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A message from Mrs Knox

We have had a wonderful start to the summer term, blessed with lovely sunshine (if a little chilly!). It has been a real pleasure to see the children outside, playing together and enjoying each other’s company so fully. A standout event this week was our Parents’ Careers Fair. We were delighted to welcome a range of parents who generously gave their time to speak with pupils about their professions. Opportunities like this are incredibly valuable as it is so important to inspire young people and help them begin to think about their futures. We were fortunate to host parents from a wide variety of careers, including: travel and crisis management. cloud data and AI engineering, content creation to HR and accountancy and investment banking. Thank you to all the parents who contributed - your insight and experience made a real impact. Finally, we wish our Year 9 pupils and teachers the very best as they head off on their Battlefields trip to northern France. This is an incredibly important and moving experience and I am sure it will be both educational and memorable for all involved. Have a lovely weekend.

Mrs Knox

Senior Choir Trip to Cornwall 

On the final Friday of last term, the Senior Choir set off on an exciting tour to Cornwall, where they performed three concerts, created a video, and enjoyed a packed programme of excursions.

Throughout the trip, our pupils were outstanding ambassadors for the school. They approached every activity with enthusiasm, resilience, and a real willingness to get involved — whether singing in the spectacular Carnglaze Caverns, performing for the residents at the Hale Day Centre, or taking part in a flash mob at the stunning Minack Theatre. The choir also performed at St Austell Methodist Church and enjoyed a fascinating visit to the Eden Project.

What stood out most to the staff accompanying the trip was the way the pupils supported and cared for one another throughout the tour. Their kindness, empathy, and sense of fun helped create a positive atmosphere and ensured that everyone made the most of every experience. Wherever they went, the choir conducted themselves with maturity, respect, and consideration, representing the school exceptionally well.

Many thanks go to Mrs Honey, Mrs Punter, and Miss Barnes for their support and enthusiasm throughout the trip. We are also very grateful to the parents and staff who travelled to Cornwall to attend the performances. Most importantly, congratulations and thank you to the choir members themselves for their hard work, commitment, and excellent spirit throughout the tour. Parents of the choir are invited to come and see the set we performed and few photos and videos from the trip next Wednesday at 6pm in the PA Hall.

Mr Rye 
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Year 10 Macbeth Trip 

On Thursday evening, many Year 10 pupils attended a performance of Macbeth at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre. This modern interpretation featured several standout performances, as well as a powerful and memorable ending that emphasised the witches' overarching supernatural influence.  

The production sparked thoughtful discussion about the effectiveness of modern versus traditional interpretations of the play during the interval. It was highly valuable for pupils to see the text they have studied so closely brought to life in such a creative and engaging way. 

Well done to all pupils for their excellent conduct throughout the evening. 

Mrs Southee

Performing Arts News 

Dates

We have a packed Summer Term full of lunchtime recitals, LAMDA showcases, productions, concerts and more so please keep a close eye on the calendar. Information about each event will be sent out to those involved nearer the time.

ISA Musical Theatre Competition

Next Thursday Ethan N and Harvey R in Year 10 are representing the school in the ISA Musical Theatre finals (duets category) at Gosfield School in Essex. It is a wonderful achievement for the boys to have reached the national finals of this competition so we wish them huge luck! 

Year 3 Production

This term we are putting on our first ever stand alone Year 3 production. This will be outside around the Burrow and will tell the story of Mowgli and his adventures - loosely based on The Jungle Book story. Watch this space for more information! (An email has been sent to parents of Year 3 already)

Mr Rye

Safeguarding in Cranleigh

We have been made aware of some safeguarding incidents in the local community. Cranleigh Football Club have informed parents of the following issue:

“We have been made aware of two recent incidents in which a man within the village has approached our youth players. This individual is known to the police and has a history of targeting young people in relation to drugs. The police have been informed of these specific incidents by the players’ parents."

We would remind parents to stay vigilant and to report any suspicious activity.

Mr Southee

What a splendid start to the Summer Term - I do love seeing the children's bright yellow shirts and dresses in the sunshine! Nursery have been busy planting flowers on Earth Day, Year 2 loved their Fire of London workshop with the Freshwater Theatre Company, and Years 5 and 6 found their visit to the Careers Fair highly informative. Assembly this week was all about 'perspective', encouraging the Prep pupils to look at things from different points of view, be it visually and aesthetically, in their learning or more broadly showing empathy to consider what others might be thinking or feeling. It is important to take a moment and put things into perspective, before we react or jump to conclusions, as this helps us show patience, understanding and compassion. Have a lovely weekend.

Reading Certificates: Silver for Max M and Grisha D; Gold for Gracie B and Platinum for William C 

Stars of the Week

Nursery: Immy K for having such a wonderful attitude throughout the school day and being so supportive to all your friends.

Ava L it is so lovely to see Ava looking so happy, settled and enjoying all aspects of the school day.  Well done.

Reception: Isla C for challenging herself with her creative writing and great presentations.

Jude H for impressive knowledge of swimming safety skills and the associated flags and some wonderful art-work for our display.  

Year 1: Cooper C for coming back to school with such a great attitude and for a wonderful improvement in your reading skills. Well done!

Year 2: Robyn H for starting the new term with a super positive attitude and for you great participation in our GFol workshop.

Swimmer of the Week

Oscar C for a fantastic first lesson; yu clearly listened to the instructions and made immediate progress.

Mr Wright 

As we begin the summer term, there is a real sense of excitement across the school. Following a well-deserved Easter break, everyone has returned feeling refreshed, revitalised, and ready to make the most of the opportunities and experiences ahead.

The summer term is packed with trips, opportunities, and experiences, and we encourage pupils to make the most of these as they create lasting memories.

Today, during form time, we marked National Earth Day and took time as a community to reflect on how fortunate we are to live on such an extraordinary planet. It was an opportunity to consider the delicate balance that sustains life on Earth and to remind ourselves of the importance of taking care of our environment. We also reflected on the small but meaningful actions we can all take to support the long-term health and sustainability of our planet.

Finally a special congratulations to the following pupils who have already been recognised this week for their hard work with several reaching the milestone of 25 merit points: 

Florence A, Andoni B-S, Charlie B, Layla B, Evelyn C, Fin C, Sonny C, Michael M-B, Isabel N, Eva W, Amelia W, Arthur S, Leo B and Thibaut J.

A special mention goes to Rowan B, Seren G, Heidi B, Monty L and Rhys W who were awarded their well deserved badges.

Mr Wyllie

What Parents & Educators need to know about Streaming Services

Streaming services have become the go-to entertainment choice for many families, with children often favouring on-demand platforms over traditional television. This guide explores the realities behind these services, from rising subscription costs and advert-supported tiers to the impact of autoplay and endless content libraries on young viewers’ screen time and wellbeing.

It also highlights key safeguarding concerns, including age-inappropriate material, binge watching, algorithm-driven recommendations and phishing scams. With clear, practical advice for setting profiles, PINs and time limits – alongside tips for discussing algorithms and stereotypes – this guide supports parents and educators in promoting safer, healthier streaming habits.

Click the link to learn more about "Streaming Services". 

Mr Monk

It has been lovely to see the students returning from their Easter break, hopefully rested and refreshed for the term ahead. There is lots to be excited and joyous for this term as pupils anticipate trips, fixtures, visiting workshops and external visits. For some, however, there is also concern and worry over impending exams. These emotions can lead to physical, mental and emotional stress so it is important to consider what we can do to help ourselves when experiencing stress. 

April is Stress Awareness Month so all of us can benefit from becoming aware of our own personal stressors and identifying our own individual symptoms of stress.

The Mental Health Foundation recommends three steps to take when feeling stressed,

1. Realise when it is causing you a problem - is it impacting you physically? Over-tired, headaches, muscle tension, or your ability to decision-make.
2. Identify the causes - making time to consider what might be causing it and what has a practical solution, what will get better in time and what you can’t change - focus on the first.
3. Review your lifestyle - are you taking on too much? What can you let go/delegate? Can you prioritise/ slow down the process?

Once you have taken these steps, here are some useful ways to calm your own and stress and recommend to your children:

  • Breathing techniques - https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/relax-breathing.html

  • Exercising - walking, nature

  • Break from screens

  • Socialising - breaks, school friends

  • Watching a film/reading a book - diversion

  • Self soothing - music, smell, taste, textures, image

For further advice on dealing with exam stress visit: https://www.studentminds.org.uk/examstress.html

Mrs Douglas

Summer has arrived!  Pupils are reminded they must have a named bottle of sunscreen at school (ideally factor 50) as well as a named sun hat and full named water bottle.  Please note that it is best to replace sun cream supplies annually as the effectiveness depletes once opened  (indicated by an "open jar" symbol on the bottle).

Pupils with allergies to tree pollen or grass pollen ("hay fever") are encouraged to take antihistamine at home before school each day, to prevent histamine levels escalating beyond control during the school day.

Other health hazards to consider; bites and stings (wasps, bees, horseflies, snakes, stinging nettles etc) and also ticks can become unwanted passengers and are plentiful at this time of year.  See the link below for information on ticks and Lyme Disease: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/lyme-disease/

A reminder that parents are kindly asked to enquire at the front office if they would like to see the school nurse.  Email is often a better way of making an inquiry - use nurse@dokschool.org so that both Chloe and Maya are up to speed with your child's health concerns.

Year 9 pupils, please remember to take travel nausea and antihistamine medications at home before school on Sunday morning if needed for the Battlefields trip journey - Bon Voyage!

Finally, Year 4 pupils and Year 10 Silver Expedition pupils should bring any final medications to Mrs Sarjant first thing on Monday morning for their respective residential trips next week.

The School Nurses

PADoK News

Summer Ball – Friday 12th June – Bookings Open

Welcome back to the summer term! Don't forget to book tickets for our Summer Ball, details below:

Why: We’re marking 50 years of Duke of Kent School with a spectacular Summer Ball!

Where: Join us at Hurtwood Polo Club for a night filled with great food, live music, and plenty of celebration.

Tickets: £35.  Your ticket includes:

  • Welcome drink
  • Entertainment
  • Wonderful food
  • Live music from Mr Rye’s band

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

PADoK Second Hand Uniform Shop

Wednesday 20th May from 3-4pm

Please note that we do sell school shoes, trainers, football boots and AstroTurf trainers, which are boxed in sizes.

PADoK Clubs:

Duke of Kent School Flyers – Netball training 

DOK Flyers will start on Monday late afternoons from 17.30 to 18.30. We are looking for new players to join in this term.  Come along for lots of laughter, exercise & fun.  Everyone welcome!   Contact Tara at padok@dokschool.org.

Duke of Kent School Singers – Tuesday 08.20 – 09.00.

Singing will hopefully return next week.  Your rep will send out information. 

We will begin working on our chosen song when we next meet.   *Come sing with us and discover how much fun singing can be! It would be lovely to have more singers, men voices very welcome, so please do come along, it is a very relaxed and welcoming choir.

When: Every other Tuesday from 08:20 to 09:00

Where: Meetings Room off Old Hall.  Contact Cathy Williams -padok@dokschool.org

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

PADoK Book Club 

We are reading 'The Names' by Florence Knapp. Date for next meet up coming soon. 

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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