Mr Pavis' Christmas Newsletter: Friday 12th December

It’s been a wonderful final week of term here at Kingsley — full of festive celebrations, community spirit, and some incredible achievements to round off the year.

We began the week with the annual Kingsley Christmas Fair, a huge thank you to all the parents, PTA volunteers, and staff who helped organise and run the event. Your hard work made it a truly special day for the whole school community.

Today we held our Christmas Carol Service at St Mary’s Church, Bideford — a joyful afternoon of music, readings and reflection. The Prep School led the singing beautifully, supported by our talented Senior School musicians. Thank you to Mr Triffle and everyone involved for a spectacular service.

The festive cheer continued on campus, with the catering team serving an incredible 700 Christmas dinners in one day! A huge thank you to the kitchen staff for their amazing effort and festive spirit. The Sixth Form also celebrated in style at their Christmas Dinner Gala at The Commodore Hotel**, while our boarders enjoyed a London Winter Wonderland trip — complete with shopping and sightseeing.

Over in the Grenville Centre, congratulations go to Ane, Elliot, Tommy, and Annabelle, who all won awards in the Christmas Cake Decorating Competition — their creativity and attention to detail were brilliant.

This week’s Year 8 Earth Centre assembly also stood out, focusing on the important topic of fast fashion and sustainability. Their thoughtful presentation encouraged everyone to reuse, recycle, and rethink what we wear — even those Christmas jumpers!

In sport, Willow made international headlines, taking 3rd place at a European Surfing Event in Portugal — an incredible result! Meanwhile, Alexia shone at the National Gymnastics Trampolining Championships, securing another win for Kingsley. Back home, the Senior Football team returned to form with a strong victory over Truro and Penwith College in the National League, while our Under 14 rugby team finished the term in style, beating Park School under the floodlights to win the North Devon Cup. They’ll now go on to represent the region in the County Semifinals after Christmas — a huge achievement.

It’s been a term full of progress, creativity, and community, and this final week has been the perfect way to end it. From everyone at Kingsley, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year — see you in January!