insideKENT Magazine Issue 42 - September 2015 | Page 124

EDUCATION

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Russell House: A year in highlights
Russell House is celebrating another superb year, having opened a new science
centre and IT hub, and enjoyed spectacular academic and sporting successes.
A new, bespoke Science Centre opened at
Russell House in April, which allows even more
hands-on practical investigation by pupils of all
ages up to 11. Curriculum activities include ‘real’
chemistry, with Bunsen burners allowing children
to learn about boiling, evaporation and all manner
of chemical reactions. The Centre is also home
to the school’s Science Club. One of the club’s
summer activities was to explore the science of
picnics – from the role of yeast in bread making
and how to make cheese.
This was not the only facility to be upgraded
during the year. Also new is an integrated caféstyle IT and library area called The Hub. This
provides a welcoming and flexible space where
children can work independently on projects and
is also ideally suited to collaborative work and
for whole class teaching. It was developed to
support the school’s vision for ICT, where
computers and reference materials are used as
an integral part of activities in all subjects.
No look back over the past school year would
be complete without noting the school’s
remarkable achievements in netball. The U11
team won no less than five tournament trophies
during the season and the U9 team picked up

two trophies and were runners up in a third. The
U11 team also made it into the finals of the IAPS
Netball competition to finish in the top 12 out of
260 schools across the country. This is a
considerable achievement for a co-educational
school, with one class per year group competing
against considerably larger opponents.

“We have a friendly, happy atmosphere and a
commitment to develop each boy and girl’s
individual talents. The results across academic,
artistic and sporting endeavours underline our
school’s success but just as important are the
smiles and enjoyment our children have at
school.”

In addition to the sporting triumph, Russell House
was the proud winner of the local schools’ Great
Maths Race and was successful in a national
schools art competition, among others.

Russell House is a co-educational school for
children aged 2-11 in Otford, near Sevenoaks.
For more information or to arrange a visit, please
call the school registrar on 01959 522352.

“This really is the school ‘where the remarkable
happens’,” says Headmaster, Craig McCarthy.

www.russellhouseschool.co.uk

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