Headmaster’s Report All those involved in education must whole education. Visitors to the school is happening in the school. With four welcome this Government’s commit- frequently comment on the responsi- Divisions and over 1400 pupils there is ment to improving basic standards and bility of the pupils. This does not a great deal happening and the com- to providing minimal levels of attain- appear in any statistics nor is it specifi- munication with parents and Former ment for all. One might object to some cally identified in any of the reports. It Pupils seems to be welcome. of their methods or to details in some is, however, something that we greatly The school also has a website on the of their plans but the recognition that treasure. Internet and has received, at the time the roots of so many ills lie in a The most significant development of writing, over 1600 visitors from near neglected education and the attempts in the school this year has been the and far. Scope for development seems to insist on accountability within schools establishment of our Infants’ section endless but already we have registered are wholly to be welcomed. ‘Good (three to seven) for some seventy-eight our first pupil through the Net! schools can make a difference’. This pupils. King’s now provides continu- King’s has always sought to play its might appear a truism but failure to ous education for boys and girls from part in the local community. Our music accept it has resulted in too low expec- three to eighteen. Rumours that we are centre, set up nearly four years ago, tations and a self-reinforcing cycle of about to start ante-natal classes or to now regularly has some four hundred failure for too many of our pupils, and develop an FE branch are untrue! It has pupils on a Saturday morning who vigorous attempts to raise the profile of been a delight to see the Infants’ sec- come from all over the area. Tribute is education are praiseworthy. tion develop and, by any criterion, it is paid later in this publication to the It is important, however, that there proving an outstanding success. At work of Mrs Susan Brown in the school. is recognition by everyone that statis- Key Stage One all pupils (from a non- Her work in setting up the centre and tics about performance only tell you a selective intake) achieved at least Level establishing it at its present size and to limited amount about education and Two and a very high proportion reached such widespread benefit has been quite usually only about results - very little Level Three. The range of activities outstanding. The Macclesfield com- about reasons behind results or about offered, however, matches that in the munity owes her an enormous debt. I processes, and very little about broader rest of the school and our most recent am sure that her greatest reward is to aspects of a good school which de- innovation has been the introduction know it is still flourishing. velop less easily measurable qualities. of French from the age of four. There King’s pupils are also involved to a Interestingly, complaints from those is a waiting list until 2001 - we do not considerable extent in work in the who work in Higher Education and register unborn children! community in a whole variety of ways. from employers focus on the two as- The Junior Division also produced As ever, the benefits of what they do pects omitted by results: firstly, they results well above national expecta- are mutual and they learn enormously claim, students/employees, despite their tions. Level Four is the norm, achieved from their involvement. good results, cannot spell, punctuate, by all but two pupils in every subject, One recent development in our in- do mental arithmetic, write coherently, with over half in English and Math- volvement with the local community etc..., and secondly they lack the skills ematics achieving Level Five. has come about partly as a result of needed to carry out tasks expected of This year was also significant in the Macclesfield Town football team’s rise them, such as independence, initia- Girls’ Division, since the first full co- to the Second Division. Their search tive, creativity, ability to work with and hort who entered in 1993 took their for better training facilities brought motivate others. GCSEs. Their results were even better them to our Derby Fields, which they Recently, indeed, a booklet has been than expected and, as this coincided now use on most week-days. We hope published entitled ‘Leadership in with the best results the Boys’ Division that, if they remain afloat in this Divi- Schools’, which is concerned about has ever known, this could be called a sion, some part of their success will be diminishing opportunities for pupils in record year. Of the many outstanding due to our support! schools to develop as leaders, owing to statistics the following must suffice: I return to the exciting times ahead. pressure of public examinations. In it • 206 pupils (boys and girls) achieved As the first large cohort of girls enters the statement is made: ‘there need to at least six A*-C grades. the Sixth Form, the benefits of our be opportunities for every pupil to • 56% of these were A*/A. initiative started five years ago become develop the skills of leadership’. There • One third of the candidates achieved apparent throughout the school. Two is a confusion here but the concern is 8 A*/A passes. groups of pupils coming together after understandable. We do not want all • In total there were 1046 A*/A grades. five years of King’s School education our pupils leaving school convinced Only one other school in the coun- bring great potential for the future, not they are going to be leaders, so much try - Eton - achieved so much with so just academically but in every sphere as pupils who are aware of others and many pupils. of school activity. have skills in communication and At A Level all of the 123 candidates For this to be realised that mysteri- motivation, and, above all, a sense of qualified for Higher Education with a ous chemistry between teachers and responsibility. All pupils benefit and pass rate of 91.7%. There were ninety- pupils has to be right. If it is, then the learn from being given an area of eight A grades in all, with thirty-nine benefits are life-long and cannot be responsibility, even if only a limited candidates obtaining thirty points or measured objectively. Those involved one. Usually they respond with enthu- more (equivalent of three As). The know about it, for all that. I am pleased siasm and exceed expectations. average number of points-per-pupil to pay tribute to the dedication and Much that is written in the pages that was 24.3 (slightly above an average of commitment of all the King’s School follow concerns results, and there is three Bs). staff, teaching and non-teaching. They much that we take pride in here. I As another innovation we now plan know what rewards their work can hope, however, that readers will dis- to produce a termly newsletter. Two of bring. cern from the range of experiences these have appeared already and they A G Silcock described the philosophy at King’s of a provide regular news in brief of what October 1998 2 Hail & Farewell then visit the Prado in Madrid. companiment at the Royal Academy of Hail... She is married with a sixteen-year- Music in London, before taking a PGCE Welcome to those members of staff old son, James. at Manchester University. who joined King’s in September 1997. From 1976 she worked as a peripa- The following have kindly provided Nicola Chadwick tetic music teacher in many of the local brief histories: (English) schools, including The Ryleys and Nicola was educated at Bolton School Mount Carmel, before taking up her Girls’ Division and at Nottingham Uni- present full-time post at King’s. She has versity. She remembers vowing to her also been an Associated Board Exam- English teacher at school that she would iner since 1994, something which she never teach and, even if she did, she enjoys immensely. would never teach in the independent Much of Linda’s leisure time is inevi- sector. She began her teaching career tably taken up with musical activities. at an excellent comprehensive in Not- Many years’ involvement with several tingham (Arnold Hill School) and then local choral societies have seen her spent a year at Stockport Grammar performing in much of the choral rep- School. Thus, she took up her post at ertoire, either on piano, harpsichord or Fence Avenue conscious of having organ. When there is no orchestral part come full circle and of having broken for her, she is equally happy to add her several promises to herself! voice to the alto line. Nicola thoroughly enjoys teaching Away from musical activities, she English: she would describe herself as has a passion for early Italian art and an avid reader who has a passion for enjoys travelling, especially if it in- punctuation, as girls who have been volves visiting art galleries or churches. taught by her will no doubt be aware. For the past nine years she has been Amnesty International, visits to the increasingly involved with the local theatre, debating and writing are other branch of the Samaritans, which occu- Catherine Buckley interests which she brings to her post pies much of her spare time.