KS3 (Ages 11-14)

The transition to Senior School is a milestone in a Child's education, and the new environment and way of learning provide a wealth of new opportunities and challenges for Pupils. While this can initially seem daunting for both child and parent, at Kent College we are committed to providing an outstanding system of support, to ensure our new Year 7 pupils thrive in our friendly school family.

While your child may be joining us in September our settling in process begins well before this and every effort is made to ensure pupils feel excited and confident about starting at KC Senior School. The Head of Year 7 leads her team of Tutors who go out to meet your child in their current junior school. They will talk to their current Year 6 teacher to learn as much as possible about each child. 

All new pupils and their families are invited to our NEW PUPIL'S WELCOME DAY in June which gives students the chance to meet the Head of Year 7, Tutors, some current Year 7 and 8 pupils and their new classmates. Meanwhile parents will have the opportunity to find out more about the parent-teacher-student relationship at KC before we all go for a buffet lunch with the Senior Leadership Team of the College. At the start of term, we welcome our new Year 7s to an induction morning where they are shown around the campus, spend time in their Common Room and are given an introduction to their timetables and key IT systems.

As term begins they will be able to meet their student mentors who will guide them through their first few weeks at KC. The induction process culminates in a fun team-building day at Betteshanger Park in mid-September for the whole year group.

Year 7 is a great opportunity for the pupils to get to know each other better and for new friendships to form. There will undoubtedly still be times throughout their school career when pupils need a listening ear and encouragement from a friendly face. Our mission is to be pupil-centred and to focus on enabling every child to become the best they can be. The Head of Year 7 leads a team of Tutors who look after the pupils.

Year 7 Tutors:

• Are the first port of call for parents when contacting the school (email is best)
• Are always available for support and advice and to discuss any problems
• Are responsible for their tutees' welfare and academic progress
• Keep an eye on attendance and punctuality and monitor behaviour and involvement in our co-curricular activities

Our pastoral system is led by our Deputy Head of Wellbeing and Pastoral. Tutor groups are divided into four houses and students will be allocated to one of these.

Pupil’s take great pride in representing their House with competitions ranging from drama, music and chess to sport, photography and debating. Pupil’s earn House Points for:

• good academic work
• taking part and winning competitions
• contributing to the Kent College community
• demonstrating the school values

Care and attention given to the individual is the key for academic progress throughout a pupil’ s time at Kent College. With small class sizes, a wide range of academic clinics, frequency of marking and reporting, and close attention to the individual in class, we aim to allow every student to achieve their potential and beyond.
The curriculum in Year 7 aims to give pupils an overview of a broad range of subjects, with focus on the core skills needed for English, Maths, Languages and Science. Year 7-9 is also a period to explore new subjects, such as Green Studies and DT, through our Carousel Programme and Innovation Project.

Study Hall:

The Study Hall is an on-site classroom where pupils can complete their prep (homework) under supervision. This is particularly useful for Year 7 if they are finding it difficult to settle to work at home, if they lack resources or if you would welcome support from a member of staff. The Study Hall is always supervised by a member of staff who can give students
help and guidance and this allows them to complete most of their prep before they go home.

Prep:

Pupils are expected to become more independent in their learning, and this is reflected in the setting of prep each day. This will take many forms, including tasks, challenges and written work that is designed to reinforce what has been learnt in the classroom.
A Year 7 pupil will receive two pieces of prep per evening, and are expected to spend 20 minutes on each though they normally have a number of days within which to complete the work. The habits and skills that students learn in Year 7 are those that will stay with them throughout their secondary school and future life including good organisation and time management.

Moving into Year 7 can be challenging for parents as well, as your child becomes more independent. There are lots of ways to stay in touch with us at Kent College, some of which are listed below:

• Mr Mark Turnbull, Head is always happy to hear from you.
• Your child’s Tutor, Head of Year and Heads of Department are available to deal with any questions or concerns you may have. You can contact them by email or phone by arrangement.
• We hold a Year 7 parents’ evening once a year which you and your child can attend. There are also academic clinics held with teachers where you can discuss individual subject progress as well as sessions about the use of IT and teenage development.
• A Year 7 Parents Forum is held once a year, where senior members of staff will update you on academic, pastoral and co-curricular developments for your year group, and there is the opportunity for questions and answers. These forums are held every year as your child progresses through the school.
• Our annual Year 7 afternoon tea is held in October and gives you an opportunity to meet other parents and chat to your child’s teachers.
• You will receive a weekly newsletter, KC News by email, from the Head with all the information that you need to know about school life.
• My School Portal is our information system for parents. You and your child will be able to log on and access a wide range of information here from your child’s school reports to sports fixture information.
• Our website is full of useful information and links to areas such as school uniform, the curriculum and the school calendar.
• Kent College has a thriving social media community on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn which will keep you up to date with everything happening at school. 
• Our Friends of Kent College hold regular coffee mornings for parents on Fridays throughout term time and also organise a variety of events during the year. The two Year 7 Friends representatives will also arrange a network group for Year 7 parents.

Our wide range of co-curricular activities form a large part of every day life at KC and will help children to support their ambitions, develop curiosity and build their skills and talents.

CO-CURRICULAR

Ask us about our Scholarship programme available for academic scholars and for art, drama, music and sport.

Bursaries - we have a system of bursurial support providing access to a KC education. Contact the Bursar at bursar@kentcollege.co.uk

Scholarships and Bursaries