Weekly Message 223 – 26 April 2024
26th April 2024
Tchoukball
On Monday, it was lovely to welcome into school the parents and carers of our new Year 7 September intake – Class of 2029. This was the first event of the transition programme recognising that moving to secondary school is a big step. We endeavour to make sure that all pupils feel ready to hit the ground running in September.
Well done to Year 11 pupils who have had their MFL Speaking Tests this week and/or have been sitting their exam in Art, Photography or Graphics. We remind pupils, parents and carers that tutors and other members of the year team, are always at hand if they are needed for guidance and support as the exams get underway.
We remind parents/carers that the school is closed on Monday 6 May 2024 as it is a Bank Holiday, and that the Year 8 Parents’ Subject evening is taking place on Thursday 9 May 2024; specific details about the evening will be sent to parents and carers shortly.
Junior Maths Challenge
On Thursday 25 April we saw the return of the UKMT maths challenge but this time it was the turn of the lower school pupils. This means we had 120 of our most able Year 7 and Year 8 pupils answering 25 tricky maths problems with just a pen and paper and 60 minutes to answer as many questions as possible.
We should hear the results in a few weeks and will celebrate success, with certificates and perhaps some pupils progressing to the next round.
I have included a couple of the questions for you to sample the type of questions they had to answer (answers next week)
- Skye has half as many pens as Ishaa. Ana has twice as many pens as Skye. What fraction of all the pens does Skye have?
- 1/3 b) 1/4 c) 1/5 d) 1/6 e) 1/8
- The area of a square is six times the area of a rectangle with a length half that of the square and a width 6cm less than the width of the square. What is the perimeter of the square?
- 24cm b) 28cm c) 32cm d) 36cm e) 40cm’
Year 8 Student Leadership Network
This week, Year 8 pupils attended the second of three leadership events at the Changemaker Studios in the Guildhall in Portsmouth.
They listened to guest speakers from Cytiva and the NHS Mental Health team who discussed their career pathways and how they do not always have to be linear. The pupils also spoke to college students and took part in activities designed to highlight the importance of a varied skills set in the world of work. The pupils were phenomenal and asked the most engaging and thoughtful questions to the guest speakers.
Tchoukball National Youth Finals
Last Friday, Cams Hill pupils in the Fareham Tchoukball Team attended the Tchoukball National Youth Finals.
The Under 14s came 5th which is a huge achievement as they had some inexperienced and younger players and u16s came 2nd against some strong teams with the 1st place team being Sybil Andrew’s School comprising of mainly National Youth Tchoukball players.
At the National Awards evening, one of the pupils was awarded the best under 15 Female Tchoukball player 2024 in the country, and two of them were selected to go to Italy in July to represent the UK in the European Youth Tchoukball Tournament. Well done to all who took part.
Drama House Challenge Results
Pupils were asked to select a character from a film, novel or stage show and create a costume for them using recyclable material.
It has been an incredibly difficult process determining the results as all entries were fantastic. Here are the results:
Winner – 100 House Points – I Maslin (Illustrious)
Runner Up 75 House Points – S Chiu and A Parker (Victory)
In Joint Third position 50 House Points – M Bulpitt (Warrior) and T Ives (Illustrious)
Careers Spotlight – T-Levels
T-Levels were introduced in September 2020 and have developed to now cover over 20 different subjects. They are 2-year qualifications which can be studied after GCSEs as an alternative to A-Levels, other post-16 courses or an apprenticeship and are worth the equivalent of three A-Levels. They have been designed with leading businesses and employers to give students the knowledge and skills to succeed in employment.
How do they work?
Students spend 80% of their time in the classroom and 20% on a 45-day placement with an employer (these hours can be higher depending on the T-Level). The industry placement will give students the chance to learn what a real career is like whilst also gaining a qualification. Entry requirements for most T-Levels are 5 GCSEs at Grade 5 and above including English and Maths; however, these vary depending on the subject. Many colleges also offer a T-Level Foundation Year or a “Pre-T”, which allow students to develop English and/or Maths, practical, technical and study skills whilst still also providing work experience.
Local T-Level providers: South Hampshire College Group (Fareham College), City of Portsmouth College, St Vincent College, Havant and South Downs College, Bay House School, Sparsholt
Further information
T Levels | The Next Level Qualification,
What Are T Levels? | Your Questions Answered | UCAS (this link shows all T-Level subjects available), T-levels Parents’ Guide | A new post-16 alternative to A-levels (tlevelinfo.org.uk)
Attendance
The link between attendance and attainment is clear.
- In 2019, 36% of Persistently Absent Children (less than 95% attendance) in Key Stage 4 obtained Grades 9 to 4 in their English and Maths GCSEs, compared with 84% of regular attenders.
- It’s never too late to benefit from good attendance.
- More than half (54%) of pupils who were persistently absent in Year 10 and then rarely absent in Year 11 passed at least 5 GCSEs, compared to 36% of pupils who were persistently absent in both years.
- Attendance is important for more than just attainment.
- Regular school attendance can facilitate positive peer relationships, which is a protective factor for mental health and wellbeing. The greatest benefits come from children and young people attending school regularly.
Is my child too ill for school?
It is usually appropriate for parents and carers to send their children to school with mild respiratory illnesses e.g., general cold symptoms: a minor cough, runny nose, or sore throat. However, children should not be sent to school if they have a temperature of 38°C or above. We would encourage you to read the NHS ‘Is my child too ill for school?’ guidance which has further information.
It can be tricky deciding whether to keep your child off school when they’re unwell, however, if they are well enough to go out in the evening or have a sleepover with a friend, then they are well enough to attend school. If you do keep your child off school, it is important to ring the school before 0830 or email absences@camshill.com.
Menu
Next week’s features
- Locally picked Strawberry and Ice Cream pots
- Chocolate Aero milkshake on Friday
- LOADED FRIES back due to popular demand … NEW- BBQ bacon and cheese + Vegi BBQ cheese and onion
- Theme day fish and chip shop Friday
Year 11 Catering
Starting on 29 April (next Monday) we will no longer be allowing overdrafts for Year 11 pupils so please ensure their accounts are topped up if they require food.
Statistics
Attendance this week
| Dates | Total attendance |
| This week | 92.3% |
| Same week last year | 93.38% |
House Points Averages per Pupil for This Week
Year 7 7.99 points
Year 8 4.33 points
Year 9 5.16 points
Year 10 4.93 points
Year 11 2.26 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 6.0 questions
Year 8 4.9 questions
Year 9 4.8 questions
Year 10 7.3 questions
Year 11 9.3 questions
Highest number of questions answered by one pupil this week
Year 7 69 questions
Year 8 35 questions
Year 9 28 questions
Year 10 53 questions
Year 11 76 questions
Not all Maths homework is set on MathsWatch, which is likely to affect the averages.
We are currently running a trial on a website called Maths Kitchen for KS4 classes.
Highest number of questions answered by one pupil this week on Maths Kitchen
Year 10 53 questions
Year 11 168 questions
Educake – Science
Average number of questions answered per pupil this week
Year 7 19.96 questions
Year 8 10.33 questions
Year 9 12.64 questions
Year 10 53.76 questions
Year 11 64.63 questions
Highest number of questions answered by one pupil this week
Year 7 239 questions
Year 8 136 questions
Year 9 126 questions
Year 10 782 questions
Year 11 1953 questions