I am so proud and honoured to have seen through our first year of a full school, with our first set of public examinations taking place this year. We have come such a long way from portacabins in the early days of 2015 to a full school of nearly 1200 pupils housed in part of the old Tiffin building and our new state of the art STEM building, I count myself very fortunate to have been a part of it all.
It has been such an eventful and exciting year. There have been many sporting triumphs, including our U13 girls football team who beat off strong opposition to win The London Cup. Our Y7 boys football team reached the final of the Surrey Schools Cup and over 45 pupils represented TKA at the Borough Athletics event at Kingsmeadow. Pupils have also been able to spend time on the river, under the close supervision of trained teachers, with the launch of TKA’s school dragon boat. Over 250 pupils were involved in the annual House Dragon Boating competition.
I am also extremely pleased for two of our Y11 students, Yuquan and Jason, who won the UK Junior Water prize and will be representing the UK competing against 40 other countries over the summer. They were part of the successful team appointed to improve the area around the John Lewis riverside as part of the Kingston Riverside Realm project. TKA will also be representing the UK in Unesco’s Sea Beyond programme, an educational programme aimed at raising awareness of the need to preserve the ocean.
Y7’s and Y8’s were lucky enough to experience the great outdoors in Kent at the traditional TKA Summer Camp. My huge thanks to staff who showed their willingness to “go beyond” by undertaking the catering for the year group in what was a hot but fun and adventurous week. I am incredibly sorry for the Y9’s who couldn’t make it to camp the following week, due to the extreme heat.
As is usual at this time of year, we bid farewell to a few members of staff who are leaving us to head off to pastures new, many relocating within the UK or moving abroad. I would like to thank them for their valuable contributions to the school, particularly over the past two challenging years, and wish them every success in their new roles. I look forward to welcoming the new members of our team in September.
I look forward to seeing our Y13 & Y11 students as they collect their A level and GCSE results on 18th and 25th August respectively from 8:30am - 10:00am.
Please note that there are two Insed days at the start of the Autumn term, Thursday 1st and Friday 2nd September. There will be a staggered start for Y7 and Y12 on Monday 5th September, with arrivals between 10:10 - 10:30; all other year groups to start on Tuesday 6th September with arrivals between 8:10 - 8:30.
I would like to wish you all a very enjoyable summer break.
Mrs. Sophie Cavanagh
Head Teacher
TKA Formula E
TKA had its first ever Formula E race on Thursday this week. A group of pupils across KS3 and KS4 have been building two electric cars during an enrichment club since January. They had an endurance race on site and it was a truly brilliant experience. The pupils will continue the builds next year with the intention of entering a race against other schools. Thank you to all involved.
Report by Mr O'Brien
Musical Theatre Club
Musical Theatre Club has ran this year every Tuesday lunchtime. We have watched Hairspray, Into the Woods, Oliver, Annie, Legally Blonde, Les Mis, Sound of Music among so many others. We have also been to the theatre to see Wicked, Mamma Mia and Come From Away. We really enjoyed running our own Tony Awards, making power points about our favourite musicals and always asking Miss Ruddick for a kahoot. It has been a lot of fun and we are excited to now go and tell all our friends and family about our favourite musicals.
Written by Emilia, Kristen, Giorgia, Margarita, Elena, Grace and Victoria (Y7)
Literary Magazine
The final edition of Abstract features an array of short stories, artwork and even a short animated film. Click here to view the outstanding work from Alfie B, Gabby C-H, Lola L-C, Alex L, Anna K, Anoushka R and Lyanne W. Thank you for contributing such creative and imaginative work. Check the website, the Google Classroom (code: cozxakh) and TKA Times for the Autumn 2022 submission deadline. Please see Ms Cruz with any questions, or email at mcruz@thekingstonacademy.org.
Maths Drop in Clinics
At TKA, we as the Mathematics Department, offer our learners an array of choices to engage further with their Maths outside of classroom time. Whether learners are already loving Maths or if they need some persuasion on how to love Maths or if they just need some assistance with what went on in class today - there is something for everyone!
Please refer to the picture for detailed information as is available to our learners in KS3, KS4 and KS5. These clubs and drop-in clinics are already very popular but we are always keen to see additional new faces popping in!
Support for low level anxiety and/or low mood
Due to our membership of the Mental Health Support Team we are fortunate to have an Education Wellbeing Practitioner based in TKA one day each week, doing group work and supporting individual pupils who are experiencing low level anxiety and/or low mood. Click here for more information. If you think that this would be a helpful service for your child, please complete this referral form.
Talking to your child about online sexual harrassment: A Guide for Parents
The Children's Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza DBE, has recently published a guidance document for parents/carers helping to support them to understand online sexual harassment.
The commissioner's team brought together a group of 16 - 21 year olds and asked them talk about what they think parents should know, and what they should say to their children when talking about sexualised bullying and the pressures of growing up online.
The report and poster 'The things I wish my parents had known…' can be downloaded here.
Parents/Carers of Year 10 and Year 11 Pupils
TKA has invested in the fantastic GCSEPod revision resource, for which all pupils in Years 10 and 11 have a log in.
GCSEPod are hosting a 1 hour parent/carer live event on multiple dates to explain how GCSEPod can help pupils and develop independent learning skills. Parents/carers can find more details here and register here.
Richmond Household Support Fund
Local families and individuals who are struggling financially and need support accessing food, paying energy bills or other household essentials, may be eligible to apply for financial help through the Household Support Fund. Grants are available to help with buying food, energy costs, children's clothing, essential equipment.
Up to £300 for households with 1+ adults
Up to £500 for households with 1+ child
Up to £600 for households with 2+ children
More information about the fund and applying is available on the Council's website here.
(Please note this funding is not just for people who currently receive benefits).
The Tween Tribe
Our mission is to "get tweens off screens and having fun in the real world"
Instead of the usual holiday club that this age group have grown out of - we host adventure days out in London such as: graffiti spray painting in Shoreditch, chocolate making in Covent Garden, riding the worlds biggest slide, trampolining, cable cars, splash fountains, bathbomb making in Oxford Street, swimming in the Olympic pool etc
Groups are small (10 children max) and leave from Kingston Upon Thames and London Waterloo. All details are on the website. www.thetweentribe.co.uk
Table Tennis England
Sessions are now being run on Saturdays from 12-2pm at Graham Spicer Table Tennis Club in New Malden. All girls aged 7 and above are welcome. Please see flyer below.
Organisations Offering Support to Families
Please click on the link to access a number of organisations for support.
