Year 7

Head of Year 7 Mrs K. L. McGibney

Kent College has worked hard on links with Junior Schools in the district. We have a dedicated Year 6/7 Liaison Officer, Mrs Angela Tingey, based in our own Infant and Junior School, Vernon Holme. Mrs Tingey is a Year 6 teacher who also specialises in Science and she encourages junior schools to visit Kent College for Science lessons, which she takes. Not only does this mean that schools that do not have facilities for Science can benefit, but also children can begin to see Kent College as a possible secondary school for them.

Once children have accepted a place at KC, Mrs Tingey visits all the children and interviews them personally. She builds up a profile of each pupil, which is then passed to the Head of Year 7. Some of this information is sensitive and confidential, but much of it can be utilised to make the transition to Senior School as easy as possible.

At the height of the summer we have a New Parents’ Day to which all new families are invited. It is a fun day when the children can meet all the new year group, take a close look at their new form-room and tutors, meet some of the staff who will be teaching them and enjoy lunch. We find that the parents enjoy the day just as much, as they too are nervous about the prospect of switching schools.

The day before main school starts in September is devoted to the new pupils alone. It allows them to come along in their uniforms, take down details of their new timetables and have a good look around before the rest of school convenes the following day.

The year is divided into small tutor groups. Although we try to mix the pupils to allow them to meet others, we also ensure that each child knows at least one other pupil in the tutor group if at all possible. The tutors get to know their tutees very well as we have tutor time daily. Any problems that the children may encounter can often be solved swiftly by the tutors. In October, all of the Year 7s, together with tutors, have a fun away day to get to know each other outside school. We have in place a peer mentoring scheme whereby Year 9 pupils befriend the Year 7s in order to offer advice, support and guidance through the year.

The role of the Head of Year 7 is to oversee the academic and pastoral care of each child in it. She is not a substitute parent but is most certainly their advocate. Her office is a room off their locker room so she is in contact with them several times a day as everyone comes and goes. It is important that she is always available if they need to talk to someone. It has to be one of the most pleasurable jobs at the school, as she hears about their triumphs, their joys, their fears and their lost shoes/bag/homework! The Head of Year 7 teaches PHSE to this year group, so there is another opportunity for the children to air grievances and for the school to endorse good behaviour.

The children are taught in different sets from their tutor groups so most pupils learn to get on with just about everyone in their year. In Year 7, the children study Maths, English, Science, French, Geography, History, Religious Education, Art, Music, PHSE, Design Technology, Information Communication Technology, Electronics and Physical Education. Although Design Technology and Art are presented as academic subjects in the week, these two subjects, together with Drama and Farming, are offered as activities one afternoon a week on a rotational basis.

Academic grades are awarded each half-term. Target setting is held twice a year so that the children can consider their academic grades and to draw up objectives to enable them to improve. It may be a case of improving their attitude in class and participating further or it might be a desire to study harder for tests to raise the scholastic mark.

In-school and after-school activities are numerous and every Year 7 is expected to attend at least two different activities a week. In reality, many children attend four or five!

The Head of Year 7 and the tutors are keen to promote good organizational skills, encouraging the pupils to help themselves in this first year of secondary school. We especially try to foster care and support for one another, recognizing that each child has strengths and weaknesses.