Message from the

Head of Senior School

Term 2 Week 7

I trust you have all been able to enjoy a very relaxing long weekend with your family. Having some down-time towards the end of term, especially when exams are over, is quite therapeutic for students! For many staff however, at least some of the time will have been spent marking those exams; for families on the land, in these difficult weather conditions, it was no doubt all hands on deck with stock feeding and the like. I hope that some of you did get at least some rain.

On Tuesday this past week the NESA inspectors were in the school; I wrote about this in my last message. It is pleasing to let you all know that the school will be recommended for five years’ registration, in all areas that were assessed. This recommendation goes to the Minister for Education and we will hear officially towards the end of July. An enormous amount of work has been put in by staff across all faculties in the Senior School and the whole Preparatory School; other areas of compliance were also examined by the inspectors. I’m pleased that my successor will not have to be part of that process for at least a little while after taking up the role!

It was wonderful to attend the North-West Equestrian Expo last weekend. Although much smaller in numbers than it usually is, the event was still very busy. Our teams and individuals performed extremely well and I felt very proud of their achievements. It was also great to catch up with many parents who do a huge job supporting their children with what is a demanding sport.

This coming Friday I will be in northern NSW attending a HICES Deputies meeting at Lindisfarne School. I have found being part of the group of people in roles equivalent to mine a huge support; the issues facing KWS are the issues facing all schools and it’s useful to be able to discuss them with others who can offer advice and the benefit of previous experience. Because all the HICES schools are co-ed, we feel a special affinity and share the same sense of commitment to equality of educational opportunity for both boys and girls.

Please encourage your children not to “down tools” in this period of time between the long weekend and the end of term – there is a lot of learning to do in these few weeks!

Bev West

Head of Senior School