Weekly Message 252 – 24 January 2025
24th January 2025
A reminder to parents and carers that next Friday 31 January 2025 is an INSET Day (as published on the school calendar) and therefore the school will be closed to pupils on this day.
This is a common closure day organised by the Fareham and Gosport Collaboration. Colleagues in several local secondary schools will engage in collaborative training with a focus on curriculum development, teaching, learning and assessment as well as other key development priorities.
Three weeks into the term and pupils are settled into their learning routines working with their teachers to secure the best outcomes. We remain steadfast in fostering a positive and respectful atmosphere, emphasising the core values of courtesy, courage and commitment that underpin everything we do. These values guide not only how we learn but also how we interact with one another and welcome visitors to our school.
We continue to focus on pupils coming to school equipped with the essentials. Each pupil must have two pens, two pencils, a 30cm ruler and a calculator. Thank you to parents and carers for reinforcing this expectation at home, ensuring that their child is ready to make the most of their learning opportunities each day.
Children’s Mental Health Week 2025 – Non-School Uniform Day – Thursday 30 January 2025
Ahead of Children’s Mental Health Week 2025, we are holding a non-school uniform day on Thursday 30 January 2025. We kindly ask for a small donation in support of the local charity, Solent Mind. Pupils who wish to wear non-school uniform can donate via the specified ScoPay Charity Dress Down button between now and Thursday 30 January 2025.
A Christmas Carol
Year 10 had a live experience of A Christmas Carol when The Quantum Theatre Company came to visit on Monday morning. Three actors took on all the characters of the famous novella and entertained our Year 10 pupils who really enjoyed themselves revising the plot and quotations.
Trip to Mayflower Theatre
On Tuesday, Year 10 and Year 11 GCSE Drama pupils ventured to the Mayflower Theatre to watch ‘Dear Evan Hansen’. Pupils were an absolute credit to the school and enjoyed the performance. There were lots of tears during the performance and plenty of discussion afterwards. What a show for our young people to watch. Thank you to all involved.
Post-16 Pathways Presentation Evening
On Tuesday Miss Robinson (Associate Assistant Headteacher and Careers Lead), hosted a presentation evening for parents and carers of Year 10 and Year 11 pupils. The event was designed to inform and explain the various pathways and qualifications available to school leavers. We were joined by South Hampshire College Group, Peter Symonds College and PETA Apprenticeships. The presentations delivered by the providers are available to view on our careers page under Post-16 Options
We Are Recruiting
We currently have the following vacancies available:
- PA to the Headteacher – closing date, midday Wednesday 05 February 2025
- Teacher of Design & Technology – closing date, midday Wednesday 12 February 2025
- Curriculum Technician – Design and Technology – closing date, midday Monday 24 February 2025
All adverts are published on the vacancies page of the school website if you know of anyone who may be interested:
https://www.camshill.com/information/staff-vacancies/
Maths Countdown
Sports Results
Year 7 Basketball against Portchester, Cams Hill won 26-6
Year 8 Basketball against Brookfield, Cams Hill lost 20-19
We would like to say well done to everyone who took part in the games.
Menu w/c 20 January 2025
NEW menu Week 1 Friday inset day
We will be featuring the following:
Chefs Pod Chilli loaded Nachos
Apple Crumble & Custard
NEW jumbo pretzels
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.
Non-School Uniform Day in aid of Solent Mind – 1340 24/1
African Adventures Fundraising Music Event – 1026 17/1/25
We Will Rock You – 0917 14/1/25
Celebrating our OFSTED Success – 1417 10/1/25
Sustrans Bike It Project – 1031 10/1/25
Information on TikTok and Health and Fitness Apps
Below are links from The National College with information on what parents need to know about TikTok and health and fitness apps.
Statistics
House Points Averages per Pupil for This Week
Year 7 9.25 points
Year 8 6.34 points
Year 9 6.70 points
Year 10 4.10 points
Year 11 4.34 points
Attendance
This week – 90.5%
Please inform the school in advance of any medical appointments via the Studybugs app or by calling 01329 231641. Whenever possible, schedule appointments after school to minimise learning disruptions. Evidence of the appointment (card, letter, or screenshot) is required. Without prior notice and proof, the absence may not be authorised.
Reporting Illness
When reporting illness on Studybugs, please provide us with specific details. A general note of “illness” is insufficient and may result in the absence being unauthorised.
Managing Absences and Seasonal Illness
We’ve seen a rise in absences due to common illnesses like colds, coughs, and headaches. Good attendance is vital for your child’s progress and wellbeing.
Send Your Child to School If they have:
- Mild symptoms (runny nose, cold, slight cough, headache) that don’t affect focus
- Tiredness or feeling “off”
- Early morning aches that improve throughout the day
Balancing health and attendance can be challenging and we are here to support you. If you’re unsure about sending your child to school, please reach out to us for guidance.
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/carers to check in with their child to see whether they are accessing these resources routinely and to encourage the best use of them.
If there are issues with access, please bring this to the school’s attention as soon as possible so that we can help.
MathsWatch
Average number of questions answered per pupil this week
Year 7 14.7 questions
Year 8 12.7 questions
Year 9 10.4 questions
Year 10 6.3 questions
Year 11 11.0 questions
Highest Number of questions answered by one pupil this week
Year 7 583 questions
Year 8 57 questions
Year 9 94 questions
Year 10 73 questions
Year 11 153 questions
Over 50% in Maths Homework
Year 7 53%
Year 8 53%
Year 9 47%
Year 10 29%
Year 11 32%
Over 75% in Maths Homework
Year 7 46%
Year 8 43%
Year 9 36%
Year 10 19%
Year 11 18%
100% in Maths Homework
Year 7 17%*
Year 8 25%
Year 9 16%
Year 10 4%
Year 11 6%
*For example, this figure means 17% of Year 7 got 100% in their homework tasks.
Figures in green indicate maintaining or an increase from last week.
Not all Maths homework is set on MathsWatch, which is likely to affect the averages.
Maths Homework Club is open to all Years on Wednesdays in ICT2 until 4pm.
Year 11 Maths Revision on Mondays – see schedule in Maths classrooms for details.
Maths Assessment dates for Spring Term
w/b 27 January – Year 10 – 2 papers, one using a calculator
w/b 3 February – Year 9 – non-calculator paper
w/b 10 February – Year 8 – non-calculator paper
w/b 10 February – Year 7 – Calculator paper (tbc)
w/b 25 February – 7 March – Year 11 – 3 full mock papers, one non-calculator
w/b 5 March – Year 10 set 1 – GCSE Statistics mock paper – details to follow
w/b 17 March – Year 10 sets 2 and 3 – two papers, one using a calculator
w/b 24 March – Year 9 – calculator paper
w/b 31 March – Year 8 – calculator paper
w/b 31 March – Year 7 – Non-calculator paper (tbc)
A revision list will be published a week before the assessment to support with homework preparation for the test.
Assessments will be marked by the class teacher and then feedback will be given in class along with a pupil feedback sheet to support future learning.
Dates for the diary: Intermediate Maths Challenge (Wednesday 29 January), Pi Day bake-off (Friday 14 March)
Calculators and other equipment for sale
Casio fx-83GT scientific calculators can be bought via Scopay and collected from the Finance Office. Prices of these and other items for sale are shown below:
Casio fx-83GT scientific calculator- £9.00
Pre-packed pencil case – £2.50
Pair of compasses – 29p
Protractor – 9p
100 blank flashcards – £1.00
A range of GCSE Maths revision materials for KS4 use – See Scopay for details
Educake – Science
Average number of questions answered per pupil this week
Year 7 43 questions
Year 8 13 questions
Year 9 39 questions
Year 10 61 questions
Year 11 75 questions
Highest number of questions answered by one pupil this week
Year 7 642 questions
Year 8 112 questions
Year 9 488 questions
Year 10 286 questions
Year 11 636 questions