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Autumn 2012
www.kingshighwarwick.co.uk

Letter from Headmistress
New Year 7s
Malaysia Trip
After one of the wettest summers on record the sun shone, and has continued to shine, on
the start of our new school year. The girls returned in excellent spirits, saying it had been a
summer holiday to remember, not because of all the rain but because of their great enjoyment
of the Olympic Games.
On the first day of term we enjoyed looking at photos of the
holiday expeditions to India and Malaysia and welcomed 103
new girls. Girls from as far afield as Sweden, Australia and
Japan have joined us this term, adding a further very welcome
international dimension to our pupil body.
We also congratulated our Year 12s and 13s on their
excellent exam results and, in absentia, our last year’s leavers on
their outstanding 86% A*, A & B success at A2. We commiserated with our Year 12s
over their disappointment with their English Language results, the majority of them
having received a lower grade than expected as a result of the unjust
last minute readjustment of the grade boundaries, adversely affecting
thousands of pupils nationwide.
The last seven years have been a period of unprecedented development
in terms of our facilities and this September we added yet more, with a
new science laboratory and a completely refurbished Food Technology
department. We’ll be celebrating the latter with a grand King’s High bake
off and celebrity opening with Brian Turner from “Ready Steady Cook”.
It has been a great pleasure to meet so many parents at the Parents’ Introductory evenings
for each year group and at the new parents’ welcome party. I look forward to seeing
you all during the year ahead and hope that this will be an
exceptionally happy and satisfying one for your daughters.
India Trip
Exam results
Food Technology before and after
Jubilee Laboratory before and after
Forthcoming Events
Year 10 Parents’ Evening
Open Morning
Year 8 Parents’ Evening
Jesus Christ Superstar, Bridge House Theatre
AmnesTea (Amnesty International Group Fundraising Tea
Christmas Concert, Guy Nelson Hall
End of Term
Entrance Examinations: Year 7 and Sixth Form Scholarships
8 November, 7.00pm
10 November, 9.30am -12.00 noon
13 November, 7.00pm
14 –17 November, 7.00pm
6 December, 3.45pm
12-13 December, 7.30pm
20 December, 12.15pm
19 January

Salvete
This September we welcomed girls from over 40 schools into Year 7. The first few weeks were filled
with special events to help them start to feel at home here.
Mothers and Daughters
New Year 7 girls met their sixth form “mothers” on Red House Lawn during
the first week of term where they chatted and enjoyed ice-creams. The
“mothers” will help their “daughters”
settle into life at King’s and be on
hand to provide support to the new
girls throughout the forthcoming year.
“Everyone was really kind to me and
welcomed me to the school” Georgina
(formerly Claverdon Primary School)
First Assembly
First days are always daunting. Headmistress, Mrs Surber, always holds a
special assembly just for Year 7s to help alleviate any worries the girls may
have and welcome them to
the school.
“It was scary on the first
day but all the teachers
made it feel like home”
Anna (formerly Warwick
Preparatory School)
Bonding Weekend
This was wonderful opportunity for the
new Year 7s to get to know one another
better and to make new friends. The
girls were put through their paces with a
series of fun team building activities; from
assembling rafts, to scaling the heights on
Jacob’s ladder.
“It was so much fun! We even got to push
the teachers in the lake after raft-building!!”
Jasmine (formerly Bishop’s Tachbrook
Primary School)
Valete
The last few weeks of term were full of activity and fun as we rounded off a busy academic year and bade farewell to our Year 13. Highlights of
the end of term included: our annual Speech Day with inspirational guest speaker, Meg Rosoff; the emotional Leavers’ Dinner and Concert and the
traditional staff entertainment held on the last day of term.
Leavers’ Dinner
Staff entertainment on the last day of term
Rag week
Business Day
Speech Day

Wish you were here
Sporting Successes
Congratulations to…
Hockey Tour to Malaysia
17 girls from Years 10 - 12
visited Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh in
Malaysia for 12 days over the
summer to play Malaysian schools
and clubs.
Archery
Martha Parsons (Year 10) who is
now an Archery County Champion
after winning the Warwickshire Under
16s County Championships on Sunday
16 September. What makes this
achievement even more impressive is
that Martha only started archery one
year ago!
Cambridge
Sarah Fitzmaurice spent a week at
the University of Cambridge on the
prestigious Senior Physics Challenge.
The week consisted of mechanics
and quantum mechanics lectures as
well as laboratory sessions. Sarah
says: “It was the most interesting
and challenging week of my life. It
has confirmed for me that I definitely
want to study physics at university.”
Water Polo
Olivia Carter (Year 11),
Megan Clarke and Emma
Hutchinson (Year 12) who
have all been selected for
the GB National Water Polo
training U17 squad.
New York
Eleanor Day (Year 11) spent 9 days in
New York after gaining a place on the
prestigious Girls’ Leadership Program.
The timetable was jam-packed with
workshops, activities and networking
opportunities. Eleanor commented on her
time: “The work we did together helped
to clarify just how often girls shrink from
taking decisive action and suffer from a
subconscious fear of failure. I realised that
I didn’t want to miss out on opportunities
in life because of this. We all left with the
hope that somehow, even in the smallest
of ways, we could, if we wanted to, help
change the world.”
India Trip
Fencing
Alice Moffat (Year 11) who is
representing Great Britain at the
Meylan Eurosabre Cadet competition
on 20 - 21 October 2012. We wish
her every success in this forthcoming
competition.
Netball
The U13 Netball Team -
who won Loughborough
Festival of Sport on 22
September.
At the beginning of the summer
holidays, 21 sixth formers set off to
India for a once in a lifetime trip. The
girls spent the first week sight-seeing
from Agra and the Taj Mahal to Jaipur.
During the second week, they were
based at the Indo International School
in Dundlod, a small town in the interior
of Rajasthan. Here they planned and
taught lessons to the children which
proved both challenging and very
rewarding.
Horse Riding
Isobel Johnson (Year 8) who
competed at the prestigious Horse of
the Year Show on 4 October. She came
sixth in the Working Hunter pony class
and was only 3 points off the winner.

Results Round Up
Comparision of King’s High and National Average results
40
GCSE Results (Year 11) 2012
50
A Level Results (Year 13) 2012
King’s High celebrated a summer of
excellent exam results. At A level, the
pass rate at A*, A or B grade was an
outstanding 85.6%. Three girls achieved
4 A* grades each and a further six
girls gained 3 A*s. Girls in Year 11 also
celebrated with a 100% pass rate: 99.8%
of girls achieved all A* to C grades.
% of girls entered
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
% of girls entered
40
30
20
10
King’s High
0
A* A B C D E F G U
Grade
0
A* A B C D E U
Grade
National Average
University Courses*
Arts and
Humanities
(27%)
Engineering,
Science and
Technology (31%)
Next steps: where girls go on to study
Law
(3%)
Languages
(20%)
Medicine, Dentistry
and Veterinary
Science (5%)
(These figures exclude girls electing to take a Gap year)
Anna Jackson
Ellie Sanger
Media, Communications,
and Business (14%)
A Level results:
History (A*), Chemistry
(A*) and Spanish (A*)
University
Destination:
The New College of the
Humanities, London
Chosen Subject:
Law with History
A Level results:
English (A*), French (A)
and History (A*)
University Destination:
Merton College, Oxford
University
Chosen Subject:
English and French
Royal Agricultural College
• International Equine and Agricultural Management
Bath
• Chemical Engineering
• Chemistry with Business
Management
• Sport Science
Lancaster
• English Language
• Physics, Astrophysics and Space Science
Birmingham
• Law
• Modern Languages with
Business Management
• Sport and Exercise
Science
Bristol
• Aeronautical Engineering
• Economics
• French and Drama
• Philosophy and Politics
Leicester
• Psychology with Sociology
Plymouth
• International
Business with
Spanish
Liverpool
• Dentistry
• Mechanical
Engineering
Leeds
• Music
• Philosophy
• Broadcast Journalism
• Medical Sciences
Manchester
• Medicinal
Chemistry
Oxford
• English and French
Exeter
• Geography (Science)
• Law with European
Study
• Modern Languages
Southampton
• Zoology
Warwick
• Biochemistry
• Biomedical Science
• International Management
Oxford
Brookes
• Business and
Management
Edinburgh
• Chinese and Spanish
• Geography
• Modern Languages
Newcastle
• English Literature
Leeds
Metropolitan
• Events
Management
Goldsmiths
• Music
Reading
• Consumer Behaviour
and Marketing
• English Literature and
Film & Theatre
Durham
• History
• Classics
• Politics and International Relations
• Psychology/Natural Science
Nottingham
• American Studies
• French with International
Media and Communications
• Sociology
Cambridge
• French and Spanish
• Natural Sciences
• Politics, Psychology and Sociology
• Veterinary Medicine
Imperial College London
• Physics
University College London
• Medicine
• Natural Sciences
Royal Holloway
• Psychology
Brighton
• Business Studies
The New College
of the Humanities
• Law with History
Sussex
• Computing for Digital Media
• English Language and Literature
King’s College
London
• Classics
Kent
• Medical
Anthropology

Events at School
Geography Field Trip to Stratford-upon-Avon
On 19 September, Year 11 geography enthusiasts
went to Stratford-upon-Avon. Thanks to the
obsessive timekeepers in many of the groups, the
first pedestrian counts happened smoothly and
accurately. One key feature was also to measure
how the land was used on each road. The number
varied significantly from 15 houses on one road, to
over 10 cafés on another. Finally, after collecting
data for coursework, the group enjoyed a well-earned lunch break, sitting in the sun
in the park, or having a coffee in Starbucks. (by Caitlin O’Driscoll Year 11)
Girls Go Green Week (1 – 5 October 2012)
Girls Go Green Week celebrated all things green
and began in assembly with a plea to “Break the
Bag” habit. Shocking statistics about the impact
of supermarket plastic bags on the environment
reinforced the need to take action. Girls were
encouraged to contact their local MPs via the
Break the Bag Habit website, and, later in the
week, the King’s High Eco-warriors literally got
their hands dirty litter picking along the River Leam and the Grand Union Canal.
A Little Sparrow
The first drama/music production of the year
was A Little Sparrow – Edith Piaf, written
and directed by Director of Drama, Jane
Whitehouse. Starring Year 12 pupil, Juliet
Wallace, who has recently been selected
to perform at the English National Opera in
“Carmen”, the show told the dramatic story
of Edith’s personal and professional life.
Legion XIIII visits King’s High
On 3 0ctober, Year
9 were treated to
an extravaganza
of Roman culture
with a whirlwind
tour of Romano-
Celtic history.
Spanning the
invasions of Britain
2000 years ago, to
the settlement of
Preparing for battle
the Romans and the process of the Romanisation of the
Britons, this hands-on approach to history provided a real
insight into the lives of the military.
Modern Languages Week
Towards the end
of September, it
was the turn of the
modern languages
department to
take the spotlight,
with a week
dedicated to all
things european.
Events during the
week included an
assembly in French Winners of the French treasure hunt
(a French version of ‘Who wants to be a millionaire’), a
treasure hunt and a French cookery session after school.
Community and Voluntary Service
“Ahead of the Game”
The entrepreneurial skills of five Year 10 girls were challenged as part
of the GSA (Girls’ Schools Association) national “Ahead of the Game”
competition. After passing the preliminary stages, the girls were set
the task of turning £50 into £500. With all proceeds going to their
nominated charity “Eyes Alight”, the girls’ first venture involved selling
homemade cakes at the Olympic Torch Relay through Warwick where
they raised nearly £300. Their next venture was to deliver delicious
cream teas to
workplaces around
Warwick. Once
again, this was
extremely popular
and over £400 was
raised.
Cream tea
production line
Harvest Festival and Macmillan Coffee Morning
We welcomed our Honorary Chaplain, Rev. Peter Burns, to our annual
Harvest Festival and Macmillan Coffee Morning on Friday 28 September.
Every girl in the school was encouraged to bring in a harvest donation to
support the valuable work done by Leamington Christian Mission and the
Salvation Army’s “Way Ahead” Project in Leamington. Generous offerings
of food and a splendid assortment of fresh flowers covered the assembly
hall stage. Thanks to
everyone involved, and
the generous support
of parents and friends,
a fabulous total of
£515 was raised for
the Macmillan Cancer
Charity.
Head girl Alice Woodhouse,
Rev. Peter Burns and Mrs Surber