Dear Parents and Carers

What a term this has been! I don’t think any of us can remember another eight week term and whilst I know both our staff and our students are exhausted and ready for a break, there is a huge amount to celebrate, as you will see from this term’s newsletter. Our new students in both Year 7 and Year 12 have settled in very well and we have been delighted to see them embracing as many new opportunities as possible. 

Amongst other activities, students have taken part in exchange visits, been on a variety of trips, listened to talks from various speakers, played in musical events, competed in many sports fixtures, engaged with our mental health day, joined a whole range of clubs, enjoyed performances at the theatre and acted as fantastic guides on our open mornings and evening. During these latter events we were immensely proud of our students and the way in which they talked with such passion and enthusiasm about our school - they really are our best advertisement. We are very grateful to our incredible team of staff who ensure that our extra-curricular offer is so vibrant and extensive. 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all members of our school community for the support that has been shown to me in my first term as Headteacher. It is such a privilege to work with you all and I am really looking forward to next term, where I have no doubt even more will be achieved across all areas of the school.

Mrs A McIlroy MA

Headteacher

Halloween Writing Competition for Year 7 and Year 8

There was a fabulous response to the competition. The standard was very respectable which made judging very difficult! A special mention to Henry F (8E) whose entry was twenty-five pages long! It really was a delight to read all of the tremendously creepy tales and all of the entrants should be very proud of themselves.

Overall Winner: Henry F - 8E

Year 8

1st Prize -  Lucia S - 8G
2nd Prize - Charlotte S - 8G / Isaac R - 8E
3rd Prize - Jude M - 8K

Year 7 

1st Prize - J - 7Q
2nd Prize - Alice H - 7Q
3rd Prize - Joseph S - 7Q

year 7 art club

Year 7 Art Club created tiles for a periodic table to put on display in the Science block.

Here is the amazing outcome!

year 11 GCSE drama theatre trip 

Students taking GCSE Drama enjoyed a night out at The Marlowe Theatre to see the acclaimed production of 'Murder on the Orient Express'. This performance will be reviewed as part of the students’ final exam, and they thoroughly enjoyed seeing such a high quality and professional production. 

black history month

October is Black History Month and we are delighted to report that over one hundred students and staff joined the BHM Google Classroom where they were able to enjoy access to videos, articles, competitions and podcasts. Hopefully some new things have been learned by most members and at the very least a bit of fun has been had by the rest!

Additionally, we are extremely grateful for the work that Mr Sladden has put into running Horrible Histories Club each week and from what I've seen and heard it certainly seems to have captured imaginations just as much as last year. Should there be any other interested Year 7s out there who haven't popped along yet ... you are welcome to get involved! Check the posters around the Humanities Block for details or ask any History teacher (we don't bite - on weekdays).

Finally, the Semi Finals of the Great History Debate have taken place this term and following two fascinating clashes over George Washington's reputation and the causes of the English Civil War, we have produced our finalists. Mary and Emmeline will battle it out with Emma in the first week back after the holiday on the small matter of the conduct of King Richard III! As always, pupils from Years 7 to 9 (and staff) are welcome to attend the debate and pose questions. I would like to put on record my sincere thanks especially to Mr Piotrowski and Mrs Wanstall who have been regular interrogators and judges. The competition will relaunch once the Grand Final is completed - we had almost fifty students involved last year across the thirty debates that were held. So, if you're interested, get your name down when the advertisement comes round!

Mr P. W. Buckland

Subject Leader for History

German Exchange Programme 

We welcomed our German Exchange partners from Albertus Magnus Gymnasium in September. They arrived on a sunny Saturday afternoon, but soon after that, the rain came and they were able to experience a true English autumn week! During their time here, they had fun with their host families, visited London, attended school, escaped from Faversham Escape Rooms and enjoyed a day out in Margate with their partners, where we saw the beautiful Shell Grotto, learned about crabs at the one and only Crab Museum in Europe and competed in teams at bowling. We are looking forward to the return visit in November.

spanish exchange 

This term saw 25 of our Year 10 students bound for Madrid on the second year of our Spanish Exchange. Last year we developed a wonderful programme with our new partner school, Colegio Padre Garralda in Villanueva de la Cañada, and this year we were welcomed back with open arms.

Our students had a great time enjoying a day trip to Madrid to see the Estadio Bernabeu (¡Alla Madrid!) followed by a visit to the Reina Sofia Museum which boasted some contemporary modern art. The afternoon in Madrid centre was rounded up with some free time to explore - many students took the opportunity to shop in Zara (other shops were available) but being a shop with Spanish origins they were sure to find something unique! A few students decided to join the staff in la Plaza Mayor for some Churros from the chocolatería San Gines - one of the oldest of its kind in Madrid. What with it being El Día de la Hispanidad on the next day, we got to enjoy our churros con chocolate surrounded by Spanish music. We were very impressed with the students' Spanish when ordering.

Over the weekend, all students spent time with their respective host partners and enjoyed a range of activities from a disco to scouring the vast countryside for gold with metal detectors. What a treat!

We spent Monday with our partners in school and surprised ourselves with how much we could understand in Spanish - well done! On our last full day we departed for Segovia and enjoyed a walking tour of the town. Students undertook a photo and Spanish language challenge during their free time which resulted in some highly sought after points but ultimately it was Virtue and Willow who took the crown for their entries.

We are looking forward to welcoming our partners to England after half term!

UKMT Maths Challenge

 We had another successful year in the UKMT Senior Maths Challenge, a competition participated in by schools from all over the UK.

Our Year 12 and Year 13 students completed a 90 minute challenge testing their ability to be mathematically logical, creative and solve problems. 19 students achieved a Bronze award and 8 students achieved a Silver.

Two of our brilliant Year 12 students, Alexis and Charles, received Gold awards and an invitation to the Andrew Jobbings Senior Kangaroo, a follow on round for the competition.

A massive well done to all students who took part.

UKMT Maths Olympiad For Girls

Congratulations to Alexis in Year 12, who alongside her recent success in the Senior Maths Challenge, also achieved a Distinction award in the UKMT Maths Olympiad for Girls.

The Olympiad is a 2.5 hour exam consisting of 5 highly challenging questions and a Distinction award indicates Alexis is amongst the top scoring students who took part nationally.

Very well done! 

What's Been Happening?

QuEST has had lots going on this term! We welcomed the new Year 12 students who chose which QuEST they’d like to be a part of and they got stuck in with learning about the projects we’ve been working on and came up with new ideas.

QuEST has also had the privilege of hosting three talks this term. We welcomed ex-QuESt President Emily Jack and she delivered a talk on researching bioscience and spoke about her gap year experience. This was an excellent and informative talk and included information about studying at Durham University and her current research. Our second guest speaker was Eleanor Jennings, a lecturer from Birkbeck University. She delivered a talk titled ‘Lessons from Lava in Planetary Science’ where she explained the chemical composition of lava, and how it is similar on other planets, which can help us to understand the chemical composition of other planets. Lastly, Tom White spoke about the Blean Woods Project as well as giving information about the Wilder Kent Awards and volunteering opportunities within the project.

Members of QuEST attended The Big STEM Challenge at the Discovery Park in Sandwich. This gave us the opportunity to present our projects and find out what like-minded students from other secondary schools and primary schools in the area have been doing. The visit included a tour of the Pfizer labs and exploring inside a planetarium. This was a brilliant opportunity for us to stand up on a stage in front of a panel of judges and a crowd of people to explain our projects and answer any questions. While we didn’t win any of the overall awards, we were still finalists and had an amazing day presenting the projects we have worked so hard on and talking to people from other schools about their research.

Sophia F. QuEST President

This term we welcomed the new Year 7s to Junior STEM. We have around 40 curious Year 7s who are ready to get stuck into some STEM. So far this term we have been covering important health and safety skills in a lab and practical techniques by carrying out the coke and mentos experiment, a calorimetry to find the amount of energy crisps have, a structural challenge with spaghetti and marshmallows and making toothpaste to compare the impact of homemade toothpaste and store bought toothpaste. The Year 7s have had a lot of fun so far in STEM club and have carried out some amazing experiments.

Sophia F. Head of Junior STEM

The Year 8s have been getting stuck into the rocket project. They have been designing rockets to launch off an air pump whilst also facing practical challenges such as managing a budget, with all parts costing ‘money’, which is teaching them to be mindful with their spending. They are also designing games and packaging for their rockets which they will be marked on as well as a chance to pitch to a group of ‘Dragons’ in order to gain more funding for their rockets.

Jesse K-J.

RoboQuEST have been busy starting a Lego prototype for our project and setting up the motors and Arduino. We are also working on replacing the main base of the ramp with a studier material such as wood.

Wynn H. Head of RoboQuEST

SpaceQuEST are currently putting together a proposal for a project on the Asgard XIII mission. The goal is to design a device that will collect samples of atmospheric gases and different altitudes to be analysed. We are even working with a Belgian team to see if live data during the launch would be possible.

Alexis E.

We have been given many great opportunities to discover more about the environment around us. So far we have headed down to the nearby stream and observed the different variety of species living in it. We were lucky enough to have found a water scorpion on our first catch!

In EcoQuEST so far we have been brainstorming project ideas for how we could better the environment, before settling on a Terrarium project as well as a propagation schedule and possible wildflower garden. We hope these projects will provide us with a more meaningful insight into our local environment.

Here are some quotes from our EcoQuEST members as to why they participate in the group:

“I chose EcoQuEST because I believe it is an opportunity to participate in meaningful environmental projects.”

“EcoQuEST has given me opportunities to see and experience the nature and environment around the school as well as giving me some time to step back from work.”

Katie S, Tara W, Daisy E, Jack R.

This term, BioQuEST has put our focus into the effects of vape and cigarette smoke on the reproductive abilities of E. coli bacteria. Studies show that vaping and smoking adversely affects fertility, so we wanted to look further into this, but we can’t test fertility easily or ethically at this stage. To get around this, we infected petri dishes with E. coli, and introduced two to cigarette smoke, two to vape vapour and two were left as a control. In the upcoming days, once they’ve finished incubating, we will count and measure the area of the colonies that arise in each dish and compare. This week, we also attended the Big STEM Challenge at Sandwich Discovery Park where got to watch other schools' research on various different areas of science and engineering as well as getting the opportunity to present our own research as part of a competition, which we really enjoyed!

Havva I and Jemima E. Head of BioQuEST

NETBALL

What a great start to the Netball season with so many Year 7s joining the Netball participation club and some of those being selected to represent the school. A mixed bag of results with the fixture scores but some fantastic developments, definite improvements and teamwork throughout the term. A big well done to all.

The Year 8 team has had a brilliant start to the year winning the majority of their games. Bethany S has ably captained the side, bringing the team together and organising. They have scored a total of 34 goals so far, with one game in hand left to play. There has been a great work ethic from all students who have represented this team this year - well done.

The Year 9s have had an unbeaten term. Having played six games, they have definitely shown dedication, excellent skill level and determination. Well done to those students who have represented the school team for the first time. There has been some clear teamwork and support! Year 10 have had an amazing start to the year, also remaining undefeated. Although the whole team work tirelessly together, this could not be achieved without the organisation and determination from captain, Keeley C. We look forward to seeing them play together again in Term 4, where we will aim for the district title!

girls' football 

After the success of the Girls’ U14 team last year, we decided to enter two teams into this year’s Kent Cup competition. So now we have both the U14s and the U15s rapidly heading towards the quarter finals stage. Both teams have played their first two rounds with emphatic wins, with both teams scoring a total of 16 goals. The U15s conceded four goals but the U14s have kept a clean sheet so far! Excellent captaincy from both Sophie JM & Zhana W who continue to drive these teams forward with excellent strength throughout the squads. Can we make it the second year in a row to reach a County Final?! Here’s hoping….. Both teams are back in action next term when the U15s take on Meopham School and the U14s are up against local rivals, Canterbury Academy. Luca B has been invaluable in the middle refereeing our home games, and Mrs French is very grateful for this!

ks3 football

The Year 7 team have made a very promising start to their QE footballing careers by maintaining a 100% win record in the ‘A league’. The 2-0 win over Herne Bay High was a very entertaining opener with stand out performances from Dan G and Kingston P. Kingston also scored the only goal in a hard fought team effort against Barton Court. Canterbury Academy was another tough opponent, but Elijah O’s calm finish in the closing minutes secured a well-deserved victory. We have been very impressed with this team's game awareness, positive attitude and team spirit, even in the more challenging periods of matches. The core spine of the team also deserve special mentions for their influential performances, so well done to Reuben W, Dylan J and Albert W in goal. We are looking forward to the final challenge of Simon Langton away in the last week of term! The Year 8 Football team has had another very successful season - they are in a tough league but have still managed to win some matches. Most notably they beat Simon Langton Boys school in their first match of the season and The Abbey School in the district cup. The whole team has played really well but a special mention needs to go to Charlie F and Carlos L as the most improved players. After half term they have to play Simon Langton again in the semi final of the district cup - come on QE!!!

ks4 football

This has been Year 9’s best season to date - winning two matches and pushing others to the wire. Their best performance of the season was in the last match - sadly a loss to Barton Manor, but the improvement in their overall play means that the team can hold their heads high and look forward to a bright future. Ethan H has led the team well, Oliver B and Austin W have controlled the midfield and Evan P has been the most improved player - well done to all!

For just over three years, the Year 10 team has had to compete in one of the strongest district ‘A league’ competitions in recent years and they have developed into a force to be reckoned with. A talented front three always posed a threat against all opponents and Logan H deftly finished two goals against their toughest opponents Canterbury Academy. A solid back four led by Hayden B, limited a very potent Canterbury attack, only to lose in the last 10 minutes due to fatigue and injuries. Logan H also scored the goal of the season in the first round of the Kent Cup against Brockhill, neatly bringing down a Harry S cross on the edge of the box before volleying into the top left hand corner. Harry S has been one of the outstanding players this year and he secured the win with a tidy finish after a fast counter-attack. We wish the Year 10s luck in both of their cup runs this season!

senior football

First XI

What a start this team made to the 2024/25 season, a draw against Harvey Grammar and a win against the league favourites, Maidstone. Sadly the team was undone by the long throw and small pitch at Norton Knatchbull and an underpar performance against Oakwood. Despite recent results, the team still shows a huge amount of potential, we are confident that this current crop of players could contribute to being the best since the glory of 2018! Will H is showing his class with great leadership on and off the pitch and the stand out performances this year so far have come from Lucian T and Charlie O. Half the season is still to play - if we win the remaining games, anything could happen!!

Second XI

After a delayed start to the season, the 2nd XI put in a performance to remember against Simon Langton. They responded excellently after going 1-0 down, and they recorded a rare win against the Canterbury school, scoring four excellent goals in the process. Player of the season so far, Jack D, scored the pick of the bunch, curling in a precise first time shot into the bottom corner after a sweeping QE move. Charlie P has also impressed as a centre forward this season and he guided in a glancing header ahead of the goalkeeper. Zak K and Jack D’s curled, 25 yard strike off the post against Borden Grammar was a highlight in a difficult loss. However, if it wasn’t for the defensive partnership of Jonathan K and Freddie M, the final score could have been much worse. Will W deserves a mention for working hard at improving his skills over the last year and he has developed into a solid goalkeeper. The team can play some really slick football and they will be hoping to reproduce this consistently in the second half of the season. Well done boys - keep going!

physical educaTION clubs

Badminton Club

This still proves to be one of the firm favourites on the PE extracurricular timetable. With a night for each of KS3 and KS4, there are numerous students turning up each week to play some recreational Badminton and it’s great to see so many being active whilst having fun!

Dance rehearsals

The students have started rehearsals for this year's dance show and what an incredible start they have made. All dancers have worked together, creating their pieces with a focus on this year's theme - ‘The Battle of the Arts’. With over 60 students participating in the show, we are set for one of the biggest shows yet. The dance showcase will be held in the theatre on Wednesday 5th February 2025 at 6pm; tickets will be available nearer the time.

Year 7 and 8 PE lessons with Canterbury Rugby Club

A big shout out first must go to Canterbury Rugby coach, Ella. Ella has been delivering sessions to our Year 7 and 8 girls this term with a focus on the fundamentals of touch Rugby and some contact. It has been great to see their skills progress as the girls get ‘stuck in’ - to the mud - and show no fear. There have been plenty of big smiles on faces each lesson! Next term we turn our focus to our GCSE examination PE students’ practicals, district Basketball and lots of clubs and activities for all. 

Pickleball Club 

Mrs Dickson has been running a lunchtime Pickleball Club all term. Numbers have been a little light so far, but Year 9 boys in particular have been enjoying some recreational Pickleball in the Sportshall at lunchtimes. A big thank you to Mrs Dickson for giving up her time to run this club for students - we thrive on involving as many of our school community as possible in running clubs and activities.

Hello and welcome back to school - what a busy Term 1! 

October is ADHD Awareness Month! So again, we celebrate all things ADHD!

ADHD stands for: Attention Deficit, Hyperactive Disorder - it is a condition that affects people’s behaviours. People with ADHD can seem to be restless, may have trouble concentrating and can act on impulse. However, people with ADHD can also have amazing hyperfocus, they show great resilience, creativity, conversational skills, spontaneity and have abundant energy!

Here is the ADHD Strengths Iceberg:

One of the most successful people with ADHD is Sir Richard Branson. Can you see any traits in the iceberg that would have enabled Sir Richard to establish Virgin as a global brand?

Here are links to both ADHD UK & ADHD Foundation 

These websites are fantastic for all things ADHD! 

 
NB: As a reminder, here is the link for Parents, Carers and Families Workshops. As a school we highly rate these workshops as well as the Specialist Teaching and Learning service that deliver them. The courses range from Sleep Support, to Anxiety as well as Starting on the Spectrum and Autism in Girls. If you are interested in booking one of these courses then please follow the instructions that are on the online brochure.

year 9 wellbeing ambassadors

Our Year 9 Wellbeing Ambassadors have started with a flurry of activity to assist with organising #HelloYellow Day. The Ambassadors are meeting on a bi-weekly basis to assist with the communication of wellbeing information throughout the school community.

nhs steps workshop

Strategies for Tackling Exam Pressure and Stress

Our NHS Emotional Wellbeing Team are progressing with their STEPS Workshop and will be continuing with students through next term. The Workshop will be available again to book in Term 4.

Session 1: Understanding why students find exams stressful. Recognising the signs of stress and anxiety. Understanding the reasons why students find exams stressful. Understanding the effects of stress and anxiety.

Session 2: Making thoughts work for us. Understanding how feelings and behaviours are linked to our thoughts. Identifying Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs). Challenging ANTs and replacing them with positive self-talk.

Session 3: Staying focused and calm during exams. The physical symptoms of stress. Deep breathing and muscle relaxation techniques. What works best for you.

Session 4: Learning and revision strategies. Learning principles Revision techniques Planning revision.

Session 5: Setting your goals and sticking to them. Getting motivated. Visualisation. Making visualisation work for you.

Session 6: On the exam day - Exams Recap of the STEPS sessions and reflection on what works for you. 

You can view the recent Kooth Talks training webinar on how can you help your child manage exam anxiety by visiting their recording:

Link is here: Kooth Video - Exams Anxiety  

helloyellow day

Students enjoyed wearing an item of yellow on Thursday 10th October to celebrate #HelloYellow Day and to raise awareness about mental health.

Mrs Longhurst took informative assemblies throughout the week and the Year 9 Wellbeing Ambassadors planned some exciting activities for the day including a Yellow Logo quiz - why not give it a go? Link is here: Hello Yellow Quiz 

kcc public consultation - children and young people's emotional wellbeing support

Kent County Council is proposing changes to how children and young people with mild to medium emotional wellbeing and mental health needs are supported. The consultation is open until 12th November. They are proposing a new Therapeutic Support Service, instead of the Kent Children and Young People’s Counselling Service, when the contract for the Counselling Service ends in March 2026. How can you share feedback, concerns or ideas on the proposal?

You can read more about the proposals, including ways to give your thoughts, concerns or ideas via this link: Children and Young People's Emotional Wellbeing Support 

Swale Young Persons Safety Roadshow

On the 16th of October we had an amazing talk from the Swale Young Persons Safety Roadshow. It ran from period 1 to 4 with Robbie White as host/singer and talks from Uprising, Clarion Housing, Child Centred Policing, Stagecoach etc.

It was about safety in general and so included talks about abuse, antisocial behaviour, railroad safety, consent and hate. It was very interactive with us being asked a lot of questions, having to put our hand up if we agreed or stand up and we got to do lots of amazing singing and clapping along.

It was great fun and everyone learnt a lot. Thank you so much to all of the people who made it happen. 

                                         Written by India F Year 9

Army Careers Workshop

To complement Year 11's recent CXK careers advice sessions, we were joined at the beginning of the term by members of the Engineering and Army Air Corps. Students took part in fun and interactive team building activities and had the opportunity to ask questions and receive valuable information on career progression within the uniform services including the routes to enter at different stages of education.

To find out more about a career within the army, please visit their website Army Careers

BBC Apprenticeship Talk 

The BBC Early Careers Team is hosting a project to send current and former apprentices to schools and colleges across the UK to give a talk about the BBC apprenticeship program and what the experience is like personally. 

Millie May, an ex-Sixth Form student of Queen Elizabeth's, is currently undertaking a Level 3 Business Administration apprenticeship at the BBC and will be giving a talk in school to Year 12 and Year 13 students on Wednesday 13th November from 10:30 - 11:00.

Millie has a unique and relatable story to some - she explained that, on results day, she was disappointed with her A Level results. However, this did not hold her back and she was delighted to gain the opportunity to work at the BBC, whilst gaining a new qualification. 

The BBC apprenticeships are offered across the following careers (below) and a number of the schemes will open for applications in a few weeks' time and will close at the end of November. 

Business

Journalism

Production

Digital, Data & Technology

Engineering & Operations

Those Sixth Form students who are interested in attending the talk should email Miss Slane via: hs@queenelizabeths.kent.sch.uk

Students Accept place on BFI Course

Congratulations to our Year 12 student and Eloise B. in Year 13 for being accepted onto the prestigious BFI Film Academy course. Only 12 young filmmakers are selected across Kent to take part, so for QE to have two enrolled is wonderful news. Well done to both students!

Announcement of Heads of House

Congratulations to the Year 12 students who have been elected as Heads of House. The potential candidates were asked to complete an application form asking why they were suitable for the role. The new Heads of House are excited to take on their new roles and welcome any suggested themes for future House competitions. Once again, congratulations to the students listed below: 

Dr Perkins wins a Teachers of Physics Award!!

Our very own Dr Perkins has been awarded the 2024 Teachers of Physics Award from the Institute of Physics (IOP) for his inspirational physics teaching. Dr Perkins has been recognised for his exceptional subject expertise, curriculum innovation and skilled teaching, raising the profile of physics in the school, development of staff in local schools and outstanding work with pupils through extracurricular activities at a local and national level.

The IOP is the UK and Ireland’s professional body for physicists. Its members come from across the physics community, including academia, research, industry, and education. The IOP Teachers of Physics Awards celebrate outstanding classroom practice in the teaching of physics and recognise the success of secondary-level physics teachers in the UK and Ireland who, by their dedication and excellence in the classroom, have raised the state of physics teaching in their schools and colleges. 

Ian Horsewell, Strategic Lead for Professional Community and Retention at the IOP, said: 

“We are pleased to be able to recognise the work of Dr Perkins. Each of this year’s winners have, through their skill and personal commitment, made a significant positive difference to the teaching of physics in their school, the student experience and the level of student achievement. On behalf of the Institute of Physics, I warmly congratulate all of them and thank them for their dedication to their students, their school and their subject.”

Dr Perkins has been invited to attend a formal awards ceremony next year where he will be presented with an award and a certificate. For further information about the IOP Awards, click here: IOP AWARDS

We are incredibly proud of Dr Perkins’ exceptional achievement and we thought it would be interesting for our school community to learn more about the person who has dedicated his life's work to physics - read on for an interesting insight into the path that brought Dr Perkins to QE.  

What led you to become a Teacher of Physics? 

I was working in academia as a researcher in the materials department at Imperial College London, in charge of a rather lovely transmission electron microscope; actually the full name of it was 'field emission aberration corrected monochromated scanning transmission electron microscope' where it was my daily joy to literally watch atoms! However, over the years more of my job involved lecturing and teaching members of the department in electron microscopy techniques and sample preparation. Whilst I really loved the research, I was enjoying the teaching aspect of working in a university. Given my late grandfather-in-law and sister-in-law were both physics teachers who had an academic background it was always a career shift that seemed like a sensible step - I applied for a secondary physics teacher role and went from there! Ultimately I always think back to two amazing physics teachers who inspired me to study physics at university (and ultimately become a teacher); Dr Graeme Poole and Professor Becky Parker (who also founded the institute for research in schools)* - my two inspirational "Dr P's". The trip to CERN during my A-levels was a game changer, an incredible experience!

What brought you to QE and how long have you been teaching at the school? 

In my first teaching job I managed to bring academic research into the school, notably by setting up a project involving the use of an electron microscope in school. This was St Paul's School, a private school with plenty of resources, however I was keen to transfer what I'd learned back to the state sector and look at how to provide this research experience to a broader range of students. I managed to get some funding (Winston Churchill Memorial Trust) to travel around USA and Canada researching how schools there used advanced science equipment and expertise in a high school setting and it was a privilege to visit some amazing schools in a range of different locations with students from all sorts of backgrounds; from the Bronx to the California coast via Vancouver Island! Returning from these travels I was more determined to return to a grammar school setting - unbelievably, and this is genuine pure coincidence, just a couple of months after I returned from my travels the job advert for Head of Science at QE came up! I've now been here for 8 years and have loved every second!

What does the award mean to you? 

It is recognition not so much for the classroom teaching (everyone at QE deserves an award for that!) but I am proud of bringing the research program to QE with a range of opportunities across different year groups. I also co-run a National project with Dr Alex Ball at the Natural History Museum where we loan a tabletop scanning electron microscope to schools for a term at a time; train students and teachers and provide support for them to learn the technology and do their own research. QE has had the SEM a few times and I'm arranging for it to return this academic year - I suppose the award is partly recognition for the hours spent outside of school on this project. I'm often helping non-specialist teachers in the county with their physics teaching as part of the program, ‘Subject Knowledge For Physics Teaching’, delivered by Ogden Trust. I'm also really proud that throughout my time at QE we have almost always beaten National averages student diversity in uptake of physics A level. It's really important that ALL students feel that the science faculty is somewhere they feel like they belong.

What are your next steps/future plans for the department? 

The depth of knowledge and experience in our faculty (and of course across all the subjects in the school) is amazing. I've been really privileged to work in some amazing institutions and can say without hesitation that opportunities at QE are genuinely world class. I believe that our school students are polymaths: Personally I love my sport, music and art (I took art A level) and it has always been my mission to persuade students here that cultural capital is incredibly important and breadth of experience doesn't have to come at the expense of attainment in one area. As such, we are always looking for new opportunities, trips and activities that will engage our students and provide context for their science education - next year's A level STEM trip to California is a case in point; details to follow soon! 

Mrs Jones 'Shines' at sponsored walk for Cancer research

Congratulations to Mrs Jones, our School Office Receptionist, who on 21st September completed the Shine Night Walk for Cancer Research. Mrs Jones walked 26.2 miles passing London’s famous landmarks to complete the walk in a total of 7 hours and 52 minutes, and has raised a total of £400 - an amazing achievement! 

 miss butterly and ms mills complete the maidstone half marathon!

On Sunday 20th October, Miss Butterly (Admin Assistant in the school office) and Ms Sally Mills, mum to Isolde in Year 9 and Hugo in Year 11, braved the gusty headwinds and non-stop rain and headed out from Mote Park for the Maidstone half marathon.

They have been running together for seven years (in all weathers!!) and are used to the big hills where they both live, so were going prepared...

Slightly apprehensive, they set out on the undulating course, getting soaked along the way. Both finished together, in a time they were very happy with. Well done to both! 

additional information