Mr Nicholds Reflections

This week’s theme is "preparation” which is so very relevant for this time of the year I think – given the number of events that we’re facilitating at the school, and the hard work from both students and staff to make things go as smoothly as they can, and of course to deliver the very best performance they can.

I was taken by Mrs Payne’s comments last week, recognising the work that had gone into the lower school production of The Railway Children, and I was incredibly fortunate on Friday evening to attend the Kent College Opera Gala in Pembury Old Church where under the expert direction of Ms Bruce, we had a group of girls from different year groups and a cracking orchestra of players take us through almost 400 years of opera classics with some amazing performances. Take a bow Jess B, Gwen C, Sophia G, Ruby G, Frida HB, Sarah H, Aashi K, Keira L, Constance M, Saribel M, Liberty N, Salome P and Isabelle U – you were all brilliant!

Preparation is an important theme for all schools of course, but for KC it is particularly relevant with the emphasis that we place on unlocking our students’ full potential, in nurturing the whole person, developing curiosity, resilience, kindness and purposeful citizenship. So as well as asking ourselves "What are we preparing students to know?", a more powerful question for us at KC perhaps is "Who are we preparing them to become?"

Preparation is about equipping our students and getting them ready for a world that is changing faster than education itself. This means preparing them to succeed academically of course, but also to be able to navigate uncertainty and exercise good judgement; encouraging them to build meaningful relationships in life and contribute positively to society; and then hopefully continue that journey of learning throughout their lives.

Every lesson then, every rehearsal, every training session, sports fixture, every conversation and every challenge matters – they are all about preparing ourselves for the future, getting ourselves ready for what’s to come.

I am looking forward to attending our Prep School and Senior School Sports Days and Prize Giving as we progress towards the end of the School year, and to further appreciate the sheer talent, dedication and hard work that make Kent College a very special place.

On that note, I want to record my thanks and appreciation to Miss Handford and all of the team here at KC for the excellent Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) report that we have had recently, where ISI rated us as having met all the key educational and regulatory standards, and noting the school’s strengths in terms of leadership, the quality of education, the provision from our pastoral team, our safeguarding work as well as the commitment of the School to prepare students for life beyond school and helping them become informed, compassionate and responsible citizens. A testament that hard work and great preparation pays.

We end this school year as a girls’ independent school and look forward to welcoming everyone back in September – as well as some boys as a fully co-educational school from Nursery through to Sixth Form.