From the Head

ISSUE 30 | SPRING 2020 From the Head It is difficult to imagine half a school year passing by more quickly or enjoyably. It seems only yesterday that I first arrived at King Edward’s, and yet I now feel so very settled in this wonderful School – proverbially part of the furniture! Of course, this has been helped immeasurably by the support and goodwill of the pupils; our parents and my colleagues, who have all been so ready to bid me welcome, exchange a smile and a pleasantry, and (occasionally) point me in the right direction. From seeing the School over the past months, I know too that a similar welcome has met each of our new students: they too have settled quickly in to KES life with much help and support from our extended community. So I now feel in a much better position to pass on some collected ‘first impressions’ of King Edward’s… How would I characterise our School? Many is to create a school where kindness sits alongside the adjectives spring to mind: vibrant, busy, bustling, highest levels of academic ambition and breadth of aspirational, ambitious. Just to glance back over the opportunity at the very heart of all that we do. But I also last term of academic, sporting, charitable and artistic want to ensure that we are a place where young people achievements - as ‘The Edwardian’ does here - is to well-suited to our school, irrespective of background, marvel in how we manage to fit it all in! But before any can benefit from attending this outstanding institution. of these adjectives, I would choose ‘kind’. It is a clichéd Reading through this magazine, I am cheered and sentiment, and sometimes wrongly undersold as a inspired by the stories of our Old Edwardians. Cheered human quality. But I would take a kind School over that we played some part in your remarkable lives, everything else, every day of the week! In the past and inspired to seek to make the same opportunities terms I have seen so many instances of spontaneous available to as many students as is humanly possible. kindness: daily, routine gestures ranging from older pupils lending a helping hand to their younger peers It is an ambitious goal, but one I hope that you might through to teachers going far beyond what is required share. Whilst The King Edward VI Foundation continues to support a struggling pupil pastorally or academically. to support children from disadvantaged backgrounds, These things always matter! It is also the case that we want to see this fund grow and flourish, making many of our King Edward’s pupils give greatly of their more life-changing opportunities possible. If you feel (already busy) lives in offering kindnesses to the wider you can support this ambition, or if you would like to community – whether that be through our links with offer to talk about your career, life or experience to our the Portsmouth Down Syndrome Association, or our current generation of students, please contact annual Summer Camp for Young Carers, or a myriad Ms Hooper, our Development Officer. of other charities and partnerships. Kindness is always With my warmest good wishes, the hallmark of a great School and a great community. Without it, nothing can be achieved – nothing of worth Neal Parker can be created. As we look to the future, my ambition Head Do we have your email? Please notify us of any changes to your contact details, particularly if you think we may not have a current email address for you. Alternatively, if you no longer wish to receive this magazine or any Join our KES network further correspondence from the School, you can unsubscribe group on Linkedin from our mailing list at any time. In both cases, please email [email protected] stating your full name and date of birth. Join our KES alumni Facebook page Privacy Notice To ensure you fully understand how we use your personal data, we have updated our Privacy Notice. It can be found at: https://intranet.kes.hants.sch.uk/site-guide/privacy-notice 2 www.kes.hants.sch.uk News from the School New Head appointed for Stroud School King Edward’s governors are delighted to announce that Rebecca Lyons-Smith has been appointed as the new Head of Stroud School, preparatory school for King Edward’s commencing in September 2020. Rebecca has over 20 years’ experience in education; she has worked in independent prep schools for the last 12 years but has also taught internationally and in the state sector. Rebecca is an ISI inspector and a governor at a local primary school and brings a wealth of educational expertise. Rebecca is currently the Headmistress at St Swithun’s Prep School, Winchester, but knows the King Edward’s family well, having previously held the positions of Head of English and Deputy Head at Stroud. Commenting on her appointment, Rebecca said, “I am thrilled to be joining the team at Stroud and King Edward’s. I will bring to the role a real passion for developing a culture of high performance within the incredibly warm family environment that makes the school so special”. West Side Story! In November, a hugely talented and hardworking cast and crew of fifty- three students, ranging from Third Year to Upper Sixth, put on a spectacular production of ‘West Side Story’. In preparation, cast members studied characterisation development, in order to create realistic character portrayals, which they blended superbly with the complex music and choreography and heart-wrenching narrative. Audiences at the three sold-out evening performances were wowed by the professionalism of the production, in what was a magnificent display of young talent. KES hosts an evening with Sir Ben Ainslie We were delighted to host a charity evening with Sir Ben Ainslie and Jeff Stelling in the Dobson Theatre last term. In conjunction with INEOS Team UK, our student journalism team and members of local sailing clubs had the opportunity to chat with Sir Ben before the Q&A session with the audience. The proceeds from the event were split between Prostate Cancer UK and 1851 Trust. 3 Natalie Black (KES 1994-2001) Awarded CBE in New Year Honours List Natalie Black was the School’s first Before joining the Civil Service, female Head of School at KES back Natalie was the Chief of Staff for in 2001. Since her years at KES, Security at the London Organising she has kept incredibly busy and Committee of the Olympic and is currently Her Majesty’s Trade Paralympic Games, London Commissioner (HMTC) for Asia 2012 and has held other roles in Pacific. She was awarded a CBE for government including Deputy Public Service in the Queen’s New Head of the Number 10 Policy Unit, Year Honours List. Director of the Internet Harms Unit Natalie graduated from LSE with and Director of the Office of Cyber Security, Cabinet Office. Appointed HM Trade Commissioner Natalie Black a degree in International Relations CBE with Dr Liam Fox MP. Pic: DIT before completing a Masters to her current role by Liam Fox in degree in Public Policy at Harvard September 2018, she now has a (as a Fullbright Scholar). She is also key role in developing new post- a Policy Fellow at the University of Brexit trade agreements with Asian Cambridge. and Pacific markets. Jon Laughton (KES 1973-1977) The 70s - Vinyl, Flares and successes were enrolled only on the basis of kindly and patiently showed me their academic ability and living in the ropes. The syllabus was almost the catchment area, whilst there identical although I did have to sit my were identical pressures to meet own special unique Latin exam at the high academic standards and also end of that academic year. be active on the sports fields. The In those first few months, I realised mostly male teachers were all fairly that I needed to work hard to fit in forbidding but also encouraging, and adapt to my new schoolmates with one or two terrifying and teachers alike. Maths lessons, individuals thrown in for good in particular, were an ‘eye-opener’ measure! Corporal punishment – the teacher, known simply was still practised at this time in as ‘Charlie’ to everyone, was a British education although I cannot forbidding Welshman coming remember this being ever carried towards the end of his career out at KES. and he took no prisoners at all! It is almost impossible for me to As a trueborn Mancunian, I was Exercise books had to be pristine, believe that it has been nearly half heartened to find out that the handwriting very neat with all a century since I arrived at King Headmaster, Mr Dobson, was answers correct and underlined Edward’s. I was a ‘fresh faced’ 14 someone who had also spent time in otherwise you were in for a public year old who was a little cautious, the North at Manchester Grammar ear-bashing. I immediately fell short due to joining in the middle of the School and would therefore of Charlie’s very high standards 1973 Easter term, having moved welcome my somewhat different with my first piece of homework down from the Northwest of northern accent. However, in truth, and duly received his ear-splitting England where, for three years, on my first day he simply said ‘Hello’ advice on what I should have I had attended another King and passed me on to the Head of done. Nevertheless it worked! He Edward’s – The King’s School in Junior School, Mr Pryor (aka ‘The also inadvertently gave me my Macclesfield, Cheshire.

Load more