Since October 2019 a group of Lower School students have been preparing for the annual Rotary Youth Speaks Competition. This is a formal public speaking competition with a strict set of guidelines and criteria and requires students to work in teams of three to deliver a formal debate to an audience of Rotarians and members of the public.

A public consultation event was held in the main hall on Wednesday 22nd January 2020 to show the plans for the future development of Kingsmead School. Representatives from the appointed contractor, Bouygues UK were in attendance to discuss the project and answer questions relating to the proposals and receive any feedback from the 176 attendees which included students, staff, governors, parents/carers, local councillors and the general public.

This term our Year 10 girls’ hockey team qualified for the county finals as Taunton area champions. They had to play 3 schools, Kings of Wessex, Chilton Trinity and Holyrood in the final play-offs. Having not lost a single match last year and losing out on the gold medal on goal difference, the girls were determined to go one better in 2019.

Well done to our Year 8 Girls Futsal team who are area champions after beating Castle School (2-0) and Court Fields School (5-1) in competition on Tuesday 19 November. The team will now go on to represent the area in the County Finals. The girls played some great football and were a credit to themselves and the school

A group of students from Years 10 and 11 visited Bristol on Wednesday 13 November in support of their GCSE studies of Art, Drama and/or Music. The group spent time in the Bristol Museum & Art Gallery to browse and gain inspiration from the diverse range of fine art on display. They then headed to the Bristol Hippodrome to watch a matinee performance of The Lion King musical. This was a great opportunity for the students to experience and enjoy a professional live performance of a multi-award winning show.

Year 12 students who left Kingsmead this summer were welcomed back to the school for a “Big Reunion” evening on Thursday 14 November. Students were joined by parents/carers, staff and governors to celebrate their individual and collective accomplishments and for the presentation of academic and sporting leadership awards. The evening began with music provided by Year 10 GCSE Music student Molly Arscott who performed the song ‘Come Out and Play’ by Billie Eilish.

On Saturday 9 November a group of 50 Kingsmead girls from across Years 8-11 travelled with staff to Wembley to watch the England Lionesses in action. The trip was organised as part of the ‘this girl can’ initiative running in school and as a treat for girls who took part in the scheme last school year, giving them the opportunity to watch women competing on the international stage. The game, England v Germany, saw the Lionesses football team return to Wembley Stadium for the first time since 2014, watched on by a record-breaking crowd for a Lionesses home international of 77,768!

In commemoration of Remembrance Day on Monday 11 November, students from our Core Council represented Kingsmead at the War Memorial service held at Wiveliscombe Recreation Ground. Meanwhile in school, a 2-minute silence gave the opportunity for all students and staff to stop and reflect on the importance of the day. Further time for discussion, on why this day is held each year, took place during afternoon tutor-time.

Two new yellow recycling bins are now on the school site for students and staff to use for recycling of their empty crisp packets. The bins are clearly labelled to show what packets can be placed in the bins.

On Monday 23 September Year 7 students spent the day outside of the classroom on a team building and activity trip, based at the 1610 Sports and Activity Centre at Hestercombe. The day was a great opportunity for the students to spend quality time with each other and their new Form Tutors, taking part in a variety of challenges including an assault course, leaky pipes, tug of war and problem-solving activities.