Methodologies | Kensington School

British education is built on traditions more than a century old. At Kensington, we seek to maintain ways of teaching that have produced strong results for the last fifty years. Public speaking, developing arguments and defending a point of view, the scientific method where children learn Science through experiments in the labs, the ability to explain the reasoning behind a solution in Maths, to bring everyone together to perform concerts, to work as part of a team in our ‘clubs’ and ‘houses’, to train software developers, builders of technology… all of this helps us develop pupils who are alert, active and participative… We like business as usual.

We also support innovation. Kagan Collaborative Learning is a thread that runs throughout the school. Pupils learn in a different way: they help each other and are helped in turn. They play different roles in work groups and receive support according to the level of their maturity. It enables them to be coaches, to learn to communicate and explain their understanding. Teachers identify who is making an effort and who lets themselves be led. Children learn a lot by teaching and listening to a pupil of the their own age, because they share logic and language. The objective of Kagan methodologies is that pupils grow as active learners, responsible for their own learning.

A strong school offers a variety of teaching methods, adapted to different pupils’ way of learning. A characteristic of Kensington is the freedom given to teachers to look for and develop appropriate ways of teaching. Pupils benefit by learning to adapt to the continuous change that they will find once they leave the classroom. Teachers enjoy ongoing professional development, with programmes like Doug Lemov’s ‘Teach Like a Champion’, learning different techniques that can be applied in different situations : when a group of teachers are supported through techniques like coaching and group planning, acquiring new skills and personalising them, the entire school community wins.

SELF-CONFIDENCE AND SENSE OF BELONGING

MORE THAN EXTRA-CURRICULAR: CLUBS

Our tradition in Music, Art and Drama, our focus on languages and our love for sport are reflected in our clubs. They go beyond extra-curricular activities. The clubs are part of our DNA. Children feel responsible for getting the most out of the skill that brings them together with other pupils, they create personal bonds founded on shared interests and common projects: Music and movement, Ballet, Judo, Cookery Class, Green Activity Club, Computing Club, Creative Writing Club, Art Club, Chinese, Piano, Ukulele Club, Chess, French, Drama, Computer, Debating Club, Journalism Workshop, Public Speaking… Every pupil, regardless of their academic level, has the chance to shine in ways which will boost their self-confidence and social skills.

CREATIVE CURRICULUM

At Kensington, the Arts have a special status. Art is an educational programme in itself: it is the ability to imagine, to create, to produce things: it is a gift of human life. It is also the ability to interpret the creations of others, to value aesthetics and develop a sense of harmony. Therefore, we look for the best teachers, serious artists and who convey technical knowledge as well as their own creative experience to pupils. Children experience art from other cultures, the use of recycled materials and the exploration of different artistic traditions. We are proud to decorate our school with our pupils’ creations to show off the creativity we hope will be a source of pleasure throughout their lives.

Music is also central to Kensington and a discipline we nurture carefully in school. We organise concerts with all age groups throughout the year. From Nursery to Year 2 pupils experience one concert each year, and from Year 3 to Year 9 pupils perform in one concert for Christmas and another at the end of the year. In class time they learn to read music, always with a practical focus through studying the recorder, keyboard, marimbas and percussion. At break times they can rehearse with one of the school’s three choirs or the orchestra or practise a musical instrument under the supervision of the Music teachers. In Year 10, they continue with Music and History of Music. Year 10 also sing in a choir, preparing a variety of different musical pieces throughout the year in preparation for a trip to the National Auditorium at the end of the year, along with the Musicarte Orchestra and our former teacher Margarita López.

At Kensington, we seek to teach pupils to understand the background of IT, learning how to programme and create content, going beyond being mere consumers to developing their creativity through technology. From Year 1, pupils write their first algorithms by creating their own animations and games. From an early age, they programme Robotics, through award-winning educational programmes such as Lego Wedo, Mindstorms, Makeblock, Bee-Bot, micro:bit… and, little by little, they pick up programming skills with different degrees of complexity: Blockly, Scratch, Python, Javascript, HTML, Kodu, Stencyl… From Year 10, they study Technology, Programming and Robotics, which also includes Design and Printing and Augmented Reality. In Years 12 and 13, with ICT (Information and Communications Technology) and IT (Industrial Technology), pupils progress even further in these skills.

COMPETITION, BUT ABOVE ALL, IMPROVEMENT

KENSINGTON SPORT

Sport is vital at Kensington School. We encourage excellence for the most gifted students, but we give the same importance to participation and the will to succeed in pupils who don’t compete and play sport as a healthy habit. We take part in municipal leagues, tournaments with other British schools and in Athletics tournaments. But we also organise egalitarian events. Sports Days are a part of our identity: pupils take responsibility for organising them and they compete in Houses, each having their respective captain. Everyone takes part equally, encouraging team work and not superstars. In the course of the year there are 25 sporting events, evenly balanced between tournaments for girls and boys. We play Basketball, Football, Touch Rugby, Volleyball, Gymnastics, Athletics and indoor football. In addition, during breaktimes in Year 10/11 and Year 12 pupils have the chance to take part in sports activities run by the PE teacher.

CULTURE, TRIPS AND ACTIVITIES

Kensington offers a strong cultural education through different activities, trips and events. World Book Day when everyone dresses up and reads together in the playground, the trips to Coto de Doñana for an unforgettable experience of nature study, trips to theatre performances, exhibitions and museums, conferences and talks… all of these activities make up a programme of vital, information-packed experiences.