80th Anniversary of VE Day celebrations
Thank you to the Herts Catering team for putting on a fantastic lunchtime spread to celebrate the 80th Anniversary of VE Day. Students loved the range of themed cakes on offer.
Project Trust
Ellie Moore from Project Trust led an inspiring session for our year 12’s last week informing them of the benefits and opportunities which come with taking a volunteer placement overseas with the charity. Ellie herself did a placement in Myanmar, which interested many of our year 12 students and gave them another option as they consider their futures post KWSixth.
Community news – invitation to attend
All families are welcome to attend the community fun day being held on Saturday 10th May, at High Street Methodist Church in Harpenden.
Exam Season
Early Spring is a particularly busy time of the year for school libraries everywhere because it’s exam season. We’ve been reserving tables for quiet study for all of our year 10 students, and we’ve been delighted to welcome lots of them into the library at break and lunchtimes. They’re clearly working very hard to revise for their mock exams; good luck to them all! Our wonderful year 11s have also been regularly visiting us to study in the library; you will all be missed now you depart on study leave, and we wish you the very best for the upcoming exams, and for whatever the future holds for you beyond year 11.
Just a quick reminder to all the departing year 11s to ensure that they return all their library books to us. We’d also like to request that anyone who has finished with their GCSE study guides might consider donating them to us here in the library. We fully understand that many of our students may have been devising much more elaborate ways to dispose of them… But if they’re in good condition, and aren’t being handed on to a sibling or a friend, we’d really like to have them for our library.
Next week is Mental Health Awareness week, so we’ll be pulling out our best books about maintaining a good level of mental health. We also have lots of texts to help anyone who feels they may need support with any aspect of mental health. Although these books will be front and foremost next week, in one of our regular library displays, it’s important for all students to know that these books are always available to them, especially during exam season, one of the toughest times of the year for our students. Please do feel free to approach any staff member in the library if you need some help to locate a particular book, it’s what we’re here for.
Sports News
Well done to everyone that has participated in a variety of sports for the school over the last term.
SWIMMING
Well done to Olly F in Year 11 for recently competing in four East of England regional swimming events. He claimed bronze in both the 400m and 800m freestyle, which is very impressive. Congratulations, Olly!
TRAMPOLINING
A number of students entered a major competition against teams from all over the UK.
Results were:
Jude D’S:
Ranked 11th in the Novice category for his age group in the whole of the UK (Jude also competed a brand new move for the very first time at the competition)
Dylan W:
Ranked 10th in the Intermediate category for his age group in the whole of the UK (Dylan completed his first multi somersault routine)
Will E:
Ranked 9th in the Advanced category for his age group in the whole of the UK
Matthew P:
Ranked 13th in the Elite category for his age group in the whole of the UK
Riley W:
Ranked 12th in the Elite category for his age group in the whole of the UK (Riley competed his double somersault for the first time)
Joshua P:
Due to injury Josh couldn’t compete sadly, but has worked so hard to get to this point.
Riley, Matthew & Josh are NATIONAL CHAMPIONS in the Team Event for the 3rd year running, winning GOLD in the Elite team event.
WELL DONE TO ALL INVOLVED, we are very proud of you.
FOOTBALL
Our Year 7 boys football team gained a bronze medal in a county futsal tournament. This follows on from their fantastic win, and best performance of the season against Roundwood in the last game, where they defended for their lives. We don’t normally mention individuals but Ethan R, as a goalkeeper, was absolutely outstanding in both that game, the tournament and generally all season.
Before the holiday our Year 9 boys team were crowned district cup champions for the second year in succession after a 3-0 win against Verulam in the final. After coming back from 2-0 down to beat Beaumont in the semi final, an early goal in the final settled the game down and the boys largely controlled the game from then on. It is too difficult to name individuals, as all squad members add huge value. What is particularly refreshing about this team, which makes them such a pleasure to coach, is there are no egos – while they are all hugely demanding of each other, there is a great togetherness – in good moments and when things aren’t going well; a lesson for us all. Well done boys – it caps a great season including some fantastic moments in the national and county cup too.
CRICKET
Noah S in Year 8 had an amazing experience in the Caribbean over Easter. He played in the St. Vincent T10 cricket tournament for the Grenadine Divers, with team mates like Obed McCoy and Romario Bibby. He also played for Windward Islands U16s and bowled 4 overs, taking 3 wickets for 11 runs.
Student Council Update
We have begun our second round of KWS student council meetings this week, with the year 11 and year 12 student council discussing current issues in school, and how they would like to improve their experiences and the provision offered moving forwards into the summer term. There have already been some fantastic ideas put forward and the meetings are always chaired in such a responsible and organised manner by our head students. We are very proud of our student councillors and we look forwards to our year 7 and 8 meetings next week and year 9 and 10 week commencing 5th May.
If any students would like to raise an issue which is important to them, or would like to suggest a change, please do speak to your student council representative who will be able to raise it at the next meeting.
KWSki Valmeinier “025
On 5th April, 73 students and 10 dedicated members of staff set off on an unforgettable ski trip to the stunning alpine resort of Valmeinier, nestled in the heart of the French Alps. Surrounded by snowy peaks and crisp mountain air, the group enjoyed an unforgettable week of skiing, team spirit, and personal growth.
Everyone – students and staff alike – made clear progress in their skiing lessons, regardless of experience level. From mastering snowploughs to confidently carving down the slopes, it was inspiring to see such determination, resilience, and positivity each day. The ski instructors were full of praise for our students’ attitude and progress.
The fun didn’t stop once the skis came off! Our après ski activities included a fantastic mix of ice skating, bowling, karaoke, tubing, a quiz night, and a much-loved pizza night – something for everyone to enjoy and unwind after a day on the slopes. These evenings helped bring the group closer together and added even more highlights to an already incredible trip.
We’re so proud of how our students conducted themselves throughout the week – they were brilliant ambassadors for the school and embraced every challenge with enthusiasm and maturity.
A heartfelt thank you to the amazing staff team, whose energy, care, and organisation made the trip a huge success. We’re already counting down the days until the next one!
Y12 Geographers on a Geo-lly in Swanage!
Year 12 Geographers went to sunny Swanage on Monday 21st April for 2 nights, to find inspiration for their independent investigation. We measured how much carbon was stored in trees in an oak woodland near Durlston Head, investigated evolving sand dunes, judged whether the coastal management was successful in Swanage, and evaluated whether Swanage was being positively or negatively affected by tourism… phew! Coupled with walks to Old Harry and Peverill Point, there was lots to be inspired by each day. Students showed exemplary effort in getting involved with every fieldwork investigation, and by the end of the trip many students had decided what they would investigate. In the summer, they conduct their own fieldwork in any country of their choosing. Whilst most go to a UK location, previous A level students we have taught have ended up going to Iceland, South Africa, and beyond! This is the students’ first taste of University level academia, where students question processes happening in the world, to disentangle how things work and why. We look forward to hearing about this year’s planned excursions in due course!
National Shakespeare Day
A warm welcome back to the Summer term from everyone in the KWS library! We hope you had a lovely Easter break, and that you managed to get lots of reading done, in the lovely sunshine.
Wednesday 23rd April is National Shakespeare Day. Shakespeare died on 23rd April 1616, and although his exact birthday isn’t known, the records show that he was baptised on 26th April 1564, leading some people to suggest that he was possibly born on the 23rd April too, and thus he died on the same date he was born, at the age of 52 – exactly!
Shakespeare is considered a “literary genius” and “Britain’s greatest playwright and poet” – what do you think? Have you read any Shakespeare? If you find it a bit tricky to read then maybe start with one of the plays that are considered to be more accessible; Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, or Much Ado About Nothing. They’re all available in the library, either in print or via the eLibrary, and we also have lots of abridged versions too, so do come and take a look.April is Autism Awareness Month and the theme for 2025 is “Celebrate Differences”. The goal is to promote understanding, acceptance, and inclusion of individuals with autism. We have plenty of books with information about Autism, and also lots of fiction books with Autistic characters. These books would be ideal reading if you’d like to know more about how your actions can help to create an inclusive and accepting world for everyone.
Year 12 UCAS and careers fairs
In the Spring term, our year 12 cohort have embarked on their UCAS and careers research, including recent visits to two career fairs: thirty one students were welcomed at the Sir John Lawes careers fair, where they engaged with local businesses and found out more about apprenticeships in different fields. The whole cohort then enjoyed a fantastic day out at the Emirates stadium in London, speaking to and discussing future options with a wide range of universities, higher education establishments and companies offering apprenticeships at different levels. Both events were extremely useful to the sixth formers as they launch their future university and apprenticeship application process. Well done to all the year 12s for their mature and proactive approach on both days.