News Stories

On Tuesday, three students from Year 8 and 9 were invited to a special event at the University of Warwick; this was in recognition of their hard work participating in the after school English club Transformations. 

Run by the university, the club was based around the theme of 'Voices' in which the students discussed socio-political issues such as the climate crisis, prejudice and identity. At the end of the programme, all students were invited to submit a creative response - either a speech, poem, story or piece of art work - based on their learning. The three school finalists were Ritik (Year 9), Shante and Dheeraj (both Year 8). 
When we arrived on campus, we were given a tour of the facilities including state of the art technology, the newly opened Faculty of Arts Building and the library. Next, we had a poetry master class with Nicola Hamer and an awards ceremony for the school and competition finalists.

We were thrilled to learn that out of the ten schools in the competition and with over ninety entries, Dheeraj was the overall winner for the city! Emma Mason, the head of English at the University of Warwick, spoke passionately about how moving she found Dheeraj's poem, praising his creativity, insight and compassion. 

I was so impressed by the mature and insightful questions our students were asking the university ambassadors, as well as their excellent behaviour throughout the day. As always, they did the school proud! Thank you to all of the students who participated in Transformations this year.                                                                                                                                                  Miss Stentoff, Teacher of English

President Kennedy School was delighted to welcome colleagues from Hays Education and national charity Trees for Cities to work with selected Bridge and Gateway students to plant a number of trees on the school site as part of the Trees for Schools initiative.

Trees for Schools is a Trees for Cities programme, which aims to transform urban school grounds into leafy green oases for both the children of today and for future generations. Their award-winning work in schools is delivery-focused and involves transforming school grounds into greener and healthier places to be. They specialise in innovative design, high-quality planting and landscaping, and inclusive engagement of the school community. Working in partnership with children and schools, they create Healthy Playgrounds; urban playgrounds are reimagined and redesigned; with the introduction of trees, forest gardens, food-growing, outside classrooms, woodland play areas, mini-forests and wildlife habitats. Tarmac playgrounds are transformed into natural green environments that are adapted to the changing climate, enabling creative education and connecting children to nature, supporting their mental health and well-being.

Trees for Cities colleagues were joined by the Hays UK Head of Sustainability, Karen Young, who is working with the President Kennedy School Eco-Council on a challenge to make the school more sustainable over the next 12 months.  Hays Regional colleagues and Rob Bromfield, the school gardener, supported the students in planting a number of young trees within an area of the school identified for 're-wilding' by the Eco-Council and within the Echo Eternal Curriculum Garden featured recently on the BBC 'One Show'.

The students learnt a great deal about the planting season and care of the trees from Caitlin and Tom from Trees for Cities, who were incredibly impressed with the students' knowledge and engagement, as were Karen, Michelle and Sharni from Hays.

It is hoped that the relationship with Trees for Cities will continue, and Karen Young will be returning in the Summer Term to assess the progress of the trees and deliver workshops with Year 12 students on 'Ethical Sustainability' as part of their 'Human Dilemma' Ethics Conference in July.

 Mr Mort, Director of the Futures Teaching Alliance

Congratulations to our Year 12 Public Speaking team who claimed first place at the Coventry Youth Speaks competition beating 7 other Coventry schools. Esha Sandhu, Harman Aujla and Harveen Kaur debated the topic, "The jury system is fundamentally flawed in reaching a just verdict". Their 15 minute presentation was flawless throughout and had the audience at Sidney Stringer school transfixed. Well done girls and they can now look forward to the next round with confidence.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Mr.Finlayson, Leader of Enrichment

Safer Internet Day 2023

Safer Internet Day 2023 is on the 7th of February 2023, with celebrations and learning based around the theme ‘Want to talk about it? Making space for conversations. about life online’. 

Top Tips for Parents and Carers

This Safer Internet Day make space for….

Make space for regular conversations about life online

Talk openly and frequently about what you are doing online and encourage your child to do the same. Talk about the positive experiences you can have online, share what you have done when you have come across content you did not want to, and how you dealt with the situation.

Make space for enjoying and exploring the online world together!

Play games, watch videos, and express an interest in your child’s online life. Celebrate all the opportunities that technology has to offer and show them what a great space the internet can be when used responsibly.

Make space for working as a family to agree expectations for going online

Talk to your family about the role technology plays in your lives. Establish rules and expectations that encourage meaningful use of technology, in the same way you set boundaries in other areas of your children’s lives. It’s important to review these regularly and adapt them for each member of your family.

Make space for learning about the apps, games and websites your child is using

There are lots of tools and guides to support you with keeping your child safe on whatever apps, games and websites they are using. Research age ratings, privacy settings, and safety features (like the block and report button) so that you are best placed to help your child should anything go wrong.

Make space for supporting and reassuring your child if things go wrong

Remind your child they can talk to you about anything. If something goes wrong, listen and respond with reassurance and kindness and stay calm. Work with your child to find solutions to the problem, perhaps by using the block and report tools or seeking advice from school or organisations such as internetmatters.

Mr R. Beattie

Designated Safeguarding Lead

The kitchen staff were busy on Thursday preparing for the Chinese/Lunar New Year by treating staff and students with a special Chinese menu. 

The cuisine included: vegetable stir fry, salt and pepper chips, Chinese chicken curry and sticky hoisin chicken.
Both staff and students agreed that this was a lovely way to celebrate the advent of this prosperous occasion. Gong hei fat choy!