Quick Start Guide

Aims & values

At KGS, we aim to live out our motto of ‘Work well & be happy’ in all that we do. 

We believe in achieving excellence with integrity, without compromising on individual wellbeing or our values.   

• We encourage and foster personal ambition alongside the development of social conscience. 
• We promote commitment and determination in all areas of school life, while highlighting the importance of care for oneself and others in striving for one’s goals.   
• We provide support to each individual, whilst developing their own sense of self-reliance. 
• Most importantly, we aspire for our students to become the leaders of a better, kinder world. 

Each of these aims is underpinned by our core values of aspiration, respect and engagement (ARE). It is in this way that we can ‘Work well & be happy’, and truly know what that means. 

Aspiration 

We want to equip our students with the skills and confidence they need to pursue their chosen ambitions and pathways. We understand the importance of having the right ‘currency’ in the form of examination results and other outcomes, whilst also pursuing excellence in a broad range of co-curricular endeavours as goals in themselves. We enable our students to become future-ready, able to master digital technology and to build interpersonal relationships with people from all walks of life. We also recognise that success can be different for every student, and wholeheartedly aim to inspire and support each student in the pursuit of their ambitions. 

Respect 

We hold dear the notion that every member of the KGS community should have respect for themselves, for other people and for the world in which we live whilst embracing the concept of kindness, in all its facets. We demonstrate an absolute understanding of equality and diversity, as well as promoting sustainability at every level. Beyond this, we encourage the practice of self-kindness, learning to balance competing priorities and both developing and maintaining a positive self-image. 

Engagement 

We actively encourage our students to fully embrace all the opportunities available to them, including those they are familiar with and may well excel in, and those that are new and require a determined effort. We encourage collaboration with peers and adults both within and beyond the school, recognising how much more can be achieved when working in partnership. We invite our students to give back to the communities of which they are a part, through their leadership and service. 

The transition from primary school

The move from primary to secondary school is a key milestone in a child’s life, and most children need some help to make the transition successfully. The main differences that children will experience at secondary school are:

• Independent travel to and from school for the first time.
• Movement from room to room between lessons and around a larger site in which there are many bigger children.
• Many new adults, each of whom has different roles and responsibilities.
• Taking responsibility for books and equipment, ensuring that the right items are packed for each activity during the day.
• The need to record homework, complete it independently and hand it in on time.
• Many different teaching and learning styles, often involving complex material and longer writing tasks.
• Making new friends and finding their place within a new group dynamic (the area which children worry about most).

The Form Tutor is the member of staff with whom your child will have the most contact and who will help them to identify and overcome any worries. Nevertheless, children can be reluctant to talk about difficulties at school, and it may be that you identify problems before we do. If your child seems to be struggling in their new environment, please contact their Form Tutor in the first instance; there are many ways in which we can help, and children will not be labelled or stigmatised in any way.

As a parent, your instinct will be to support and guide your child as much as you can whilst at the same time teaching them to become less reliant. It is best to try not to do anything regularly for your child that they are capable of doing for themselves. You may find the following ideas helpful:

• Display a copy of your child’s timetable and equipment checklist (on the next page) needed for each day somewhere prominent at home. Your child will be issued with a copy of their timetable at the start of the year.
• Establish a routine for homework and preparation for the next day.
• Set your child small positive targets aimed at encouraging independent working and self-sufficiency as children like to have something to work towards.
• Step in only when progress comes to a halt.
• Co-curricular activities are a particularly good way for children to meet new people with similar interests and to make friends. Try to encourage your child to try new activities, clubs or societies before, during or after school.  It is such an important aspect of creating a holistic approach to school life.  

Uniform and sports clothing

SchoolBlazer is the sole supplier of all our school uniform and sportswear items through their website (the uniform lists can be found here). The ordering system is straightforward, and delivery is usually quick and efficient although we recommend that you do not leave ordering until the last minute. SchoolBlazer will, as an additional service, sew name tapes onto all uniform so that lost items are quickly returned to their owners.

Equipment

Your child will require the following:

• A suitable bag for carrying books and their 1:1 device; we recommend a sturdy rucksack. 
• A pencil case, containing:
  • A blue or black pen
  • Pencils
  • Coloured pencils
  • Rubber
  • Ruler
  • Protractor
  • Compass
  • Scientific calculator (Casio FX-991CW recommended)
• 1:1 device information can be found here

Lockers

Each student will be provided with a locker close to their tutor room. Suitable padlocks will be provided at the start of term. In order to avoid injury caused by carrying around textbooks, kit and other items, we strongly recommend that all students use their locker for storage.

Timing of the school day

The daily routine is shown below. There is a two-week timetable. Tutor period and assemblies (School, House and Year) take place during morning registration.

Additional timings:

Evening routine

In our experience, all children, not only those who struggle with organisation and homework, benefit hugely from the establishment of an evening routine. The example shown below is merely to help you prepare your own version and you should adapt it to take account of sporting and co-curricular activities, as well as any clubs outside of school. Many parents find that having a table of this kind on display (on the fridge, for example) gives them some leverage over their child, but clearly it is also important not to be bound by a routine, especially not one that is only given as an example. It is worth noting that current advice recommends that children aged 11-14 get between 9 and 11 hours of sleep a night.

Key staff

The full list of staff can be found in the School Directory on our website. Listed here are those you are most likely to need to contact in your child’s early days at KGS.

Keeping up to date

KGS is a busy school and you may wish to follow some of these social media accounts to keep up to date with the latest news and information being circulated:

X (formerly known as Twitter)

Instagram

Facebook

Each Friday we send out the Weekly Bulletin via email which contains information and letters related to your child’s year plus additional updates from various departments. At the end of each term, we produce an online newsletter which can be accessed via the Bulletin or through our website.

Insurance

Before your child starts at KGS there are a number of risks you should consider. Included within the fee structure is Personal Accident Insurance with Dental Insurance which provides substantial cover, year-round and worldwide, against permanent disability of your child and dental treatment following an accident. The School also provides, on an opt-in basis, the opportunity to cover for other risks; details of optional policies are provided below. Further literature, including updated rates and application forms will be sent out via email by the Finance Team, in the Summer term. Parents considering any of these products should seek appropriate independent advice and consider the cover they have under existing policies.

Fees Refund Scheme (Marsh)

The 2024 - 2025 termly premium is 1.34% of fees payable*. Many parents have benefited in the past by being able to recover a proportion of the fees if their child has been away from school due to sickness for a period of at least five days (including weekends). Should your child have the misfortune to be away for the whole term, the whole term’s tuition fees would be refunded. A policy addition this year is to provide payment to the School for up to five terms in the event of the accidental death of the fee payer (when aged under 65). 

Private Medical Insurance (AXA PPP Healthcare Scheme)

The 2024-25 cost of this is £150.00 per term.

Personal Effects Insurance (Marsh)

The current termly premium is £8.31 per term*. 

* Please note insurance costs are not controlled by KGS and we only pass on the cost of the service to parents.  Any changes to these costs and terms and conditions will be updated by us as and when they are received from the insurance provider.

Familiarisation Afternoon

Our First Year Familiarisation Afternoon will take place on Wednesday 19th June. Students should come to the glass doors of the Queen Elizabeth II building by 1.30pm and will be free to leave at 3.45pm. Current school uniform should be worn.

Induction

Induction for First Year students is on Wednesday 4th September. Further details will be sent later this term. Term starts on Thursday 5th September at 8.30am.