Weekly Message 230 – 21 June 2024
21st June 2024
Duke of Edinburgh Silver Expedition
This week was ‘National Thank a Teacher Day’ and all staff wish to say ‘thank you’ for all the lovely messages received from pupils and parents/carers; they were very much appreciated.
Thank you also to the parents and carers of Year 7 pupils for joining us at the Parents’ Subject Evening and completing the questionnaire; we value this feedback. We hope that parents/carers found the information shared by each of their children’s teachers useful as they approach the end of Year 7 and the beginning of Year 8.
A huge well done to Year 10 for completing a number of exams this week in the Sports Hall and the other exam rooms. As well as providing important assessment data to inform teaching and learning, the exams are designed to help pupils learn the routine of sitting a formal exam (as defined by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ)). The pupils have been brilliant, following the instructions of teachers and invigilators.
School Calendar
All events are detailed on the school calendar published on our website school calendar. You can access the calendar in either ‘agenda view’ or ‘calendar view’ by clicking the button on the right-hand side just above the calendar.
‘Agenda view’ will show an easy-to-read list of all events in a particular month. ‘Calendar view’ shows the events under separate days; to view all events in a day, you may have to click on ‘+show more’ at the bottom of each date entry. To change months, you will need to be in ‘calendar view’ then click the arrows next to the ‘today’ button. You can then go back to ‘agenda view’ which will show the updated month.
Parent Tours Available for Parents/Carers of Current Pupils
Every year we invite prospective parents/carers and pupils into school to see the school on a usual day and help with secondary school decision making. We recognise that parents/carers of pupils currently on roll at the school will be equally as interested to see their child’s school in action.
Therefore, we are pleased to announce that we are launching tours for parents/carers of current pupils. Information about when tours are available has been sent to parents/carers directly which can be booked by contacting the school on 01329 231641
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award – Silver Expedition
Last weekend we took 20 pupils for their Silver Duke of Edinburgh expedition to Purbeck for three days’ walking and two nights’ camping. The pupils had planned their route, organised their food for the trip and had to carry all the essentials they needed for the three days.
The pupils were amazing and even though some groups occasionally took a minor detour, were intimidated by sheep and had the worst weather on the first evening to set up camp and cook, they should all be very proud of their effort, determination and the resilience they showed throughout the three days. We were extremely proud of all of them and enjoyed spending the time supporting their amazing effort.
Year 8 Student Leadership Network
On Thursday, five Year 8 pupils attended the last session of the Portsmouth Student Leadership Network. They were given a tour of Portsmouth Guildhall, learned about its history, the variety of events and opportunities they run for the local community and explored the Portsmouth Music Experience (free exhibition open to all).
They took part in a series of activities with other local schools which included discussing inspiring people in the creative industries and creating a t-shirt with quotes from people who had inspired them, some of our favourites being “You are born an original, don’t die a copy” – John Mason and “Just keep swimming” – Dory. At the end of the day, they were awarded for their attendance with a certificate from Joanne Shankland, Vice Principal Student Experience at City of Portsmouth College,
Year 9 Art Workshop Visit to Northern Junior School
On the afternoon of Wednesday 19 June, the Art Department along with three super Year 9 helpers, visited Northern Junior School as part of our masterclass initiative which saw the whole of Year 5 create hanging clay birds. The pupils learned about embellishment and the quality of mark making to create texture. The birds have been brought back to Cams Hill to be fired in our kiln before being returned to the pupils to paint and hang around their school. The Art department are also visiting other local primary schools over the next few weeks to meet with Year 5 and deliver our Art workshops.
Year 8 Water Sports Trips
Over two days this week, 126 Year 8 pupils went to the Chichester water park for the day to help build relationships through teamwork, to give them an opportunity to do something they may not have tried before and to enjoy themselves. The activities included large SUP, kayaking and an inflatable assault course. The feedback from the pupils has been extremely positive and the staff valued the time spent with the pupils in a different environment.
Sports Day Challenge
History House Competition
Sports Results
Athletics
A hot afternoon of athletics at the Year 7 Gosport and Fareham District Championships resulted in an overall 🥈 out of 11 schools. Huge congratulations to all involved, this is a fantastic achievement.
The pupils below have been invited to represent Gosport and Fareham District Athletics team at the Hampshire Championships taking place soon. We will keep you posted!
K Robinson 🥇 High Jump
L Quinn 🥇 600m
O Davenport 🥈 Shot Putt
R Salt 🥈 Javelin
S Greenham-Smith 🥈 1,000m
Z Johnson 🥉 Shot Putt (reserve)
I Hutchins 🥉 High Jump (reserve)
B Knipe 🥉 1,000m
Netball
On Tuesday, Year 9 pupils played netball against Brookfield and won 30-4. Congratulations to all who took part.
Volleyball
Priestlands School in the New Forest hosted our pupils in their district Volleyball tournament.
A second chance to compete for most of the athletes here, and a chance to excel for the older boys.
Year 10 boys placed 4th in the 3rd / 4th place play off – frustrations in the air after missing out on a spot in the final by a single point in the timed games but nonetheless a great team effort.
Careers Spotlight – Apprenticeships
Apprenticeships are just one of the pathways available post-16. An apprenticeship is an opportunity to work and study at the same time. Most of the time is spent doing on-the-job training with an employer, and the rest is spent working towards a qualification either at a college or training provider. You will get paid a salary and be part of a team, just like a standard employee, but you will also get dedicated study time throughout the week.
There are two levels of qualification available to pupils when they leave school depending on their GCSE results; Level 2 or Level 3, with the average apprenticeship salary of £18,832 for Level 2 and £20,676 for Level 3.
Based on a recent survey by Rate my Apprenticeship, the most popular industries for apprenticeships are:
Business 32%
Technology 24%
Engineering 21%
Marketing 17%
Accounting 16%.
56% of those surveyed said that the cost of living has impacted their attitudes towards apprenticeships which may have contributed to the rise in popularity. The recruitment process differs considerably to applying for college and is more like applying for a full-time job. Within the survey it was identified that 4/10 did not feel confident in securing an apprenticeship due to a variety of reasons; there are however websites you can go to for support:
Parents Hub (ratemyapprenticeship.co.uk)
Find an apprenticeship – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Get started (apprenticeships.gov.uk)
Applying for an apprenticeship (apprenticeships.gov.uk)
Attendance Spotlight – Studybugs and Punctuality
Informing the school of a pupil absence
A reminder that the school is now using a more efficient and secure system for reporting a child’s absence called Studybugs. The email address of absences@camshill.com will no longer be in use from Monday. There will still be the option of ringing the school absence line, but we ask moving forwards that parents/carers use the Studybugs app to inform the school of your child’s absence. If you haven’t already, please get the free Studybugs app, or register on the Studybugs website, and use it to tell us whenever your child’s is ill and unable to attend school. You can also click on this link too.
Get the app or register now (https://studybugs.com/about/parents)
Punctuality to School
We have seen an improvement in punctuality this week. Pupils have been informed that traffic is no longer an acceptable reason for arriving late to school, unless there is major disruption affecting a significant number of pupils. Good punctuality is fundamental to the school day, and we will remain consistent in our approach. Please do read the following carefully and ensure your child is aware of the consequences should they be late.
- Years 7 and 8 are required to be on the hard courts before 0830. After this time the main gate by the bike sheds will be closed. Any pupil in Year 7 and 8 arriving after the gate has been closed will be issued a break-time detention (20mins), on the same day. This will be set on ClassCharts.
- Years 9 and 10 will be required to be on the hard courts by 0835. The gates will be shut and locked at 0840. Pupils in Years 9 and 10 arriving after this time will be issued with a same day breaktime detention, issued on ClassCharts.
- Pupils must not enter the school through main reception unless they have a specific pass.
- Should a pupil fail to attend the breaktime detention, the detention will then be upscaled to a 20 minute after school detention. Non-attendance to this will be upscaled further.
- Arrival to school after 0900, will automatically be recorded as an unauthorised absence.
- Where there is repeated lateness to school, the Year Team will contact parents/carers to discuss the concern and any further lateness may be recorded as unauthorised. This could result in a penalty notice being issued.
You can support your child by:
- Ensuring that they get up in plenty of time to be ready and prepared for school.
- Ensuring they have organised their bag and equipment the night before so that this does not delay departure in the morning.
- Discussing any issues of lateness with them to ensure this does not become a habit.
- Monitoring their attendance record and identifying any patterns of lateness.
Please do contact the Year Team, or Mrs White (Attendance Home School Link) if you have concerns about punctuality to school.
Menu
Chef’s Pod will be BBQ chicken & bacon burger in a brioche bap.
We have been getting great feedback for our BBQ Fridays so we would like to continue this through the summer (weather permitting).
Build a bag deal – we will be trailing this concept throughout next week. it will be a Grab & Go option where you pick your items, pay and take them away, hopefully making it easier to get lunch and enjoy the weather
Whole School Letters Published This Half Term
Below is a list of letters emailed to all parents/carers this half term together with the date and time they were sent. If you are unable to find any of the communications, please email office@camshill.com and we can send you a further copy.
Sports Day – 21/6/24 1503
Summer Concert – 21/6/24 1101
Communication with Parents and Carers – 14/6/24 0925
Punctuality to School – 12/6/24 1703
Informing the School of a Pupil Absence – 12/6/24 1201
House and Rewards Celebration Day – 6/6/24 1009
Uniform Expectations – 24/5/24 1601
A27 Cams Hill Improvement Scheme – 10/5/24 1702
Statistics
House Points Averages per Pupil for This Week
Year 7 6.15 points
Year 8 3.91 points
Year 9 4.40 points
Year 10 2.63 points
Attendance
| Dates | Total attendance |
| This week | 94.3% |
| Same week last year | 93.6% |
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 (including half term)
Year 7 11.8 questions
Year 8 13.4 questions
Year 9 6.7 questions
Year 10 39.9 questions
Highest number of questions answered by one pupil this week (including half term)
Year 7 74 questions
Year 8 117 questions
Year 9 111 questions
Year 10 182 questions
Not all Maths homework is set on MathsWatch, which is likely to affect the averages.
Upcoming Maths Assessments
| Year 7 | w/b 24 June 2024 (non-calculator) |
| Year 8 | w/b 24 June (calculator) |
| Year 10 | this week |
Educake – Science
Average number of questions answered per pupil this week
Year 7 28.76 questions
Year 8 30.49 questions
Year 9 39.15 questions
Year 10 74.89 questions
Year 11 29.27 questions
Highest number of questions answered by one pupil this week
Year 7 381 questions
Year 8 182 questions
Year 9 270 questions
Year 10 568 questions
Year 11 720 questions