A Message from Mrs Knox

You may notice something rather different in this week’s photograph! This is me wearing the chain of office as Chair of the Independent Schools Association (ISA) for 2026/27. On Tuesday, I chaired my first meeting of the ISA Board, bringing together people from across the Association to begin shaping ISA’s strategy for the next five years. But what does ISA actually do, and what does it mean for our school and, most importantly, our pupils? ISA is a community of more than 800 independent schools, and one of its greatest strengths is the opportunity for schools to learn from one another. Through professional development, conferences, competitions and the sharing of expertise, ISA supports schools and school leaders to keep learning and improving. The Association also provides wonderful opportunities for pupils to perform, compete and showcase their talents, with a fabulous programme of music, art and sporting competitions throughout the year. These events allow children to challenge themselves, celebrate their achievements and meet pupils from other ISA schools. When teachers and leaders share ideas, learn from excellent practice elsewhere and access high-quality professional development, we strengthen the education and support we provide. I am very proud to represent Duke of Kent School in this wider community and look forward to bringing our school’s experience and ideas to the Association during my year as Chair.

Mrs Knox

 

One of my highlights every week is seeing pupils excitedly looking forward to their lunchtime or after-school clubs. On Monday, more than half the Prep School lined up for their evening Production activity - the anticipation for what the show will be is certainly growing. After lunch on Wednesday, I saw two pupils merrily skipping down to Roller Disco, arm in arm, encumbered with skates, helmets and various other paraphernalia, pondering which songs would be played. And today, as I write, the House Table Tennis competition reaches its conclusion at the same time that the first games of House Draughts are getting underway. Win or lose, House Points are a valuable commodity, and all entrants to competitions should be proud to be representing their Houses.

In Maths this week, Year 6s were using ladders and lattices (not lettuces, as one pupil misheard) to express numbers as a product of their prime factors and multiply 2 and 3-digit numbers, respectively. In preparation for such exciting things a few years in future, Reception pupils have been learning about capacity and weight, measuring oats, inspired by their reading of Goldilocks and The Three Bears. They also developed their fine motor skills by cutting spaghetti (aka Goldilocks' hair!). In Nursery, the children went on a nature walk in search of conkers, and learned about things beginning with the letter 's', such as seeds and squirrels. Year 3s, meanwhile, carried out an experiment in Science, to test whether fizzy drinks taste sweeter when warm or cold. 

Values Certificates: Josephine C for Kindness

Swimmer of the Week

Atalanta J for showing determination to succeed and jumping off the block independently! 

Star of the Week

Nursery -  Frankie G for being so consistently enthusiastic and for making great progress in all areas.

Reception - Immy K for reading with great expression and identifying punctuation in sentences.

Year 1 - Iolo S for helpfulness, kindness and settling in so beautifully.

Year 2 - Athena dPL for your super focus this week, especially with your recount of our trip.

 

Mr Wright

This week has been another busy and exciting one in the Senior School, with lots of activities taking place. Today, in particular, we celebrated European Day of Languages. Pupils enjoyed an inspiring assembly this morning, and it was wonderful to see so many wearing colours representing different national flags, highlighting the diversity of languages and cultures across Europe.

On Monday, the Senior School marked World Cleanup Day by taking part in a litter pick during form time. Each form was assigned a different area of the school grounds, and there was plenty of friendly competition between forms and year groups to see who could collect the most litter. It was fantastic to see everyone working together to help keep our school environment clean and tidy.

Following candidate speeches and year group elections, our Student Council has now been formed for the year. I am looking forward to meeting with the council for the first time on Tuesday to hear their ideas and suggestions, as well as to review the many contributions that have already been submitted through our online Student Council suggestion form. I have no doubt they will play an important role in helping to shape school life over the coming year.

A huge thank you goes to the many pupils who are giving up their time tomorrow to support our annual Open Morning. Whether they are leading tours for prospective families or helping departments with activities, their enthusiasm, commitment and willingness to represent the school are greatly appreciated. The success of events such as these would not be possible without their dedication.

Finally, congratulations to the following students, who have reached the fantastic milestone of another 25 Merit Points.

Mia P, Monty L, Matthew C, Wolf R, Willow D, Ella M, Ethan N.

A special congratulations to Knysna G for exceeding 300 Merit Points and receiving her recognition badge.

Mr Wyllie