Community Involvement by Individuals

Members of staff are involved in a number of local organisations in a number of roles including:

• Continuing involvement in the local administration of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme;
• Serving as a JP - Central Kent Bench, Court Chairman and Bench Appraiser;
• As trustees of Tonbridge CAB;
• As a trustee of the Pensions Trust;
• As Governors of Local Primary Schools;
• As a patron of The Bridge Trust;
• As Rear Commodore at Bough Beech Sailing Club and Vice Commodore of British Schools Dinghy Racing Association;
• As fundraisers for various charities including Rugby Rwanda and;
• As a social worker for a local Youth Group.

Many staff spend time in the school holidays volunteering for charities both in the UK and overseas. Where possible Tonbridge supports their staff in these activities.

Recently a member of the Chemistry Department spent, Katie Wood, spent six weeks over the summer training science teachers with the Kathmandu International Study Centre, a Christian charity in Nepal. Her varied and frequently improvised programme included buying science resources, setting up a laboratory, being observed in the classroom, working with individual teachers, running workshops for groups of teachers and writing progress reports. Along with carrying out a basic course in Nepali, other difficulties included travelling through the city during political strikes and protests, clearing up after a monsoon flood, and hiking up to remote schools in the hills through leech infested areas!