Christmas Dinner 2024
Today we held our annual Christmas Dinner for over 530 students. Students enjoyed a main meal of either Roast Turkey, Gammon, Beef or Quorn with roast potatoes, pigs in blankets, stuffing, carrots, peas and gravy, followed by ice cream. Thank you to Mel and the Chartwells catering team for preparing such a wonderful spread.
Special thanks to all of our staff who helped serve, supervise, organise and clean up after the event. Without a collective school wide effort this event wouldn’t have been as successful as it was so THANK YOU ALL!
Christmas Raffle Winners !
We are delighted to announce the winners of our Christmas Raffle 2024!
Congratulations to all our winners and a big THANK YOU to everyone who bought tickets. Your contributions helped us raise £834 which will go towards our future Dementia Cafe events.
Parent Mrs Stevens and two of our Dementia Cafe guests, Lesley and Laura were the lucky winners of three beautiful hampers full of goodies. Student Isaac was the lucky winner of our student hamper.
Merry Christmas Everyone!
Lille Trip 2024
Our Year 7 had a great time on their trip to Lille! Students were an absolute joy to be with, showing fantastic confidence as they navigated the Christmas market, using their French skills to order food and ask questions to stallholders.
Curiosity and self-discipline
Their curiosity and self-discipline shone through during our visit to the Planetarium, where they actively engaged again asking and answering questions throughout the show.
We are all really proud of our students!
Joyeux Noël to all!
Character Awards 2024
This week we have had the pleasure of recognising the hard work of some of our Year 7, 8 and 9 students who were nominated by their teachers to receive Character Awards at our Christmas Awards Ceremony.
A big well done to all our Winners!
Year 8 Girls Football Success
Following the year 7s success two weeks ago, our year 8s took a while to ‘warm up’ but they just got better and better with each game.
The year 8s even went on to beat the Invicta B team and were the only team to score against the Invicta A team!
All our students represented the school brilliantly and showed such motivation, especially as there were only a few minutes between each game. Goals came from Imogen, Eva and Madison. Sophia was superb in goal…the next Mary Earps?!?
Team:
• Sophia
• Eva
• Madison
• Dolly
• Evie
• Imogen
• Olly
• Hunnie
• Mabintu
• Cerise
Tristan Osborne MP visits Aylesford School
Friday 6th December - The A team and Character Ambassador students were lucky enough to meet with Tristan Osborne MP for Chatham and Aylesford.
This was a fantastic opportunity for our students and the school to discuss pressing matters with our local MP. Students showed tremendous respect, integrity and open mindedness when discussing national, local and school issues.
There was a lot of discussion about feeling safe in the local community, concerns about traffic on Teapot Lane and the use of mobile phones in the classroom. Students also raised the dangers of vaping as a concern, to which Mr Osborne explained about the positive changes and restrictions the Government are planning to make in the near future.
We are very grateful to Mr Osborne for his time.
Aylesford School Dementia Cafe 2024
Today saw the return of our Dementia Cafe, this time with a Christmas theme and it was a tremendous success!
Firstly, all students showed excellent confidence, character and enthusiasm in performing songs, such as a selection from Bugsy Malone. Thanks must to Mr Hawkes, Mrs Davies and Mr Thompson for preparing the students so well.
Our guests were served a selection of sandwiches, Christmas cakes and mince pies and were then treated to a Christmas sing-a-long, led by Mr Thompson and the Aylesford Community Singers. Everyone enjoyed joining in with classics such as Jingle Bells, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Rockin around the Christmas Tree.
It was a pleasure for Aylesford to host such a positive community event, and the day would not have happened without the help of staff and students who made the day so successful.
Special thanks must go to Ms Day and Mrs Gryntus, who ensured the hall and tables were decorated so well with Christmas decorations and themed placemats.
Thanks also to Mr Edwards and Ms Layberry who ensured our catering students gave everybody a fantastic Christmas themed lunch and to Mrs Duff who provided her skill and expertise in leading the floristry club in making Christmas candle decorations.
A final thank you must go to Mr Neeve for leading and organising the event.
Please don’t forget raffle tickets are still on sale and can be bought from the Christmas Raffle page or from the school office - all proceeds go towards the running of future Dementia cafes.
The next Dementia Cafe will be at Easter - watch this space for further information about this and other events in future.
Aylesford School Christmas Carol Concert 2024
What an incredible evening at the Aylesford School Christmas Carol Service 2024!
It was a wonderful community event filled with festive cheer and holiday spirit. Many of our students gave fantastic performances for the very first time, doing so with such confidence and enthusiasm, really showcasing their hard work and dedication.
A huge THANK YOU to all the staff who supported and guided our students, making this event such a success. Your hard work behind the scenes made all the difference.
Wishing everyone a joyful holiday season ahead!
Year 7 Girls Football Team - First Tournament
Last week the squad of 12 attended their first football tournament ...in fact their first game !
For many this was the first time they had represented the school in a sport. The team looked brilliant in the new kit and they represented the school brilliantly.
The team had five games and it was a tough start, as we had to face Invicta Grammar; unfortunately we conceded three goals. The second game we only lost by one goal…clear progress! After two defeats we had to change things up and for the best…we went on to win 3-0, 1-0, and 3-0!! The team were absolutely buzzing.
Resilience and confidence paid off and we finished further up the table.
It’s not the best photo, but it was rather cold last Thursday and they wanted to get back to the bus!
TEAMSHEET
Back row: Ruby, Amelia, Harper, Shayla, Isabelle, Amber, Sophie
Front row: Daisy, Elsa, Jaime-Lee, Lily and Sophie
Christmas Raffle 2024 - Buy your tickets now!
The Aylesford School Christmas Raffle 2024 is now live!
- We have 4 hamper prizes 3 for adults and 1 for students.
- Tickets can be purchased from the school office or Parent Pay
- £1 a ticket or £5 a strip.
- All proceeds will go toward funding our future Dementia Cafés.
- Draw takes place on 18th December!
Don’t delay get your tickets today - Good Luck!
Year 8 visit Hampton Court Palace
Year 8 have been exploring the grounds of Hampton Court Palace, learning information taught across both history and geography at the school.
From Henry VIII and his wives to the locational importance of the buildings.
Students have shown great curiosity and respect whilst travelling through history!
Police and crime commissioners workshop - Update
The influence of social media and the internet
Character Ambassadors and the A Team were lucky enough to take part in a workshop with the Police and Crime Commissioners looking at the influence of social media and the internet. All were tasked with making a podcast related to this topic and were able to record and present their ideas.
They showed great confidence, motivation and enthusiasm to produce these and the best examples will be entered into a national competition.
We look forward to sharing the results in due course.
Christmas Carol Concert 2024
Join us for a wonderful evening of music and readings to usher in the Christmas season.
St Peter and St Paul’s Church Aylesford
7:30PM December
There will be a retiring collection for the Grace Tutt Fundraiser.
Aylesford School marks Remembrance Day with reflection and respect
Today, Aylesford School took time to honour and remember those who have served and sacrificed for our country. We held a special assembly for all students, featuring a powerful presentation from the Royal British Legion, followed by a moving two-minute silence at 11.00am
In addition, a small group of our students had the privilege of visiting the Royal British Legion to mark this important day alongside local veterans. It was a heartwarming and humbling experience, showcasing the compassion and respect our students hold for those who have fought for our freedom.
We are incredibly proud of our students for their thoughtfulness and dedication to remembering the brave men and women who have served.
Lest we forget.
Dementia Café - Memories of Christmas, 5th December ••FULLY BOOKED••
••NOW FULLY BOOKED••
Updated 12/11/24:
Aylesford School’s next Dementia Café on 5th December is now FULLY BOOKED and we are looking forward to welcoming all those attending.
The theme for this special event will be “Memories of Christmas” – a wonderful opportunity to reminisce and share cherished moments of the holiday season. 🎄✨
Community events like this are so important in building connections and supporting one another, especially when it comes to those affected by dementia. They help create a space where memories are honoured and new bonds are formed, all while fostering a sense of belonging.
School Tours for Y6 going into Y7 in September 2025
Aylesford School tours for year 6 students who will be starting secondary school in September 2025
Due to popular demand the extra tour dates added are now fully booked.
Kind regards
Miss T Kelvie
Headteacher
Aylesford School
If you would like to download our prospectus by clicking here
Future events
Keep an eye on our website and Facebook page for future events.
Transition events for Year 6 students
The Aylesford School transition events for Year 6 students who will be looking for a school for September 2025 are now complete.
The events included:
- Open evening - Headteachers welcome and school tours
- Family fun morning
- After school taster sessions
Future events
Keep an eye on our website and Facebook page for future events.
Best of British Dementia Summer Cafe!
Yesterday saw our Best of British Dementia Summer Cafe. We had over 50 people from our local community join us for this special event, it was a tremendous success and all students were a credit to the school with their excellent character, confidence and enthusiasm they showed in performing songs, talking to our guests and serving teas coffees and a light lunch.
Thanks must go to Lidl for their contribution to the food supplies and to Mr Andrew Kennedy for his very kind donation towards funds for the day. Further thanks to our friends the 2 G’s who treated us to a fantastic performance of a selection of songs from the last 60 years. These brought back memories for many of our guests who often remembered the lyrics word for word despite living with dementia. Please see a selection of photos from the day and thanks to Mrs White who put together a mini video of the day too:
Special thanks
It was a pleasure for Aylesford to host such a positive community event and the day would not have happened without the help of staff and students who made the day so successful. Special thanks must go to our staff members Ms Day and Mrs Gryntus, who ensured the hall was set up and tables were decorated so well with themed placemats. Thanks also to Mr Edwards and Ms Layberry who ensured our catering students gave everybody a fantastic lunch and to Mrs Duff who provided her skill and expertise in leading the floristry club.
A final thank you must go to Mr Neeve for initiating and organising the event.
Next Dementia Cafe
The next Dementia Cafe will be at Christmas- watch this space for further information about this and other events in future.
Aylesford year 8 football team make Maidstone Schools Football Final
The Aylesford School year 8 football team have made the Maidstone Schools Football Final!
After a very close game ended in a 0-0 draw the match went to a penalty shoot out and to sudden death!
The winning penalty falling to Liam Innes.
Penalty scorers
- Frankie Aarons
- George Davies
- Alfie Sharp
- Connor Chapman
- Liam Leggett
- Liam Innes
Man of the match
Alfie Sharp
Maidstone Schools Football Final
4pm kick off at Maidstone United on TUESDAY 21st MAY.
Students head to Florida to compete in the Cheerleading World Championships
Ellarose and Crystal in year 7 will be travelling to Florida on the 16th April to compete in the World Championships with their team, Mystify.
This amazing opportunity arose after Team Mystify of MCDA Allstars won a bid to compete in the prestigious competition taking place in Orlando, Florida between April 19-21. Bids are won by attaining the highest scores across UK regional competition.
Go Ellarose, Crystal and Team Mystify!
Anyone who wants to help them on their journey they can contribute to footwear, training sessions and of course hair bows, HERE.
An invitation to Primary students to tour our school
Aylesford School is inviting Primary students to tour our school.
This invitation is open to:
- Current Year 6 students who have have accepted a place at the school to start in September 2024
- Current Year 5 students transitioning in September 2025
Tour dates for March 2024
Tuesday 12th March 2024 Tour 1 9am & Tour 2 10am
Tuesday 19th March 2024 Tour 1 9am & Tour 2 10am
Tuesday 26th March 2024 Tour 1 9am & Tour 2 10am
Limited spaces - Max 10 people per tour
Book your tour
Please contact 01622 717341 or email info@aylesford.kent.sch.uk to book your place.
If you would like to download our prospectus by clicking here
We look forward to meeting you.
Kind regards
Miss T Kelvie
Headteacher
Aylesford School
A MUSICAL EGGSTRAVAGANZA - Easter Dementia Cafe!
Aylesford school presents A MUSICAL EGGSTRAVAGANZA!
On 27th March from 11:30am - 1:30pm
Join us – everyone is welcome!
Aylesford win league and secure final spot
After an impressive league season which has seen us beat St Simon Stock, Cornwallis and MGS. Aylesford had one more hurdle in the way, and this was in the form of the current Maidstone champions Oakwood. For 55 minutes we (Aylesford) were brilliant, with goals from Arthur and Lucas after a beautiful cross from Riley. Ollie led the line well and was a real pain for the Oakwood centre backs which led to the first goal for Aylesford.
A lapse in concentration from Aylesford, let Oakwood back in, this resulted in a nervy finish as the game finished 3-2. Nathan (Aylesford’s) captain has become a real leader and this has helped to drive the Aylesford team forward.
Aylesford 2-1 SSS
Aylesford 5-1 Cornwallis
Aylesford 4-0 MGS
Every single player has been brilliant this season. Congratulations on making the final and well deserved win!
Year 10 rugby unbeaten in Maidstone for another year!
Last night the year 10 rugby team had their Maidstone District final against Malling at Aylesford Bulls. With a few players missing from the teamsheet this week it was always going to be a close game and as ever the game against Malling did not disappoint. Having played each other in the final for the last 3 years running it is always a great game.
Early effort from Aylesford
As ever the Aylesford team put in the effort early on and went over for the first score of the day after the ball was well worked out to the wing, converted by the ever faithful boot of Charlie Morgan.
Malling replied quickly with a couple of crunching tackles being made on the way for a quick turnover and went over for their first score of the day.
With Aylesford energized they sought to open the gap up and give themselves some breathing space and with some excellent running and control. The ball was worked wide onto the right wing for a second score of the day. Aylesford were hungry for more and went over twice more in quick succession after half time, Malling replied twice with their own scores.
Magic Morgan
Aylesford had the final say with a length of the field try and comfortably converted again by Morgans boot.
The game was played in the way it should have and the result reflects the quality of the game and the teams playing. With a final score 27-17 to Aylesford!
Well done Aylesford!
Please congratulate the team on their success this year, with a great cup run resulting in making the Kent final for the first time and remaining undefeated in Maidstone for another year.
This year’s results are Played = 10 Won = 9 Lost = 1
Join our Online and Community Safety event featuring speakers from the police, ‘we are with you’ and Kent County Council
On Thursday 7th December between 4-6pm Aylesford School are hosting an Online and Community Safety event featuring speakers from the police, ‘we are with you’ and Kent County Council.
It’s free and there’s no booking required.
Year 10 put on an amazing performance at rugby final but kept from trophy
On 21 November the year 10 rugby team had their Kent rugby final at Gravesend Rugby Club against Tunbridge Wells Grammar.
Amazing performance
The performance that the team last night was amazing, they carried well, tackled well and didn’t let their heads drop throughout the game. A very evenly contested first half, with both teams trading scores and coming in at half time for 17-5 to Tunbridge Wells. With Aylesford making a few changes we looked to put pressure on Tunbridge Wells, however with them bringing on 7 sets of fresh legs in the second half kept us pinned back in our own half for much of the second half. The defence on the try line for a number of minutes was a huge demonstration of the desire the boys had to keep the scoring, however after a few minutes of constant attack they finally went over. With some tiring bodies from Aylesford and the organised pay of Tunbridge Wells they went over a few more times.
Commitment and resilience
With minutes to go Aylesford found there rhythm once more and finished the game with a well worked tried in the corner. Unfortunately we came up against a very strong Tunbridge Wells side, that put us under a lot of pressure early on in the game and kept the pressure on throughout. I cannot fault the teams commitment and resilience to keep going.
The journey this team as been on this year in the cup run has been phenomenal and to get to the final in the first place was a huge achievement and competing against some top grammar schools along the way was no mean feat. Rightly so the boys were disappointed to come away without the trophy but all should be extremely proud of their achievements so far.
Final Score Aylesford 12 – 46 Tunbridge Wells
If you see any of the following please congratulate them on a great performance, thank you to all the parents and staff that were able to come and cheer the team on.
Blake I
Bradley B
Max D
Rhys L
Oscar P
Ollie C
Charlie M
Callum A
Riley D
Riley B
Martin M
Finn S
Frankie F
Ethan W
Joe M
Dimitar T
Rugby success - Aylesford School beat Oakwood Park Grammar 47-12
Last night the year 10 rugby team had their first Kent Cup match of the year against Oakwood Park Grammar. With 16 players available up against an Oakwood side that brought 22 players we knew it was going to be a competitive fixture.
A good start to the game
We started well with an early score in the first few minutes only to have it returned moments after with Oakwood converting to give them the lead by 2. After that Aylesford settled down, played some good rugby moving the ball well, we got on the score sheet twice more and both well converted by Charlie Morgan off the tee. This gave us a 19 – 7 lead into half time.
Leading at half time
Second half came about quickly with Aylesford looking to build on their first half performance. A long kick off to Oli C gave him plenty of space to run and after a chip over lead to a great chase and resulted in another Aylesford score. Oakwood fought back quickly and after few missed tackles went over for their second score of the game. Now 26-12 Aylesford looked to put the pressure on even more through strong ball carrying from Oli, Charlie, M and Rylie B. This kept Oakwood pinned in their own half for much of the second half, after some lovely phases of play Riley DS showed some great composure to step the last defender and score under the posts.
With Oakwood ringing the changes as the game went on Aylesford looked to put the game to bed and after some huge tackles in the middle of the field lead to a quick turnover and Aylesford going over twice more.
Final score
Final score Aylesford 47-12 Oakwood. A really strong win for the team against a good opponent and we now progress into the next round with opponents yet to be confirmed. Please congratulate the team on a huge effort yesterday. Thank you to all the staff that were able to come out and support the team really did appreciate it.
Winning Team sheet
Jamie M
Blake I
Ethan W
Bradley B
Max D
Rhys L
Oscar P
Ollie C
Dimitar T
Charlie M
Callum A
Riley S
Riley B
Martin N
Finn S
Frankie F
Duke of Edinburgh
Click below to read out latest letter about how to sign up for the Duke of Edinburgh award.
This is open to current Year 9,10 and 6th form.
Exam results days and Ofqual information
Here are the exam results days for your diary.
- Y11 results on 24 August
- Y13 results on 17 August
If you’ve got any questions about exam results Ofqual have written an open letter to students receiving results this summer to try and answer questions about how your results are determined and for those looking towards higher education information about confirming offers and Clearing - click HERE.
Sports Awards 2023
We had a fantastic evening at our 2023 Sports Awards!
A big well done all to our winners!!!
Recognition Certificates: Cameron May, Connor Kerkham, James Denney,Lucie Collins, Aaron Brewer, Scarlett Ingram, Niamh Tullett, Erin Reed, Grace Bowmaker, Livvy Sewell, Eduardo Bergin, Emma Foreman, Frankie Davis , Oliver Goodyer, Jessica Howard, Connor Adams, Bella Gilbert, Clare Eketah, Josie Squires, Myles Greest, Dixy Lee, George Ashcroft
Ks3 Boy Maxwell Diedericks
Ks3 Girl Daisy Ashcroft
Ks4 Boy Aaron Brewer
Ks4 Girl Evie Northwood
KS5 Boy Sam Grant
KS5 Girl Ella Webb
Ks4 Academic Student Courtney-May Hartnup
Ks5 Academic Student Isaac Eacott
Leader of the year Brooke Ryan
Most Attendance to Clubs Connor Kerkham
Most Progress Grace Bowmaker
Best Newcomer George Davis
Club of the Year Athletics
Record Breakers: Connor Chapman 1500m – 5min24, Kayan Seyton Javelin – 18m59, Jayden Cogger Shot Putt – 11m , Oliver Crudgington 800m – 2min23, Charlie Morgan Shot Putt – 12m30, Lola King 300m -55.1sec, Daisy Ashcroft 1500m – 6min34, Grace Bowmaker Shot Putt - 6.9m, Clare Ekatah Shot Putt – 7.2m, Ben Czajkowski Shot Putt – 9.1m
Team of the Year Boys Ks3 Year 9 Rugby
Team of the Year Girls Ks3 Year 7 Football
Team of the Year Boys Ks4 Year 11 Football
Team of the Year Girls KS4 Year 11 Netball
Team Performance of the Year Year 8 Football
Individual Performance of the Year Connor Chapman
Gifted and Talented Pupil of the year Finley Woodham
Outstanding Contribution to PE Summer Arnold
Special Recognition Award Violet Kneller
Governors Award Will Sims
Looking for your next great read?
Discover the titles that people can’t stop talking about in this list of #BookTok favourites.
As seen on TikTok Click here for great reads
#BookTok
Join our Governing Board and help make a difference
Governors help build courage, confidence and character
Do you have the drive and enthusiasm to help deliver Aylesford School’s vision to build courage, confidence and character in an inclusive and supportive environment?
Could you commit to a key role in supporting a passionate and caring group of professionals guiding young people towards independence as they develop strong character strengths, reach their academic potential and discover where they excel?
Do you have the confidence to play a role in the school’s journey to Outstanding?
If so, WE NEED YOU!
Are you interested in joining our Governing Board?
If you’re interested, please email the Chair of Governors, Linda Blumsum Linda.Blumsum@aylesford.kent.sch.uk or the Clerk to the Governors, Lesley Hardwick Lesley.hardwick@aylesford.kent.sch.uk for more information, or leave a message with the school office and one of us will contact you.
Teacher Training Recruitment and Information event
Come along to Aylesford School to meet the Team from Teach in Kent who can talk you through how to apply for Teacher Training.
Date and time
Wed, 3 May 2023 19:00 - 20:30
Where
Aylesford School Teapot Lane Aylesford ME20 7JU
Book now
Visit www.teachinkent.co.uk to book your ticket.
Finley selected for England Men’s YDP Goalkeeping Development Camp
Finley is currently part of the under 15 Charlton Squad and trains and plays with them through the hybrid programme run at the club which aligns his ability to play whilst maintaining his education. He has also had the opportunity to train with the 1st team squad as. Finley has been given a scholarship 2 years early as a goalkeeper. We are already extremely proud of the character he displays to maintain the workload of training, playing and his education.
As a reward for the effort and hard work he has put in, Finley has been selected to attend England Men’s YDP Goalkeeping Development Camp at St George’s Park at the end of April. This is a huge opportunity for Finley to further his development and progress in football.
Well done Finley we are extremely proud of you!
Term 5 Exam Timetables
Click below for Exam Timetables
6th Form Summer Exam Timetable
Year 8 are through to Maidstone district football final
Our year 8 football team are through to the Maidstone District final after beating SST 3-2 yesterday afternoon.
The team showed great character throughout the game especially after coming from 1-0 down inside the first 5 minutes. Some fantastic individual performances and three superb goals from Mason Hudson, Alfie McGuire and Freddie Attwater secured our place in the final.
A twin achievement on the football pitch
Football achievements from twins, Evie & Luke
Evie N from year 10 was selected for a National Talent Camp at Warwick University this weekend, as the England Talent Pathway team have been watching her over the last year and they have been impressed with her performances. Evie had a game against Wales at St George’s Park on Monday.
Evie had a great time this weekend and it is such an achievement to have been picked to train and play with England U15’s. She did amazingly well with some of the best talent across the country.
Luke N got back from Abu Dhabi yesterday, he went as part of the u15 Charlton team. They had a really good tournament and they made the final against Valencia.
They played really well but sadly lost 1-0. Luke still had a great time and a great experience meeting lots of new people and enjoying new experiences. Whilst he was away Luke even did his school work!
Well done Evie & Luke!
Prom 2023 - 22nd June
As a reward for the hard work shown across the last two years of GCSE study we are delighted to be organizing the year 11 Prom as a final send off for our year 11 cohort.
Prom 2023 - Celebrate your time at Aylesford School
The year 11 prom will be held at the Village Hotel in Maidstone.
The evening will include a DJ, dancefloor, food, refreshments and some other surprises for the year group. We hope that students will be able to attend and celebrate their school journey and their successes they have had over their time at Aylesford School.
When?
Date: 22 June 2023
Arrival Time: 7pm
Finish & Carriages: 11pm
Where?
Venue: Village Hotel, Maidstone, Forstal Road, ME14 3AQ
Get dressed up
Dress Code: Formal evening wear
Ticket to the Prom
The cost of the evening will be £35 a ticket and the deadline for payment for the event will be 1st May 2023 via ParentPay.
A ‘Ticket to the Prom’ has been introduced to year 11 this week as a way to support with uniform, expectations and behaviour. Students are expected to get this signed by their core and option subject teachers at the end of the week and this will be signed if staff feel that students have upheld the above.
Notes
If students fall below the expected expectations set out then their place at the prom may be taken away as a result of not meeting the schools expectations. This is of course something we would not wish to do and hope that all of year 11 are able to celebrate together.
If you have any further questions please contact Mr Matthews, Mr Axford or Mr Cooper to discuss this further.
Year 9 rugby team remain unbeaten in Maidstone
The year 9 rugby team had their final last night at Aylesford Bulls against Malling.
Unbeaten in Maidstone
After a dominant performance in the first tournament last term the boys were looking to remain unbeaten in Maidstone. With a few early scares and a few stern words from captain Charlie Morgan the boys rallied around and put in a good team performance coming out overall winners 44-10.
Man of the match
Man of the match for the game went to Charlie Morgan for his leadership on the pitch as well as his all round performance on the night.
Remote Learning - Monday 12th December
The school has reverted to remote learning procedures due to full school closure because of severe weather conditions. Please note, whilst we will endeavour to deliver remote lessons where possible, not all staff will be able to deliver full lessons due to their own childcare issues. Secondly, where a class currently has a long-term cover teacher, or supply, they may not have access to a teacher for that particular lesson due to the short term nature of the closure. We hope to be open tomorrow. We will try to deliver live lessons today - these will take place today, lessons 1-4:
9:00- 9:50 - lesson 1
10:00- 10-50 - Lesson 2
11:15- 12:05 - Lesson 3
12:15 - 1:05 - Lesson 4
The afternoon should be used as a Character Development Afternoon and students should pick a Character strength to demonstrate and send pictures in if they can.There are some ideas on the link below
Character Development Activities
Please see below for instructions on how your child can access their remote learning lessons / resources, this has key sections adapted from our current online learning policy:
Remote Education Provision: Information for Parents
This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to pupils and parents or carers about what to expect from remote education.
The Remote Curriculum: what is taught to pupils at home
A pupil’s first day or two of being educated remotely might look different from Aylesford School’s standard approach, while we prepare for a longer period of remote teaching. In the first couple if days we will be sending home tasks to do for each subject. We will aim to deliver live lessons in all subjects although this is subject to staff availability and logistics in practical subjects. We will endeavour to teach the same curriculum remotely as we do in school.
Remote teaching and study time each day
If the school is closed beyond today, we will provide live online lessons – these will follow a pupil’s normal timetable (5 lessons per day). The lessons will be shortened to 50 minutes instead of an hour to allow for students and staff to have a comfort break and prepare for the next lesson. We will also have a character day each week until we return to school to allow for learning that is not computerised or on screen – this sits in line with our school vision ‘to provide high quality academic and character education’.
Accessing Remote Education
Students will access their lessons, work, and resources on the Microsoft Teams platform. Initially, students can expect to have work set as assignments to complete, following the assignments tab; this is no different to how the currently access their homework. Live lessons should be accessible after the first day of interruption, and if there are further school closures within a short period. Lessons will be delivered using the meeting function, this is the most safe and secure platform at our disposal and is why we are utilising this over alternative platforms; only recognised students with correct account details can access lessons.
In the event of the school having to revert to remote learning students will need to login to their office 365 accounts to access Microsoft Teams to be able to access live lessons or work set. All students have been given login details and should know them; if your child claims to not know or forgotten their account details, please could you follow the link below to request the details to be reset.
Due to potentially high demand, please allow a reasonable amount of time for our ICT manager to work through requests.
https://www.aylesford.kent.sch.uk/contact/365-account
Aylesford School 365 Account Support
Part of the. The Character Education Trust is a multi-academy trust (MAT) that exists to provide outstanding education in both primary and secondary schools.
www.aylesford.kent.sch.uk
Supporting Pupils who do not have technology at home
We recognise that some pupils may not have suitable online access at home. We take the following approaches to support those pupils to access remote education:
Parents should inform us if there is no internet access at home or if students do not have appropriate hardware to access online lessons/learning.
The school will issue or lend devices that enable internet connection (Laptop, routers or dongles). Parents are expected to sign a contract.
Aylesford School will send printed materials through the post where necessary.
How pupils will be taught remotely
Aylesford School use a combination of the following approaches to teach pupils remotely in order to meet every child’s learning needs:
· live teaching (online lessons)
· recorded teaching (e.g. Oak National Academy lessons, video/audio recordings made by teachers)
· printed paper packs produced by teachers (e.g. workbooks, worksheets)
· textbooks and reading books pupils have at home
· commercially available websites supporting the teaching of specific subjects or areas, including video clips or sequences
· long-term project work and/or internet research activities
Engagement and Feedback
All students at Aylesford school are expected to engage fully with lessons whether in school or learning remotely.
All students who are learning remotely are expected to attend online mentor time at 8:30 every day.
Mentors will complete a register which will go to our attendance officer. The pastoral team; Attendance officer (Mrs Bartholomew), pastoral support managers (Mrs Severn and Mrs Hodgson), Progress Leaders and class teachers will follow up students who are not present. Follow up will initially be with a text, email, or phone call. Where there is little or no engagement after 3 days, home visits might be necessary.
Feedback can take many forms and may not always mean extensive written comments. For example, whole class feedback or quizzes marked automatically via digital platforms are also valid and effective methods, amongst many others. During periods of remote learning our normal assessment policy will be followed- two assessed pieces of work per term followed by Levelling Up.
Additional support for pupils with particular needs
We recognise that some pupils, for example some pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), may not be able to access remote education without support from adults at home. We acknowledge the difficulties this may place on families, and we will work with parents and carers to support those pupils. A member of the SEN department will be in regular contact to help and support as well as the pastoral team.
Term 1 Sporting Success
Term 1 has been highly successful for our sports teams - we have had victories and strong performances across a range of sports! So many of our students have taken part in extra curricular opportunities and been part of our teams!
We are so proud of all of our students who represent the school! All of them are always great ambassadors for the school, demonstrating the schools character strengths all whilst enjoying themselves and having a good time!!!
There is more to come next term! We have rugby fixtures running at the Aylesford Bulls pitch every Thursday, as well year 11 netball fixtures, boys football quarter-finals and Kent Cup 2nd rounds. In addition to that we have more 6th form football league fixtures in which they are two wins away from being champions!. We’re also excited that the the girls football teams will get into action next during Term 2!
Click the link below to go through to our newsletter to read more about some of our student successes!
Remembering Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
All at Aylesford School are deeply saddened by the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Our thoughts and condolences are with the Royal Family at the sad time.
The Queen was an extraordinary role model for people around the world and for everyone at Aylesford School.
Today we had an assembly with all students this morning and held a two minute silence as a mark of respect.
Miss Kelvie talked to Heart Radio this morning about her memories of the Queen visiting Aylesford School in 2019:
The Queen visits Aylesford School
We were very fortunate to have had the Queen visit Aylesford School in November 2019 - just a few months before Covid hit. She landed on our school field by helicopter before visiting the Royal British Legion Village which the school has links with.
She spoke to our students who had been reading with the residents of The Royal British Legion.
One of our students voiced the sentiments of many on that day saying ‘it was the best day of his life!’
Our Queen was a role model and a true inspiration - the epitome of good character - and as a school community we are assembling this morning to think of her and her family
Miss Kelvie talks to Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden on Heart Radio about starting back at school
Go smash it!
Miss Kelvie shares her excitement to be back in school with Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden live on Heart Radio. They all agree that it’s important to present yourself well and put on a big smile!
Good luck everyone.
Listen to Jamie, Amanda and of course Miss Kelvie here:
Y2 Crew - Summer activity programme
There are some great local community activities for young people this summer click below to find out more
Aylesford School Production
Sport Relief 2022
Aylesford School will be holding a number of events w/b 11/3/22 to raise money for Sport Relief
Click the links below to find further information
Parent Information - Sport Relief 2022
Year 11 Student opens own Business!
I am year 11 student from Aylesford school and I have opened my own small business on Etsy.
It was within the summer of 2021 when it all started, we were all in quarantine and learning from home- I know right, how fun was that? ? I was in my normal GCSE Business lesson on Zoom, our teacher explained to us that we have to start thinking about our own business and what sort of things we would want to sell, we had the amazing task of writing a 2500-word Assignment on the whole thing- fun! I went through many business ideas but nothing really interested me, I wanted to do something that was very creative and different, so therefore I kept looking into different potential ideas that I could write about in my assignment- little did I know that in the next 6months it would be an actual business that I would be running.
3 weeks later, I picked my business idea, I wrote my assignment! - and also was in the process to trade mark my new business, buy a domain to my new business and package my first order for my new business.
My Customize was born!
My Etsy shop (MyCustomizeUK )is still very small and still growing, but much effort and motivation was put into it in order for it to be launched and recognized, much hard work and reliance must be show into something in order for it to be successful so that’s what must be proceeded with.
I thank Mrs. Kelvie for being a very supportive headteacher and allowing me to have this opportunity to showcase my business and also to Mrs. McDowell (My business teacher) for giving me that very long assignment back in year 10 – otherwise I would not have been here.
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/MyCustomizeUK
Fearless - Parental Engagement Event
Aylesford School have been working with our colleagues at The Holmesdale school to host an evening for the local community and parents to help keep our students safe in the local and wider community.
The evening takes place on Thursday 25th November and there are number of speakers and representatives from organisations who will be talking about the issues that young people are facing today and how we can all work together to keep children safe.
Spaces are limited and will need to be pre-booked. All information can be found in the letter below
Fearless Parent Engagement Evening - Thursday 25th November
myON - Digital reading for Year 7 and 8
myON - Online reading platform you can use from home
https://www.myon.co.uk/index.html
myON is also available as an App on Apple and Android products
All students have been trained and have been using myON at school during term 1 to develop good reading habits and to ensure that reading happens regularly. We are asking students to extend the use of myON beyond the LRC lessons to begin using this at home to supplement what happens in school.
Students should log onto myON as they would at school - using the Username and Password that they use for their LRC lessons in school. (firstnamessurname and the password is password) for example
USERNAME: johnsmith
PASSWORD: password
This will be set for homework during term 2 for Year 7 and 8 - details of which can be found on Microsoft Teams.
If you need any assistance please contact the LRC manager - Miss Cadd emma.cadd@aylesford.kent.sch.uk or LRC lesson teacher - Mr D Wright dave.wright@aylesford.kent.sch.uk and we will be happy to assist
Many Thanks
Mr Wright and Miss Cadd
Return to School - Term 2
Message from Miss Kelvie - Head Teacher
Dear Parents and Carers,
COVID 19 and Term 2
I really hope you are enjoying your half term and your children have managed to rest and recharge.
As infection rates continue to fluctuate nationally and across the county, I am emailing to set out clear expectations designed to continue to keep our school community safe.
We are all committed to the priority for Aylesford school to continue safely delivering face to face high quality education to all pupils. I believe that the following measures will mean that we will be able to do this throughout term 2.
Expectations for our school community regarding Covid 19 are as follows:
Regular Testing using lateral flow tests
All staff and students must test twice a week (Wednesday’s and Saturday’s). All results must be recorded on the NHS website. If any student tests positive on a lateral flow test you must notify Miss Kelvie immediately by phone or email tanya.kelvie@aylesford.kent.sch.uk. Students who test positive on a lateral flow test must also book a PCR test. Only the person who has tested positive must isolate.
Face Coverings
All staff and students will be expected to wear face coverings in communal areas.
Staff will model this behaviour around the school and encourage students to do the same. It is personal choice whether students wear face coverings during lessons.
Handwashing and Sanitising
All staff and students must hand wash or sanitise at least once every hour.
All desks and surfaces to be wiped over with antibacterial wipes at the end of every lesson
Rooms must be well ventilated
Windows and doors will be open where possible.
One Way System
All students are to follow the one way system for entrance and exits to buildings. We will continue to use the fire exits in all buildings as the exits.
Meetings with parents and other stakeholders will take place on line as far as possible.
Events that have a direct impact on students learning will still take place (school trips and visiting speakers) but preferably events/meetings to take place online. All meetings will be by appointment only - key staff emails are on our website.
We are very much looking forward to welcoming our students back on Monday. Please ensure that you have explained the above expectations to your child and that they come to school on time, in full school uniform, ready to learn and hopefully smiling.
Thank you for your continued support.
Miss Kelvie
Clerk to Governors Wins National Award
We are delighted to say that Lesley Hardwick - the Aylesford Clerk to the Governing body was recognised as ‘Highly Commended’ at the recent Outstanding Governance Awards ceremony, hosted by the National Governors Asssociation
Lesley is recognised for outstanding practice and considerable expertise, in clerking both the maintained and academy sectors, as well as the positive impact she has had on those she mentors and supports. Her experience of conflict management, balancing relationships and personalities and her calming and professional demeanour all allow her to provide first-class support services. Her designed reports, templates and monitoring schedules – allowing governors to effectively triangulate information they are given – have been hugely successful and used as examples of outstanding practice across the county.
Judges were impressed by her dedication in supporting and mentoring governors, trustees and clerks in and outside of meetings. One example stood out. Taking the initiative to lead on a board self-evaluation, Lesley guided them in its completion, following up with skills analysis and training recommendations, all while mentoring the new chair to become more confident in leading the process the following year.
To find out more about the Awards and read about other winners please click here.
Celebrating GCSE success and achievements
Aylesford School is delighted to be celebrating with students and to be able to report some outstanding achievements by our students in their GCSE and equivalent qualifications this summer. We are pleased that the grades for all subjects and students reflect, both the progress the school has made following a good Ofsted inspection in March 2020 and the hard work that students have put in.
Katie, Grace and Alice - Great reaction from the girls celebrating 30 strong passes GCSE grades between them.
Milly sharing success with her mum.
Sam and his mum are celebrating 9 subjects all above grade 5 with grade 7's in English Language, History and RE.
Amie pleasantly shocked celebrating 10 GCSE results all above grade 7. Aimee achieved top Grade 9's in English Language, History and RE.
Adam beaming with pride celebrating a fantastic set of results after a really tough year.
Olivia is celebrating with Grade 9's in History & Chemistry, 5 grade 8's in English language & literature, Geography & Physics.
Dan sharing the good news with his mum.
Taylor celebrating with the whole family
Ashton celebrates 10 GCSE grades all at grade 6 an above and is staying in Aylesford 6th Form
Ethan - celebrating the good news with mum before catching a flight to go on holiday.
This year, following the cancellation of exams, grades were awarded through a process of teacher assessed grades, against a national standard and approved and awarded by the exam boards. The government is not publishing performance data for any schools or colleges this year due to the varying impact of the pandemic.
Miss Kelvie, Headteacher:
“We are immensely proud of all the work and achievements of our students and the good character they have shown, especially after such a difficult and disrupted year. The students receiving results today are special to me as they are the first year group that I have taken all the way from Year 7 to Year 11 at Aylesford School as headteacher. It is not good bye as many are staying in our 6th form. Our teachers have worked tirelessly to ensure students are all able to progress onto our 6th form, further education and study, and we look forward to seeing what they will achieve in the future.”
Congratulations to Year 13 on their results!
Aylesford School is delighted to be celebrating and reporting some outstanding achievements by its students in their A levels and other qualifications this summer.
This year, following the cancellation of exams, grades were awarded through a process of teacher assessed grades, against a national standard and approved and awarded by the exam boards. The government is not publishing performance data for any schools or colleges this year due to the varying impact of the pandemic.
Proud of our school results
We are pleased that the grades for all subjects and students reflect, both the progress the school has made following a good Ofsted inspection in March and the hard work that students have put in. We are proud that our overall school results have shown year on year improvement in the past 4 years since Miss Kelvie has been in post.
100% of our students have secured first choice destination places
It is a great achievement that 100% of our students have secured places at their first choice destinations with an increased number of students going on to apprenticeships and securing places at university.
Aylesford School Headteacher – Tanya Kelvie
“We are immensely proud of all the work and achievements of our students and the great character they have shown, especially after such a difficult and disrupted year. Our teachers have worked tirelessly to ensure students are all able to progress onto further education and study, and we look forward to seeing what they will achieve in the future.”
Declan achieved a Distinction Star in Science and Sport and an A grade in Criminology. He intends to study Law at University.
Joshua achieved a Distinction Star in Science, grade 7’s in Psychology and History and an A* is Criminology. Joshua is going on to the University of Greenwich to study Biomedical science
Lucy is going to the University of Kent to study History and Politics and Rebecca is going to SOAS University to study Chinese
Lewis Smith is pursuing a career in agriculture; Kolby Horn is embarking on full time employment; Megan Lowry has aspirations of being an estate agent, Flynn Peto has secured a position as a supervisor at a catering firm and Calister Manning is going to Canterbury Christchurch University to study Criminology with Forensic Investigation.
Ally secured good grades in Health and Social Care, Psychology, Criminology and History to study Anti Terrorism and International Criminology at University.
Character Newsletter 2021
As we know the last 15 months have been an extremely challenging time for young people. Throughout the pandemic Aylesford have taken time to look after our pupils Mental Health and Character Development, providing all pupils with opportunities and activities to help them grow and develop as individuals, keeping character as the foundation.
Our latest Character Newsletter showcases what we’ve been up to at Aylesford in 2021.
Click HERE to read it now.
Chatham Maritime Watersports Centre year 8 trip
Mrs Hawkes and Mr Blair had the pleasure of taking 8 year 8 students to the Chatham Maritime Watersports Centre.
Each student showed great character and respect to each other and the staff at the Watersports Centre.
They had great fun on the paddle boards and demonstrated great skills and a good bit of competition between them all, showing each other different moves and balance’s on the boards.
The boys loved the sailing even though they capsized a few times! This was a great fun day out and well deserved by each student and a they were a pleasure to take.
Duke of Edinburgh 2021
Over the weekend our year 11 Duke of Edinburgh students were able to complete their practice expedition.
Students used their map reading skills to walk a route they had previously planned. After finishing their day’s walk on Friday students pitched their tents and cooked their own dinner.
We are extremely proud of the character they showed over the weekend and their excitement at getting back into the wilderness.
Year 11 students virtual work experience with Salesforce
9 of our Year 11 students recently took part in a week long virtual work experience with Salesforce.
They were taught cutting edge business principles by Salesforce employees from all over the world and were helped throughout the week to create presentations.
The student’s presentations were about how Salesforce employees can contribute towards sustainability in the environment and at the end of the week they presented live to a number of Salesforce employees. They did a superb job throughout the entire week and we’re extremely proud of them.
They showed excellent self-discipline and curiosity to get as much from this opportunity as they possibly could. A huge well done to the students involved!
Head Teacher wins Award
Earlier in the year you may remember we were encouraging staff, students and parents to thank a teacher by nominating them for an award.
We are delighted to announce that Miss Kelvie was a finalist in the ‘2021 Lockdown Hero Award for Learner and Community Support’ category and was presented with her certificate this morning by Mr D Cuff, the Chair of the schools governing body.
A big well done to Miss Kelvie!
Year 7 Parents Evening
Looking forward to meeting with Year 7 parents this evening
Please see a link to staff zoom codes Year 7 Teachers
Aylesford School Ofsted ‘Good’ in every single area - April 2020
Aylesford School has been ruled “Good” by Ofsted in every single area after a two day inspection on the 3rd and 4th of March 2020. We are delighted to share the inspectors report with you.
It gives me great pleasure to be able to share our Ofsted Inspection Report which confirms that Aylesford School is a ‘Good’ school in all categories.
When I started at Aylesford School in January 2017 as Interim Headteacher the Local Authority had already carried out a review that said that the school was inadequate in all areas. Then in November 2017 Ofsted declared Aylesford a school that required improvement but with Good Leadership, Management and 6th Form. But I could see the potential Aylesford had, and in Partnership with Wrotham School, worked hard to set the school on its journey to becoming outstanding
Since then we have worked tirelessly to improve all areas of the school and have used our drive to develop Character Education and improvement results academic qualifications to enable us to provide better opportunities and quality of education.
We are now the school of choice in the local area and are oversubscribed. We were one of the first schools, nationally to have achieved the Kitemark for Character Education and our exam results are improving significantly year on year with the majority of subjects, including English and Maths, in line with National expectations. Our Ofsted report confirms all the good work and is a tribute to all concerned with Aylesford School.
Thank you to all stakeholders-staff, students, parents, governors and members of our wider school community for your hard work and contributions.
We are now going to strive to be outstanding.
Tanya Kelvie
Headteacher
Aylesford School Ofsted report download
Aylesford School Ofsted April 2020
External Links
Visit the Ofsted website HERE.
The Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues reports on Aylesford School’s Good Ofsted HERE.
Kent Messenger published a story HERE.
Year 8 Parents Evening - 19/5/21
We are looking forward to meeting with Year 8 and their parents this Thursday (19/05/21)
Click below to access your teacher zoom codes
Year 8 Teacher Links
Year 9 Parents Evening
We are looking forward to meeting with Year 9 and their parents this Thursday (05/05/21)
Click below to access your teacher zoom codes
Year 10 Parents Evening
We are looking forward to meeting with Year 10 and their parents this Thursday (22/4/21) - Letter Below
Here is the links to access your teachers zoom meetings
English Department News
Click here to find the latest news from the English department and how the school and parents can continue to work together to support your child’s learning during this challenging time
English Department News - February 2021
English Department News - April 2020
English Department News - March 2020
We also have a recommended reading list for KS3 and KS4 - if your son/daughter are not big readers there is no time like the present to pick up a book!
Stay Healthy Stay Engaged and Stay In Touch
Looking after your mental health and wellbeing is more important than ever!
Please see below a letter from Miss Kelvie regarding some changes that we are making, including introducing a Character and Wellbeing day each week as part of our school curriculum
click
To view our letter click Here
To view our ‘menu’ of Character and Wellbeing activities (including some new suggestions for Term 4) click Here
To view our Stay Healthy, Stag Engaged, Stay in touch poster click Here
PE Department - Strava Challenge!
Calling all Students
In addition to your PE lessons the PE team have set up Strava links for each year group to add some extra competition and improve your wellbeing whilst you are at home. This could include walking, running or cycling
Here’s how to get started. Once you have clicked on the link for your year group, please sign up with a relevant email address and follow the instructions for the set up of your account.
HTTPS://www.Strava.com/clubs/Year7Aylesford
https://www.Strava.com/clubs/AylesfordYear8
https://www.Strava.com/clubs/AylesfordYear9
https://www.Strava.com/clubs/AylesfordYear10
https://www.Strava.com/clubs/AylesfordYear11
https://www.Strava.com/clubs/AylesfordSixthForm
Once you have signed up you will get an email for you to verify your account. Click on this and sign into your account. We want pupils to remember to stay safe when online so to reduce the number of people that can see your private information please do the following.
1. Hover the mouse over the picture icon in the top right hand corner
2. Click on settings
3. Click on privacy controls
4. Set your profile so that only your followers or you can see your profile and personal information
5. Scroll down to privacy zones.
6. Enter your postcode and then click the drop down box and click 1000m. this will then set an exclusion zone around your address so others can’t see where you live.
7. Once you have set these up you are good to go and start uploading your runs and times.
8. Your teachers will be uploading runs as well…… can you beat them?
Happy Exercising…..........
The PE team.
Online Library and Reading Lists
As we are spending so much time at home some of you may be reading more and would like access to more books.
Did you know you can join the public library online and get access to all of their books electronically?
This is very easy to do and many of the books are also available as an audiobook - click below to find out more
Perhaps you may find something to read from our recommended reading lists below
Volunteers Needed - Can you help with student Covid Testing
In order for students to return safely we will need to have mass testing in place. The government want us to test students twice (3 days apart) before they return. (Details to follow). We need at least 11 volunteers!
Due to the large number of people required to undertake training and delivery of mass testing in schools we are asking for volunteers from our school community and will be asking anyone who is willing and able to help us do this to contact us in the first week back to discuss further. It is already clear that we will not be able to do this without this support as teaching staff will be teaching fully from day one, we simply won’t have capacity without voluntary help. If you are able to help with this or know anyone who can please email me: Tanya.kelvie@aylesford.kent.sch.uk
Thank you to those of you who have volunteered so far – I will be in contact with you soon.
Click the link below to find out more
Testing_Volunteers_Required.pdf
Character Recognition
As some of you may know, Aylesford School works extremely closely with the University of Birmingham’s Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues. We have a strong professional relationship with the Centre who are at the global forefront of Character Education, this allows us to learn from the very best minds across the country and helps us ensure we can deliver a high quality provision back in school.
The other great thing about working with the Jubilee Centre is the opportunity to share what we do with other schools and other professionals. Just before the summer break Mr Wright got to present at a Webinar about the exciting journey the school has been on so far, taking questions from other school leaders both nationally and internationally. This was a fantastic opportunity not only to share, but to raise the profile of the school in a wider context.
We’re also delighted to post a link below to a document released recently by the Jubilee Centre - Windows into Schools. This documents aims to showcase the very best of Character Education in schools and Aylesford School is extremely proud to be included and recognised in this publication.
Click here to read Windows into schools
End of Year Newsletter
Please see a copy of our end of Year newsletter
We hope you all have a great summer and look forward to seeing you in September.
Best Wishes
Aylesford School
D of E Recognition
We’ve been delighted to receive this certificate of recognition from the regional Duke of Edinburgh direction praising our students for giving 273 hours of service to our local community! Well done to all our D of E students who contributed towards this!
Year 8 Curriculum News
Dear Parents/Carers of Year 8 Students
Please see below a letter that wasemailed out to you regarding the curriculum for the next academic year as pupils go into year 9. If you have any questions please contact Mr Cooper on paul.cooper@aylesford.kent.sch.uk.
It is important that all parents and students read this letter and complete the attached form via the link on the letter.
Many thanks for your continued support.
Mr Cooper – Progress Leader Year 8
Corona Virus - Advice for Parents and Carers
Dear Parents/Carers
Kent County Council have realised an excellent support document for parents and carers.
It includes a wealth of information and advice around supporting your childrens well being during this difficult time.
We would encourage all our parents and carers to take a look! Click below to find out more
Term 5 - Year Group Newsletters
Our Term 5 News letters can be found below
Year 7 - Year 7
Year 8 - Year 8
Year 9 - Year 9
Year 10 - Year 10
Art - Department News
Click here to find the latest news from the Art department and how the School and parents can continue to work together to support your child’s learning during this challenging time.
Art Department News - May 2020
Year 11 Announcement
All Year 11 Students are guaranteed a place in our 6th Form for next academic year!
We hope you are all staying safe and well.
We are excited to announce our finalised curriculum offer for all Year 12’s starting in September 2020. Today you should receive an email about this and you may well notice some exciting additions to the curriculum offer -A Level English, A Level Drama and A Level Art.
We know that most of you have already provisionally chosen your subjects/destinations, but in light of the current situation we also know that many of you have had time to think about your future plans and may have had a change of heart. Now is the time to make these changes and to start thinking about your future. Attached you will find a document which gives lots of information about the curriculum offer and also frequently asked Questions- please do get in touch by the email contacts provided if you have any queries about your future after year 11. We will consider all applications and are working with our partnership school ‘Wrotham’, so be sure to check out their range of subjects. Wrotham have a wider suite of ‘A’ level subjects on offer and will also consider offering you a place.
Whilst you are eagerly awaiting your results and may have finished all your subject work, Your teachers have been working hard to produce resources for you to access to help you to prepare for sixth form. These will be in a folder on ‘Show My Homework’ and are clearly labelled by subject, this will be going live this week- more specific information to follow on this in the next few days.
Whatever your destination after year 11, we wish you luck and best wishes in your future endeavours, but we hope to see many of you back to join our ‘good’, exciting and successful sixth form.”
Kind Regards
Miss Kelvie (Head Teacher) and Mrs Dighton (Head of 6th Form)
RE - Department News
Click here to find the latest news from the RE department and how the School and parents can continue to work together to support your child’s learning during this challenging time.
VE Day Celebrations
It is the 75th Anniversary of the end of World War II!!
VE Day (Victory England) is on the 8th May 2020.
To commemorate this, the History department have provided a number of activities for you to complete, if you want to mark this celebration.
If you complete any of the tasks, please send us picture to share your creations/work to Mrs McGuckin:
lucy.mcguckin@aylesford.kent.sch.uk or via SMHW
These will be used as part of a gallery of pictures on our Facebook page as part of the celebrations and on a display in school, once lockdown is over. It would be great if you could take part!
Click below to access some of these great resources
MFL Department News
Click here to find the latest news from the MFL department and how the School and parents can continue to work together to support your child’s learning during this challenging time.
MFL - Department News May 2020
PE Department News
Calling all students - we would love you to take part in some of our PE/Sport personal challenges before the end of term!
Please send any video submissions or your score to Mr Groom - alex.groom@aylesford.kent.sch.uk
Click here to read more - PE- Personal Challenges
_______________________________________________________
Click here to find the latest news from the PE department and how the School and parents can continue to work together to support your child’s learning during this challenging time.
PE Department News - June 2020
Drama Department News
Click here to find the latest news from the Drama department and how the School and parents can continue to work together to support your child’s learning during this challenging time.
Drama Department News - May 2020
Science Department News
Please click below to for more information about KS4 Science, including Exam Information and Dates, Revision Tips and links to external resources.
Year 10 and 11 Science Information
Click here to find the latest news from the Science department and how the School and parents can continue to work together to support your child’s learning during this challenging time.
Science Department News - February 2021
Science Department News - May 2020
Science Department News - April 2020
Geography Department News
Click here to find the latest news from the Geography department and how the School and parents can continue to work together to support your child’s learning during this challenging time.
Geography Department News - April 2020
History Department News
Click here to find the latest news from the History department and how the School and parents can continue to work together to support your child’s learning during this challenging time.
History Department News - March 2020
Maths Department News
Click here to find the latest news from the Maths department and how the School and parents can continue to work together to support your child’s learning during this challenging time.
Maths Department News - May 2020
Maths Department News - April 2020
Maths Department News - March 2020
On the 4th of March, Mrs Baker accompanied by three amazing members of staff, took 51 year 7 students to Canterbury Cathedral. The trip was a joint History and RE trip looking at the significance of the Cathedral for historians and pilgrims alike. We had a fully guided tour, with some students even going up the pilgrims steps on their knees! The staff at the Cathedral and the staff on the trip were impressed with the politeness, curiosity and resilience of all students; it was quite cold even with our coats on! The Cathedral staff even took time to write the us at the school after the visit! “We had the pleasure of your year 7 pupils visiting is this week. I do hope that they enjoyed their visit as much as all the guides who took them on their tours certainly did, they told us how good they were, very polite and attentive, with great questioning. They all said how much they enjoyed interacting with them” Thank you to everyone who assisted with this trip! Mrs Baker For parents, carers and students in years 10 and 11: All students will be asked to write an essay on An Inspector Calls for GCSE literature. In order to do this they need to know the following: There is a lot to learn - and this is only one of 3 books and 15 poems they need to study In order to get started there is a revision booklet and exam questions below that students can download and use to revise. An Inspector Calls - Revision.docx An Inspector Calls - Exam Questions.pdf The dance showcase tickets are now on sale at reception. £5 a ticket under 12s are free. Wednesday the 1st of April . 6:30-8pm Doors open at 6pm. We look forward to seeing you there to help support and encourage your child. Any questions please email miss Jarvis at kelly.jarvis@aylesford.kent.sch.uk she will be happy to help Congratulations to all 59 students who have had their “Living with Dementia” art work competition entries displayed in Maidstone Museum. They have shown tremendous character and done fantastically well to achieve this accolade and we are all extremely proud of them. Thanks must go to the Art Department and to Mr Neeve, the A Team and Dementia Friends of Maidstone for organising this. It will be on display in Maidstone Museum in the café from 11th February to 16th March. Don’t miss out! Find out more here Maidstone Museum Art Display.docx Please use this page to access a range of maths revision resources and past papers for GCSE exam preparation. Foundation Past Papers Foundation - Paper 1 Non Calculator May 2018 Foundation - Paper 2 Calculator May 2018 Foundation - Paper 3 Calculator May 2018 Higher - Paper 1 Non Calculator May 2018 Higher - Paper 2 Calculator May 2018 Higher - Paper 3 Calculator May 2018 Aiming for Grade 3 To be Added soon Aiming for Grade 5 To be Added soon Aiming for Grade 7 To be Added soon Aiming for Grade 9 To be Added soon Key Formula Placemats Placemat_Formula_Foundation.pdf We hope you can support our next Dementia cafe which takes place on Thursday 26th March 2020. This was an excellent event last time and our staff and students are very much looking forward to hosting this again next term! Please spread the word and encourage as many local people as possible to attend! The History department recently took a group of Year 10 and Year 11 students to Berlin as part of their History GCSE Read more about the adventures here Year 11 Study Skills Presentation – Tuesday 11th February On Tuesday 11th February, from 4.00 – 5.00pm we will be hosting a study skills evening for both parents and students to attend. The sessions will be led by Mr. Matthews, Mrs Johnston, and Miss Kelvie; the sessions will run for approximately 20 minutes each and be focused on utilising technology, creating revision materials and visual aids, and the do’s and don’ts of revising effectively. We would love for you to attend and help support parents and students in achieving the best results possible this summer! At GCSE all students study A Christmas Carol which will form a large part of their AQA literature exam. It is important that students own a copy of the text which they can use in class and at home to study from. There are a wealth of resources available to support students with their revision, some of our favourite websites are: Seneca revision As well as these websites we have created our own revision booklet with much of the key information and quotes students need to learn. They should begin learning this information as early as possible to ensure they are confident for their final exams. The revision guide should be downloaded using this link: Christmas Carol - Revision Booklet To see an example of the questions students will be asked please click this link - students are encouraged to complete exam practice at home, each essay is worth 30 marks and a response will be around 2-3 pages long: A Christmas Carol - Exam Practice Aylesford School is proud to support a local mental health initiative at Larkfield Leisure centre. There will free ‘Chat & Chill’ sessions that will provide young people with a safe and free service to talk about how they are feeling. The session is a chance for teens to open up about issues affecting their lives and help to create more realistic, appropriate thoughts and behaviours. The session takes place at 7pm on Wednesday 15th January and all are welcome Dear Parent/Carer, . The event will last about 90 minutes and will provide you with lots of information about our teacher training partnership Teach in Kent. to book your place at the Information Evening. We can also provide you with support and guidance on your application form and offer you school experience if you just want a taster of what teaching could be like. Alternatively you can book via the weblink below https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/teach-in-kent-information-evening-tickets-86325212033 We look forward to hearing from you. Teach in Kent Please see above the schedule for Revision sessions for Year 10 and Year 11 this term. The Dementia Café is the work of Mr Neeve and our A Team which is Aylesford Schools’ Student Council. The council are always looking for ways to be more community focused as a school. Our Dementia Café was inspired by the work of Paul Murray at the Oasis Academy, Isle of Sheppey who kindly allowed us to visit one of their very successful café’s in the summer. We would also like to thank, Laura Summers from Building a Dementia Friendly Maidstone and Bekka Fuszard the Chair of Kent County Council Dementia Friendly Communities Team and the National Lottery Community Fund for supporting us with the project so far. It would certainly not have been possible without their input and we are now planning to have this as a regular feature of the school calendar with our next Dementia Friendly Community Café on Thursday 26th March and another in July. We were honoured to have two guests of honour with both Mayor Jill Anderson and Councillor Peter Homewood thoroughly entertained by students Aimee and Ashton dancing to Elvis’ Jail House Rock, a Christmas monologue read by Isobel and Amy, carol singing from our Year 7 choir and our Year 9 guitar ensemble ably led by Freya and Jack. All guests were well looked after by the A Team and Mr Kenmure’s catering students who showed tremendous character in welcoming our guests, keeping their teas and coffees topped up and giving them a continuous supply of cakes and scones throughout the afternoon. We were also grateful to have a number of stalls for guests to enjoy. Thanks must go to Cobtree Young Farmers and Kent Life who volunteered to bring animals from Kent Life such as Gerbils, Chickens, Ferrets, Rabbits and a Tortoise. Their generosity was well received and this proved extremely popular with all those at the café both young and old. This was especially the case for our guests from Amherst Court and Ashley Gardens Care homes. We were particularly pleased to have our Art Competition for years 7 8 and 9 judged by David, an artist and Ashley Gardens Resident. Congratulations to George and Alicia (Year 7) and Tiffany (year 8) who won prizes such as Gravity Vouchers, Bowling Vouchers and Sweets and Books which were generously arranged by Ann Franks from The Garden of England Homecare. Miss Kelvie- Headteacher “We are proud and honoured to host and organise a Dementia Cafe at Aylesford School. It is no surprise given that the numbers being diagnosed with Dementia is on the increase, that this is a cause close to my heart, having supported a close family member with Dementia. As well as achieving good academic qualifications, we also aim to develop good character in our students. Our students understand the importance of being an inclusive community and are keen to support people and raise awareness of Dementia. We look forward to welcoming many more to our next Dementia Cafe event” Grahame Hardy – Specialist Nurse for Dementia Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust “a fantastic event, happy to help for the next one in 2020 – thank you to Mr Neeve and all the staff and students involved Congratulations on such a wonderful event The model of the Dementia Cafés incorporates support, knowledge and an understanding for people living with Dementia or memory loss. They can make a huge difference to the person which also increases their well-being, emotions and feelings which would remain with them. Recent research from the Alzheimer’s Society states that 99% of people who go along to Dementia Cafés say that it has provided them with useful information. The Dementia Café event at Aylesford School was a fantastic event, using local Community Resources and also the students and pupils who were so confident and engaging with the people living with Dementia was so lovely to see. Thank you to Mr Neeve and all the staff and students involved and Congratulations on such a wonderful event”. For more information of future events please contact Philip Neeve info@aylesford.kent.sch.uk Please follow Aylesford School’s Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/AylesfordSchoolKent/ or visit https://www.aylesford.kent.sch.uk/ Year 7 - French Trip Year 7 had a fantastic day in Lille yesterday!! (17th December 2019) They all showed great character throughout the day developing their curiosity and open-mindedness as they delved into part of French culture!! The students visited the Lille Christmas Market and many took a ride on the festive big wheel! After the market students also enjoyed the Planetarium in the Science Museum where they got to observe the sky,stars and the moon as well as find out more about our universe. Students were a credit to the school - passport control even took time to tell us that our students were the politest students they had ever met!!! Well done all Year 7 and for the staff who attended! A special mention must also go to Mrs Lawton for taking the time to organise such a fantastic day! Aylesford School Election Results Over the last couple of weeks we have been learning about the election process, finding out about the main parties and the different policies, including how they may effect us in the coming years. Towards the end of last week our students had the opportunity to vote for the party of their choice. This was a great opportunity for students to learn about the Democracy process and also develop their curiosity and open-mindedness. Well done to all students and a big thank you to Mr Doggett for organising. Year 7 RE Trip -Canterbury Cathedral
English Department - An Inspector Calls Revision
The plot and characters
Context about society and Priestley
Key quotations
Themes
Methods used by the writer
Terminology - such as adjective, metaphor, dramatic irony
We hope this helps their independent study. We also encourage students to use Seneca, BBC bitesize and sparknotes websites to help their revision or speak to their teacher for more resources and exam questionsAylesford Dance Show - 1st April 2020
Art Work displayed at Maidstone Museum!
Maths Revision - Year 10 and 11
Higher Past Papers
Revision Resources and answers/explanations
Easter Dementia Cafe - Thursday 26th March
Aylesford visit Berlin
Year 11 Study Skills - 11th February
English Department - Christmas Carol Revision
BBC bitesize
Sparknotes
Revision world Free Mental Health support for Teens
Interested in starting a career in teaching…..
Are you interested in training to become a primary or secondary school teacher?
Teacher Training Information Evening Tuesday 14th January 20207pm
Our school is working in partnership with other schools in Kent to provide outstanding teacher training. This is really important to us because it means we can choose the very best talent and develop them into teachers. Being able to choose who we train as teachers helps us in delivering the best outcomes for the students at Aylesford School.
We have vacancies now to start training from September 2020 and we would be very interested to hear from you if you are thinking of becoming a teacher, or know someone who is. We’re looking for people who have (or will have) a degree, have a passion for teaching and want to inspire young people to fulfil their potential. We have both primary and secondary teacher training places in our partnership.
We’d love you to come in and have a chat with us about the exciting teacher training opportunities available. We are running an Information evening at Aylesford School, Teapot Lane, Aylesford, Kent, ME20 7JU at 7pm
Our recruiter, Mel Terry, can be contacted at mel@teachinkent.co.uk or 01634 861596
For further information on what becoming a teacher might involve, you can also visit www.teachinkent.co.uk
Yours sincerely,Year 10 and Year 11 Revision Sessions
Aylesford School host first Dementia Cafe
Aylesford Host Dementia Cafe
The day was a tremendous success with all guests living and supporting those with Dementia extremely pleased to have been invited and all enjoyed the range of activities that we had on offer.
Thanks must finally go to other stall holders at the event for their support: Stuart from Sing for your Life, Jaime Jukes from Care UK who’s new care home will be opening in April, Grahame Hardy from the Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust, Jan Jensen from the Alzheimer’s Society Time for Dementia Project.
Year 7 Trip To Lille
Aylesford General Election
Part of the
The Character Education Trust is a multi-academy trust (MAT) that exists to provide outstanding education in both primary and secondary schools.
Building Character, Creating Opportunities.
