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

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

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.

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

 

Year 7 and 8 Halloween Disco

12th October 2022Abigail Allen

Hi all,

We would like to invite you to our year 7 and 8  Kepier Halloween fancy dress (optional) disco.
Our lead learners are very keen to organise this event to continue in our efforts to raise funds to support our learners embarking on the Cambodia Expedition in July 2023!
Tickets are £3.00 and can be purchased in school, in the morning and at lunchtime in the canteen. Our lead learners will be there with tickets and change ready to go.
On the night we will have music, tricks and treats, drinks and food which can be purchased at prices ranging for 50p-£1.50
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask Miss Allen or any of the Lead Learner Team.

Request your ticket

 

Halloween Disco flyer

Return to school Information September 2022

23rd August 2022Abigail Allen

**September 2022 Return Information**

Dear all, we hope you are all having a lovely summer break. Information has been sent to your ClassCharts account, or alternatively follow the link below to find information in preparation for the return to school in September.

September 2022 Update for Parents/Carers

If you have any questions, or queries please email info@kepier.com or contact reception on 0191 5128960

Take care,

Kepier

 

 

Bookings Now Open – Year 9 Parents’ Evening

30th March 2022Abigail Allen

**Bookings Now Open – Year 9 Parents’ Evening**

We would like to invite you to our Video Call Year 9 Parents’ Evening on Wednesday 27th April 2022, from 3.30 – 6pm.

Appointments can now be made using the online booking system.  Bookings will close at midday on Wednesday 27th April.  

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 9 Parents’ Evening

23rd March 2022Abigail Allen

**Advance Warning – Year 9 Parents’ Evening**

Please be aware that bookings for our Year 9 online parents’ evening will open at 9am on Wednesday 30th March 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.

 

Bookings Now Open – Year 8 Parents’ Evening

9th March 2022Abigail Allen

**Bookings Now Open – Year 8 Parents’ Evening**

We would like to invite you to our Video Call Year 8 Parents’ Evening on Wednesday 23rd March 2022, from 3.30 – 6pm.

Appointments can now be made using the online booking system.  Bookings will close at midday on Wednesday 23rd 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

2nd March 2022Abigail Allen

**Advance Warning – Year 8 Parents’ Evening**

Please be aware that bookings for our Year 8 online parents’ evening will open at 9am on Wednesday 9th March 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.

Year 6 National Offer Day

1st March 2022D Leighton

We would like to take this opportunity to extend a warm welcome to parents/carers and all of the children who will be joining us.  We are delighted that once again, Kepier is heavily oversubscribed and we will be admitting over 250 children into our September 2022, Year 7 cohort.

We are currently liaising with all of the primary schools, feeder and non feeder, to ensure we can support your child in the best way possible for their transition to secondary school.  We know parents/carers and children have lots of questions about the process but you can be assured we will be in regular contact with you. Kepier will communicate all key information with you via email and our website will be continually updated.

A Virtual Parents’ Information Evening will take place on Tuesday 29th March starting at 5pm. You can access the meeting through the following link; Join with Google Meet

In December, Ofsted conducted a one day monitoring visit, the lead inspector commented that Kepier is a rapidly improving school; leaders are taking effective action in order for the school to become a good school and highlighted that there have been significant improvements to all of the weaknesses identified at the previous inspection.

Below is a list of staff, who may contact you directly regarding your child’s transition:

  • Mr S. Van-Lindon – Senior Leader (Transition)
  • Mr C Devlin – Vice Principal (Safeguarding Lead)
  • Mrs D Kilkenny – Vice Principal (SENDCo)
  • Mrs C Brown – Year Manager
  • Mrs K King – SEND Learner Support Lead

If you have any further queries, please email info@kepier.com and your email will be forwarded to the most appropriate person.

Creative Writing Competition

28th February 2022Abigail Allen

**Creative Writing Competition**

As part of Kepier’s range of  Christmas activities, learners were invited to enter our ‘Christmas at Kepier’ creative writing competition in which they could submit up to 500 words of either poetry or prose.

We were really impressed by all of the entries from across the school. Freya was our KS3 winner, with Ryan picking up the prize for Y10 and James for Y11. A big well done to all those who submitted an entry!

Take a read of their brilliant entries!

 

 

RK Christmas Creative Writing Competition Entry

FH Christmas Creative Writing Competition Entry

JB Christmas Creative Writing Competition Entry