Tuesday 2 May 2017

Good morning, I hope you all had a good bank holiday weekend; I could get used to these three day weekends and four day weeks!  This week is a relatively quiet one.  Tonight we welcome parents of Year 7 boys at the Year 7 Parents' Evening.  It is the first time parents of Year 7 boys have met their son's teachers, and I hope the feedback they receive is positive. 

Thank you to everyone who supported the Parents' Association’s non-uniform day on Friday.  Support from the Parents' Association is becoming increasingly important, and their non-uniform day is a really good example of an event that involves the entire student body supporting the School.  Thank you.

Tuesday 25 April 2017

This week is a much busier one than last week.  This evening I am attending the quarterly Old Maidstonian Committee meeting and tomorrow after school we welcome new parents and students who are joining MGS in September.  The event tomorrow is the Year 6 Welcome Evening; it is the event that we invite new members of the MGS community into the School to begin their journey as Maidstonians.  Also at that event the current School Captain, School Vice-Captain and Student Leadership Team relinquish their positions after undertaking them over the last year and invite the new team to take over.  Thank you again to Tom Lindsey, Joshua Gray and the Team for the last year and I look forward to working closely with Kristian, Lex and the new Team over the next 12 months.

Friday this week is the annual Parents' Association non-uniform day.  The day normally takes place in June to coincide with the Summer Fete but this year it is taking place in April just before the May Day Bank Holiday weekend.  The Parents' Association works incredibly hard to support the School and this non-uniform day is one of many events that raises money to help fund numerous projects around the School.

And finally, 4 RAF cadets, accompanied by Mr Parish, spent 10 days based at RAF Troodos in the Cypriot mountains along with 52 other cadets from all over the UK. While there they had official visits to most areas of RAF Akrotiri including the Sea Rescue helicopters, police dogs, explosive demonstrations, leadership exercises, air traffic control, DCCT range shooting, weapons demonstrations, meteorological office and the fire-fighting section. There were also more adventurous activities such as clay pigeon shooting, high/low ropes, swim tests and life raft demonstrations, dodgeball and other sports, laser tag and paintballing, and beach sports. To give you some context, RAF Akrotiri is a very active operational base where the RAF is conducting Operation Shader in Syria and Iraq, and RAF Troodos is the UK radar installation covering the Middle East.  Thank you to Mr Parish for accompanying the cadets.

Tuesday 18 April 2017

Welcome back everyone; I hope you all had a good and well-rested holiday.  Today we embark on the final term of the year, and this first week is a relatively quiet one, to ease us back into things, but the new term sees the very important examination season begin. Students from Years 11 to 13 are completing GCSE and A Level exams in May and June and I am hoping that they have already started with their revision! There are now only four weeks until the exams begin so many students will be knuckling down to prepare for them.  Good luck to everyone involved.

Before the holiday we enjoyed a week of Old Maidstonian events. Last year's leavers returned to receive their A Level certificates; the 1st XV played the Old Maidstonians at rugby and beat them 40 - 0; and nearly 100 former students attended the Old Maidstonian Society Supper. This last event took place on the last day of term and was presided over by the then president of the society, Neil Turrell.  His presidency came to an end at the supper and we welcomed Sam Coppard, School Captain 2011 - 2012, to take on the role for the coming year.  The supper was a lovely occasion, and I thank all the students, parents and staff members who attended and supported the event.

A lot of work has taken place over the holiday, particularly to the premises: new flooring and carpet in Reception and Lobby, new lights in the Quad, new gold curtains now hang in the Big Hall, a number of areas of the school have been painted, and progress has continued with the building project.  Thank you to all of the staff who continued their work over these last two weeks which included a number of crucial revision classes for the older students.

Many congratulations to Maxim Bragin of 7H who competed for Kent at the South East Schools' Inter-Counties U13 & U14 Cross-Country Championships at the end of March. The competition was very tough indeed with Maxim coming 49^th out of 80 and 10^th out of 16 in the Kent Team.  Well done Maxim.

Over the first weekend of the Easter holiday, the Army Section took part in the Cadet Cambrian Patrol in the Brecon Beacons.  This is a national competition with 22 Army sections selected from all over the UK. The cadets spent 13 hours navigating 30 km, over arduous terrain in typically challenging Welsh weather.  On route they had to complete 7 military tasks, ranging from first aid to a sniper stalk. This was the first time that MGS entered the competition and the months of preparation was rewarded with a Bronze Medal.  

Enjoy the first week back.

 

 

Tuesday 28 March 2017

Thank you to everyone who supported and got involved with last Friday's Comic Relief charity day.  A number of students helped make cakes earlier in the week to sell on the day, students were on the school gates collecting donations, and many attended the 'MGS does Countdown' event in the Big Hall at lunch.  Thank you.
Last Thursday the SLT spent a day away from school planning for next year.  We were joined by Mr Ferguson and Mr Martin who will be joining the team from September, and together we talked about next year and how the school continues to evolve.  It was a very helpful day and much was accomplished.
Over the weekend the CCF Army section entered an eight man team into the 11 Infantry Brigade Military Skills Competition.  They competed against 16 teams from CCF and ACF from all over the South East of England.  They took part in 16 stands to test their knowledge and skills in a whole variety of military disciplines, including map reading, fire control orders, reconnaissance patrolling and shooting.  The team finished in the top three in half of the stands and won 4, however it was not sufficient to take top spot, finishing in a very worthy second place.  Well done to the cadets and thank you to Major Highway and Mr Rai who accompanied them.
Matthew Howson of Year 8 competed in the Schools Inter Counties Cross Country on Saturday representing Kent and MGS.  He also qualified for the Schools British National Biathlon Championships on Sunday at Crystal Palace where he came 22nd nationally in the U14 age group.  Well done Matthew.  Hamish Reilly, Bashri Ryan and Simon Coppard all took part in the English Schools Cross-Country Championships in Norwich at the weekend representing Kent. The Kent intermediate squad performed very well and as a result received a cup for the first team of 8 members out of every County in England. Overall Kent finished in second place behind their rivals Essex and only lost out by 1 point.  Well done boys and thank you for representing MGS in the Kent team.
This week there are a number of events where we welcome Old Maidstonians back to school.  Tonight a number of last year's leavers are coming in to attend the A Level Presentation Evening where they get presented with their A Level certificates. On Wednesday the annual Old Boys’ rugby and football matches take place against the current school teams.  Both matches kick off at 2.30pm on the school field.  And on Friday the annual Old Maidstonian Society Supper takes place.  Nearly 100 former students of the school enjoy an evening meal in the Big Hall, catch up with each other and hear from me and a number of other speakers about the school.  We welcome them all.  Friday is the end of term and then we all enjoy a couple of weeks off.  I hope you and your families have a wonderful Spring break.

 

21 March 2017

Thank you to everyone who came along to support their school at Friday's annual rugby and netball fixtures against Oakwood Park at Aylesford Rugby Club.  Once again the camaraderie and allegiance you all had for each other was overwhelming.  Well done to all the squads who played, bringing home five victories and a draw.  Results were as follows:  U12A won 15 – 10, U12B won 35 – 0, U13 won 45 – 5, U14 won 60 – 0, U15 won 22 – 7, U18 Girls Netball drew 13 – 13 and the 1^st XV won 54 – 3.  Well done everyone.  A big thank you also to the staff who accompanied the players and who have supported them during the season.  A great day for MGS.  As well as the rugby last week we also played Oakwood at football in the Maidstone District League.  The U15 and both the U14 A and B teams played on Wednesday bringing home three wins out of three.  The U15s won 4 – 2, and the U14 A and B teams won 8 – 3 and 9 – 0 respectively.  Well done boys.

Congratulations to Ella Collie, Samuel Jeffery, Charlie Luxton, Matthew Piper, William Terry and Allen Wesson all from Year 12.  They won the Kent heat of the ICAEW National Business & Accounting Competition last week and will now be representing Kent schools at the National Final in Birmingham on the 30^th June, competing against 42 other heat winners from around the UK.  Well done all and thank you to Mrs Acaster and Mr Seymour for supporting them.  Well done to Joseph Clapham, Paras Dixit, Ethan Ellingham, Samuel Fletcher, Edward Flower, Alfred Hodges and Matthew Taylor of Year 8 and 9 who spent two days in Birmingham last week taking part in the Big Bang Science Final.  We were one of over 400 schools taking part and these seven boys were a credit to MGS.  Thank you to them and to Ms Jefferson who has supported them for the last few months.

Tonight we welcome parents of Year 11 students into the school to attend the Year 11 Parents' Evening.  There are now only a few school weeks to go before the students begin their study leave and start their examinations, so this parents' evening comes at a good time.  On Thursday members of staff from the Senior Leadership Team are having a day away from school to discuss how the school is continuing to develop and how we can best support it.  We will be joined by two new faces who will be joining the SLT from September.  Days such as these are incredibly important and provide an opportunity for discussion and action away from the daily hustle and bustle of school.

On Friday MGS acknowledges Comic Relief.  There will be a number of events taking place during the day, including the selling of hundreds of cakes and the traditional Big Hall event.  This year the 6th Form students are putting on a Countdown themed event which will hopefully provide a few laughs.  Students, as normal, will be permitted to come into school in non-uniform, contributing £1 to do so.  Please do support the day.

14 March 2017

Firstly I wish to acknowledge the effort and commitment of the Girls Rugby Squad last weekend that took part in the Reigate 7s tournament.  Although they lost their matches, their valiant effort on the pitch should be commended.  MGS has had very good success with girls’ rugby in recent years, winning the Kent 7s tournament on two consecutive occasions in 2014 and 2015.  Thank you to all the girls who took part, we look forward to what the rest of the Sevens season brings, and thank you to Mr Hathaway for supporting the squad.  I am pleased to announce that the MGS CCF RAF Ground Training Team won the National Air Squadron Trophy Drill competition at the weekend at RAF Halton.  The team performed well in the seven disciplines that make up the overall Air Squadron Trophy coming 11^th out of 200 schools nationally.  MGS is a seven times winner of the Trophy, but sadly we have not managed to win the competition for several years.  We always place highly in the drill element of the Trophy and so this year retaking the crown was incredibly rewarding.  Well done to all the cadets and thank you to Mr Moores and Mr Parish for accompanying them and supporting them over the last few weeks and months. Last night I attended the Kent Public Speaking Competition watching Leo Hodges and Allen Wesson of Year 12 represent MGS.  We have had some good success in this competition in the past, but sadly on this occasion we did not bring home any silverware.  Well done boys and thank you to Mrs Brooks and Ms Lewis who supported the boys at the event and who helped prepare them both over the last few weeks and months.
After school yesterday I was joined by the rest of the SLT and both the current and new School Captains and School Vice-Captains to select the students who will become the next Student Leadership Team.  It is always a pleasure being involved in such tasks, reading the students’ application letters, and seeing how they all wish to continue to give leadership and service to their school.  The final outcome will be announced shortly.  Tonight after school many members of staff are completing some training in preparation for the new Pastoral and House structures from September.  You will all know by now that we are creating a more vertical structure and so this year one member of staff and 21 students have been doing that very thing and have taken part in the pilot vertical form.  A number of these students will be involved in tonight’s training as they can give a first-hand impression of what it is like being in a mixed aged form. 
Tomorrow night is a new event in the School’s calendar: The MGS Careers Evening.  Aimed at students in Year 9 to Year 13, a number of external speakers and presenters will be outlining what is required and what it is like working in a variety of fields.  Many students and parents have booked to come along, so we look forward to a very busy and positive evening.
And finally this Friday a number of boys are taking part in the annual rugby fixture against Oakwood Park Grammar School.  Held at Aylesford Rugby Club, the U12s, U13s, U14s, U15s and senior squad are all playing with different kick off times starting from 5.30pm.  Let’s hope we can bring home five victories.  Do come along and support.

7 March 2017

The Senior Rugby Squad took part in the Gravesend Sevens Competition last Monday at Gravesend Rugby Club. The team beat a number of good sides including Sevenoaks School, Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School to get to the final where they played Rochester Mathematical School, who had secured their place in the final with wins against Eltham College and The Duke of York School. With some outstanding rugby and commitment we won the trophy for the first time in the history of the competition. Notable past winners have been The Judd School, The Skinners’ School, The Duke of York School and Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School.  Well done boys and thank you to Mr Hathaway who accompanied them.

Thank you to those who came along to Friday’s Jam Tribute Night organised by the Parents’ Association.  It was a very successful night which raised a healthy sum of money.  Thank you to the Parents’ Association and do look out for other PA events later in the year.

At the weekend a number of MGS students took part in the Maidstone Invicta Rowing Club Spring Head Race.  Many students were rowing for the club, but two students, Daniel Jones and Stephen Mackie of Year 13 competed as MGS.  Conditions were terrible, but Dan and Stephen had a really good row and ended up coming 7^th out of over 50 boats in their division.  This is a remarkable achievement when you consider that 18 of the boats in their division had more rowers in the boat than in Dan and Stephen’s boat.  Well done boys.

Tomorrow we welcome parents of Year 13 students who will be attending the Year 13 Parents’ Evening.  This is the last chance these parents will formally meet the teachers of their children, and with examinations being just round the corner, many students will be knuckling down for the last push.  We look forward to seeing parents tomorrow.

This Friday is the deadline for students of Year 12 to hand in their application to be considered for a position on the Student Leadership Team for next year.  There will be many more applicants than positions, so the following couple of weeks will be used to whittle them down to the best 12.  Good luck to everyone who applies.

28 February 2017

This week students from Year 11 continue to meet with key staff to discuss their thoughts about life after the GCSE examinations.  The advice and guidance we give students throughout school, particularly at this stage is crucial.  It is hoped that many of the boys decide to remain at MGS and continue their studies here.

Last night and tonight I am meeting with a group of parents who wanted to come into school and ask questions regarding our imminent expansion plans and decision to reshape our pastoral and house structures.  Last night went well and I look forward to meeting different parents tonight.  If you would like to come along then please do.  The evening begins and 6pm and will last about an hour.

Last week I had the pleasure in appointing Kristian Szwedziuk and Lex Delamere-Ayling as the new School Captain and School Vice-Captain respectively.  This week I launched to the rest of Year 12 the Student Leadership Prefect Team application process.  Students will have the next two weeks to write a letter of application if they wish to be considered.  It is hoped that a decision of who will be selected will be made by the third week of March. 

This Friday the Parents' Association is hosting a Jam Tribute Night, one of a number of new events this year.  The evening starts at 7.30pm.  Do come along.

21 February 2017

Welcome back to Term 4, I hope you all had a good break.  I also hope that this blog is reaching a much larger audience.  Following the recent Parent Forum meeting it was suggested by parents that this blog should be emailed out each week via ParentMail as well as being posted on the School website.  For those who are new to these blogs, then welcome, and I hope they provide a small insight into the life of MGS.  I have just returned from Paris where I accompanied the senior rugby squad on the 2017 Paris Rugby Tour.  24 sixth form students enjoyed the half term playing two games of rugby (won one 40 – 0 and lost one 29 – 12), took part in four training sessions, watched Racing 92 play their weekly fixture and enjoyed the sights of Paris and took in much of its culture.  Thank you Mr Hathaway for making this tour happen, and I look forward to the next one.

From this week senior staff and staff who predominantly work in the Upper School meet each student from Year 11 to discuss their progress to date and their plans for next year and beyond.  These meetings play an important part in the advice and guidance we give to the students, and I hope the boys come away with a clearer understanding of what they need to do during these last few months before their GCSE examinations.  Yesterday I had the pleasure in interviewing the shortlisted candidates for the roles of School Captain and School Vice-Captain.  I always look forward to this day, but more especially offering the roles to the successful two.  Tomorrow we welcome parents of Year 10 students to the School to attend the Year 10 Parents’ Evening.  The boys in Year 10 are about one year away from their GCSEs and so tomorrow night is a chance for parents to understand how their sons are getting on and understand more the new GCSE grading system. 

A reminder to parents of students in Years 7 to 12, there are two opportunities next Monday 27 February and Tuesday 28 February to come into school and meet with me and key staff to answer any questions you may have regarding our expansion plans and reshaping of the Pastoral and House structures of the School.  The sessions start at 6pm, please email my PA, Mrs Friend, if you would like to attend on denise.friend@mgs-kent.org.uk   And finally congratulations to Jabez Cheeseman of 7S who has just secured the role of young Harry in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Palace Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue.  This is an amazing opportunity and a great thing for a Maidstonian to have achieved.  Well done Jabez.
 

 

7 February 2017

We have now dug the first hole to begin phase 1 of our 3 year building project.  On Wednesday last week we had a Ground Breaking Ceremony to mark the beginning of the construction of the Performing Arts Building.  Governors, parents, staff, students and representatives from the Local Authority, the architects and the building contractors were all present to witness me dig the first hole.  It has taken a long time and a great deal of hard work to reach this point, but we are all now very pleased that we will see the building get built. 
Yesterday after school I met with the Parent Forum, a group of parents who act as my sounding board and provide me with a parental perspective into the future of the School.  Last night we talked about the expansion plans, the new vertical pastoral structure, the new assessment arrangements and how we are supporting young people with their mental health.  It was a very positive meeting and we all came away with a better understanding of how the School is developing and how it goes on ensuring that it works for the benefit of all of our students. 
This week, following last Friday’s deadline, we shortlist the applicants who have applied to be the next School Captain and school Vice-Captain.  13 students applied and the interviews take place the first day back after half term.  Today we will be asking Year 12 and all of the staff who they think should take up the two roles.  Watch this space. Tomorrow we welcome parents of Year 8 to attend their Parents’ Evening.
Year 8 is a crucial year as it is when the students choose the GCSE subjects they wish to study from next year.  Subject teachers will be on hand to provide essential feedback, and also teachers who teach some of our newer subjects will be on hand to provide information about their subject. 
At the weekend 70 cadets took part in a CCF Training Camp to prepare for a variety of different events coming up later this year.  The RAF Section took part in the preliminary round of the Air Squadron Trophy and came 4^th, successfully achieving a place in the Nationals.  A number of other cadets took part in some weapon handling training and the Cambrian Patrol Team Exercise.  All had a good weekend.
And Finally, William Luckhurst of Year 10 competed in the National Cold Water Championships a couple of weeks ago.  He was competing in the 15 -18 age range, and so was one of the youngest competitors there.  Despite this he secured Gold in two events namely the 90m freestyle, an absolute killer of an event in freezing water, and the 30m breaststroke.  He is now the National Champion in these two events. These results also put him in a good position for the World Championships in 2018.  Well done Will.