Timeline
2021 |
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February - Snow, fantastic examples of remote learning, and our TryAngle Award. |
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January saw schools close for a 3rd lockdown (Covid pandemic) and we once again moved to remote learning. Moving our Y5&6 transition workshops online for the first time, with great success. We also saw the introduction of 'Why don't you Wednesday's (WDYW) encouraging our students period 5 to be screen free/creative/go outside. |
2020 |
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September saw the return to school (Covid secure) and Year 7 first day! |
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Our first ever 'Virtual' Awards Evening, celebrating students successes. |
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Our first ever 'Virtual Sports Day' was a hit! |
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Invicta voted Best Secondary School in Kent! by the Real Schools Guide 2020 |
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We proudly maintained our Transition 'Virtual' workshops online with Years 5 & 6. |
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Many of our Clubs/Hubs continued 'Virtual' online. |
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We began making Visors for the community. |
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Our Keeping Busy emails began - with students sending in challenges. |
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We saw the start of our many Virtual Quiz Nights raising valuable funds for St Johns Ambulance. |
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VIAT Stay Creative campaign started |
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Schools close due to Covid 19. Virtual School started with Microsoft Teams. |
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Inivcta was awarded The International School Award 2019-2022 which recognises schools that have shown a commitment to embedding international awareness and understanding within their school. |
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Maria and Luke were voted Head Girl and Head Boy. |
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Team Gold! IGS Swimming Team at Benenden Swim Festival. |
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Our girls football team became joint winners of the Kent Schools FA Cup! |
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CERN Trip to Geneva European Nuclear Physics Research HQ. |
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Invicta took over Pizza Express! |
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Our first House Creativity Day. Raising £1200 and reducing our carbon footprint. |
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Bletchley Park - Year 9 |
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FerMUN Conference |
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Ski trip to Courmayeur, Italy |
2019 |
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We welcomed over 40 members our Alumni back to the school for coffee, a chat and a tour of the school. |
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Lizzie and Dom were voted Head Girl and Head Boy |
2018 |
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Francesca and Joe were voted Head Girls and Head Boy. |
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World Book Day was celebrated by students dressing as their favourite character. |
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Dancers from Invicta performed at The London Stadium before a rugby game. |
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It snowed in Maidstone! |
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A piano Soiree was held. |
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Charlotte was a finalist in the Kent Messenger's Young Cooks 2018 Competition. |
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Students attended the MUNGA Conference in Geneva. |
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Students were presented with their Bronze, Silver and Gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards. |
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2017 |
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RAG Week raised and amazing £7921.96! |
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Operation Christmas Child collected over 200 boxes for children around the world. |
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Invicta established and exchange program with a school from Hong Kong. Students enjoyed showing their partners to the attractions around Maidstone and London. |
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East Borough Primary School joined VIAT, Valley Invicta Academy Trust. |
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The Autumn Concert was outstanding! |
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Daisy, Melissa and Megan won a bench for the school grounds after entering Maidstone Musuem's Treasures for Trash competition. |
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Millie was a finalist at the Kent Young Chef Award in November. |
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Invicta held its fourth annual International Cultural Festival with 35 countries represented. Children from local primary schools attended. |
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World School was in Australia. |
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16 students completed their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award. |
£50,421 |
An amazing, record-breaking £50,421 was raised in the school year, 2016-2017 for the chosen RAG and other charities. |
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Invicta's Award Evening guest presenters were former students Lucy Harden and Matilda Knowler and one of the UK's top sprinters Tommy Ramdhan. |
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Invicta's Young Chamber and Interact Groups organised their third Murder Mystery event to raise money for AICM and SUDEP. |
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Students went on a 10 day exchange to Invicta's partner school, Trafalgar School for Girls in Montreal, Canada. |
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The Sports Tour was to Barbados. |
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The World Challenge Expedition was to Kerula, India. |
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There was an Italian Design Tour to Milan. |
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Alumni afternoon tea. |
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The school production was The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. |
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The Summer Concert was outstanding. |
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Yazmin and Max were voted Head Girl and Head Boy. |
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Invicta had three teachers presented with awards at their annual Teacher of the Year event. Mrs Stephanie Robinson, Mr John Salsbury and Mrs Bev Swaffer. |
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The ski trip was to Shampoluc, Italy. |
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A Piano Soiree was held in January. |
Historic information provided by EIS and www.hereshistorykent.org.uk.
Archive
2016 |
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RAG Week continued to be a very popular time at Invicta. |
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Operation Christmas Child was supported once again. |
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Our annual Certificate Presentation Evening had past student, and now actress, Samantha Giles and Editor, Trevor Sturgess, presenting certificates to the students. |
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Students and staff took part in a 24 hour row to raise funds for their Sports Tour in 2017. |
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There was a picnic on Vinters field as part of the anniversary celebrations. |
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An aerial photo of staff and students on the Astro turf was taken as part of the anniversary celebrations. |
£47,000 |
Nearly £47000 was raised in the school year, 2015-2016 for the chosen RAG charities. |
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The school production was the Sound of Music. |
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Lacrosse was included in the sports on offer at the school. |
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The school hosted their annual Alumni event. An extra special event to mark the 75th Anniversary of a Girls Technical School in Maidstone and the 50th Anniversary of the school on the Huntsman Lane site. |
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Dr Phil Limbert retired from Invicta. Julie Derrick and Vic Ashdown became joint CEOs of VIAT whilst remaining Headteachers of Invicta Grammar School and Valley Park School respectively. |
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A choir of students from feeder Primary Schools was created at Invicta. |
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There was an exhibition of Maidstone Technical High School for Girls school uniform at Maidstone Musuem. |
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Emily and Matt were voted Head Girl and Head Boy. |
2015 |
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Students and staff donated cans of food for the 'You Can' appeal with the Salvation Army. |
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Julie Derrick met Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh. |
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Isabella won the Kent Cooks Competition. |
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Invicta held their first International Culture Festival. |
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FIGS held their annual Autumn Fair. |
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Invicta's Over 60s Club enjoyed an afternoon at the races. |
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Georgia and Matt were voted Head Girl and Head Boy. |
£43,002.88 |
£43,002.88 was raised in the 2013 - 2014 academic school year for charity. |
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The school production was Grease. |
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Invicta was selected as part of the National Theatre Connections project to perform the Hactivists by Ben Ockrent. |
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The Music Department held a 1970s style evening. |
2014 |
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The Izatt Building was officially opened by the Duke of Gloucester. The building was named after David Izatt, a long serving school governor. |
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Invicta held its first Over 60s Club at school after replacing the Weavering Over 60s Club. |
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World School 2014 was in Vladivostok, Russia. |
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New sports facilities, including a 3G pitch were completed. |
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Katie and Alex were voted Head Girl and Head Boy. |
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The Izatt Building opened in February 2014 replacing the English PODs. |
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Invicta Grammar School received the Interact Rotary Charter making them officially Rotarians. |
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The school production was Schools Will Rock You. |
£30,161 |
Over £30,161 was raised in the 2013 - 2014 academic school year for charity. |
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In April there was a ski trip to La Thuile in Italy. |
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Invicta's was selected, by the National Theatre's Connections project, to create a production of The Wardrobe. Which was performed at The Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury. |
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2013 |
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A Service of Readings and Carols for Advent was held at All Saints' Church on 12 December 2013. |
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World School 2013 was held in Tokyo, Japan. |
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Lilly and James were voted Head Girl and Head Boy. |
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Invicta held its first Alumni event for past Staff and Students. |
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The school production was a modern day interpretation of 'Romeo and Juliet'. |
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The school blouse changed from sky blue to a maroon and white stripe. |
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Invicta student Hannah Marno won a competition to create a knight and princess characters for Leeds Castle. |
£31,000 |
Over £31,000 was raised for charity. |
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In April there was a ski trip to La Plannibel, Italy. |
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2012 |
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World School 2012 was held in Tennessee, USA. |
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Annabelle and Matthew were voted Head Girl and Head Boy. |
£32,000 |
Over £32,000 was raised for charity. |
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Invicta received an Outstanding rating by Ofsted. |
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Invicta celebrated the Queens Jubilee with a whole school party. There were competitions for the Jubilee Quiz, Queen's Portrait, Best Jubilee Costume and Best Dressed Table. |
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Two Invicta students carried the Olympic Torch through Maidstone. The school was also fortunate to have an Olympic Torch in school for an assembly. |
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The school production was 'Oliver!'. |
2011 |
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Invicta started the Over 60's ICT club. |
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Invicta had their first bee hive. |
£20,000 |
Over £20,00 was raised for charity. |
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Charlotte and Sam were voted Head Girl and Head Boy. |
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The school production was Gyne - Helen of Troy. |
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The all school production was My Fair Lady. |
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Invicta started a 2 year Comenius project with Product Design students and the luxury handbag designer Fratelli Rossetti. |
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Invicta and the Kopernikus-Gymnasium Rheine in Germany, celebrated the 30th anniversary of exchanges. |
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2010 |
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Mrs Julie Derrick became Headteacher. |
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Lourdes and Daniel were voted Head Girl and Head Boy. |
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Business Studies students visited America as part of their studies. |
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Students enjoyed a 'Pink' non-uniform day with Helen Grant MP visiting the school dressed for the occasion. |
| Invicta students formed a new Young Chamber board. | |
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Student Houses were introduced: Austen, Bronte, Colvin, Curie, Frank, Nightingale, Pankhurst and Roddick. |
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Mid Summer Nights Dream. |
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2009 |
| Kate and Jonathan were voted Head Girl and Head Boy. | |
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The first Invicta Voice was launched by a student team. |
| The school changed its management information system from SIMS to CMIS. | |
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A new Food Technology Room was fitted. |
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Interactive whiteboards and multimedia projectors were installed in every classroom in the school. |
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The school switched to a cashless catering system. |
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The school production was Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. |
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The school production was Evita. |
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2008 |
£20,000 |
Over £20,000 was raised for charity. |
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2007 |
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Invicta received a Good with Outstanding features rating by Ofsted. |
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2006 |
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Dr Phil Limbert became Executive Headteacher. |
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Ms Kirstin Cardus became Head of School. |
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Staff visited Groutville in South Africa. |
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2005 |
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Mr Michael Liddicoat became Acting Head of School |
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2004 |
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The school opened the Invicta Internet Café, the Mezzanine Floor, as a result of their Business and Enterprise status granted by the Government. |
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1997 |
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Dominic Griffiths, Violin and Mark Fielding, Piano, gave a recital on 18 June 1997. |
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The School Production was Hiawatha. |
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1996 |
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Recital given by former student Fiona Wight.At 17 years old, Fiona won two national singing competitions. |
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1993 |
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Mrs Sue Glanville became Headteacher. |
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1991 |
| The school celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the foundation of the school. On 5 July 1991 the Annual Rose Day Service formed the focus of the planned day of celebration. The Mayor, local MP were guests together with approximately 800 former students and staff. |
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Dr Roland Dick retired after working at the school for 28 years from 1963 to 1991. |
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Approval was granted for an all-weather games pitch funded by Mobil. |
| The National Curriculum was introduced. Technology was being considered as a National Curriculum Initiative in Year 9 in 1991-1992. | |
| Balanced Science was introduced with some students continuing to study the three separate sciences. | |
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The school production was Guys and Dolls. |
1990 |
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| The school changed its name to Invicta Grammar School due to boys being able to study at the school in the 6th form. | |
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1988 |
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The Albion Building opened. The Music Auditorium opened. The front of the school was remodelled. |
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1987 |
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Albion Place was evacuated as a result of the hurricane on Thursday 15 October. There were plans to replace the building due to a road improvement scheme. |
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The school production was Matchgirls. |
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1986 |
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The Staff Christmas Panto was Grease. |
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The school production was A Midsummer Night's Dream which was staged in the round using a creative minimum of scenery and magnificent costumes and makeup. |
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Alison Wooler sailed on the Arethusa, a 72ft ketch owned by the Shaftsbury Homes. |
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1985 |
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The school changed its name to Invicta Grammar School for Girls. |
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£1000 |
Over £1000 was raised for charity. |
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1984 |
| Nicola Page was School Council Chairwoman. | |
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1983 |
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Miss Price, Deputy Headmistress, retired in July 1983 after joining the school in 1945. |
| The Chairman of the School Council was Mary-Jane Stevens. | |
£500 |
Rag Week raised over £500. |
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The staff pantomime was Romeo and Juliet, written by Mr Earle Davies, a Sixth Form Tutor. |
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1980 |
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A group of students and staff went on a ski-trip to Sauze d'Oulx in Western Italy. |
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1977 |
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Christmas of 1977 saw the first of the Staff Pantomimes written and performed by the staff. The first pantomime was 'Cinderella.' |
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The Sixth Form performed a dance drama 'Agamemnon', the Greek legend concerning the King of Mycenae. |
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There was a school cruise around the Island of Rhodes. |
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1976 |
| The school year 1976-1977 saw the third year of transfer at 13+ and the expansion of the School into a six form entry. | |
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Miss Thomas, Headmistress from 1948-1965, died on 27 November. Miss Thomas had a distinguished career in Kent for many years. She was a woman of vision and outstanding intellect and then helped pioneer the new Technical Education which first developed in Kent at Chatham, Bexley and Maidstone. It was due to Miss Thomas's foresight and persistence that the current school was built in Huntsman Lane. |
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1974 |
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The Sixth Form presented a dance drama 'Orpheus' which was performed in school and at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury. |
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1973 |
| The school changed its name to Maidstone School for Girls due to the technical studies emphasis having been reduced. | |
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1972 |
| The school became a Thameside Upper School with entry changing to 13+. | |
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1969 |
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Mrs Glenda Blackburn became Headmistress. |
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1968 |
| Miss Osborn, Headmistress, died 13 July 1968. | |
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1965 |
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The new school building in Huntsman Lane opened. |
| Girls entered the school following successfully completing the 11+ examination. | |
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Miss Mabel G Osborn became Headmistress of the Technical High School for Girls. |
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1948 |
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Miss Amy Thomas became the Headmistress of the Technical High School for Girls at Albion Place. Girls entered the school at 13 years old after successfully completing a competitive exam. |
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1945 |
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Miss Price joined the school which was a Department of the Technical College at the time. She was renowned for teaching French, noticing students behaviour and appearance and for the daily TTAs. Miss Price is bottom right in the picture which is believed to have been taken during the 1950s. |
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1940 |
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The girls' section of the Commercial School was re-instituted in 1940 in the Tonbridge Road/Westree Road premises of the Boys' Technical School under Mr H Collins. |
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1921 |
| The Girls' Commercial Department closed at the end of the Summer Term 1921 as the result of widespread economy in the nation's finances known as the 'Geddes axe'. | |
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1918 |
| In January, the Junior Technical High School for Boys and the Junior Commercial School for Girls were opened with the Principal of the Institute of Science and Art, Mr James Quick, as its first Headmaster. | |
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1904 |
| The life of the school started when Technical Education was taken over by the Education Committee of the Kent County Council. | |
Education in Kent |
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1947 |
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The post-war baby boom, that peaked in 1947, necessitated about a 25% increase in expenditure in Kent on infant and junior schools in the 1950s. Despite this, spending on primary education remained relatively low and the pressure on accommodation, class sizes and resources continued till the 1990s. There were shortages of teachers, especially in the 1950s and 60s and KEC responded with emergency training in the 1940s, the takeover of Stockwell College in Bromley and the building of Sittingbourne and Nonnington Teacher Training Colleges in the 1960s. Curriculum change in the primary schools followed national patterns and developed steadily in the post war period with a notable improvement in standards towards the end of the 1990s. Education for pupils with special educational needs was underdeveloped through much of the twentieth century. One school and a policy of sending the most severely disabled pupils out of the county characterised attitudes in the 1930s. The 1945 Act required KEC to look after eleven categories of children with special needs. Provision was established slowly. The School Psychology Service was formed in 1960 and there was considerable debate about policy. It was not until 1974 that there were 16 day schools, 11 boarding schools, 6 hospital schools, 11 units and 12 remedial centres. This was a revolution in the attitudes towards and support for, special needs. Since the 1970s more special needs children have been taken into mainstream schools with considerable emphasis placed on inclusion during the late 1990s. In the 1920s and 30s there were 14 Technical Institutes and 10 Art Schools in the county. 17 of these institutions were housed in buildings constructed before 1900 and the standard of the accommodation was very poor. After 1945 the Kent Education Committee development plan outlined new provision for 10,000 places, however, there were no new buildings until the early 1960s when Bromley, Medway and North West Kent were developed. By the mid 1970s there had been considerable building including a new agricultural college at Hadlow. In 1993 further education colleges became independent of local authority funding. |
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1938 - 1945 |
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The statistics for 1938 and 1945 show why the budget for education increased from £3 million to £5 million. In 1938 there were 103,00 pupils, 3,000 teachers and 597 schools. By 1945 this had increased to 161,000 pupils, 5,000 teachers and 838 schools, of which 500 had suffered war damage. There had also been several phases of evacuation to and from the county as well as the considerable war-time disruption of classes. By 1945 there was a desperate need for renewal. The Education Act of 1944 allowed KEC to continue with 'the well tried bases of existing school types' thus maintaining a selective system in the county that continues today. It is a system that has been no more efficient than similar counties with comprehensive systems and which has consistently offered limited opportunities to those who do not pass the selection tests at eleven. |
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1918 - 1939 |
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Between 1918 and 1939 there was increased expenditure on secondary education but this was hampered by recurring periods of extended financial stringency. The economic crises meant funds in Kent were in short supply. A significant proportion of the expenditure of the KEC was on new schools for the expanding north west of the county were 11,074 new school places were needed between 1933 and 1938.There were increased opportunities in secondary schools for a very limited number of pupils but they did not match the ambitions of the 1918 Education Act. In 1903, Kent provided 2,036 places in secondary schools; by 1929 this had risen to 12,263. A similar increase had taken place in the art and technical schools where numbers had risen from 8,743 to 15,465. This reflected the interest of parents in the advantages of a secondary education but by the end of the 1930s only limited structural and physical reorganisation of the secondary system had been achieved. There was great diversity within the county and a very limited vision for most of its young people. Only in the late 1930s was there systematic financing and planning and no sooner had the economy improved than the impending war once again halted further expenditure. |
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1914 - 1918 |
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| Proposals by the Liberals to increase expenditure on education in 1914 promised a review but it was fatally halted by the war. Despite the conflict, the education system in Kent continued to grow but was seriously disrupted with 65% of KEC staff 'joining up'. The focus on reform returned towards the end of the war and was further supplemented by the public pressure that was represented by a 25% increase in the number of secondary school pupils between 1914 and 1918. Moral posturing about the impact of juvenile employment during the war led to an outcry against the exploitation of children and this, with several other factors, turned the government's attention to reviewing the inequitable and inefficient secondary education system. After the war a government departmental committee noted that 'public education after the elementary school leaving age is a part-time affair. And there is very little of it.' This was certainly the case in Kent and it would not improve greatly in the inter-war years. |
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1900 |
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| In 1900 secondary education places in the county were limited. The wealthy used private tutors, sent their children to the Public Schools, or to one of the many private schools and academies. Those less well off had very few opportunities. Some board schools developed classes for older pupils but these were very deliberately abolished by the education Act of 1902 which supported the grammar schools, that were in many cases competing unsuccessfully with the technical institutes. Provision for girls at secondary level was very poor and a programme of new schools slowly increased the inadequate number of places available. Throughout this period the perception in the KEC was that elementary education was for the lower classes and that few would benefit from a secondary education. The focus at secondary level after 1902 was almost solely on the grammar schools for the middle classes. |
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1891 |
| The KEC had it origins in a sub committee of the Kent Technical Education Committee (KTEC) established in 1891 to administer funds released by the government from the Local Taxation Act of 1890. These funds, known as 'whisky money', were a duty raised on alcohol that was passed directly on to the newly established county councils to develop technical education or supplement the rates. The KTEC was established to provide grants for the establishment of technical institutes and grammar schools in towns, two agricultural colleges and several further education initiatives. | |
1870 Act |
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| It cannot be claimed that 1870 created a new education culture, rather it was one that was different and one that became dominant model by the end of the century. The Education Act of 1870 forced the establishment of elected school boards to provide education where the presence of the voluntary societies was inadequate. By 1901 there were 90 board schools in Kent and 342 voluntary schools many of which, according to the inspectors, were in a very poor state of repair. In the Act of 1902 the government delegated the funding of school boards and the voluntary schools in the primary sector to local authorities, which in the case of Kent was the Kent Education Committee (KEC). |
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1850s |
| The most accurate statistical picture of the state of education in Kent in the 1850s is provided by Ecclesiastical census of 1851. This census included one of the earliest assessments of educational provision. It reported that there were 638 Sunday schools with a total of 57,987 pupils and 6,416 teachers of whom only 338 were paid. In the summary tables Kent is listed as having 85,458 pupils in 1,930 day schools of which 1430 were private day schools and 590 were public day schools. There were also 27 workhouse schools, 8 military schools and 8 Naval schools. In 1851 the support for these schools came from a variety of sources, local taxation supported 43, endowments existed for 79 whilst 353 were supported by religious bodies, that left 25 public schools maintained by fees. There were 25 grammar schools for boys and a further 65 endowed schools. At the very bottom of the system the census records 10 Ragged schools, one agricultural school and 14 which were of 'no specific character'. This reinforces the picture of diversity in the provision of education in Kent prior to the 1870 Act. | |
Historic information provided by EIS and www.hereshistorykent.org.uk.
