Kingswood school in Bath has announced the appointment of Katy Thomas as Chaplain to the Kingswood Foundation. Katy will lead the school’s worship and make a significant contribution to its pastoral and wider life, promoting the schools ethos of ‘do all the good you can, in all the ways you can’.
“It is with great pleasure that I announce the appointment of Katy Thomas as Chaplain to the Kingswood Foundation,” said Headmaster and Principal of the Kingswood Foundation, Andrew Gordon-Brown. “Encouraging all members of our inclusive Kingswood family to have life and have it to the full is part of our mission, and I am both excited and confident that Katy will draw on her vast pastoral and educational experience to lead the work of the chaplaincy and to support and enrich the life of our community.
“Katy is a deeply spiritual person whose role is central in our efforts to nudge our boys and girls to take up John Wesley’s challenge to “Do all the good you can…” Katy will take up residence at Kingswood over the summer holidays but we look forward to welcoming her to the school over the coming terms to meet pupils and staff and learn more about the life of our busy school community.”
Born in the North East of England, Katy studied Education with History and Drama at Warwick University, and taught Year 3 and 4 children in Hertford before applying to become a Methodist Mission Partner. She then spent six years in Chile teaching English as a Foreign Language to children aged from three to 18 years in the Methodist School in Concepción. Whilst in Chile, Katy also volunteered on a street project and carried out youth work in the local church.
Upon her return to the UK, she completed a post-graduate diploma and an MA in Theology and Mission at Durham University, then went on to carry out youth work and ministry as a Lay worker before candidating to become a Methodist Minister. Katy’s first appointment was in the Clitheroe Circuit in Lancashire, before she moved to her current appointment in Wilmslow, Cheshire in 2012 where she looks after three churches and is chair of a pre-school.
“In addition to the incredible facilities, the thing that struck me most on my visit to Kingswood was the warmth of welcome, the passion and enthusiasm of the staff and the positive experience of Kingswood life shared by senior students,” said Katy. “I am excited by the prospect of joining and helping to support this compassionate, kind and outward-looking community.”