A Message from Mrs Knox

It was such a pleasure, last Saturday, watching the Forum Garden come to life. All was quiet when I set up the coffee and croissants at 8.30am. By 10am, we had over 25 families, including staff, building raised beds, constructing a greenhouse, transporting compost and weeding. The children were brilliant as they decorated the potato tubs and helped with their wheelbarrows and trowels. At one point, Sydney the cat joined in but quickly disappeared when the watering cans appeared! At the end of the morning, as Gemma Burr and I surveyed the garden, a huge sense of satisfaction came over us as 6 months of planning had come to life. Do join us again on Saturday 11th June for another gardening morning. Today, we wished good luck to our Year 11 pupils as their study leave begins. It was a joyful occasion as Prep and Pre-prep both joined in with the assembly to wish them well with songs and poems. We are very, very proud of each of them and wish them the very best of luck with their GCSEs. Have a lovely weekend.

Mrs Knox

Driving Notice

Following concerns raised by a number of parents, please can I ask you all to be very careful when driving to and from the School along Peaslake Road and the surrounding areas. We have had reports of drivers using excessive speed and forcing other road users into the side of the road. As we are all aware, the roads are narrow in the vicinity of the School and extra care is required when using these roads. Therefore, please can I ask for your help in keeping our local roads safe by driving in a considerate way and thank you for your help in this matter.

Mr Stacey

UKMT Kangaroo Mathematics Success

Congratulations to five students who performed so well in the Intermediate Maths Challenge earlier this year that they qualified for a follow on round.  Josh N in Y10 qualified for the Pink Kangaroo and Pippa S, Sam S, Charlie G and Ozzie H in Y9 qualified for the Grey Kangaroo.  Pippa's result in the Kangaroo put her in the top 25% of those that qualified and earnt her a Certificate of Merit.  This is a fantastic achievement and we are so proud of all of them.

Mrs Coackley

Parent Breakfast Meeting

Thank you to all the parents who attended the talk on 'Social Media and Adolescent Mental Health' on Tuesday morning- hopefully it gave you an insight to what your children are going through navigating the online world. I also hope there were some useful tips on how to start conversations with your children about their lives online. Below is a link to the slides from the talk - I have embedded the links on each slide for you to click and explore.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1PKdyB76GBThn-v-sp47h_PJOAsm7NAGVp6rPythgsos/edit?usp=sharing

Mr Southee

Year 8 trip to the National Army Museum

On Thursday Year 8 visited the National Army Museum (NAM) in Chelsea, London. The NAM highlights not just the weapons and uniforms of previous eras, but also covers more sensitive issues such as the anti war film 'Oh What a Lovely War'. It also displays a 19th century statue depicting a British officer defeating an Afghan warrior which would be unacceptable in public in today's society. We were treated to a Civil War workshop in which EVERY pupil's knowledge, enthusiasm and interaction was outstanding, Small groups had to dress each other in period costumes which included armour, buff (short for buffalo skin) coats, gunpowder bandoliers, riding boots complete with wheeled spurs, and the infamous 'lobster pot' helmets, all before explaining themselves to the rest of the groups. Groups were armed with an array of weapons including a pike, swords and muskets (don't try this at home...). They also took part in a Civil War and/or WW1 questionnaire competition answering questions from all around the museum galleries, exam papers still to be marked by me! Museum staff also enjoyed their company with a few impromptu explanations taking place. It was a fantastic trip and Year 8 behaved superbly.

Mr Lodge

Year 2 trip to Brickies

Last sunny Friday, Year 2 ventured to Brickies Lego Club in Wokingham. We had a fun-packed day full of imagination and creation, with lots of learning thrown in for good measure! As we're set to start our new Science topic, 'Plants', very soon, the day's Lego building workshops reflected the learning we will soon be doing in class. Jamie, the leader of Lego City, gave us three challenges which we all completed with enthusiasm and vigour. Our first challenge was to create a 2D or 3D plant, complete with all of their important parts such as the roots, stem, leaves, petals and flower. Our next challenge saw us using our new knowledge of pollinators to create one out of Lego. Some of the pollinators we chose to replicate were wasps, bees, ladybirds and butterflies and a few of us even challenged ourselves to create impressive 3D versions! Our final challenge involved us creating our dream garden. As you can imagine, the final masterpieces were very diverse in layout; some of the children's gardens had slides and treehouses whereas other children's gardens were more peaceful with lily ponds and areas to sit and relax!

Miss Able

Pulborough Brooks RSPB Trip

Reception had a fabulous day on Tuesday at Pulborough Brooks RSPB nature reserve.  Despite inclement conditions Reception remained enthusiastic and fully engaged throughout, whilst pond dipping and minibeast hunting. 

We started the day with a safety talk that everyone listened to carefully and then proceeded to find amazing creatures using pond dipping skills such as phantom nymph larvae and even a newt!  Dipping into the pond was great fun and using the identification charts enabled us to find out some special facts about the minibeasts we had caught.  We even saw some local wildlife including a baby rabbit and a moorhen with her chick.

We looked at some lifecycles and had lunch in a wonderful yurt that kept us warm and dry.  In the afternoon, we visited an area of the reserve that is only for schools and used our best searching and observation skills to find minibeasts such as spiders, slugs, snails, ants and green caterpillars which had eaten their way through hundreds of leaves on the trees.

The education officer remarked on how well behaved the children all were and they all asked and answered relevant questions, expanding their knowledge whilst having a great time.  We ended the day with a well-earned play in the nature playground before returning to school and a good rest!

Mrs Henry

Nursery Trip to Bocketts Farm

This Thursday Nursery set off on their long awaited trip to Bocketts Farm. We have been learning about farms in class and it was lovely to bring the theme to life with a real farm. We had a lovely guide, Kacey, who kept us busy with a tractor ride and introduced us to lots of animals; such as rabbits, guinea pigs, lambs and a rooster who had a party trick of roosting on our guide’s head! We fed the larger animals such as sheep, goats and horses. The children were amazing with the animals, they were very gentle and listened carefully to all the information Kacey shared. After our lovely lunch we watched the pig race and cheered for our pig Luke Skyporker. We went to the indoor soft play and spent a happy hour on the slides. The children really enjoyed themselves, behaved beautifully and will have lots of happy memories I am sure. 

Mrs Ragless

Prep and Pre-prep pupils have been delighted to welcome Mrs Douglas and Mr Southee into assemblies and lessons this week to recognise Mental Health Awareness Week. Opportunities to pause, reflect and practise mindfulness have been most welcome amongst another busy week of growing and learning. With extra encouragement to get outdoors, pupils have enjoyed more than their usual lessons outside: Year 3 have been developing their skills, using hand drills up at Forest School; Year 6 exited the building for Maths on Monday, using concepts of similar shapes to calculate how tall objects around the school are, including the flagpole! They also took to the front bank to practise their performance poetry in English. Year 4 have been focusing on narrative writing in their English lessons. The children have been creating dialogues that develop tension, when writing about a sinking ship, and they have written endings for a story about a family of friendly ghosts who are discovered by two children when they move to their new home. They have been working hard to expand noun phrases to give their reader more information and to keep them gripped to the edge of their seats!

Nature and Science continue to be a prominent theme of our Summer Term. Excitingly, Reception’s caterpillars have begun to form their chrysalises! Year 3 have been researching which parts of a plant humans can typically eat, and Year 5’s bean seeds have started to germinate! The pupils looked at all the factors they had investigated and were able to come to the conclusion that all seeds need to germinate successfully are warmth and water. A week after first planting the seeds, they already have some very promising bean plants! Nursery have also been enjoying watching their ‘beanstalks’ grow, and it has been joyful, as staff, to see the awe and wonder on the children’s faces, inspired by the beautiful natural world that surrounds us.

Similarly, in STEAM club, the children split into two groups, each with 100 cups and the challenge to build the biggest tower. Team 1 managed an impressive tower of 126 cm then, following lots of trial and improvement, perseverance and resilience, Team 2 achieved 133cm! The children definitely learned that team work and listening to each other is essential, as well as having lots of fun along the way!

Nursery pupils enjoyed their trip to Bocketts Farm this week, and Reception pupils had a wonderful time at Pulborough Brooks, with a particular highlight being the pond dipping! Year 3 have been looking at Celtic roundhouses and Roman Villas in Topic this week, in preparation for their outing to Butser Ancient Farm next week. 

Values Certificates:

Responsibility: Ben W (Year 5), Tombi W (Year 2), Norah C (Year 2)

Stars of the Week

Nursery: Hugo P for displaying improved listening skills and huge enthusiasm on our trip and in class.

Edie b for her positive, friendly and helpful attitude on our trip and in class

Reception: Archie H for being so kind and helpful to others and fabulous pond dipping skills!

Year 1: Annabelle T for having a cheerful and positive attitude to all classroom activities.  She is a ray of sunshine!

Elsie S for showing excellent focus in her English work and for showing increased confidence and fluency in her reading.

Year 2: Henry H for superb ‘Great Fire of London’ artwork.  You created an amazing marble effect on your paper and used your understanding of the London cityscape to create your silhouette.

Mrs Henry

A hugely enlightening and relevant assembly from Mrs Douglas on Monday kicked off Mental Health Awareness Week, highlighting how best to keep ourselves healthy during the upcoming exams and some techniques which may be beneficial to us all. On Tuesday evening a strong staff cricket side took on the First XI in a hard fought affair, with many personal highlights across the teams, not least my brief stint in the middle being quickly ended for a duck by Marcus D's outstanding bowling. The Year 11s started their GCSE Exams with their French and Spanish speaking tests (well done!) whilst the year 8 cohort went on a compelling trip to the National Army Museum in London on Thursday. On Friday a large contingent of talented athletes from across the senior school went off to the ISA London South Region Athletics Meet whilst the rest of us took the opportunity to celebrate the Year 11s during assembly, looking at old photos of their time with us as well as having special musical performances from other sections of the school. A heartfelt 'good luck' to them as they head off on study leave for the remaining examination period. I have no doubt they will do themselves, and us, proud.

Commendations this week have been awarded to Lucy P, Charlie L, Josh W-D, Saoirse W, Daisy N, daisy R and Oscar H (Year 8) for their outstanding efforts talking to the Year 6 cohort about their upcoming Isle of Wight trip. In Computer Science, Annabelle R, George P, Oscar D-K, Eva L, Ariane L and Henry P (Year 9) were commended for the drama pieces regarding cyber security threats whilst Sam R and Iona H (Year 7) were recognised for their outstanding ongoing efforts in English. Finally, Josh M (Year 11) was given a commendation to recognise his completion of the Bronze DofE Award whilst Emma M (Year 11) received a commendation of her being awarded the DofE Bronze Certificate of Efficiency, the first ever member of the school community to receive this accolade. Well done to you all.

Mr Wilson

House Music Finalists Concert

Last Friday saw the return of the annual House Music Finalists Concert, at which parents get a chance to see the brilliant performance the pupils did the term before on House Music Finals day.

It was a lovely and joyous evening, with wonderful solo and ensemble performances from both Prep and Senior pupils. Once again I was struck by the support that all the pupils show for each other regardless of year group or House. The atmosphere was one of support and mutual respect.

A Monster Calls

Rehearsals for the Year 8 and 9 production of the play 'A Monster Calls' are in full swing and going well. The play is a story of healing, hope and emotion, based on the bestselling novel by Patrick Ness. The production is on Wednesday 29th and Thursday 30th June - tickets will be available after half term so watch this space for more information!

Mr Rye

Loneliness Online: What Causes It and Ways to Feel Better

Does a child you know ever feel lonely when they’re online? In a study by the UK’s Office for National Statistics, 14% of 10–12-year-olds said that they DID often feel lonely – so any child experiencing those feelings is, sadly, far from unusual. To support Mental Health Awareness Week – which this year has the theme of ‘loneliness’ – we spoke to a group of children and teenagers, who told us some of the things that make them feel isolated when they’re online. They also suggested some ways they use technology to make themselves feel better when that happens, and we’ve compiled their ideas into a loneliness-busting #WakeUpWednesday guide.

In the guide, you'll find tips such as taking breaks, playing single-player games and listening to your favourite audiobooks.

Click on the link to help you find out more about "Loneliness Online: What Causes It and Ways to Feel Better".

Mr Boden

Staff v 1st XI Cricket Match

This much anticipated match took place on a beautiful Tuesday evening; the sun was shining and the cricket pitch looked fantastic! Ben W won the toss of the coin and decided to field. The staff opened their batting with Curtis Ford, the man that had produced a fantastic wicket in the first place and Mr Macdonald. Both batsman played extremely well and each reached 25 before retiring. Some hard hitting and great timing of the ball from Mr Orme also saw him retire. The Year 11 team bowled some great deliveries, one fantastic short ball from Marcus D caught Mr Seeley, who had batted very well, on the helmet which saw him turn and hit his own wicket. The staff scored 174 from 16 overs, a good score and a difficult one for the Year 11 team to chase.

Tea was very much enjoyed by the players and a very supporting crowd and then the Staff took to the field. Some very good batting from many Year 11s, including some strong hitting from Charlie K, saw their score move along steadily but not quite fast enough to reach the total they were set.

This was an extremely enjoyable evening, and it was made even more special when so many parents and past pupils, who had enjoyed their rounders matches, came to watch the final few overs. The Year 11 team were not victorious but they played with great spirit, determination and sportsmanship. Thank you to all who played and supported on Tuesday evening!

Mr Herbert

Girls' Cricket: U14/15 v. Downsend

On Tuesday afternoon, the U14/15 girls welcomed Downsend to our school for a cricket fixture. The sun came out just in time for the first over on Front pitch - a beautiful sight! Duke of Kent School batted first and got off to an excellent start with Macy B and Jasmine K both scoring multiple boundaries! The pair finished on an impressive score of 38 runs after their 3 overs. The strong batting continued with Tilly C and Maddie I hitting some fantastic 4s and 6s, posting a score of 41 runs! The Year 9s held their own and demonstrated great improvement in their batting too with some particular highlights from Esme P, Frankie M and Alex K. After a short break, it was Duke of Kent School's turn to field. Each pair bowled 3 overs, Downsend started well with a 6 off the second over showing they had some strong batters on their team. However, the U14/15 girls managed to hold them off with very accurate and often powerful bowling! The team also played well tactically and managed to get 7 wickets throughout the innings. A particular well done to Frankie M, Tilly C, Maddie I, Esme P, Pippa S and Helena K for all gaining wickets in their bowling overs! The number of wickets (-5 runs) were extremely important and helped Duke of Kent School to a brilliant victory! The girls worked well as a team with some highlights in the field from Alex K, Violetta P and Abi W. Well done to all the girls involved for a fantastic win in the sunshine!

Miss Vickers

Boys' Cricket: U10/11 v. Copthorne

This Wednesday, the U10/11 A team played a pairs match against Copthorne. Copthorne won the toss and decided to bat first, Duke of Kent School struggled to find their line and length early on as they were bowling. As the first inning progressed, so did the teams bowling accuracy with both Thibaut J and Ben W showing off their bowling skills. Copthorne ended their innings with a score of 44, it was now Duke of Kent Schools turn to bat. The second innings started off well, with a few boundaries and some good running in between the wickets. Throughout the innings all members of the team played a couple great shots, which helped Duke of Kent School end their innings on a total of 71. Well played to everyone involved. 

Mr Orme 

This week, Mrs Sarjant completed the height and weight measurements for Reception Class and Year 6 children with parental consent to take part in the National Child Measurement Programme.  BMI (body mass index) measurements which compare age, gender, height and weight, can be one useful tool (of many) to monitor healthy living.  Go to the NHS BMI calculator to learn how to measure your BMI at home:

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/bmi-calculator/

For children, results are measured in percentiles, with those measuring between the 3rd and 90th percentile being deemed a "healthy weight".  Lifestyle choices can have a huge impact on our BMI and therefore, overall health.  For more information and helpful tips on diet and exercise, and ways to make healthier lifestyle choices, please go to the NHS Change 4 Life website https://www.nhs.uk/healthier-families/

In the medical room this week, we've had an increase in typical summer ailments - notably stinging nettle rashes and tick bites!  Stinging nettle rash can be soothed by cool water or anthisan cream.  Ticks are very prevalent outside at this time of year - it's worth doing a quick check of arms and legs in particular after your children play outside.  For advice on how to remove ticks safely, go to the NHS website area about Lyme Disease.  Be reassured that Lyme disease is only a real risk if a tick is left in situ for many hours.  It is characterised by a "bullseye rash"

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/lyme-disease/

Finally, we'd like to wish all our Nursing colleagues across the world a very happy "International Nurse Day" for yesterday!

The School Nurses

This week we have been celebrating Mental Health Awareness week and acknowledging the importance of looking after our own mental health. The theme of the week this year is, Loneliness and I have been exploring the importance of connecting with others and ourselves to help combat feelings of loneliness.

I talked to Seniors and Prep school about what loneliness can make us feel and how we can help ourselves and others during assemblies on Monday and Thursday. We listened to ‘Rocket Man’ by Elton John accompanied by an animated video by Iranian filmmaker and refugee Majid Adin, which reinterprets the original lyrics to the perspective of a refugee isolated from family, culture, language and all that is familiar. This linked with the idea of how lonely it is to feel misunderstood or not accepted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8y1kp5x0GA

The importance of taking time to connect to oneself, was demonstrated in mindfulness sessions in forms on Wednesday and a visit to Nursery, Reception, Year 1&2 by myself and Mr Southee to lead Pre Prep in their own mindful sessions. We went on a mindful walk, focusing on the feeling of the different textures under foot, considering the sounds far away and those close to, before returning to sit quietly and practise balloon breathing, ending with the sound of the mindfulness bell. 

Students and staff also enjoyed listening to the choir who performed al fresco by the dining hall - described by members of the audience as ‘joyful’ it demonstrated the power of music on our wellbeing.

Students have completed surveys online and enjoyed some of their lessons outdoors in the hope of helping their mental wellbeing whilst at school. I particularly enjoyed working with Year 4&5 creating appreciation circles outside (please ask them about it) which reminded them how much they are noticed and appreciated by those in their class.

Finally, the students have been adding to a word wall in the link to represent ‘human connections’ - it is a testament to those who make them feel less lonely and produced some lovely responses such as:

‘A is always so supportive’

‘My Grandad’

‘My brother, C’

‘P always backs me up and asks if I’m ok’

‘M, the best friend anyone could ever wish for’ amongst many others!

Hopefully, the students will take from this week a recognition that they are connected to so many already but when they are feeling lonely, it is ok to talk about it or ask for help.

Look after yourselves this weekend, do something that brings you joy and be kind to yourselves.

“You cannot be lonely if you like the person you’re alone with.” 

Dr. Wayne Dyer

Mrs Douglas

PADoK News

Casino Royale

TICKETS NOW ON SALE!!!

This is for your eyes only! PADoK Presents 

Please join us for a night of Bond Themed glitz, glamour and fun on Saturday 18th June. The school will be transformed into a fabulous casino for the night with welcome bubbles and canapés at 7pm, dancing, magic and more to accompany the event.

Dress Code: Black tie or a twist of Bond

Carriages: Midnight

Tickets £55 per person to be added to the school bill.  Email with you child’s name and class to: padok@dokschool.org

So shake up your wardrobe, stir up the glam, you only live once (twice). Make it a night to remember!

Second Hand Uniform Shop

The PADoK Second Hand Uniform shop will be open next Wednesday 18th May from 3pm to 4.15pm.

Duke of Kent Singers

We met on Thursday morning for another fun filled singing session.   Mr Rye ensured we warmed up before working on a song.  It is always an uplifting start to the day with lots of laughter and wonderful to hear the harmonies working so well together. Next week at 08.20 in the PA Hall.  Everyone one welcome.

Running Technique Club - Back next Friday

If you are a runner or would love to learn how to run with technique training, learn how to build muscle or to just try something new, come along to our Running Technique Club!  A medical form needs to be completed prior to participation.

Friday 13th, 22nd & 27th May in the morning at the bottom pitch 08.30 - 09.00.  Contact julia@therunningspecialist.com for more information.

PADoK Book Club

Our Summer Term PADoK book is Again, Rachel, the No 1 Sunday Times Bestseller and the long-awaited follow up to Marian Keyes' bestselling Rachel's Holiday.  The book focuses on our heroine having hauled her life back on track, only to suffer a spectacular setback when an old flame arrives in her life once more. We are looking forward to seeing lots of parents in person this summer term to catch up and talk about the book together.  Mrs Newman

PADoK Walk

Friday 13th May and then Friday 27th May. Hurtwood Control car park 3, Pitch Hill.  08.30, everyone welcome.

Mrs Phillips

Senior School Optional Hoodie

The Senior School hoodies have been redesigned by members of the School Council and the finished product can be seen above.  They have done a fantastic job at putting this design together and now finally getting to see the finished product.

This new hoodie is available from Stevenson's on their website: https://www.stevensons.co.uk/.  There is also the option to have your child's initials printed onto the front of the hoodie for a slight additional cost, something we would advise to avoid mixing up tops with other pupils. This hoodie is not an essential item of School uniform, so there is no expectation for pupils to have it.

If you wish to see the sample, please pop into the Main Office to see me and have a look at the new hoodie.

Mrs Woolgar

School Social Media

At Duke of Kent School we have three social media platforms; Instagram (dukeofkentschool), Twitter (@DoKSchool) and Facebook (Duke of Kent School).

Our Twitter and Facebook accounts are public however, our Instagram account is private to keep it strictly for the Duke of Kent School community only. To follow the School Instagram account you will need to request to follow the account. 

We recommend following all three accounts to receive push notifications with news, updates, educational articles, interactions with other schools, communities and public figures.

Mrs Woolgar