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A Message from Mrs Knox
 This week, we enjoyed a fantastic Biology Week, themed ‘Biology Beyond the Classroom’. Our dissections today rounded off the week perfectly, as pupils explored vital organs and discovered more about how our bodies function.
Meanwhile, Year 5 enjoyed an exciting visit to Winchester Science Centre, bringing their science learning to life. Now, a well-deserved rest awaits before we return for a busy few weeks filled with performances, plays, celebrations of learning, matches, parent-teacher meetings and, of course, the exciting build-up to Christmas!
I hope everyone enjoys a relaxing half-term break. Thank you for your continued support and I look forward to welcoming everyone back refreshed and ready for all that lies ahead.
Mrs Knox
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Head Recruitment Update
On behalf of the Governing Body, I am pleased to share a brief update on the recruitment process for our next Head.
We have received considerable interest in the role, with an excellent response in terms of completed applications. Following the initial review, four candidates have been invited to the School on 3 and 4 November to take part in the longlisting interview stage.
Following these interviews, the panel will determine which candidates progress to the shortlist for the next stage of the process. We are committed to a thorough and considered recruitment process to ensure we appoint the right person to lead the School into its next chapter.
We will keep the school community updated as the process progresses.
Richard Brocksom
Chair of Governors
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Year 6 Battle of Hastings Trip
At Arms!
Saturday saw Year 6 take to the battlefield, joining hundreds of other excited spectators at the re-enactment of the Battle of Hastings. With the Bayeux Tapestry in England this year, there was greater hope than usual that the Anglo-Saxons might do a better job of defending King Harold's realm this time, but alas, Duke William proved too canny once more and history did, indeed, repeat itself. The children were great company throughout the day, delighting in seeing a Viking Longboat, getting to try on Norman and Saxon helmets and discovering that the famed tapestry is, in fact, an embroidery. Well done, Year 6 - I look forward to reading your essays after half-term, explaining whether it was William's superior tactics or Harold's bad luck that ended the Saxon monarchy once and for all.
Mr Wright
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Biology Week – 'Biology Beyond The Classroom'
This week, Duke of Kent School celebrated Biology Week under the theme ‘Biology Beyond the Classroom’. The aim was to challenge the stereotype that Biology is all about working in a laboratory with microscopes and to show pupils the wide range of opportunities the subject can offer. To help bring this theme to life, we invited Mrs Horscroft (Veterinary), Dr Niven (A&E Consultant), Mr Cook (Sports Injury and Physiotherapy) and Mr Sparks (Forestry) to share their career experiences. Dr Niven and Mrs Horscroft delivered an engaging assembly, offering pupils an insight into their professions, before the four visitors lead smaller career workshops where students could ask questions and learn more about their roles and the pathways into these careers.
To round off the week, Mrs Vermeulen and our Year 11 Science Prefects ran lunchtime dissections on Friday. Pupils were able to explore the structures of vital organs and develop their understanding of the biology behind how our bodies function. A huge thank you to all our guest speakers, staff and Science Prefects for helping to make Biology Week such an engaging and inspiring experience!
Mr Kulczyk
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Year 5 Winchester Science Centre Trip
On Thursday, Year 5 enjoyed a fantastic trip to Winchester Science Centre. We began our day in the planetarium, where the children were captivated as they learnt about the planets and stars in our universe. Afterwards, they explored the many exciting and interactive exhibits, having great fun while learning at the same time. In the afternoon workshop, the children built on their learning from our Science lessons this term about balanced diets and the cardiovascular system. Working scientifically, they investigated whether height affects lung capacity, making predictions and creating a scatter graph of their results to spot a pattern. A real highlight was the opportunity to look up close at a sheep’s heart, where the children were able to identify the different blood vessels we have been learning about in class. It was a wonderful day, full of curiosity and enthusiasm, and the children were a pleasure to take. Well done, Year 5!
Mrs Tuite
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Year 1 have been very busy this week; not only have they enjoyed a trip to Arundel Castle today, but in class they have been learning about different types of nouns and, in Science, were looking at differences and similarities between animals and humans. Year 2 were out and about on a riddle scavenger hunt, working out which sea creatures were being described, whilst PSHE focused on ways we can show the special people in our lives that we care. Reception based their learning around the story of Hansel and Gretel - making sweets (pretend!) and revising their phonics - whilst Nursery celebrated all things pumpkin, using these autumnal fruits to order sizes, conduct a science experiment and make some wonderful crafts!
In Prep School, Year 6 have been putting their coding skills to the test, using what they learned to recreate an image of a cartoon house. Year 5 explored cardiac science at Winchester Science Museum, presented their Public speaking talks in Endeavor and started constructing their bridges in DT whilst managing the economic realities of inflation when purchasing materials. Year 3s spent some time in the wildlife garden, to help make it as welcoming as possible for animal visitors, and their Healthy Eating and Teeth topic came to an end with a live demonstration of how a banana is digested! Using scissors as incisors, a pestle and mortar as molars, some tubing as an oesophagus, a tub as a stomach and tights as the intestines (not forgetting a bucket as the toilet), the children were well and truly disgusted. I hope your weekend, and half-term break, brings far fewer horrors.
Rising Readers: Hector E (3N), Ali S (4G), Eliza H (4K), Darcey M (5T), Milly W (6G) and Pia S (6A)
Reading Certificates: Greg O and Theodora J (Bronze)
Stars of the Week
Nursery
Louis A for settling so happily into Nursery and for taking part in all activities with enthusiasm. Well done.
Reception
Max M for working so hard to improve your pencil grip. You’re showing great effort and perseverance to use the ‘Pinch, Lift, Flick’ technique.
Year 2
Ellie F for showing all the school values, especially kindness!
Mr Wright
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This week began with an inspiring Biology Week assembly focused on careers in Biology. A huge thank you to all of our visiting speakers who contributed to the assembly and who also joined us for a range of Biology Week career-themed lessons. Their insights and experiences provided pupils with a valuable opportunity to explore the many pathways available within the field of Biology.
Across the Senior School, a number of assessment and feedback lessons have been taking place, and it has been wonderful to hear about the progress pupils are making and the pride they are taking in their learning.
There is much to look forward to after the half-term break as we continue our journey towards Christmas. A wide range of trips, visits and workshops are planned, alongside the much-anticipated Senior School production of Guys and Dolls.
As we reach the end of a long but highly successful half-term, I would like to wish everyone a restful and enjoyable break. We look forward to welcoming pupils back on Monday 2nd November, refreshed and ready for the second half of term.
Mr Wyllie
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ISA London South Regional Swimming Gala
 Congratulations to all the DoK swimmers who took part in the ISA London South Regional Gala at K2 in Crawley last Friday. Over 300 swimmers competed from 25 schools in a very competitive event. All the swimmers were a little nervous but put those nerves to one side and gave their absolute all in their races; we could not have been prouder!! Well done to our squad: Owen G, Siena H, Charlotte J, Darcey Mc, Henry G, Arthur Mc, Siena N, Georgia C, Rosalind D, Logan N, Alfie R, Layla B, Felix B, Matilda C, Monty L, Orlando U and Maxim D.
Henry G won two golds, Layla B won a silver and a bronze, Charlotte J won a gold and Rosalind D won a bronze. We look forward to seeing Henry G, Layla B and Charlotte J at the ISA National Finals at the end of November.
Mr Herbert
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What Parents & Educators need to know about AI Companions
AI companions are becoming increasingly popular with young people, offering round-the-clock conversations with virtual characters designed to feel like genuine friends. Platforms such as Character.ai, Replika and Snapchat My AI can provide entertainment and creative opportunities, but their human-like interactions also raise concerns. This guide explores potential risks including emotional dependency, inappropriate content, oversharing personal information and harmful mental health advice.
As AI companions become more convincing, helping young people understand the difference between synthetic relationships and genuine human connection is increasingly important. This guide offers helpful advice for parents and educators on discussing AI friendships, reviewing privacy settings, managing subscriptions and encouraging healthy offline relationships. It also highlights the importance of seeking support from trusted adults rather than relying on chatbots.
Click the link to learn more about "AI Companions".
Have a lovely half-term!
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Yesterday evening, I had my final training session with a group of our Year 9 pupils who applied to train and work with our younger pupils as Peer Mentors. This is an initiative that has been running for the last five years and shown real benefits for both mentees and mentors.
As all effective interventions, we must constantly adapt to the current cohort, their individual personalities and needs. This year, the Peer Mentors will be working with pupils from Prep school, in Year 5. The hope is that it will reinforce the sense of belonging and community that, at Duke of Kent School, we know to be vital for pupils' wellbeing.
The Year 9’s have demonstrated an empathetic and considered approach and I look forward to them meeting their Year 5 mentees after the half term.
As well as Peer Mentor training, this half term for pupils has been full of rehearsals; sporting fixtures, tournaments and competitions; educational visits; house competitions; external speakers; wellbeing days; music and singing; learning and assessments; hard work and, as always, a lot of fun. This is a snapshot but still a long list. Quite rightly, pupils will be feeling the need for a break and a change of pace. I hope that they are all able to spend the next two weeks enjoying some restorative and fun activities based on fulfilling their individual needs. This is so important in maintaining their resilience to return refreshed and ready to conquer the next half term, which will be just as (if not more) full of exciting and worthwhile opportunities for learning and growth.
Have a wonderful half-term break all.
Mrs Douglas
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It's the half-term break, and we all need some time to rest and recover ready for a busy few weeks of school in November/December, and the run-up to Christmas. Please keep Mrs Sarjant informed of any pupil health/illness/injury developments during the holiday. Especially anything that will impact school attendance or participation in sports.
Have a lovely break!
The School Nurses
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Green Duke is a parent group working alongside staff and pupils to support sustainability initiatives at Duke of Kent School, such as second-hand book sales, clothing swaps and community litter picks.
We just wanted to let you know that we made £250 on the Greek Duke book stall, which considering books were all 50p was fantastic! This will go towards sustainability projects at school. The remaining books were donated to an alternative provision set up in Ewhurst and the Peaslake Fair raising money for Peaslake school, the village hall, community fund and the Hurtwood Trust.
The recipe books were given to the new Cookery Studio at DoK School and Tamara kindly delivered a suitcase full of books to Kenya for the set-up of a new school there. Good news all round!
We'd love you to donate any unused jumpers so we can upcycle them into a yuletide masterpiece which will be available to purchase for just £3. The proceeds will go towards school sustainability. Details below in the flyer.
Many thanks,
Alyssa
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Christmas Hamper Raffle  
Our much-loved Christmas Hamper Raffle is back after half term!
Please help us fill our hampers by donating an item or two on our collection dates, 10th, 11th & 12th November. Every contribution, big or small, makes a difference.
Suggested donations:
- Chocolates, sweets, biscuits, jams, chutneys and other treats (in date and non-refrigerated)
- Alcohol
- Beauty products
- New toys and books
- Luxury gifts
Drop-off points: Our PADoK Elves will be situated at the top car park & changing rooms to receive your donations. Or there will be a donation box in Old Hall. Please hand alcohol directly to a PADoK Rep or to Reception.
Last year we raffled 19 hampers and raised money for local schools, Cranleigh Food Bank and Cranleigh Baby Banks.
Thank you for your support. Let's make this year's hampers our best yet!
PADoK Clubs:
Duke of Kent School Flyers – Netball training
Mondays 17.00 – 18.00 in Old Hall. Please contact Tara at padok@dokschool.org if you are interested in playing. Any experience welcome.
Duke of Kent School Singers
Tuesday – 08.20 – 09.00 in the Meeting Room with Mr Rye/Mrs Williams.  Come sing with us, all welcome & very relaxed. We have just started a new song and are really enjoying it. Contact Cathy Williams at padok@dokschool.org.
PADoK Book Club
New Christmas title incoming soon.
PADoK Pilates
Ewhurst Rec – Monday mornings – 08.30 – 09.30. Contact Alicky Moyle via padok@dokschool.org
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