SEPTEMBER 2012

THE SECONDARY N E W S L E T T E RSecondary News from the Pupils and Teachers of King’s College, Alicante

Welcome back to another school year. I hope you have all enjoyed a relaxing and fun filled holiday this summer and are ready for another challenging and rewarding year at school.

This summer was dominated by the Olympic Games in London, which proved to be a remarkable feat of organisation, logistics and ultimately wonderful sporting achievements. The number of people involved in such events is quite staggering, not least the many volunteers who gave up their time willingly to help ensure that the Olympic and Paralympic games were so successful. Their motto ´Inspire a Generation´ certainly is a noble one and I am sure that judging by the reaction of the public, this will prove to be a landmark occasion and hopefully the start of a new generation of inspired young people.

At school we have also enjoyed a very successful summer and many of our pupils will have achieved their potential and in some cases their personal bests. Our I/

Headteacher’sWelcome

GCSE results were again above that of the UK national average and our A*-C pass rate was above 90%. This is all the more commendable as the majority of our pupils do not have English as their native language. At A level our students achieved 100% pass rate with 50% of results at the highest A* and A grades. This has enabled our students to progress to the Universities of their choice here in Spain, the UK and Switzerland. Our Year 6 SATs results continue to be above the UK national average and this is providing a consistent and elevated platform from which to continue into secondary school.

As with the Olympic Games, these outstanding achievements are not only the result of the dedication and skill of the competitors, or in our case, the pupils, they are a result of a collective effort from all of our staff supporting the organisation, logistics and welfare of our school. We are very fortunate at King´s College, Alicante to have not only a very dedicated and talented teaching staff, but also a very hard-working and skillful support staff including grounds

men, office staff, administrative staff, kitchen staff and cleaners. As a cleaner at NASAs Cape Canaveral once told JF Kennedy when he was asked what he did there, he replied ´I help to put men on the moon´. This all inclusive and all supporting ethos is clearly what we have in common with other successful organisations and I thank everyone for all their efforts in helping our pupils to succeed.

I hope this year will bring many more accolades and rewards for all our pupils and staff, and I hope that as well as being inspired, our young people will aspire to inspire future generations.

Derek Laidlaw MA, NPQH, Dip T MusHeadteacher

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Opening of theNew Mult i Purpose Hal l

Simon WicksHead of Secondary

The summer holidays are well and truly over now and King’s College, Alicante has returned to its normal rhythm with pupils and staff settled in and the school buzzing with activity. I have been very impressed with the positive attitudes with which the pupils have returned to school and how quickly they have got back into great study habits. Already the corridors and classrooms are filling with displays of what everyone has been getting up to both in and outside of the classroom and it would seem that everybody has been extremely busy in the first four weeks of term!

The Secondary School is also noticeably larger this year with almost one hundred extra pupils as we welcome our first three-form cohort into Year 7 as well as 27 new pupils into Years 8-12. All of our new pupils, who come from various parts of the world, have settled in incredibly well and it has been great to see so many smiling and happy faces around the school building. When talking to the new students about how they have found settling in to King’s College they all, without exception, tell me how welcoming, friendly and supportive the teachers and pupils are in Alicante. It comes as no surprise to me as I am very proud of the school community we have built here in Alicante and am always very impressed how much everybody goes out of their way to make new members of the community feel as though they have been with us for years.

With additional pupils come additional teachers and buildings and we have been lucky to have many talented and dedicated teachers join us this academic year, as well as to open our new Multi-Purpose Hall which will be used, amongst other things, for Drama,

Judo and Dance. I am pleased to officially welcome Mr. Cook (Drama & English), Mr. Doidge (Maths & Science), Mrs. McHugh (Physical Education), Mrs. Pemberton (English), Mr. Turner (Economics & Business) and Mr. Walsh (Physics and Science) to our teaching staff. We have also promoted Mr. Roberts to the position of Director of Studies and Ms. Miller to Head of Humanities. I am sure you will join me in wishing everybody good luck in their new roles with us.

As we move into the second month of our school year it is important that the enthusiasm and excitement a new school year always brings continues to permeate everything we do in school. There are so many opportunities ahead of us and I would encourage all our pupils to take advantage of those opportunities, both academic and otherwise, to gain as much as they can from their time in school. The message I gave our pupils at our first assembly this year was simple. Consider what you want out of life and take the right decisions to help you reach your goals. Ponder the past, but don’t dwell on it. As Carl Bard, an American author once said, “Although no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.”I would like to wish everybody a successful and happy academic year this year and I look forward to working with the staff and pupils of King’s College, Alicante to help each and every one of you make those brand new endings.

Mr. WicksHead of Secondary School

New Endings

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National Curriculum Levels describe the achievement of pupils in Year 7, 8 and 9. Teachers assess the level students are working at in their subject on a regular basis. This may be from classwork, homework, a levelled assessment or for some subjects a combination of several of these. This is because all subjects have very different attainment levels related specifically to their subject, and within a level there are a range of skills that can be assessed. These levels are then shared with parents and students via the end of term reports, where we provide a level to show you how your child is progressing. This, along with teacher feedback, should help to indicate the areas they may need to work on, or have been particularly successful at.

Attainment Levels for all National Curriculum subjects range between 1 and 7, with 1 being the lowest. High-performing students may be awarded a Level 8 or Exceptional Performance. The levels are refined by sub-levels which indicate where a student is within the level. Sub-dividing levels helps teachers to monitor

how students are progressing within the level as they move up towards the next level. Sub-levels are: a - top of the level, b – mid level, and c – just reaching that level. In the UK, most children are expected to progress by 2 sub-levels per year and to have achieved at least a level 5 by the end of Year 9.

Levels given in the reports provide a “snapshot” indicating the standard your child is currently working at. As they are still working to complete the Key Stage, it may be impossible for them to reach the highest levels early on in the Key Stage, particularly in Years 7 and 8, and so the level may be below that we would expect by the end of Year 9. This is because the “working at” level reflects progress for the topics or skills currently being studied, rather than indicating all the skills and knowledge tested at the end of the Key Stage.

Mr. RobertsDirector of Studies

Assessment Focus – Key Stage 3What are Key Stage 3 Levels?

I am delighted to announce the inauguration of this new initiative from King´s Group in recognition of the top academic achievers in King´s College in the external examinations at GCSE and AS Level. This is a prestigious accolade which will benefit the recipients in many ways, including their forthcoming applications for University courses. Each of the pupils has achieved a significant amount of passes at A* and A grades at King´s College Alicante and is predicted to achieve similarly high grades in future examinations. This year´s recipients are :Verena, Toby, Tara, Ernesto and Claudia.

King´s College Academic Scholars

We have changed our ICT provision this year and I wanted to take this opportunity to explain the rationale behind those adaptations.

Under recent alterations to U.K. Government legislation the authorities recognised the importance of ICT skills but also acknowledged that, as a discrete subject, it was outdated and no longer fit for purpose. As an ICT teacher, this was an opinion I had shared for some time. Each year we revise our curriculum to ensure that it is relevant, appropriate and engaging for our pupils and as a result of last year’s review we decided to follow the advice from the U.K authorities and remove ICT as a discrete subject from the KS3 curriculum. As part of the recommendations the Government also suggested that ICT should be embedded into other subjects, as many pupils already possessed the key skills being taught in the ICT classes but were unable to apply them to other areas of the curriculum. This is the approach we have taken.

As a result of this revised curriculum we have invested heavily in ICT this year and have purchased three additional laptop trolleys, equipped with class sets of full-size laptops which pupils use liberally in their studies. We have also invested in additional video cameras, stills cameras and other ICT equipment. As such, pupils are receiving the same level of ICT education they received before, but this time in an environment where it is employed naturally and used to support their day-to-day learning, just as it will be in later life. We are also revising our schemes of work to look for additional opportunities to use ICT in a cross-curricular fashion and I have set up a working group that will assist teachers in totally integrating ICT into their specific subject area. In this way instead of learning the basics of, for example, spreadsheets in an ICT lesson, pupils will be taught how spreadsheets can be used to plot data and create graphs as part of a science lesson. Similarly instead of teaching video editing and multimedia design as a standalone unit in ICT, the English Department teaches these skills when pupils make videos about the books they have been studying. In this way the learning is more appropriate and real for the pupils involved and the children retain the skills as they have seen the practical applications of what they have been doing.

After KS3 we are also keen to ensure that pupils receive a formal qualification in ICT so instead of offering ICT as an optional subject in Year 10 as we have in the past, we have now made it a compulsory subject for all Y10 pupils and will be preparing students for the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL). This is an internationally recognised qualification and we are proud to have been accepted as the only Spanish centre able to examine candidates for this qualification. Further details on this qualification can be seen in the box on the right-hand side of this page. This means, starting with Y10 this year, all of our pupils will finish their compulsory education with an internationally-recognised ICT qualification and will be able to continue their studies to A Level should they so wish.

I hope this goes some way to explaining the rationale behind the decisions we have made and reassures you that rather than being dropped, we have actually made our ICT provision more relevant and appropriate for the world we live in, and continue to regard ICT as an important part of the curriculum we deliver.

ICT EDUCATION AT KING’S COLLEGE, ALICANTEMr. Wicks, Head of Secondary School

The European Computer Driving Licence has been introduced as a compulsory part of the Year 10 curriculum from September 2012. All pupils will work towards this widely-recognised qualification. Below are some frequently asked questions. Should you have more specific enquiries please contact Mr. Roberts who will be happy to help you.

What qualification do pupils gain after the 2 year course ? At what level will they study ?At the end of Y10 the pupils will take the European Computer Driving Licence. In Y11 they will have the opportunity to take the ECDL Advanced Certificate in separate applications. The ECDL is the most internationally recognised ICT qualification and, to quote their statistics, “has already been delivered to 11 million people in 41 languages, across 148 countries”. It is also a pre-requisite for employment in several countries now.

Is there a grade system or is it a pass or fail ?There is simply a pass or fail system. The pupils do, however, get a chance to do a provisional test online, like the real one, which is marked by ECDL and gives them specific feedback as to what they need to study in order to pass. The tests only last 45 minutes and will be taken at regular parts of the year as opposed a the end of the Y10 academic year.

What is the exam board ?The examination board is The ECDL Foundation. Their website, with lots of information regarding the programme, can be found at: http://w w w. e c d l . o r g / p r o g r a m m e s / i n d e x .jsp?p=102&n=108&a=0

What exam is this equivalent to ?The examination does not really have an equivalent. It is not an IGCSE but the IGCSE in ICT is not an internationally recognised ICT qualification. The skill level at the end of the ECDL year roughly equates to the skills learnt at IGCSE. At the end of the Advanced unit pupils’ skill sets will be “expert” in the software they have taken examinations in.

Please direct further questions to matthew.roberts@kingsgroup.org

EUROPEAN COMPUTER DRIVING LICENCE (ECDL)

Compulsory modules• Module 2: Using the computer and managing files…

• Module 3: Word processing

• Module 7: Web browsing and communication

Additional module• Module 6: Presentation

Students successfully completing the Start Certificate will then move onto the core certification.

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ECDL European Computer Driving License

We have started a new ICT course for year 10 students. It is a self-paced course to be completed by the end of year 11. In year 10 students will complete 4 self-paced modules; leading to ECDL Start Certification.

When students feel able they will take a diagnostics assessment and if they achieve an acceptable level they will sit the module test, under examination conditions.

One Additional Module

ECDLCertification–DigitalCompetence(Core)In year 11 students having completed the Start certificate will continue with the full certification.

Digital Literacy plus Additional Modules• Module 1: Security for IT users

• Module 4: Spread sheets

• Module 5: Using databases

We believe that this course will equip our students to be more effective and proficient in their use of ICT.

Four Additional Modules

KS4 New Pupils

Jodie B. I remember on my first day, waking up in the morning and being so scared. When I got off the bus all the other new pupils were waiting in the library so that made me feel much better as I knew I wasn’t on my own. I really like this school and my new friends. I feel like I’ve been here all my life; that’s how settled I feel. I just want to work as hard as I can and prove to everyone how much I love this school.

Einar K. J. When I first arrived at the school, I got nervous because it looks intimidating. But after the first class, I relaxed, the pupils were nice and the teachers helpful and everything is going well now.

Ivan B. I really like the football pitch here, it’s nice to play on such a big football pitch every break! Also, teachers are very good. They are very kind and helpful.

Paloma Y. My first impression of the school is very good, all the teachers are friendly and I made a lot of friends. When I came to meet Mr Wicks I was nervous but after talking to him I was very comfortable and safe.

Itiziar U. At first I was frightened to start school but then I started to know everyone and I fitted in. The school is really big and offers a lot of activities like band, that I love. I can’t wait for the Christmas concert. I’m looking forward to this year, I have afeeling it will be good.

Unar K. J. The kids are really friendly in this school.

Matthew J. When I first came here, everybody was very friendly because they already knew me. The teachers are very nice to me.

Javier C. I have enjoyed my first few weeks here and it was also very nice to meet new teachers and students

Gema L. When I first applied to this school I remember thinking that the school was very modern and that I was going to have a lot of fun there. On the first day, everyone was nice to me and I was very comfortable. I have made a lot of friends here and I am happy that I have changed school.

Myfirstweeksandmyfirstimpressions

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The 13th September was Roald Dahl’s, The BFG’s 30th birthday. In order to celebrate Miss Parry had a 4 day film showing of the BFG during lunch times where the students came to watch the film and drink chocolate milk (Roald Dahl’s favourite drink!).

BFG Lunchtimefilmshowing

STUDENT REVIEWS Victoria 7B – “My favourite part was when Sophie decides to go with The BFG at the end. My favourite character is The BFG because he is good and kind.”Miguel 7C – “My favourite part was when The BFG made the dreams. It was fantastic!”Felipe 7B – “My favourite character is the BFG because he saved the humans from disaster and because he blows good dreams into children´s minds.”Irene 7G – “I enjoyed the part of the movie were they capture the giants and when The BFG and Sophie leave the palace together at the end.”Sara 7G – My favourite character was The BFG because he is very kind and helpful. The best part for me was the end because at first I thought it was going to finish sad but in the end Sophie decides to go with The BFG, so it finishes very happy.”

Coming from Madrid, where I spent three years teaching at an independent British school, I have really enjoyed the move to the coast and a summer holiday by the beach. I am really looking forward to raising the profile of Drama at King’s College, Alicante and to teaching English with the existing department. I am confident that my masters degree in Theatre Production and vast experience of workshops focusing upon the use of theatrical techniques in education will mean that my classes will enjoy a fresh approach to Drama at the school. I already have some clear ideas for the school production and look forward to collaborating with other colleagues in other departments to make the show another huge success. I am hoping that this year will consolidate the Spanish that I have learnt so far during my time in Spain.

First impressionsI am almost at a loss for words to describe my first impressions as I have been welcomed and I look forward to arriving at school each morning. The students´ focus and dedication makes them a pleasure to teach. After just one week I am in no doubt how the school has such excellent examination results while the positivity and clear expectations create a fantastic atmosphere for learning.

Mr. CookEnglish & Drama

New Teachers I have moved over to Alicante with my husband from County Durham in the North East of England. I was working in a state secondary school for the last 5 years after qualifying as a PE teacher from Durham University, and I felt the time was right to move back to a sunny climate...

I enjoy travelling and spending time with family and friends, who I'm sure are going to be pestering me for them to come and visit soon! I'm looking forward to becoming immersed in the Spanish way of life, and at school to making PE physically, mentally and socially worthwhile for all pupils. Watch out for some new activities intermingled with the old - it's going to be a great year for sport at King’s Collge, Alicante

Mrs. McHughPhysical Education

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After completing a Mechanical Engineering degree and PGCE I started teaching in and around London and then moved to various schools around England. I’ve lived in Spain now for about 13 years and have taught in a number of schools in Murcia, Valencia and Alicante.

First Impressions King´s College, Alicante seems professional and organised and the staff have made me feel very welcome. I’m looking forward to the new challenges ahead.

Mr. Walsh Physics and Science

I am a Mathematics graduate of King’s College London. After also obtaining my PGCE at King´s, I taught through KS3, KS4 and KS5 at a large school near London before relocating to teach in the Netherlands. After 6 years of teaching all secondary year groups in Eindhoven, I am very excited to be relocating here to Alicante to experience sunny Spain.

First impressionsThe atmosphere within the school here in Alicante is incredibly welcoming and supportive. I consider myself very fortunate to be working with such dedicated staff and students. I am really looking forward to being part of the community here.

Mr. DoidgeMathematics and Science

I was born in Ireland, read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford University and started my career working in finance in the City of London. After a few years I came to Spain and worked as an EFL teacher in Cordoba. Returning to the UK, I studied for my PGCE in Social Science at Leicester University. For the past ten years I have been teaching in an independent girls’ school in London. I’m not sorry to have left the grey skies behind and look forward to getting to know the students, staff and parents here at King’s College, Alicante.

Mr. TurnerEconomics & Business Studies

year assembly photos 7

7firstday assembly

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New Multi Purpose HallTheBritishSchoolrecallsthefinalcombatof the Olympics in Barcelona ´92Miriam Blasco and Nicola Fairbrother recalled the Olympic bout they once fought at the Inauguration of the Multi Purpose Hall of the school in Alicante.Prestigious coaches such as Carlos Montero and José Alberto Valverde were present at the opening.

The same players 20 years laterFriday 21st of September, King’s College Alicante gathered the judokas Miriam Blasco and Nicola Fairbrother who competed in the Olympic final in Barcelona ´92 and resulted in thesportswoman from Alicante as the first woman to win a medal. It was just one bout but brought back memories during the opening event of the Hall.

There was a lot of fun during the event where many young promising judokas at King’s College Alicante got together on the tatami as well as the prestigious national judokas Vanesa Arenas and Luis Alcaraz.

The event, headed by Judo instructor José Alberto Valverde, was a demonstration of the main techniques in Judo which is one of the most successful sports in this province over the lastyears. The first demonstration of the morning started with the young ones. The audience was amazed by their technique and discipline. Vanesa Arenas and Luis Alcaraz, current Spanish Champions also took part with the children. The final surprise was the rematch between Miriam Blasco and Nicola Fairbrother.

“I brought the gold medal in case you beat me” said Miriam before remembering the emotive final 20 years ago.

It was a lovely and symbolic act that received a great ovation from the guests.

After the demonstration, Miriam´s gold medal attracted all the attention. The judoka showed the historic medal to the pupils so they could feel it´s weight and have photographs taken.

Alfredo Aracil, trainer of the Judo club “Miriam Blasco Arena” and the coach Carlos Montero, were also present at the event.

The president of Lucentum, Luis Castillo and the ex-football player Juan Manuel Asensi were also in attendance.

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VerenaThe Best Summer of my life!

Summer 2012, the best summer of my life! I was lucky enough to take part in the summer programme 'global young leaders conference' in China mid July. A perfect combination of sightseeing and a global problem solving simulation.

In Beijing all the participants were split up into groups, and there our journey began. Along with seeing the most impressive monuments in Beijing (including the forbidden city, the summer palace and of course the great wall), we were able to visit the pandas at the Beijing zoo, and experienced the most exotic cuisine.

In Beijing we were very lucky to meet the minister of foreign affairs who gave a speech on the Chinese and western cultures.

We then went to Hangzhou; a beautiful city located in the south. We visited a green tea plantation and went on a boat trip on one of the lakes. Furthermore, we got to see traditional Chinese gardens and even a Buddhist temple.

In Hangzhou we held our simulated debate on the global problem concerning water scarcity, where all groups aimed to come up with a solution that would please all stakeholders.

We concluded the fantastic trip in the fascinating city of Shanghai, where we had the chance to visit the coca cola factory and the ERA show.

It was the greatest experience of my life. I have met the most impressive people and friends for life. Thank you for such a great opportunity!

Verena Year 13

Next month we will feature a report from the pupils who attended in USA.

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Our 6th Form Committee has been holding regular meetings on Thursdays at lunchtime to discuss various suggestions and possible events for the pupils this year. Head Girl, Verena and Head Boy, Craig are joined by Maria (Charities) , Marta (Senior Head of House), Juan (Deputy Head Boy), Claudia (Deputy Head Girl) and Victor (Senior Head of House) who make up the committee. Each week they will invite a Y12 pupil to join them to gain an insight to the work of the committee.

Sixth Form Committee

Marta, Maria, Verena and Julia gave a short presentation on their experiences in America and China this summer as part of the Global Young Leaders Programme.

Sixth Form Assembly

Some comments from our new pupils• The welcome I received could not have been more inviting.• Teachers and students alike have been incredibly friendly, helpful and have ensured that I have settled

in well.• The school is impressive with several areas where I can study alone whilst having access to all the

resources I need.• Overall, a great first impression which I am sure will continue during my time here. I am looking forward

to the rest of the year.• People in school are very friendly and kind. Teachers teach very well and school is small if you compare

with my old school in Switzerland but this is good because you know everybody here!

It was my pleasure to receive many of our new families at a welcome reception in the Quadrangle. Several of our parents and new pupils took a quick tour of their new classrooms and enjoyed socialising and meeting key staff and other new families.

I look forward to welcoming them back to our other events and meetings throughout the year.

Welcome Meeting for New Families

Before school started in September, some teachers and non teaching staff learnt how to extinguish different types of fire. Personnel from the fire department came to school to train some of our staff how to use the correct fire equipmet in the event of a fire.

Fire Training

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I am very pleased with the standard of uniform displayed by the children in Primary and Secondary schools. The children look smart and purposeful and this helps them to concentrate on their school work and not on issues of ´fashion´! The King´s Group uniform is widely recognised amongst colleague schools in Spain and other countries and is an important part of our identity as well as our educational standing. From November 6th, pupils will be required to attend school in their winter uniform. All items of uniform are available from the school shop, including Blazers, which are priced at 70€ this year. Students in Y12 and Y13 can wear the Sixth Form tie, which is also available from the school shop, and which further acknowledges them as our most senior students.

Please note that pupils are allowed to wear only one pair of small stud earrings , no other jewelry is permitted. Sixth form pupils may also wear 1 dress ring and discreet make up.

We will be holding our school photograph sessions on 14th and 15th November at which all pupils must be wearing full winter uniform. Please check our website for details of the uniform requirements.

School Uniform

Glorieta del Reino Unido 5Alicante 03008 Spainwww.bsalicante.com

email: carlos.lazaro@kingsgroup.org

Tues 2nd October Year 7 Monitoring Day Tue 9th October SCHOOL CLOSED9th–11thOctober InternationalAwardTrip–Silver(Y13)Fri 12th October SCHOOL CLOSEDWed 17th October Year 8 Monitoring Day Thur 18th October Parent Class: Preparing for ExaminationsTue 23rd October Year 9 Monitoring Day Wed24th-25thOctober SportsDay(Tobeconfirmed)Wed 31st October Year 10 Monitoring Day

Important Dates

You will now be aware that last term we introduced a crossing patrol for pupils in the morning at the main school entrance. This has proved popular with parents and pupils alike, and provides a safe crossing between the many cars which arrive in the mornings. I would ask that parents do not park at any of the yellow lines painted, especially outside the 3 entrances to the school, as this causes problems with traffic flow, access for school buses and increases the hazard to pupils crossing the road. Thank you.

SAFETY