Headmaster's Report
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Headmaster’s Report The academic year 1996-7 spanned fewer than forty-seven awards. More had its turn to be inspected. The report the change of government. The Labour importantly, significant numbers of praises its standards (two of the core party has not been slow to stress that pupils have learnt a little more about subjects are rated ‘very good’, the third education is at the top of its agenda the process of independent study and ‘excellent’), the professionalism of the and has published targets against which personal initiative. staff, the appearance of the rooms, the its performance can be judged. It is In our General Science programme pupils’ courtesy, pride in their school refreshing to see education assuming for the first two years we are using the and general happiness, the range of its rightful place as a top priority, and ‘Thinking Science’ scheme, pioneered activities, and the parents’ satisfaction. much of what has been done, by both by King’s College, London. The aim is The recommendations for action con- parties, is admirable. A good education to encourage pupils to become aware cern solely administration, organisa- is a right for everyone; it is reasonable of the processes of learning, and to tion and investment. It is an excellent that schools should be accountable. think about those processes and dis- report, and a great credit to the staff. Standards, however, should be dis- cuss them. It is early days but the signs During the course of this academic tinguished from results. Results can be are that the programme benefits not year, too, the Governors took forward manipulated: standards cannot. The merely the pupils but the teachers, their plans to open an Infants’ section annual outcry when examination re- leading them to expect more inde- (3-7) beside the Junior Division. Such sults show yet another improvement is pendence from their other classes. was the demand that we have filled all both unfair and reasonable. It is unfair Let us now look at our record in four year groups from the start, and the on the pupils, who can only do their public examinations. This, too, gave us Infants’ section has opened with 72 best in the system that exists and who great cause for satisfaction. The Fifth pupils across all four years. Since this deserve commendation if their efforts Year of the Girls’ Division was our was achieved without any buildings or lead to success. But it is reasonable to second year of a single class entry in staff to show prospective parents, this distinguish good results from stand- 1993; twenty-two girls took nine sub- must have been due, in large measure, ards and to ask if our children are jects and all of them achieved the basic to the reputation of the Junior Division receiving an ever-improving educa- five passes at A-C - emulating the - a further tribute to them. tion. One element in determining how performance of their predecessors. This year saw another innovation - well educated our students are is their Three girls achieved at least eight A the introduction of Fifth Year prefects level of responsibility for their own grades, and the average number of in the Boys’ Division. In the Girls’ learning. Are they equipped for inde- passes per pupil was 8.22. Division it was an obvious expectation pendent study and for whole-life learn- In the Boys’ Division all 125 pupils that the Fifth Year, being the most ing? That is a much more difficult achieved at least five passes at A-C, the senior group on the site, would take question to answer, but because it is first time this has ever been achieved in some responsibility. It worked so well, difficult it should not be thought that it the school. The percentage pass rate however, that the novel idea was tried is not valid. was 96, the average number of passes of having Fifth Year boys working as Recently, at King’s, we have taken a per candidate 8.7. These are also the prefects alongside the Upper Sixth pre- number of initiatives to encourage this best results on record. In addition, fects. Any doubts as to the effective- responsibility for one’s own learning. there were thirty boys who passed at ness of such a system were quickly We have been helped by the growth of least eight subjects at grade A. dispelled as the Fifth Year boys rose projects and course-work in public At A Level all but one of the 109 splendidly to the challenge and showed examinations. The open-ended nature pupils qualified for Higher Education a maturity and reliability which sur- of these tasks enables pupils to reach with a pass rate of 93.9%. The propor- passed expectations. Yet again, the their own levels and sometimes these tion of A/B grades was 47.4%, and the message is sent out: where much is go far beyond the ‘closed’ results which ‘points per pupils’ score was 22.4. expected of pupils, much is achieved. can be expected from timed examina- Most significantly the ‘value added’ Time and again they show that chal- tions. We have taken this idea further. score from the pupils’ GCSE perform- lenges merely bring more out of them For some years now we have of- ance was the best ever. of their latent qualities. fered the opportunity to our Lower These results reflect great credit on New technologies with ever greater Sixth pupils to carry out a project of the teachers and pupils concerned, on access to the latest information and their own choosing and to present it the quality of the teaching and of the with ever wider possibilities of com- for consideration for an award. The pastoral care, since a number of pupils munication throughout the world place topic may or may not be related to their would admit they needed a good deal ever more responsibility on the indi- A Level studies but the choice is theirs, of support on the way to achieving vidual pupil for his/her own learning, as is the decision to enter or not. This these results. and thus provide ever increasing scope year the response of the students was The Girls’ Division reaches its ‘steady to scale new heights. This is the way as encouraging as ever and we were state’ at the start of the academic year forward: responsibility, independence able to make twenty-two awards, which 1997, that is, there are now five full and challenge. are detailed in Appendix 5. year groups in the school. At the end of The role of the teacher may change This year, thanks to the Friends of the academic year we said good-bye to in the future but it will never disappear. King’s, we were able to extend this the Principal, Dr Brenda Despontin, A good staff is crucial to good educa- opportunity to the Fourth Year pupils who had arrived in 1992 to set the new tion as it evolves. At King’s we are to see if they could undertake their Division up. Tribute is paid to her singularly fortunate with the dedica- own research and put it together to a elsewhere in this Report. It is sufficient tion of all our staff, teaching and non- specific deadline, with no outside help. to say here that the outstanding suc- teaching alike. The pages that follow The results were very pleasing. Some cess of this initiative owes much to her pay tribute to them. of the projects submitted could have appointment. The Girls’ Division is a been taken for the work of A Level thriving, happy place. A G Silcock students, and we were able to make no In the summer the Junior Division November 1997 2 Hail & Farewell and a move to Scotland was pre- Hail... scribed. Welcome to those members of staff There then followed eight hectic who joined King’s in September 1996. years which saw the arrival of younger The following have kindly provided son, Jonathan; a range of posts with the brief histories: National Childbirth Trust; helping with Margaret Gartside Guides, Beavers and Cubs; sitting on the Children’s Panel; as well as resum- ing a teaching career - including a memorable spell at a Cumbernauld comprehensive famous as the setting for Gregory’s Girl. Needless to say, this was all too good to last, and a further move with ICI was declared - this time to Gloucestershire. Three years added two more schools and another subject - Maths - to the cv. Another move - back to Scotland for three years - renewed old friendships, and added Special Needs teaching experience to the list. However, old habits die hard, and the company (by Michael Nolan this time Zeneca) thought that it was (Physics) time for the family to revisit Cheshire. Mike was born in Cumbria but lived in After several months re-establishing Chester for the first sixteen years of his normal family life in yet another house, life. He attended St Anselm’s College, Margaret took up her present post at Birkenhead, and St Leonard’s Compre- King’s in September 1996. hensive, Durham City, following a fam- When not packing or unpacking ily move. At university he studied tea-chests, Margaret enjoys walking, Physics at Newcastle receiving a BSc in badminton, theatre, singing, reading 1988 and subsequently studied Medi- (Chemistry) and cooking. She has developed a cal Physics and Computing at Aber- Margaret was born in West Yorkshire, hatred of estate agent’s blurb, and deen for his MSc in 1989. From there he where she attended the first of many cannot imagine why anyone would moved to Suffolk and worked for two schools that have featured in her life.