Weekly Message 227 – 24 May 2024
24th May 2024
Paultons Park Activity Day
Well done to Year 11 with their exams so far. They have absolutely risen to the challenge and demonstrated such resilience during this demanding time.
Pupils have taken great advantage of the revision sessions delivered by their specialist teachers, during and beyond the school day, including the weekend and holiday sessions that have been on offer. Their commitment right up until the moment they walk through the exam room door has been exceptional. We know they are tired and ready for the half-term break. Year 11 pupils will begin Study Leave on Monday 3 June 2024 – the specific details about this were shared with parents and carers in the letter from the Head of Year 11 dated 1 May 2024 Y11 Exam Period Revision Arrangements.
Thank you to the parents and carers who were able to join us at the Year 10 Parents’ Information Evening on Thursday. We recognise that the best pupil outcomes are achieved when the school and parents/carers work in partnership and to do this we need to ensure parents have the information they need. We hope that this was achieved but should you have any further questions please do get in touch and your query will be directed to the most appropriate person(s) to respond.
Please read on to see what else pupils have been up to this week and don’t forget to check out our social media pages for more insights. We wish our pupils and their families a lovely Bank Holiday weekend and half term break.
Parents and carers have been sent a letter with the specific details about summer uniform. After the half term holiday, pupils will remain in normal school uniform and blazers will become optional*. As per the school’s Uniform Policy, the school jumper, or the alternative plain blue sweatshirt, are not permitted to be worn for the remainder of the academic year. Hoodies are not permitted and will be confiscated if pupils are seen wearing them in school.
PE kit may be worn on PE days only. A short video can be found on our uniform page at https://www.camshill.com/school-life/practical-details/uniform/ for further information.
Please make sure your child always has a bag with them to carry equipment, schoolwork and water bottles which are essential at this time of year.
Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award Expedition
Over two days last weekend, pupils took part in their Bronze Award expedition assessment. 51 pupils from Year 9 walked for 6 hours each day starting from the Queen Elizabeth Country Park near Petersfield.
The pupils had to be completely self-sufficient for the two days, carrying their tents, stoves, food and sleeping equipment. They really pushed themselves and even though some did get a little lost, they worked well as teams and showed great resilience in completing the two days, tired, but in good spirits. They deserve much credit for the way they conducted themselves which drew a lot of praise from their independent assessors.
Our thanks go to the school staff who gave their time to support pupils to take part in the assessment. We are very proud that every pupil passed this element of the award and are on track to complete the Bronze Award.
Paultons Park Activity Day
On Wednesday, our Young Carers and Year 7 Nurture Group had an actioned packed day at Paultons Park.
It was a great opportunity to spend the day outside in the fresh air and experience the thrill of roller coasters and other ‘thrill’ rides – the Cyclonater proved to be very popular as was the Cobra! ‘Exciting’, ‘terrifying’ and ‘I was laughing and crying at the same time’ were just some of the pupils’ feedback post extreme ride.
Peppa Pig World and the Animal Kingdom were also much visited areas of the park and the meerkats and pink flamingos were also a huge hit with pupils, not to mention the ducks who joined us for lunch.
The weather was a little inclement at times, but it didn’t dampen any spirits and it was an absolute pleasure to spend the day with such a wonderful group of young people and heart-warming to see throughout the day real acts of kindness and new friendships forming.
Careers Spotlight – Virtual Work Experience for Years 10 and 11
A range of large companies are now offering people the opportunity to undertake Virtual Work Experience. These are open to anyone aged 14+ so perfect for Year 10 pupils to undertake but also for Year 11 pupils’ post-exams.
Depending on the programme, they vary in length, and you can undertake them in your own time. Once completed not only are you issued with a certificate, but it is the perfect addition to your CV, and they are totally free!
Please see just some of the opportunities below:
John Lewis Partnership Virtual Work Experience – JLPJobs.com
Barclays Virtual Work Experience | Barclays LifeSkills
NHS Virtual Work Experience – 350+ (hiow350careers.nhs.uk)
Channel 4 4Skills Work Experience
Brighton and Sussex Medical School (for those looking to apply to medical school) BSMS Virtual Work Experience (thinkific.com)
Various options Services and Products – Future First
Various opportunities What is Virtual Work Experience with Springpod? | Springpod
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What Parents and Educators Need to Know About School Avoidance
Below is a link to the National College’s information on what parents and educators need to know about school avoidance.
Statistics
House Points Averages per Pupil for This Week
Year 7 6.50 points
Year 8 5.82 points
Year 9 5.44 points
Year 10 4.57 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 9.2 questions
Year 8 11.4 questions
Year 9 4.6 questions
Year 10 7.6 questions
Year 11 9.1 questions
Highest number of questions answered by one pupil this week
Year 7 82 questions
Year 8 64 questions
Year 9 333 questions
Year 10 112 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 marks achieved by one pupil this week on Maths Kitchen
Year 8 93 marks
Year 10 72 marks
Year 11 32 marks
Assessments
| Year 7 | w/b 24 June 2024 |
| Year 8 | w/b 24 June 2024 |
| Year 9 | w/b 10 June 2024 |
| Year 10 | w/b 17 June 2024 |
| Year 11 |
Monday 3 June 2024 GCSE Paper 2 (calculator) |
Educake – Science
Average number of questions answered per pupil this week
Year 7 26.37 questions
Year 8 19.68 questions
Year 9 32.52 questions
Year 10 84.26 questions
Year 11 61.26 questions
Highest number of questions answered by one pupil this week
Year 7 243 questions
Year 8 295 questions
Year 9 448 questions
Year 10 2302 questions
Year 11 937 questions