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Last Wednesday, the Army section of the School’s CCF embarked on an action-packed day at Mereworth Woods to put their fieldcraft skills into practice. Upon arrival, their platoon commander was “captured” by the enemy, leaving the cadets to quickly step into leadership roles. They successfully navigated a series of fieldcraft exercises, thinking on their feet and adapting to the challenge. Despite a wet evening under the trees, spirits remained high as the sun greeted them the following morning. The cadets then moved on to Hythe ranges, where they had the opportunity to take part in live firing and adapt their fieldcraft skills to an urban environment. The day provided an excellent chance for the cadets to demonstrate their resilience and leadership under pressure. The School’s CCF offers students the chance to develop vital life skills such as teamwork, problem-solving, and leadership through engaging military-themed activities. #ArmyCadets #CCF #Leadership #Fieldcraft #Teamwork #CadetLife #SuttonValenceSchool
Over the past two days, 180 students, parents, staff and OS took part in heart screenings held at the School by CRY @cardiacriskintheyoung, following the tragic and sudden passing of student Clayton Olson in 2022. CRY screens individuals aged 14 to 35, using an ECG to check for any irregular heart rhythms. A huge thank you to CRY for returning to Sutton Valence School for the second year running to support the health of our community. #HeartHealth #CRYScreening #CardiacRiskInTheYoung #ECGScreening #CommunitySupport #HeartAwareness #SuttonValenceSchool
On Thursday evening, we hosted our first informal concert of the year and it was a resounding success! A large audience enjoyed an hour of fantastic music, with performances ranging from First Form to Upper Sixth. The evening was filled with entertaining and high-quality performances that showcased our talented students. Music: Somewhere that’s Green sang by Darcy B (Fifth Form)
The 2024 Mzwandile Mali XV perform a traditional South African song at SVS. @lincolnmalileadership_
Today we were honoured to welcome the Mzwandile Mali XV to Sutton Valence School for an afternoon of hospitality, traditional singing and rugby. The 2024 Mzwandile Mali Schools Rugby Squad is composed of 22 exceptional young players from the Eastern Cape townships of South Africa. This tour provides them with invaluable experience and serves as an opportunity to raise the profile of rugby in the townships, while also attracting attention from local scouts and clubs. The afternoon began with the Mzwandile Mali XV enjoying lunch in the Refectory, followed by a performance of a traditional South African song for all those present. After lunch, the team and coaches relaxed with a hot drink in TC’s before joining the SVS 1st XV for a joint training session. This visit was also a fantastic experience for the SVS rugby players, offering them the chance to engage with young players from South African townships and learn about their rich culture and indomitable spirit through the shared language of rugby. We wish the Mzwandile Mali XV all the best for the rest of their UK tour and their exciting journey ahead! #SuttonValenceSchool #MMXVUKTOUR #Sevenoaksrugbyrfc #EasternCapeRugby #townshiprugby #InspiringThroughSport #RugbyTalent #BuildingConnections #Standardbank #LincolnmaliLeadershipFoundation @lincolnmalileadership_ leadership England Rugby
On Friday we welcomed renowned violinist Professor Nicholas Miller for a day of masterclasses. Students from Year 5 through to Sixth Form had the privilege of being taught by Professor Miller throughout the day. Music: Anna (SVPS) playing Vivaldi Allamanda from Sonata in F
We are proud to announce the outstanding achievements of the Sutton Valence Cadets at this weekend's CADSAM - South East Cadet Rifle Competition. 🏆 Fire Control Assessment - 1st Place 🏆 Advance to Contact - 1st Place 🥉 Attack and Reorg - 3rd Place 🎯 Individual Shot Over 16 - 3rd Place - A Brown 🎯 Individual Shot Under 16 - 3rd Place - E Phillips Additionally, we were crowned: 🏆 2024 Falling Plate Champions 🏆 2024 CADSAM CCF Champions 🏆 2024 CADSAM Overall Champions Congratulations to our team, F Rivananok, A Brown, E Phillips, B Vermuellen, expertly coached by WO2 M. Thapa. Your hard work and dedication have once again solidified Sutton Valence’s reputation as the top cadet force in the South East. #SuttonValenceSchool #ExcellenceInLeadership #SuttonValenceCadets #IndependentschoolKent #CadetChampions #Talkeducation
Happy International Boarding Day! Today, we recognise the unique experience of being part of a boarding school community. From shared experiences to lasting friendships, boarding life offers more than just education, it builds independence, resilience and connections that cross borders. To all our boarding students, we are proud of the diverse and supportive environment you help to create every day. #InternationalBoardingDay #iloveboarding #BoardingLife #GlobalCommunity #HomeAwayFromHome #SuttonValenceSchool
On 2nd October, the Sutton Valence School Chamber Choir delivered a wonderful performance at the Clothworkers' Guild dinner, held at the beautiful Drapers' Hall in London. Performing for nearly 800 guests, the choir's harmonies shone with pieces like Evening Prayer by Engelbert Humperdinck and O Holy Night by Placide Cappeau. Other highlights included Georgina G’s confident rendition of Lascia ch’io pianga by Handel and Leòn K-S’s captivating Georgian dance on the cello. The elegant setting and musical artistry left a lasting impression on everyone present. #SuttonValenceSchool #ChamberChoir #DrapersHall #LivePerformance #ClassicalMusic #SVSCommunity
Sutton Valence School proudly hosted the annual U11 Hockey Tournament, where 11 local Prep Schools competed for the historic Underhill Trophy, in a fantastic day of hockey.
Lord-Lieutenant’s Award
Cadet RSM Filipp R has been chosen for the Lord- Lieutenant's Award.
Read MoreOdd Socks Day
On Friday, November 8th, our whole school community came together for Odd Socks Day.
Read MoreSenior Boys Hockey Tour to The Netherlands
Over half term, 19 Sixth Form boys embarked on the first Senior Boys Hockey tour to the Netherlands in over a decade!
Read MoreGCSE Economics Trip to Jersey
On Friday 18th October Mr Metcalfe and Ms Austen accompanied 15 Fourth and Fifth form students on a GCSE Economics trip to Jersey.
Read MoreTrip to the Battlefields
The History Department and the CCF joined forces to walk in the footsteps of soldiers who fought in the fields of Flanders and on the beaches of Normandy.
Read MoreMenin Gate Trip
At the end of last half-term our Chamber Choir had the great honour of performing at the renowned Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate in Ypres.
Read MoreOS News – Shaun the Sheep
Harrison Sharpe (M 2016) and Katie Sharpe (F 2016, Staff-Current), recently designed and painted one of the Shaun the Sheep sculptures for the Shaun the Sheep in the Heart of Kent art trail.
Read MoreThe South East Cadet Rifle Competition
We are proud to announce the outstanding achievements of the Sutton Valence Cadets at this weekend's CADSAM.
Read MoreU11 Hockey Tournament
The annual U11 hockey tournament, competing for the Underhill Trophy
Read MoreStaff Vs Parents Football Game
The annual parents vs staff football match was a great success.
Read MoreSVPS Cake Sale
SVPS Parents Association put on a cake sale to support Macmillan Cancer Support.
Read MoreSponsored Walk
Students participated in the School's annual sponsored walk to raise funds for two important charities.
Read MoreRichard Plowden (Staff 2006-2022)
Earlier this month the School learnt the sad news that Richard Plowden, a much loved member of staff at SVS from 2006 through to his retirement in 2022, had passed away.
Read MoreOutstanding A-Level Achievements
We celebrate another year of exceptional A-Level results, with over 90% of students securing first or second choice university placements and a third of all grades being A* and A.
Read MoreSpeech Day 2024
On Saturday June 29th, we celebrated the remarkable accomplishments of our community over the past year.
Read MoreHeads of School Speeches
At the start of this term, our Upper Sixth prefects handed over their duties to their Lower Sixth counterparts and, accordingly we welcomed our new Summer Term Heads of School - Rosalie Parsons and Jack Hills. As is tradition, they started their tenure with speeches at successive Headmaster's Assemblies. The transcripts of these speeches are below.
Read MoreNew York Trip
In the first week of the Easter holidays 32 pupils and four staff headed off to New York for an Economics and Business Studies trip with a packed itinerary. After a long flight on the Monday morning, and seemingly even longer queue for passport control in the USA, we arrived in time for a meal at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. before checking into our hotel.
Read MoreStamping Their Mark
Amanda Riley, a fashion designer, environmentalist and founder of Fashion Rebellion leads a hand printing workshop for Year 6...
Read MoreBlue Gowns Awarded
Blue gowns are awarded at the final Headmaster’s Assembly of the Lent Term to students who have earned two Blue Badges...
Read MoreSutton Valence School’s Annual Baton Race
The annual end of term Baton Race takes place, with Houses competing for glory...
Read MoreNCO Leavers’ Dinner
On Thursday evening, the NCOs, Headmaster, staff, guests from the armed services and other CCFs gathered for the Upper Sixth NCO Leavers' Dinner.
Read MoreGive a Hand for World Puppetry Day!
Every year on 21st March, World Puppetry Day seeks to recognise puppetry as a global art form and it is also a day to honour puppeteers around the world.
Read MoreMaking Waves for a Good Cause
In a heartwarming display of athletic prowess and community spirit, SVS swimmers triumph at the Maidstone Charity Swim Relay!
Read MoreSVS Hosts Kent U16 Sevens Rugby Tournament
SVS hosts the Kent U16 seven-a-side tournament which sees twenty of the top rugby playing schools embark on a hotly contested competition...
Read MoreNCOs Guide Year 5 Through CCF Challenge
Upper Sixth NCOs prepare themselves for the arrival of Year 5 from Sutton Valence Prep School for a CCF Taster Day...
Read MoreSixth Form Spring Ball
Sixth Form students gather in the Refectory for the Spring Charity Ball...
Read MoreSVPS Gets Into Character for World Book Day
Young bookworms at Sutton Valence Prep School dive into the pages of their favourite reads to celebrate World Book Day!
Read MoreSVPS Dive Into Castle Swim Gala
The aquatic excitement continues to ripple through the Prep School community as we celebrate not one but two events...
Read MoreYear 5 Are Put To The Test at CCF Taster Day!
Last Friday afternoon, Year 5 had a CCF experience at Sutton Valence School...
Read MoreNCOs’ Final Parade
The Head of Corps is the most senior Cadet rank in the Sutton Valence School CCF. They are responsible for organising all three sections: the Navy, Army, and RAF...
Read MoreInternational Women’s Day
This International Women’s Day, we asked a selection of Year 6 girls to nominate a female member of staff who has inspired them during their SVPS journey...
Read MoreReach for the Stars!
To mark British Science Week, children enjoy a visit from Wonderdome, a mobile planetarium...
Read MoreSVS U16A Hockey Girls Are Tier 1 Plate Champions!
A huge well done to the U16A Girls' Hockey Team who attended the England Hockey Tier 1 Plate final on Wednesday at the Olympic Park...
Read MoreInternational Women’s Day
This International Women’s Day, we invited selected older female students to nominate staff that have inspired them throughout their School journey.
Read MoreWorld Boarding Staff Day
World Boarding Staff Day, created by The Institute of Boarding, takes place annually on the first Monday of March...
Read MoreThe Delicious Topic of Dinos
During Reception's topic of Dinosaurs, children in Class E enjoyed making dinosaur nests!
Read MoreYear 1 Walk Like Egyptians
Miss Pitcher and Mrs Theobald's Year 1 classes go back in time with a visit from interactive learning company The Past Presents...
Read MoreWorld Book Day
The Juniors celebrate World Book Day during their weekly reading sessions...
Read MoreA Sprint to the Finish
Sutton Valence Prep School field 32 enthusiastic students from Year 3 to 6 to compete in the Ashford Cross Country event...
Read MoreMother’s Day Fundraiser for Dandelion Time
Cookies and flowers are on sale at School for Mother's Day...
Read MoreSutton Valence Prep School: A Very Creative Education
Sutton Valence Prep School features in the March 2024 issue of insideKENT Magazine, outlining the achievement of its prestigious Artsmark Award in Gold.
Read MoreFilming for Year 5 Open Morning
Former Sutton Valence Prep School students from the First Form and Second Form participate in filming for a video to be shown at Year 5 Open Morning...
Read MoreLittle Lambs Mould Memories in the Art Room!
Tots from Little Lambs Nursery take a trip to the Art Room to say hooray for clay!
Read MoreYear 6 Work in Harmony at Informal Soloists’ Concert
The stage is set for musical marvels in Year 6!
Read MoreU16A Girls’ Hockey Team are Victorious!
Congratulations to the SVS U16A Girls' Hockey team who were up against Brighton College in the Tier 1 Plate semi final on Wednesday afternoon, winning 4-0!
Read MoreOS vs SVS 1st VII Netball Match
Last Saturday, the annual Old Suttonian netball match commenced, and this year’s did not disappoint!
Read MoreThe Young Enterprise Team Mean Business!
The School's Young Enterprise team travel to Old Spitalfields market to sell to the general public...
Read MoreFlippin’ Delicious!
The SVPS Parents' Association show off their pancake making skills to mark Shrove Tuesday...
Read MorePrep Schools Rugby Festival Comes to SVS!
Sutton Valence School hosted ten local prep schools who embarked on our slightly soggy pitches for the annual Prep Schools' Rugby Festival...
Read MoreJuniors Go Quackers for Charity Chicks
Every year, Ros Dines, a retired Matron who worked at SVS for fifty years, knits Easter chicks that contain a Cadbury Creme Egg...
Read MoreTeamwork Makes the Dream Work!
The SVS U12 Netball Team welcome the Sutton Valence Prep School U11 Netball Team for a training session...
Read MorePicture Purrfect
The Love Cats Exhibition is open, displaying feline masterpieces created by Years 3, 4, 5 and 6, to raise money for the Greenacres Sanctuary for Cats!
Read MoreA Real Page Turner
The whole School take part in a Book Share the Friday before Half Term...
Read MoreLittle Lambs Become Little Dragons
Little Lambs Nursery celebrate Chinese New Year by learning all about Chinese culture!
Read MoreThe Play’s the Thing for Year 6 Shakespearians
Year 6 take to the Bates Hall stage to perform several renditions of Shakespeare's mystical comedy, A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Read MoreThe Delicious Year of the Dragon
Decorated with traditional Chinese lanterns, the boarders of Westminster House celebrate Chinese New Year...
Read MoreYear 5 Kick It Into Half Term
Year 5 girls from the SVPS U10 Blue and U10 Yellow football teams take part in the U11 Girls’ Football Tournament...
Read MoreUpdate to Uniform Shop rebrand
The uniform provider Simmonds has now rebranded to Monkhouse Schoolwear. The new School Shop email address is: suttonvalence.shop@monkhouse.com
Read MoreYear 5 Musicians Get Into the Rhythm of Things
Spring term’s Informal Soloists’ Concerts has begun...
Read MoreTeam Triumph for the U16 Girls’ Hockey Team
The girls are through to the semi finals of the England Hockey Tier 1 Plate!
Read MoreSalvation Army Fundraiser
A huge thank you to all parents, grandparents, pupils, and staff who donated to the Salvation Army Food Bank in Maidstone...
Read MoreSVS 1st XI and 2nd XI Football Teams Kick Off the Season
Following the previous fixture falling foul of a frozen pitch, the 1st XI and 2nd XI Football Teams kicked off the season on home turf...
Read MoreSVPS Swimmers Go to Lengths to Compete against Dulwich!
Year 3 to 6 swimmers host Dulwich Prep Cranbrook at the Swimming Gala...
Read MoreOwn the Awkward
Carnegie medal nominated author, Simon James Green, visits the School to run an author event with First and Second Form pupils...
Read MoreMental Health First Aid for Sixth Formers
Our group of Sixth Form Wellbeing Ambassadors undertake Mental Health First Aid training...
Read MoreTwelve Years of Service for Flt Lt C Kitchen
Members of the Combined Cadet Force are joined, during their final parade, by the Headmaster, to present Flt Lt C Kitchen with her Cadet Forces Medal to mark twelve years of service to the School's CCF.
Read MoreIt’s a win for Girls’ U16 Hockey!
After a hugely successful campaign last year, which culminated in our U16 Girls winning the Tier 2 National Cup, we entered our U16s into the Tier 1 competition this year...
Read MoreEwe won’t believe what Year 6 made!
Visiting artist Sue Kimber leads a felting workshop for Year 6...
Read MoreThe Young Suttonian magazine
The Young Suttonian magazine is a traditional annual publication produced by the School, with the latest issue, covering the 2022-2023 academic year now available.
Read MoreSVS Heads of School: Oliver A and Katy B
Katy B and Oliver A (both Upper Sixth) have taken on the responsibility of Heads of School for the Lent Term, giving their inspirational opening addresses to the student body in the Headmaster's Assembly. You can read their speeches in full below:
Read MoreChanges to the School shop
The School uniform supplier, Simmonds, is undergoing a period of rebranding to Monkhouse Schoolwear. As such, we are sorry to say that the on-site School shop will be temporarily closed between 25th January and 9th February. During this time, uniform can still be purchased online, or from the Newnham Court store on selected days. Simmonds stores in Newnham Court, Tunbridge Wells and Chatham Dockside will close at 4.30pm on 27th January and will reopen on 1st February. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. This is beyond our control and we have asked the provider to try and keep the disruption to a minimum, owing to their change in operation.
Read MoreThe Cast Are Out For Blood
With the Senior Production of Little Shop of Horrors complete, we met various characters last week...
Read MoreThe Suttonian magazine
Covering the 2022-2023 academic year, the latest 187 page issue of The Suttonian is now proudly in print...
Read MoreAn Entrepreneurial Meeting
Entrepreneurial Lower Sixth students are building a brand as part of the Young Enterprise scheme...
Read MoreHappy Quizmas!
The last day of term only means one thing - the annual whole School Christmas quiz!
Read MoreHark The Prep School Angels Sing!
Years 3 to 6 perform at the SVPS Carol Service, led by School Chaplain Mr Davies...
Read MoreChristmas Carol Concert
The season of singing got underway last night, with the first Christmas Carol Concert of the year.
Read MoreCarols by Candlelight
Our Little Lambs Nursery stars twinkle brightly at their Carols by Candlelight event!
Read MoreHumph the Camel!
Reception classes shine brighter than the star of Bethlehem in their Nativity play...
Read MoreMaths Week Special
Year 4 shapeshifters put their problem solving skills to the test in Maths Week.
Read MoreYears 1 and 2 get Christmassy at Christingle
Years 1 and 2 attend the annual service for Christingle held at St Michael's Church...
Read MoreSanta Claus is coming to town!
The annual Sutton Valence Prep School Christmas Fair is another seasonal success!
Read MoreHair We Go!
Each year, our Sixth Form boys battle it out to grow the best facial hair for Movember!
Read MoreCards to take note of!
SVPS is subject to two beautiful new artworks by Kent based illustrator Jess Harrison...
Read MoreHayes School Are Bowled Over by SVS Rugby 1st XV
Our 1st XV Rugby team have taken a winning at home streak putting them into the quarter finals!
Read MoreRemembrance Service 2023
Cadets and students mark Remembrance Day with a service on Prefects' Lawn.
Read MoreRemembrance Service 2023
The whole School pay their respects in a Service of Remembrance...
Read MoreMorning Choc Full of Fun!
Third Form have a morning choc full of fun with a visit from a Chocolate Expert!
Read MoreCardiac Risk in the Young Heart Screening
This week, close to 200 students will receive heart screening on the School site...
Read MoreGiving Thanks
Our Prep School children visit St Michael's Church to give thanks in prayer and song...
Read MoreHeads of School speeches
Sophie B and Sam L, Heads of School for the Michaelmas Term, have given their speeches in the Headmaster's Assembly.
Read MoreIt’s A Gourd Day for Pre-Prep!
Our Pre-Prep classes give thanks for the bounty of autumn...
Read MoreMental Health First Aid
Another 10 members of our teaching staff are now trained in Mental Health First Aid Awareness!
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Copy Prize for Design and Technology
Sienna C (Second Form) has engineered her way to winning the Headmaster's Copy Prize!
Read MoreCCF Induction Day for Third Formers
Third Formers get in step with the cadet scheme at the Combined Cadet Force induction day.
Read MoreMeet Head Boy and Head Girl for the Autumn Term
Congratulations to members of Year 6 who are celebrating being named as Head Boy and Head Girl for the Michaelmas Term...
Read MoreGCSE Results Day
Today at Sutton Valence School in Maidstone, Kent, there were some excellent GCSE grades awarded to students. Over 40 percent of the grades were at levels 9, 8 or 7 (A*/A equivalent) showing the high level of student attainment. That said, the ‘value added’ levels of grades were also laudable showing considerable improvement for individuals. Across a wide range of subjects, students secured very pleasing results and were rewarded for their hard work with great support from their teachers and families. James Thomas, Headmaster, comments: ‘We are so proud of this year group and their super results. We wish them all the very best as they embark on their Sixth Form studies and we have high hopes for their futures. Last week we celebrated excellent A Level results (insert link to last week’s article) and it was lovely this morning to be in school with so many happy students, parents and colleagues once more applauding the results of Sutton Valence Students.’
Read MoreA Level Results Day
Today (17th August 2023) at Sutton Valence School in Maidstone, Kent, students were delighted to celebrate with their parents and teachers, some excellent A Level examination results. Following a challenging few years of study owing to many events beyond their control, the cohort of 2023 achieved stellar results in their examinations and have earned places at a laudable range of destinations for future study. Indeed, almost 90 percent of students have secured places at their first or second choice university and over 30 percent of grades were at A or A* level. The Headmaster, James Thomas, comments: ‘We are very proud of this wonderful group of young people. The atmosphere here at the School this morning was lovely and really showed our community feel with students, parents and staff all reflecting on the great achievements of this year group. It’s especially important to remember the challenges that they have faced, making these results even more impressive. While many have achieved the very top grades available, it is equally important to applaud those who have benefitted from the added value of attending Sutton Valence where individual and personal progress and development are key aspects of our provision. As well as their great academic results, they have also excelled outside the classroom and have shown themselves to be great citizens ready for the world. We with them all the very best in the future and really hope that they will all stay in touch with this special School.’
Read MoreBikeability
With the summer holidays rolling in, it's wheely important that kids are road savvy...
Read MoreSchool of Rock!
Years 3 to 6 strum and drum their way to the end of term at the Summer Concert...
Read MoreSVPS Nursery Sports Day
It's our toddlers' turns to become champions at the SVPS Nursery Sports Day!
Read MorePre-Prep Celebration Day
Singing the praises of our small students, Pre-Prep Celebration Day showcases what Reception and Years 1 and 2...
Read MoreReady, Set, Go for Pre-Prep Sports Day
Little legs work hard at the Pre-Prep Sports Day...
Read MoreChamber Choir Perform at Midsummer Fair!
The SVPS Chamber Choir perform at the Wealden Times Midsummer Fair...
Read MoreYears 2 and 3 Informal Concert
Years 2 and 3 add another string to their bow at Informal Concert...
Read MoreWiz, Wham, Alakazam!
Year 1 bewitch audiences with their performances of the magical summer play...
Read MoreYear 5 Informal Soloists Concert
Year 5 make great music together at their last Informal Soloists Concert of the year...
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines
God Save the King! This morning, as I put on my special Coronation Tie and SVS Cufflinks, I certainly feel excited looking forward to the festivities that await. The Junior Leadership Team are hosting a special Tea Party on the Spring Lawn which I am told will have lots of yummy treats. This afternoon in the Senior HM Coronation Assembly, Student NCOs from the CCF will process in with the Heads of School before we hear from the Choir, who will sing one of the anthems from the 1953 service, the year of the last Coronation, and we will also read from the Suttonian magazine archives with the reflections of the Queen's Coronation many decades ago. As well as singing both verses of the National Anthem and Jerusalem, we will dedicate a special CR III edition of the Bible in Chapel to mark the occasion too. As if one tea party were not enough, I will then be off to the Prep School for the SVPSPA Coronation Picnic for yet more cake, happiness and sunshine (although the forecast looks a touch ominous). Such events are important for bringing the community together and I hope that we will unite and reflect on our places in history, the School and the nation. Another exeat weekend awaits, and I look forward to seeing everyone again on Tuesday as the Summer Term continues apace!
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines
This week has certainly flown by once more as we find ourselves in the rhythm of term time. It is always such an interesting time of year with the combination of getting stuck into summer activities (although the downpours have not helped) with the inevitable experience of examinations either starting or on the horizon. Spirits remain high however and the students are doing well supporting and encouraging each other. We had a great Open Day last Saturday and it was lovely to be able to show off the School at its best.
Read MoreNew Heads of School
Olivia C and Daniel B have been named as the Heads of School for the Summer Term, and attended their first Haedmaster's Assembly in post last week, with Olivia making her debut speech to the student body.
Read MoreSVPS Easter Service
The Prep School children join together for the whole School Easter service at St. Michael's Church...
Read MoreArt Room Adventures
Year 3 have been embarking on creative adventures in their Art and Design Technology lessons. They have been carried away by their love of levers and linkages, simple mechanisms that have helped them construct dragons in the form of snapping jaw monsters.
Read MorePre-Prep Round Up
Little Steps have had a very busy week! They have been happy to explore the garden and continue to use their muscles in new and different ways, building skills and confidence.
Read MoreThe sound of spring at Lent concert
On Thursday last week, the Prep children took to the stage to put on a live musical performance to be proud of at the SVPS Spring Concert. Every child in Years 3 to 6 took part, singing both with their year group and as part of the whole School Choir.
Read MorePowers of observation
On 23rd March, Year 3 went to Herstmonceux Observatory and Science Centre. Whilst there, they were blessed with pleasant weather that allowed them to explore the outdoor discovery parks as well as the indoor hands-on exhibits.
Read MoreCCF taster day hits the target
On Friday last week, Year 5 marched over to SVS and enjoyed a well-drilled afternoon of fun, organised by the Officers and NCOs of the CCF. After a delicious lunch in the refectory, the children paraded, despite the rain, where they paid attention and were put at ease by Major Prem.
Read MoreThe show must go on for Year 6 play!
Despite Mrs Dallamore being unwell, the consummate performing professionals of Year 6 pulled together to deliver numerous rousing renditions of the end of term play 'Let Loose'. The story follows a group of Sutton Valence Prep School students as they take a week long residential trip, and the antics they get up to as they take part in a boating competition and plot to pull off the perfect midnight feast!
Read MoreHead’s Lines – 24.03.23
‘Let Loose’ was both the name of the brilliant Year 6 play this week, enjoyed by the children from Reception upwards on Tuesday and then by parents, siblings, grandparents and other family and friends later in the week, and seemingly the intent of many children as they departed for their well-earned Easter holiday today!
Read MoreSVS Through the Years – Boys Hockey
Following on from the 1st XI Boys Hockey making it through the Tier 3 National Plate Semi Final this week, we wanted to continue with the theme of hockey within Sutton Valence School.
Read MoreU14 EH Cup Marden Hockey Club
What a weekend! The Marden girls are through to the EH Cup final. It was an incredible game to watch and we are still buzzing now!
Read MoreNational Rugby Sevens
This week the Rugby Sevens squads descended on the Rosslyn Park National Sevens tournaments in South West London.
Read More1st VII Netball versus Ashford School – by Scarlett Washington (Upper Sixth)
On Thursday 16th of March, the girls played Ashford at home. After losing to them in the Kings Rochester tournament a few weeks ago, we wanted a win. Both teams started the first quarter strong, but a few interceptions from Darcy and Lizzie allowed us to gain a small lead of 3 goals.
Read MoreAnother string to their bow for music students
On Monday 20th the Music School hosted the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music examinations. These exams happen three times a year and are often used to show progress in the chosen instrument. Depending on marks you can either pass, achieve a merit of if you gain over 85%, a distinction. They consist of three or four pieces, scales, sight reading and aural tests. To achieve good marks, regular, everyday practice for up to an hour is essential The higher exams also have UCAS points attached.
Read MoreThird Form roll through collagraphy class
Third Form Art students in 3B, 3Z and 3L classes are currently working on an endangered species printmaking project.'
Read More£5 bag campaign
Our ten week campaign to support the Salvation Army Food Bank has finally come to an end. This has been a much needed campaign as the Food Bank’s store was very much depleted in January. In addition, demand for the Food Bank has almost doubled in the same period. Overall, we have collected and delivered approximately 60 bags of shopping. We are very grateful for all those students, parents and teachers who participated.
Read MoreNo language barriers for touring play
Touring theatre company Onatti Productions presented plays in both French and Spanish to Second and Third Form linguists.
Read MoreDesign and Technology pupils go wild for bug houses
Our First Form students have been busy designing and creating a range of bug houses during their afternoon DT activity this term. Shortly after our return from Easter you will see various bug houses purposefully positioned around the community, within the village, on the School site, and across the road, within the grounds of Sutton Valence Primary School.
Read MoreCCF honour guard
The CCF stood to attention for an honour guard welcoming Commander Barker RN, as part of the biennial inspection. The final parade also followed, with more details on this, and the departure of the much admired Major Prem, in the next edition.
Read MoreProfessor Murray Biggs flies the flag for Yale University
We welcomed Professor Murray Biggs, of Yale University, to the English department on Tuesday afternoon to give a talk on revenge in Renaissance drama to pupils studying English Literature A Level. He gave a fascinating overview of the role of revenge and the core ingredients of revenge drama of the period, and then linked them to the three texts that the pupils are studying across the two year groups.
Read MorePassing on the baton
The annual end of term baton race proved to be a frantic race to the finishing line once again, with most members of the student body (and even some staff members!) taking a turn at running a leg of the relay.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 24.03.23
We have reached the end of the Lent Term after 10 busy and fulfilling weeks. My goodness we have managed to fit a lot in! I trust you have enjoyed reading about all of the super things that have gone on in the Newsletters and on our social media channels. (@SVS_news and @SVS_Headmaster)
Read More1st XI National Plate Quarter Final
Last Thursday, we faced Tonbridge in the quarter finals, after losing to them 4-1 the week before the boys wanted to settle the score. We started very fast and were able to win a short corner early in the game, and after a miss placed drag out, the ball fell to me at the top of the D and I was able to flick the ball into the corner to open the scoring.
Read MoreU15 Girls Netball success
Congratulations to our U15 Girls’ Netball team who won the King’s Rochester Netball Tournament this week.
Read MoreExam time art attack
Fifth Form GCSE Art students are currently working on their exam project. The OCR exam board have released a broad range of themes for students to choose from, being Isolation, Surface and Texture, The News, Journey or Agriculture.
Read MoreEaster chicks
The annual sale of knitted Easter chicks amongst the Juniors has this year raised over £500. The chicks are knitted by Ros Dines who was a cleaner / Matron at SVS for an incredible fifty years, who joined the Junior assembly to be congratulated on her charitable crafting. Proceeds go towards the JackTheLad Foundation.
Read MoreMagistrates Court report, by Charlie H (Year 6)
On an exciting Tuesday morning we had the chance to have a wonderful workshop with two kind Magistrates. They told us about a lot of different things such as some different stories of kids who made a bad decision and ended up going to prison and some photos of what prison and court are really like.
Read MoreHead, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
Roars of laughter filled the classroom this week as Y6 learned to read, listen and respond to vocabulary about parts of the body. They used their Super Hoot Learning Powers of Observation, Bravery and Collaboration to rehearse the body parts, before learning the ordinarily simple song of ‘Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes’, only this time, they were challenged to learn it in Spanish!
Read MoreDrawing Attention
Did you know that more than 42,100 species (animal, fungi and plant) have been assessed to be under threat of extinction by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCP)?
Read MoreFrench round-up
Using the Surface Gos and Linguascope, the children have been learning new vocabulary for items in their pencil cases. Linguascope is our online language programme, and each child is able to work through the exercises and online games at their own pace. Children are able to choose to return to any part of a topic and repeat activities where they feel they need to. This ensures that they are confident in their knowledge and new language acquisition before moving on to the next activity.
Read MoreScience Week
Year 2 started off Science Week with an environmental experiment based on an oil spill disaster. The children had been learning about the high seas, coastal seas and fresh water as part of their topic about the Earth. They had been thinking about how to look after our waters by not polluting them with rubbish.
Read MoreYear 5 trip a shore success
On Tuesday 14th March, Year 5 went to Rye Harbour Nature Reserve as part of their studies on rivers and coasts. They were greeted by the ladies from the Discovery Centre and walked down to the Education Zone, spotting different coastal features on the way. The morning started with a visit to the beach, past the bird sanctuary, spotting different breeds of birds on the Salt Marsh flats. Once they had reached the beach, they had to comb the site looking for any evidence of discarded sea life, as well as picking up any litter. The children worked in groups with buckets finding shells, shark and ray eggs and parts of crabs. They also found bits of plastic, metal and wood that had washed ashore and discussed the relative lifespan of rubbish depending on their materials.
Read MoreA roarsome visit to the Big Cat Sanctuary
This week Year 2 visited The Big Cat Sanctuary to learn about the habitats of the cats and how the sanctuary care for them. The children enjoyed an interactive workshop where they learnt how cats camouflage themselves, the difference in paw prints and why some cats have long tails and others have short tails. The children had the opportunity to look and feel the claw and teeth punctures on the big cats’ toy balls.
Read MoreSwimming Gala makes a splash!
On Tuesday 14th, Year 3 and Year 4 water babies dived in to the Castle Swimming Gala, battling it out to see Rochester take first place with 90 points, Hever come in second with a score of 76, Bodiam place third at 69 points, and Leeds bring in 45 points.
Read MoreHead’s Lines – 17.03.23
As I type this on Friday morning, I am still beaming with pride at what our children and staff accomplished last night in the Spring Concert. We all know all too well how precious community events like this are after the last few years when gatherings became illegal. The creativity, joy and excellence on show last night, interspersed with glimpses of other learning powers such as bravery, originality and collaboration, made for a wonderful celebration and I am grateful for all who participated or assisted, including especially to Mrs Lordon.
Read MoreStatuesque win for OS James Friend (2001 L)
Following on from his recent BAFTA success, Old Suttonian James Friend, (2001 L), has now won the accolade of Best Cinematographer at the Academy Awards.
Read MoreSVS pulls strings for violin masterclass
Music was in the air as Sutton Valence School welcomed renowned violinist Professor Nicholas Miller for a day of masterclasses. Professor Miller is an orchestral musician, founding member of the Pirasti Piano trio and a Professor of violin and Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music London. He studied at the Royal Academy, then University of Yale, then the Julliard School in New York. In 1990 he taught at the Yehudi Menuhin School before moving to the Royal Academy of Music.
Read MorePatrick Foster – Mightbite
Having previously worked in education, before falling into severe gambling addiction and debt, author of Might Bite, Patrick Foster, now visits schools to inform pupils of the consequences of this debilitating habit. This week, older pupils had the chance to hear his inspiring story, and to reflect on the mental health implications of adversity, a particularly timely visit with it being the week of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, which features dramatically in Patrick's story.
Read MoreU13A Boys Hockey South Regional Tournament
Having won the Tier 1 County Tournament in January, and having had a good season since, the U13A hockey team went into the South Regional Tournament feeling quietly confident. With the matches being 35 minutes long, there were to be plenty of opportunities and the team had to have their wits about them all day, especially with the standard being so high.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 17.03.23
Three days until Spring officially begins, apparently... Although while various pretty flowers have started to appear in recent days, that we have been having to grit paths and the fact that I could not see the Weald at all outside my study window this morning implies it might be a bit further off than we had hoped.
Read MoreSVS Versus OS Netball 2023
On Saturday 4th March, we were delighted to host the annual Worsfold Cup, which sees an OS Netball team pitted against the School’s 1st VII. It was fantastic to see so many parents, past-parents, grandparents and siblings supporting in the Sports Hall, including Nonnie Worsfold (Past Parent, Former Staff SVPS), after whom the Worsfold Cup was named and who kindly presented the Cup. Scarlett W (Upper Sixth), one of the School’s 1st VII wrote the following match report.
Read MoreThird Form go wild with lino print
Third Form Art students in 3Z, 3B, and 3L have been creating lino print designs inspired by their new topic 'Endangered Species’. The print designs include animals such as Javan Rhinos, Mountain Gorillas, African Forest Elephants, Hawksbill Turtles and Snow Leopards.
Read MoreCCF Dig Deep in Trench Visit
This term the Fourth Form CCF have embarked on a series of personal development courses and visits that have helped to develop skills or knowledge of military history. Over the course of the last eight weeks, they have attended a two week First Aid course and a two week rock climbing and bouldering course to develop first responder skills and adventure training experiences.
Read More1st XI Boys Hockey Vs Wellington College
On Tuesday, the 1st XI faced Wellington College in the fourth round of the Tier 3 national plate. Callum B (Lower Sixth) writes a report on the match below.
Read MoreRising through the Ranks
Braving the snow showers, SVS Cadets gathered around Prefect's Lawn to witness Mr Millbery be promoted from Major to Lieutenant Colonel, the highest rank available in CCF. Mr Thomas, Headmaster, was present to award Mr Millbery with his new rank slides to denote the change
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 10.03.23
While beautiful surroundings and great systems can be wonderful, it is the people who make a community so special and I will certainly have seen that this week in many spheres. We have had over 50 of our current Lower Sixth students apply to be School Prefects for next year and Mr Farrell and I have been interviewing them all individually this week, hearing their passion for the School and ideas for the future.
Read MorePrefect’s Piece: Recipes
Hello, my name is Holly and one of my favourite hobbies, besides art and horse riding, is cooking. I love to watch cookery programmes and every weekend I make pancakes and we experiment with different flavours and even make art pancakes, using lots of different colour batters and make funny pictures and then eat them all up.
Read MoreLoving Lowry
Pupils in Year 4 have been introduced to L.S Lowry. They have been creating sketchbook pages that reflect the much-admired artist, applying their fact-finding and Observation Learning Power to capture the heart of his art.
Read MoreMusical marvels
Have you ever wondered how sound is made? How fast and how far sound can travel? Or why certain animals can hear certain sounds and we cannot? Pupils in Year 4 explored these questions, and many more in their Science lessons. They completed a sound survey of the Prep building.
Read MoreYear One round-up
Children in Year One have had a busy week, including learning about odd and even numbers, understanding the rules which apply to groups of numbers and spotting patterns on a hundred square. In English lessons, the children have enjoyed learning about the Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt. They have played Top Trumps to compare the attributes of each and then had lots of fun designing their own.
Read MoreReception round-up
Next week, children in Reception are going to be working on the sounds ‘ir, ou’ and ‘oy’ as well as continuing with sentence writing. During mathematics, the children are going to be revisiting o’clock times, and continuing with one more and less as mental mathematics and recording sums. They will still be working with subtraction and using number lines to solve problems.
Read MoreThe Sound of Musical Success
Performance season is upon us, and it started with a bang last Friday evening when the Year 3 and 4 children presented their Informal Soloists’ Concert, still dressed up as an eclectic array of favourite book characters! Despite the concert rounding off an exciting and fun-filled World Book Day, the children dug deep and found the energy to put on a spectacular and polished series of individual performances demonstrating an exceptionally high standard of playing from such youngsters. Well done one and all.
Read MoreHead’s Lines – 10.03.23
Depending on your metric, Spring might officially have sprung. But, despite the host of golden daffodils on the lawns, there has not been much other evidence in sight this week. From plunging temperatures to ample snowfall, sporting postponements and cancellations to wet breaks and chilly forest-schoolers, it has been a week for all of us to exhibit our Super Hoot powers of Tenacity and Bravery, including our parents, bus drivers and staff on some rather intrepid journeys on Wednesday morning when we circumnavigated another snow day.
Read MoreGirls’ Gala Success
On Tuesday, Cobham Hall travelled to us for a swimming gala. Despite the majority of the Senior Girls swimming team being absent due to their Hockey final, the younger girls filled in with some girls swimming in multiple age categories.
Read MoreSuper Swimming Championships
Within the last month, Seb H (Second Form), Finn J, Marcus R (both Fourth Form) and Charles S (Lower Sixth) have been taking part in the Kent County Championships. This takes place over several weekends in K2 Crawley and London Aquatics Centre and they have all taken part in multiple events.
Read MoreWellbeing Update – 03.03.23
This week started with a session for our Upper Sixth students, delving into the topic of unconscious bias. Our brains tend to take shortcuts to make quick judgments, but this can often lead to mistakes. For instance, the 'spotlight bias' can cause us to overestimate how much attention others pay to our appearance or behaviour in social situations, leading to unnecessary anxiety.
Read MoreLife after SVS
The Upper Sixth forum carousel runs every Wednesday afternoon for five weeks to help prepare students for life after Sutton Valence School. One of the sessions running in this carousel looks at the practicalities of student life with Miss Young, such as budgeting, accommodation and seeking support.
Read MoreChampionship Winners
On Wednesday 1st March, our Under 16 Girls’ Hockey Team competed in the U16 National Tier 2 Finals of the Notts Sport Girls Schools Championships. Their captain, Caitlin Calverley (Fifth Form) has written a report on the incredible day below.
Read MoreNorth Downs Walk
Each year the Weald of Kent Rotary run a North Downs Walk in aid of Cancer Research. It is centred around Harrietsham and offers a choice of walks of one mile, three miles, six miles and nine miles. What makes this walk a little different from others is that walkers can split their sponsorship 50/50 between Cancer Research and their own charity.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 03.03.23
‘The School was large enough to preserve a family atmosphere; but not so large as to become Institutional...This family spirit for want of a better definition seems to have been universal through the ages, at any rate as far back as Dr Forster when he first took in Scholars to board with his family.’
Read MoreWorld Book Day 2023
Celebrating World Book Day, young readers delved into their favourite stories with a day of fictional fun! Dressed as their favourite bookish characters, the whole school showcased their costume efforts in a year by year parade, before heading to the Headmaster’s lawn to join together in a full school photo!
Read MoreThe Art of Reading
The Art Room has some new exciting tools to extend the children’s creativity, develop new artistic skills and expand their knowledge. These inspiring new additions to the Art Room’s hive of activity, are some wonderful, magical and informative... books!
Read MorePrefect Piece: Something New
In her Prefect Piece, Diya S (Year 6) writes about learning a new instrument and new positions in Netball. She also talks about what she is excited for in the upcoming year.
Read MorePrefect Piece: Football
In his prefect piece, Finlay B (Year 6) talks about his love for Chelsea Football Club and their performance in the premier league.
Read MoreChampionship Qualification
Our Show Jumping teams were competing at Duckhurst Equestrian Centre in Staplehurst over the February half term and we have brilliant news to share. In the 60-centimetre class, Albert S (Year 5) placed fourth and Charlotte L (Year 6) placed sixth, and in the 50-centimetre, Albert again placed fourth.
Read MorePortrayed in Portraits
Pupils in Year 5 had the pleasure of drawing real-life models in the Art Room. The children dusted off their portrait drawing techniques from Year 4 with a quick recap of facial feature proportion, drawing one another as a warm-up to reinforce observational and shading skills.
Read MoreMarvellous Mathematics
What a fraction-mad week the mathematics department has had! Pupils in Years 4 to 6 have been going fraction crazy in the classroom. Those in Year 4 have been cutting up bread to help identity, compare and find equivalent fractions whilst Year 6 pupils have been simplifying and converting fraction Smarties into decimals and percentages.
Read MoreInspired by Hockney
Children in Year 2 have been busily preparing for their Arts Showcase, which takes place on Wednesday 8th March. They have been making a large-scale art piece, based on the work of David Hockney. Six teams are each replicating a section of one of his iPad paintings, A Closer Winter Tunnel, February-March 2006.
Read MoreHead’s Lines – 03.03.23
I hope by the time that parents read this that World Book Day has been a brilliant success and that the children have come home excited to read and be read to. I am more than a little disappointed that I was not able to be there although I did enjoy dressing up and recording a video for the children to watch about one of my favourite books from childhood, Danny the Champion of the World.
Read MoreIndoor Cricket Tournament
On Thursday 23rd Feb the U13 Girls’ Cricket team travelled to Ursuline College to participate in the U13 Girls’ 8s Indoor Cricket Tournament.
Read MoreEngland U16 Training Camp
During Half Term, players from the Great Britain Hockey women's pathway trained together at Lilleshall National Sports Centre for the first time. Evie S (Fourth Form) was in attendance as a member of the England U16 Girls’ team and writes about the experience below.
Read MoreCooking For Yourself
An Upper Sixth forum carousel runs every Wednesday afternoon for five weeks to help prepare leavers for university life. Subjects include finance, first aid and cookery. Louisa Y (Upper Sixth) reports on this week’s cookery demonstration by John Devine, Catering Manager, below.
Read MoreSuper Show Jumping
Last week, our Senior Equestrian Team competed in Show Jumping at Duckhurst Equestrian Centre in Staplehurst. Congratulations to Harriet P (Second Form), who came third in the 70-centimetre and fourth in 80-centimetre and to George S (Third Form), who came first individually in the 80-centimetre.
Read MoreWellbeing update – 24.02.23
This week, we had breakout sessions with The Juniors and Fifth Form students on the topic of sleep. In our Staff Wellbeing Ambassador meeting, we talked about the benefits of having a wellbeing survey for our students and Mr Ellmers, Head of Sixth Form, has put in place excellent provisions for our Upper Sixth students to help them prepare for life beyond SVS.
Read MoreIceland Trip 2023
Over Half Term, a group of Sixth Form students took a STEM trip to Iceland with a busy itinerary of visits and activities. Students have written some reflections on the trip below.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 24.02.23
It is a very busy and packed five weeks this Half Term and there is so much going on. Please do make sure you keep an eye on the calendars on the portal and the information in the Newsletters. I hope that everyone managed to get a good break over Half Term. It has been great hearing from the staff and students about the Cricket Tour to South Africa and STEM Trip to Iceland.
Read MoreThe Arrival
This term in English, Year 6 pupils are studying the book The Arrival by Australian author and illustrator, Shaun Tan. Wordlessly, it follows the story of a man who leaves his family and home country to try to better their lives.
Read MorePortrait Masterpieces
Portraiture is a very old art form going back at least to Ancient Egypt. Before the invention of photography, a painted, sculpted, or drawn portrait was the only way to record the appearance of someone. Vincent Van Gogh is famous for his many self-portraits (as well as his Starry Night and Sunflowers).
Read MoreEco Dreams
Children in Year 3 have created Hundertwasser Eco Dream Zines in Art. A zine (pronounced zeen) is a small, folded booklet, like a mini magazine based on one particular subject.
Read MoreBirds of Paradise
Children in Year 2 have had an exciting return to School by starting the week off with pancakes made kindly by the Parents’ Association. This week the children looked at Birds of Paradise by Eric Carle, to inspire their own artwork.
Read MorePhonics and Pancakes
The children in Year 1 have had an exciting week coming back to School. They have learnt the ‘au’ and ‘aw’ sounds from the Phonics Shed and learned about fractions through pancakes.
Read MoreNew Sounds and Numbers
This week the Reception children have been learning some tricky new sounds in their Literacy lessons, ‘ay, ee’ and ‘igh’. They have also been busy in their Mathematics lessons too; they have been reading and ordering higher numbers and beginning to understand that teen numbers are ten plus some more.
Read MoreFarm Animals and Dentists
Nursery has had the busiest week returning from Half Term! Children in Young Climbers have been learning lots about farm animals and also had a special visit from a dentist. Little Steps have been learning about their emotions this week. They have been expressive with their artwork and colour mixing in a variety of ways.
Read MoreHead’s Lines – 24.02.23
The only way to begin this week’s newsletter is to let you know about two departing members of staff. Mrs Martin has decided to leave Little Lambs and pursue a different career path after several years here at SVPS, most recently as the Nursery Assistant Manager. We know that she will receive a warm send-off when she leaves us in early March, especially from the children and staff with whom she worked most closely.
Read MoreCricket Tour 2023
Last week, the Boys' Senior Cricket team set off on their tour to South Africa. Struben S (Upper Sixth) reflects on the activity-filled tour below.
Read MoreFrench Play 2023
Earlier this week, students in the First Form were joined by Year 5 and Year 6 pupils from the Prep School to watch the French play, “Parlez-vous Français?” (Do You Speak French?). Xanthe B and Tess H (both First Form) write about the play below.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 10.02.23
The focus of this week has been Wellbeing for all our students, staff and parents. I know many of you have been involved in numerous activities and you can see plenty of them documented on our @SVS_News Instagram account. Wellbeing and Mental Health have been a significant priority for the School this year and I am glad that we are making such good progress in this sphere in a number of ways. In both the Junior and Headmaster’s Assemblies today, student Wellbeing Ambassadors shared their thoughts, including these reflections on the week:
Read MoreU16 Hockey Finals
Our Under 16 Girls Hockey Team will compete in the U16 National Tier 2 Finals on Wednesday 1st March, which will be held at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre. The team’s Captain, Caitlin C (Fifth Form) reflects on the Semi-Final below.
Read MorePublic Speaking Competition 2023
Last Friday, a number of students travelled to St. Edmund’s School, Canterbury for the second round of the ESU Churchill Public Speaking Competition. Miss Manning, Head of Public Speaking, writes about the competition below.
Read MoreA Wonderful Wellbeing Week
Our school community came together to celebrate wellbeing this week. Everyone was invited to participate in a diverse range of events. Each day of the week was centred around one of the five elements of wellbeing: connect, be active, take notice, keep learning and give.
Read MoreDrypoint Printing Art
Recently, our First Form Art students have been working on their new project theme ‘Pets and Predators’. This week, students have been busy learning the hand printing technique, dry point, with the help of our Art technician, Mr Allen.
Read MoreGraphic Design and China
This term, pupils in Year 6 have been working on their Graphic Design topic and have been getting to grips with the shapes tools in PowerPoint that allow them to replicate famous app icons from their mobile devices.
Read MorePrefect Piece: Sheep
In her Prefect Piece, Alice W (Year 6) talks about the responsibilities of taking care of sheep, including feeding and checking to see if they have given birth.
Read MoreFrench Play Review
On Thursday, pupils in Years 5 and Year 6 visited the Senior School's Baughan Theatre to watch a French play called, “Parlez-vous Français?” (Do you speak French?). Emily H (Year 6) writes about this experience below.
Read MoreMagic Mirrors
Imagine dropping a pebble into a calm lake and the resulting ripple that it creates in the water. That is what pupils in Year 5 have been focusing on in their Drama lessons this week, enhancing the Superhoot Learning Power of Observation. First, they sat in a circle, legs crossed, with a leader making a movement such as placing their hand on their shoulder. That ripple went around the circle until everyone was doing the same. They added complexity and intensity by increasing the number of movements and speed.
Read MoreGoing Green
Pupils in Year 4 got to green up their act in a cross-curricular workshop that focused on discussing green issues in the home, at school, and in a global context. It raised the children’s awareness of environmental issues and how they could actively keep going green to protect our planet.
Read More2G’s Global Warming Assembly
Children in 2G performed their class assembly this week. Their aim was to inform Pre-Prep about global warming and how we can all help our planet. The children explained global warming by demonstrating how our planet is wrapped in a blanket and that pollution cannot escape. ‘Doctor Magnus’ demonstrated how the Earth is poorly as it is becoming too hot. 2G were excited to compete against their parents in a children versus parent global warming quiz.
Read MoreRainbow Magic
This week, Reception children visited the Art Room and created rainbow magic! Inspired by Daniel Mercadante’s Rainbow Road photographs – he paints rainbow pathways using light and long exposure to create magical landscapes.
Read MoreA Visit from Doctor Amanda
This week, children in Reception were visited by Doctor Amanda, who provided an excellent end to their topic on Scientific Investigations. She spoke about hand hygiene and keeping the germs away and the children discovered that counting to twenty was the best amount of time to get their hands super clean.
Read MoreHead’s Lines – 10.02.23
Thank you to all those parents who have completed the survey so far. I understand from RS Academics that about a quarter of our parents have so far completed the survey. We are, of course, hoping that most of you will do so in the end. Once again, it is an anonymous survey so please do let us have candid and constructive feedback when it is convenient. The survey closes on Wednesday 22nd February.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 03.02.23
People often say that a school calendar is the best marketing tool one can have, and my goodness that is true at the moment. There is so much going on and it is so pleasing to be able to offer so many different opportunities to the students and others. All the evenings this week have been full of events with a very productive Education meeting with Governors, a recruitment event at a local Prep School, a buzzing Parents’ Evening, a delightful informal concert and tonight I look forward to the Prep School Quiz Night!
Read MoreLondon Photography Trip
On Friday 27th January, our Fourth Form Photography students took a trip to London to find inspiration for their new project. Francesca Arduino (Fourth Form) reflects on the trip below.
Read MoreLets Bake a Pi
In Mathematics, Second Form students have been looking at the area and circumference of a circle and the formulas – pi x radius squared and pi x diameter. They were having some trouble remembering these formulas and so they took a trip to St Margaret’s House to use the kitchen and make cookie pie.
Read MoreWellbeing Update – 03.02.23
This week started with a breakout session for our Fifth Form students on mental health and stress management. Students learned about the benefits of stress and the importance of using it as a motivator, rather than suppressing it with distractions.
Read MoreAmazing Grace
We have been greatly impressed by Old Suttonian Grace Scrivens (2022 F) during her time as captain for England in the U19 T20 World Cup. Miss Jelfs, Head of Girls' Cricket, reflects on Grace's success in the tournament below.
Read MoreCCF DRUI Trip
On Tuesday 31st January, the Navy section took a trip to the Damage Repair Instructional Unit in Portsmouth. James Ellaway (Lower Sixth) writes about this experience below.
Read MoreHockey Quarter-Finals
Our Under 16 Girls’ Hockey Team will go head-to-head with Marlborough College in the U16 National Tier 2 Semi-Finals on Tuesday 7th February. Please do come along to support the team, the fixture is being held at home with pushback at 2.00pm. Captain, Caitlin C (Fifth Form) reflects on the Quarter-Final below.
Read MorePrefect Piece: Coco P
In her Prefect Piece, Coco P (Year 6) talks about joining a new School and how she felt on her first day. She also tells us what she enjoys about being at the School and what she is looking forward to.
Read MorePicture Perfect
In Design and Technology, Year 5 pupils have been making bespoke jewellery. Inspired by Tudor jewellery, their one-of-a-kind creations combined elements of the past, but were firmly rooted in the future.
Read MoreUpcycling and Recycling Workshop
On Tuesday 7th February, children in Year 4 will be having an informative, hands-on, environmental Upcycling and Recycling Workshop at School. The workshop focuses on discussing green issues in the home, at School and in a global context to raise children’s awareness of environmental issues. Making use of redundant materials, the children will create new and useful objects from what they formerly regarded as rubbish.
Read More2C’s Chinese New Year
Children in 2C were very excited to present their first-class assembly. The theme was the Chinese New Year – the year of the Rabbit. The children enjoyed shaking the rattlers they had made whilst whooping loudly, to frighten away any bad spirits for the year ahead.
Read MoreRainbows in Reception
This week, children in Reception have been learning some new sounds, ‘qu’, ‘x’, and ‘ng’. They enjoyed revisiting two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes and had a try at reading the times on a clock.
Read MoreCreativity Crossover
In the words of Albert Einstein, “Creativity is intelligence having fun.” Reception children have been creating masterpieces in Mathematics. Bursting with an expressive energy, the children used their bodies to make symmetrical poses and paint to create symmetrical patterns. Experimental fun!
Read MoreSticking, Cutting and Dressing Up
This week, children in Little Steps have been learning all about themselves, talking about their features and what they can see of themselves. Children in Young Climbers have continued their focus on doctors and nurses, with lots of dressing up and role play!
Read MoreHead’s Lines – 03.02.23
As promised, we will launch the parent survey next Monday. Run by RS Academics who carried out a similar survey at the Senior School last year, parents will have until Wednesday 22nd February to complete the survey. It should take around 20 minutes to complete and it will be entirely anonymous, hence the external provider. Further instructions and a link will be provided in a separate letter on Monday next week.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 27.01.23
It is always nice to have a little pause for an exeat weekend. We have certainly earned it; you will have seen how much has been going on in the newsletters so far this term and in the articles below. Well done all!
Read MoreChinese New Year Celebrations 2023
This week we celebrated Chinese New Year with a Chinese-inspired lunch for the staff and students. You can read more about how this holiday is celebrated by Chinese communities below.
Read MoreGreat Dressage Results
Congratulations to Harriet Plummer (Second Form), Imogen Trott (Fifth Form) and Maisey Russell (Lower Sixth) who are presently competing in the Dressage Pop-Up Winter Series. Conditions are tough with so much ice and snow, let alone all the rain we have had!
Read MoreInspiring Holocaust Webinar
As part of the events to commemorate and remember the victims of the Holocaust, Third Form students were privileged to hear Ruth Posner BEM share her incredible testimony with school children nationwide through a live webinar.
Read MoreWellbeing Update – 27.01.23
This week saw a break-out session on various terms related to sexuality as well as one on understanding mental health. A Wellbeing Parent session took place on Saturday and a yoga session taught students about the significance of flexibility.
Read MoreFabulous Felting
Pupils in Year 6 got the hands-on, exciting experience of creating felt during their workshop with felting specialist Sue Kimber. She demonstrated how to pull pieces from the colourful strands of wool to layer tufts of wispy softness to build up a background. With a myriad of colour choices, the children used the wool to paint sunsets, green hills, blue skies and vibrant backdrops for their floral felting.
Read MoreDressage Pop-Up Winter Series
Congratulations to Amelia P (Year 5), Eve G and Charlotte L (both Year 6) who are presently competing in the Dressage Pop-Up Winter Series. Conditions are tough with so much ice and snow, let alone all the rain we have had!
Read MoreDragons Den Arrives to Year 4
This term, children in Year 4 started their new topic, Innovate and Create, by first trying to understand what these words meant. They had a thought-provoking conversation, concluding that it had something to do with making something and our imagination.
Read MoreCreative Columns
Creativity knew no bounds in Design and Technology as the Year 3 children captured it in the coolest columns. Applying their paper sculpture techniques, they repurposed scrap paper and recycled cardboard to create cylindrical forms that channelled their knowledge of Ancient Greek architecture with their own individual creativity.
Read MoreDescriptions, Days and Designs
Year 1 pupils have had a fabulous week writing character descriptions, learning about the days of the week and structure of seasons and much more.
Read MoreHead’s Lines – 27.01.23
The last couple of weeks have been particularly busy for lots of the staff with various Continuous Professional Development (CPD) activities, including a couple of late nights for our Nursery and Pre-Prep teams. As in any profession, and perhaps especially true in education when we are always trying to model behaviour to the children, learning from experts and from each other is critically important to the culture; as we often say to the children and staff, ‘better never stops’.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headline – 20.01.23
We have not let the freezing temperatures get us down and I am glad to report another very good week here overlooking the chilly Weald. This afternoon I spent time in the Lambe's rooms, the Art and Design Technology departments and also in the Shooting Range seeing once more the great range of experiences that students get to have at School, seeing them work both individually and together in sensitive and thoughtful ways.
Read MorePrefect Piece – Adam S
Adam S (Year 6) talks in his prefect piece about men's Rugby and explains relevant news to do with The Six Nations and The World Cup.
Read MoreArena Eventing Success
Last weekend, Amelia P (Year 5) and Isla D (Year 6) travelled to Coombelands to take part in some Arena Eventing. This is a mixture of Show Jumping and Cross Country. It is normally a course made up of 12 to 16 jumps and includes a vast network of left and right turns, which need to be firstly remembered and then secondly navigated with your pony.
Read MoreLearning about Food Banks
English lessons are a wonderful way to incorporate cross-curricular links and discuss current affairs across the globe. In Year 4, the children have begun studying ‘The Great Food Bank Heist’ by Onjali Q Raúf. This powerful text respectfully raises awareness of the use of food banks within the UK.
Read MoreSchool Children and Social Media
As with many social media apps, the minimum age for users on TikTok is 13. However, it is evident that a significant number of children within our School community are regularly using the app, evidenced, amongst other ways, by the number of dances that are being repeated in the corridors and on the playground.
Read MoreSuper Exciting Sketchbooks
The Art Room welcomed a wonderful visit from Year 2 children this week. With sketchbooks in arms, they brought their excitement and creativity into the Art Room for some stimulating sketchbook time with the guinea pigs (and Mrs Savage).
Read MoreShapes and Stories
This week, children in Year 1 enjoyed exploring the story ‘The Ugly Five’ in English. They have justified their views and written reasons why a certain animal is the ugliest. They have also learnt how to vote, selecting reasons for and against and articulating their opinions.
Read MoreFascinating Forces
This week Mr Scholey visited Reception as part of the ‘Science Investigations’ topic. The children found out about how differing forces are applied when riding a bike and heard all about gears and brakes too.
Read MoreCreative Science
Children in Reception were inspired by their topic ‘Floating and Sinking’ and enthusiastically embraced the artistic potential that their scientific exploration offered. They discussed and experimented with floating flowers, working in pairs to create water scenes using natural objects.
Read MoreA Winter-Inspired Week
Nursery children have been extremely busy in the full force of winter! Jack Frost has been here this week, which the children have absolutely loved seeing each morning. Children in Young Climbers have focused on finishing their beautiful art pieces, making snowflakes.
Read MoreHead’s Lines – 20.01.23
As anyone who witnessed the Celebration Assembly this morning will know, mistakes are a fact of life. It is how we respond to them that matters. I hope that my response in front of the children when faced with a delayed arrival, lack of connectivity, and then clumsiness and forgetfulness on my part, will have helped to demonstrate that we all make mistakes and that calmness and self-deprecation (as well as learning from the mistakes of course) are often the best policies!
Read MoreEventers Challenge Success
Last weekend, the SVS Equestrian team travelled to Coombelands to take part in some Arena Eventing. Arena Eventing is a mixture of Show Jumping and Cross Country. It is normally a course made up of 12 to 16 jumps and includes a vast network of left and right turns, which need to be firstly remembered and then secondly navigated with your pony.
Read MoreA Busy Workshop
It was delightful to see the Design Technology workshop yesterday busy with students from a number of year groups applying their manufacturing skills. First Form Design Technology Club students have been enjoying manufacturing their insect houses, confidently using a range of hand processes alongside the pillar drill and belt sander.
Read MoreLent Term Head of School Speech
Our Heads of School for the Lent Term are Grace Bartleet and Ethan Wynne. You can read their insightful Head of School speeches below, which were given during Headmaster's Assemblies over the last two weeks.
Read MoreLondon Art Trip 2023
On Tuesday 17th January, the Fourth Form GCSE Art students visited two London galleries - Tate Britain and the National Gallery at Trafalgar Square. The students speak about this experience below.
Read MoreWellbeing Update -20.01.23
This week, our junior students had a break-out session on the importance of kindness and effective conflict resolution in friendships. Their maturity and engagement during the session impressed us greatly.
Read MoreStaff Christmas Raffle 2022
After a break of a couple of years, due to Covid, on the last day of term, the ever-popular staff Christmas raffle returned, bigger and better than ever! This year, all proceeds went to the Salvation Army, Maidstone branch. As well as staff donating prizes, local businesses also very generously donated some wonderful prizes.
Read MoreCambridge Examination Success
In November 2022, 18 international students from the Third Form to the Lower Sixth sat the Cambridge English First Certificate examination. This week the results were released and we heard that all of the students passed the examination.
Read MoreEngland versus Jamaica Match
On Sunday 15th January, a group of students were lucky enough to go and watch the final Netball international between England and Jamaica who are ranked third and fourth respectively in the world. Esmee B (First Form) writes about the trip below.
Read MoreCooking Skills Classes
Pip Porter from The Cooking Apple (a mobile cooking school) would like to let you know that their new 12-week online course will start on Monday 20th February. This is a great opportunity for any keen chefs looking for a way to get their Duke of Edinburgh skills challenge completed.
Read MoreSixth Form Spring Ball 2023
We are delighted to be able to provide an opportunity for the Sixth Form to gather for the Spring Charity Ball on Saturday 18th March 2023. This year, the event will be raising money for the ‘JackTheLad’ Foundation in memory of Jack Fenton (2018 C) and Jack Howe (2016 F)
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 13.01.23
Happy New Year to you all. This term has certainly begun at a pace and Christmas seems a long time ago! Walking around the site and corridors so far this week, I have seen a good sense of purpose around the place and the atmosphere has been impressive. Some of our students have been taking examinations this week – Maths IGCSE for the Fifth Form and some ICT/English Language for a few Sixth Formers.
Read MoreNational League Endeavours
Over the Christmas break, Evie S (Fourth Form) combined an England Hockey U16 training camp with multiple indoor Hockey tournaments, for her club, Knole Park. One of those tournaments being the England Hockey Division One League (one below the Premier League).
Read MoreU13 County Success
On Monday 9th January, the U13A Hockey team travelled to Kent College, Canterbury to play in the Tier 1 County Hockey Tournament. Incredibly, the team won the Tier 1 county tournament for the second year in a row, an outstanding feat for the side. Read more about their achievement below.
Read MorePremiere Photography
On Sunday 8th January, three Photography students were offered the opportunity to work with the PR team at Dreamland in Margate during the south-east premiere of Sam Mendes’ new film Empire of Light. Elyse Ratcliffe (Fifth Form) writes a report about the incredible experience below.
Read MoreThree Team Golds
Over the Christmas Holidays, our Equestrian team went back out to rival other schools at a local Show Jumping competition in Staplehurst. Our senior team really did incredibly well with the following results including three out of three team golds! Read more about their success at the competition below.
Read MoreWellbeing Update – 16.01.23
This week saw wellbeing sessions on increasing motivation and avoiding procrastination and a focus on thinking about visions for the future for our Sixth Form students. Third Form students enjoyed a practical session of yoga and muscles relaxation exercises.
Read MoreLearning about Winter
Nursery have had an extremely busy week learning about all things winter! Little Steps children have created their own winter trees, as well as creating their very own snowmen in a bottle! Young Climbers have also created their own snowmen as well as their own snowflakes from lollypop sticks and their own winter trees!
Read MoreDrawing Together
Thank you to the SVPS community, children and their families, who created drawings for our super SVPS Big Draw Community Artwork. The Big Draw Festival and its theme, Come Back to Colour, inspired a variety of colourful and mixed media artworks.
Read MoreEquestrian Excellence
Eve G (Year 6) and new Equestrian team member Albert S (Year 5) competed in the Grass Roots Show Jumping competition over Christmas against other schools, with great success. Isla D (Year 6) and Amelia P (Year 5) were also out competing with the senior team at a Show Jumping competition in Staplehurst achieving some incredible results.
Read MorePlanet Earth and Being Alive
Children in Year 2 have been introduced to their new topic ‘Earth’, looking at the beauty of our planet and how climate change has impacted on this. They have also begun investigating what attributes are needed to be alive, once alive or never alive.
Read MoreLet’s go on a safari
Children in Year 1 have been enjoying their introduction to the topic ‘Let’s go on a safari’. They have been learning about wild animals, the Big Five and what the weather is like in each season.
Read MoreScience and Sentences
This week, the children in Reception have been investigating, problem solving, adding and talking about their goals for 2023.
Read MorePrefect Piece: Emily H
Emily H (Year 6) talks in her prefect piece about her love for learning languages and how the languages she is learning have already helped her in day-to-day life.
Read MoreHead’s Lines – 13.01.23
If you are already feeling like Christmas was a long time ago, then I can assure you that you are not alone. Term has begun at the usual frenetic pace and the children have quickly settled back into their routines and learning, with just the full return of the clubs programme to go next week.
Read MoreLent Term Learning Powers
For a brand new year, we have launched two brand new Learning Powers – Observation and Excellence. Mr Watkins shared some visual puzzles with the children, which required them not only to look carefully, but also to think about what they were seeing to find the answers. The key skill of listening was also highlighted as part of the definition of Observation from Science, where all the senses can provide important feedback about the object being observed.
Read MoreHead’s Lines – 16.12.22
As the School breaks up for the Christmas holidays (albeit Little Lambs Nursery will continue to operate until Wednesday 21st December), we can look back on a busy and varied term. We have just held the final assembly of term with children from Reception to Year 6 there to celebrate, the first time all of these year groups have come together in an assembly since the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, which happened so soon after the start of term in September. The mood then was sombre and respectful; the mood today was rather more jubilant and raucous!
Read MoreA Visit to Kolkata
Mr Sansom is spending the last few days of term visiting The Mathieson Mission School (MMS) in Kolkata, with whom the School has built a relationship over recent years to help support their aim of providing sponsored education to under-privileged children in Kolkata, who might not otherwise have access to any education.
Read MoreBarcelona Hockey Tour
Sixty children from Sevenoaks Hockey Club attended a Hockey tournament in Barcelona between the 9th and 11th December. Cian N (Second Form) has written the following report on the trip.
Read MoreHistory Trip to Poland 2022
With 76 pupils on an overseas trip, our visit to Poland was always going to be epic and it started with an epic delay at Stansted Airport! Despite the extra 12 hours that we had to inspect the departure lounge, not one of the participants whinged or moaned, we remained upbeat and hopeful we would arrive in Kraków before the end of the day. Once we arrived, the difficulties of the previous day melted away as we were met with a picture-perfect scene that looked like it was straight from a Christmas card.
Read MoreBoarders’ Trip to the Christmas Lights
Last Saturday, the full time boarders went on an evening trip to the Leeds Castle Christmas Lights. Lilly Mueller (Fifth Form) writes about the trip below.
Read MoreA Spanish Boarder’s Tea
As part of Spanish being December's Language of the Month, the SVS kitchen staff have been busy preparing a Spanish dinner for our boarders to experience the wonderful food from this culture. You can take a look at the menu and find more information about Spain and it's cuisine below.
Read MoreBebras Computing Challenge
Our Fourth Form Computing group recently took part in the Bebras Computing Challenge. This challenge introduces computational thinking to students and is organised in over 50 countries. This is designed to get students all over the world excited about computing as each participant answers questions that focus on computational and logical thinking.
Read MoreClothworkers’ Hall Performance
On Tuesday, the Senior Strings performed at the Clothworkers' Hall, London to Guild members during their Christmas dinner. As you may be aware, the School was founded by William Lambe the master of the Clothworker’s Guild in the late 16th century, and the school was governed by them until they handed it over to the United Westminster Foundation in the early 20th century.
Read MoreAylesford Priory Service
On Sunday 4th December 2022, Aylesford Priory had a ‘Light up a Life’ Carol Service, for the Heart of Kent Hospice. The service allowed reflection on the loss of life, yet the transformation of a person into a precious and eternal memory. During the service, Phoebe Connell (Lower Sixth) led the congregation into Once in Royal David’s City with a solo of the first verse.
Read MorePathways Programme – 09.12.22
This week saw breakout rooms on how to manage friendship fallouts as well as sexuality and respecting individual differences. Students had the opportunity to try out various wellbeing strategies and focused on their own strengths.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 09.12.22
Outside my study window as I type this, I can see a couple of snowflakes falling! The Christmas season certainly is here. Thus far, I have had the pleasure of attending the Nursery Christmas singing, the Reception ‘Whoops-a-daisy, Angel’ Nativity, the Year 1 and 2 Christingle Service, and of course the very festive Prep School Christmas Fair last weekend.
Read MoreHead’s Lines – 09.12.22
On Thursday, the Pre-Prep staff, parents and grandparents gathered to watch the Reception Nativity. As Lola K stood up to sing a solo in front of her friends, something she had accomplished brilliantly in the first performance of Whoopsy Daisy, Angel earlier in the week, she was suddenly overcome with cold. What do we all need in such circumstances? A friend to help us through of course. Up stepped Mabel C who held her hand and uttered the words, ‘let’s do it together’. What a wonderful example of kindness and compassion!
Read MoreBee Netball
Girls in Year 4 were invited to take part in some Netball training games at Dulwich Prep, Cranbrook last Thursday, ahead of the Netball season starting in January. Not only was it their first Netball match of the academic year, but it was also their first time ever playing ‘Bee Netball’ rules. Bee Netball is England Netball’s fun, high-energy and nurturing programme for children at the beginning of their team sport journey. It is designed to introduce children to Netball skills: throwing, catching, footwork and shooting.
Read MoreChristingles and Jingles
To start our week off, the children made a Christingle, ready for our Year 1 and 2 service at St Michael and All Angels Church. A Christingle is made with an orange, red ribbon, sticks and sweets. The children learnt what each element represents through some beautiful songs that they learnt with Mrs Lordon in Music and the poem which they read to the congregation.
Read MoreThe Winter’s Tale
This week, the children in Year 6 were treated to a private showing of SVS Sixth Form’s performance of William Shakespeare’s, The Winter’s Tale. Perfect timing as they themselves have just finished studying Macbeth and are currently very excited to discover the title and their parts for their performance in the Lent Term!
Read MorePrefect Piece: The Christmas Fair
Kenji J-T (Year 6) talks in his prefect piece about the SVPSPA Christmas Fair and his experience being an elf in Santa's Grotto.
Read MorePrefect Piece: Lewis O
Lewis O (Year 6) talks in his prefect piece about his love for G13 Bouldering, a form of rock climbing.
Read MoreArty English
Pupils in Year 6 were introduced to the poem The Highwayman written by the English poet, Alfred Noyes in 1904. The narrative tells the story about a nameless highwayman in love with an innkeeper’s daughter. Combining figurative language, such as metaphors and onomatopoeia, the ballad embraces Noyes love of Romanticism, ballad-like simplicity and skilful use of language.
Read MorePlaying with Paper
Design and Technology for pupils in Year 3 has been fun! Productively, the children have been playing with paper, experimenting with different paper sculpture techniques and developing their construction skills.
Read MoreChristmas and Christingles
This week, the children in Year 1 have been writing their lists and letters to Father Christmas, practising reading and writing high frequency words onto baubles for our table tree. They have been learning about how Christians celebrate Christmas and worked on their number bonds to 10, 20 and even 100! The Children also made their own Christingles for our Church service where they recited a poem off by heart in front of a large audience and sang beautifully.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 02.12.22
Advent is here! I trust you are all following our online advent calendar, which can be found on our TikTok or on our Instagram and Facebook stories; I am most grateful to those who are involved with this project and we hope you enjoy the fun. We had a lovely Advent Service in Chapel on Monday and the arrival of all the trees and decorations around the sites has brought a lovely feel.
Read MorePrefect Piece: Macbeth
Avia E (Year 6) talks in her prefect piece about her experience reading Macbeth by William Shakespeare, in her English lessons.
Read MoreMaidstone Music Festival
Last weekend our Senior String Group stepped beyond the comfort zone of school to participate on a public platform in the Maidstone Music Festival at Invicta Grammar School. Their hard work this term paid off with a really successful outcome. Avia E (Year 6), one of the group's most senior members, has written a report on the events of the day.
Read MoreChristmas and Times Tables
This week, children in Year 2 have continued to work hard to learn their times tables with some receiving their first TT Rockstars certificate in recognition of learning their ten, five and two times tables. They have also been preparing for the Christingle service, which is being held on Tuesday 6th December in the Church and hanging their beautiful Christmas tree decorations on our Pre-Prep tree.
Read MoreHead’s Lines – 02.12.22
If only parents could have heard the joys and squeals emanating from the classrooms and corridors on the first day of Advent, as the children explored our newly converted Winter Wonderland. Here in School, we all felt rather privileged to have helped to create this magical experience and we are of course very grateful to the small army of elves that arrived on Wednesday evening to help!
Read MoreGreek Vase Visuals
Inspired by Greek vases, children in Year 3 have created visually pleasing and informative sketchbook pages. The artistic historians used their Super Power of Looking to inform their drawings and reflect the style of the amazing ancient vases. Greek vases came in many shapes and sizes, from enormous water and wine mixing Kraters to tall, tiny oil holding Lekythos.
Read MoreSuccessful Speaking Competition
The prestigious English Speaking Union (ESU) Churchill Public Speaking competition took place on Wednesday 30th November. Mrs Manning, Head of Public Speaking, talks about the success of the students below.
Read MorePathways Programme – 02.12.22
This week saw our first TIDE (Team for Inclusion, Diversity and Equality) meeting of the year. These meetings will take place once a month to allow students and teachers to get together to discuss how we support members of our community to feel that they can be themselves and that they will be accepted and supported in our community.
Read MoreSuper Skiing Success
Last Sunday, our U14 Boys’ ski team, comprising of Max Chapman, Evan Henley, Edward Homard and Charlie Wells (all Third Form) travelled to Stoke for the British Schools’ Dry Ski Slope Championship. They had done incredibly well to qualify for the Open event, competing against U18 Boys’ ski teams from across the British Isles.
Read MoreThe Big Ideas for Bright Minds Conference
On Wednesday, nine budding Academic Scholars in the Lower Sixth made their way through the puddles and showers to Bloomsbury Baptist Church for a day of academic enrichment. The Big Ideas for Bright Minds conference runs annually and affords students the opportunity to hear from leading experts who are interested in the intersections between academic disciplines.
Read MoreAlmshouses Refurbishment 2022
The Juniors were delighted and surprised when returning from the Half Term break to discover that their two Almshouse Day Rooms had been refurbished. The rooms have been completely redecorated and refurnished with colourful orange and grey sofas and chairs.
Read MorePathways Programme – 25.11.22
This week in our Pathways Programme, students have been learning about conflict management, staying safe online, nutrition, exercise and sleep. This has been through 'breakout' sessions as well as wellbeing and curriculum lessons.
Read MoreA Christmas Carol Trip 2022
On a bleak Monday night, eight students took the train up to London Waterloo to see the festive play, 'A Christmas Carol' at London’s The Old Vic. Aneirin Buckland, Liam Kirk and Amalie Ondrova (all Upper Sixth) reflect on the trip below.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 25.11.22
I write this just a few hours before the exeat break begins. We have had a very busy three weeks so far this Half Term and I am sure we are all looking forward to a little pause now, before the final three weeks which will, we hope, be full of Christmas cheer. Here is to a weekend up in the loft looking for all of the decorations.
Read MorePrefect Piece: Avia E
Avia E (Year 6) talks in her prefect piece about her passion for Hockey and the variety of sport at the School.
Read MoreAstounding Action Teams
As part of pupil voice, students are encouraged to set up an Action Team if they have an idea to make a difference to the School community. This could be an idea to change something in School for the better or to share a passion. They give students the power to make decisions and become leaders of change.
Read MoreMarvellous Mandarin Course
Following last year’s successful and popular Mandarin course, we once again put our Year 6 students up for this fascinating language challenge. This term, they swapped one of their weekly French lessons for a Friday afternoon of Mandarin. The sessions have been partly a live lesson with an online teacher, and partly a digital programme of interesting language and cultural activities and games.
Read MoreMagnificent Mark Making
In Art, our Year 5 children have been experimenting and taking creative risks with mark making. Spoilt for choice, they were given a variety of different materials to create their own drawing tools.
Read MoreGrow Stronger Together
This week, children in Years 3 to Year 6 celebrated both Artsmark Week and belonging to their castles, Bodiam, Hever, Leeds and Rochester, by creating castle community trees. They discussed how the tree is a symbol of their castle community and how it is strengthened by everyone helping, supporting and being kind to each other.
Read MoreHead’s Lines – 25.11.22
Another wonderful, wild and wet week has finished today with a glorious Open Morning for prospective parents, ably hosted by our Head Boy, Elliott E, and Head Girl, Alice W, as well as by our fabulous Year 6 Prefects. We are, of course, drawing closer to various decision points for parents as they consider Nursery, Reception and Year 7 options for their children in September 2023.
Read MoreSuccess against Skinners
On Wednesday 9th November, the SVS 1st XV Rugby team played against Skinners School in round four of the National Vase. Alfie Jarrett (Upper Sixth) wrote a report on the game below.
Read More1st XI Hockey Success
Thursday 17th November saw the 1st XI girls play Kent College Canterbury (KCC), in their final home game of the term. The match provided the 1st XI an opportunity for redemption, having lost to KCC on penalties in the cup at the start of the season. SV started strong, showing real intent to get forward in numbers at any opportunity.
Read MoreNeon Art Experience
On Tuesday, a selection of GCSE and A-level Art students were invited to participate in a morning of vibrant, artistic fun. Students that are focusing on the figure, form and atmospheric light for their Personal Projects took part in a neon life drawing and Photography class.
Read MoreNational Youth Training Choir
After securing a place with the National Youth Girls’ Choir last year and graduating in the summer, Georgina Godfrey (Fifth Form) auditioned for the National Youth Training Choir, which is the next level for ages 15 to 18.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 18.11.22
I suspect, like us at home this week, your washing machines have been working overtime with soaking and muddy games kit. As wonderful as it is that students get the opportunity to be outdoors and have fun (all the way from our very youngest in Forest School at SVPS, right up to the NCOs in the CCF) I know the impact on laundry management! Let’s hope for a slightly less soggy weekend and week ahead.
Read MoreRemembrance Parade 2022
Much of what happens in the CCF is behind ‘closed doors’; whether in a wood, on a ship or in the air. Remembrance is different. The CCF is at the forefront of the events with the Sutton Valence School Standard, and, as the nominated standard bearers of the Sutton Valence Branch of the Royal British Legion, we proudly carry their standard on their behalf.
Read MoreExcelling at Equestrianism
Over Half Term, there were a lot of successes within the SVPS Equestrian community. Well done to Amelia P (Year 5), Isla D and Charlotte L ( both Year 6) on some brilliant performances.
Read MoreWonders of Wax
Our Year 3 children have been using white wax crayons and watercolours to create secret landscapes. Secret because they first drew their ‘invisible’ landscape with a white Crayola Crayon. They used mark making to create textural effects and then the magic began!
Read MoreQue Tal?
This week, Year 6 pupils learnt how to discuss their feelings in Spanish. They listened attentively and demonstrated their understanding by engaging in conversations, asking and answering questions in the context of talking about how they were.
Read MoreNursery and Pre-Prep News – 18.11.22
We had our first Star Assembly on Tuesday where 2G won the Courtesy Cup for their fantastic efforts to be excellent role models and to demonstrate to the rest of the School their wonderful manners, kindness and trying their best in all lessons.
Read MorePrefect Piece: Charlie H
Charlie H (Year 6) talks in his prefect piece about the controversies of the Qatar World Cup in regards to being carbon-neutral and discrimination.
Read MorePrefect Piece: Charlotte L
Emilia S (Year 6) talks in her prefect piece about her responsibilities as Castle Captain and her trip to Bodiam Castle over Half Term.
Read MoreScience, Sentences and Sticking
Children in Year 1 had an exciting afternoon on Thursday, when Mrs Fairest, Biology teacher from SVS, came to teach them all about animals; something they have been learning about this term. The children were inspired by the magic of Science, gripping onto Mrs Fairest’s every word.
Read MoreSpace and Spring Bulbs
This week, the children in Year 2 have been busy using the iPads to research aspects of our topic, Space. They worked in pairs, looking on the NASA Kids website. They have been finding out how to use technology to help us answer questions.
Read MoreHead’s Lines – 18.11.22
Many of you will have heard, and hopefully some of you may have seen, that our Chamber Choir featured on BBC Breakfast and various other BBC channels this week having taken part in the performance of ‘The Carol of the Bells’ in conjunction with a few other schools at Benenden. Raising money to support those impacted by the conflict in Ukraine, here is hoping for a Christmas Number One!
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines 18.11.22
I suspect, like us at home this week, your washing machines have been working overtime with soaking and muddy games kit. As wonderful as it is that students get the opportunity to be outdoors and have fun (all the way from our very youngest in Forest School at SVPS, right up to the NCOs in the CCF) I know the impact on laundry management! Let’s hope for a slightly less soggy weekend and week ahead.
Read MoreNick Veasey Talk
On Thursday afternoon, Art Scholars were invited to attend a talk by the artist Nick Veasey. Sophia Parkin (Third Form) talks about this experience below.
Read MoreSimon Parker Talk
‘Say Yes!’ to those opportunities when they arise. This was the message Angus Brown (Fourth Form) left this week’s Kingdon Society lecture with. Angus writes an insightful report on the lecture below.
Read MoreHairy Hiles Fundraiser 2022
Throughout November, seven of our Sixth Form students are completing a Movember-style challenge to raise money for UWS Hile School, which is in Gulmi province of Nepal. Each boy will be representing a house and competing to raise the most amount of money for this important cause.
Read MoreExceptional Equestrianism
Over the past few weeks, the SVS equestrian team were very busy, competing in National Championships and the NSEA Regional Points League. Mrs Plummer, Master I/C of Equestrianism, wrote a report on their successes below.
Read MoreExcellent Edward
We are delighted to share the news that Edward Smith (Fifth Form), has been selected for the East, London & South East ILCA 4 – Regional Training Group. Edward is a member of the Royal Yachting Association and has been selected based on performance and commitment to a programme of training and competition over a period.
Read MoreComputer Science Seminars
On Thursday 10th November, a number of Sixth Form students travelled to London to take part in the Computer Science 2022 seminars. During their time there they got the opportunity to listen to four guest speakers talking about their profession and the past and future of IT. Kieran Bush (Upper Sixth) talks about this below.
Read MoreSuper STEM Convention
This week, SVS enjoyed further STEM success at the Benenden STEM Convention. All our Sixth Form STEM representatives contributed brilliantly to the day, and we came away with the first prize, awarded to Hannah Slipper (Upper Sixth), for the best student project of the convention. Lily Goodwin (Upper Sixth) has written a report on the trip below.
Read MorePrefect Piece: Emilia S
Emilia S (Year 6) talks in her prefect piece about her love for Netball and gives us some fun facts about the sport.
Read MoreHead’s Lines 11.11.22
As Autumn continues to embrace us, the School has once again been a vibrant and vivacious place this week. Highlights have included the Year 6 concert last night, with the accomplishment and bravery of the pupils much admired by parents and staff alike, and the Bookshare in Years 3 to 6 this afternoon.
Read MoreSports First Aid Protocols
Welcome back to another exciting Half Term on the Sports field where we have Hockey, Netball, Rugby, Cross Country and Equestrian events coming up in the run-up to Christmas. Please could we ask that you remind yourself of our protocols for injury prevention, treatment and recovery below.
Read MoreVisual Variety
The Art room has been a hive of experimentation and creativity as the children have embraced taking creative risks this week. Including the teacher, we have all stepped outside our comfort zones to leave caution in the corridor.
Read MoreMagical Music
As is only fitting for the run up to Christmas, the Music department is awash with excitement already! Our Year 5 pupils set the tone before the Half Term with a wonderful Informal Soloists Concert, where around half of the year group delivered performances of an impressively high standard across a wide range of instruments and repertoire.
Read MoreColourful Columns
This week, children in Year 3 have been embracing The Big Draw Festival and its 2022 theme of Come Back to Colour. Using their knowledge of the different types of Ancient Greek temple columns, the children chose to capture the beautiful scrolls of the massive Ionic columns in big drawings.
Read MoreYear 1’s Great Fire of London
Our Year 1 children have been acting out The Great Fire of London in our Pudding Lane bakery. They have taken turns being the baker, Samuel Pepys, King Charles II and the people of London as they tried to stop the fire with buckets of water, fire hooks and water squirters.
Read MoreProud as a Peacock
Congratulations to Isla Davis (Year 6) for being chosen as one of only three runners up in the Maidstone Museums’ Foundation Summer Challenge to create a new MMF mascot. The design brief stated that they were looking for a unique mascot, a fictional character to introduce new challenges.
Read MoreRAF Field Day October 2022
Wednesday 19th and Thursday 20th of October saw the CCF embark on their field days, and the RAF Section went off to visit RAF Odiham on the 19th, the home of British Chinooks. Thomas Dolan reports on the experience below.
Read MoreFifth Form Mocks
Fifth Form mock examinations will take place from Monday 14th November until Friday 25th November. Please find important information regarding clashes, timetables and who to contact with any queries below.
Read MoreHead of Pre-Prep’s Lines – 21.10.22
What a wonderful term it has been so far. The children have all settled so well and there has been a hum of excitement throughout the School. It has been truly joyous to see the children engaged, inspired and looking forward to their learning each day.
Read MorePrefect Piece – Alessia A-B
Alessia A-B (Year 6) talks in her prefect piece about her love for sport, particularly Hockey and Cricket.
Read MorePrefect Piece – Zachary H
Zachary H (Year 6) talks in his prefect piece about the time he went fishing on a mackerel bash charter boat adventure.
Read MorePerfect Pumpkin Week
Children in Reception had great fun during pumpkin week! They practised their sight words by using a spinner to read and write the words on an enormous pumpkin! Some pumpkins had numbers written on them and they tried ordering them.
Read MoreConfidence is Cool
Our Year 3 children have been boosting their confidence in P4L. They have been nurturing their self-esteem by identifying what makes them unique and special. The children described confidence as a feeling, using words such as: doing things for yourself, being brave, not being nervous, kind and helpful.
Read MorePeg Peacekeepers
In preparation for a whole School Poppy Day Project on Friday 11th November, the children in Years 3 to 6 have created designs for a Peg Peace and Solidarity Soldier.
Read MoreAwesome Astronauts
Our Year 2 children have had an investigative week exploring a range of space activities, whilst working in teams. Read more about their space-themed adventures below.
Read MoreNursery News
This week, our Little Steps children have been focusing on printing using a variety of resources and natural items. Our Young Climbers have investigated different animals this week and spent time making their own representations of the autumnal animals.
Read MoreHead’s Lines – 21.10.22
Whilst our Nursery remains open over the next two weeks, the Half Term draws to a close for the rest of the School. As such, I would like to begin today’s newsletter with some hearty congratulations to many of our pupils in Year 6 who, this week, found out whether they had been successful in achieving an award to the Senior School as well as discovering how they had performed in the 11+ Kent Test.
Read MoreLondon Art Trip
On Friday 17th October, the Lower Sixth Art students, along with some additional keen photographers, travelled to Shoreditch in East London to be led on a street art tour, guided by a leading UK street art critic and journalist, Dave Stuart.
Read MoreCreativity and Constructs
GCSE Photography student, Elyse Ratcliffe (Fifth Form), is focusing her final project on the theme ‘Constructs’. She chose this theme because of her interest in Architecture. Elyse has chosen a range of photographers who have inspired her research and developments to study.
Read MoreLERSA Race Series
On Saturday, Max Chapman (Third Form) attended the LERSA Race Series London and South East Regionals, achieving incredible first place in his U14 races. Max won the U14 category for the whole summer dry slope season in the London and South East region.
Read MoreFood Bank Volunteers
This week, Alice Chew, Johanna Meyer and Savannah Taylor (all Lower Sixth) started their volunteering placement at the Salvation Army in Maidstone. Savannah had previously worked with Mr Matt Jones and Clothworkers' House to set up an appeal for donations, meanwhile, Mr Shuttleworth is also currently doing an appeal with Lambe’s House.
Read MoreMonologue Performance Evening
Monday saw the IGCSE Drama class perform the last of their coursework pieces. The evening consisted of a series of monologues from a variety of different plays, ranging from Ancient Greek theatre to the present day, which were presented with slick professionalism to a delighted audience of family and friends.
Read MoreOasby Horse Trials
Olivia Petersen (Lower Sixth) attended the Oasby Horse Trials in Lincolnshire last weekend for the Novice U18 class, going double clear and finishing 11th out of 32, which is a brilliant achievement.
Read MoreESSKIA National Dry Slope Finals
Last weekend saw our U16 Boys’ Ski race team set off for Norwich for the ESSKIA National dry slope finals. The team, comprising of Max Chapman, Evan Henley, Edward Homard and Charlie Wells (all Third Form) had qualified for this competition via the South East regionals.
Read MoreLord Lieutenant of Kent Awards
This week saw Major Millbery, CCF Contingent Commander, attend the Lord Lieutenant of Kent Awards to honour Major Prem Ale, our CCF Adjutant. Each recipient of the Lord-Lieutenant’s Certificates for Meritorious Service marches to stand next to the Lord Lieutenant of Kent, The Lady Colgrain, whilst a citation, detailing reasons for the award, is read. You can read the citation for Major Ale below.
Read MoreKidenza Orchestra Trip
This week a group of seven chosen young musicians from SVS took a trip to Benenden School’s brand new auditorium to watch the Kidenza Orchestra perform. Harry Heyworth and Dominic Powell (both Second Form) speak about this experience below.
Read MoreSuper Shakespeare Event
On Monday 10th October, a group of Fifth Form students attended a Wealden Hub Shakespeare Event at Benenden School. Mathilda Featherstone, Brook Homewood, Celestina Meneses-Bautista, Fred Mundell and Otto Plant have written the following report about their trip.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 14.10.22
I continue to be inspired by how much so many students care about the School and community here. On Tuesday, I enjoyed meeting with the Student Council and hearing their reflective and constructive ideas about how we can maintain many of the good points at the School and consider what we can do to make it even better. These conversations are important and I really value their thoughts.
Read MoreSpace Stories and Crocodile Signs
This week, the children in Year 2 stretched their imaginations to plan and then write a story set in space. In Mathematics, the children also started to learn about place value with crocodile signs.
Read MoreClay Creations
Our Year 6 pupils have been studying the Kingdom of Benin in their Humanities topic and have been investigating aspects of the religion of the people from that time. They learnt about why the people of Benin were Animists, which means that they believed that animals have a soul and worshipped animals as if they were gods.
Read MoreDelightful Drama Lessons
A major part of Drama lessons is developing confidence, enhancing speaking and listening skills, and creating body awareness. Throughout this term, pupils in Reception to Year 6 have been playing a variety of games designed to raise their understanding of themselves and each other.
Read MoreOur Year 1 Explorers
This week, children in Year 1 have been acting out the story of Grandad’s Island, through role play, developing their understanding of place value and exploring their sense of taste.
Read MoreAnimals in Autumn
Children in Nursery have been extremely busy this week. Little Steps children have looked at different animals and have recreated their own hedgehogs. Whilst Young Climbers have explored their creative sides this week creating their own paintings of different animals, as well as learning about robins.
Read MoreExcellent English Display
It is always wonderful to see English work progress during the term across the year groups, as the children’s understanding of language, and the work on their class texts develop. So far, already this term, the pupils have written letters, diary entries and wow sentences, as well as completing many other writing activities.
Read MoreLinear Landscapes
Our Year 5 pupils have been experimenting with using line and different mark-making techniques to create linear landscapes. To embrace The Big Draw Festival’s theme 'Back to Colour', they have enriched their wonderful landscapes with splashes of vibrant watercolour.
Read MoreHead’s Lines – 14.10.22
Another busy and purposeful week here in leafy Kent has ended today with the first Open Day of the academic year for prospective parents. Even more compelling than our amazing setting, incredible facilities and knowledgeable and nurturing staff were our pupils, especially the Year 6 prefects who expertly guided the parents and children on their visits and generally waxed lyrical about all things SVPS!
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 07.10.22
As suspected, last Saturday was a brilliant day for hundreds of people here. After a very positive prospective student Open Day in the morning (with over 200 visitors), the sun continued to shine throughout the afternoon where we enjoyed the coming together of a wide-ranging group of Old Suttonians (ranging from their 20s to their 80s) for an OS Open Afternoon, followed by a beautiful afternoon of fixtures.
Read MoreBarnaby Plays for England
Barnaby Merrett (Upper Sixth) got his first cap playing for England U18 in the summer against South Africa and shared his incredible experience with us below.
Read MoreTerrific Theatre Trip
After being postponed several times due to the pandemic, Sutton House finally took a trip to The Marlowe Theatre to watch Les Misérables. Ella Booth and Christine Mazuryk (both Lower Sixth) write about the trip below.
Read MoreCSS Superstars
Students in the Second Form have spent the beginning of the Michaelmas Term learning about web development in Information Technology with Miss Young. The journey to become a web developer started with a key process, which involved students sharing their criteria for a great website. Students assessed important aspects, such as accessibility and compatibility on multiple devices.
Read MoreThe Big Draw Festival
The month of October embraces a worldwide celebration of drawing with The Big Draw Festival. It promotes the universal language of drawing as a tool for learning, expression and invention. In addition, it raises the profile of drawing as a tool for wellbeing, thought, creativity and cultural engagement.
Read MoreSuper Science Centre Trip
In celebration of their work on space and World Space Week, our Year 2 pupils had a fabulous fun-packed educational trip to the Herstmonceux Observatory Science Centre. They started the day visiting two domes housing historic telescopes, one dating back to 1896. Here, they learnt about how the lenses capture photographs of space and one of the lenses weighed 25 stone!
Read MoreExcellent Eyes
The artist Paul Klee said, “One eye sees, the other feels”. This quote aptly describes the eye opening drawing that our Year 4 children have been doing in Art. Using their Super Power of Looking Skills, they identified the different parts of an eye and looked carefully at the shapes that create this fantastic facial feature.
Read MoreFeeling Dramatic
Drama is not always about the razzamatazz on stage, big performances and belting out songs! It is also about subtleties and micromicro-movements. This week, in Drama, our Year 5 pupils have begun to look, and feel, for tiny actions during their class activities.
Read MoreGrand Designs Competition
Blazers, backpacks, bags and games kit are all emblazoned with the School badge. Have you ever wondered what the SVPS badge represents?
Read MoreHead’s Lines – 07.10.22
This has been a week of conferences and consultations, with both Mr Thomas and I attending the first ever joint IAPS and HMC conference to hear about developments in the education sector and to network with colleagues in the independent schools’ sector. An insightful experience, but we both cannot wait to be back in School next week!
Read MoreFun in Year 1
Our Year 1 children have had a brilliant week exploring their senses. They used fantastic adjectives to describe how the mystery objects felt in the feely boxes and then loved revealing the hidden items! They learnt new vocabulary in Geography and can now identify human and physical features. They have been estimating in Mathematics and writing their numbers in digits and words.
Read MoreAutumnal Art
This week, our Little Steps children have been creating their own autumn scenes having collected leaves and sticking them onto their trees. They also enjoyed painting with special sand paint and have made some wonderful creations to take home. Next week, Little Steps will be investigating ice and changes - the colour for next week is red!
Read MoreSuper Sports
Last Friday saw over 50 pupils take part in a number of Cross-Country events and SVPS athletes performed so well in all of their races. The annual Rawlinson Run, held at Dulwich Prep, Cranbrook saw a team of children from Years 2, 3 and 4 take part in races run over 600 to 1200 metres!
Read MoreGreat Greek Day
On Tuesday, our Year 3 pupils were lucky enough to have 'Portals from the Past' in for a workshop to embrace their Humanities topic on ancient Greece. The children came dressed as Ancient Greeks featuring Zeus, Athena, many other warriors, Gods and Goddesses. They learnt about early Greek life and culture from the war between Sparta and Athens, democracy and Greek legends.
Read MorePrefect Piece – Avia E-O
Avia E-O (Year 6) talks in her prefect piece about her love for music and the musical opportunities that the School offers.
Read MorePrefect Piece – Kenji J-T
Kenji J-T (Year 6) talks in his prefect piece about his love for Marcus Rashford's series of books and the important messages within them.
Read MoreThe History of Sandwiches
In EAL (English as an Additional Language) lessons, pupils have been learning about a very popular food in England - sandwiches! Elvis Lau (Second Form) writes about what he has been learning below.
Read MoreCelebrating Cultural Food
In preparation for October's Language of the Month, Nepalese, the SVS kitchen staff have been busy preparing a Nepalese dinner for our boarders to experience the wonderful food from this culture.
Read MoreCCF Junior Field Day 2022
The Junior Field Day is a chance for the pupils in Third Form, the newly inducted cadets, to experience their first taste of a field day. Plans are always fluid where the MOD is concerned – with the original plan altered, we were out in the field under bashas instead of nice warm comfy accommodation!
Read MoreHead of School Speeches – Michaelmas 2022
Our Heads of School for the Michaelmas Term are Katie Moore and James Pepler (both Upper Sixth). As is tradition, they have both written a Head of School speech which they have read out in Headmaster's assembly. You can read a transcript of both of their speeches below.
Read MoreSouth-East Cadet Skill at Arms 2022
Last weekend, the Sutton Valence CCF Shooting team took part in the annual South-East Cadet Skill at Arms (or CADSAAM for short) competition at Pirbright Ranges which was held for the first time since 2019. They competed with nearly 30 other teams from other CCF and ACF units from as far afield as Essex, Hampshire and Surrey and as well as teams fielded by local rivals Sevenoaks School and Maidstone Grammar School.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 30.09.22
We are now certainly in the swing of things here and have enjoyed a ‘normal routine’ week for the first time this term (although I am still not sure if there is ever a ‘normal’ week at SVS)! Tomorrow, we will have a prospective student Open Morning and we are expecting around 200 visitors to the School.
Read MorePrefect Piece – Matilda M
Matilda M (Year 6) talks in her prefect piece about her experience on her first ever residential trip as well as her favourite parts.
Read MoreNursery and Pre-Prep Fun
In Nursery and Pre-Prep this week we have enjoyed lots of lovely learning. The children have all embraced Forest School. We have seen our night life through our cameras in the forest.
Read MorePerfect Parthenon
In Design and Technology, Year 3 pupils have journeyed back in time to view the architecture of Ancient Greece. They appreciated the magnificence and beauty of the temples built for the Greek gods and goddesses and wondered how such monumental, majestic buildings were built by hand!
Read MoreRevenons à l’essentiel!
This week, children in Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 have been getting back to basics (or revenons à l'essentiel) in their French lessons. A key component in language acquisition is frequent exposure to previously learnt words.
Read MoreNSEA Schools Equestrian Competition
On Saturday 10th September, two Senior School pupils and three Prep School pupils travelled to Felbridge in West Sussex to compete in an NSEA Schools Equestrian Competition. Find out more about their success at the competition below.
Read MoreHead’s Lines – 30.09.22
At the end of a regular week in school, I hope we all now realise why we must not take that for granted. With lockdowns, bubbles, isolation periods and the recent death of Her Majesty, regular weeks have sometimes seemed like a distant memory.
Read MoreEngland Hockey Challenge Cup
At the end of a long Hockey season, Archie Burden (Fourth Form), Caitlin Calverley, Rhys Harmer and Otto Plant (all Fifth Form) were selected to represent Tonbridge Performance Centres (U17 Girls' and U15 Boys' respectively) at the first ever England Hockey Challenge Cup tournament. Mr Braddick, Head of Hockey, was also in attendance, coaching the Tonbridge U15 Girls' side.
Read MoreExciting English
The beginning of a new academic year is always a wonderful thing: new classes, new friends, new shoes and…new books! In English lessons this term, the children have begun studying an excellent range of class texts.
Read MoreYear 6 PGL 2022
This week, our Year 6 pupils headed off on an adventure of a lifetime! They visited the PGL Marchant’s Hill Adventure Centre, in Surrey. With 45 acres of beautiful grounds packed with adventure activities, including raft building on the on-site lake, individual courage and determination were needed to succeed.
Read MoreLeadership Week 2022
The Sutton Valence community is structured and operates to ensure that children are educated about the importance of community, their role in it and through that, their responsibilities in the wider community as citizens.
Read MorePrefect Piece – Alice W
Alice W (Year 6) talks in her prefect piece about her love for animals, her aspirations to get a job involving them and all of the fun pets that she has at home.
Read MoreThe Chop!
Since last year, Elsa B (Year 4) had been growing her hair in the hope for it to be long enough to donate her locks to the Little Princess Trust. After 12 months of growing, at the end of the summer holidays, Elsa bravely had ‘the chop’ and donated 11 inches of hair, along with raising over £1,000 for the charity.
Read MoreYear 4’s Residential Success!
Our intrepid Year 4 children and their teachers ventured to Grosvenor Hall in Ashford last Monday, for their very first residential trip! Every child put their Super Hoot Learning Powers to the test during their stay.
Read MoreHead’s Lines – 23.09.22
This short week has been one of contrasts. It began in sombre and respectful fashion of course with the historic events to mark the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and we would like to thank all parents who have been signing the Book of Condolence in reception, as well as encourage those who would like to do so to visit.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 23.09.22
Greetings to you all. This is, of course, the first ‘normal’ community newsletter of the year owing to the national period of mourning during which schools were advised to keep things low key on the celebration and communication front. Thus, there is a great deal of information and things to applaud in this week’s edition and I hope you enjoy reading it.
Read MoreSuper Start to Skiing Season
It has been a fantastic start to the year for the SVS ski racers. We had an enjoyable training session at Chatham last Friday evening, in preparation for the ESSKIA race on Sunday. As well as this, two teams braved an early start and a long morning to compete in the English Schools’ race with all eight skiers improving their times and confidence throughout the day.
Read MoreMarvellous Music
The SVPS Music Department, not known for its quietness, has sprung into this new academic year with a resounding bang! All our visiting music teachers have returned and one-to-one lessons are well underway again. Trial lessons for new starters are also in full swing.
Read MoreWonderful Words
Our Year 6 children have been working collaboratively to create a display that embodies the powerful, rich message that we should treasure the pleasure of wonderful words. Words are all around us, in books, songs, poems, writing, talking and listening.
Read MoreKent Cricket Capping Ceremony
We are delighted to share that Alexandra Tunnicliff (First Form), having played for Kent Cricket this summer, has been awarded her county cap by one of the England squad.
Read More2022 Southern Schools Cup
Last week, our SVS Golf Team entered the 2022 Southern Schools Cup. This is an Independent Schools Golf Association ranking event attended by some of the finest independent school golfers in the South of England.
Read MoreLanguage of the Month: Ukrainian
This September, our language of the month is Ukrainian. Karolina Dubyk (Fifth Form) and Khrystyna Nyzyk (Lower Sixth) talk about their country, Ukraine, important holidays and traditions and the Ukrainian Language.
Read MoreGCSE Art Coursework
Our GCSE Art students were busy painting, drawing and designing garments over the summer holiday. They focused on a range of techniques they learned throughout Fourth Form and applied them to a coursework piece related to their personal projects.
Read MoreSVS School App Guide
A one-stop shop for all School portals, information and social media feeds. You select what areas of the School you are interested in and we do the rest!
Read MoreGCSE Results 2022
The students of Sutton Valence School in Maidstone have received their GCSE results today and there is a great deal to celebrate. Almost half of the grades were at levels 9, 8 or 7 (A*-A equivalent) which shows the excellent achievement of many of the cohort.
Read MoreA Level Results 2022
Once more the students of Sutton Valence School near Maidstone have secured excellent A Level examination results. The return to written examination papers following two years of disruption owing to COVID, saw this year’s cohort secure over three quarters of grades being between A* to B and the vast majority of students securing their first choice university.
Read MoreSVS Sports Day 2022
Last Friday, Sports Day returned to our fantastic all-weather track after a two-year hiatus. The sunshine was met with a very welcome breeze that ensured conditions were perfect.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 08.07.22
Finally, the end of the year has arrived – what a year it has been for all of the SVS community. We all have a great deal to reflect on in so many ways and I trust we can all feel proud to have excelled in so many spheres despite the many challenges we all faced.
Read MoreSuperbloom Exhibit
Recently, our Juniors have been decorating the garden in front of Westminster House to create a wellbeing garden filled with flowers, artwork and an abundance of painted pebbles.
Read MoreTerrific Tennis
The U13a Boys' Tennis team have had some very successful matches this term in an LTA National Tennis League which qualified them to play in the finals on the 28th June at Polo Farm, Canterbury. Here is a round up of their journey in the finals.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 01.07.2022
We are certainly in full swing with all the end of year events. Last night was particularly poignant as the Upper Sixth had their Leavers’ Service in the Chapel, followed by a lovely and very civilised dinner in the Refectory. As I have said before, they have been an exceptional year group who have faced great challenges.
Read MoreThe Junior Production 2022
The Junior Production of 'The Wardrobe' took place this week and received a warm response from all who came to watch it. The young cast performed eleven scenes spanning some 500 years of British history, which all take place inside the same wardrobe.
Read MoreTrying New Transfer Techniques
Fourth Form GCSE Photography students have been experimenting with Mod Podge, a transfer technique inspired by artists such as Sally Mankus, Angela Petsis and Robert Rauschenberg. As part of their coursework, it is important students meet assessment objective two of the OCR GCSE specification by refining their work by exploring ideas, selecting, and experimenting with appropriate media, materials, techniques, and processes.
Read MoreThird Form Trading Task
Third Form Mathematics students ventured into a world of trade on Saturday. The aim of the task was to have made the most money by the end of the lesson using the materials given and the powers of bargaining.
Read MoreBenenden Tennis Tournament 2022
Registration for the Benenden Tennis Tournament 2022 is now open! This is an annual event, which raises money for local charities and is run and funded by volunteers and supporters.
Read MoreSTEM Experience 2022
This week saw the return of the Prep School STEM experience at the Senior School. Our SVPS Year 5 pupils spent the day in the Physics department, led by a group of skilled and enthusiastic Lower Sixth students. The pupils undertook a practical action challenge to design and build a model wind turbine that would lift a cup of plastic cubes from the floor.
Read MoreTerrific Triangles
Our Year 6 pupils have been very busy learning all about triangles. In their geometry lessons, they have looked at the different types of triangles. As part of this, they learnt how to build up a fractal triangle pattern. This Sierpinski triangle activity illustrates the fundamental principles of fractals, how a pattern can repeat again and again, at different scales, and how this complex shape can be formed by simple repetition.
Read MoreYear 5 visit to ‘The Wardrobe’
This week, our Year 5 pupils visited SVS for the Junior production of The Wardrobe. Isla D and Eve G reflect on the experience below.
Read MorePrefect Piece – James C
James C, who played the role of King Arthur in the Year 6 production of 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Camelot', talks in his prefect piece about his experience in the role below.
Read MorePrep Sports Day 2022
Last Saturday, the Prep School enjoyed a wonderful morning of athletics at their annual Sports Day, which was held at the SVS track. Over 150 children took part in a number of different track and field events and, despite the wind, brief rain shower and hot sun, everyone put in so much effort to earn points for their House.
Read MoreDesign Time
Pupils in Year 5 Art Club have had a great time designing clocks. The project was facilitated by Mr Kirk, Head of Design and Technology at the Senior School. Their brief, as product designers, was to design and make a clock which captured the style of Alessi.
Read MoreGrand Designs
Design and Technology in Years 3, 4 and 5 has flourished and the children have had a lot of fun! Our Year 3 children stretched their paper folding skills to create origami monsters. They decorated them to bring to life monstrous characters that grabbed their pneumatic systems with open jaws! The children persevered with attaching syringes and tubing, controlling the air pressure to open and close their monster’s mouths and evaluating their fun, finished product.
Read MoreSenior Leader’s Lines – 01.07.22
With the end of the academic year clearly on the horizon for pupils, staff and parents, it is possibly the right time to reflect, and celebrate, the past year. We have enjoyed our first year of non-interrupted face-to-face teaching, a shock to some pupils and definitely our staff! It is encouraging to witness the accelerated learning of our children that face-to-face teaching facilitates.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 24.06.22
This week, we have welcomed new students and their parents of next year’s First, Second and Third Forms, as well as preparing our current Second Form to move up from the Juniors. It is always such an interesting time with a mix of emotions, such as nerves and anxiety, as well as having so many questions about the next stages in their educational journey.
Read MoreTTRockstar’s rock off
In assembly this morning, Mrs Skelly's Year 5 Mathematics set competed against each other in a TTRockstar's rock off! The pupils were put into three groups and had to race each other. They had the extra pressure of the audience and cheering, but they all performed brilliantly! The winner of each group went into the finals.
Read MoreLowry Landscapes
Our Year 4 pupils have used their Super Hoot power of looking skills to analyse the paintings of the artist L.S Lowry. They have identified his use of foreground, middle ground and background to create depth in his compositions, along with his iconic matchstick figures and love of industrial buildings.
Read MoreThe Butterfly Lion
This term in English, our Year 4 pupils have been studying Michael Morpurgo’s 'The Butterfly Lion'. It is a heart-warming tale of friendship, loyalty, overcoming adversities and perseverance. The story is based on the friendship between a boy called Bertie and his rescued orphan white lion cub from the African veld.
Read MorePrize Presentation
On Tuesday, the presentation of prizes for the Heritage Design Challenge took place at the Maidstone Museum. Sir Robert, who lives in Allington Castle, awarded the certificates.
Read MoreSVPS Summer Concert 2022
What a triumph of musicianship Wednesday’s SVPS Summer Concert proved to be! Every child in Years 3 to 6 took part. As well as formidable performances from the Junior, Senior and Chamber Choirs, each year group sang a song.
Read MoreHead of Pre-Prep Lines – 24.06.22
Thankfully the sun has started to shine on our Summer Term. It is so wonderful to see the children back together playing, attending assemblies, enjoying School trips and sharing their learning journeys.
Read MoreHeritage Design Challenge Presentation
On Tuesday evening, students that were shortlisted for the Maidstone Museum Design Heritage Challenge attended the 'Presentation of the Cheques' evening at Maidstone Museum.
Read MoreAn insight into boarding at SVS
In a story featured in 'Conservation News' magazine, Tyler Weekes (Upper Sixth) talks about why he loves boarding at Sutton Valence School.
Read MoreAcademic Deputy Head’s Lines – 17.06.22
This week, I had a discussion with a colleague about talent versus hard work; weighing up which might eventually result in greater success, be that on the Cricket pitch, in a LAMDA or music examination, on Sports Day or any aspect of learning within the classroom environment. But why stop there? Why not extend this muse to consider its relevance in the context of life in general?
Read MoreCreative Mathematical Minds
Last week, our Year 4 and 5 pupils were getting very creative and extremely mathematical! In Year 4, they created sparkling shapes with sticks and then took to the geoboards and created shapes, symmetrical patterns, and tessellation with Loom Bands.
Read MoreSVPS Concert Season
Concert season is well and truly upon us and it got underway with a bang last week! Our Chamber Choir boarded the minibuses in bright sunshine and headed through the beautiful Kent countryside to Hole Park in Rolvenden where they had been invited to perform at the Wealden Times Midsummer Fair.
Read MoreInter Schools Showjumping Competition
Congratulations to Amelia P (Year 4), Isla D and Eve G (both Year 5), who all successfully competed in last Sunday’s Inter-Schools Showjumping Competition in Sussex. Out of five rounds, they got three double clears, so a great effort from the team!
Read MoreWorthwhile Adventure
In Design and Technology, our Year 5 pupils have begun a very worthwhile bridge-building adventure! After investigating different types of bridges, arches, suspension, cantilevers, beams and trusses to mention but a few, they embarked on a mission to draw a detailed plan for their own bridge.
Read MoreSuper Hoot is Superb
Super Hoot is a well-known member of the Sutton Valence School community. As an owl, Super Hoot is wise, taking the role of Learning Power mascot seriously, by encouraging growth mindset.
Read MoreMagical Theatre Visit
Miss Corkran speaks about the School's magical visit from the Magical Mongolian Academic Opera Theatre Company and the spectacular performance that they were treated to.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 17.06.22
Today, it was a pleasure to welcome members from all the schools of the United Westminster and Greycoat Foundation for the annual Day of Athletics competition. We had an array of students, staff, governors, trustees and parents all around the track, absolutely boiling in the 30 degrees heat and there was a great atmosphere.
Read MoreDavid Burrill CCF Visit
Since taking over their new roles within the CCF, the Lower Sixth cadets have been developing their leadership skills. On Wednesday, we were fortunate to have a visit by David Burrill who was, for 32 years, a member of the British Army Intelligence Corps.
Read MoreFantastic Football Festival
During the Half Term, Hugh and Xavier Elms (both First Form) travelled to Barcelona with their football academy, EMC, to take part in the Barcelona Football Festival.
Read MoreExciting News for Evie
We are delighted to share the news that Evie Smith (Third Form) has been selected for the England U16 Hockey squad, where she will travel to Barcelona this summer to play in the Girls 8Nations; and also for a separate series in June to travel out to Frankfurt to play Germany.
Read MoreStill Life Art with Second Form
The Second Form Art students in Miss Peart Price's class are working on a still-life project this term. A still-life is a drawing or painting that focuses on still objects. Students have been practising their first-hand observational drawing skills using pencil and oil pastels.
Read MoreSVS Wellbeing Garden Update
A big thank you to all the members of the community who took up the Wellbeing Art Challenge to paint a pebble for our entry into the Historic Houses England Tower of London’s Superbloom project as mentioned in the 20th May newsletter.
Read MoreSuper STEM Challenge 2022
On Thursday, a team of enthusiastic Third Form pupils travelled to Greenwich University Medway Campus for a Science and Technology challenge. Within the inspiring historic maritime buildings, they undertook four challenges.
Read MoreISGA National Plate Final Winners
On Tuesday 14th June, the SVS First Golf team took part in the 2022 Independent Schools Golf Association (ISGA) National Plate finals. This is a national competition where schools from all around the country firstly compete at a regional level, and then at a national level in a one-day event.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 10.06.22
In Assembly today, having heard some pearls of musical wisdom from Mr Horley and having awarded a few prizes for various things like Duke of Edinburgh, Shooting, Copy Prizes and even Lifesaving, I spoke about Marcus Rashford and his motivational and inspirational actions and thoughts.
Read MoreBSSRA Schools National Match
In a first for the School, Callum Davis and Daniel Wild (both Lower Sixth) represented England against other Home Countries in a small-bore (.22) postal league match over the Easter break.
Read MoreBlind Veterans Night Walk 2022
On Friday 27th May, a group made up of pupils, staff and a parent took off on the annual night walk for the charity Blind Veterans UK.
Read MorePink Lady Apple Appreciation
Preferring a healthy snack, a number of pupils love to tuck into a Pink Lady apple during their break, and often, one of the kitchen staff would put some aside for them, ensuring they got their treat at break time.
Read MoreLino Print designing
Our Fourth Form GCSE Art students have been creating lino print designs inspired by a range of lino artists that reflect their chosen theme for their personal projects. GCSE students have the choice of the following themes for their personal projects: Underwater, Interesting Personalities, Spaces and Places, Beasts, Narrative, Passage of Time, Illusions, and Figures.
Read MoreTyland Barn Trip 2022
Our Reception children had a fantastic time at Tyland Barn, exploring their new topic, Minibeasts. They had the opportunity to go pond dipping and identify the creepy crawlies they found.
Read MoreFlower Power
Our Year 3 children saw an artistic twist this week in their Science lessons! Inspired by their recent trip to Hole Park, the children explored the different plants and flowers around the School and took photographs of their favourites.
Read MoreTrip to Battle Abbey
The day dawned sunny and fresh on Tuesday 7th June and the pupils of Year 2 were excited as they collected their appetising packed lunches from the Dining Hall and boarded the coach.
Read MoreSky is the Limit
This week, the whole school, from Nursery to Year 6, took part in the Sky Arts Access All Arts Week. It was a nationwide arts week for primary school children, the aim being to bring the arts to every child, in every primary school, across the UK and Ireland.
Read MoreHead’s Lines – 10.06.22
Going into the second half of the Summer Term, and my final month at SVPS, I have found myself becoming increasingly nostalgic over the last few days, and I am aware that I am ‘banking’ magic moments, of which there are many, as the end of term quickly approaches.
Read MorePrefect Piece – Isaac F
In his prefect piece, Isaac F (Year 6) talks about his love for scootering. He speaks about the skatepark he visits regularly and how he learns new techniques and tricks.
Read MorePrefect Piece – Ivy K
In her prefect piece, Ivy K (Year 6) talks about the recent Year 6 French trip. She speaks about the places which they visited on their trip and what she enjoyed most.
Read MoreHeritage Design Challenge Winner
Congratulations to Sienna C (Year 6), who has been chosen as the Junior School Winner of the Maidstone Museum Heritage Design Challenge. Sienna’s beautiful and carefully constructed Japanese lantern is an extremely worthy winner.
Read MoreMagical Moy Mackay
The SVPS Art room welcomed some visiting artists on Tuesday. Year 6 children from St Peter’s Church of England Primary School in Aylesford spent the morning getting a hands on workshop with felting artist Sue Kimber.
Read MoreWonderful Water Lilies
Our Year 3 children embraced the opportunity to draw ‘en plein air’ while on their trip to Hole Park. Using oil pastels, they drew their impressions of the wonderful water lilies that floated elegantly on the many ponds in the beautiful gardens.
Read MorePoetry Speaking Competition 2022
Last week saw the full return of our annual Poetry Speaking Competition, following the Covid restrictions of the previous two years, which was wonderful! We were joined by guest poet, storyteller and musician, Rob Parkinson, who performed interactively with the children during the morning.
Read MoreAmazing Athletics
This term in our Physical Education lessons, we have been focusing on developing a wide range of athletic disciplines. All the pupils have been out on the track working on sprint start techniques, running styles and middle-distance running pace setting, as well as improving their long and high jump
Read MorePrefect Piece – Sophie E
In her prefect piece, Sophie E (Year 6) talks about her experience with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. She talks about how she felt after being diagnosed and the operations she has had.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 27.05.22
And so we reach the end of another Half Term and I am sure that all the students and staff will very much welcome a break to recharge their batteries. Reflecting on the last few weeks, I sense we have seen the best of our community in many ways.
Read MorePrefect Piece – Ruben D
In his prefect piece, Ruben D (Year 6) talks about his love for paper aeroplanes - a hobby which started during lockdown. Jai talks about how he uses his STEM skills during this activity.
Read MoreThe Wonders of Hole Park
On Tuesday 24th May, our Year 3 children braved the rain and visited the beautiful grounds of Hole Park. They enjoyed a guided tour of the stunning, vast gardens and roamed the parkland completing a scavenger hunt along the way.
Read MoreBHV Push Hockey Fixtures
On Thursday 26th May, our SVS U14s and U16s Boy's Hockey teams had the opportunity to play fixtures against BHV Push, a Dutch touring Hockey club. Angus Brown (Third Form) and Jago Ongley-Dellar (Fourth Form) have written reports on these games, which can be read below.
Read MoreHead’s Lines – 27.05.22
This week, throughout the School, the SVPS enrichment journey has been very evident in a myriad of different ways. We started the week with an assembly focused on the Queen and the Platinum Jubilee.
Read MoreSpots and Stripes Designing
The Fourth Form and Lower Sixth Design and Technology students had a very exciting morning as part of the annual Spots and Stripes Day. Tanith Brown from The Big Cat Sanctuary visited the Design and Technology department to launch an exciting design task for the students.
Read MoreFourth Form Metal Project
Our Fourth Form Design and Technology students have enjoyed applying their theoretical knowledge of metals through a practical manufacturing project. They have successfully developed their skills in manufacturing and have learnt how to use a wide range of new tools and processes.
Read MoreLower Sixth Art – 27.05.22
Elizabeth Goodwin (Lower Sixth), a current Art student, is working on her final project - the theme being 'The Existing Positive Bonds Between Humans and Animals'.
Read MoreAmazing Albert
Albert Watts (Second Form) has received a Headmaster's Copy Prize for his work on coding. Mrs Palmer, Teacher of ICT, was particularly impressed by Albert's use of sophisticated codes, going above and beyond the set task.
Read MoreSenior Sports Awards 2022
On Saturday, the Senior Sports Awards Dinner took place in the Refectory. This is the first formal celebration of the senior sport since before the pandemic and it was fantastic to see over 100 guests; players, parents and staff, come together to celebrate an excellent year of senior sport.
Read MoreDesign Challenge Results
This week, we were made aware of the results of the Maidstone Museum Heritage Design Competition. Unfortunately, no students from the Senior School were selected, though they should be very proud of how far they got and the fantastic presentations they gave.
Read MoreTerrific Trenches Trip
On Wednesday 25th May, our Fourth Form Army section was lucky enough to get the opportunity to experience what it would have been like for a First World War soldier on the front line, at the model trenches in Detling.
Read MoreGirls’ U15 Cricket Festival 2022
On Monday 23rd May, the SVS Girls' U15 Cricket team travelled to Hurstpierpoint College to compete in the U15 Annual Girls’ Softball Cricket Tournament. There were six schools competing in total with each team starting on 200 runs.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 20.05.22
The Upper Sixth had their last formal day of School today. In Assembly this afternoon, we wished them all the very best as their examinations start and we reminded them of all the support that has been – and will continue to be – on hand for them.
Read MoreWellbeing Art Challenge
Historic Houses England is inviting all schools to take part in the Tower of London’s Superbloom project and Wellbeing Art Challenge!
Read MorePets and Predators Art
Our First Form Art students have been working on their new project theme 'Pets and Predators'. This week students have been busy learning the hand printing technique drypoint.
Read MoreSpots and Stripes Excitement
The Juniors are getting very excited about the return of Tanith Brown on 27th May for our annual Spots and Stripes Day in support of The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden. They have already been exploring the work of the sanctuary and its conservation projects across the world during PSHE lessons.
Read MoreThe Penguin Race 2022
Today saw the hotly contested Penguin Race take place amongst the Juniors. This longstanding Sutton Valence School tradition involves the four houses competing in a continuous swimming relay race.
Read MoreU13C Cricket – 18th May 2022
On Wednesday, the Boys’ U13C Cricket team headed to Bethany School for a match against their U13B team. Mr Head, coach for the U13C team, reports on the match below.
Read MorePlatinum Jubilee Eco Crowns
In preparation for the celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and the SVPSPA Garden Party on the 27th May, the children have been extending their creative skills to design an eco crown that will adorn their heads at the Jubilee celebrations.
Read MoreClass Dojo
Our Year 1 children are delighted with their new reward system: Class Dojo. Each child has their own creature which represents the awards they can gain.
Read MoreAmazing Animal Characters
Our Year 5 pupils have embraced their Beatrix Potter inspiration and created animal portraits fit for a novel! After drawing observational sketches from close-ups of their chosen animal, the children added an outfit.
Read MoreSuper Sikhism
Our Year 4 pupils have been finding out about Sikhism in their Religious Education lessons. They worked in small groups to play 'Sikhism Dominoes', using the internet to research answers to key questions.
Read MoreSummer Term Heads of School
Congratulations to our newest Heads of School, Sienna C and Rhys M, and their fabulous team of prefects. So far this term, they have all been taking their various roles and responsibilities very seriously, demonstrating their Super Hoot Powers perfectly.
Read MorePrefect Piece – Jai S
In his prefect piece, Jai S (Year 6) talks about his love for Cricket, which he has been playing since he was four years old! Jai talks about how he aspires to play for England one day and the skills that are required to succeed in this sport.
Read MoreSenior Leader’s Lines – 20.05.22
What do the following all have in common: tea rationing finishes, The Great London Smog kills 4000 people, England has its first professional Cricket captain, the United Kingdom developed an atomic bomb, identity cards were abolished, the first jet aircraft flew from Johannesburg to London, Agatha Christie's 'The Mouse Trap’ opens in London and Mary Norton’s ‘The Borrowers’ is published?
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Lines – 13.05.22
‘We will be alright don’t you think, Sir?’, one of the Fifth Form students asked me today with a grin on their face. This is their last day before study leave begins.
Read MoreYear 6 French Trip 2022
This week, Year 6 enjoyed their first residential trip abroad since 2019. Four days based in Le Touquet saw the children visit a bee farm, a chocolaterie, a snail farm, the beach and - the children's favourite - the Vimy Ridge war memorial.
Read MoreForest School – 13.05.22
Reception classes took the book 'The Three Billy Goats Gruff' to the Forest School this week. The day began with building bridges and trying to find the strongest one. We tested this with our three different sized billy goats.
Read MoreSomerhill Mathematics Competition
This week, the Mathematics department have been busy competing against 16 other schools, and up to 40 teams, at the Somerhill Maths Competition.
Read MoreMathematical Mocktails
Last week, our Year 6 pupils learned about ratio. At the end of the topic, the year group got into groups to bring ratio alive! How would ratio be used in a real-life situation?
Read MoreSuper Ski Champions
On Sunday, our Junior Ski team competed at the Kent Schools Ski Championship at Chatham Snowsports Centre. The boys’ team became the Junior Boys’ Kent Ski champions finishing first and third in their group and the Mixed team came second in their category!
Read MoreSVPS Design Challenge
Maidstone Museum launched a design challenge for schools across Kent. Designers had to use inspiration from an artefact, gallery or special exhibition at the Museum to produce a prototype product that could be sold in the Museum Shop.
Read MoreAcademic Deputy Head’s Lines – 13.05.22
‘The crown of literature is poetry’ - W. Somerset Maugham With the SVPS Poetry Speaking competition next Friday and the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations just around the corner, this quote seemed somewhat fitting and pertinent.
Read MoreSuccessful Shooting Competition
On Sunday at 6.30am, a small team of crack shots gathered by the School’s armoury to get ready for the 11th Infantry Brigade’s annual 7.62 Shooting competition held at a small range near Guilford.
Read MoreHeritage Design Challenge
On Wednesday afternoon, Miss Peart-Price took the three shortlisted students, Sophia Parkin (Second Form), Simone Rai and James Hackett (both Third Form) to pitch their designs and prototypes at Maidstone Museum for the Heritage Design Challenge.
Read MoreTrips Calendar
As things continue to work their way back to some form of normality, so we have started to compile a trips calendar that will run through to Summer 2025.
Read MoreThe Soup Movement
This term, in English, our Year 5 children have begun studying a new text, 'The Soup Movement' by Ben Davis. It is set in present-day England and follows the story of a boy called Jordan, who encounters a homeless man living in a tent in the park.
Read MoreDrawing Awareness
Our Year 5 pupils have been researching endangered animals as inspiration for extending their drawing skills. Using pencils and applying their tonal variation and textural techniques, they drew their chosen animal in detail.
Read MorePrefect Piece – Ella G
For her prefect piece, Ella G (Year 6) writes about her love for Hockey. She talks about the mixed Hockey summer league that she is taking part in and the learning powers that participating in this requires.
Read MoreGrandparents’ Day 2022 – SVPS
On Tuesday, the School was delighted to host Grandparents’ Day. Miss Corkran, Head, and Mr Watkins, Deputy Head, reflect on the day below.
Read MoreHead Boy Piece – Rhys M
This week, Head Boy, Rhys M (Year 6) writes about his newfound hobby - Park Run. He talks about how he accepted the challenge of running five kilometres with his family.
Read MoreApprenticeship Fair 2022
Students in Lower Sixth that expressed an interest in apprenticeships, visited the University of Kent, Canterbury last week, to discover opportunities and prospective courses from universities. William Ervine (Lower Sixth) was in attendance and writes about the experience below.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 06.05.22
How lovely it has been to have had, quite literally, hundreds of visitors during this shorter-than-normal week. Seeing all of the grandparents and relatives here on Tuesday was a delight, the Music Concert that evening really was top drawer, and last night’s in-person Parents’ Evening for the Lower Sixth felt like a much-desired return to normality!
Read MoreTrenches Trip
On Wednesday afternoon, a group of Fourth Form Army cadets transported themselves back in time to the First World War trenches in Railway Wood, Ypres. The replica trenches at the Kent County Showground provide a snapshot of what it would be like to have been on the front line.
Read MoreGCSE/GCE Summer Examinations 2022
All parents should have received a copy of their child’s ‘Green Final External Examination Timetable’ for May/June 2022. A second copy has been given to students via their tutors.
Read MoreHead of School Speeches – Summer Term
During the Headmaster's assemblies, we heard Head of School speeches from Tobias Butler and Hannah Slipper (both Lower Sixth). You can read their speeches below.
Read MoreGrandparents’ Day 2022
On Tuesday, the School was delighted to open its doors to host its first Grandparents’ Day in three years. Given the event’s hiatus, it was wonderful to welcome over 180 guests on the day, many of whom had not visited the School previously.
Read MoreSuper Showjumping
Two of our youngest members of the SVS Equestrian team, Isla D (Year 5) and Amelia P (Year 4) competed locally in Staplehurst over the Easter holidays in a Showjumping competition against other local schools and they both came away with fantastic results.
Read MoreDeputy Head’s Lines – 06.05.22
The old adage 'it takes a village to raise a child' is rooted in the value of a strong community, with its range of skills and experience in the development of young children.
Read MoreConstance Linsley – A Level Art
Constance Linsley (Lower Sixth) has written a piece reflecting on her A Level Photography project. Constance describes the artists that she has been inspired by and how she challenges herself to try new techniques.
Read MoreSkittle Sampling
Last Saturday, as part of the research methods topic in Psychology, students were tasked with a sampling exercise using skittles. The skittles were the target population and pupils had to obtain participants by using different sampling methods.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 29.04.22
It has been such a pleasure being in all four of the School assemblies over the last two days. Amongst all the encouragement and words of advice from colleagues, I saw awards for digraph writing and timetables work in Pre-Prep, a plethora of certificates ranging from Skiing to LAMDA in Prep, reading prizes in the Juniors, and it was an honour to hand our Head of Corps ties as well and also hear from Hannah Slipper (Lower Sixth) give her Head of School speech in Headmaster's Assembly this afternoon.
Read MoreANZAC Day 2022
On Monday, the School, courtesy of its close links with Westminster Abbey and the New Zealand High Commission, organised an ANZAC Day event for gap students working at schools in the UK.
Read MoreGreat Hockey Success
Another great weekend for SVS Hockey! Elizabeth Burden and Evie Smith (both Third Form) were in action at Lee Valley again last weekend for the England Hockey Supra League National finals.
Read MoreArt and Photography Exhibition 2022
The Art department is very busy curating the Art and Photography GCSE and A Level end of year exhibition. All students have been working hard to complete their practical coursework to showcase their work.
Read MoreThird Form Range Day
On a bright Wednesday morning, the Third Form, along with some willing NCOs, assembled at Hythe Ranges for their annual Shooting Day. During the preceding two terms, the cadets have been developing their weapon-handling skills in preparation to fire on a live range.
Read MoreCard Sharks Club
A new club in Pre-Prep started this week - Card Sharks. The children learnt about the names of the various suits, shuffling, dealing, hands and most importantly how to have fun playing a new card game!
Read MoreA Commendable Comic Club
Our Year 5 Comic Club has filled Monday lunch breaks with creativity, fun and laughter. Promoting pupil voice, the club was organised and run by Year 5 children with a sense of humour, love of comic characters and an entrepreneurial spirit.
Read MoreYear 6 Magistrate’s Workshops
This week Alvin Shaw, a local magistrate, visited our Year 6 pupils to talk to them about the processes and procedures connected to our law system and the consequences of breaking the law.
Read MorePrefect Pieces – 29.04.22
This week's prefect pieces come from Sienna C and Henry K (both Year 6). Sienna writes about her fascination with the Titanic and its tragic story and Henry describes his experience seeing osprey eggs on his holiday in Scotland!
Read MoreLearning Powers – 29.04.22
Our final pair of Learning Powers this year is Curiosity and Originality. Mr Watkins, Deputy Head, introduced these to the children last week, through the lens of how we use questions to solve problems in new and creative ways.
Read MoreBrilliant Beatrix Potter
This week, children in Year 5 applied their Super Hoot Learning Powers of flexibility and collaboration to create mood board maps that reflected the life and art of Beatrix Potter. This brilliant woman’s legacy lives on through her amazing artwork, stories and films.
Read MoreTerrific Tallying
Children in Year 1 have been learning about tally charts in creative and exciting ways - including porridge tasting! They have also been using their knowledge and skills from their ICT lessons to problem solve.
Read MoreFantastic Fashion Designers
The Year 6 Design and Technology lessons have been giving the children the opportunity to be fashion designers. They are making items of clothing for the rabbit character from the book 'The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane'.
Read MoreWrite Dance – 29.04.22
Last Friday, our Reception children took part in their weekly Write Dance session in the Pre-Prep Hall. They enjoyed the story of Big Water Shute, explored the language and listened to the lyrics of the song.
Read MoreHead of Pre-Prep’s Lines – 29.04.22
What a fabulous start to the Summer Term it has been. The sun started to shine for us, and the children have enjoyed playing outside, swimming in the outdoor pool and developing their learning through outdoor opportunities and new topic themes.
Read MoreDelightful Digestion
Our Year 4 children have been getting their teeth stuck into their new Science topic on digestion and food chains. They have learnt about the first stage of the digestive system. In particular, the different types of teeth such as incisors, canines and molars, as well as considering why they have different shapes.
Read MoreHead’s Lines – 22nd April 2022
What glorious weather for the first week of Summer Term! Many children and parents have commented on our beautiful grounds and I have passed these kind words on to the wonderful team of gardeners who work so hard to ensure our children learn and play in this most glorious setting.
Read MoreBSA Award Finalists
Each year the Boarding Schools’ Association (BSA) celebrate the achievements, hard work and dedication of schools and individuals with the Boarding Schools’ Association Supporting Excellence Awards.
Read MoreIncredible Racing
The Easter weekend saw Joshua Miller (Fifth Form) and his teammate compete in the British GT Championship, where they finished second and became the youngest ever drivers on the British GT Podium!
Read MoreA Level Photography
Madeleine Presland (Upper Sixth) writes about her A Level Photography project. The main theme of my A Level Photography project is colour. I learned, over a period of time, how to apply and capture ultraviolet paint in different lights.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 22.04.22
We returned after the Easter break on Wednesday to a beautiful campus which has been bathed in sunshine and blossom petals - what a lovely way to start the Summer Term.
Read MoreExceptional Evie
The Easter holidays saw Evie Smith (Third Form) play for the England Hockey U16 squad in the Five Nations against The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and Ireland.
Read MoreSuper Skiing
Maximilian (Upper Sixth) and Oliver Laughland (Fourth Form) have had an impressive season so far. Max has worked incredibly hard all season and has achieved some great results including becoming the U18 British Downhill Champion 2022.
Read MoreHockey Nationals
The Easter holidays proved a very busy time for some of our Hockey players. The England Hockey National U16 Tier 2 Plate Final saw Marden Russets play Havant at Cambridge University on Sunday 3rd April.
Read MoreYoung Artists’ Summer Show
The Young Artists’ Summer Show, run by The Royal Academy of Arts, is an opportunity for young artists, from age four to 19, to show off their artistic skills and be inspired by the work of others.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 25.03.22
Well the Lent Term has certainly flown by! The last few weeks have been particularly busy with so many different events that you will note in this week’s newsletter (and in other recent editions).
Read MoreSpring has Sprung
Year 5 Art Club has captured the call of spring in their mixed media masterpieces. They were given freedom of expression to interpret the word spring using a medium of their choice.
Read MoreInvicta STEM Challenge
Four Year 6 pupils attended Invicta Grammar School’s STEM and Maths Challenge last week. This tested their planning skills, teamwork, nerves, science and maths skills.
Read MoreChamber Choir Go Pro in London
The SVPS Chamber Choir had a flavour of the professional lifestyle when they visited the VOCES8 Centre in London on Wednesday. VOCES 8 are a world-renowned vocal ensemble particularly renowned for their exquisite a cappella singing.
Read MoreYear 4 Production 2022
Last week saw the magnificent production of Year 4’s play, Hansel and Gretel, come to life on stage! After two years of restrictions and no audiences, it was wonderful to be able to invite family and friends to watch the acting, singing and sheer enjoyment of a very talented year group.
Read MoreYear 2 Showcase 2022
On Friday 18th March, Year 2 parents were treated to a thoroughly enjoyable and accomplished performance of music and poetry. 2C and 2MD have been studying the styles of famous artists and taking inspiration from them to produce their own creative interpretations over the past six months.
Read MoreThe SVS Swap Shop
Next term, the Eco Society is attempting to tackle the impact of fast fashion. The global impact of fast fashion is astonishing. Two hundred and thirty five million items of clothing were sent to landfills last year alone and 1.2 billion tons of carbon emissions are produced by the global fashion industry annually.
Read MoreSurreal Self-portraits
Miss Peart-Price’s First Form Art students have been busy creating their surreal self-portraits this term, inspired by the artist Maria Rivans. Maria Rivans is a contemporary British artist, known for her scrapbook-style collage aesthetic.
Read MoreHead’s Lines – 25th March 2022
As the term draws to a close, it has been as busy as ever over the last couple of weeks and the children have continued to throw themselves wholeheartedly into every opportunity. A super example of this was last week’s Year 4 play.
Read MoreCharity Easter Raffle 2022
On Thursday, the egg-citement mounted in the Library as the Headmaster drew the winning tickets for the Easter Egg raffle. The winners were delighted with their prizes, the first prize being a large Lindt egg with a Lindt bunny and Lindt chocolates, won by Joshua Fawell (Lower Sixth).
Read MoreJunior Gardeners 2022
In the glorious March sunshine, the daffodils, which had been planted by First Form students back in November (raising money and awareness for Sepsis Research FEAT), had bloomed beautifully.
Read MoreFlying Challenge
During their Design and Technology lesson this week, our Second Form pupils undertook an exciting STEM challenge. Pupils were given 30 minutes to design and manufacture a flying or falling device that would stay in the air for as long as possible and then land as close as possible to a given target.
Read MoreMilitary Competition 2022
On Sunday 13th March, ten CCF cadets attended a military skills competition at Longmore Army Camp. Colour Sergeant Maximus Woods (Lower Sixth) has written the following report on the competition.
Read MoreCCF Inspection 2022
On Wednesday afternoon, the CCF held a Promotion Parade where the entire CCF contingent was on parade, complete with Honour Guard to provide a final farewell for the Upper Sixth cadets and present various promotions to senior NCOs
Read MoreRosslyn Park 7s
Throughout the week our U14s, U16s and U18s Boys’ Rugby teams have been taking part in the prestigious Rosslyn Park National Schools 7s tournaments. The following is a summary of their results.
Read MoreBSSRA Postal League Success 2022
Each term, members of the Shooting team compete in the British Schools Smallbore Shooting Association (BSSRA) postal league matches. Teams of four or five shoot five cards at the school’s 25-yard range, which are then posted to a scorer to be marked.
Read MoreABRSM Examination Results 2022
On Thursday, students received their ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music) examination results and we are delighted to share the grades which have been achieved. All students should be incredibly proud of their results, which you can view below.
Read MoreLent Term Netball 2022
As we come to the end of the Lent Term, here is a summary of the final few games of the Netball season. Evie Smith (Third Form) wrote the following report on the Birley’s tournament at Kings Canterbury:
Read MorePoetry Live! 2022
Last Friday, two Fourth Form English classes attended Poetry Live! at the Dominion Theatre in London. The students heard from poets such as Carol Ann Duffy and Imtiaz Dharker, both of whom have written poems that feature in the students’ poetry syllabus.
Read MoreBlue Gowns – Lent Term 2022
We were delighted to see so many students receive their Blue Gowns this term. Any student who earns two Blue Badges in their School career is awarded a dark blue gown (similar to a Prefects’ gown) to wear in Chapel and on special occasions.
Read More1st XV Captain Speech
Tyler Weekes (Upper Sixth) gave a powerful speech during the Headmaster’s Assembly today, where he describes the National Vase final at Twickenham and the squad he captained on the day.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 18.03.22
I spoke in Headmaster’s Assembly this afternoon about pride. There are so many things of which we can be especially proud here at SVS, and this week has been no exception.
Read MoreCounty Level Hockey
We are delighted to share that 15 players from SVS are currently playing at County level! They each play in a league with their next matches being on 10th April.
Read MoreCopy Prizes – March 2022
A number of Headmaster’s Copy Prizes have been awarded recently for some excellent academic work. In First Form, two copy prizes have been given for some fantastic Mathematic research.
Read MoreFrench Theatre Visit 2022
This morning, a language theatre company visited the school to perform a French and Spanish play for Second to Fourth Form students.
Read MoreKent School’s U16 Tournament 2022
On Thursday, we hosted the Kent School’s U16 seven-a-side Rugby tournament. We were blessed with some incredible weather, which was in total contrast to the constant downpour 24 hours earlier.
Read MoreThe Superpower of Looking
Appreciating the work of different artists is a common occurrence in the art room. The children are introduced to new and varied artworks and encouraged to be artistic thinkers, who are able to express their opinions and look closely at the elements that make up artwork.
Read MoreSustainable Sandals
Our Year 4 children have been given the task of designing and creating a Roman sandal that fits their own feet and is constructed from recycled materials.
Read MoreReception Dinosaur Workshop 2022
Reception had a visit this week from Maidstone Museum so they could learn more about their dinosaurs topic. They learnt how fossils were created with heat, pressure and time for the bones, claws and teeth to be turned into fossils.
Read MoreAcademic Deputy Head’s Lines – 16th March 2022
‘In that earliest childhood, we get those invisible glasses through which we look at the world all our lives, and these glasses colour our views’.
Read MoreSpringing Back to Live Performances 2022
It was thrilling to see the children so excited about performing, at last, in front of a large audience again on Thursday 10th March. A buzz of anticipation built throughout the day as the final rehearsals took place for the Spring Concert.
Read MoreCross Country Competition
On Monday 14th March, we competed in the Ashford Prep School Cross Country competition. Despite being a dry afternoon, the course proved tricky, with some very muddy and wet patches in places.
Read MoreDesign and Technology Inclusivity
This term in Design and Technology, the Second Form pupils have been working on an exciting inclusive design project. Pupils have been developing their understanding of what inclusive design means and exploring the importance of designing products that are inclusive.
Read MoreKent Schools Friendly Dewar Match
On Saturday, the Shooting team entered the first Kent Schools Friendly Dewar Match, shot between SVS, Sevenoaks School and Tonbridge School. This match, shot at the Tunbridge Wells Target Shooting Club, saw two teams of four from each school (24 students in total) shoot at 50 metres and 100 yards.
Read MoreThe Heritage Design Challenge 2022
Maidstone Museum Foundation is currently running a design challenge for all schools across Kent, and are encouraging children across all year groups to participate.
Read MoreChester’s Judo Success
Chester Livesey (First Form) attended the British Schools judo competition in Sheffield on Sunday, competing in the Under 38-kilogram category.
Read MoreMarvellous Mummies 2022
This week, our Year 1 children have been learning about mummification. The children investigated this Ancient Egyptian process practically using soft toys.
Read MorePrefect Piece – Esme S
In her prefect piece, Esme S (Year 6) talks about her love for dance and the commitment that this hobby involves.
Read MoreSweet Science 2022
Our Year 5 pupils have been busy finding different ways to separate materials. They have used sieves of varied sizes and discovered that filters are all around us and do not always have to be something physical - for example, an internet filter.
Read MoreSenior Leader’s Lines – Friday 11th March 2022
Despite the best efforts of the three large storms of late, it is encouraging to witness the School grounds beginning to show the white, purple and yellow colours of springtime plants.
Read More1st XV National Vase Semi-Final Match Report
The 1st XV captain, Tyler Weekes (Upper Sixth), has written a report on their National Vase semi-final win against Reading Blue Coat School (RBC).
Read MoreStreet Art Photography 2022
A Level Photography student Yves Davis (Upper Sixth) is especially interested in old 20th Century photographs, as well as street art and decay in urban areas.
Read MoreMiss Kicks Ambassador
Harriet Onions (Fifth Form), an excellent footballer playing for Tunbridge wells Foresters FC U16 Girls’ team, has been selected as an ambassador for Miss Kicks, a football clothing line made for girls and women.
Read MoreSwimming Gala Success – 3rd March 2022
Last week our Swimming team attended a Girls’ Swimming gala against pupils from Cobham Hall School, who have always proved to be tough competition in the past. It became apparent early on that the overall result would be very close as we finished the individual races with equal scores.
Read MoreKingdon Society Lecture Review 2022
On Thursday 3rd March, as part of the Kingdon Society, Professor Andrew Linn gave a talk on linguistics. Phoebe Connell (Fifth Form) wrote a review of this lecture.
Read MoreIEA Budget Challenge competition 2022
On Wednesday, three Lower Sixth Economics students travelled to the Vinson Centre for Economics at the University of Buckingham, having made the national final of the Institute for Economic Affairs Budget Challenge competition.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – Friday 11th March 2022
Well, it has been a busy week here in School with our ‘special guests’ joining us. There are various regulations in place about how much I am able to pass on at this stage to the community.
Read MoreNetball Tournament Winners
On Tuesday, the U14A Girls' Netball team competed in the Birley’s tournament at The King’s School, Canterbury. Evie Smith (Third Form) has written a fantastic report of the day.
Read MoreScience Observatory Trip 2022
On Wednesday, our Year 3 children took an exciting trip to The Science Observatory at Herstmonceux! Their faces lit up as we arrived, as they were met with six magnificent green domes containing both reflecting and refracting telescopes of varying sizes.
Read MoreWorld Book Day March 2022
Where’s Wally? And Hermione? Or Fagin, Thing and Alice? Well, they, and many more book characters, were right here at SVPS!
Read MoreTilly C – Prefect Piece
Tilly C (Year 6) speaks in her Prefect Piece about her recently discovered love for drawing with charcoal. I had only recently discovered drawing with charcoal, which I love, when I got some chalk pastels for Christmas.
Read MoreWeather Working Wall
In Humanities, our Year 3 children are creating a working wall to support their Weather and Climate topic. They have identified the continents and become aware of the significance of the equator and the tropics.
Read MoreCollaged Characters
Having previously drawn self-portraits that reflected their likeness through perfect facial feature proportions and shading to enhance 3D realism, our Year 4 children have made a move towards the surreal.
Read MoreDeputy Head’s Lines – 04.03.22
Each half of term at SVPS starts with a now-familiar pattern. On the first day back, in assembly, I always talk to the children about our new pair of Learning Powers and when I speak to the children about what these Learning Powers look like, I always try to give some examples, to illustrate how they might look in the real world.
Read MoreWorld Book Day 2022
This week, we celebrated World Book Day in the library by having two talented members of staff read to the First and Second Forms.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 04.03.22
I am writing this on Thursday evening having just returned home from a very well attended and fascinating Kingdon Society lecture given by Professor Andrew Linn (former parent and current Pro Vice-Chancellor at the University of Westminster).
Read MoreSixth Form Spring Ball 2022
The Sixth Form Ball Committee are delighted to announce that the Spring Ball will be taking place on Saturday 19th March. The Sixth Form have chosen to support mental health charity, Mind for the evening.
Read MoreBSSRA International Match 2022
Callum Davis and Daniel Wild (both Lower Sixth) have been selected to represent England in the BSSRA Home Countries National Match 2022.
Read MoreFreshers Fifteen Forum
The Sixth Form forum is a four-week programme covering necessary practical skills in preparation for university life. These topics include personal safety and wellbeing, cooking, practicalities of student life and study skills beyond A Levels.
Read MoreUpper Sixth Form Art 2022
Our Upper Sixth Art students are currently working extremely hard to ensure their artwork pieces are complete to the best of their ability to meet the A Level submission deadline.
Read MoreU10 Rugby Festival 2022
On Friday 25th February, SVS hosted the annual U10 seven-a-side Rugby festival that saw eight local schools take part in a hotly contested set of matches.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 25.02.22
Today it was lovely to welcome over 100 students, and their parents, from local prep schools to our annual Under 10 Rugby Festival. The sunshine certainly helped create the wonderful atmosphere here at SVS.
Read MoreHead’s Lines – 25th February 2022
This half term, we are focusing on the Learning Powers of Flexibility and Collaboration and I am sure we will have many opportunities to hone these skills, given how many exciting opportunities and events are taking place over the course of the next month or so.
Read MoreCuriosity Day Lent Term 2022
Curiosity Day this term took the theme of World Inventors' Day and Innovation. All children from Reception to Year 6 took part in a range of exciting and challenging activities throughout the day.
Read MoreMandarin Lessons
Nǐ hǎo, hello from Beijing! By popular demand and following last year’s successful introduction to Chinese, our Year 6 students have been getting initiated with Mandarin Chinese during the Lent Term.
Read MoreOuter Space 2022
Have you ever been curious about what it would be like to float in space? What would it really look like through the visor of an astronaut’s helmet? Year 5 had the opportunity to explore this concept artistically on Curiosity Day.
Read MoreViking Visit 2022
The Vikings came to SVPS on Wednesday! Year 2 had the most informative and exciting day and we are grateful to Peter the Viking who led the day in such an inspirational way.
Read MoreVamping it up with VOCES8
The afternoon would not have been complete without another rendition of the all-time favourite Mango, Mango but with the addition of some new fruits to the menu.
Read MoreFelting Fun 2022
Felting fun filled the Art room and it was awash with colour, creativity, and water! Our Year 6 pupils had fun extending their skills to create fantastic felted landscapes in a workshop led by felting expert Sue Kimber.
Read MoreSplendid Screwdrivers
Our Lower Sixth Design and Technology students have recently completed their screwdriver manufacture project. Throughout this project, they have successfully developed their skills in manufacture and have learnt how to use a wide range of new tools and processes within the Design and Technology department.
Read MoreTerrific Timber
Our Fourth Form Design and Technology students have been working hard to complete their timber project this term.
Read MoreSurvive and Save
Since the beginning of term, the Fourth and Fifth Forms CCF Royal Navy section cadets have been undergoing a lifesaving course in the School's swimming pool.
Read MoreShow Jumping Competition
The Equestrian team had a successful day at the NSEA Duckhurst Farm Inter-Schools Grassroots and Show Jumping competition on the 16th February, over the Half Term break.
Read MorePhotography Brent Varrall
Brent Varrall (Fifth Form) is an ambitious and creative photographer currently focusing on his final project theme 'Dreamland'. He has recently completed a photoshoot 'Expression and Shapes' inspired by a British photographer, publisher and film director named Rankin.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 11.02.22
It is amazing how much we manage to fit into small periods of time here. The last five weeks really have flown by and I am certainly aware of how much we all need to have a bit of a break over the next week for Half Term.
Read MoreMEGA Manners Week 2022
After Half Term, Years 3 to 6 will be having a MEGA Manners Week. It will be an opportunity to raise, remind and reinforce the SVPS values and Super Hoot Learning Powers by encouraging children to embrace expectations and celebrate returning to the learning zone of School.
Read MoreLearning about Levers
What do seesaws, oars, wheelbarrows and our arms all have in common? Amazingly, they are all simple mechanisms that use levers - a rigid beam that is free to rotate on a pivot and is perfect for lifting and moving heavy things.
Read MoreBoarders Trip to Brighton
Last weekend, our boarders took a trip to Brighton seafront. Johanna Lang (Fifth Form) has written a short report on the visit.
Read MoreHead’s Lines – 11th February 2022
During his half of term, the whole School focus has been on the learning powers of tenacity and bravery. We have continued to consider this year’s theme of ‘How to make a better world’.
Read MoreYear 4 English (Iron Man)
In their English lessons, our Year 4 students are studying The Iron Man by Ted Hughes - a timeless tale of good versus bad, working together and relationships.
Read MoreSwimming Championship 2022
Olivia Q (Year 6) has been busy participating in the Kent Swimming Championship 2022. Due to the cancellation last year, this campaign has been the first championship in which Olivia has qualified in the 10/11 age group.
Read MoreCCF Annual Leadership Lecture 2022
After a delay of two years, we were finally able to gather for the annual leadership lecture, this year given by Major-General Jonathan Shaw.
Read MoreMaidstone Young Artist Award Exhibition
We are delighted to announce that, after submitting her painting ‘The Stacks’, Grace Manning-Greene (Third Form) has been selected to be part of the Maidstone Young Artist Award exhibition.
Read MoreMixed Media Art
Miss Peart-Price's Third Form Art students are currently working on a mixed-media fantasy inspired self-portrait. The students have been using a range of processes and techniques to create their mixed media artwork that is inspired by the artist Sharyle Doherty.
Read MoreKent U13 Tier 1 Tournament
Following the success at U12 In2Hockey tournament on Monday 31st January, the U13s – including five members of the U12 team - travelled to Kent College, Canterbury to compete for the County cup.
Read MoreMusic with Laurel
Wow, was the atmosphere buzzing in the Music department on Monday! The Chamber Choir were fired up with excitement at the prospect of their first visit from VOCES8 education leader, Laurel Neighbour, who was to spend the afternoon rehearsing with them.
Read MoreListen up
This half of term, our Year 4 pupils have been exploring the topic ‘sound’. The first lesson started off in complete silence; the pupils thought Mr Strydom had lost his voice!
Read MoreKent Hockey Success
After many weeks of trials and training sessions, this year's Kent Hockey squads have now been finalised. The following pupils have been selected for their respective age group squads and will represent Kent in the South Hockey league that runs between March and May.
Read MoreShining Stars
Edward Tulane, a china rabbit and the main character in Year 6’s set text, has an affinity for the stars. They comfort him throughout his miraculous journeys and we, the reader, are reminded of their regularity and shining status as events begin and end.
Read MoreSweet Art
Children in Art club have been enjoying sweet times while furthering their observational drawing skills. Focusing on drawing 3D forms, they mastered the art of drawing cubes, cylinders, cuboids and spherical shapes.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 04.02.22
I was warned about February before I moved to Sutton Valence. Freezing, snowy, icy, damp, dark….. I was told. That has certainly not been the case so far (apart from the drizzle this morning which has now passed as I type).
Read MoreAcademic Deputy Head’s Lines – 4th February 2022
As romantic as it is mathematical, the ‘butterfly effect’ theory can be found in all areas of life. The ‘butterfly effect’ is so called because if enough butterflies whirr their wings in the Amazonian rainforest, a tornado can be unleashed hundreds of miles away.
Read MoreFrank Mason Memorial Tournament
On Thursday, the 1st XI Boys' Hockey team travelled to Canterbury to compete in the prestigious Frank Mason memorial tournament. Mr Braddick reports on the day.
Read MoreSwimming Success – 4th February 2022
The Swimming team faced their third gala of the season on Thursday night, against The King’s School. The team knew that King’s would be tough competition, however, the whole team pulled together and swam incredibly well, resulting in another convincing win for SVS.
Read MoreJunior Leadership – 4th February 2022
As part of the Junior Leadership curriculum, our Second Form pupils have been participating in a £5 challenge, where they come up with an initiative to generate as much money as possible for charity.
Read MoreThe Historic Society Great Debate
The Historical Society Great Debate took place virtually on Monday and Sixth Form students from across Kent debated the following question, "The 70-year reign of Queen Elizabeth II has seen global and widespread changes including in societal infrastructure, industry, rural life and the environment. Which changes of the last 70 years have affected your local area the most?".
Read MoreGCSE Art – Ian Murphy
Mr Thompson and Miss Peart-Price's Fourth Form Art GCSE students have started researching the artist Ian Murphy. His work focuses on his fascination with the rugged, earthy surroundings.
Read MoreIn2Hockey Kent Tournament 2022
Congratulations to our Boys' Hockey U12 team for winning the In2Hockey Kent tournament on Monday 31st January. A short report of the day from Mr Braddick, Head of Hockey, can be read below.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 28.01.22
January certainly has flown by and I have been very impressed with how much we have all managed to fit in! We began the week with a moving Chapel service marking Holocaust Memorial Day.
Read MoreConnecting with Bridges 2022
‘Effort and hard work construct the bridge that connects your dreams to reality’ - Daisaku Ikeda. Our Year 5 pupils have embarked on a new learning journey in Design and Technology.
Read MoreTiki Masks 2022
Miss Peart-Price's Second Form Art students were busy sculpting their Tiki-inspired masks on Thursday afternoon. The students have been researching and analysing work from Hawaiian and Polynesian cultures.
Read MoreSwimming Achievements
On Thursday, the Swimming team took part in their second gala of the season against King’s Rochester, winning convincingly by 51 points. A huge congratulations to all those who took part.
Read MoreSenior Leaders Lines
As SVPS and all other schools across England approach the halfway point in the School academic calendar, Chinese schools are reaching the end of their academic year.
Read MoreThe SAMA Charity Walk
Mr Dawling, our Strength and Conditioning Coach, is taking on a fantastic fundraising challenge for the SAMA charity. This year will mark the 40th Anniversary of the Falklands War in the South Atlantic.
Read MoreSwimming Gala
The first swimming gala of the season took place on 18th January 2022. Our First and Second Form at SVS joined forces with SVPS, swimming against Dulwich Prep, and achieved a brilliant win.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines
A well-earned exeat weekend awaits us. I hope that the pause is helpful for all, not least for our Upper Sixth students who will be doing their final revision before their A Level mock examinations start next week.
Read MoreDeputy Head’s Lines – 21.01.22
It has been a real pleasure, over the last couple of weeks, to spend some more time with the Pre-Prep children, in assemblies, dropping into classrooms, and at break and lunchtimes, too.
Read MoreSwimming Gala – 18th January 2022
The first swimming gala of the season took place on Tuesday this week. Our First and Second Form at SVS joined forces with SVPS, swimming against Dulwich Prep, and achieved a brilliant win.
Read MoreJoy Sticks – Year 6 Art
There is a new addition to the art room... paint sticks! A marvellous new medium – acrylic paint in a stick form - like a rainbow of lipsticks, an array of flavoured ice lollies, a cylinder of creativity and joy without the need for water and a paintbrush. Introduction to the paint sticks involved lots of experimentation as our Year 6 pupils excitedly scumbled, blended, stippled and graffitied with their new friends.
Read MoreMagnificent Measures
In Year 6, pupils have been solving measurement problems using up to three decimal places! They have used simple formulae to calculate area, perimeter and volume, and have converted between many different units.
Read MoreYear 6 Mandarin Lessons
Year 6 has now undertaken their first in a series of live, online Chinese Mandarin lessons with the innovative and exciting DragonsConnect Company.
Read MoreYear 3 Wonders – P4L
Are you a bystander? Are you unique? These were questions Year 3 pondered in P4L. They read the book We’re All Wonders by R.J Palacio. and met Auggie, who was no ordinary kid; he was different.
Read MorePrefect Piece – Montgomery T
I like being a prefect and helping out around the School. As part of my prefect responsibilities, in the mornings I hide the 'wanted word' for the Year 1 children to find. I like doing this as it means the children are able to have fun whilst also developing their reading skills.
Read MoreYear 6 Mandarin Lessons
Year 6 has now undertaken their first in a series of live, online Chinese Mandarin lessons with the innovative and exciting DragonsConnect Company. Mme West and Mrs Harrison have been thrilled to see the pupils engage so enthusiastically with their Mandarin teachers, taking on board new vocabulary and phrases.
Read MoreChinese New Year Piece – Sienna C
As the Chinese New Year begins on the 1st February, Sienna C decided to write about what fascinated her regarding the Chinese calendar and how to find out the animal zodiac sign that represents the year you were born.
Read MorePrefect Piece – Barney B
The day before my Sport scholarship assessment, I was extremely nervous. However, I was also excited because sport is a huge passion of mine. The main reason that I hoped to be offered a Sport scholarship, was to become more advanced in Sport and achieve my dream of being able to play for my country in the future.
Read MoreTudor Treasures
In Design and Technology, Year 5 took inspiration from Tudor jewellery to design their own treasures. After analysing different styles and types of jewellery worn in Tudor Times, Year 5 sketched detailed designs for their own unique piece of jewellery.
Read MoreMusic on your Mind
New term, new year and possibly new musical resolutions. Are you seeking inspiration to get your new year off to a good start? If learning a musical instrument is a new year resolution of yours, Xanthe B (Year 6) has some excellent advice about the power or perseverance required.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 14.01.22
It is a stunning afternoon here at School. The School site looks beautiful today, bathed in sunshine with hardly a cloud in the sky. Sunrises and sunsets have also been breath taking; I wonder how many more days we can have like this as the winter progresses.
Read MoreHead of School Speech
During the Headmaster's Assembly today, Katherine Sawyer (Upper Sixth) delivered her Head of School speech, which you can read below.
Read MoreMessage from the Head
It has been fantastic to see the children really getting stuck into School life over the last ten days and, with clubs up and running this week, they have been showing their enthusiasm for both the academic and enrichment aspects of School life.
Read MoreHead of School Speech
During the Headmaster's Assembly today Theodore Dransfield (Upper Sixth) delivered his Head of School speech, which you can read below.
Read MoreIndoor Hockey Success
Over the Christmas break, several of our pupils competed at the Indoor Hockey UK Championships. This is a tournament ran independently of England Hockey, aiming to give more athletes a taste of Indoor Hockey, in a highly competitive environment.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 07.01.22
Happy New Year for 2022 to all the Sutton Valence community. The atmosphere at both Schools has been very positive in the first couple of days and I know the students are pleased to be back in to (still slightly amended) School routines after a most welcome break.
Read MoreThe Next Head of Pre-Prep
Mr James Thomas, Headmaster at Sutton Valence School, is delighted to announce that the Governing Body has appointed Mrs Carly Froggatt as the new Head of Pre-Prep at Sutton Valence Preparatory School, effective as of April 2022.
Read MoreFestive Hampers
This year, we decided to collect presents for the patients, their families and staff who are on the Hedgehog Ward at Pembury Hospital. Each tutor group organised a hamper full of goodies to help bring Christmas joy.
Read MoreGood luck Louise!
After ten years of incredible care, selflessness and support, we are sad to see Louise Schembri move on to pastures new in January. As well as being the School nurse, often seen running down the sideline at sports fixtures or helping children in the Medical Centre.
Read MorePrize and Award Winners 2021
As announced in the Headmaster's Final Assembly of the year, we were delighted with how many prizes and awards our students have amassed this term.
Read MoreArt Department’s Christmas Card Competition
Following on from the Art department's Christmas Card Competition, we were very impressed by their Christmas enthusiasm and creativity that was reflected in all of the unique designs.
Read MoreThe Next Head of SVPS Announcement
Mr James Thomas, Headmaster at Sutton Valence School, is delighted to announce that the Governing Body has appointed Mr Mark Scholey as the new Head of Sutton Valence Preparatory School, effective as of September 2022.
Read MoreYear 5 Trip to Leeds Castle
On Tuesday, Year 5 went to Leeds Castle. Charlie H has written this fabulous report of the day. 'We started to get out of the buses and a very nice lady called Marilyn split us up into two groups...'
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 10.12.2021
I have just returned to my desk following the run-through for the choir for the Carol Service on Prefects’ Lawn; it is a lovely afternoon with a clear sky – let’s hope it is the same on Sunday.
Read MoreQ&A with HIKSVS
Last Friday, members of our Press Gang arrived at School early to participate in a live Q&A session with HIKSVS, our sister school in China. Tess, Xanthe, Isabella, Olivia Q, Olivia W and Tilly loved talking to the Chinese children, staff and their Headmaster.
Read MoreGreat Gymnastics
Charlotte C (Year 5) participated in the South East Regional (Vault and Floor) Gymnastics Competition at the Spectrum in Guildford. She was in the team that represented Pegasus Gymnastics Club.
Read MoreHead’s Lines – 10th December 2021
For the second half of the Michaelmas Term, we have focused on the Learning Powers of Empathy and Reflection and so it seems appropriate, for my last Head’s Lines of 2021, to reflect on this term and all that has been achieved despite the ongoing, challenging circumstances that we find ourselves in.
Read MoreBebras
The Bebras Computing Challenge introduces computational thinking to students. It is organized in over 50 countries and is designed to get students from all over the world excited about computing. Each pupil answer questions that focus on computational and logical thinking.
Read MoreBSSRA Winter Open competition
The SVS Shooting team left for Bisley on Saturday 4th December to attend the BSSRA Winter Open competition. The competition invited a total of ten schools, with 148 competitors for a day of excellent shooting.
Read MoreArt Trip to Shoreditch
Our Sixth Form Art students recently headed to Shoreditch, East London for a guided street tour by leading UK street art critic and journalist, Dave Stuart. Elizabeth Goodwin (Lower Sixth) reports on the day.
Read MoreSemi-Finalists!
On Wednesday, our First XV Rugby team had a fantastic win against Bristol Grammar School in the Quarter-Finals of the National Vase. Securing their spot in the Semi-Finals, SVS won 24-10 with a stunning display against high-level opposition.
Read MoreAgainst Breast Cancer
Over the last 18 months, our fantastic nurse, Louise Schembri, has been reaching out to staff to help aid her bra recycling scheme. This scheme takes unwanted or unloved bras, passes them through a network of bra banks which in turn raises vital funds for pioneering breast cancer research.
Read MoreHeadmaster’s Headlines – 03.12.21
The Christmas trees and decorations are up around the School and we are approaching the end of term with a festive feel around the place. Many thanks to everybody for their continued cooperation with our amendments to the routines around the School.
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