Our Talent Show was a remarkable evening, with polished acts and some really astonishing abilities on show. We were all blown away by the comedians and musicians: we laughed, cried and beamed with pride. In addition, we managed to raise an incredible £849 during the event, which will be split between Guide Dogs and Cancer Research.
The winner was Milo, who won the show with his wow factor guitar performance. Second place was a beautiful rendition of Back to Black by Gracie and Sophia. Third was Noah performing his stunning contemporary dance routine. Congratulations to everyone who took part in such a memorable event.
The whole event was planned, organised and run by a student team of Ted S, Archie B and Daisy A. We would like to say a big thank you to them for managing the publicity, organising auditions, contacting local businesses and asking for raffle prizes to raise money for Cancer Research and Guide Dogs for the Blind.
Thanks also go to Colin Mister from our governors, who was a judge on the night – a difficult role!
Head Teacher Mr Eddy said: “At their first meeting with me they arrived in my office with the proposal and all of them had a file with virtually every aspect of the project all arranged. They then approached staff to help them.
“They ran the whole evening, managing the acts, staff and generally hosting the event. They were professional, funny and very slick indeed. In short, I have never seen a school event organised and run by students as well as the one last night.
“We all experienced the real sense of joy for all the acts and it made me very proud of our students. It was great to see how they flourished when given the opportunity.”
It has been another busy term in the Computing Department.
Years 7-9 have been working hard on spreadsheets, binary numbers, data representation, computer systems and networks.
Year 9 has been studying a new topic this term too – how artificial intelligence and machine learning works, the ethics and potential for bias and how AI will impact on schoolwork and learning in the classroom. This has been an interesting experience and we hope that it has started to broaden their understanding of the impact that it will have on their day-to-day adult lives.
Years 10 and 11 have been engaged in the iMedia course on their coursework projects, and the computer scientists are continuing to work hard on their programming projects and theory work.
We are also running a weekly after school Cyber Club for a group of Year 8-10 students, which is covering these topics:
Put your problem solving to the test with a cyber security-themed escape room. Solve clues and puzzles as you learn to out smart cyber threats.
Become a cyber defender in this role playing game where you’ll defend a virtual network against attacks and discover key security tactics.
Master the basics of wifi security as you configure and secure a network. Learn how to keep digital spaces safe from intruders.
Get hands on with scanning tools as you learn the basics of ethical hacking and how to identify weaknesses in a secure, controlled environment.
The club is running in conjunction with Bridgwater Taunton College’s computer science team leader, so it is bringing real world experiences and extended learning whilst linking in with college and career options for our students to explore in the future.
Next term we are going to launch our brand new programmable handheld arcade game kits, and we are planning an out of school activity in May for Year 8 to Exeter College.
Mr Smith
During our Drop Down Day, we were thrilled to welcome The Entitled Sons, an up and coming Somerset band consisting of four brothers and their dad, to perform for our students. This special event was designed to raise awareness about online safety, a crucial topic in today’s digital world.
The performance kicked off with high energy live music that had everyone engaged and energised. The band’s mix of genres resonated with students, who couldn’t help but tap their feet to the rhythm. But it wasn’t just the music that made the day memorable, the session also included a discussion about navigating the online world safely.
The discussion portion of the session was incredibly relevant to our students, providing them with valuable insights on how to protect their privacy, spot potential dangers and maintain a healthy online presence. The band seamlessly integrated these important messages into their performance, using their platform to open up important conversations about cyberbullying, catfishing and the importance of respectful online interactions.
It was inspiring to see the students actively participate, asking insightful questions. The event was a perfect blend of fun and education, leaving students with both an appreciation for good music and a deeper understanding of how to stay safe online.
We’d like to extend our thanks to The Entitled Sons for their incredible performance and their commitment to fostering a safer online community. We look forward to more events like this in the future, where learning and creativity come together in a way that’s both engaging and meaningful for our students!
Some sketches of the event by Mr Vyvyan-Jones, signed by the band. (L to R) Billy, Laurie, Charlie, Raff and their father Graham Swift. The solo sketch is of Raff.
Message from Mr J Eddy, Head Teacher
The governors and I have been talking with the Cabot Learning Federation (CLF) in recent months, with a view to formally joining the trust. I am pleased to confirm that the due diligence process carried out by both parties has been a success and the Department for Education has this week formally approved the transfer. Our school will therefore join the CLF on the provisional date of July 1st 2025.
This is a hugely exciting development which I am confident will deliver substantial long-term benefits for Kingsmead and all of its staff and students.
The CLF has an established track record of delivering significant improvement to schools across the west country. Its ethos of investing in people, building community partnerships and providing truly equitable opportunities for all pupils is firmly in line with our own ambitions.
This is a decision which has been made with student well being and success at the forefront of our minds and we are confident our students will benefit substantially from CLF membership.
Closer relationships with other schools within the CLF will give us access to greater resources and expertise, helping our teaching staff to further grow their skills and deliver a first rate education to all students. It will not, however, mean that Kingsmead surrenders its identity or autonomy – decisions about the school’s future will still be made within the Kingsmead community. The voice of our staff, students and parents will continue to be heard.
You can learn more about the CLF and its values at www.clf.uk. Ahead of the transfer in July, we will also be inviting parents/carers to an information evening where they can meet representatives of the CLF and our senior staff.
The sun shone brightly for the Girls Netball Finals Day at Taunton Vale. Kingsmead sent 35 talented girls from five different year groups to showcase their skills, determination and sportsmanship. The event was a true celebration of the girls’ hard work and dedication to netball this term.
From the opening whistle to the final game, every match was filled with incredible energy, as players displayed excellent techniques, quick thinking and solid teamwork. Each year group brought its own level of excitement, with younger players eager to prove themselves in their first competitive tournament and the older years showing off their talent.
The competition was fierce, yet always conducted with great attitude and graciousness. Every year group cheered on their teammates and showed respect to their opponents.
Our Year 11s came 2nd and Year 9 joint second, only losing on goal difference to come 3rd. However the day was not just about winning; it was about the excitement of playing netball, the friendships formed and the support for each other.
Congratulations to all involved for making the day so memorable! We are very proud of you all.
Report by Mr Matthews
Students from Years 7, 8 and 9 took part in a British Science Week activity. As we have the Amateur Radio Club at school we were sent 10 FM stereo receiver kits by the Radio Society of Great Britain, of which I and the school are members.
I took the students off timetable for three periods. For the first hour they practiced soldering electronic components into vero board. Once they had completed that they then went on to construct the supplied kits. This involved following step by step instructions and soldering defined components into a printed circuit board.
Most of the students had never soldered before and I have to say how incredibly impressed I was with their efforts. They all worked methodically and carefully taking time to ensure their soldering was accurate and effective.
I am delighted to report that all 10 students successfully completed the kits and that they all worked exactly as designed when they were finished. The students spent some time at the end of the session listening to various FM radio stations through headphones connected to their finished receivers. They will be taking their achievements home with them
The students should be extremely proud of themselves. This activity was hugely oversubscribed when I announced it on Class Charts and consequently I will be running a similar activity in the future under the umbrella of the Amateur Radio Club.
Thank you to parent Dr Bridgette Carne, who has generously donated £50 towards the cost of the next batch of kits.
Well done to:
For more information see: https://rsgb.org/main/about-us/youth/british-science-week/
We recently applied for funding from the Somerset Gardens Trust. They very generously awarded £377 to purchase items for the school farm. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to them for their very kind and generous support.
We bought:
The Somerset Gardens Trust is a conservation and education charity working to protect and record the county’s historic parks and gardens. It arranges visits to gardens, both in Somerset and further afield, organising lectures and events for members. It gives grants to school gardens, horticultural students and to restoration projects. The charity also carries out research into historic gardens and landscapes, making representations on planning applications which affect them.
We are officially now a Mental Health Support Team (MHST) school. This means we are committed to building a mentally healthy environment; helping all members of the school community to feel confident, resilient and independent around their wellbeing.
MHSTs were established nationally to improve children and young people’s early access to mental health and well being services by providing support in schools. They work with children and young people experiencing mild to moderate mental health difficulties.
Within Somerset, the MHST is a jointly delivered service between Young Somerset and Somerset Foundation Trust CAMHS. It is also supported by Public Health England and the Education Psychology service. MHST staff work in collaboration with the Mental Health Lead at our school.
The three core functions of the MHST are:
If you would like to find out more, please speak to the Mental Health Lead in school.
For more information about the MHST please visit:
or
www.somersetft.nhs.uk/camhs/mental-health-support-in-schools-mhst/
Year 10 students have been helping to put the polythene sheets on the poly tunnel. This went extremely well as it was a lovely still day, albeit rather chilly. They did a grand job! We have also been concreting the access path, so we have added a ramped approach to make the farm more accessible to students.
As spring approaches (not quickly enough!) Year 10 and Year 11 have been preparing vegetable plots by removing the turfs and rotavating the ground, in readiness for potato planting. The seed potatoes are being generously donated by the parents of Ellie S in 10N. At the time of writing, we are preparing three vegetable plots with each one measuring approximately 6 x 4m.
They have also added some stepping stones for the approach to the poly tunnel, which I suspect will look better once the drier and warmer weather takes hold.
We have also started planting. Students in Year 11 have just sewed 20 strawberry plants in the poly tunnel and some of the Year 10 students have been busy preparing the seed trays and pots with compost.
We plan to plant a variety of vegetables, including peas and runner beans, so if any one has any spare pea sticks and bean poles we would be most grateful to receive them. Likewise, if anyone has any surplus seeds or indeed tomato plants we would be happy to take them off your hands!
Safer Internet Day 2025 is on 11th of February, with learning based around the theme “Too good to be true? Protecting yourself and others from scams online”. It’s the UK’s biggest day of online safety. Each year it covers an online issue or theme that speaks about the things young people are seeing and experiencing online.
This Safer Internet Day we will assess the real scale of scams online and allow young people to share their experiences and ideas on how to tackle the problem. We’ll build on the important work being done to raise awareness of issues such as online financial sextortion and we’ll also consider the future of scams, answering questions such as:
How is changing technology like generative AI going to impact the approach of scammers?
What role can the government and internet industry take to tackle this threat?
What changes would young people like to see to help protect themselves?
Created in consultation with young people across the UK, Safer Internet Day 2025 will be focusing on the issue of scams online. For young people, we’ll be showing them how to protect themselves and others online, as well as what support is available to them. Safer Internet Day 2024 reached more young people than ever before, with 52% of UK children aged 8-17 hearing about the day.
