Clive Case's Blog - Principal of the King's School

Happy New Year!

2012-01-06T14:11:00.004Z

A Happy New Year and a warm welcome back to school to you all! I pray that 2012 will be a good and productive year for all in the school community.

I need to offer my thanks to all who were involved in the many enjoyable functions and events which took place at the end of last term. The Nativity Play and Primary Concert was a joy to attend, we have had very positive feedback concerning our Senior Citizen's Party and the Secondary Carol Service was a blessing to all who attended. A special thank you needs to be extended to the Parent Teacher Committee under the leadership of Richard and Linda Skelley for all of their hard work (including the Christmas Bazaar), and we are very grateful to Granny Joy Goode for cooking hundreds of Christmas meals for the pupils and teachers. A thank you, also, to the team of staff and pupils who went to our neighbouring Spire Hospital to sing carols to the staff and patients.

As we are now in the time of year during which we sometimes experience poor travelling conditions due to snow and ice, I need to remind you to check the Snow Report on the school website on mornings when snow has fallen or is forecast. We will use this facility to let you know if weather conditions force us to stay closed on a particular day. We have also introduced a group texting facility which we will use if conditions change during the school day, and we believe that you need to collect your child early to avoid treacherous road conditions. Parents, please make sure that we have your mobile numbers so that you can be included in this communication service.

I look forward to us all enjoying a succesful term at The King's School!

The Festive Half Term is upon us!

2011-10-31T10:54:00.005Z

Welcome back for the final half term of 2011. This is a term rich in events and fun.

This Saturday evening we are having our annual Fireworks display, an event which has become a favourite with many of our families. Admission is by ticket only, as we have to limit numbers for safety and insurance reasons, so please make sure that you book through the school office and place your orders for meals. As the Christmas season approaches, we look forward to the primary Nativity and also the secondary Carol Service. The pupils will also be carol singing at a local hospital and entertaining our senior citizens at an event at the school and the PTC will be organising the Christmas Bazaar for the pupils to enjoy.

We look forward to a visit from our friends from Bremen for the return leg of our annual German language exchange. They will be arriving on the 10th of November.

This is an important term academically, and I urge all of our pupils to work hard from the very beginning of the session and to sustain this right up to the Christmas Break!

This session also holds the possibility of snow interruptions! While I hope that the prophets of early snowfalls are proved wrong, please note that, in the event of snowfalls, I will communicate the status of the school on the snow warning blog on this website. I realize that closing the school is of great inconvenience to parents and will not take the decision lightly. I take note of weather forcasts and advice from police and traffic authorities, and try to post my decision as early as possible (usually by 7.00am ). Please remember that our pupils and teachers travel from a large geographical catchment area and that I have to take this into account when making my decision. I need to look at the forcast for the whole school day and try to ensure that pupils do not manage to make their way to school, only to be trapped here by unpassable road conditions at home time!

I trust that you will enjoy the Half Term with us!

PS - Parents, why not join us for Praise and Prayer at the school tomorrow evening? ( Tuesday 1st November at 7.30pm)

We're Back!

2011-09-07T09:29:00.002+01:00

Good Morning all!

It's Wednesday morning and we are into day three of the new term and the new year. I would like to welcome parents, pupils and teachers back to the school after the summer break, and offer a special welcome to parents, pupils and teachers who are joining the school for the first time this year. we look forward to a productive and enjoyable year.

There is an Induction Morning for parents and pupils new to the Secondary School on Saturday Morning 10th September at 10.30am. We will be sharing information to help pupils to settle into their new environment and also having a time for a Q & A session. Brunch will be served by the Parent Teacher Committee. All year 7 parents and pupils are invited, as well as parents and pupils who are new in other secondary school classes. This is also a great opportunity for parents new to the school to meet one another and the staff. Please contact the school office to let us know if you are able to be there.

The Primary School will have their Induction Evening on Wednesday 14th September from 7 to 8.30 pm. All primary parents will have an opportunity to meet their children's teachers and there will be an info session for parents new to the school. Refreshments will be served by the PTC. Once again, if you are new to the school, this is a great opportunity to meet parents and teachers.

We are proud of the GCSE results which were announced during the summer break.

93% of our candidates achieved a minimum of 5 A* to C grades including English and Maths
(this is the figure that will be published in League Tables.)
100% of our candidates achieved a minimum of 5 A* to C grades (any subject)
30% of grades were passed at A or A*
95% 0f grades were C or above and just 7 D grades out of 148 grade entries.
No grades lower than a D.

These are outstanding results for a non-selective school.

Well done to all of our pupils, and to all of the teachers who have worked with them throughout their time with us!

A New Year!

2011-09-02T15:24:00.003+01:00

Monday sees the beginning of the 2011/12 Academic year. I look forward to welcoming new pupils and teachers and welcoming back the folk who are already part of the Kings Community.

I trust that you have all rested well during the summer break and that you are 'raring to go'!

GCSE rsults for the past year are in and are very good - 93% of our candidates achieved a minimum of 5 A* to C including English Science and Mathematics and 100% achieved at least 5 A* to C grades. For a non-selective school these are excellent results and especially so when you take into account the size of our sample group.

I look forward to seeing you all on Monday morning.

2011-07-08T12:50:00.000+01:00

We are going ahead with the events and hoping the gap in the weather continues

2011-07-08T12:26:00.000+01:00

Decision pending as to whether we can continue in the rain -watch this space

A busy term

2011-05-26T15:36:00.003+01:00

I apologise for the fact that so much time has gone by since I lasted posted on this site!

We have had a busy and disrupted half term. The royal wedding was a joy to behold and the school has written to the Earl and Duchess to offer our prayers and best wishes for their marriage. The timing of the event did, however, create an interesting start to the half term and it did take a while to settle pupils down. Our Year 11 class enjoyed a wonderful Leavers Dinner and we thank Mr Cornell and Year 10 for their hospitality. Said year 11 class is currently in the middle of their final examinations and our prayers are with them (and with their parents!)The Year 10 class has also had their first taste of writing GCSE modules and Year 9 have completed their annual examinations.

We have enjoyed the wonderful spring weather and it was good to be able to open the front lawns up for lunch time.

Looking ahead to the final half term, I encourage you to place the Annual Fun Day in your diary (Sat 2nd July). Please let Richard or Linda Skelly know if you would like to volunteer your services on the day.

Enjoy the break!

Woodrow House

2011-02-02T09:09:00.002Z

Just a quick note for Year 5&6 parents. All is well at Woodrow. Pupils are eating and sleeping well, and seem to be enjoying the activities. They are off on a hike this morning.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-05T12:14:00.002Z

Welcome back and a blessed 2011 to you all. I trust that the Christmas break was an enjoyable and significant time for you, as we spent time together as families and reflected on the gift of Jesus Christ.

This is a busy half term for pupils and staff, with GCSE exam modules being written next week and a full programme of parent consultation evenings to look forward to.

Our text for opening assembly this term was from Proverbs chapter 3 verses 5 and 6- Trust in the lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. I pray that we will all acknowledge His presence in our lives in all that we do and say this year, and every year.

Fireworks at King's!

2010-11-11T19:59:00.003Z

A great evening was enjoyed by all who attended the Fireworks Display on Saturday evening! Thank you to all of the PTC members who helped to make this another succesful event, and in particular to Richard and Linda Skelley who spearheaded the operaton. I am also grateful to Keith and Linda Lane who returned to help on the evening, even though they no longer have children in the school! Richard and Keith control the bangs and flashes that we all come along to experience and, once again, they rose to the occasion with a fantastic display. The catering was excellent with a selection of hot dogs, baked potatoes and chilli con carne to choose from.
Thank you to all who served and cleaned up and to our parking attendants (Brian Aldridge has posted a new record, managing to fit 53 cars into the back parking area before having to close the gate!).

I am looking forward to the Primary Nativity Play and the Secondary School Carol Service. See you there!

Open Day

2010-10-04T08:51:00.003+01:00

I would like to offer my thanks to all who contributed to the success of Open Day on Saturday. Thank you to the PTC and the parent community for providing tour guides and hosts, and also for the catering (and Ms Goode's amazing cakes). Thank you to parents who changed Saturday schedules to transport their children to and from school. Thank you to the Admin team for taking care of advertising and preparation, and thank you to staff and pupils for just being your usual wonderful selves!

After a slow start, things picked up and a steady stream of visitors made their way to the gym to join tour groups, and by mid-morning there was a pleasant 'buzz' around the school.

Thanks also to Mr Cornell, Mrs Matthews and the parent helpers who took the secondary school pupils to Thorpe Park on Friday. A wet but enjoyable time was had by all the pupils.

Please remember to put the Fireworks display on Saturday November 6th into you diaries. We are only able to accomondate 300 spectators, so tickets will be sold.

Welcome back!

2010-09-16T14:37:00.002+01:00

Sorry for the delay in getting the first blog of the new academic year out. I was working on it on Tuesday last week, quite proud of the fact that I had not needed to be reminded to do so, when the school suffered a lightning strike which blew out the power and burnt out ADSL filters, routers and two computers. One of the newly dead computers was mine, and it died with a half-written blog on the screen. I know that sounds like the kind of homework excuses we get from pupils, but I promise it's the truth and I have witnesses!

I trust that you all enjoyed the summer break and are approaching the new term with enthusiasm.

We welcome two new teachers to the staff. Mrs Impson Davey will be teaching GCSE Art and we are delighted to have her join the team. Mrs Holland, who will be known to some of you as Cara Murphy, is a past pupil who is returning to the school to join Mrs Hammond in the Music Department. It is a pleasure to welcome her back! (See if you can spot her in the photo's of past musical productions displayed in the entrance foyer.)

On Friday we enjoyed a BBQ with families new to the school, and on Monday enjoyed the first Praise and Prayer evening of the year. Thanks to all who attended.

Our first Open Day of the year will take place on Saturday 2nd October. Please invite friends and family to see the school. Remember that Friday 1st October is a day off to compensate for the Open Day. Pupil attendance of Open Day is compulsory. Mr Cornell will be taking a secondary school trip to Thorpe Park on Friday.

I trust that you will all enjoy the new academic year.

2010-06-15T09:20:00.002+01:00

Groucho Marx once said 'Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana!' Whether you get his sense of humour or not, the truth is that time is flying by this half-term. I blinked and the first week had passed!

Welcome back to all, to a busy but usually very enjoyable time of year at King's. We have sports days and Fun Days to look forward to, examinations to challenge us and (thus far) a fair amount of sunshine to encourage us.

Please keep our Y11 pupils in your thoughts and prayers as they are in the middle of GCSE examinations. Years 7 and 8 will soon join them and Y10 are also writing some GCSE modules. Year 10 will soon be off for a week of Work Experience and we look forward to good reports from them.

With the World Cup tournament now in full swing, King's is running it's own version with lunch time 4-a-side games between sides representing various countries - including an England side made up of aging staff members (and Mr Reeves!)

Please check event dates on the web site as there have been a number of changes to the original diary sent out to the school community.

See you at The King's School!

2010-04-27T14:18:00.003+01:00

What a dramatic start to a new term! Our Dawn Kids mission Team were stranded in Latvia by the problems caused by the volcano in Iceland and the first week of term was dominated by efforts to get them home quickly and safely. A 55 hour coach journey through seven countries brought them, eventually, to Calais at 8.30 on Wednesday evening. A three and a half hour wait for tickets was followed by a ferry crossing which arrived in Dover at 1.30 on Thursday morning. A group of us had driven minibusses down to collect them, and we all arrived back at the school at about 4.30 in the morning for a happy reunion of families! I would like to say thak you to all who were involved in getting the team back safely, and to all who went the extra mile to cover the duties of the staff members who were travelling with the group.

May I also offer my thanks to all who have supported my mission trip to Cambodia by buying hot dogs or making donations. The trip was valuable to all involved and I am very pleased to have been part of the team. I will be writing a full report once I have collected photographs, and will also feed back to pupils and staff in an assembly. I will continue with the hot dog sales until I have been able to cover all the costs of the trip.

This is a very busy term, especially for the secondary school and our prayers are with our GCSE candidates as they prepare for their external examinations. They leave us in just over two weeks!

Things to look foreward to are the summer talent concerts and the annual Fun Day. We will also be hosting a benefit concert by the Bedfordshire Police Choir. Dates for all events are in the School Diary.

2010-03-05T14:55:00.002Z

We are holding an open morning on Monday 8th March. The first conducted tours will leave the Hall at 10am and we will be entertaining visitors until 12 noon. If you are already part of our school community, please tell friends and family about this event or (better still) bring them along to the school for a visit on the day. If you are a new visitor to this site, this would be a good opportunity to find out more about us. Refreshments will be served, and I will be giving a short talk to introduce visitors to the school at about 11 am. Please consider yourself invited.

Parents and pupils please remember that we have an occasional day on Friday 12th March.

My thanks to all who have been supporting my fundraiser for my mission trip to Cambodia in the Easter holidays. I have received the itinerary for the trip and it looks exciting. We will be teaching and preaching in 5 different villages as well as in Pnom Penh and will also be conducting a pastors conference. I will be cooking hot dogs on a few more Fridays this term and will probably need to continue for a some weeks in the summer term. Thanks also to those who have made donations.

Aesop rocked!

2010-02-11T09:44:00.003Z

My congratulations to the primary school for a great production of 'Bebop with Aesop'! Thanks to staff and parents for all the hard work that went into rehearsals and costumes, and well done to the pupils who entertained us all with so much enthusiasm! Thanks also to the front of house team and the admin staff for their valuable contributions.

We have enjoyed a busy but succesful half term (if one chooses to forget the fun and games caused by the 'Big Freeze') and I offer my thanks to you all for the support which the school enjoys from the parent community.

I trust that you will all enjoy the half term break and the opportunity to spend time together as families.

P.S. - please spread the news that we will be holding another OPEN MORNING on Monday 8th March 2010. Tours will be conducted from 9.30am until 12 noon. Invite friends and family!

2010-01-05T14:44:00.003Z

Hello all, and welcome back to King's at the start of a new decade! I pray that 2010 will be a prosperous and successful year for you all.

Firstly, my thanks to all who were involved in the organisation and presentation of the wonderful Christmas events which we were able to enjoy. The Seniors Party was enjoyed by a group of visiting senior citizens and we have received some lovely cards and letters of appreciation. The nativity plays performed by the preschool and the primary school were a joy to behold, and the Secondary School Carol Service was a great blessing. A group of senior primary pupils also sang carols to the patients and staff at our neighbouring Spire Hospital. A big thanks to the PTC for the Christmas Bazaar and for the catering at the Carol Service and a special thanks to Michelle, Joy and the team who prepared and served our Christmas Meal.

We are experiencing a frosty start to the year, and the possibility of snow closure is looming as I type this post. Please consult the snow report on this website for information about the possibility of the school closing due to travel problems caused by snow. It is often difficult (in the early hours of the morning) to make the decision to close or stay open. I use the information available at the time and also have to take in to account the fact that most of our pupils travel to school from outside Harpenden and therefore I have to consider forecast conditions for travel at home time and not just the beginning of the day. I value your understanding of the challenges and hope we will get the decisions right!

2009-11-17T09:17:00.004Z

Hello all

Hope you all enjoyed half term break and that you are looking forward to cosy evenings and comfort food as winter closes in around us.

Saturday the 7th saw us enjoying the annual Bonfire Night firework display. A good time was had by all and we owe a big thank you to the PTC for organising this. A special thanks to; Richard Skelley and Keith Lane (our resident pyromaniacs) for the display, Michelle Goode and her team for the catering and Linda Skelley for overall organisation. Thanks also to the Lane and Skelley families for lots of help, and to all the parents who assisted in any way.

We also enjoyed a visit from a group of German pupils from Bremen, who came for a return visit to some of our pupils who attended their football festival some time ago.

This half term has a number of important dates. Monday November 23rd is an occasional day, Tuesday December 8th is the Primary Nativity, Thursday 10th December the Secondary Carol Service (at the Highfield Chapel) , Friday 11th December the Christmas Bazaar, Monday 14th December the Senior Citizens party and Tuesday 15th the School Christmas lunch! Lots to look forward to!

2009-10-08T13:53:00.002+01:00

My thanks to all who helped to make our Open Day an enjoyable event. We had a good turnout of visitors and I am grateful to those who ran the catering and to those who welcomed visitors or conducted tours. Thanks also to Mr Cornell for organising the Careers Evening on Tuesday.

Please remember Secondary Awards Evening next Thursday (15th) at 7.30pm in the school hall. Also, please note that we break for half term on Tuesday 20th October. Tuesday will be a normal school day, ending at the normal time.

Blessings!

2009-09-25T14:06:00.003+01:00

Hi all

I trust that you have all enjoyed the sunshine of the past week as much as I have!

Just a quick reminder to all that we will be holding our Open Day next Saturday (3rd October) from 9:30am until noon. All pupils must attend as this is a school day in the school calender and not an 'optional extra'! Winter uniform must please be worn on Saturday. Please use the flyers that were sent to you, to invite friends and family to visit the school.
The school will be closed on Friday 2nd October, although a secondary school outing to Thorpe Park will take place.

For those who know Miss Wright (now Mrs Hutchinson) who taught Year 3 last year - a number of staff attended her wedding to Rob in a beautiful village church in Dartmoor last Saturday, and a good time was enjoyed by all. We offer the best wishes and prayers of the school community to the newlyweds.

Enjoy the weekend!

2009-09-18T14:57:00.003+01:00

Hi to all

Well I've blinked and the term is two weeks old -time really does fly when you are having fun!
Welcome back to King's - I trust that all will enjoy the 2009/10 academic year.

Welcome to Pam Skipp (Y3 class teacher) and Mark Edmonds (Caretaker) who have joined the staff.

The first Praise and Prayer evening took place on Monday evening and a good time was had by all who attended. Please check the calender for the next of these meetings and try to come along.

Please be aware of the upcoming Open Day on Saturday 3rd October -this is an official school day for pupils and attendance is required. Friday 2nd October is a day off to compensate for Open Day and a secondary schoool outing to Thorpe park has been arranged.

A number of the staff will be travelling down to Dartmoor to attend Miss Heather Wright's wedding on Saturday - we pray for a safe journey for all involved.

Enjoy the weekend!

2009-07-29T13:36:00.002+01:00

Well, it's a week onto the summer break and, although summer hasn't put in much of an appearance yet, I am beginning to enjoy the rest. I would like to record my thanks to the staff of the school for a good term and a good year. They are a wonderful group of people and it is an honour to work alongside them.
My thanks, also, to the parent community and the PTC for the support that the school has enjoyed from you all, and to the trustees for their support and guidance.
Enjoy the holidays and the time together as families!

2009-07-06T17:45:00.002+01:00

5.45 - Sorry bloggers -I have to log off now as I have an evening speaking engagement to attend -Karen and Lynette are in the school office 01582 767566 if you need an update.

2009-07-06T17:36:00.001+01:00

SORRY - new estimate 6.30 -they're doing the best they can, but the closed motorway has slowed traffic on all the alternative routes.

2009-07-06T17:00:00.002+01:00

Still delayed 5pm -although the coach is moving, they are still on a diversion on the A40 -Mr Reeves is not sure how long this will take but doesn't think they will be here before 6pm - sorry!

2009-07-06T16:33:00.001+01:00

Sports Day Coach 4.35pm Monday

The coach has been delayed due to an overturned van on the M40 -traffic has just started moving again but they were stationary for some time. If no more problems, they hope to be in between 5.30 and 5.45.

2009-05-21T14:42:00.002+01:00

Just before signing off for the half term (and heading to France for -hopefully -lots of sunshine and good cheese) I would like to thank you all for your support for The King's School this term. A special thanks to all who came to the work day two Saturdays ago!

Enjoy the break with your children!

2009-05-15T12:46:00.002+01:00

A season of examinations is upon us! Our Year 11 group took their formal leave of the school last Friday and enjoyed the traditional garden party at Mrs Monson's home and also the leavers dinner at the school. They are already well into their GCSE examinations. I would like to take this opportunity to wish them God's blessings and to thank them for their contribution to the life of the school over many years. They have been a joy to teach.

Year 6 have spent a substantial part of this week writing SATs and the Year 9's are also writing exams.

Many of you enjoyed the 'King's School has talent!' concert and I would like to thank and congratulate all involved. It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

The coming week sees us participating in the Jump Rope for Hearts project and I encourage you to help your children find sponsors. Part of the money raised will go to the the British Heart Foundation and some will go into purchasing sports equipment (in particular a 'Table Tennis Robot' for the table tennis club) for the school.

Please take note of an early reminder for the school's annual Fun Day which takes place on July 4th and which is organised by our amazing Parent Teachers Committee.

Here's hoping for a sun filled half term break!

2009-04-30T12:25:00.002+01:00

Swine Flu

There is a lot of concern being expressed about the threat of a flu epidemic in the UK. Health authorities are urging people not to panic and are monitoring developments. The King's School will respond to advice from the authorities if, and when, school routines may be affected.

In the meantime the following advice is being passed on to pupils.

Pay attention to personal hygiene -Use a tissue to cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze.

Catch it - Bin it - Kill it!

Place used tissues in a bin as soon as possible.

Wash your hands regularly with soap and water.

Parents are requested not to send children to school if they are displaying flu symptoms -Fever, body aches and coughing and sneezing -and to contact their GP's for advice as usual.

It has been mentioned in the media, that in extreme circumstances, the authorities may close all schools. We are led to believe that this is not considered likely at this time. Should such a measure be put in place at some time in the future, the authorities will announce it via the media, and the school will post info on this blog. We ask all to pray that this extreme measure is never neccessary.

My First Blog - Spring Term 2009

2009-03-26T10:51:00.001Z

The Spring term has been an eventful and successful time. The highlight has to be our production of MY FAIR LADY at the end of February and I offer my congratulations to all involved. We have also enjoyed the PRIMARY ARTS FESTIVAL and the concert which resulted from that, an INTERNATIONAL FOOD EVENING which followed the INTERNATIONAL WEEK in the primary school (all of this involved lots of wonderful food!) and an OPEN DAY which took place just last week. A group of pupils took part in a FRENCH EXCHANGE to Paris over the long weekend, and we will soon be hosting a return visit from their French correspondents and another group will be enjoying the SKI TRIP to Switzerland over the Easter Break. Last night a group of us got together for an evening of PRAISE AND PRAYER and I would encourage more folk to come along to these evenings. We still have our ' KING'S SCHOOL HAS TALENT' week in the Senior School to look forward to before we close for the Easter Break on Friday 3rd April.

Amidst all the fun and games, teaching and learning have continued. Our Year 11 pupils could certainly benefit from your prayers at this time as they revise, complete coursework and prepare for their approaching GCSE examinations (I am sure their parents could too!).

The intention is that future posts on this site will not just be a record of what has happened at the school , but an opportunity for me to share my thoughts in a more informal way than newsletters. On some occasions it may just be a sentence or two as I don't enjoy writing letters just for the sake of writing letters!

May I take this opportunity to thank you all for the support which the staff and I enjoy day to day, and for your commitment to King's. It is a pleasure to work alongside you!

Clive Case
Principal of The King's School, Harpenden
www.TheKingsSchool.com