Weekly Message 219 – 15 March 2024

15th March 2024

We remind parents/carers that the Year 9 Guided Choices evening takes place on Tuesday 19 March 1630-1830 with subject specialists available to meet with pupils, parents and carers.

Along with an assembly that took place this week and the Guided Choices Handbook, the evening is designed to support pupils to make informed choices for next year based on an understanding of what each subject has to offer and what is expected from pupils as they progress through a course.

There will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions on the evening and we always welcome questions at other times to help pupils to complete their Guided Choices form – the link to the form will be provided after the evening event.

We are rapidly approaching yet another end of term. Between now and then, the second Year 11 Parents’ Subject Evening of the year is taking place on Tuesday 26 March 2024 with appointment booking opening at 1800 on 15 March 2024. We also have the Jazz Café taking place on Thursday next week – the tickets are now sold out and final preparations are taking place ahead of what is always a very entertaining evening.

Year 11 Football – JJ Cup

The Year 11 boys competed in the John Jenkins Trophy on Thursday at the newly built John Jenkins sport facility at Moneyfields with two teams competing in different groups.

They all thoroughly enjoyed themselves and got the added bonus of meeting Portsmouth Manager John Mousinho.

All the boys were brilliant and a joy to be around. They were respectful to the other teams and the staff running the tournament, with some fantastic feedback. A tournament to remember!

Volleyball Festival

On Wednesday we hosted a Volleyball Festival with Mountbatten School. All pupils from Mountbatten and the majority from Cams Hill took part in their first competition with teams of four playing against each other in a round robin.

The level of competition between teams and the evident joy on the pupils’ faces tells us the event was a real success.

Year 9 Construction Taster Session at Fareham College

On Monday a group of Year 9 pupils visited Fareham College to take part in a Construction Taster session.

After a presentation and tour of the facilities they were able to try their hand at a practical activity, with each pupil choosing a particular area to learn more about. Those who chose Electrical Installation learned how to wire a light, carpentry to install a door hinge, bricklaying to build a wall and plumbing to solder a pipe!

GCSE Photography Photoshoot

For a change of scenery on Monday our Year 10 pupils studying GCSE Photography met professional photographer Paul Gonella from the Strong Island Company for a photoshoot in Old Portsmouth.

As part of their coursework portfolio, pupils are encouraged to take part in location shoots and The Hotwalls in Old Portsmouth gave pupils the opportunity to practise their camera skills. Paul shared many practical tips to help the pupils take incredible images from both smart phones and DSLR cameras. Well done to all pupils involved. We can’t wait to see your edited images!

Maths House Challenge – Pi Bake Off

What an incredible response to the Maths House Challenge this week – our best year by far!

Thank you to the pupils and staff who between them, created 61 wonderful, pi-related “bakes”. This beats any previous competitions by over 60%. It was an absolute pleasure to talk to pupils about their ideas and celebrate their success and creativity. They really rose to the challenge, and we couldn’t get over the constant queue of people waiting to submit their entries.

Thank you to all who took the time to be a part of this wonderful challenge.

GCSE Dance

This week our Year 11 GCSE Dance pupils completed the final part of their practical non-exam assessment. They have worked hard since October choreographing their pieces with younger pupils who did them proud. The external examiner was impressed with all the different concepts and styles, and it was lovely to see the younger pupils working so hard to support the Year 11 pupils. Thank you and well done!

Careers Spotlight – Helpful Podcasts

This week in the Careers Spotlight we want to talk about podcasts. There is a wealth of incredible resources online for both pupils and parents/carers; however, sometimes it is hard to find the time to sit and read through this information. Podcasts are a brilliant way of learning more about the world of careers and how to support young people.

The Parent Perspective

A podcast hosted by BBC presenter Rachel Burden, and created to help parents and carers support their children in making more informed career decisions with greater confidence, knowledge and understanding. In each episode they share experiences of navigating career conversations with your children and provide insights into how the world of work is changing from trusted experts, organisations and employers already working with young people today.

The Careers Podcast

Nick Howes from LMI UK and presenter John Rose host The Careers Podcast combining useful and inspiring personal development with practical insights into a whole variety of career opportunities, explained first-hand by those who are currently in that role. This podcast aims at helping young people understand more about the richness of career opportunities that exist for them whilst also equipping them with the means to achieve.

Statistics

House Points Averages per Pupil for This Week

Year 7 6.24 points

Year 8 5.15 points

Year 9 6.21 points

Year 10 4.88 points

Year 11 2.28 points

MathsWatch and Educake

These are two online resources that we expect pupils to be accessing routinely with homework set by teachers and independently to support their progress in Maths, Science and other subjects. We ask parents to check in with their child to see whether they are accessing these resources routinely and to encourage best use of them.

MathsWatch

Average number of questions answered per pupil this week

Year 7 6.43 questions

Year 8 5.92 questions

Year 9 10.73 questions

Year 10 38.30 questions

Year 11 5.73 questions

Highest number of questions answered by one pupil this week

Year 7 94 questions

Year 8 64 questions

Year 9 143 questions

Year 10 84 questions

Year 11 101 questions

Not all Maths homework is set on MathsWatch, which is likely to affect the averages.

Upcoming Maths Assessment Dates

Year 7 w/c 25 March

Year 8 – w/c 25 March

Year 9 – w/c 18 March

Year 10 – this week

Educake – Science

1,000,000 questions answered during Science Week!

Average number of questions answered per pupil this week

Year 7 45 questions

Year 8 60 questions

Year 9 30 questions

Year 10 89 questions

Year 11 121 questions

Highest number of questions answered by one pupil this week

Year 7 426 questions

Year 8 368 questions

Year 9 517 questions

Year 10 711 questions

Year 11 1411 questions