Reflections from Miss Handford

This week has been a particularly special one for Kent College Pembury as we celebrated our 140th anniversary. On Tuesday 22nd September, the whole school community paused to mark this significant milestone. Together, we sang a rousing rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ and enjoyed a slice of delicious homemade birthday cake, created by our very own Bake Off: The Professionals star, Kitty. 

Kent College began on 22nd September 1886 with the opening of a girls' school in Bouverie Road, Folkestone. It was described by the father of one of the school's first pupils, Edith Kennett, as ‘the most forward-looking school of its time’. At a point when educational opportunities for young women were often limited to lessons from a governess at home, pioneering educationalists such as Frances Buss and Dorothea Beale were championing greater access to high quality academic education. Kent College emerged from this movement and quickly established itself as a school committed to educational excellence.

The move to Hawkwell Place in Pembury in 1939, marked a significant chapter in the school's development. Since then, Kent College has continued to provide a forward-looking education for its pupils, adapting to the changing world, while remaining true to its core values. Most recently, the introduction of co-education in the Prep School in 2020 and this year in the Senior School and Sixth Form has further strengthened our commitment to providing modern educational experience.

For 140 years, the school has delivered an outstanding all-round education, supporting every child not only to fulfil their potential but also to develop an awareness of the wider world and their role within it. The Methodist ethos of "doing all the good you can" permeates every aspect of school life, and our warm, supportive community is something that has remained steadfast throughout our history. It is a defining characteristic of Kent College and one that will continue to influence future generations.

The transition to the Alpha family of schools represents another important chapter in the school's story and is particularly fitting given that this week's theme is Unite. Becoming part of the Alpha family will create exciting new opportunities for both pupils and staff, including collaborative trips, enrichment activities and shared experiences with other Alpha schools. It will also provide valuable opportunities for colleagues to exchange expertise and best practice in key areas such as teaching and learning, pastoral care and safeguarding. We look ahead to this next phase with great excitement, confident that the values which have guided Kent College for the past 140 years will continue to drive our community for many years to come. We cannot wait to see what the future holds.