Kings Norton Sixth Form Students Exceed Targets at Top Grades
Kings Norton Sixth Form students have once again raised the bar celebrating another year of success in today’s A Level results, representing excellent 
academic and personal achievements for students at the school. This year’s results have seen students exceed targets with 25.5% A Level grades being at A*-A. Students have also surpassed national results with a higher percentage of students passing at A*-B.
The staff and Governors would like to congratulate each and every one of our students on their individual successes. We are very proud of their achievements which are a reflection of the hard work which has been put in by the students along with the care and support offered by their teachers and staff within KNGS.
Once again the results this year see a bumper year for students successfully gaining university places along with high level apprenticeships and vocational choice.
And how do our students feel?
“I am so pleased with my results, I couldn’t have done it without the support of the teachers and Sixth Form Staff!” Kayleigh
“I can’t believe my results, I’m so happy with all the support from Kings Norton Sixth Form – thank you!!” Tara
“A huge thanks you to all my teachers and KNGS – without them I would never have made such progress: both academic and personal – thank you!” Niamh
“Amazing help, great support, happy with my results – thank you!” Jess
Ms Fox Headteacher: “Congratulations to all our students on their examination results, we are delighted with their achievements. As is the ethos at Kings Norton Sixth Form, they have worked incredibly hard to gain success in their A Levels. I would like to wish them continued success and happiness for their futures. The sheer hard work of staff and students together with exceptional relationships and support are at the very heart of our very successful Sixth Form, with many subjects performing significantly above national average. Well done and a big thank you to everybody!”
We invite students who are looking to apply to study A-Levels in our co-educational Sixth Form for September 2019, to experience our vibrant and thriving community first hand at our main Open Evening on Monday 17th September from 5pm – 8pm, or alternatively at our Open Morning on Tuesday 18th September from 9am – 11am. A subsequent ‘Meet the Sixth Form & Careers Fair’ event will be held on Wednesday 21st November from 3.30pm – 5.00pm.
Tribute to KNGS Teacher – Sharon Piotrowska
On the 14th June we lost our very dear friend, and much loved member of staff Sharon Piotrowska following a long and valiant battle with breast cancer.
Sharon taught English for 18 years, led post-16 English and was also Assistant Head of the Sixth Form. Her enthusiasm, knowledge and unwavering commitment to all of her roles in school were second to none. Sharon’s ability to empathise and determination to get the best out of all of her students, whether in the classroom, or whether advising them for their futures beyond Kings Norton Girls’, meant that she was well respected by both her students and colleagues.
A voracious reader, Sharon had an incredible knowledge of the English Language which meant that she was able to inspire her students in all aspects of their studies. Her expertise will be missed.
Sharon was very keen to raise money for charity, and was determined that as a staff we came together as a community organising coffee mornings to support fantastic causes such as Acorns and, in recent years, Macmillan. She encouraged and created opportunities for students to play their part by organising events such as ‘Random Acts of Kindness’, ‘Santa run’ and ‘Race for Life’.
Sharon had a wicked sense of humour and we know that she would not want us to be sad at her passing but celebrate the legacy she leaves at Kings Norton Girls’ School, a life well lived and she will always be remembered.
It is hard to imagine Kings Norton Girls’ School without her boundless energy and enthusiasm. She will be greatly missed. Our thoughts at this time are with her family.
The family have set up an online guestbook to capture memories of Sharon. Please feel free to share your memories, or funny anecdotes. The link is below:
Funding for New Sixth Form Building
We were very excited by the news late last term, that we have been successful in achieving our funding bid for our proposed new build which will provide the superb accommodation our Sixth Form students so richly deserve.
The new build will have six new classrooms, a large dedicated study space, new toilet block, Sixth Form office and a flexible outdoor area. As you can see from the images, the build will be in keeping with the architectural character of the older building, signalling proud traditions as well as looking forward to a great future for the school.
Work will start on the build this summer.
A Spanish Experience
Twenty one KNGS girls from Years 10, 11 and 13 boarded a flight from Heathrow on 26 March to start their Spanish experience in Madrid. The aim of the trip was to enable students to hear, read and speak Spanish in a native Spanish environment and also to improve their cultural awareness about the history of Madrid.
On arrival at the hostal, which was located within easy walking distance of the main attractions, the girls excitedly settled into their dormitories before sampling a Spanish buffet at a local restaurant.
We were greeted with blue skies and sunshine on the Tuesday, which stayed with us for the remainder of the trip. A walking tour around the historic parts of Madrid with a Spanish speaking guide enabled the girls to practise their listening skills and interpret to one another what he was saying. The history of the Palacio Real and the Spanish inquisition was particularly informative and a quiz was held later in the week to see how much the students had remembered. Prior to a visit into the Palacio Real itself in the afternoon, we had lunch in the Plaza Mayor where several girls sampled the local bocadillos.
The following day we walked round several of the beautiful parks in Madrid, going back to visit the extensive palace gardens before lunching by the river. A visit to El museo Reina Sofia enabled the girls to appreciate the works of Picasso, including the Guernica, amongst other artists, prior to a quick look at the tropical rainforest within the Atocha station.
The students excelled themselves on the final day, when we set them a challenge of shopping in two teams for their own lunches and making them back at the hostal. A picnic in the palace grounds in the ongoing sunshine was enjoyed by all before the girls had free time for shopping.
Our last evening in a Venezuelan restaurant was a happy experience for everybody before returning to the UK. The students were a real credit to KNGS and the trip was thoroughly enjoyed by staff and students alike.
German & History Exchange
Sixteen students from Year 11 and 13 set off to Melle in Lower Saxony on 8th March. During our stay we attended school on two mornings to get a taste of German school life. Things are so different – teachers in jeans, a very gentle bell ring between lessons; all lessons are doubles, i.e. two lessons of 45 minutes in a block with a five minute break in the middle. We had a German or history workshop on the last afternoon where we were able to practise for our GCSE and A Level German speaking exams with our partners or get an overview of German history. We enjoyed a day visiting Bremen where we learnt a lot about the city and its history on a treasure hunt. We also spent a lot of time with our German partners in groups in the evening and at the weekend – shopping, bowling, watching films or handball matches, eating, a wind band concert and more! We had such a huge learning experience with a lot of fun along the way. Several of the partners are already arranging to meet up again in the summer – lifelong friendships have developed!
Visit to Rome
In February, 44 photography, art and RE/philosophy students accompanied by Mr Abelson, Miss Randell, Mr Ahmedi and Miss Rai went to Rome. We spent a very busy four days visiting many of Rome’s iconic sights, including St Peter’s and the Sistine Chapel, The Coliseum and Forum, Maxxi Art Gallery, The Catacombs and the Trevi Fountain where many students tossed in some coins ensuring that they will return one day. We were lucky enough to get tickets for the weekly Papal Audience and two students, Ester Lee and Izzy Mason were fortunate enough to meet Pope Francis in person! Plenty of pasta and pizza was consumed and all returned at the end of the week to KNGS tired but inspired by the experience.
Houses of Parliament Visit
On the 28th February, thirty-six year twelve Politics and History students set off with three members of staff: Ms Thatcher, Mrs Shakespeare and Mr Mcloughlin to visit the wonderful Houses of Parliament. Despite the cold weather, the students were enthusiastic and interested throughout the whole day. The students were fascinated on the tour around Parliament both with the architecture and the fantastic history of the two chambers of the Houses of Parliament. On the tour around Parliament the students were given an informative and unique insight into the workings of Parliament and the role it plays in Britain. In addition to this we were very fortunate to see an engaging debate taking place in each of the two chambers. One of the students said it was “fantastic and very informative to see the House of Commons when a real debate was taking place”.
Following this we enjoyed a very entertaining workshop on representation and voting, in which the students were able to put forward their manifestos for ruling the country. Finally we were extremely lucky to have a question and answer session with the Selly Oak MP – Mr McCabe.
It was a thoroughly inspiring day and the students came away enthused and informed about the complex and diverse structure of Britain’s national government.
‘eight’ – Year 12 Photography Exhibition
Following last years successful A Level art exhibition, the current year 12 are presparing for their very own exhibition to showcase their talent.
The exhibition ‘eight’ will run 22nd March – 14th April at Artefact Cafe, 1464 Pershore Road, B30 2NT
A Level Certificate Presentation
Friday 22nd December saw the return of many of our Year 13 – Class of 2017, for a celebratory event where the students were individually presented with A-Level certificates. We were also very honoured to have KNGS Alumna, the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Anne Underwood as our Guest of Honour.
In addition to words of congratulations, inspiration, as well as advice for the future from Ms Fox and the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, we also enjoyed a stunning musical performance from the Deputy Head Girl – Lexi Coley, and a poetry reading from Head Girl, Tara Smith.
It was a wonderful event and lovely to see the students come back together to celebrate their individual successes.
Sixth Form London Gallery Trip
It was a long but worthwhile day when the Year 12 and 13 artists and photographers ventured to London on 17th November accompanied by Mrs Everson and Mr Abelson to visit various London art galleries. On a day that started early and finished late they visited four galleries, Tate Britain, The National Gallery, The National Portrait Gallery, where they visited the recently opened Taylor Wessing 2017 Portrait Competition exhibition, and The Saatchi Gallery where there was an eye-opening exhibition of Russian modern art. It was agreed that over the course of the day they had all seen some interesting work, some of which they liked more than others but all agreed that they had been engaged by their intense day of capital culture and we returned tired but inspired to Birmingham.