A round-up of all the latest from Kent's school and colleges
Education news in Kent this February
High flier
Top NASA astronaut and former Cranbrook School boarder Piers Sellers returned to his school to open the 21st State Boarding Schools Conference. A group of schools that boast excellent results; have superb facilities and offer places to boarders – yet their education is free.
Piers is Britain's most famous spaceman, having undertaken three NASA space missions and spent more than 34 days in space and completing six space walks. His recent Atlantis mission historically marked the end of the Shuttle programme.
Speaking of his former school, Piers says: “All my memories of the people who taught me, and laid down the foundation for me, are of Cranbrook. Those teachers got the work done, and they did it with enthusiasm, and inspired us. That’s difficult to do well with teenagers. I'm forever grateful to them.”
Badgers Day
Year 2 children at Shorne CE Primary School have raised more than �300 to help badgers, including �160 for badgers at Wildwood.
After re-naming their classes after woodland creatures, and learning all about badgers, the children of Badgers class decided to hold an event to raise money for National Badger Day.
They took part in events such as Badger’s Got Talent, with the children performing for parents and set up an after-school Badger Shop selling home-made badger crafts such as door plaques, bookmarks, cakes and biscuits.
Wildwood’s Education Officer, Laura Hester, visited the school to give a talk on Wildwood’s badgers and present the class with their adoption plaque and special toy badger.
England Call Up
Every year children in Form 8 at Sevenoaks Prep School take part in the Social Entrepreneurs Project (SEP), an initiative that was developed jointly between Sevenoaks Prep and African children’s charity HOPEHIV five years ago.
The project has been sponsored for the last five years by the Amherst Rotary Club, who donate �10 seed capital to each member of Form 8 who takes on the challenge to turn that �10 into at least �100 by running their own business ventures.
The children are supported along the way by staff and a team of local entrepreneurs and old boys with first-hand knowledge of running their own businesses. All profits go to HOPEHIV.
So far the school has raised more than �20,000 for the charity and this year as a special thank you Lewis Moody, England Rugby Captain and patron of the SEP, invited the Form 8 children to Pennyhill Park for exclusive access to an England training session.
King’s Scholars
New scholars and their parents with the Dean and headmaster of King’s Rochester, Dr Ian Walker
At King's Rochester, scholarships are awarded to pupils each year for outstanding academic and music ability. These high-achieving students enjoy a distinguished status within the school community and many of them go on to pursue their education at the top universities in the country.
New scholars traditionally become members of the Rochester Cathedral Foundation following a special service dating back to the Charter of Re-foundation of King Henry VIII in 1541 and conducted by the Dean, The Very Reverend Adrian Newman.
This takes place on St Andrew's Day at a special evensong called Foundation Callover, where all the names are read as part of the service.
Poet lights up Canterbury
John Siddique with his poem at Westgate Towers
Students from the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) at Canterbury have been treated to a master-class with renowned poet John Siddique.
Members of UCA’s Creative Writing Group met at Canterbury’s Boho Caf� Bar for an informal discussion about poetry, which developed into an evening of philosophical learning, critique and debate.
John collaborated with UCA to write a poem for lat October’s Canterbury Festival which he created with the help of the public in the city centre. The finished poem was projected onto the Westgate Towers to immerse people with art and literature as they went about their daily lives.
