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A message from Mrs Knox
We have had a number of excellent trips this week which have been enjoyed by pupils and staff as well as some super performances in the regional ISA cross country competition and House matches at school. I particularly enjoyed watching the House Tag Rugby, seeing both girls and boys demonstrate great teamwork, determination and sportsmanship throughout the matches. There has also been much excitement in the PA Hall as performers prepare for our House Music Finals next Friday and, of course, lots of talk about what to wear on World Book Day! I do need to get my costume sorted this weekend! Please join us, if you can, to watch the parade. Have a lovely weekend.
Mrs Knox
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27th Annual Chess Congress
 Duke of Kent School pupils attended the 27th Annual Chess Congress at Cottesmore, a very strong tournament with school teams featuring county and international players. Year 7 pupils Isabel N, Zara P and Henry S entered for the first time and performed brilliantly, achieving five wins between them; an excellent result at this level. It was a valuable experience and a great opportunity to compete against high quality opposition.
Mr Seeley
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Year 8 visit Nower Wood
 On Thursday, the Year 8 pupils took a trip to Nower Wood to immerse themselves in nature and try their hands at a range of skills. There were two sessions across the day; one was to cut down branches to create woven boxes around new trees, to protect them from being eaten from deer that roamed the woods. Students worked really well together using the tools, and impressed greatly with their weaving skills!
The second session was pond dipping, where a fascinating range of creatures were discovered, from water boatmen to nymphs and newts! We were then shown some under a microscope to learn more about their adaptations to catch prey and avoid predators. Finally, pupils got to create their own wooden necklaces, try their hands at safely lighting fires and then celebrate with toasting marshmallows. It was a wonderful day being immersed in nature, and the pupils showed brilliant engagement.
Mrs Vermeulen
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My highlight this week was watching a group of Year 5s perform their original version of Cinderella to Pre-prep pupils. Using puppets, their own script and a hand-made stage and scenery, this much loved tale was brought to life. The audience were entranced and amused in equal measure with the lost shoe providing much hilarity, not to mention the suave Prince cutting quite the figure on the ballroom floor to impress Cinderella. This performance was the culmination of weeks of hard work in Endeavour lessons last half term, towards attaining their Community badge. My favourite touch was the pile of cushions thoughtfully placed by the Library door to help smaller children have a boosted viewpoint. Well done Milly W, Felix B, Georgia Cal, Izzy W, Pia S, Obie M and Willow B; the Pre-prep teachers loved the show, too!
 Elsewhere, 'forgiveness' has been a key message in RS lessons: 4R completed their animations of 'The Lost Sheep' parable and Year 5 studied the miracle of the paralysed man. Everyone agreed it can sometimes be hard to forgive, but also acknowledged how important it is to be able to do so. Year 5 began learning about the Victorian era in History lessons and, in Maths, they showed superb motivation with the 'bus stop' division method. Year 6 learnt about the medieval Crusades in the Holy Land, drawing links with the continued conflict in the Middle East today. Year 2 have been doubling and halving, and Year 1 were counting in 2s, 5s and 10s with the help of coins and the class shopkeeper! Lastly, it was a real pleasure to welcome Miss Parkington to the Pre-prep staff. Already a familiar face to staff and pupils, it feels like she's been with us far longer than a week; she, too, has felt very much at home within the team. Have a lovely weekend, everyone!
Aloud & Proud Readers: Finn H & Logan H
Reading Certificates: Bronze for Ollie T and Millie P; Platinum for Harry S
Values Certificates: Elodie Y for Effort
Stars of the Week:
Nursery: Freya G for displaying kind and friendly ways to everyone in Nursery.
Reception: Jessica G for displaying such a super attitude to your work and play. You provide a wonderful example to others.
Year 1: Emilia VDB for fantastic effort in handwriting across all subjects. You have worked hard to make sure your work is neat and presentable. Keep working hard.
Year 2: Easton J for demonstrating a wonderfully positive attitude and resilience towards challenges - well done!
Milly M for your super positive ‘can do’ attitude!
Swimmer of the Week:
Annabelle S - for listening beautifully and honing in on her skills.
Mr Wright
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On Thursday, Year 8 spent the day at Nower Wood, immersing themselves in the natural surroundings and learning more about the wildlife found there.
 Preparations for House Music are now well underway, with rehearsals echoing around the school as each house refines its chosen performance piece. The talent and commitment on display have been impressive, and it is shaping up to be another thrilling competition next Friday. We are also eagerly anticipating World Book Day next Thursday. It is always a highlight of the term, as pupils and staff celebrate a shared love of reading and bring favourite literary characters to life through creative costumes.
At the same time, pupils continue to accumulate an exceptional number of merit points in recognition of their dedication, positivity and contributions to school life. Congratulations to the following pupils who have achieved 25 merit points: Layla B, Felix B, Seren G, Autumn N, Mia P, James N, Jasmine W, Ruby W, Mac Y. Oliver D, Alice B, Kit B, Declan E, Iona H, Edie H, Jonny J, Mercy M, Heath P, Sam R, Chester S, Tom S.
Congratulations to Florence A, Andoni B-S, Evelyn C, Matilda C, Oliver T and Amelia W who have now surpassed 100 merit points and received their badge of recognition. An even greater milestone has been reached by Ben G, Hubert S, Ben W and Penny N who have gone beyond 200 merit points and have been presented with their badges. Finally, Willow D, Annie B, Charlie L and Lucy P have reached over 300 merit points and gained their badges! A huge well done to all.
Very well done to everyone for these fantastic achievements!
Mr Wyllie
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Year 7 & 8 Inter-House Netball Tournament
On Wednesday afternoon, glorious sunshine set the scene for the Year 7 and 8 Inter-House Netball Tournament. The competition was played in a 5-a-side format, allowing every player to cover two-thirds of the court without their usual wing positions. Each house played three twenty-minute matches, providing plenty of game time to round off the netball season.
What stood out most was the energy and enthusiasm shown by all teams. The matches were competitive but always played in a positive spirit, with plenty of encouragement — and a few giggles — along the way. The standard of netball was impressive, with players demonstrating well-timed runs into space, fluent passing, confident turns in the air, accurate shooting, and some excellent interceptions.
Peregrine played well throughout but were unlucky at key moments, finishing in fourth place. Kestrel enjoyed a particularly exciting 7–7 draw against Buzzard and scored a total of 20 goals across their matches, just one fewer than the overall winners, earning them third place. Buzzard secured second place, losing only one game — by just two goals — and drawing their other two fixtures.
Congratulations to Hawk, who delivered two convincing victories and a draw against Buzzard to become the overall champions.
A fantastic afternoon of netball and a brilliant way to finish the season — well done to everyone involved!
Mrs Dann
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This Sunday marks Self Injury/Harm day in order to raise awareness of this issue for both sufferers and those who wish to support and understand. Whilst it is a difficult and uncomfortable topic to think about and discuss, unfortunately it is an issue that parents may find themselves having to navigate with their young people. Statistically, 1 in 5-7 young people are thought to have self-harmed at some point, with the average starting point being age 14. Girls are up to four times more likely to self harm than boys. These statistics, whilst scary, don’t necessarily reflect that often this can be a situational practice not necessarily designed to inflict harm to oneself, rather a coping mechanism to distract from current emotional pain and with intervention, talking therapy being one of them, young people are often able to stop by employing safer coping strategies.
If you are concerned about your child, the following links may be helpful in recognising these behaviours and offering advice or support services. Equally, please do get in touch with your child’s Form Tutor or myself if you have any concerns. A disclosure of this sort to school staff would always be followed up with informing parents and support for the family in navigating the issue.
https://www.youngminds.org.uk/parent/parents-a-z-mental-health-guide/self-harm/
https://www.annafreud.org/resources/family-wellbeing/supporting-treatments/supporting-children-and-young-people-who-self-harm/
Mrs Douglas
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  Huge congratulations are due to Sonny C in Year 7, who entered the Prior’s Field Battle of the Bands just before half term, as a solo performer - and won the solo category! Sonny played both piano and guitar, starting his set playing the Benson Boone song Beautiful Things and then lighting up the room with an incredible performance of Voodoo Chile by Jimi Hendrix, making his guitar sing in true Hendrix style. Well done Sonny
House Music
 I am delighted to announce that our House Music judge this year is West End star Emma Hatton. Emma starred as Elphaba in the West End production of Wicked and also played Evita in the National tour of Evita. She has recently been performing as a vocalist for the brilliant Post Modern Jukebox and can currently be seen in the West End production of Tina the Musical.
Mr Rye
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What Parents & Educators need to know about Whatsapp
With its end-to-end encryption and huge popularity, WhatsApp is often seen as a private and secure way to stay in touch; however, that same privacy can make it harder for trusted adults to see when things go wrong. This guide explains how features like group chats, disappearing messages, ‘Channels’ and location sharing can expose young users to pressure, unwanted contact and inappropriate content.
It also looks at emerging concerns such as scams, advertising and the in-app AI assistant, helping adults understand how these elements may affect children and young people. Alongside the risks, the guide offers practical advice to support meaningful conversations, encourage safer settings and build young users’ confidence in navigating WhatsApp responsibly.
Click the link to learn more about "Whatsapp".
Mr Monk
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Please can any "off games" requests be sent to nurse@dokschool.org as well as Mr Herbert (gherbert@dokschool.org) with plenty of notice, especially ahead of sports fixtures. We are currently receiving a lot of late updates resulting in multiple changes to team sheets throughout the morning of match days. If you could update us at least a day before your child's fixture where possible, that would be very much appreciated. Thank you.
Thank you to all parents who have completed residential trip forms so far (Years 3 to 11), please can any outstanding forms be completed by Friday 13th March latest. For pupils who are attending the Choir trip to Cornwall and will have medication administered by staff, please can you start to deliver the medication to school at your earliest convenience from next Monday (and by Friday 20th March latest). Medication should be left at the front office for the attention of Mrs Sarjant, in the original packaging with pharmacy label showing and must be within the expiry date.
Parents of pupils in Year 8; please ensure your child knows whether or not you have given consent for them to have the HPV immunisation at school next Friday 6th March. Pupils taking part should wear a short sleeve shirt, blouse or games top to school that day.
The School Nurses
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PADoK News
PADoK Chair Role
We are currently looking for a new Chair or Co Chair to head up the parent association. If you are interested in finding out more about this, then please contact Camilla or Polly at padok@dokschool.org.
PLEASE SAVE THE DATE – Friday 12th June – Hurtwood Polo Club
PLEASE SAVE The DATE – Friday 12th June – Hurtwood Polo Club
PADoK is gearing up for a one-night-only Summer Party to celebrate 50 years of Duke of Kent School. Expect big energy, great food, and a night worth dressing up for.
Live music from The Accidentals and delicious food from Man with a Pan.
Details coming soon. This is the one you won’t want to miss.
If you would like to reserve your tickets email padok@dokschool.org with your child’s name and year group.
PADoK Meeting – Tuesday 24th February – 08.30 – 10am
We will be holding our second meeting of the Spring Term, please do come along if you are interested in getting involved in PADoK or simply to see what it is all about. You are most welcome.
PADoK Meeting – Tuesday 24th February – 08.30 – 10am
PADoK Clubs:
We had a good meeting on Tuesday with planning for the Macmillan Afternoon Tea on Friday 13th March and the Summer Ball on 12th June. If you would like to get involved, then please get in touch via your class rep. You are most welcome.
Duke of Kent School Singers – Thursday 08.20 – 09.00
Our next singing session will be Tuesday 17th March. We think we have chosen a song to work on. Next Tuesday with Cathy, come sing with us and discover how much fun singing can be!
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. Contact Cathy Williams -padok@dokschool.org
PADoK Book Club – Meet up on World Book Day
We will be meeting on Thursday 5th March at 8pm in Old Hall to discuss the book, details below. Please join us and get involved. All welcome.
We have chosen a new book “Before the coffee gets cold” by Toshikazu Kawaguch Before the Coffee Gets Cold is a 2015 novel by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. It tells the story of a café in Tokyo that allows its customers to travel back in time, as long as they return before their coffee gets cold.
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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), 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.
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