Above: A science lesson at the KAN residential
Right: The South Africa Global Partnerships trip
SECONDARY PARTNERSHIPS
The Kent Academies Network( KAN) is now 12 years old and continues to support young people from five academies in Kent to access higher education by developing their confidence, knowledge and agency so they can set – and reach – ambitious goals. This academic year, we have welcomed our current KAN students to meet-up days and residentials at Sevenoaks School and Cambridge University. In March, we were delighted to host a KAN Alumni Dinner which saw KAN alumni, mentors and supporters celebrate the programme, the achievements of the alumni and the enduring relationships and networks that the programme has fostered.
Using KAN’ s success as a blueprint, we are excited to be launching a second university access programme, Ambition, in partnership with the Leigh Academy Trust, one of the country’ s largest multi-academy trusts, which operates across Kent, Medway and south-east London. Fifteen students, representing five Leigh Academy Trust schools, were recruited to form the first Ambition cohort in July 2025.
INTERNATIONAL LINKS
Sevenoaks students have made a real impact beyond our borders this year, both virtually and in person. We now have successful online conversation programmes supporting learners in Bali, Laos and Ukraine. Our students have developed their communication, leadership and problem-solving skills as they have built relationships with learners from different cultures and found effective strategies to converse and explain the many challenges of decoding and pronouncing the English language. In October, a group of Lower Sixth students visited South Africa on our Global Partnerships trip, where they worked with a range of local organisations promoting inclusion and conservation.
LOCAL SERVICE
Our students have continued to work on a range of EDI and environmental projects at school and locally, strengthening our links with Knole, Seal Farm, Hospice in the Weald, Sevenoaks Welcomes Refugees, Riding for the Disabled Association and several local care homes. Students have also shown a continued commitment to fundraising, raising over £ 35,000 this year for a wide range of causes, including local charities.
Once again, our students have proved themselves to be ambitious, socially minded, tech-savvy and proactive as they foster new connections and widen our reach. All these skills of course prove invaluable when entering the workplace, but are also fundamental to ensure our school leavers are socially engaged and responsible young people who are ready to flourish in adulthood.
Kathy O’ Donnell Director of the Institute of Service and Partnerships
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