An audience of parents & carers, students, and staff enjoyed St Edmund’s School’s Prize Giving ceremony this term. This important occasion celebrated the achievements of former students, and forms an important part of the traditions of the school. As Mrs Parsons noted in her welcome, academic achievement for all was at the heart of St Edmund’s vision for the school; however, the prizes awarded also celebrate service to the school community and contribution to school life, as well as honouring the legacy of former pupils and staff.

Students were inspired by our Guest Speaker, Sarah Philpott, Solo Channel Swimmer who talked about teamwork, respect, trust, resilience and overcoming fear and what lies ahead as she continues her journey.

Mrs McAlpine, Subject Leader of MFL & Global Awareness Leader at St Simon Stock Secondary, recently organised educational and cultural exchange trips with two secondary schools in Thailand.

The first cohort from Khon Kaen Wittayayon School, a very large secondary school located in Khon Kaen Province, Thailand visited the school from 02 October to 06 October.

The group consisted of 16 students and three teachers from their English Programme.

The second cohort visited the school from 15 October to 19 October and consisted of 37 students and six teachers.

Both groups were able to visit St Simon Stock daily through a ‘school buddy system’, where the Thai students were paired with a student and their host family.

The students and teachers thoroughly enjoyed their week-long immersion, taking part in all classes, sports and activities. The St Simon Stock ‘buddies’ took their roles very seriously and ensured their new Thai friends settled in quickly and integrated well into all aspects of school life.

The St Simon Stock Secondary Art department is thrilled to announce that seven (!!!) of our GCSE and Sixth Form

students made it to the shortlist for the 2023 John Downton Award.

The John Downton Awards is a highly esteemed exhibition that honours young artists in Kent, showcasing their talents in painting, photography, and drawing.

The works of Elena S, Emilie C, Jamil R, Kyle F, Lauren F, Roisin B, and Will C, some of whose pieces you may recognize from the school's Summer Exhibition, are currently on display at the County Gallery, County Hall in Maidstone.

As always, the standard of the selected works for the John Downton Award is exceptionally high, making it a remarkable achievement to be on the shortlist. We are incredibly proud to share that Emilie Clegg has won the award for "Best Drawing" in the 11-18 category.

This prestigious competition is open to all schools and colleges across Kent, making this accomplishment truly outstanding and well-deserved. During the award acceptance, Emilie delivered a lovely speech in front of local councillors, peers, family, and friends.

Emilie's winning piece will be exhibited at the Turner Contemporary next year, providing a unique opportunity to showcase her talent in an international gallery.

Congratulations to all the St Simon Stock students involved. The John Downton exhibition will remain open until February 2024, from 9 am to 6 pm (excluding weekends) at the County Hall, Maidstone.

St Gregory’s Secondary and the Trust would like to warmly congratulate all our students who received their Summer 2023 exam certificates at last week's Presentation Evening.
 

Our CEO, Annemarie Whittle, and Mike Powis, Chair of the Trust Board of Directors, were in attendance to celebrate our students' hard work and accomplishments.

Special thanks also to the Mayor of Tunbridge Wells, Councillor Patterson, and Mayor of Southborough, Councillor Hill, for attending, and to Miss Hollie O’Callaghan (Entrepreneur and owner of local business, The Cake Labs) for her inspirational talk as our Guest Speaker.

It was wonderful night of celebration and we wish all our students every success in the future!