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  • PK Invaders!

    Published 24/06/25

    Year 9 “Anglo-Saxons” at Sherbourne Fields Special School

    The last few weeks have seen both the end of a long exam season and the start of a heatwave! They have also witnessed the History Project at Sherbourne Fields Special School, surely, one of the highlights of the School Calendar for many a year.

    Dating back to the early 2000s, the History Project has created a close bond between the two schools and provided a major enriching experience for many young people. Not only does it offer the opportunity to make friendships and share fun experiences with a wider, diverse peer group, but it also presents a responsibility and a challenge. To be able to provide inclusive learning opportunities to students of a Special School is an untapped skill that few members of the group realised they had at the outset.

    The project provided a great revelation that learning about the past can be great fun for everyone. All students rose to the challenge of dressing themselves in Anglo-Saxon outfits. Colour, sounds and images help the SF students identify this as a special topic. During the week, we made jewellery, we built boats, we told stories, we danced and we played. We did so with smiles on our faces and had genuine fun. It helped us to bring to life the legend of King Arthur, the various festivals which dominated the Anglo-Saxon calendar, the hard times that Anglo-Saxon workers had to endure to keep their families alive and the wonderful story of King Alfred the Great.

    During Friday afternoon, awards were given out to members of both schools for their excellent efforts. For one member of the group, talented musician Dara Agbato, this provided a great opportunity to showcase her keyboard skills and play some Anglo-Saxon inspired marching tunes to help us put together a battle-march dance.

    Those delivering the project were clearly buzzing from the experience as it ended. One member of the team, Scarlett Gray said “Meeting the kids from Sherbourne Fields was a once-in–a lifetime experience. It made me realise that education is far greater than our own experiences at Kennedy”.

    Jeyani Murugananthan added that “going to Sherbourne Fields was a massive eye-opening experience for us. They showed us how to appreciate even the smallest things in life.” To Natalia Kolodiy, the whole experience was “unforgettable! The kids there were just so fun to be with and everything was interactive. Leaving brought me close to tears.

    So... a huge vote of thanks to the 2025 SF team…. Dara, Heya, Bisma, Madeena, Bella, Seb, Esme, Ollie, Scarlett, Natalia, Toba, Jeyani, Fatma, and Roark.

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  • Royal Navy visits Year 7

    Published 04/06/25

    Year 7 have enjoyed spending time with the Royal Navy

    The sessions are a variety of realistic scenarios, in which the teams are given challenges to design, build, and utilise a range of models relating to a humanitarian aid incident. These sessions aim to develop students’ ability to work together as a group; to adapt, improvise, and communicate to ensure their final designs are as effective as possible.

    Students were given the following scenario in which the aim was to build an emergency flare.

    'The Royal Navy is involved globally with humanitarian support, both on land and at sea. If a ship gets into difficulty at sea, it will send out a distress signal called a ‘Mayday' signal. This notifies other vessels in the area that they require emergency assistance. Once they have sent their distress signal, they will then fire a flare into the air to illuminate the area for any passing aircraft or ships to help locate them. The higher and brighter the flare, the greater the chance the crew has of being rescued. Students will make and fire a flare (paper rocket) outside'.

    As you can see from the pictures, the students worked incredibly well together. The aim was to get the paper rocket higher than the school building. Lots of teamwork took place with some great designs being delivered by students.

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  • Smart Learner Plant More Trees!

    Published 30/01/25

    Smart Learner Driving School have made another significant contribution to the Echo Eternal Curriculum Garden with the purchase of 10 more Apple trees.

    These trees were all planted before Christmas.
    This latest purchase sees the school orchard increase to 25 fruit trees which include both eating apples and cooking apples.
    Add to this the 20 Blackcurrant bushes and the 50 flowering cherry trees that have also been purchased by Smart Learner Driving School.

    Essentially, this commitment to planting trees and bushes is designed to offset the carbon footprint of the driving school when they are working In the local community.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Rob Bromfield, School Gardener

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  • Former Student Visits PKS from the RSC

    Published 16/12/24

    President Kennedy School students had the pleasure of a visit from Royal Shakespeare Company and professional actor and former PKS student, Bally Gill.

    It was wonderful to see Bally perform a section from Romeo and Juliet. Students then had the opportunity to ask many questions about his journey to becoming an actor and also had discussions about 'The Arts' being taught in school. Year 11 student, Gio then performed Act 1: Scene 1 from the play.

    Bally was reunited with his former English teacher; Ms Von Rabenau who reminisced about his school days!

    This was filmed by the BBC Midlands Today.

    Bally is performing in 'Twelfth Night' at the Royal Shakespeare Company from 17 December 2024 until 18 January 2025

    https://www.rsc.org.uk/twelfth-night/?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5KOL3disigMVI6JQBh2d_SmqEAAYASAAEgJgL_D_BwE

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  • Senior Citizens Christmas Meal

    Published 12/12/24

    Our Year 13 students organised and ran our annual Senior Citizens Christmas Meal and celebrations, which was part of their Business Studies course.

    The event was attended by around seventy senior citizens from various care homes in the locality. They enjoyed a fantastic lunch, festive entertainment from our school choir, a game or two of bingo, and a raffle.

    Our guests commented they had a fantastic time meeting our students, including the Community Ambassadors from Year 9 who also helped at the event.

    Thank you, Ellie, Jack, Manraj, and Josh for all your time and effort in making this such a fabulous community event.

    Mauricare Ashfield House
    Herald Lodge Care Home
    Coundon Manor Care Home

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  • Rupert...Rupert the Dog!

    Published 12/12/24

    Rupert, The School Intervention Dog has been acclimatising to President Kennedy School in the last few weeks. He has been making friends and getting used to the school environment in a really positive way.

    He was sourced from Medical Detection Dogs, who are members of Assistance Dogs International, a charity that trains dogs for medical purposes, and Medical Alert Assistance Dogs. He has had a career change after being assessed as a suitable dog for being in a school. Many students have been asking questions about him and he is looking forward to working with targeted students before the end of this term.

    Mr Arnett said,

    "Having a dog in school is an amazing opportunity for our students. It allows us to explore lots of avenues associated with dogs; careers; training; responsible dog ownership and of course helping with positive mental health. It's also an exciting opportunity for me to bring all the vast experience I have had with dogs in my previous profession as a Service Dog Trainer to my role as Pastoral Leader in the school. I have already seen the positive impact he can have firsthand on some of our students and know he will help to instill the school values of PRIDE."

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  • Year 7 Perform Romeo & Juliet at The Belgrade Theatre

    Published 11/12/24

    The cast of Romeo and Juliet from The Bridge performed their play at The Belgrade Theatre. They attended a full professional technical and dress rehearsal in the morning and then wowed the audience on the night. They performed as part of The Shakespeare Schools Festival, along with Edgewick Primary School.  

    The students had a great experience! 

    "Romeo and Juliet rehearsals were tough and tricky but the process was fun. We learnt a lot about projecting our voices, blocking and theatre etiquette. We had a theatre professional come to our school for a workshop which helped us to 'land our lines!' Shannon and Mya

    "I had the experience of a lifetime doing Romeo and Juliet. I decided to do this because I thought it would be a great gateway to an acting career; and it is! It has helped with my stage fright as I have ended up with a small part. It has been so much fun performing with everyone!" Eliot 
    "The Belgrade was so much fun! I had a great time and got to experience so many fun things! I made lots of new friends and I felt like I could express my feeling, especially as Romeo. Overall, it has been amazing and if I could do it all again, I would!
    " Seb

    "It takes ages to learn your lines but it is all worth it! The stage is beyond anything and the feeling of everyone seeing you is really exciting." Wren 

    Mrs Arnett said, "The process this year was tough, but the cast pulled through and showed their commitment to the performance process. They were so mature in the tech and dress rehearsal and had lots of positive comments on the night. Well done all!" 
      
    Mrs Arnett, Student Leadership and Character, The Bridge

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  • SIX!

    Published 28/11/24

    SIX is the story of Henry VIII's six wives; a story of reclamation of their own individual narratives - separate from those written, altered, and retold by men.

    The show content was learned in only a month and we were blown away by the students' determination, resilience, and teamwork.
    The SIX wives were outstanding!
    The whole cast were amazing, showing confidence and passion; it was hard to believe this was a school show!

    Once again, the students were a delight to work with and we are so very proud! WELL DONE ALL!

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  • PKS Win National ARC Timpson Award

    Published 21/11/24

    The Futures Trust Parkgate Primary School and President Kennedy School became National ARC Timpson Award Winners at the Attachment Research Community Annual Conference this week.

    Attachment theory explains how children build an internal working model of themselves and the world through relationships. Trauma, abuse, neglect, separation, and bereavement have adverse effects, which means the child and adult's sense of safety and relationships need to be rebuilt in order for them to learn.

    The Attachment Research Community (ARC) supports schools and settings to develop best attachment and trauma-aware practice. ARC is a charitable organisation set up in 2017 with a mission to support all schools to be attachment and trauma aware.

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  • President Kennedy School Win the UKLA Award!

    Published 12/11/24

    President Kennedy School, the only secondary school to ever win the UKLA Literacy School of the Year award, was formally presented with this honour on Monday, 21st October in a Year 7 assembly. 
    The school’s literacy program is integrated across all subjects, encouraging creativity and literacy development throughout students’ education. The reading and literature experiences at the school are designed to be deeply enriching, offering students a variety of ways to engage with texts and explore the joy of reading. From book clubs and themed reading weeks to author visits and storytelling events, students are immersed in a vibrant literary culture that promotes a lifelong love for reading.

    Mrs Jones, Assistant Headteacher and 
    Subject Leader of English

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  • Ethics Conference

    Published 21/10/24

    The Ethics Conference provides Post-16 students with the opportunity to attend lectures and seminars with professionals from many different fields. All Year 12 students from President Kennedy, Stoke Park and Barr's Hill schools attended the day. 

    They began their day listening to the first keynote speaker, Dan Belcher. Dan is an education specialist and leads on the SSAT's leadership programmes. He delivered a insightful talk on the impact of ethics in education and asked students in the audience thought-provoking questions to get them to consider their own values. Students then attended two workshops of their own choice based around their future career aspirations. There were workshops held on theology and the Holocaust; social care; sustainability; medicine; law; politics; violence prevention; philosophy; education; policing; charity; AI; marketing and finance. 
    All workshops explored the role ethics plays within these fields. 

    Speakers ranged from President Kennedy School alumni, Jas Bhambra, to local councillor Esther Reeves. In total 19 professional speakers delivered talks across the course of the day. Students ended the day by listening to an incredibly moving keynote speech from Holocaust survivor, Peter Lantos. Peter spoke about his experiences in concentration camp Bergen-Belsen. 

    To end the day, Mr Lane began a question and answer forum with Peter, then students from the audience were invited to ask their own questions to Peter. It was a truly moving and memorable experience for all students involved. It was a truly remarkable experience for Year 12 to be able to learn from so many industry professionals.

    Sophie Rejali,Teacher of Religious Education and Leader of Personal Development in Post-16

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