ACADEMICS

Another noticeable change is that new parents want to give their children space, to let them find out who they are, without hot-housing. This fits perfectly with our ethos and our results are a testament to that approach. We welcome parents who adopt a hands-off strategy, trusting us to do what we do, to challenge their children, not because it is easy but because it is hard, for we know that we only ever learn when we are outside of our comfort zones. 

We continue to offer the widest choice of secondary school options with our Form 7s triumphant again this year. 73% of the pupils who sat the Kent Test achieved grammar status and they secured 34 offers between them from independent secondary schools. There were 18, formally recognised performances, with 6 academic awards, 6 sports awards, 2 Drama, 2 Art, 1 Music and one All-Rounder award. Our leaving pupils are heading to 9 different secondary schools, including independent and super-selective grammar schools.
Link: Leavers' Destinations

MATHEMATICS

Carl Friedrich Gauss famously announced that, mathematics is the queen of the sciences. We do love a bit of maths at Russell House and there is nothing like some competition to sharpen the mental faculties. Petra in Form 4 and George and Jessie in Form 5, with scores of 85%, secured gold awards in the First Maths Challenge, the precursor to the Primary Maths Challenge undertaken in the upper Main School. In the latter competition, Zachary in Form 6 received a silver award and Edward and Arty in Form 7 both achieved bronze.

Later in the year, these boys were joined by five other qualifying children to form two teams to take part in the Quiz Club’s National Maths Championship. One of our teams, comprising Edward, Zachary Georgie and Oscar progressed to the semi-final stage, fending off challenges from hundreds of other schools nationally.

Inter-House maths once again provided all our children with an opportunity to demonstrate their strategic thinking skills, with Johnson coming out on top as winners. The Magical Maths day also returned, inspiring more children to enjoy their mathematics.

SCIENCE and PSHE

The other sciences are coupled seamlessly with our Personal, Social and Health Education, and this year the cross-curricular approach led the children to question the relationship between their own family’s lifestyle and the environment.

The children examined issues around which types of cars they will be allowed, or choose to drive in the future, or what building regulations might support our responsibility for the future conditions in which we will all live.

The children understand that we inhabit a rare and beautiful world and, yes, it does pay to remind ourselves to turn off the lights and re-write names on snack boxes when they fade or peel off. 

 

HUMANITIES & MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES

Our cross-curricular humanities provision embraced Asian culture through a variety of engaging activities, including a mass yoga event. Many of our pupils were excited to have a chance to share experiences and traditions from their own family heritage, reflecting the inclusive pupil profile that Russell House enjoys. Our approach not only deepened pupils’ awareness of global cultures but also highlighted the breadth and ambition for our school’s humanities curriculum, a curriculum that supports other school successes, not least the general knowledge quiz team. Arty in Form 7, Zachary in Form 6, Freddie in Form 5 and Noah in Form 4 impressively qualified to compete in the national final at Oxford University, one of 435 teams to enter. Of the 34 teams at the prestigious event, Russell House were on top pretty much throughout and posted a near perfect score to be crowned National Champions; a once-in-a-lifetime achievement much celebrated since.

But global awareness can only be authentic if the curriculum is supported by a worthy languages programme. Our offering continues to flourish and we take great pride in hearing from parents that our former pupils are now excelling in languages at secondary school; secure in French with a generous helping of Spanish, German and Mandarin and confident enough to try other, more exotic options. This year, we successfully initiated pen pal correspondence with a French school in Neufchâtel-Hardelot, Otford’s official twin town. We even retained the good old-fashioned pen in the venture, shying away from the quick fix of word processing, spell-check or artificial intelligence to do all the thinking and creating. 

ENGLISH and DRAMA

Turning back to our first language, the English curriculum is designed to equip the pupils with a voice that can be heard in the wider world. We expect our pupils to develop opinions and be able to justify these, to communicate written ideas clearly, and to confidently present them to audiences. Our annual Public Speaking Competition provided a platform for Form 7 to do exactly this, including, in the final, requiring them to answer probing questions posed by a judging panel of discerning adults. Well done again to this year's winner who spoke eloquently on the subject of wildlife poaching.  

The online world is full of fake news and misinformation, but the children learn how to use the internet with care and discretion. Older pupils have been learning how to use AI resources to enhance their own learning, developing the ability to critically assess the outcomes and learn what can be trusted. 

In addition to research, the internet provides ample opportunity for collaboration and we were delighted to have been part of the Guinness World Record-breaking team in creating a poem, entitled What Do You Think Counts? with poet Laura Mucha last October. The heart-warming Christmas Productions, the educational, tongue-in-cheek Form 4 and 5 plays and the triumphant Summer Production once again wowed audiences. The children relished every opportunity to get up on stage and be part of an authentic theatre experience, all atop regular drama workshops, a book fair, World Book Day and visits from inspirational authors Lindsay Galvin and Sue Hendra. 

All these academic achievements make us very proud and we congratulate the children and their teachers on all of these successes.

SPORTS

I want to start my recounting tales of our sporting year with a quote from a letter sent to me by a representative of the British School Gymnastics Association back in March:

In today's age where competitive sports participation among children is declining, it is truly commendable to see Russell House School actively encouraging and fostering a culture of sports excellence.

So what does this excellence look like?

Our girls took part in 34 hockey matches and 6 tournaments throughout the winter term. Over two thirds resulted in wins and we enjoyed some excellent results in the big events, including being placed fourth in the plate competition of the ISA U11 National Championships and quarter-finalists in the IAPS Regional Tournament. 

Our debutante U8As won all of their fixtures with at least two goals being scored every match, wrapping things up before Christmas with a magnificent 7-0 win. The U8B team also had a superb season, winning all but two of their fixtures. The U9s had a mixed time of it, despite finding the back of the net with apparent ease. The U10/11 C & D teams were undefeated and Fry took House honours for the first time in four years.

At the same time, the boys had their focus on football and again, finding the net was seldom an issue, with our teams scoring 50% more goals than the opposition. The U8 teams enjoyed winning seasons and special mention should be made of the U9A team who lost only one game, scoring 42 goals, conceding only 14 and winning a local tournament. Johnson were top dog in the House event this time.

In the Spring Term, the boys took to rugby with Cavell battling bravely to win the House event. Where the weather did not spoil things, our teams scored a remarkable 160 tries across the season, at an average of six per game. Otherwise, it would be fair to say that it was broadly honours even across the board, with teams able to maintain winning records.

For the girls, this has been one of our most successful years of netball on record, with outstanding tournament wins from our seniors. The U11 team won the ISA regional championships, earning us a place at national finals where, after finishing second in our group of seven, we went through to the final of the Plate competition to be placed in silver but finishing a remarkable 6th place nationally. 

At the IAPS National Schools Netball Tournament, it was a similar tale only this time we won the plate final! Our next tournament was a more local affair, and again the children brought back the silverware. Not to be outdone, the U10s travelled to Rochester for their tournament. The team were superb and won all of their matches, winning the event and securing a fourth tournament win overall for the School. Special mention goes to our Form 7s, Georgie and Beatrix, who were instrumental in the success this year, especially Beatrix’s outstanding interception in the ISA Regional event, which set up Georgie to score the golden goal to send the girls through to the finals. Nightingale secured House honours.

Cricket brings the girls and boys together for the most part and, supported by fair weather, Cavell picked up House success, the hardball team won all their games, and whenever the U10/11 boys and girls played together, they were unbeaten across nine matches. The future of the sport is secure with many up and coming stars amongst the ranks of Form 4 and 5.

Athletics and Cross Country provide plenty of opportunities for individuals to shine too. Three runners qualified from the ISA regional cross country event to run at the National Finals. Euan and William in Form 5 finished well in a highly competitive field, whilst Lara, in Form 4 and running a year up in the girls’ U9 race, came a respectable 20th. 

Pupils participated in the ISA and the Kent Independent Athletics gatherings. Both of these regional events welcomed hundreds of children from across the county. Russell House pupils performed exceptionally well. In Form 7, Beatrix was 4th in the javelin final, whilst Oscar jumped in the final events of both the high jump and the long jump finishing well in 5th and 6th respectively. Special mention is made of Zachary in Form 6 who won the throwing competition at the ISA event and then went on to the national finals last month, where he took bronze. This vintage season for our athletes was topped off by the magical Sports Day where the whole of Main School came together and saw Cavell’s impressive three year winning streak come to an end at the hands of Nightingale, posting their first ever win for this event.

Finally in our review of sport, we return to gymnastics, a strength of Russell House for some time with incredible results once again.

Regionally, we won a team bronze, a team silver and our boys regained their title of regional floor and vault champions. Individually, our gymnasts also won five gold medals, three silver medals and three bronze medals. We qualified for three national finals, representing not just the school but also the South East region. At the Milano Team Trio National finals in March, the Russell House boys were on the podium three times. Russell House won the bronze medal in the U11 boys category and we performed a highest scoring group routine. As part of the South East Boys Team we won the bronze medal and overall, the South East U11s were crowned national champions. 

At the floor, vault and tumbling national finals in May, Orson in Form 3 finished in 7th place in the U11 boys tumbling competition; a fantastic achievement.

Our U11 boys won their second national bronze medal of the year and again, the South East Team were triumphant, winning the George Finney Shield for the highest scoring region. A wonderful year of sport.

THE ARTS

ART

To create one’s own world takes courage, said American painter Georgia O’Keeffe and I am always delighted to see courageous art posted all over the school’s walls. The commitment and passion our pupils have for this aspect of school life always impresses me.

Pupils from Forms 2 to 5 have also benefited from two specialist workshops this year. The first encouraged them to create abstract canvas portraits in the style of Picasso, while the second involved the use of recycled materials to create spring flowers. The highly effective display, which remains in the Old Hall, is a wonderful example of collaborative art. 

One pupil enjoyed success in the Otford May Bank Holiday Fair poster competition. Amelie in Form 6, was awarded a runner-up prize and I must pause here to make mention of Jess Winstanley in Form 7, on her two art scholarship offers.

 

MUSIC

The musical year always begins with the Harvest Festival, that special event when the whole school community comes together to celebrate the Harvest season. As the nights draw in, we enjoy the Winter Festival showcasing ambition and inclusion for music with, this year, harmonies accompanied by body percussion and a mash-up of Coldplay and Bruno Mars using a netball accompaniment.

Conspiracy theorists will tell you that Elvis is alive and well and so celebrated his 90th birthday this year. This provided the backdrop for the House Music Competition which Cavell successfully defended. Later in the year, Choristers and the Orchestra worked hard to prepare movements from Karl Jenkins’ Adiemus, Songs of Sanctuary for the Spring Concert.

This performance proved so moving it was awarded a reprise for the magnificent summer soirée, this time in conjunction with the Sevenoaks and Tonbridge Concert Band. This was a delightful evening of light-hearted pieces with lots of opportunity for pupils to join and even conduct the band! Wrapping the musical year, Forms 6 and 7 entertained us last week with the delightful, Dream On. 

Competitively, pupils put themselves through 68 exams across the year. 83% achieved either a merit or distinction class. We also had eleven entries for Grade 4 or 5 exams and remarkably, some of these are at distinction level. Grade 5 is the recommended performance level to be considered for GCSE, which highlights just how high our ambitions are for the children and how well they rise to meet that bar. 

LAMDA

Similarly, 76 pupils were entered for LAMDA Speech and Drama exams. 86% achieved distinction with the remainder at merit level. Of note, many of the Form 7 children were entered for Grade 4 which is considered the preserve of those aged 12 and above. Of these, there were seven distinctions and four merits. Quite remarkable. 

These co- and extra-curricular opportunities are vital in promoting an all-round education and we could not add such value without all those involved. So we celebrate the pupils, the staff who work in grounds, administration and support, catering and teaching, for their continued belief in the vision and for their tireless work to deliver the excellent experience that is Russell House. 

RHPA

Another group of adults I would like to thank is the Parents' Association, who have been so instrumental in driving the parent community, with outstanding results. Working together, we have enjoyed all manner of community and charity events that reflect the school’s family ethos. 

CHARITIES

The Russell House community has once again been generous in supporting local and national charities, including:

• Save The Children
• The Neonatal Unit at Tunbridge Wells Hospital
• And Friends for Families, the School Council’s Legacy Project choice

Well done to everyone and thank you for your support.