Message from the Principal

11th May 2023Abigail Allen

Good afternoon everyone,

I hope this message finds you well. Today, I would like to share an important announcement regarding my role at Kepier. After 12 years of serving as Head of Kepier, I have made the decision to step down this summer. It has been an incredible journey, filled with unforgettable experiences and remarkable achievements.

Yesterday, I received news that Mr. Colin Devlin, our esteemed Vice Principal, has been appointed by the Trustees to take over as Headteacher in September 2023. I wholeheartedly support this decision and would like to extend my congratulations to Mr. Devlin. I am confident that under his leadership, Kepier will continue to flourish, building upon the strong values and ethos that already exist within our school community.

I want to take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to all of you for your unwavering support and constant challenges throughout my tenure. It is because of your dedication and commitment that Kepier stands in a position of strength today. Together, we have fostered an environment where learners are at the heart of everything we do. I am immensely proud of our staff, our excellent facilities, and, above all, our learners, who continually inspire me with their passion for learning and personal growth.

As I prepare to embark on a new chapter in my life, I leave Kepier with a profound sense of fulfilment and optimism for the future. I have every confidence that, with Mr. Devlin at the helm, Kepier will continue to thrive and evolve, empowering generations of learners to reach their full potential.

Once again, thank you for your incredible support. and I look forward to hearing about the future successes of Kepier.

Warm regards,

Mrs Ashton

Advance Warning – Year 9 Parents’ Evening

22nd March 2023Mr D Cowie

Please be aware that bookings for our Year 9 online parents’ evening will open at 6pm on
Wednesday 29th March 2023. Basic personal details of the parent/carer (title, first name,
surname, email address) and student (first name, surname, date of birth) will be required in
order to log in and make bookings.

Further information is available on our parents’ evening webpage at:

https://kepier.com/parents-evenings

Thank you.

Year 6 Virtual Parents’ Evening – Wednesday 22nd March 2023

12th March 2023Shaun Van-Lindon

Dear Parent / Carer,

I hope you and your family are well.

Following my previous communication, I would like to invite you to our virtual Parents’ Evening on Wednesday 22nd March 2023 starting at 5pm. The purpose of this presentation will be to share Kepier’s transition plans with you and give you some further information now your child has been allocated a place in our September 2023 intake. It is anticipated that this presentation will last no longer than 45 minutes and will cover queries which you may have. To join this meeting, please use the following link; meet.google.com/nrd-hshe-axx

There will be a chat facility available whereby you can type questions which will be monitored by Kepier staff and where possible questions answered throughout the presentation.

If you are joining this presentation via a mobile device, you must be logged into a Google account. Google Meet has a maximum capacity of 250 participants and therefore we would ask that only one device per household connects to the meeting. In addition to this, you will need to ensure that your camera and microphones are turned off. I would advise that you try and log into Google Meet before the presentation starts. You will need to be accepted into the meeting, we will start to accept you into the Google Meet from 4.45pm.

In preparation for this presentation, if you need any support joining the Google Meet, please refer to the link below: Google Meet Support.

I am aware that some parents / carers will be unable to join this presentation, therefore I will upload a copy of this, and the links to the supporting information, on our website by Friday 25th March 2023.

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us via emailing info@kepier.com

I look forward to speaking to everyone at the Virtual Parents’ Evening.

Regards.
Mr Van-Lindon

Bookings Now Open – Year 8 Parents’ Evening

8th March 2023Mr D Cowie

We would like to invite you to our Video Call Year 8 Parents’ Evening on Wednesday 22nd
March 2023, from 3.30 – 6pm.

Appointments can now be made using the online booking system. Bookings will close at
midday on Wednesday 22rd March.

Please visit:

https://kepier.com/parents-evenings

to book your appointments. Here you will find a comprehensive guide to the SchoolCloud
system, including links to parent guides, videos and frequently asked questions.

If you have any further questions, please use the contact form at the bottom of the webpage
and we will be happy to help.

Advance Warning – Year 8 Parents’ Evening

8th March 2023Mr D Cowie

Please be aware that bookings for our Year 8 online parents’ evening will open at 6pm on
Wednesday 8th March 2023. Basic personal details of the parent/carer (title, first name,
surname, email address) and student (first name, surname, date of birth) will be required in
order to log in and make bookings.

Further information is available on our parents’ evening webpage at:

https://kepier.com/parents-evenings

Thank you.

Bookings Now Open – Year 10 Parents’ Evening

1st February 2023Mr D Cowie

We would like to invite you to our Video Call Year 10 Parents’ Evening on Wednesday
15th February 2023, from 3.30 – 6pm.

Appointments can now be made using the online booking system. Bookings will close at
midday on Wednesday 15th February.

Please visit:

https://kepier.com/parents-evenings

to book your appointments. Here you will find a comprehensive guide to the SchoolCloud
system, including links to parent guides, videos and frequently asked questions.

If you have any further questions, please use the contact form at the bottom of the webpage
and we will be happy to help.

Advance Warning – Year 10 Parents’ Evening

25th January 2023Mr D Cowie

Please be aware that bookings for our Year 10 online parents’ evening will open at 6pm on
Wednesday 1st February 2023. Basic personal details of the parent/carer (title, first name,
surname, email address) and student (first name, surname, date of birth) will be required in
order to log in and make bookings.

Further information is available on our parents’ evening webpage at:

https://kepier.com/parents-evenings

Thank you.

Bookings Now Open – Year 11 Parents’ Evening

25th January 2023Mr D Cowie

We would like to invite you to our Video Call Year 11 Parents’ Evening on Wednesday
8th February 2023, from 3.30 – 6pm.

Appointments can now be made using the online booking system. Bookings will close at
midday on Wednesday 8th February.
Please visit:

https://kepier.com/parents-evenings

to book your appointments. Here you will find a comprehensive guide to the SchoolCloud
system, including links to parent guides, videos and frequently asked questions.

If you have any further questions, please use the contact form at the bottom of the webpage
and we will be happy to help.

Advance Warning – Year 11 Parents’ Evening

18th January 2023Mr D Cowie

Please be aware that bookings for our Year 11 online parents’ evening will open at 6pm on
Wednesday 25th January. Basic personal details of the parent/carer (title, first name,
surname, email address) and student (first name, surname, date of birth) will be required in
order to log in and make bookings.

Further information is available on our parents’ evening webpage at:

https://kepier.com/parents-evenings

Thank you.

Interfaith Week 2022

17th November 2022Abigail Allen

Kepier Celebrates Inter-faith Week

Inter-faith week promotes understanding and cooperation between organisations and people of different faiths across the UK. Inter-faith week always begins on Remembrance Sunday encouraging remembering together the service of people from all backgrounds.

At Kepier we are celebrating inter-faith week and have a variety of activities, speakers and live music that learners in years 7, 8 and 9 will have an opportunity to participate in over the week.  Some of the activities include: decorating Diya Lamps learning about Hindu traditions; speakers from the Islamic Diversity Centre and the Sikh community will talk to learners about their faith with activities for learners to help them understand their tradition; ‘IGNITE’, and the Christian rock band ‘Social Bean’ will give a concert; and our school chef will serve an extra choice on the menu each day reflecting different faith traditions. Learners will be given the opportunity to ask questions to broaden their understanding of a multi-faith Britain.

Ukrainian Students Succeed After School Introduces Translation Technology

4th November 2022Mr D Cowie

A Sunderland school has introduced cutting edge translation technology to help Ukrainian students access the school curriculum.

Kepier School in Houghton-le-Spring recently welcomed a number of students from Ukraine after their families were forced to flee the country following the Russian invasion earlier this year. The school has been exploring ways to break down language barriers and has come up with an innovative solution.

The school IT team has created a way to display live translation of the teachers’ voice on classroom displays in real time, so that Ukrainian students can feel as much a part of lessons as their classmates.

Principal of Kepier, Nicola Ashton, explained how it works:

“As the teacher speaks to the class, a microphone picks up their words, instantly translates them into Ukrainian and then displays them as subtitles at the bottom of the large screen at the front of the class.

“We have a number of Ukrainian students at Kepier at the moment, and they are finding this really helps them engage with the rest of their classmates in lessons.

“This has been made possible by the excellent teaching and learning facilities we have at Kepier, with large interactive touch screen displays in every classroom. The language barrier was a potential problem, however we were able to quickly put a solution in place to ensure all learners are able to achieve their best in lessons.”

“At Kepier our motto is ‘Inspire, Challenge, Support’ and we strive to ensure all learners achieve their full potential.”

Kepier moved into a brand new school building four years ago and the school recently achieved a ‘Good’ rating from Ofsted.

Bookings Now Open – Year 7 Parents’ Evening

2nd November 2022Mr D Cowie

We would like to invite you to our Video Call Year 7 Parents’ Evening on Wednesday
16th November 2022, from 3.30 – 6pm.

Appointments can now be made using the online booking system. Bookings will close at
midday on Wednesday 16th November.

Please visit:

https://kepier.com/parents-evenings

to book your appointments. Here you will find a comprehensive guide to the SchoolCloud
system, including links to parent guides, videos and frequently asked questions.

If you have any further questions, please use the contact form at the bottom of the webpage
and we will be happy to help.

Advance Warning – Year 7 Parents’ Evening

1st November 2022Mr D Cowie

Please be aware that bookings for our Year 7 online parents’ evening will open at 6pm on
Wednesday 2nd November 2022. Basic personal details of the parent/carer (title, first
name, surname, email address) and student (first name, surname, date of birth) will be
required in order to log in and make bookings.

Further information is available on our parents’ evening webpage at:

https://kepier.com/parents-evenings

Thank you.

Pumpkin Carving Competition

12th October 2022Abigail Allen
**Pumpkin Carving Competition**
To celebrate Halloween, Miss Sharman’s favourite seasonal holiday, the Art department invites your child to take part in our Kepier Art Department pumpkin carving competition. This will take place on Thursday 20th October 2022 4.00 – 5.00pm all pumpkins will be exhibited with tea lights on the grass in front of the school.
Prizes are to be awarded in each year group, and for the three best carved pumpkins in the school. Kepier staff will also be demonstrating their pumpkin carving talents!
Please ensure that your child’s name and year group are written on a slip of paper and placed inside their completed creation. We are looking for the most unique creation; try to be as original as you can be!
 
Bring your entries into GO2 before 8:30am on Thursday 20th October 2022. Submissions brought after this time won’t be entered into the competition but will still be displayed.
We look forward to seeing your seasonal masterpieces!

Pumpkin Carving Info leaflet