Welcome to Wembley House!
This is your welcome pack to introduce you to your
house!
In this pack you will find:
A letter from your Head of House
A letter from a current Year 7 student
Details of a typical week
A copy of the school map and some questions to
get help you get to grips with it
Some details on our school rewards system
A glimpse into the PiXL Edge
Some helpful answers to questions you may have
A postcard which you can fill out and send to us!
If you or your parents/carers have any further
questions after reading this booklet, they can send
an email to [email protected]
A letter from your Head of House…
Hello! Welcome to WEMBLEY, the best house in Kingdown!
I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and tell you
about Wembley House, before you join us in September.
My job as Head of Wembley is to look after all the students and staff
that are part of our house.
Every house at Kingdown has an animal mascot that represents the
house and its values. Our animal is the lion. Lions live in a pride and
work together to achieve goals. Male and female Lions are just as
important as each other and neither could survive without each other,
excellent role models for world of today.
Every house also has a motto, our motto is “Wembley Pride”. This links
back to our animal mascot, but also helps us remember to take pride in
everything that we do in school.
Wembley are a very successful house and we have won many school
events in recent years such as; the attendance cup, sports day,
swimming gala and the inter-house quiz to name but a few.
For now, please enjoy this welcome pack which has been put together
to help answer questions you may have, and get you excited about
coming to Kingdown.
We look forward to you joining the pride in September!
Mr Bindon
A letter from a current Year 7!
I suspect you have mixed feelings about coming to Kingdown . But I assure you that there is
nothing to worry about!
Sometimes Year 6s worry that no one will want to friends with them or they will get lost
and NEVER be found ( I mean at least you would be lost in an amazing place!). You may get
lost on your first one or two weeks there but that’s okay; everyone does! People will help
you find your class and plus don’t worry; teachers are very, very kind. You will make new
friends; maybe even some really good ones for life!
Now, you will be sent a uniform list (I found this bit really fun). Make sure to try it on
skirt/trousers get the right size don’t be like my mum buying my sister a huuuuge skirt .
Also you will need to bring a pencil case(pencils and pens etc), a calculator ,dictionary and
possibly a PE kit. I would recommend getting a boot bag to hold your kit in.
There are a big range of clubs on offer. If you fancy one go and try it! There are so many to
try out; see which ones you like best!
The timetable runs over two weeks. You have five lessons every day, two half hour breaks
(don’t eat all your food in first break or you will be hungry later!). You also have tutor time
for twenty minutes each day . This is a time to come together with your tutor group family,
enjoy activities, be given any key information and have the chance to ask your tutor any
questions you may have. The school is divided into six different houses: Lord’s (green tie),
Millennium (yellow tie), Silverstone (red tie), Twickenham (orange tie), Wembley (blue tie),
and Wimbledon (purple tie).
You will get reward points for trying your best and being helpful. Each term, the points you
earn will be added up and you will be rewarded with lovely things. In just one year I’ve
enjoyed films, extra breaktimes, café experiences, and lots of other treats as rewards!
There also will be opportunities such as trips out of school, and visits from people into
school.
Hope you enjoy the summer holidays!
See you in September
Good luck 😊😊
Bertie
A typical week in Wembley House Tutor groups at Kingdown meet for 20 minutes every day, and enjoy a different activity each time. Below is a typical week!
Day Activity What happens?
Monday Tutor group quiz
The tutor group will complete a quiz that is sent to all the other tutor groups as well. Tutor groups will either complete it together or as individual teams within the
group.
Tuesday Attendance /
Admin This is a chance for us to celebrate achievements,
progress and attendance of the tutor group.
Wednesday Assembly Day Either the whole house or specific year groups will
have an assembly.
Thursday Tutor Theme Each term there is a specific topic covered (e.g. Anti-bullying/Self-esteem) and every week a different part
of this will be covered by the tutor or 6th form student.
Friday Wembley Games Event
The Wembley games run throughout the year and each tutor group will come up with an challenge, that every
other tutor group has to complete (usually trying to involve everyone in the tutor group). Each tutor group completes the challenge and submits their scores to
see how they stack up against the other tutor groups. (It is a lot of fun!)
E15
E11 E14
E16
ICTSuite
ENGLISH BLOCK
Library
Mrs Harris
CAREERS GUIDANCE& SUPPORT
S22S20
S21S19S17
S18S16
S15
ICTSuite
S14
S13S11
S12
SCIENCE BLOCK
LANGUAGES BLOCK
L12
L14L13
L11
Mrs Rossetti
Head of House OfficeMr Case
Mr MeehanMrs Twigger(Mi)
Miss swaile
Kingdown SchoolUpper Floors
September 2019
H23 H24
H21H22
H14H13
H11H12
HUMANITIES BLOCK
SECOND FLOOR
FIRST FLOORMr Harrison
Miss Burdett
Miss Keeling
Geography Office B1 B2 B4 B6
BUSINESS & SOCIAL SCIENCES BLOCK
Miss Swaile
Mrs Miller
Miss Spicer
Miss MaleMr Clarke
Mr Phelps
History Office
Mrs Hutchinson
E19
E17
Mrs Hooper
Mr Blizzard
Miss Millest
Mr Henry
LanguagesStaff Room
SENCO OfficeMrs DunfordMrs Keenan
Mrs Flynn
Mrs Ashton
Miss Clutsom
Mrs Brock
Miss Millest
Mr Jordan-Mayhew
Mr Fernihough
Miss Pointer
Mr Richardson
Mrs Marlow
B3
Mrs BloxhamDr Ranger
Ms Elliott
Dr Fernihough
Miss Peddle
Mrs Carpenter (DH)
Mr Henry
Mr Gunstone (Lo)
Mrs Bloxham
Dr RangerMiss Peddle
Miss Pointer
Misss Clutsom
Mr Scarfe
Mrs Whitcombe
B5
Ms Eggleston
Mr BloxhamMs Eggleston
Mr Humphrey
Mr DudleyMrs TaylorMrs Ledbury
InternalExclusion
room Referral
room
Mr Murray
Miss Middlemiss
Mr Sutheran
L3 L5L4L2LC 2
K3Dining Hall
WC
S1
S2
S3Prep
Room
S5ICT Suite
WCWC WC
WC
WC WC
Main Hall
Gymnasium
S7 S9
S4
ICT Suite
S6 S8 S10
BoysChanging Girls
ChangingC1
C2 C4 C6 C8 C12 C14
C10
C3
C5 C7 C9 C11WC
WC
Boys
Chan
ging G
irlsChanging
Small Hall
E3
E1
E5
E6
E4
E2
EnglishOffice Office
PeConference
Room
ExamOffice
SLTConference
Room
Conf
eren
ceRo
om
Radi
oSt
udio
Mrs Hodgson
Mr P
rice
(DH)
M1 M2 M3 M4 M5 M6
Maths Office
ICT
ICTOffice
D1
D2
D5
D12
D11
D10 D9
D6 D7
D8
M8
ICTSuite
A1A2A3A4
Print Room
H1
H3 H4
H2
ICT Suite
Kingdown SchoolGround Floor
September 2019Mrs Wheeler
Miss Keloglou
Mrs BurgessMrs Cole
Mrs DillonMrs Miller
WC
WC
Mrs Ashton
Mrs Reid-Bowen
Mr Partington
LANGUAGES BLOCK
ENG
LISH
BLO
CK
AV/Music Technology
Recording StudioMusic Practice
Room
Miss Crothers
Miss Gavin
Art TechnicianMrs Herbert
Mrs VynerMr Gordon
VISUAL ARTS
Mr Bray
Mr Leater
Mr DudleyMr BeaversMr Webster
Mr Munro
MATHS BLOCK
Mrs MunroMrs Harris
Mrs Fullick (PA to CEO AET)
Medical Room
WC
Fina
nce
Offi
ce
ReceptionMrs Godfrey
Miss Krzyzosiak Head’s PA
Mrs Edwards (CEO AET)
HUM
ANIT
IES
BLO
CK
WC
WC
Mr Haydon
Mrs BuntingMiss Keeling
Head of House Mr Bindon(We)Mr Hatcher (Tw)
Mr BiggsMr Tully
SCIENCE BLOCK
Mr Robertson
Mrs Dyson
DESIGN AREA
Mrs Hill
Springboard
Mr Munro
Curriculum Support 1
WC
WC
ICTIT
WC
WC
Miss Bunting
LC 1
Learning Centre
VLC = Vocational Learning Centre
RS Office
LINK CENTRE
PE
Office Office
Mr HolmanMr Hillier
Mrs Green
H & SC Office
Mr Case
ICT Suite
ArtOffice
Mr Grayson
Miss Elliott
Mr Cooper
Mr Bloxham
Miss Francis
Miss Williams
PE office
Mr Widger
ISRMr Holman
Mrs Strange
St
aff R
oom
Mr House Mrs Lewis
SIXTH FORM
WC
WC
IT Suite
Sixth Form Office
Mr HumphreyMrs Colliss
Common Room
Mrs Hooper
SF1 SF2
SF3Sixth Form
Conference Room
Acorn Education Trust Head Office
InterviewRoom
Miss Pelopida
Mrs McGavin
Mrs Pope
Ms Bala
Mr Cass
Mrs FarrDr Henley
Miss Simpson
Mrs Alston School Nurse
Mrs Cook
Mrs Honeysett
Miss Pelopida
M7
Mrs Bale
Mr Barnes
Facilities Team
Mr Marsh
Business/ICT Office
Mr Marsh
Medical InterviewRoom
Mrs Haydon (Si)
Miss Annetts
Mrs TaylorMr Bowman
Miss PartingtonMrs Murray
Miss Paper
Textiles
Mrs Knudsen
Mrs Marsh
ICTSuite
Mr Player
Mr Knott
Mr YogevMr Pemberton
Maths InterventionRoom
M12 M11 M10 M9
Miss HockleyMrs Gibson
Mrs Stephens
Mr Edwards
English interventionRoom
MrBloxhamSchool
CounsellerInterview
Room
Mr Locke Headteacher
Mr PlayerMr Richardson(Wi)
Mrs Locke
Mr Grayson Office
Mr Denny
Mr Golding
Miss Potkin
Mr Clark
Mr CassMr ClarkMs BalaMr Bowman
Curriculum Support 2
Dr HenleyMiss Keloglou
Mrs FarrMr Case
L1
Operationmanager
Mrs Gardiner
Mr PhelpsMiss Spicer
A tour of the school (using a map!)
When you join us in September you’ll receive a tour of the school on
your first day, to show you where everything is.
In the meantime, see if you can identify the following things on your
map (please note, one or two of the names may change before
September, with teachers who are joining or leaving the school).
1. Can you find the Dining Hall?
2. Can you find the English block?
3. Can you find the Science block?
4. Can you find the Maths block?
5. House assemblies take place in the Main Hall. Can you find this?
6. Smaller assemblies take place in the Small Hall. Can you find this?
7. The Humanities block is where our Geography, History and Religious
Studies lessons are taught. Can you find it?
8. Can you find our Languages block?
9. Can you find our Design area?
10. Creative Arts is all about performing! Think Drama, Music and Dance.
The classrooms all start with a ‘C’ for Creative Arts. Can you find the
Creative Arts block?
11. Can you find our Visual Arts block?
12. You might find you need to pop to Reception. Where is it?
13. Take a look at the numbers of Humanities, Languages, English and
Science classrooms on the ground floor and upper floors. How do you
think you can tell if a classroom is upstairs or downstairs?
14. ‘WC’ are student toilets. How many can you?
15. You will do some PE lessons in the Gymnasium. Can you find this?
16. Where are the boys’ and girls’ changing rooms?
Rewards at Kingdown Here at Kingdown, we love celebrating all of the fantastic achievements of our students! We give reward points each time one of our students does something which deserves recognition. It could be that you’ve held a door open for someone, or tried your hardest in a lesson. When you join us in September, you’ll be awarded points for a wide range of achievements; in and out of the classroom, during tutor time, in extra – curricular clubs, for contributions to the school and wider communities, for excellent attendance, for showing resilience, and for being helpful and kind. Each point a student achieves contributes towards a total. During the year, we regularly reward students for the number of points they have received. Examples of reward events last year included trips, extended breaktimes, café experiences, and even a visit to the ‘Kingdown Sweetshop’! Just like your homework, your reward points total can be viewed anytime on the website Go4Schools.com We can’t wait to see which wonderful things you achieve next year!
What is The PiXL Edge?
When you start in September, we’ll be introducing you to
something called The PiXL Edge!
The PiXL Edge is a set of challenges for you to complete during
Year 7, to show you have ‘the edge’!
It focuses on 5 key skills:
Leadership
Organisation
Resilience
Initiative
Communication
…often called the ‘LORIC’ skills!
Across the year, you’ll be set the challenge of completing 10
different tasks to help you learn the skills above.
This summer, why not spend some time finding out what each
of the ‘LORIC’ skills mean?
You could even use your postcard activity from this welcome
pack to tell us about something you’ve been up to, which shows
one of these skills!
Frequently asked questions (FAQs) Please email us if you have any questions about joining Kingdown for Year 7 in September at:
Will I get lost? No, you won’t get lost. Everyone feels nervous when they join a new setting (whether it be a new job, a new community or a new school) but you will soon become familiar with your new surroundings. Your Teaching Group will be following the same timetable, so you will all be walking in the same direction. If you do feel you are lost or feel unsure, you can ask other students or teachers nearby or ask at reception. Everyone will be happy to help you. I am worried I won’t be able to read/understand my timetable? When you meet your tutor in September, they will give you your timetable and they will ensure you know how to read it and where to go for your lessons. Once you have joined us, if you are still unsure about the timetable, just ask! What is Go4Schools? Go4Schools is computer software used by students, parents and teachers. You will be given instructions on how to login when you join in September. Teachers use Go 4 Schools to set you work – uploading worksheets, video links and a range of resources to help you in your learning. We use Go4Schools a lot at the moment as schools have been closed because of the Coronavirus. Your parents will use Go4Schools to check on your progress, attendance and achievement. Importantly, you will use Go4Schools for school work including homework tasks. What happens during a school day?
Here is a plan of the school day so you can begin to get used to our timings. Each school day is structured
as follows:
Activity Time
Lesson 1 8.30 – 9.30
Lesson 2 9.30 – 10.30
Tutor time 10.30 – 10.50
Break 1 10.50 – 11.20
Lesson 3 11.20 – 12.20
Lesson 4 12.20 – 13.20
Break 2 13.20 – 13.50
Lesson 5 13.50 – 14.50
Optional after-school clubs 14.55 – 16.00
How much homework will I get? We will only set Year 7 homework in Term 1 that is appropriate and manageable – given current restrictions, this will be under constant review, so please don’t worry! We will be using Term 1 to make sure you have a good routine with the organisation of your work. This will include using Go4Schools, having a routine at home, meeting deadlines and working to your ability. We will only increase the quantity, breadth and depth of homework (to include a wide range of subjects) when it is appropriate to do so. What if I can’t complete the homework or I do not understand it? When the homework appears on Go4Schools, have a look at it, to ensure you understand the task. If you don’t, slowly read the task again and look at any attachments or links that have been provided to help you. You could ask an adult at home for guidance or a friend. By looking at the task straight away will allow you the
time to do this and if you are still stuck, ask the teacher in advance of the homework deadline. You could do this in person or via email. Homework Club runs on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays – you are welcome to attend if you would like some help from a member of staff. How is a Teaching Group different to a Tutor Group? Your Teaching Group is the group you attend your lessons with. Your Teaching Group will be mixed gender and ability. You will spend all day with this group, except for tutor time, some lessons and break/lunch times (if you choose). A Tutor Group (TG) is the group you are with every day between 10.30 – 10.50am. You will see your tutor every day. Your tutor group will be mixed gender, age (Years 7-13) and ability. What happens if I am late to a lesson? For the first couple of weeks you will be getting used to lots of change and you may make a few mistakes, especially when reading your timetable. We understand this, as we have all been there! However, punctuality to school and lessons is extremely important. It is a life skill and demonstrates qualities of organisation and respect. We do monitor punctuality and attendance. Try your best to adjust and ask for help if you are having difficulties. After a few weeks, you will have it mastered. I am worried I won’t make friends Some of us adjust to change quicker than others – that is perfectly normal. We are all moving from primary to secondary school with different experiences and friendship groups. A lot of our intake will be joining us on their own or maybe only knowing a few other people – again this is normal. Moving on physically and emotionally, from your primary school setting, to us at secondary school, may take many weeks and it will take time for you to settle into your new routines at home, with new staff and friends. However, you are never alone. Your tutor, Head of House, Deputy and Assistant Heads of House are there to help and support you through this change. We also ask your parents to keep in touch and to build relationships with us, as the change can be difficult and unknown to us all! I’m worried I may not be able to complete all the work in lessons? The Primary Transition team at Kingdown has been gathering lots of useful information from your Year 6 teachers. We are aware of everyone’s abilities and the lessons will be differentiated to meet all students’ needs. If you are concerned about the level of the work in a specific subject(s) you can have a chat to your teacher, tutor or you can find your Head of House. When will I know which Teaching Group I am in? Things are a bit different this year because of restrictions enforced by the Coronavirus. Please don’t worry. On your first day at Kingdown, you will have time with your tutor before you go to lessons. In this tutor time you will receive your timetable. This will tell you where your lessons are and the name of the teacher who will be teaching you. When can we buy my uniform? Kingdown uniform is available at Scholars, 42 George St, Warminster, BA12 8QB; the telephone number is 01985 847757 and the email address is: [email protected] . Kingdown has a limited stock of second hand uniform; details are available from Mr Dudley: [email protected] .
Mr Bindon
Kingdown School
Woodcock Road
Warminster
Wiltshire
BA129DR
Use this postcard to tell us about something you’ve done over the summer holidays. It might be an activity you’ve enjoyed, somewhere you’ve gone, or something you’ve made!
Why not draw a picture on the front of the postcard, and write to us on the back? You can either post you postcard back to school or bring it in in September.