School of Science and Technology, Maidstone

On Wednesday, 17 June, our Year 12 A Level Geography students completed their fourth and final fieldwork visit of the year with a trip to Canary Wharf, London, as part of their study of regeneration.

Students began the day at the Museum of London Docklands, where they explored the history of the area and considered how the Docklands has changed over time. The group were also selected by the museum to be photographed as part of its work showcasing educational visits, with students captured engaging with the exhibitions and taking part in learning activities.

Students then collected primary data across Canary Wharf and the surrounding Isle of Dogs area, comparing highly regenerated spaces with residential and heritage areas.

The visit provided a valuable opportunity for students to practise independent fieldwork skills ahead of completing their Non-Examined Assessments. It also offered a strong contrast to their previous coastal fieldwork visits, helping students explore both physical and human geography in real world settings.

Students represented SST brilliantly throughout the day, showing maturity, independence and enthusiasm. Well done to all of our A Level Geographers for completing such a successful fieldwork programme this year.

Thank you to the London Museum Docklands for photographing our students and allowing us to use their images!

Photo credit: ©London Museum

V In The Park Cancelled

Unfortunately, due to the exceptional weather forecast, we have taken the difficult decision to cancel V In The Park, which was due to take place on Saturday, 27 June, from 11am to 5pm on the VIAT field.

With extreme heat forecast, including temperatures of 34°C on Friday and 30°C on Saturday, with a feels like temperature of 35°C, alongside a high possibility of rain, we have made this decision in the best interests of the safety and wellbeing of our students, families and staff. It would not be appropriate to expect students to perform in these conditions.

Sadly, it will not be possible to reschedule this event. We would like to thank all of the students who have worked so hard this term in preparation, as well as the staff who have supported them. We know there will be many fantastic performances to come next term.

Tickets already purchased will be refunded through Evolve.

Thank you for your continued support of the school and music department.

Last week, as part of the National Year of Reading, 30 students in Year 7 had the opportunity to attend a talk by A.F. Steadman, author of the hugely popular ‘Skandar’ series. It was incredibly inspiring to hear from the author about rising to fame from beginnings right here in Kent. Students learned about how her childhood love of dragons and fantasy diverted her career path from becoming a lawyer to publishing her first book, Skandar and the Unicorn Thief, in 2022.

A.F. Steadman also had a few fun activities in store for the schools in attendance, including a questionnaire to determine which ‘element wielder’ they would be within the fictional world of the books. Students were even able to design their own unicorn, which the author wrote into a short story to read out loud to the group. The unicorn, Silver Striker, may even feature in an upcoming book!

Before leaving, students had the opportunity to get signed copies of the Skandar books sporting new National Year of Reading illustrations, ahead of the upcoming Skandar and the Unicorn Thief movie. We are also pleased to announce that the full series will be arriving in the library soon, all signed by A.F. Steadman.

To celebrate the end of the Skandar publicity tour, an exclusive competition has been opened up to all students in Year 7. The publishers have invited students to write a book review of the first Skandar book in the series, with prizes direct from the publishers. The deadline is Wednesday, 8 July, with winners being announced in September. Please email Miss Garland ([email protected]) for an entry form if you would like to take part.

Well done to all students in attendance for their impeccable behaviour and enthusiasm, and thank you to Mrs Cornhill, Ms Lycett and Miss Garland for arranging the visit.

On Wednesday, 17 June, SST celebrated Thank a Teacher Day.

This week, students wrote thank you notes to recognise the teachers and staff members who have supported, encouraged and inspired them during their time at SST. These notes were then handed out to staff on Wednesday, sharing messages of appreciation from across our school community.

It was lovely to see students taking the time to celebrate the dedication, care and hard work of our staff. Thank you to all members of staff who make such a positive difference to life at SST every day!

A reminder to parents, carers and families of our new Year 7 cohort joining SST in September that our upcoming SEND Coffee Morning will take place on Wednesday, 1 July from 9-10am.

Whether your child is on the SEND Register, or you would simply like to learn more about our SEND department and the support available at SST, all parents and carers are welcome to attend.

The session will focus on the transition into secondary school, the support available to students and the role our SEND team plays in helping students feel confident, supported and ready to begin their journey with us.

To book your place, please visit our Eventbrite page below.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/send-coffee-morning-for-parentcarers-of-202627-cohort-tickets-1989383414345

We look forward to welcoming you!

On Friday, 19 June, SST hosted our first Year 5 Open Morning of the summer, and it was a fantastic success.

We were delighted to welcome over 200 families throughout the morning to tour our school, hear from our students and speak with members of staff about life at SST. It was wonderful to see so many prospective families exploring our facilities and learning more about our school community.

We look forward to welcoming more families at our second Open Morning on Monday, 22 June. Spaces are filling up fast, so please book your place using the link below or head to our website.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/24570284416

As part of our ongoing transition workshop programme, we recently welcomed students from our incoming September cohort to SST for a creative Art Workshop.

The workshop focused on entangles and how this style of doodling using patterns, lines, and shapes can help relax your mind and look after your wellbeing. We thought this would be good to settle any pre-‘big school’ nerves!

Students created their own hand designs, which were then displayed together on the whiteboard as a group piece. A special thank you to San in Year 12, who helped direct the activity and supported students throughout the session.

Today, we celebrated our Year 11 students as they completed their GCSEs and prepared to take their next steps into further education.

The day included a heartwarming and entertaining Celebration Assembly, complete with prizes, speeches and plenty of memorable moments. Thank you to Harry in 11V, Mr Royston and Mr Chirnside for their speeches, which reflected on the journey of this wonderful cohort and all they have achieved during their time at SST.

The afternoon ended with shirt signing and our continued tradition of the Year 11 Guard of Honour, where the entire SST community came together to applaud our Year 11’s and celebrate all they’ve achieved in the last five years at SST.

This cohort has been an absolute pleasure, and we are incredibly proud of the people they have become. We wish them the very best as they enjoy a long and well-deserved summer. We look forward to seeing many of them again soon for our Sixth Form Induction, and on GCSE Results Day in August!

Term 5 saw students from Years 7, 8 and 9 take part in a fantastic series of Inter House competitions. Year 7 competed in hockey, Year 8 took part in badminton, and Year 9 played volleyball.

Across all three year groups, students demonstrated excellent teamwork, effort and sportsmanship. It was particularly pleasing to see them representing their houses with pride, supporting one another and showing a competitive but respectful attitude throughout.

Results

Year 7 Hockey
1st: H
2nd: L
3rd: T

Year 8 Badminton
1st: V
2nd: C
3rd: E

Year 9 Volleyball
1st: V
2nd: T
3rd: C

Well done to everyone who took part and contributed to such a successful set of Inter House events. We now look forward to Sports Day, which will take place later this term on Monday, 6 July.

Today, the last of our Year 11 students completed their GCSE exams! Congratulations to all of our Year 11 students on their hard work and dedication during this challenging time.

We look forward to hosting their Celebration Assembly on Friday, and to seeing many of them again soon for our Sixth Form Induction.

We hope our Year 11 students enjoy a long and well deserved summer!