting memories. Thank you to Mr Rye, Mrs Honey, Mrs Punter and Mr Kaye for giving these pupils such an inspiring experience. Next week we bid farewell to our Year 9 pupils as they head off on their inaugural Year 9 Battlefields tour. It will bring pupils face-to-face with the past and bring history to life. I am sure it will be hugely enlightening for pupils to see first-hand the arenas where significant conflicts took place. I really look forward to hearing all about it when they return. Have a lovely weekend.

Mrs Knox

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The School menu next week

Stretch and Challenge and Careers talk – Sarah Froom

As part of our Stretch and Challenge and Careers programme, we had the pleasure of welcoming Sarah Froom, a geologist, to our School on Monday morning. It was a perfect coincidence that it was National Earth Day, which made the occasion even more special. 

Sarah spoke to a group of senior school pupils in the PA Hall, which was especially beneficial for Year 7 and 8 pupils who, in Geography, are currently studying careers within the industry in their lessons.

During her talk, Sarah shared her career journey and the valuable experiences she gained along the way. One fascinating aspect she discussed was her work in biostratigraphy, which involves dating rocks using fossils. Sarah explained that her work primarily focusses on micropalaeontology, where she examines plankton, radiolarian and ostracods to determine the age of rocks. Sarah also generously shared some of her top tips for future career exploration. One of her main messages was the importance of finding a career that one loves and has a genuine interest in, as it brings a sense of fulfilment and enjoyment to each day.

Additionally, Sarah gave an assembly to pupils in Years 3 to 6, where she explained the role of a geologist and briefly discussed her work as an environmental researcher. The pupils were particularly thrilled to see the fossils that Sarah had brought to share with everyone.

We would like to extend a huge thank you to Sarah for sharing her expertise and time with us. It was a fantastic way to celebrate National Earth Day. 

Our final Stretch and Challenge and Careers talk of the academic year will take place on 24th June, featuring Roberta McAlister, an engineering geologist.

Mr Wyllie

Study Skills Day

Monday was Study Skills Day for Years 7-10. Natalie from “Positively You” came in to give each year group a fascinating talk with top tips on how to revise and make notes. The session couldn't have been better timed with exams coming up just before half-term. Her energy and enthusiasm was contagious and within minutes she had every year group doing a quick but lively “brain break”. We learnt how we can use every part of our brain to maximise learning: Natalie explained the differences between the left and right side of our brains, stressing the importance of employing both when revising. The left side loves words, but the right side also needs to be active, so using colour, air writing, mind maps, stories and movement helps. This also prevents the right side of our brain from getting restless and daydreaming! After this session, black and white flashcards and notes should be a thing of the past! 

In the evening, Natalie gave an online parent seminar to demonstrate all the skills she had taught during the day; we witnessed a high level of competitiveness from our parents as they raced to answer her memory questions. Parent support can be an invaluable tool in the build-up to exams – helping create a quiet space for them to revise in, and being there to help test them on topics they've just learnt can be a brilliant boost!

A gentle reminder that if your child would like any support at School, or just a quiet space to put to good use any of the techniques they learnt in Monday's sessions, the Learning Development team will be running their usual lunchtime drop-in sessions in the run-up to exam week. Anyone is welcome!

Caroline Instone and the Learning Development Team

Action for Nature

The Action for Nature competition run by the Surrey Wildlife Trust is open until Friday 31st May, so there is still time to submit entries! You can complete more than one action at home or in your community and, if the School registers the most actions, we will win a £500 grant towards outdoor learning equipment or tools for School grounds improvement. I am also running an internal competition where all pupils who enter can win one of the prizes in a raffle at the end of the term. To record the actions you can use the link here, which can also be found on the pupil homepage.

It isn't hard or expensive to help our wildlife, your action could be as simple as a litter pick! If you’re lucky enough to have a garden, you could feed the birds, plant pollinator-friendly plants or go chemical-free. If you need ideas, there are lots of suggestions on the Surrey Wildlife Trust’s website. A great one to do this coming month is creating a No MOW AREA in your garden – click here for more information. 

Mr Gritton

Early Years children have been continuing to learn about minibeasts and life cycles this week. Nursery created butterfly wings which they wore to Forest School today. Reception have made colourful wriggly caterpillars out of tissue paper and have explored symmetry with beautiful folded butterfly paintings. Year 2 have been busy practising, with gusto, for their assembly. They've also been working hard in maths this week and are starting to explore the concept of inverse.

Over the next few weeks, Year 3 are going to be investigating the jobs that different parts of the plant carry out in their Science lessons. They had already researched the different parts and had discovered that a stem acts like a straw, but they needed to be able to find the evidence to prove it. They took a white carnation and a piece of celery and put them into a beaker of ink and left them overnight. This morning the carnation was tinged a beautiful blue and when we cut the celery stalk we could see how the ink had moved through the stem.

In Topic this week, Year 4 have been learning about famous Victorians. They have researched a number of influential Victorian men and women and then created an informative poster about one of them who particularly inspired them. Year 5 particularly enjoyed their scavenger hunt in the woods, whereby they had to find different puzzle pieces and put them together with pictures to find the names of different Maya gods. Year 6 has been learning about nonsense poetry in their English lessons and enjoyed going outside to record their own humorous performances of Spike Milligan's “On the Ning Nang Nong”.

The Prep School council gave an assembly on Thursday morning to outline their research into flying foxes and trim trails. They explained the pros and cons for each type of play equipment potentially being installed at Duke of Kent School and asked the children to vote for which they would choose as they left assembly, by placing a cube in the box representing their choice. I look forward to hearing the results of the vote!

Mrs Nicholson

Stars of the week

Nursery – Cooper C for lovely social skills, manners and a friendly attitude, also great progress with mark-making.

Isla C for fabulous mark-making and a very positive attitude throughout the day.

Reception – Sofia S T for displaying a more positive attitude to her learning and applying herself well to morning writing activities.

Jack T for good problem-solving in maths and giving encouragement and support to one of his peers in swimming.

Year 1 – Aoife F for giving a lovely demonstration and her super attitude towards her swimming.

Year 2 – Annabelle W for showing awesome resilience in maths – you asked for help when you didn’t understand and ended up completing all the challenges with determination!

Mrs Henry

This week began with an optional careers talk from Sarah Froom on Monday morning. Sarah has a great wealth of experience as a geologist, having previously worked in the oil and gas industry, and now works as a programme manager on research covering climate change, greenhouse gas reduction, biodiversity increase and regional environmental research. It felt fitting that she would visit us on “Earth Day” and she spoke with great conviction about the field she works in and the future of her industry. We also had a number of sessions regarding study skills on Monday, with Years 7-10 all hearing from an outside speaker regarding how best to prepare for exams and how to help make the information stick!

Tuesday and Wednesday saw a huge number of boys’ and girls’ cricket matches taking place, before the choir displayed their talents in the Wednesday evening showcase. They performed incredibly well, outlining not only their talent but also their enthusiasm for the music.

Congratulations this week go to the following who have attained a multiple of 25 Merit Points (in their time as a member of the Senior School) and therefore attended Celebration Snack Break this morning, receiving a lunch queue-jump pass and a stationery prize: Indie K (Year 7), Myrtille M (Year 8), Rupert H (Year 9), Dom K (Year 9), Jack P (Year 9), Poppy K (Year 10) and Jake L (Year 10). We also had two members of the School community who reached 100 Merit Points and therefore also received an enamel blazer badge in assembly: Tildy C (Year 9) and Ethan K (Year 9). Well done to you all.

Mr Wilson

Congratulations to these pupils who have passed the following music exams recently:

Herb M: Grade 3 piano (with merit)

               Grade 5 drums (with distinction)

Edie H: Grade 3 piano (with distinction)

Jess I: Grade 3 flute (with merit)

Ben R: Grade 1 drums (with merit)

Splendid work all round, and thank you to the peripatetic teachers for excellent tuition and preparation. 

Next Friday 3rd May is our House Music Finalists concert, so if your child was in the finals of House Music last term, then please do come along to this showcase of the concert. It is a lovely chance for you to see what they performed to the rest of the School. 

Finally, this Wednesday we held our Senior Choir Trip showcase in the PA Hall. Parents of the pupils in the choir were able to watch and listen to the set they sang on tour in York, and also see a presentation of photos and videos that gave a lovely insight into what a brilliant trip it was!

Mr Rye

Girls’ cricket: U16 B Team v Downsend School

On Tuesday, the U16 B Cricket Team travelled away for their first match of the season against Downsend School. It was pretty chilly at the start, but the sunshine broke through at times to help warm cold hands. The format was a pairs soft ball game and each pair batted for three overs and everyone got to bowl an over or more. After winning the toss, Duke of Kent School elected to field first to assess their opposition. The team set an in and out field and everyone got the chance to try their hand as a wicketkeeper and different fielding positions. There were a couple of wide balls bowled, but on the whole it was a great team effort with some accurate bowling and a total of nine wickets taken in an 18 over innings. Catches were taken, opposition were run out and batters were clean bowled – it was an exciting game to watch! Well done to Saoirse W and Mattie R, who bowled particularly well. The team were chasing Downsend's 58 runs to win and everyone went out and batted positively. The communication and calling between pairs was strong and Bella S, Esme P and Maggie B hit some lovely fours and sixes between them, resulting in a comfortable first victory for the team. Well done!

Mrs Dann

Girls’ cricket: U12/13 A Team v Farlington School

The U12/13 A Cricket Team played Farlington away on Wednesday. It was the first match of the season, a soft ball pairs format at this stage and played on Astroturf. Duke of Kent School elected to bowl and everyone bowled at least one over. Myrtle M, Willow D and Izzy N bowled confidently and kept Farlington's batters in check. Three wickets were taken with a combination of run-outs and batsmen being clean bowled, but their opposition had some very strong hitters towards the end of the innings, taking their total to 189. Duke of Kent School's opening pair were a bit tentative in their running between the wickets, but the team grew in confidence as the match progressed despite some very strong bowling from Farlington. Norah H's calling with her batting partner was strong, Tansy T scored some good singles and Izzy N and Willow D hit some lovely fours. Farlington stopped a number of good shots on their boundary to keep the team from threatening their opposition's batting total. Overall, the team learnt a lot and enjoyed the match experience.

Mrs Dann

Boys' cricket: U15 A Team v St Edmund's School

The U14/15 A Team travelled to Headley CC for their first match of the season. They played on an artificial wicket that had somewhat of an uneven bounce and the outfield was rather long. Fielding first, Duke of Kent School restricted St Edmund's to 91 for 4 from 16 overs. There was some strong bowling with wickets being shared between Hugo S, Isaac P, Monty L and Vir O'R. Hugo S showed some excellent technique when batting, scoring 43. Monty, L, Jamie P and Felix C all contributed runs, but Duke of Kent School fell 12 runs short of the total required. Well done to all who played.

Mr Herbert

Boys' cricket: U12/13 D Team v St Edmund's School

The U12/13 boys showed great enthusiasm and a good determination to win in their match against St Edmund's. Duke of Kent School fielded first and restricted St Edmund's to 72, with wickets for Ben D and Ben R. Some strong hitting from Henry M, Ben D, Sam L and George S helped Duke of Kent School to a 28-run victory. Well done boys, keep practising to develop the accuracy of your bowling.

Mr Herbert

Boys’ cricket: U14/15 C Team v St Edmund's School

The U14/15 C Team started their season with an away match against St Edmund's School. Alex G won the toss and put St Edmund's in to bat. Duke of Kent School showed great bravery and skill with some excellent fielding, and this was backed up by some tight bowling. We restricted St Edmund's to 108 from 16 overs, with wickets shared between Dante D, Alex G and Charlie L. Duke of Kent School struggled due to some tight bowling from the openers. However, Charlie L and Dante D got us back on track with some big hitting and scoring boundaries. Unfortunately, Duke of Kent School was unable to reach the target, but well done to all those involved as they showed great skills.

Mr Green

Boys’ cricket: U12/13 C Team v St Edmund's School

On Wednesday, the U12/13 C Team played against St Edmund's School in a softball match. Duke of Kent School bowled first, showing great determination. It was a tricky outfield, but everyone did well, getting their bodies behind the ball. We managed to restrict St Edmund's School to just over a 100 after their seven pairs. Duke of Kent School started brightly with some great running between the wicket and some big hitting. However, Duke of Kent School was unable to keep the momentum going and didn't manage to reach the target set.

Mr Green

Girls’ cricket: U16 A Team v Downsend A

On Tuesday afternoon, the U16 A Girls' Cricket Team travelled to Downsend School for their first match of the season. After a successful hardball season last year, the girls were ready and raring to go despite little time for practice so far this term. Duke of Kent School batted first. Alex K and Jess I bravely went out first to bat and did brilliantly to stand up to some incredible bowling from Downsend's A team captain! Seven members of the team had a chance to bat, with Issy F and Alex K both hitting some great fours and finishing as top scorers for the team. On the bowling front, eight members of the team rose to the challenge and as a team we bowled very few wides or no balls, showing great accuracy from the team. Some highlights include two excellent wickets from Alex K, a fantastic wicket from Jess I and some brilliant and alert wicketkeeping from Tildy C. The girls lost out to a very strong Downsend team, but learnt lots in the process and showed great determination throughout the afternoon. A huge well done to all the girls involved and particular thanks to the Year 11 girls who chose to play: Alex K, Ava W and Helena K! 

Miss Vickers

Girls’ cricket: U11 Cricket Team v Farlington A

On Wednesday afternoon, the U11 Girls' Cricket Team welcomed Farlington School for their first cricket match of the term. The girls had worked hard on their bowling in lessons so far this term, and it was great to see it all paying off in the match. Duke of Kent School started well with Jasmine W and Millie W bowling with confidence and gaining a wicket in the second over! The great play continued with Charlotte C bowling a great over, making it hard for Farlington to score many runs. Further wickets came from Ruby W and Hope N thanks to an epic catch from Bea T-R on the boundary! The fielding was tight throughout the innings, with Halle S showing great leadership skills when managing the field as captain. Farlington scored 149 runs and the U11s were super excited for their turn to bat! It was brilliant to see the girls making regular contact and running lots of ones with Amelie C and Bea T-R working well as a pair. The team managed to score multiple fours, with some particular crackers from Hope N, Halle S, Ruby W and Jasmine W. What a wonderful start to the season with a great win for the team. Well done to all the girls involved!

Miss Vickers

Today, we had the pleasure of hosting Sgt Jeanette Kendall from the Royal Air Force at our School. Sgt Kendall addressed Senior pupils, shedding light on the diverse career opportunities within the armed forces. Given the School's longstanding connection to the RAF, this assembly presented an invaluable chance for pupils to gain deeper insights into the RAF's mission and to contemplate potential career paths for themselves.

With the forces theme in mind, why not have a look at the following informative webinars available on the UNIFROG platform. To access these webinars you will need to log onto the platform. If you have any difficulty in logging in, please contact Mr Wyllie.

What is it like to work in the armed forces: click here.

And on a similar theme, what is it like to work at an airline: click here.

Mr Wyllie

ISA Film and Animation Competition (all ages)

The ISA Film and Animation Competition is a fantastic opportunity for pupils of all ages to use both creative and technical skills. Pupils are invited to make their own moving image work in any genre – from digital animation and stop motion, to silent film, documentary or video art.

For more information click here.

Deadline for entries: 2nd May 2024.

Poetry of Science (ages 16 and under)

Can you write a terrific scientific poem? IF Oxford is seeking budding poets between 5 and 16 years-old to become wondrous wordsmiths and enter the 8th annual Poetry of Science competition this spring.

Your poem should be a maximum of 150 words and can be in any poetry style you like and doesn’t have to rhyme. How about trying one of these poem types:

  • limerick
  • haiku
  • acrostic poem
  • rap
  • sonnet

For more information click here.

Deadline for entries: 3rd May 2024.

Mr Wyllie

What parents and educators need to know about Township

Potentially addictive online games are nothing new, but the specifics of this kind of media can vary enormously – and, as a consequence, the risks in each individual game are just as diverse. The city-builder Township is no exception: providing its legions of devotees with accessible, satisfying fun … but exposing them to potential hazards at the same time.

However, any safeguarding issues that the game might have can (with a little know-how) be neutralised – allowing young players to have some engrossing fun without adults needing to worry about children’s data, their money or their mental wellbeing. Our guide outlines how to help young gamers enjoy Township safely and responsibly.

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

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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A reminder that I will be delivering a presentation to parents from 08.30, Tuesday 30th April on managing exam stress and anxiety. Designed to be informative and offer some practical advice on encouraging and supporting your children who are struggling with the exam process and anticipation.

There are spaces still available, so please do let me or Jenny Monk know if you are planning on attending for seating and catering purposes, or if you would like copies of the slides.

Mrs Douglas

A few pupils have been off sick with diarrhoea and/or vomiting this week. Please be aware the 48-hour rule means pupils need to stay away from School for 48 hours from the last episode of diarrhoea or vomiting (not the first) for infection control purposes.

A big thank you to the Year 8 pupils who had their HPV immunisations at School yesterday; you were very brave and polite to our visiting nurses. Anyone who missed out due to ill health will have their catch-up immunisations at School on Thursday 20th June when the nurses return to us. (This also applies to Year 9 pupils who missed their DTP and MenACWY on 1st March.)

Please can I remind parents of pupils in years 3, 4, 5 and 10 that your residential trip medical forms are due to Mrs Sarjant by next Tuesday 30th April – well done Year 6 for getting yours all in ahead of the deadline!

Year 9 pupils heading to the Battlefields trip early on Sunday morning (don't forget to set your alarm clocks; be at School by 5.15am – ouch!) are reminded to take travel nausea tablets at home before you come to School for the outward journey. Pupils with inhalers, please make sure you have them with you. Have a brilliant time; we look forward to hearing what you got up to.

Finally, congratulations to Year 11 art pupils for completing your art exam today; that's one big box ticked. Stress levels are building for many Year 11 pupils as is very normal at this time of the year; please don't forget to find some down time this weekend. Rest and time out is just as important as revision as you head towards the final exams; it's all about balance. Be kind to yourselves and each other – you've got this!

Have a lovely weekend (still hoping for the weather to warm up a bit...fingers crossed).

The School Nurses

PADoK

PADoK are delighted to announce that ticket sales are now open for the “A Midsummer Night” charity event. This is a charity event to raise money for Sarcoma UK, which has great importance within our School community. 

We have a number of lovely raffles prizes, but would be delighted to have a few more, so if you have anything you would be happy to donate, then please do get in touch via the PADoK email. Thank you.

Please see details of the summer event below:

A Midsummer Night – Saturday 8th June

Charity event to raise funds for Sarcoma UK

Where: Hurtwood Polo Club

Raffle with amazing prizes.

Ticket price: £35 which includes a welcome drink, Thai bowl food, The Accidentals (Mr Rye’s fabulous band)

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

Duke of Kent School Flyers

Wednesdays 08.30-09.30 (Tara Coles and Lois Williams)

A fantastic session took place this week in preparation for our match against Pennthorpe School next Tuesday. Everyone was in good spirits and excited for our match. Tara led our warm-up and drills, we then played four, ten-minute quarters in our assigned teams! 

If you’re looking for a fantastic way to stay active, make friends and be a part of an exciting team, join us on a Wednesday morning and be a part of the DoK School Flyers! Come and join us. So much fun to be had and so good for the soul.

Duke of Kent School Singers

Thursdays 08.20-09.00 (Cathy Williams)

Another great singing session to start Thursday morning. We started by singing Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds before working on Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles. We worked on a two-part harmony which came together really well. Thanks to Mr Rye and Mrs Williams for all they do.

Please do come along at any time for a listen or a sing. No pressure to perform, just enjoy it week-on-week. 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 Core Control

Strengthen your body, improve your health with our physio-led stability group. Friday mornings 08.30, Astroturf

Started on Friday 26th April. Find out next week how the first week back went. We would also like to extend a warm welcome to any new joiners! If you know someone who would love to join in on the action, please feel free to forward this message or ask them to contact Julia at julia@therunningspecialists for more information. You can also reach out to Julia on WhatsApp at 07760275444.

Don't forget, we'll be outside every chance we get, so get ready to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine while we work on our core strength together! Looking forward to seeing you all next Friday morning! Let's make it an incredible start to the Core club!

PADoK Book Club

(Claire Newman)

This term we will be reading a new book called The Household written by Stacey Halls. We hope you enjoy it.

London, 1847. In a quiet house in the countryside outside London, the finishing touches are being made to welcome a group of young women. The house and its location are top secret, its residents unknown to one another, but the girls have one thing in common: they are fallen. Offering refuge for prostitutes, petty thieves and the destitute, Urania Cottage is a second chance at life – but how badly do they want it?

Meanwhile, a few miles away in a Piccadilly mansion, millionairess Angela Burdett-Coutts, one of the benefactors of Urania Cottage, makes a discovery that leaves her cold. Her stalker of ten years has been released from prison, and she knows it's only a matter of time before their nightmarish game resumes once more.

As the women's worlds collide in ways they could never have expected, they will discover that freedom always comes at a price …

The Household is the new novel from the award-winning, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Familiars, The Foundling and Mrs England. Set against Charles Dickens' home for fallen women and inspired by real figures from history, it is Stacey Halls' most ambitious and captivating novel yet.

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.