A very warm welcome to our school community.
I am very pleased to be introducing myself to you as the new Headteacher of Kingdown School.
This role is particularly special to me as it is where I began my career nearly 20 years ago as a newly qualified PE teacher. Coming back to lead the school where I started my journey feels both an honour and a privilege, and I am genuinely excited about returning to a community that gave me such a strong foundation in my early career.
After my time at Kingdown, I went on to spend nearly 16 years at St Gregory’s in Bath, where I developed my experience in leadership and my commitment to supporting young people to achieve their very best. More recently, I returned to the Acorn Trust and had the privilege of serving as Headteacher at Avon Valley Academy in Durrington, near Salisbury. I am now incredibly excited to be returning to Kingdown in what I truly see as my dream role, and to continue the excellent work that Helen Carpenter and the team have already done in supporting the school and its community.
As a proud local school, we are at the heart of our community and are privileged to serve the families around us. We value the strong relationships we build with parents and carers and believe that education works best when schools and families work together. By working in partnership, we can ensure that every child feels supported, encouraged and able to thrive both academically and personally.
One of the great strengths of Kingdown School is the opportunity for students to remain with us from Year 7 all the way through to the end of Year 13. This allows us to truly know our young people as individuals, support them throughout every stage of their journey and help them grow into confident, successful and well-rounded adults ready for their next steps beyond school.
At our school, we are proud of the strong sense of community that exists across the school. We believe that every child should feel valued, encouraged and inspired to achieve their very best. Our aim is for all students to:
- Believe in themselves, their talents and their ability to succeed
- Aspire to be the very best version of themselves
- Achieve excellent outcomes both academically and personally
We place the needs of our students at the centre of everything we do. This includes providing a broad and engaging curriculum, a wide range of enrichment opportunities and a strong pastoral system that ensures students feel cared for and supported throughout their time with us. We are equally proud of the high-quality teaching and learning that takes place every day in our classrooms.
Alongside academic success, we place great importance on character, kindness and respect. We have high expectations of students in their behaviour, attitudes and presentation because we believe these values help young people grow into confident, respectful and successful individuals. We encourage our students to be polite, tolerant and compassionate members of our community and to show these qualities in all that they do.
We look forward to working closely with you over the coming years and welcoming you into our school community.
Shelley Tuke
Headteacher
