Spring - Queen Katherine School

Queen Katherine School
NEWSLETTER
The Head Writes
It is always a pleasure to reflect on the
success of our students in so many areas
of extra curricular activities.
The number of students and staff
involved is a great reflection on the
quality of education at The Queen
Katherine School. You will read in this
newsletter about sporting, theatrical,
musical and academic success and more
importantly, participation.
I am also pleased to confirm that
Governors have reacted pastorally to the
survey of students, parents and staff on
what improvements could be made to
The Queen Katherine School. Over the
past six years we have spent our capital
funding on:-
Sports Hall
Learning Resources Centre
Physical and Medical Facilities
Refitting our food technology rooms
Two new RE classrooms
4 ICT suites
Sixth Form Centre
Community Music Suite
Two new biology laboratories and
prep room
In addition, due to student demand,
we have provided a lower school
canteen, carpeted upper and lower
school and replaced two sets of curtain
walling, electrical and heating systems.
Now Governors have decided to spend
£160,000 on:-
Improving students toilets
New play space
Improving student areas
Greater ICT access using wireless
laptop computers
Improved security using modern CCTV
They intend also to spend £40,000 on
energy saving on electricity, water and
heating. This will start to pay back over a
period of two to five years.
There is also a strong commitment to
bring our older classrooms up to a much
more modern standard.
Add to this the opening of our new
science block things are looking pretty
good and there is more to come!
Stephen Wilkinson
Headteacher
Spring 2007
QKS at the National Finals
of English Schools Table Tennis
Coaches Philip and Janette Dixon reflect on
six years of outstanding achievement by the
School table tennis team:
First, Janette looks back over the team’s
success since 2000: “In April 2000 the Queen
Katherine School Under 19 Table Tennis Team
The 2007 team: left to right Philip Dixon (coach)
Rob MacKenzie, Stephen Wilkinson (Head Teacher)
Joshua Morris, Chris Carradice, Janette Dixon
(coach) (front) Roger Pimblett, Oliver Maberley.
Missing from the photo is Sam Dixon.)
was invited by the Mayor Austen Robinson to
a civic reception at the Mayor’s Parlour in the
Town Hall. This was in recognition of our team
being placed Second in The English Schools
Table Tennis Team Championships.
It had taken about six years of hard table
tennis development work in school to get to
this position.
In the late 90s we had been County
Champions, even North Western Champions
on a couple of occasions, but to go to the finals
as Champions of the North of England had
always been beyond us. Then, in 2000, we were
able to put together a team with one
exceptional player and three pretty good
players; we made it! Champions of the North
and in the National Finals.
At the time, we thought that getting a QKS
team to perform at National level would be a
once-in-a-lifetime event, to get a QKS team to
perform at National level, but how wrong
we were!
HAYLEY McMILLAN (née Wilson)
It is with sadness that we have learnt of
the sudden death, at the age of 27, from a
brain haemorrhage, of ex-QKS student
Hayley McMillan, better known to us
as Hayley Wilson.
Hayley will be best remembered as one
of the most talented sport people the
School has produced, outstanding at
Since then we have had one of our teams in
the Finals almost every year:
• 2002 Under 19’s again
• 2003 Under 13’s team.
• 2005 Under 16’s team.
• 2006 Under 16’s team.
This year we have done it again and our
Under 19’s team are Champions of the North
of England and once again are off to the
National Finals in March to Hinkley in
Leicestershire.
The road to Hinkley started in Barrow in
November when we became County Champions.
The match that day against Barrow 6th
Form was probably the toughest of the
campaign so far. It was one of Joshua Morris’s
wins that finally cleared the path to victory.
In January we went to Blackburn to play
schools from Lancashire and Cheshire and
came away as comfortable winners.
On Feb 18th we were once again in
Blackburn for the Northern Championships;
steady wins and increasing ‘team strength in
depth’ secured the title of Champions of the
North.”
Joshua
Morris in
action.
Talking about this year’s success, Phil Dixon
said:
“This is a real achievement; this group of
players has regularly got us to the finals since
they were in year 8 as under 13’s. We are really
proud of our solid team; Table Tennis tends to
produce individual sports performers but
… continued on page 2
swimming and particularly hockey.
At the time of her death, Hayley was
working as a PE and Games teacher in
Edinburgh. She will be remembered by
those who knew her as a cheerful, lively
personality, popular both with other
students and staff. Our thoughts are with
her family and friends at this sad time.

through the excellent QKS/Kendal Open Club ‘School-Club
Link’, we have produced a formidable team that can play
good table tennis all the way down; even our reserves are
solid players! This has a lot to do with pupils’ regular
participation in the Kendal and District Table Tennis League.
We still have two ambitions; one is to win the event and
become the champions of England, repeating the
achievement of Longlands boys in 1980 when they were
National Champions. This year we are not just going to make
up the numbers; we will be going to contest the event!
Our other ambition is to get two teams to the final in one
year; that would show an amazing across-the-board strength.
We have a very talented and determined batch of year 7’s at
the moment, so maybe next year? Perhaps one year we may
even have a strong girls team. Who knows?”
The QKS club, which is the first building block on the route
to National success, operates on Thursdays after school in the
Gym. Any pupil is welcome to come at any time, have a go
and maybe start the long journey to National Level.
YEAR 10
GO EAST
In October, eight Year 10 students – Becky
Palfreyman, Megan Atkinson, Ben Richards,
Andrew Wilkinson, Rachel Bell, Elaine
Smith-Foster, Alice Dixon and Sally
Thompson – were the guests of Kyoto
University in Japan for a fortnight.
They were accompanied by
Mrs Biggs, and Madame
Rollet, who had previously
given the students some basic
Japanese. During the stay,
they spent every morning
practising their Japanese
language skills, and in the
afternoon undertook a wide
range of diverse activities –
paper making, sweet making,
visiting castles, markets,
temple and shrines,
film studios, a tea
ceremony, as well as
acquainting themselves
with Kyoto’s
disaster plan in the
event of an earthquake.
Mme Rollet,
we are told, excelled
herself in working out
the Japanese bus
system so the group
could get around. All
were greatly impressed
by their visit,
to the point that some
students intend now
to go back to Japan to
study further.
Extra help for Year 11
in their GCSE Year
From Friday 2nd to Sunday 4th
February, a group of students in
Year 11 spent a residential weekend
at the Kepplewray Centre.
Here, Aim Higher Student
Ambassadors ran a session on the
Friday evening regarding such topics
as progression routes and courses.
The rest of the time was spent on
activities intended to give the group a
boost in terms of their self-esteem,
not fearing having a go and aiming
for success without worrying about
the fear of failure.
On Wednesday 24th and Thursday
25th January, visiting speakers from
‘Maximise Your Potential’ delivered
innovative revision techniques and
strategies to every member of
Year 11 in six sessions over the
two days. Feedback from the
students was really positive, and
every Year 11 form tutor was able to
see a session so they can build on this
work in form periods in the run-up to
their final exams.
Drama
23 year 10 and 11 students took part in the
National Shakespeare School’s Festival on
Monday 5th February, in which they performed
a 30-minute version of ‘Macbeth’. Three
other schools also performed on the night.
The students enjoyed the experience, which
also included participation in a workshop.
The whole event took place at The Brewery
Arts Centre, Kendal. Joe Jamieson, who took
the part of Macbeth, tells us about how he
found the experience:
“I auditioned for Macbeth because I
thought it would be an excellent experience to
act out a Shakespeare script, and to be part of
the Shakespeare Schools Festival. I was very
pleased when I found I got the part of
Macbeth, and looked forward to getting into
the role. Even though it was in Shakespearian
language, because the play was a shortened
version to just half an hour, I found learning
my lines relatively easy, and rehearsing the
play was enjoyable as we made good progress,
so before long, we were able to run through
the whole play. Performing the play was a
fantastic experience. As a cast, I think we
worked very well together, and it was
especially good to perform in the Brewery
Theatre. The part of the experience that
stood out for me was the sword fighting, as I
had never really done any physical theatre
before, and so I was especially grateful to Mr.
Lineker, who choreographed the fight scenes.
I am also, of course, especially grateful to
Mrs. Barber who was a brilliant director to
work with, and who put a lot of time and
effort into the play. As regards the
Shakespeare Schools Festival, I thought that
they did a great job of hosting the festival, and
the workshop we attended was very
professional and very helpful. Macbeth was a
very worthwhile experience, and I look
forward to performing it again at the Schools’
Art Evening.”

Christmas Concert
Although it seems along time ago, the main event since the last newsletter in the world of QKS
music has been the Christmas Concert in the Parish Church.
Karen West, the new Head of
Music, lived up to the formidable
legacy of Leslie and Bob Talbot,
who both retired in the summer,
by conjuring up an evening of
magical entertainment.
Kirsty McLean’s solo began the
evening in style, and the bright
voices of the chamber choir were a
wonderful start to an evening of
variety and fun. The sixth form’s
modified “Fairy Tale of New
York” delighted the audience, and
flute, cello, brass and saxophone
ensembles showcased some
fantastic musical talent.
The orchestra, led by Sophie
Scott, were in top form, with
“Sleigh Ride” conducted with
gusto and talent by Sixth Former
Ed Ayre. Holst’s “In the Bleak
Midwinter” was fabulous;
Charlotte Curwen’s beautiful
clarinet solo was accompanied with
precision and sensitivity, and
showed the diversity of this skilled
group.
As ever, the Junior and Senior choirs were a treat, with quirky Christmas numbers sitting
comfortable alongside more traditional carols. “Let It Snow” was an obvious favourite for the
Juniors, who sang with enthusiasm and quality. The Seniors and Chamber Choir captured the
atmosphere of the night, singing challenging songs with the skill and precision that has become
their hallmark.
The choirs combined for the final piece of the evening, a stunning rendition of “The Wexford
Carol” – a wonderful end to an evening of musical delight.
Year 12
and 13 Art
Students
During the year students have had the
opportunity to work with two artists in
residence – Ian Murphy and June Stock.
Ian’s work has been influenced by his
visits to Venice and focuses on drawing and
painting with oils.
June returned to the department to share
her expertise with textile techniques.
Sixth Form students have also had the
opportunity to visit London on the 15th
and 16th February to support their Critical
Study Work.
CONWAY
Once again, the Year 7 trip to Conway, in North
Wales, took place in the week before half term.
As usual, it was a great success, with over 200
students involved.
June Stock and Ian Murphy working with
QKS students
The climbing
wall, making
costumes and
team building
at Conway.

LIBRARY AND RESOURCES CENTRE
From April 2007 there will be the opportunity for Extended Learning
at the LRC (Library and Resources Centre) which will be open from
8.30am to 6.00pm (Monday to Thursday) and to 5:00pm on Friday.
Students who currently use the LRC after school have said that they
would like to see this resource open longer hours to enable them to do
their homework, have access to ICT, the library and a range of special
interest groups.
Two study support staff will be available to organise activities,
support students who require assistance with their homework and
ensure an informal, relaxing environment.
The LRC celebrated the tenth World Book Day on March 1st. This
included the hunt for Book Bob – a figure hiding in a library book,
which won you a prize if you found him in your book, and a Story Share
– every class got part of a story at every lesson so the whole School had
heard the same story over the day. Students also got the chance to do
the following quiz. How do newsletter readers fare?
1. Where do Dorothy and her
companions have to journey
to in the Wizard of Oz?
a Emerald City
b Diamond Town
c The Ruby of the North
d The Pearl Tower
2 Which of these is an
abbreviation of
Shakespeare’s first name?
a Bill
b Bert
c Jim
d Bob
3 In Sherlock Holmes’ adventure,
The Hound of the Baskervilles,
what was Sir Charles
Baskerville doing when he had
his fatal heart attack?
a Reading a letter
b Running away
c Confronting an intruder
d Eating a banquet
4 Who is Frankenstein, in the
book by Mary Shelley ?
a a monster
b a mad dog
c a mad professor
d an escaped prisoner
5 Which of these sayings appears in
Animal Farm by George Orwell,
and is a comment on communism?
a All pigs are cool, but some are
more cool than others.
b All animals are equal, but some
are more equal than others.
c All animals are born bad, but
some are more wicked than others.
d All children are equal, but some
families are richer than others
6 Which is the sequel to Alice in
Wonderland?
a There And Back Again
b Down The Rabbit Hole
c Through The Round Window
d Through The Looking Glass
7 Who is Shakespeare’s Prince
Hamlet talking about when he
holds up a skull and says,
“Alas, poor …”?
a Yoric
b Boris
c Macbeth
d Juliette
8 When was Rudyard Kipling’s story
The Jungle Book first published?
a 1794
b 1894
c 1924
d 1994
9 What are the names of the three
spirits that visit Ebenezer Scrooge
on Christmas Eve?
a Childhood, Prime and Old Age
b Easter, Harvest and Christmas
c Past, Present and Future
d Living, Dead and Re-born
10 Which story from The Arabian
Nights has been made into a film
by Disney?
a
b
c
d
‘Ala al-Din and the Magic Lamp
‘Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
Julnar the Mermaid
Sinbad the Sailor
11 When Gulliver’s travels took him to the
country of Brobdingnag, what did he find
so strange about it?
a Everything was much too large
b He was much larger than the
inhabitants
c The people there had just one huge
foot each, which they used as
umbrellas
d The people there walked backwards
12 In which of the Chronicles of Narnia would
you meet Eustace Clarence Scrubb, a boy so
horrible that he almost deserves the name?
a The Magician’s Nephew
b The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
c Prince Caspian
d Voyage of the Dawn Treader
13 How does one find Neverland?
a Just wish upon a star
b You can only visit it in your dreams
c By pirate ship
d Second star to the right, then
straight on til morning
14 What kind of animal is Beatrix Potter’s Mr Tod?
a badger
b fox
c stoat
d hedgehog
15 In Susan Coolidge’s classic story, What
Katy Did, what did Katy do?
a Set up her own business
b Ran away to join a circus
c Was sent to boarding school
d Injured her back falling from a swing
16 Which Daniel Defoe novel was based on the
adventures of Alexander Selkirk, a sailor who
became shipwrecked on a tiny, remote island?
a
b
c
d
Robinson Crusoe
Treasure Island
Swiss Family Robinson
Finn Family Moomintroll
17 Who originally wrote the well-loved
children’s stories of Thumbelina, The
Ugly Duckling and The Little Mermaid?
a The Brothers Grimm
b Hans Christian Anderson
c Robert Louis Stevenson
d Charles Causley
QKS
“A” level
results in
top 20%
of the
country
According to an analysis of “A”
level performance conducted by
the independent organisation
“ALPS” QKS came in the top
20% of providers for “A” level
courses nationally.
18 What did the heroes of Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle’s book The Lost World discover?
a A land where dinosaurs still live
b An Aztec city
c The burial valley of Egyptian pharaohs
d A land where people have evolved into
telepathic beings
19 In Day of the Triffids, what are the triffids?
a giant blind worms
b visitors from outer space
c mutants caused by radiation poisoning
d intelligent walking plants
20 In Treasure Island, what did the pirates
give to someone as a warning?
a A page torn from the Bible
b An empty envelope
c A paper with a black spot on it
d A dagger stuck in their door
Answers available from Mrs Bowers at the
LRC, or in next term’s newsletter, or, of
course, any widely-read QKS student!
The LRC has also been involved in the
Cumbria School Book Awards, run by the
Cumbria Schools Library Service, which is a
vote for the best newly-released paperback.
The QKS team of 18 readers has been hard at
work reading the ten titles on the shortlist
before voting.

Work-related
Learning
Ms Mandy Mason has been appointed in charge of work-related
learning.
Her brief includes work experience and careers, and all aspects
of school life which prepare students for the world of work. She
has already made her mark by organising number of events,
including a visit by 30 Year 10 students to an event run by Impact
in Kendal, consisting of a number of workshops run by
professionals dealing with such matters as team building,
employability skills, confidence and self-esteem, career coaching
and personal presence.
Work experience for Year 10 takes place in July, and this will
be preceded by all Year 10 having mock interviews conducted by
local employers in April and May.
From 20th April, Years 11 and 12 will be visiting the Futures
Fair, run by St. Anne’s, Windermere, which will have workshops
run by colleges, universities and businesses.
Poetry Visit
The English department took 87 year 11 students to the Bridgewater
Hall on Monday 29th January 2007 in Manchester to watch the
annual Poetry Live event.
A range of poets from the anthology that the students must study
recited their work and answered questions from students. Our
students all seemed to enjoy the day and to take a lot from it. It was
especially useful to have a question-and-answer session with the
poets and also the chief examiner for English.
DRUGS TALK
Year 10 had a drugs talk given by Dave Smith. He had previously
visited the school as part of the Touchdown Project for the last
four years.
His appeal lies in the fact that he is just a ‘Dad’ and many
students have come and thanked the staff concerned for letting
them meet Dave and hear his talk. He is a great asset to the
substance abuse programme for Years 10 and 11, and he has also
had an input into staff development in this area.
World Development Movement
6th Form Group
Activity Report
Dr. Khan gives us a run-down of the World
Development Fund’s activities since
Christmas.
“So far this year the WDM 6th form group
has taken part in a wide range of activities.
First off, we managed to hold a series of
successful cakes sales which to date have
raised well over £100 for charities such as
Food Aid and Cerebral Trust. Also on the
menu was to increase the provision of
Fairtrade goods sold at school canteens. To
this end the group organised a
petition which gained the support
of several hundred students
throughout the school. Watch this space for
further details of Fairtrade goods to be sold
at the canteen.
The group has also been busy campaigning
on many other issues, from supporting the
current application for three wind turbines
near Shap, lobbying ministers to support the
Company Law Reform Bill and mailing
letters of protest to DFID (Department for
International Development) about the use of
public aid money to fund corporate privatisation
of developing countries’ water supplies.
The group’s focus has now switched to
climate change. According to Sir David
King, Chief Scientific Advisor to the
Government, climate change is ‘the greatest
threat to humanity’. We aim to highlight the
danger climate change poses to everyone –
especially the world’s poor, to publicise
actions people can take to try and minimise
climate change and also to lobby our local
authorities to establish firm carbon
reduction targets.
Any students who are concerned by
climate change or any world development
issue should come to S2 at 1.15pm
every Friday.
The Leisure Centre has asked us to publicise what it has available for young people during the Easter period:

Rugby
Anthony Aggidis (pictured below), a Year 10
student at The Queen Katherine School, was
the only Year 10 student in Kendal to be
selected to join the Cumbria Under 15’s
Development Squad and play in Cumbria’s first
County match of the season against Northumberland
which was held in December 2006.
Anthony has always enjoyed sport. He ran
with the Helm Hill Runners in Kendal and
swam with the Kendal Swimming Club during
his primary school years.
He was introduced to rugby at The Queen
Katherine School in Year 7, where he joined
the school rugby team, and he was later invited
to the District Coaching Sessions for Year 8
and 9 boys by Cumbria Rugby Union Youth
Development Scheme.
During these early assessments, Anthony
was invited to play for the Kirkby Lonsdale
Rugby Union Football Club (KLRUFC) mini
colts. Following further training and development
at club and district level, Anthony was
subsequently assessed and selected to join the
Cumbria Under 15’s Development Squad. He
now attends training sessions regularly in
Penrith with the County Squad.
New challenges lie ahead for Anthony when
he will be assessed to play for the Regional 10’s
in April and the
National 10’s in
May 2007. Training
requires a lot
of hard work,
commitment and
dedication, but
Anthony takes
rugby very seriously,
and keeps
himself very fit,
training several
times a week
playing rugby,
running and doing
Kung Fu.
Anthony is captain of the Queen Katherine
School Year 10 rugby team. He is also studying
for twelve GCSE’s including physical education
and two foreign languages – German and
Modern Greek.
Also, currently at the Queen Katherine
School, we have two students who are part of
the Newcastle Falcons Youth Academy – Ben
Robinson in Year 11 and Chris Downham in
Year 9. As part of their development and to
increase the skills of particular rugby players
representing the school, Richard Metcalfe,
Director of the Youth Academy at Newcastle
Falcons (home of Jonny Wilkinson), ran two
rugby workshops in February.
A selection of students from Years 8, 9, 10
and 11 took part in the one-and-a-half-hour
session with one of the most experienced youth
rugby coaches in the country. The first session
was run to work with backs and the second
session with forwards.
Many thanks go to Richard, and the teachers
SPORTS ROUND-UP
who allowed the students to participate in the
sessions. Well done to all the lads who took
part, who will have got a great deal from the
experience.
Cross Country
Following the Cumbria Schools Cross Country
on Wednesday 17th January at Sedbergh
School, Imogen Kelly, Niall Till, Jenny
Addison, Kieran Alderson, Oliver Jones,
Jonathan Wright, Thomas Wright and Ellen
Wilkinson were invited to represent the South
Lakes at this event. Of these, because of a
rearranged date because of bad weather, only
Imogen, Niall, Jenny and Kieran actually took
part, but Niall, Kieran, Tom and Jonathan were
invited to compete in a Cumbria Schools Cross
Country fixture against NE counties on
Saturday 3rd February in South Shields. Jenny,
Tom and Kieran have now also been asked to
compete for Cumbria in the National Cross
Country Championship on 24th March in
Leeds.
Girls Fit 4 Life Club
The School has received some funding from the
Big Lottery fund to increase participation levels
for games and PE in KS4 girls. Ms Jones has
therefore set up this “Fit 4 Life Club” to try and
encourage more girls in Years 10 and 11 to take
part in additional physical activity out of school
hours. The funding will last for three years.
We have now completed the six weeks of
Circuit Training and will be taking part in
Kickboxing this half term. The Circuits sessions
were held at the Leisure Centre and seemed to
go down very well. There were 42 girls who
signed up for the sessions but unfortunately,
due to restrictions on numbers, only 21 were
allowed to take part in the end.
A range of activities has been planned for
this activity programme, all with the focus on
fun, enjoyment, raising the heart rate and
providing opportunities that the girls would not
normally receive. All of the activities that the
girls are invited to take part in will have some
kind of exit route...meaning that there is the
opportunity within the community for the girls
to carry on taking part in the activity once the
half term has finished. For example, the Circuit
sessions at the Leisure Centre that we took
part in throughout January and February are
being continued for anybody in the community
who would like to take part. Any girls who
enjoyed doing circuits can therefore continue
to go at the small charge of £2 each.
Dance Festival 2007
The annual Dance Festival, held on Tuesday
6th February, was once again a tremendous
success with over 50 competitors and 250 spectators!
There were some fantastic dances
throughout the evening with all dancers (both
male and female) putting on a really good
show. Congratulations to all winners, especially
the overall winners, Kirsty Elgey and Nicole
Purcell, and to the Year 7 group, who, under
the supervision of Mr Bell, became the first allmale
group ever to win a prize.
Indoor Athletics
The Indoor Sports Hall Athletics Competition
took place on Wednesday 7th February. This is
a new event for QKS, but was a fantastic opportunity
for some of our Year 8 students to push
themselves in adapted versions of athletics
events that they have done before. Eight boys
and eight girls went to the competition to take
part in a selection of throwing, jumping and
sprinting events.
Notable results from the afternoon include
Richard Corrie’s winning Chest Push of 6.50m,
Darren Braithwaite’s winning Javelin throw of
25.70m (he very nearly cleared the Sports Hall
with his winning throw!), Lauren Bowness’
winning Standing Long Jump of 1.88m,
Georgia Kennedy’s winning Standing Triple
Jump of 5.44m and wins by both Lauren
Bowness and Ashleigh Kennedy in their twoand
four-lap sprint events.
With all points added together QKS came
out as overall winners of the competition,
beating QES, Dallam and the Lakes, and were
therefore invited to the finals on Monday 5th
March. Results and photos, we hope, will
appear in the next newsletter.
Inter-school Fixtures
As always we have had a busy half term of
fixtures against other local schools in football
(both boys and girls), netball and hockey. The
enthusiasm of all team players should be
commended, as well as the fact that there have
been some very good results across the board
in each of these sports.
Basketball
All nine Year 8 forms entered the now annual
Year 8 basketball 4’s tournament (over 60
students took part). Each team played at least
four matches over the eight-weeks span.
After the league stages, eight teams went
into the knockout (seeded) stages.
The four semi-finalists were – 8GMH,
8KKA, 8ELJ and 8SR. The Semi-finals saw
some of the most competitive basketball in the
tournament with KKA and ELJ emerging as
the two finalists, leaving GMH and SR to fight
it out for 3rd and 4th place.
The final was a really great game. The
atmosphere was tense with all the students
from the respective forms cheering their sides
on. It was neck-and-neck for the majority of the
match until, in the dying seconds, KKA scored
the winning basket.
Well done to all who took part!