Driving Around the School Site

With the onset of darker mornings and evenings, please can I remind you all to drive carefully and safely when on the school site. Please observe our speed limits and take extra care when using the Top Car Park given that there will be pedestrians present and other vehicles moving in and out of parking bays at drop off and pick up times.

When using the Top Car Park please only park in designated bays and not in front of the Performing Arts Hall as this restricts traffic flow during peak times and is a potential risk to those individuals using the Hall.

Your help in this matter is greatly appreciated.

Inspiring Visit from Marathon Legend Chris Finill

This morning, we were delighted to welcome Chris Finill to our school for an inspiring talk to our Prep and Senior pupils about his incredible success in marathon running. Chris is one of only six “Ever Presents” - runners who have completed every London Marathon since it began in 1981, an astonishing 45 marathons in total! He shared his story of how he first got into running, the people who inspired him, and how his passion for the sport has influenced his whole family, with his wife and three children also taking part in the London Marathon over the years.

Pupils were fascinated by the amazing photos Chris shared, spanning from the very first London Marathon in 1981 to last year’s race. They also enjoyed seeing his impressive collection of medals, noticing how much they have changed, and grown in size, over the decades!

After the assembly, our Sports Scholars and GCSE PE students had the opportunity to ask Chris further questions about his remarkable running career, including his incredible achievement of running across America - completing the equivalent of 120 marathons in just 79 days and 22 hours!

A huge thank you to Chris for joining us and inspiring the next generation of sportsmen and women with his dedication, resilience, and passion for running.

Mrs Monk

An Inspector Calls Workshop

The amazing Guildford Shakespeare Company returned this week to deliver a really engaging and thought provoking workshop, focusing on key scenes from J.B Priestley’s timeless play ‘An Inspector Calls’, in preparation for Year 10’s first piece of English Literature coursework. Pupils engaged enthusiastically, and listened with focus, showing a fantastic understanding of the theme of power and the characterisation of Sheila. A huge congratulations to Ethan N, George S, and Tansy T who acted superbly alongside the professional actors in the roles of Inspector Goole, Eric and Sheila!

Mrs Southee

Year 4 Assembly

On Wednesday, Year 4 entered the courtroom to put Robin Hood on Trial . Friend or foe, innocent or guilty ?  Both the Defense and the Prosecution put forward some compelling arguments supported by various witnesses. The audience were an elected jury and in the end decided on Robins Hood's innocence. His coming to the aid of the poor and taking back what the rich and powerful had stolen in taxes, influenced their "innocent" verdict. 

Mrs Rigby

On Thursday this week, our Year 6s were - as we have come to expect - superb hosts to a lovely group of visiting children looking to join them as classmates when they move up into Senior School. I know our guests were grateful for the warm welcome and thoughtful guiding throughout the day - the beginnings of some new friendships, I am sure. We also had a most humorous assembly from Year 4, who retold the story of Robin Hood with gusto and no little panache. The audience agreed with Robin's defence, supported by an array of willing character witnesses, and voted for him to be exonerated of his thieving because he had done it to help the poor (though we all agreed this isn't the most advisable career path!). Thank you, and well done, Year 4.

In Science, Year 6 have been experimenting with switches, including using Max L to break and complete a human circuit (with all health & safety protocols fully in place!). In Topic, Year 4 learnt about the importance of the Nile in Ancient Egypt and Year 5 already seem to know an enormous amount about volcanoes after only a few lessons - highly impressive! Nursery have been looking at shape identification and how they can be used to create pictures and excitedly walked some of the newly funded PADoK wheel barrows and digging tools up to Forest School where they enjoyed some forest bathing. Reception also got creative, making firework pictures as they learnt about November 5th and the importance of staying safe around fire. 

We have welcomed Pre-prep parents on two occasions this week, and hope the meetings with Form Teachers and the presentation from Swim Safe were informative and helpful. Notes on the latter will be sent out next week. We look forward to seeing Prep School parents for their meetings next Tuesday. Have a lovely weekend!

Reading Certificates: Bronze for Sasha B, Owen G, Obie M, Henry G, Harry S and Elodie Y

Aloud & Proud Readers: Lottie O, Maddie C & Charlotte J

Values Certificates: Harry S for Responsibility

Stars of the Week

Nursery: Nia H for her great use of shapes to create a firework collage

Immy B for her brilliant attitude throughout the day and good teamwork in class

Reception: Ollie S for improved listening skills, sharing his general knowledge in class and being super helpful in French!

Year 1: Charlie R for putting great care into everything she does and always looking out for ways to improve

Year 2: Annabelle S for her wonderful contributions to class discussions

Swimmer of the Week

Ollie S for his improvement in listening and following instructions, helping him progress to swimming without a pack!

Mr Wright 

Year 10 & 11 House Hockey Competition

The Year 10 and 11 House Hockey competition saw some fantastic play across all teams, with each house playing two matches before half term. On Tuesday, the last of the round-robin fixtures was played followed by play-offs for 3rd and 4th place, and a thrilling final to decide the overall winner.

After the first two fixtures in the opening round, Peregrine held a comfortable four-point lead over Buzzard and Hawk. A highlight of their campaign was a dominant 7-2 victory against Buzzard, with captain Issy F showing passion, determination, and success in front of goal. Hawk also impressed in a high-scoring 6-4 win over Kestrel, displaying plenty of attacking flair. 

There were standout performances throughout the tournament: Annie B and Eva B-R made some great saves in goal, particularly during the new 1v1 shuffle format introduced in place of penalty corners. Myrtille M and Clara H-S impressed with their ability to read the game and make crucial interceptions, while Tildy C and Lucy P stood firm in defence with well-timed tackles. Moreover, Willow D and Francesca R showed excellent attacking skill and creativity in the midfield.

The final stages of the competition were marked by fantastic energy and resilience, with players pushing on through knocks and injuries to keep their teams in the contest. The third/fourth play off was hotly contested and a high scoring game. Despite results previously not going Kestrel’s way they didn’t give up but rather battled their way to a 5-3 victory over Hawk to claim 3rd place. The final proved to be a thrilling contest — Buzzard stormed ahead 2-0 at half time, displaying good vision on the ball and slick passing combinations but Peregrine fought back with grit and determination, using every ounce of energy to turn the game around and win 3-2.

A brilliant display of hockey, full of team spirit and individual progress — congratulations to Peregrine, our 2025 House Hockey Champions! 

Mrs Dann

It’s a busy, busy few weeks for the PA Department! Please check the following dates for your diary: 

Made in Dagenham:

Friday 28th November- 7.30pm

Saturday 29th  November - 2.30pm

Saturday 29th November - 7.30pm

Prep School Christmas Concert:

Friday 5th December - 7pm

Pre-prep Nativity to Nursery and Reception parents

Monday 8th December - 2.30pm

Pre-prep Nativity to Year 1 and Year 2 parents

Tuesday 9th December - 2.30pm

School Carol Service

Wednesday 10th December - 5.30pm.

Mr Rye

Yesterday our Year 9 pupils completed their peer mentor training and have shown huge maturity and empathy in their consideration of issues relating to values, communication skills, active listening, body language, self esteem and confidentiality to name some of our learning.

They are very excited to be leading some games and bonding activities with year 4 on Monday morning and next week before working on an individual basis with some of the prep pupils.

Pre-prep and Year 3 parents will have received a letter outlining an author visit from Nigel Grimes https://www.nigelgrimeswellbeing.com/forest-bathing and his new book, ‘The Forest’s Secret’ which was released this month. Nigel has led breathing workshops with senior pupils and forest bathing sessions for parents previously in school.

On Tuesday the 25th of November,pupils in Nursery to Year 3 will listen to Nigel give a reading followed by a workshop exploring some of the mindfulness activities we can enjoy in the natural world. Signed copies of the book are also available at a reduced rate for those who email me mdouglas@dokschool.org  by Friday the 14th of November. After that date they will be available at Waterstones and Amazon.

It will hopefully be a thoroughly engaging event for our youngest pupils.

Mrs Douglas

The School Nurses

PADoK News

Christmas Hamper Raffle

Our festive elves are back and preparing for the annual Christmas Hamper Raffle! Keep an eye out for ticket sale announcements from your class reps.

Donation Drop-Off Dates: 18th, 19th and 20th November Elves will be stationed in the Top Car Park and by the Changing Rooms to collect donations through your car window. If arriving by bus, pupils can hand donations to the elves or drop them in Reception. Donation boxes will also be available at the Old Hall School entrance for anytime drop-offs.

Suggested Donations:

· Alcohol (must be handed in at Reception if outside drop-off times)

· Chocolates & edible gifts (please check expiry dates)

· Beauty products & bubble bath

· Games, books, or any unwanted gifts

Charity Support: A portion of the proceeds will go to Cranleigh Food Bank and two local village schools.

Thank you for your generosity.

PADoK Clubs:

Duke of Kent Flyers – Netball training 

DoK Flyers training is on Monday late afternoons from 17.30 to 18.30 and we are looking for new players to join in this term while the weather allows.  Come along for lots of laughter, exercise & fun.  No experience necessary, everyone welcome!   Please do come along if you would like to play netball.  

Duke of Kent School Singers

Thursday 6th November, 08.20 Meeting Room (off Old Hall)

Come Sing With Us!  Come along and discover how much fun singing can be! 

Calling all parents who love to sing, humming along to the radio or singing in the shower! Our Parents’ Choir at Duke of Kent School is open to everyone ~ no auditions, no pressure. A welcoming space to relax, meet other parents, and enjoy making music together. Lots of laughter guaranteed!

When: Every other Tuesday from 08:20 to 09:00 & every other Thursday from 08.20 to 09.00

Where: Meetings Room off Old Hall

We met on Tuesday morning with Mr Rye and after some tongue teaser warm ups we moved on to working on the song we are doing this term.  There are beautiful harmonies already taking shape.  Lots of fun and an uplifting start to the day.  Next week we will meet on Thursday, please do come along and see what it is all about.  Drop me a message any time (Cathy Williams - 07813 282910) if you are interested in knowing more about it.

Important Note: please always park at the bottom of the site and walk up to Old Hall.

PADoK Book Club

We have chosen a new book to lead up to Christmas and hope to meet at the end of term to talk about the book, even if we haven’t finished it.  The Christmas Book Shop by Jenny Colgan.

PADoK Core Control

Due to a new job, Julia is unable to continue with Core Control.  However, we may have a new teacher so please bear with us while we sort out the details.

Mrs Phillips and Mrs Horsburgh

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.

School social media

At Duke of Kent School we have three social media platforms; Instagram (dukeofkentschool), Facebook (Duke of Kent School) and TikTok (DoKSchool). 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.