Nicola Benedetti at Perth Concert Hall
On Thursday night at Perth Concert Hall, Kilgraston String Ensemble performed on stage with one of classical music’s most prominent violinists Nicola Benedetti. Nicola is a champion of the Arts and especially young performers and this opportunity was one which the girls from Kilgraston fully embraced performing Vivaldi’s Concerto in G major, Opus 3. Nicola spoke at the concert about how every performer had a personal connection and Andrew McGarva, Director of Music at Kilgraston has known Nicola since she was 4 years old. Andrew contacted Nicola over the summer to ask if it would be possible to meet the Kilgraston musicians but Nicola took this request one step further and asked if some of the Kilgraston girls could perform with her at the concert. Andrew said: “Nicola is a wonderful role model so enthusiastic about young performers having opportunities to perform and I knew this would be an unforgettable experience for our girls. We have our annual concert in Perth Concert Hall and they have performed there before but to be in rehearsals and then on stage with Nicola was a real personal highlight for all of our girls.” After the concert Nicola spent time with the girls talking with them about the experience, congratulating them on their performance and encouraging them to keep performing.
Unison World School, India
There was great anticipation at Kilgraston on Sunday morning as we awaited the arrival of fifteen girls and two teachers from Unison World School, India. This eighteen day visit marks the beginning of an International Exchange Programme between both schools where girls and staff will be immersed in each other’s cultures, living and learning together, sharing the hopes, aspirations and challenges which they face in their respective countries.
Unison is an all-girls residential school in Dehradhun, set in the foothills of the Himalayas and is ranked as number three school in India. The girls and staff will live in Kilgraston, attend lessons and visit historical, political, scientific and cultural sites. Their experience will be reciprocated next October when a group of Kilgraston pupils and staff will travel to India. It is hoped that the Exchange Programme will promote the advancement of international understanding, the dissemination of learning and the strengthening of cultural ties.
Head Girl Iona Godfrey-Faussett said in her welcome “This exchange is a very special opportunity for us to build a strong relationship between our two schools and to make firm friendships, sharing our ways of life with each other”.
Head Girls GSA Conference
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Kilgraston School hosted the GSA Head Girls Conference on Saturday 5th September in which the Head Girl Teams of five leading independent girl schools across Scotland attended; St. George’s, St. Margaret’s, Fernhill, Mary Erskine and Kilgraston. During the course of the day the senior pupils actively took part in several workshops, fine tuning their team and leadership skills whilst simultaneously strengthening the network between each of the schools. Previous Head Girls of Kilgraston from the last five years made up the Q&A panel, providing a wealth of invaluable advice and experience. The day was topped off with Strength Based Coaching delivered by Katie Banham, a leading educational psychologist who specialises in developing leadership qualities in young adults and professionals.
Mrs. Prentice, Head of Sixth Form who organised the GSA Conference said ” It was fantastic to see our young leaders working together towards a common goal, sharing expectations and learning from each other. I was immensely proud of the previous Head Girls as they recalled how their experience as senior leaders in school had provided a strong foundation to confidently embark university life and the world of work. I hope that the connections made on Saturday between our current Head Girl Teams across Scotland will continue to flourish as the year progresses and enable further collaboration in the future.”
Outstanding Results at Kilgraston School
Kilgraston School has been placed as the second top performing independent school for highers in Scotland. The pupils achieved an outstanding 99% pass rate.
Dorothy MacGinty, the school’s headmistress, said: “The single sex education we offer is of great benefit because the girls are free to take risks in their learning and without being ridiculed or laughed at if it is not successful. In co-educational schools they are much less likely to take risks.
“We also gear our teaching to the way that girls learn best with a focus on collaboration, taking time to research and the importance of presentation.”
It is fantastic achievement for the pupils and staff and a great start to the academic year. We look forward to sharing further success stories throughout the school year. For further updates, please follow our social media pages by clicking the following links: Twitter = @kilgraston // Facebook = Kilgraston
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Girls Soar Yet Higher at Kilgraston
It has been an extremely happy day here at Kilgraston School as our girls received another stunning set of results. Headmistress Mrs Dorothy MacGinty said “These results are the culmination of excellent teaching and learning and I am extremely proud to see so many pupils achieve at such a high level. I am particularly pleased for our Upper Sixth girls who are now moving on to university, all receiving confirmation of their chosen places today.”
At Advanced Higher, the A-C pass rate was 95.9% against a national average of 80.9% and Intermediate results were even stronger with A-C grades achieving 96.8% against a national average of 75.3%.
The Higher results were outstanding with more than two thirds of the results achieving an A grade. The overall pass rate A-C this year is 99.2% against a national average of 76.7% with an incredible 91.3% achieving A-B grades. A third of pupils taking Highers this year achieved all A grades. I am particularly pleased with the results for this year group whose Intermediate results significantly contributed to Kilgraston achieving Scottish Independent School of The Year Award 2014. Particular commendation goes to one pupil, Beth Barlow, who achieved five straight A1 grades.
“These results continue to strengthen the academic profile of Kilgraston and I would like to congratulate all girls and staff on their superb achievements”.
Vatican Holy Mass
We are delighted that Kilgraston’s choir have been invited to sing at the Vatican Basilica during the Holy Mass on Tuesday 9th February 2016, at 5:00 pm. We are hopeful that we will also be granted an audience with Pope Francis on Wednesday morning.
This is a great honour and we are very much looking forward to this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Forum on Girls’ Education
Mrs MacGinty has been invited to speak at the Global Forum on Girls’ Education in New York, which will take place in February 2016.
The 2016 Global Forum on Girls’ Education, Creating a World of Possibilities, will be hosted by the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools (NCGS) in partnership with pre-eminent educational organizations from all over the globe including the Young Women’s Leadership Network, the Girls’ Schools Association (U.K.), Alliance of Girls Schools Australasia, Philippine Alliance for Girls’ Education, European Association of Single-Sex Education, and Young Women’s Preparatory Network, Canadian Accredited Independent Schools, South African Girls’ Schools Association, Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa, and New York State Association of Independent Schools.
The Global Forum will be an opportunity to bring together the leading educators, researchers, advocates, authors, practitioners, and related-industry leaders from across the globe to exchange best practices and innovative approaches for academic excellence and the healthy development of girls. The forum will address themes and topics that are universal in nature, such as Leadership, Health & Wellness, STEAM, Civic/Community Engagement, Classroom Innovation, Strategic School Advancement, Testing & Assessment, and Teaching & Curriculum.
U13 sports success
The successful U13 rounders team
Our Under 13 teams this year have performed exceptionally throughout the year across a whole range of sports.
The year began on a high at our annual invitational hockey tournament, where the team competed against almost 200 participants. We won the event, beating George Watson’s College in the final. This marked the start of a brilliant year of sport for our players.
Following on from this we lost just one game in the Scottish Netball S1 event, meaning we played in the silver section against other schools around the country. We progressed through quarter finals, semi finals and then the pinnacle of finals day in Motherwell v High School of Dundee team. A nail biting match resulted in a Kilgraston School victory once again.
To top it all this year our girls played in our invitational rounders tournament and teams from all over Scotland participated (around 120 competitors). Through 4 victories in the section games we made the final once again….. playing Belhaven Hill and winning in style: 6 -4 in our last game of the year.
A magnificent year so well done and thanks to all the girls for their efforts and commitment throughout!
The U13 ‘dream team’ girls are :
Pippa Boyle
Alex Brattesani
Joni Dalrymple
Fatima Fernandez Nunez
Lola Irving
Kaya MacLeod
Isobel Macleod
Rania Macleod
Alexa Manganiello
Michaela McCarthy
Ellie Stott
Student of the year
Katy Barlow (Kilgraston class of 2013) has been selected as the top Mathematics, Economics and Finance Undergraduate of the Year, competing against students from across the UK. The TARGET jobs Undergraduate of the Year is an annual awards competition which aims to find the best undergraduates nationally. Katy wins a summer internship with award sponsors Gazprom, and a week in their Singapore office.
Following outstanding academic results at Kilgraston, achieving straight A1 grades at Higher and Advanced Higher, Katy went on to study Mathematics and Economics at the University of St Andrews. In 2014, she was awarded the Nisbet Prize for top performance in Management, and was also placed on the university’s Dean’s List for academic excellence. She has successfully gained prestigious work experience placements in London and Singapore with renowned organisations including Alliance Trust and Gazprom. Katy has also played tennis for her county and currently captains the University of St Andrews athletics team.
Mrs MacGinty, Headmistress of Kilgraston, said: “We are delighted that Katy has continued to go from strength to strength since leaving Kilgraston, and that her success has been recognised by this significant award. Uptake for the study of STEM subjects at Kilgraston is high, with annual academic success at Higher and Advanced Higher”.
Katy said: “Kilgraston provided the support and flexibility to help me achieve good grades at both Higher and Advanced Higher. I am particularly grateful to the staff who gave personal time to ensure both the theory and practical work were of a high standard for the Advanced Highers. The extra curricular opportunities for sport have also been valuable in strengthening my university application. I then went on to apply to the University of St Andrew to study subjects which would give me a better understanding of business and current affairs. I particularly liked the flexibility of subject choices in the first and second years, offered under the Scottish system.”
Details of all the winners and finalists across all categories can be viewed at http://undergraduateoftheyear.com/winners/2015
Mrs MacGinty's welcome
This Summer Term, we are delighted to welcome Mrs Dorothy MacGinty to the role of Headmistress at Kilgraston. Mrs MacGinty joins Kilgraston from St. Francis’ College, Hertfordshire, where she has held the post of Headmistress since 2009. Since 2012, Mrs MacGinty has chaired the Professional Development Committee of the Girls’ School Association (GSA), the most prestigious membership organisation for girls’ schools in the UK. Mrs MacGinty will be GSA President 2017.
Kilgraston is a distinctive and remarkable school. Many visitors say that we ‘feel different’. I believe this is because our founding traditions continue to reinforce the values that lie at the heart of our community: academic rigour, trust, respect, integrity and responsibility.
Our girls will be the leaders of tomorrow in a wide variety of professions and businesses. We believe that there should be no limitations on their ambitions either personally or professionally, and we offer a world class, exciting and challenging education where it is natural to step into leadership positions. Our girls work hard and enjoy considerable success in public examinations across a wide range of subjects.
When a girl joins Kilgraston, something rather extraordinary takes place. She quickly becomes a part of our Kilgraston ‘family’, where she is encouraged to grow and learn in an atmosphere of freedom and opportunity. Our teachers are dedicated and work tirelessly with all pupils to ensure each girl can achieve all she is capable of; the pride they share in success is palpable.
We are a school with traditional values but a modern and forward looking perspective on education. Education is not just about exam success; developing interest and talents, nurturing an understanding of divergent cultures, and emphasising our personal responsibility as global citizens are vital. As such, a Kilgraston girl benefits from a wealth of opportunities to extend and enrich her educational experience. We offer an enormous breadth of extra-curricular activities, and enjoy modern, state of the art facilities in sports, art, music and science.
Mrs MacGinty, 2015