KTS Parental Bulletin 24th Nov 2016

Parental Bulletin
24th November 2016

The Knights Templar School
Headteacher:
Mr T. Litchfield, G.G.S.M.
Park Street
Baldock
Herts SG7 6DZ
Email: admin@ktemplar.herts.sch.uk Tel: 01462 620700
Dear Parents and Carers
PARENTAL WEEKLY UPDATE – 24th November 2016
(available on our website)
Additional INSET days – 5th and 6th January 2017
As many of you will be aware, there have been unprecedented, continued changes to the curriculum and assessment
procedures at KS3, GCSE and A-level, with new courses in all subjects. These are government directed changes.
To ensure this does not have an adverse effect on our students, the school will be closed to students in Years 7
to 13 on 5th and 6th January 2017 to allow teachers additional time for planning and preparation.
Students who usually have musical instrument lessons should attend as usual on the 5 th or the 6 th January and students
do not need to wear school uniform for these lessons.
We will continue to run our annual Commemoration Evening on Thursday 5 th January.
For parents who will have childcare issues on these two days please contact the year leader of your child.
This is a change to our published calendar and I would like to apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
Please be reminded that the closing date for the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh programme is next Wednesday, 30 th
November. Any Year 9 student considering enrolling on this must get the application in on time. We are one of the
biggest centres in Hertfordshire and the South East of England for the scheme, and employers see this above most
other ‘enrichment’ activities – a great opportunity, don’t miss out!
Many congratulations to our Geography Department, who came second from 17 teams and a really strong field at
the Geographical Association’s Worldwise Quiz last night. A brilliant achievement! Please do read the full report
lower down in this bulletin.
I am looking forward to Year 12 Parent Information Evening tonight. Please do use this opportunity to gather some
positive aspects of your child’s learning and progress as well as some areas to improve in.
Are you a Casualty fan? If so, look out for last year’s Head Boy, Barney Taylor, who has a part in Saturdays programme.
Barney tells me that the programme took two weeks to record and he loved working with the rest of the
actors. We wish Barney well with his acting future.
Please be reminded that the school is closed on Monday for our ‘Occasional Day’. This is a day which all Hertfordshire
schools take, but it can be placed anywhere in the school calendar.
Please may I ask you to keep an eye on the big events at school as we run into the December. There are so many
amazing things happening, including our Gym and Dance show (13 th & 14 th Dec), Sixth Form Dinner Dance, 6 th Form
Big Quiz (15 th Dec), Christmas Concerts (daytime on 16 th Dec), the Annual Nine Lessons and Carols (Monday 19 th
Dec, 7.30, St Mary’s Church) and the Christmas Fete (Tue 20 th Dec daytime and after school).
Kind Regards,
Tim Litchfield
Headteacher

Geography Association Worldwise Quiz
Mrs Clarke, Mr. Hopkns and Miss Bow took 2 teams to the Geographical Association’s Worldwise Quiz on Wednesday
23 rd November at Long Road Sixth Form College. Our ‘Team A’ consisted of Alex Walker, Max Smith and Matt
Craven and our ‘Team B’ included David Baldwin, Callum Macleod and Mark Walker. The first round included 17
teams from a range of schools across Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire.
Thursday 24.11.16 Yr11 Mock Exams
Dates for your Diary
17:00-19:30 Yr12 Parents Evening [Hall]
Friday 25.11.16 Yr11 Mock Exams
Monday 28.11.16 Yr11 Mock Exams
Tuesday 29.11.16 Yr11 Mock Exams
09:00-16:00 KS5 Economics Day [Cambridge]
08:30-15:30 Occasional Day - School Closed
08:00-16:00 Yr10,12,13 Dance Trip - Trinity Laban [London]
Wednesday 30.11.16 Yr11 Mock Exams
Thursday 1.12.16 Yr11 Mock Exams
Yr9 Bronze DofE Application Deadline
08:30-15:15 Yr9 Bletchley Park Trip
Friday 2.12.16 Yr11 Mock Exams
Yr 7 & 8 County Hockey Tournament [Bishop Stortford]
Yr9 Cologne Christmas Market Trip
In the first round, our ‘Team A’ came 2/17 with a score of 82.
They were only 1 point behind the ‘Perse A’ team who got 83
and came first. ‘Team B’ came 9 th in the first round with a
score of 65. An outstanding performance from both teams!
This meant that our ‘Team A’ got into the final against the
‘Perse A’ team and the ‘Perse B’ team. The questions were
definitely stepped up a gear but our KTS team rose to the
challenge and came a very admirable 2 nd place against the
‘Perse A’ team overall.
Our students were impeccably behaved and thoroughly enjoyed the evening and are inspired to work hard in preparation
for next year.
These pictures show our ‘A Team’ looking very
pleased with their achievement.

Rugby success
The year 7 rugby team performed brilliantly in their most recent fixture, continuing their unbeaten run with a 60-30
victory over Barnwell School.
The year 10 team have also had a good victory this week with an incredible 112-0 win over Meridien School,
Royston.
Congratulations to all of the boys involved.
U18 Hockey Tournament
We hosted an U18 triangular hockey tournament against Hitchin Girls’ School and St. Francis, and despite losing
both games special mention must go to Amy Clarke and Hannah Loosley who absolutely bossed the midfield, and
were only able to do so thanks to the relentless defensive work of Erin Davies and Rosie Muge.
Cross Country update
Will Bruning year 9 competed at the District Cross Country Championships 2 weeks ago representing Knights Templar
and came 3 rd picking up the Bronze medal- congratulations!
Knights Apple Juice
Don’t forget Christmas is coming and the Knights Templar Apple Juice will make a lovely present. See the school
website or email in your order!
Excellent attendance in Year 9
On Wednesday 30 th November all year 9 pupils who had excellent attendance (98% or more) during the first half
term this year will be rewarded with a non-uniform day. All pupils who qualify have been e-mailed to their school e
-mail accounts to let them know. Please do ask your son or daughter to check theirs, if they have not done so already.
As with all non-uniform days, clothing should be appropriate for school i.e. no inappropriate language or symbols
and not too short (e.g. crop tops, very short skirts). For safety reasons, pupils should not be wearing additional earrings
or other piercings.
If you do have any questions, please do contact me by e-mail jsherry@ktemplar.herts.sch.uk.
Library News
Children’s laureate Chris Riddell, backed by all eight former children’s laureates including Quentin Blake and Julia
Donaldson, has made a powerful and passionate plea to the Department of Education to recognise the important
role school libraries play in promoting reading for pleasure and raising literacy standards.
For a full report please visit: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/nov/14/children-laureates-demand-ukgovernment-school-library-closures
Christmas Crafts
Pupils are invited to sign up for our Christmas Crafts week (5 th -9 th December).
If your child is interested in taking part in these lunchtime activities, please speak to a member of library staff.

Calling Budding Mastershefs!
A competition for Year 10 and Year 11 students only. They do not have to be taking Food as an option so it is open
to all students across the Year groups. See Miss Theobald for an entry form and to discuss ideas.
SPARE CHAIR CHRISTMAS at Emil Dale Studios
Emil Dale Academy (the Hitchin-based theatre school and partner of KTS) is hosting a FREE
event on Friday 2 nd December. They are welcoming elderly people who live alone in the
local community to their studios in Hitchin for a roast dinner and a song or two – they are a
musical theatre school after all!
Managing Director, Emil Dale, is passionate about this cause, with an elderly mother who
lives on her own and, without him, would be completely alone. A third of people over the
age of 70 in the UK eat alone every single day; research has shown that hosting one Sunday
roast a year could help tackle loneliness in older people.
“We know that regular friendship links over a meal provide a simple solution to the complex problem of isolation in
older people. The benefits are enormous for both older people, and hosts and volunteers at Contact the Elderly only
need do it once or twice a year to make an enormous difference to older people’s lives." (Mary Rance, CEO, Contact
the Elderly)
Emil Dale Academy is appealing to the local community to help make a difference this Christmas.
If you know someone who is elderly and living alone, knock on their door, tell them about the project and get them
to their studios.
We really can make a BIG difference if we work together. Get talking to people. Maybe you have elderly neighbours
or even people you are aware live alone? It's time to REACH OUT.
Everyone at Emil Dale Academy is super friendly and they want to welcome as many people as they can.
There are 40 free places available!
Lunch will be at 1pm on Friday 2 nd December, hosted at
Emil Dale Studios, 60 Wilbury Way, Hitchin SG4 0TA
The best news is everything on the day will be totally paid for by Emil Dale Academy!
To get involved, email info@emildale.co.uk with CHRISTMAS DINNER in the subject with attendee details: NAME /
PHONE NUMBER / ADDRESS / WHEELCHAIR REQUIREMENTS or call 01462 677808 if you, or they, don't have access
to email.

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UCAS applications
A number of our year 13 students have already applied through UCAS to their respective
university choices and are already receiving offers. We would like to remind all parents
and students that the deadline for sending the majority of UCAS applications is Sunday 15 th January 2017. However,
it is important to note that with the upcoming holiday period, the time that students have available to speak with
their tutors and liaise with either Mrs Hopkins or Mr Raymen to send their application to UCAS, is greatly reduced.
We urge any students with plans to send their university applications to UCAS to make it a priority to do so over the
next few weeks. Students who begin the process of liaising with their tutors, teachers, Mrs Hopkins and Mr Raymen
earlier, will find that they are able to receive much more time and attention with regards to ensuring the high quality
of their application.
We hope to see a sharp increase of completed applications sent to UCAS within the next few weeks.
Senior basketball update
The senior basketball team put on a fantastic display of grit and determination
as they battled back from a losing position to clinch victory in the
County League competition against Nicholas Breakspear School, St Albans.
A determined defensive display, coupled with superb attacking performances
from George Acquaah, Joe Croker and Elliot Campbell-Gumb
helped the boys over turn a 10 point deficit at the start of the 4 th quarter
to secure the win!
George Acquaah writes:
On Tuesday night, The Knights Templar basketball seniors travelled to Nicholas Breakspear in St Albans for a countycup
contest. From the tip-off, the game was high in intensity; both on the offensive and defensive ends of the court.
In the first half, both teams took considerable leads in points, but the other side always fought back to tie the contest.
In the third quarter, the Knights were in trouble, after a surge of strong finishes and jump shots from Nicholas Breakspear
side; our seniors found themselves fifteen points down with one quarter left to play. Despite this deficit, the
most experienced players on the senior team were not ready to give up, and displayed tremendous guts, fight and
discipline under pressure. With two minutes left our seniors tied up the contest 65-65; and in the last two minutes of
action, Knights Templar took a lead of 71-65 thanks to the individually excellent performances of George Acquaah
who scored 25 points, Jim Acquaah with 12, Eliot Powell who had 12, Eliot Campbell-Gumb who scored 8 and Joseph
Croker who also added 8. The game included a comeback to remember and now sees Knights templar at mid-table in
the cup, looking to compete for a championship.
Well done to all of the boys involved!

Year 13 student profile- Euan Ryan
Euan has opted to study Statistics, English Literature and Business at A Level and is hoping
to secure an accountancy apprenticeship at the end of his sixth form studies.
Euan has flourished in the sixth form, becoming an incredibly well-rounded person. He is
an integral member of the senior football side and has recently become a reporter for the
award winning school NewsKnight media team. In addition, Euan took part in the mentor
programme last year and proved to be very effective when working with key stage 3 pupils
within this role.
Last year, Euan represented the school in a prestigious Accountancy and Enterprise competition at The University
of Cambridge and performed exceedingly well. It was this experience, in part that inspired Euan’s recently chosen
career path.
We look forward to seeing Euan go from strength-to-strength throughout the year and work towards his ambitious
goals.
KTS graduate profile- Tanishia Gearing
Tanishia studied English Literature, Statistics and Biology at A Level and achieved grades of A,
B and C respectively.
Tanishia performed very well academically but also immersed herself into the community life
of the sixth form. She was a member of the sixth form council and Interact committee and
was therefore heavily involved in a number of sixth form social events and fund-raisers. Tanishia
was also nominated for the Hertfordshire Young Person of the Year Award, as a result of
her fantastic work as a mentor to key stage 3 pupils.
Tanishia is now studying a degree in Biosciences at The University of Sussex and we wish her
all the best for her future endeavours.
Senior hockey update
The senior hockey team played in a 3 team tournament earlier this week against tough
local opposition in the form of Hitchin Girls’ and St Francis College. Despite losing both
of their games on the night the girls performed very well and are looking forward to
improving on their result in their upcoming fixtures.
Year 12 student profile- Matthew Inman
Matthew entered the KTS sixth form with GCSE grades that included 4 A* grades, 2 A grades
and 3 B grades.
Matthew has made a wonderful transition from his GCSE studies to the much more rigorous
programme of study at A Level. He has opted to study Economics, Geography, Chemistry and
Maths at A Level, as well as the EPQ.
Matthew has demonstrated throughout his time at KTS that he is an incredibly talented and
well-rounded young man. His sporting endeavours have included representing the cricket and
athletics team, as well as the rugby and football teams, which he has continued with at senior
level. Matthew has even performed in the school Gym and Dance Display.
As a person that clearly enjoys a physical and mental challenge, it is unsurprising that Matthew has completed his
Bronze and Silver Duke of Edinburgh Awards and is now working towards his Gold Award.

When asked why he chose to stay at the KTS sixth form, Matthew had this to say:
‘I looked at other options for A Level study but I always knew that I would return to KTS. I kept an open mind about
going elsewhere but when I visited other colleges they just didn’t seem as good at what was on offer at KTS.’
We have every confidence that Matthew will do well in anything that he puts his mind to and we look forward to
seeing him achieve some truly wonderful accomplishments.
KS5 Maths Challenge
On Tuesday 8th November, year 12 and 13 Further Maths students all sat the Senior Maths Challenge. They
achieved some fantastic results, with one year 12 student qualifying for the next round. This is a national competition
and students do very well to get a certificate.
The students achieved the following certificates:
GOLD: Miles Almond (qualifying for the next round)
SILVER: Max Piner, Rennan Tilbury, Jonathan Warman, William Browning, Balraj Minhas
BRONZE: Hannah Evens, Annie Clark, Amanda Ludbrook, Samuel Prior, Rosie Muge, James Luk
Congratulations to all students involved!