Date Posted: 28/03/2024Current News
Category / School News Posted on: 06/09/2023
A glowing review for Kingshott from Muddy Stilettos!
We are delighted that Muddy Stilettos have given Kingshott a glowing school review.
Muddy Stilettos are a regional ‘hub’ for reviews and recommendations, and Katrina, Editor of Muddy Herts & Beds visited recently to meet with the Head and take a tour of Kingshott. They have visited us once before, some years ago, so it was lovely for them to return. Her review is now ‘out’ and we are all delighted that they have given us such a glowing write-up.
Importantly, Muddy Stilettos have really captured the essence of what makes our School so very special – describing Kingshott as “such a happy place to be”, and that “pastoral is never an afterthought”. Two of our favourite quotes from the review are:
- “It's clear that the kids love it here. They are confident and bubbly and the school feels alive with excitement and enthusiasm for learning.”
- “Big on pastoral, and it's the little touches that make all the difference. For example, I like the fact that the rewards system is based on values as well as academic success, with certificates awarded for things such as kindness.”
During their visit, Muddy Stilettos also saw all of our facilities, which they describe as “just fabulous”. They also stated that “from what I did see in terms of the (already in many cases) Senior quality of facilities and teaching, it's a no-brainer to expand to older pupils.” This is lovely to read and shows just how well placed Kingshott is to add Years 9-11 over the coming years. In particular, facility wise, they highlighted:
- “The multi-million pound Sports hall and Drama facility is quite something…When there's a production, the whole space can be converted into an all-singing-all-dancing theatre.”
- “The nursery is a lovely, self-enclosed space and hive of activity.”
The Muddy Stilettos review also took the time to pick out and give high praise to some of Kingshott’s different curriculum areas including:
- “Drama is big at Kingshott (remember that amazing theatre I mentioned?), and the Head of Drama, Claire Adams, is a former West End performer with an infectious enthusiasm for her art. She has some fantastic connections in the industry making for amazing opportunities for the children in terms of trips, visiting experts and so on.”
- “Music has also had an overhaul, with a new Director of Music appointed in Jan 2022. James Rhodes has completely torn up the curriculum and re-written the rule book on how music should be taught to young people today. During my visit he tells me how the kids have been learning how South Korean pop related to classical music, curating Spotify playlists for musical comedies and discovering every genre from African folk singing to Opera. He also encourages the children to bring their personal music interests into the classroom, which keeps it interesting and relevant for them.”
- “The focus in Games is on transferable skills - with some hockey, some basketball and some netball all in one lesson for example - the idea being to nurture a love of sport in general, and the mental health benefits that come with it, as opposed to being labelled a 'rugby player' or a 'netball player'.”
- “The Head of Science (as with many of the school's specialist teachers) is secondary trained so is already offing a simplified GCSE curriculum to pupils, and the Science lessons are very hands-on, so it's not just chalk and talk. The microscopes are A-level quality and pupils enjoy getting their Bunsen burner licences (which ensure they're ticking all the safety boxes).”
Muddy Stilettos also praised Kingshott’s extra-curricular offering, highlighting that “there are over 50 clubs - from Model United Nations to Kickboxing – and various committees to get involved with.” They then picked out our work with UNICEF as being particularly impressive: “There's a UNICEF committee made up of pupil ambassadors - I met one during my visit who proudly dons his pin badge and tells me how they've been learning about the troubles that other children face around the world. These are big issues for young minds but it's clearly stirring an early passion in them and seems to be building a strong foundation on which to build their understanding of how to treat each other - with kindness and respect.”
Finally, it was lovely to read the review’s glowing summary of our Head, Mr Weston, whom they described as having “a natural warmth and ease to his manner… the children chat happily to him in a confident (yet respectful) way and are buzzing to tell him what they're learning about as he enters any room.” Most importantly is that Muddy Stilettos acknowledged that the Head “is a firm believer in children’s happiness being key to success, putting pastoral care at the heart of Kingshott, with a ‘whole child’ approach to education.”
Thanks Katrina and the team at Muddy Stilettos for your lovely review! We encourage parents to all enjoy reading the review in full (just click here to access their website).
