Year 8 pupils returned to the First World War Battlefields of Ypres on Friday resuming a tradition that began nearly 25 years ago.
Beginning with a service of remembrance at Toc H in Poperinge located behind the frontline, the party toured the salient which saw some of the fiercest fighting on the Western Front.
Visiting the graves of two of the 69 Old Roffensians to give of their lives, the group also made stops at Lijssenthoek and Tyne Cot Cemeteries, as well as exploring authentic trenches at Bayernwald and the darkly sombre German Friedhof at Langemark.
Gusty winds made for a memorable return Channel crossing but these thoughts were subsumed by the sound of the Last Post signalled at the Menin Gate and the words of Sassoon’s verse read by torchlight at the grave of fifteen year-old Private Valentine Strudwick.

A highlight of the Prep School musical calendar is the Soloists’ Concert and this year’s was a real treat for Staff, Governors and Parents. Ten pupils from Years 6 to 8 gave immaculate performances with a programme ranging from Tchaikovsky to Toy Story 2, by way of Frank Bridge and Kurt Weill. The countless hours of practice each pupil had clearly put into their performances paid off as singers managed to remember all their words and instrumentalists showed polish and flair in their playing.

Our Year 6 pupils took on the medieval pilgrimage from Rochester to Canterbury Cathedral this week. The pilgrims witnessed the murder of Thomas Becket and spent time creating pilgrim tokens and trying medieval activities. We are most fortunate to be able to celebrate Kent’s rich history and visit two of the oldest cathedrals in Britain at our doorstep.

Pupils from Bryony School, St Andrew’s School and Shorne Church of England Primary School visited King’s today to enjoy our Music and Drama workshop.

It was an ideal opportunity for pupils of all talents to take part.

The children had a fantastic day with lots of acting and singing, culminating in a short performance for their parents alongside King’s pupils, featuring in the Senior School’s ‘Moon Landing – One Giant Leap’ production.

A fun day was had by all.

It was amazing to welcome delegates from The Independent Association of Prep Schools IAPS UK to their Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Conference today. This is something very important to us as a School and we were delighted to host this in collaboration with Rochester Cathedral.

We would like to congratulate Dylan, who was made up as a full Cathedral Chorister last night during EvenSong.
What an amazing achievement Dylan!

Despite the freezing weather and the cancellation of our Toy services, pupils at the Senior school and Prep School still brought in gifts for the Strood Community project.  One of the coordinators managed to fill her car with toys, which will support around 200 individuals this Christmas time.  The project looks out for the most vulnerable families in the Strood area.