Kenilworth School Newsletter 3 December 2010

As you are aware a number of our students will be embarking upon an exciting expedition to Ecuador in the summer. In preparation for their expedition, they took part in a world challenge training weekend in Buxton last Sunday and Monday. Our students very bravely camped outdoors in extremely cold conditions and cooked all of their food in the outdoors. The challengers learned a lot about working as a team, organising themselves in camp and the conditions they may face in Ecuador.

Now that winter is here and the skies are dark very early, I would like all students to pay close attention to their personal safety on their way to and from school. The vicinity of the school is a relatively safe place to be, however, a number of students have to travel on buses to go home. Can all students please make sure that they travel home with a friend if possible, and avoid talking to strangers. Any suspicious behaviour must always be reported. I would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that the use of mobiles is not permitted in school. We discourage students from bringing phones to school. We do recognise however, that for reasons of personal safety it is in the interests of pupils to have one in their possession on their way home from school on such dark nights. Pupils in years 10 and 11 are permitted to use MP3 players, only at break and lunch times and never in lessons. If pupils bring mobile phones to school, these must be kept switched off and out of view, as we are not liable for the loss or theft of phones in school.

It has been reported in the press that, from next year, specialist sports colleges
will lose additional funding that is allocated for sports partnerships in the
community. As yet it is unclear how much funding for sports developments we
will receive in the future and this will inevitably mean a decline in the amount of
competitive sport that we can offer to our pupils across our partnership of
schools in Warwickshire. However we will do everything that we can to
minimise the impact of the imminent financial restrictions. We hope to maintain
the standard of sports provision and coaching that exists at Kenilworth School
and continue to support and encourage our PE staff in their contribution to
providing the wide range of sporting opportunities that exist within and beyond
the school day.

Congratulations to our Year 10 Orienteering team who have been selected to
represent England in the World Schools’ Championships to be held next May in
Italy and to our boys’ tennis team who have made it for a second year to the
Aegon National Schools Tennis Finals in Bolton. Whatever the outcome of their
respective competitions they have done well to reach the final stage.
Thank you for your continued support.
Yours sincerely
H.H.S. Abbott
Headteacher