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!

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.

On Thursday 27th March, a group of Year 12 students visited Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, to experience a taste of what being a student there would be like. We started the day walking through the city of Cambridge, admiring the beautiful architecture, before arriving at Gonville and Caius (with thanks to Tristan, our map reader). Here, we attended a talk from Bethan, the Outreach officer, informing us about the application process to competitive universities and what we can be doing to improve our chances. We were given the opportunity to ask questions to current students studying there, as well as the Admission Tutor. From here, we were given a tour around the college, visiting the chapel, library and the courtyards, really getting a feel of what life here is like. We got to spend our lunch in the impressive dining hall, surrounded by portraits of previous Caius graduates. After this, we were able to choose whether to attend an Arts and Humanities lecture or a STEM lecture, of which I chose the former. We heard from a current PHD student who is studying History, and learnt about how to ensure the course we choose is the right one for us, as well as getting some hands-on experience engaging with and analysing a source. According to the students who attended the STEM lecture, they learnt about fluid mechanics and decarbonising aviation, which they said was fascinating. This concluded our day in Cambridge, and during the journey home I asked the students attending for quotes. This is what they said:

Tiffany: “A really beautiful and insightful day.”

Oliver: “The visit today has given me a drive to succeed.”

Leigha: “It was really nice to see a beautiful campus and we had some interesting talks.”

Shakhram: “It was really insightful and it gave me a better idea of my future plans.”

Ben: “A really great and interesting day. The college was very nice and the lunch was delicious.”

Personally, I am very grateful for the opportunity to have visited Gonville and Caius and experience what studying at Cambridge may be like. The outreach team there were all wonderful and really made us feel welcomed. Finally, thank you to Mrs Hall for organising and Mr Laing for driving the minibus.