Partnerships Day 2024: Year 10 mentor local Primary Schools for the day

"I had a really fun day with the KES students, I got to learn about something new and take part in exciting experiments in Science". - Year 6 Partnership pupil.

On Thursday 6 June, King Edward VI School hosted a Partnerships Day for local primary schools within the wider Southampton Community. All of our Year 10 students were involved to host the day's activities. We were delighted to welcome Year 6 pupils from some of our local Primary School's, Foundry Lane and Shirley Junior School. They joined us for a day full of fun, insightful activities aimed to inspire them in subject areas like English, Science, Design Technology, Music and Sport. 

Each pupil chose a subject which they enjoy or wished to learn more about from their Year 10 mentors, some opted for Science where they watched heart dissections in Biology and made rockets in Physics, others chose Sport and headed to our Sports Ground, Wellington for a day of athletic activities. Some of our guests opted for Music and enjoyed an exciting the day in our Music department. The final group of pupils spent the day being hands-on in the Design Technology department, designing tote bags. 

At lunchtime the school field was home to a whole host of activities. Face painting and Juggling Jakes Circus were hugely popular amongst our younger visitors as well as our Year 10 student helpers! 

As the day ended, before heading back to their schools, our Year 6 visitors were treated to performances by our Year 10 leaders. This included a dance, violin, and piano solos as well as a DJ set and magic tricks.

"I am so grateful to the staff and students who came together to create an inspiring day filled with mentorship and learning. Our Year 10 students collaborated with 180 primary pupils in engaging workshops on public speaking, music, sports and science. It was wonderful to see the energy and enthusiasm of our community as our older students shared their skills and knowledge with younger pupils, perfectly capturing the spirit of King Edward VI School".

Miss Goodsell, Partnerships Coordinator.

"I believe that it was a truly amazing experience, where we learnt how to help and care for younger children. The day showed me how kindness can lead to happiness and harmony, which is a very important lesson to learn. I feel truly privileged to have been part of the leadership team, and I think we all enjoyed being given the opportunity to help and support others".

Year 10 KES Student

Growing Relationships

We greatly value the relationships we build with state schools in the wider, local community and enjoy the opportunity we have to run these events, for both our partnership schools and for our students here at King Edward's. As part of our Partnerships Programme, each year we partner with numerous local schools to build strong connections and friendships between pupils. Activities range from workshops in areas as diverse as Mathematics, Computing, Modern Languages, Music, Science, Coding, Dance and Sport. Partenrship Day was another excellent addition to our Partnerships Programme. It is a programme that benefits and enriches all. We look forward to more partnership events in the future. 

Closing Notes from Mr Parker, The Head

“It was wonderful to see the joy in learning which was inspired by the recent KES Partnerships Day. There is no doubt that the wonderful activities organised for our Partnerships Day benefitted not only the visiting pupils, but our own students too, who were given the responsibility of leading the sessions and helping the younger children. We will always be committed at King Edward’s to playing our part within the wider Southampton educational landscape, working alongside partner Schools to raise levels of aspiration and the profile of education for every young person in our city. I believe that events such as the Partnerships Day are a great example of how teachers and pupils from different Schools can work together to provide memorable experiences for the children entrusted to their care. My thanks go to the staff and pupils from every School who took part, and I am already looking forwards to the next event!”   

You can read more about Partnerships at King Edward VI School here - Partnerships | Community | King Edward VI School (kes.school)