Weekly Message 261 – 4 April 2025
4th April 2025
Year 8 Trip to Fairthorne Manor
This term at Cams Hill has been shaped by our core values of Courtesy, Courage, and Commitment, which continue to foster a respectful, ambitious, and supportive school culture.
Pupils have shown Courtesy through acts of kindness and generosity, especially in their charitable efforts supporting the summer Africa trip. We have seen Courage in their willingness to embrace new experiences—whether exploring Iceland, visiting The Battlefields, or taking on the challenges of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. Their Commitment has been evident in academic progress, particularly among those attending revision sessions and consistently completing homework. As we head into the Summer Term, we remain focused on high expectations and supporting every pupil to thrive through continued dedication to our shared values.
Thank you to parents and carers of Year 11 pupils who were able to join us at the Year 11 Subject Parents’ Evening on Tuesday. This was a valuable opportunity to share the progress pupils are making as they approach their final exams. We appreciate the time, insights, and questions from parents and carers, whose partnership plays a vital role in supporting our young people to achieve their very best.
As we head into the Easter break, we kindly ask for your support in ensuring your child is fully equipped and ready for the new term ahead. Please take a moment to check that uniform meets our expectations, including appropriate footwear. As the weather becomes warmer, a reminder that jumpers are optional and must not be worn in place of blazers which must be worn at all times as part of our uniform policy. However, please be assured that we will make sensible adjustments to uniform expectations if the weather becomes exceptionally hot and will communicate any changes clearly with pupils and families. Your support in upholding these standards is greatly appreciated and helps maintain the high expectations we set for all pupils.
We wish out readers a restful Easter break and look forward to welcoming pupils back to school on Tuesday 22 April 2024.
Work Experience
This week was Year 10 Work Experience Week. Many of our pupils went out into the workplace to gain an insight into the world of work. Our pupils worked in a diverse range of settings including offices, stables, schools, railways and retailers. A small group of pupils who remained in school took part in a range of work-related activities including a talk about the Scientist Training Programme, an Elite Skills workshop delivered by The British Army and a trip to local employer, Fort Nelson. They were also given the opportunity to complete virtual work experience with a company of their choice.
Key Stage 3 Pupils – Timetables
The Design and Technology rotations will change after Easter; please ask your child to check their timetable on ClassCharts ahead of returning to school on Tuesday 22 April 2025.
Upper School Ties
Upper School Ties will be available for parents/carers of Year 9 pupils to purchase on Scopay for £4.00 from Tuesday 22 April 2025 until Tuesday 22 July 2025 – please note these ties cannot be purchased from Skoolkit. Ties should be collected from the Finance Office.
Year 8 Trip to Fairthorne Manor
On Wednesday and Thursday, Year 8 pupils went on a trip to Fairthorne Manor. They took part in team building, water sports and climbing/high ropes. All pupils spent the day smiling and cheering each other on, whilst setting and achieving goals.
They were respectful and supportive of each other whilst also having the most fun with their friends and learning how to be a better team and think creatively. All the staff had a great time seeing the pupils’ enjoyment and a massive thank you to Mrs Cother for organising and allowing our pupils to have this amazing experience.
Year 9 Model UN Conference
On Wednesday we took 14 fab Year 9 pupils to Bay House School to participate in the Model United Nations Conference. Each pupil represented a country, joining a committee focusing on either human rights, women, security or the environment. They debated against pupils from Swanmore, Crofton and Bay House discussing real world issues, such as the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, sustainability, gender equality and LGBTQ representation. They all gave opening speeches to their committee, before engaging in lively debate, and were fantastic representatives of the school. Particular congratulations to Freya, who was nominated as one of the best delegates of the day.
Grantham Climate Art Prize
Thank you so much to our Key Stage 3 pupils for entering this year’s Grantham Climate Art Prize. We had over 30 entries from Cams Hill School and are pleased to announce Eleanor Read is one of 15 to receive a special commendation from the panel of judges. Her work will be exhibited in the South Kensington campus alongside four runner-up designs and the winning design. The competition itself had more than 550 entrants responding to the theme From Grey to Green: Design the Future.
Congratulations to Eleanor who has received a goody bag from the Art department as a small token of her achievement.
Multi-Stories Mural Design Competition
Calling all young people on the south coast! Enter your mural design for Multi-Stories Chapter 3.
The winning design will be painted live by a professional artist on Level 5 of Westquay’s Multi-Storey Car Park as part of Multi-Stories Chapter 3, taking place on 17 and 18 May. Submit your “Connections”-themed design by 20 April for a chance to be the competition winner. Find out more below.
https://southamptonforward.org.uk/multi-stories-2025/
World Art Day
Final Homework Club before Easter Break
Wednesday marked the last Homework Club session before the Easter holidays, with another fantastic turnout from our regular attendees and some wonderful new faces. As promised, we held our eagerly awaited raffle draw! Throughout the term, pupils earned raffle tickets for each session they attended—the more they attended, the greater their chances of winning.
Congratulations to our winners!
🥇 J. Bryant (Year 8) – First Prize
🥈 R. Latchford (Year 8)
🥉 J. Higgins (Year 7)
🎖 E. Wallis (Year 8)
Pupils have shared how much Homework Club has helped them stay on top of their assignments, benefiting from both peer support and guidance from the dedicated staff who attend each week. Homework Club will continue every Wednesday after school in the Atrium and ICT2. We encourage all pupils to join us—see you there!
‘Eggcellent’ Attendance
Today, we proudly celebrated and rewarded pupils across the school for their ‘eggcellent’ attendance over the past four weeks. We’ve seen a fantastic increase in the number of pupils achieving 100% attendance, as well as a growing number of pupils making a real effort to improve their attendance overall.
To recognise this commitment, three pupils were randomly selected to receive vouchers, and an additional ten pupils in each year group have been awarded Easter eggs as a sweet reward for their brilliant attendance.
We’d like to offer huge congratulations not only to those with perfect attendance, but also to everyone who is making a conscious effort to attend school regularly—especially those overcoming personal challenges to be here. Your determination and resilience make us incredibly proud. Keep it up!
🎉 Our ‘Eggcellent’ Attendance Voucher Winners:
- F Barton (Year 11)
- L Coggan (Year 7)
- P Bramble (Year 8)
Looking ahead, we’re gearing up for the Big Attendance Streak Draw at May half term. The more days pupils are in school, the greater their chances of winning amazing prizes—including a brand-new bike, a year’s membership to Fareham Leisure Centre, headphones, a Nintendo Switch, and even a gaming chair!
Let’s keep the momentum going—every day counts! 🏆👏
Nexus Nurturing Group
The Nurturing Group started back in September with 8 very quiet and nervous Year 7 pupils. The Nexus staff have provided sessions on Creative Wellbeing, Forest School, Cooking, Maths, Literacy, PE, Gaming and Social and Emotional Communication Skills. Each session has included a snack of toast and jam around the kitchen table and over the two terms we have devoured 35 loaves of bread and 10 jars of jam. On Tuesday we finished our last Nurture session with a Graduation to celebrate. The pupils have left Nexus this week having made friends and feeling more confident and proud of themselves.
Maths Countdown
Year 11 Careers Support
The careers team will continue to support Year 11 pupils, throughout the summer term, with any queries they have regarding their post-16 options. We can provide application advice, course guidance and CV support . Pupils interested in applying for an apprenticeship should utilise the apprenticeship vacancy board outside the careers office. Pupils who would like support can email careers@camshill.com or drop into the careers office.
The Careers Newsletter for this term can be found here Careers Newsletter: Spring Term
HAF Holiday Activities
What Parents/Carers Need to Know about Instagram
National Online Safety have provided an update to what parent/carers need to know re Instagram, please see attached flyer.
For Parents/Carers – Game Safe Guide
With the school holidays just around the corner, some children will be looking forward to spending longer online, with their friends, playing online games. There always has to be a balance; gaming can be a really positive activity for lots of reasons but as we all know there are lots of risks and issues.
Internet Matters has a brilliant guide for parents which goes into lots of detail in relation to balancing gaming with other activities, setting up consoles correctly, connecting with others and much more.
The full guide can be found HERE.
Understanding the Intimate Behaviour of Teens
Every child will develop in their own way. During their teenage years most children will go through puberty, start to have sexual feelings, form different types of relationships and look for sexual experiences. As a parent or a teacher charged with their education, it can feel uncomfortable to think about this and to know how to help for them. Teens get information and ideas about sex and relationships from the media, social media and friends. Needless to say, this is not a particularly conducive to a good knowledge transfer. Indeed, learning in this manner can expose them to unnecessary risks. The Lucy Faithfull Foundation has published an article on these issues over on their website: https://www.lucyfaithfull.org.uk/advice/concerned-about-a-child-or-young-persons-sexual-behaviour/helping-parents-and-carers-understand-the-sexual-behaviour-of-teenagers/
Sports Results
Year 9 football won against Crofton the result was 4-3
Year 7 Netball placed 4th out of 18 in the county tournament overall
Menu w/c 22 April 2025
NEW menu Week 1 04 21 Bank holiday
We will be featuring chicken fajita on the Chef’s Pod.
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.
End of Spring Term – sent Friday 4/4/25 1521
Non-School Uniform, 28 March – sent Wednesday 19/3/25 1322
Update on Drama lesson footwear policy – sent Tuesday 18/3/25 1024
Meeting concerning relocation of Henry Cort Community College – sent 1415 Thursday 13 March 2025 – (we were asked by Hampshire County Council to send this message to all parents/carers)
Road Safety – sent 1515 Monday 10/3/25
Statistics
Positive Behaviour Points Averages per Pupil for This Week
Year 7 6.40 points
Year 8 5.89 points
Year 9 4.27 points
Year 10 2.15 points
Year 11 2.38 points
Attendance
This week – 93.6%
Same week last year – 90.5%
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 19.0 questions
Year 8 23.7 questions
Year 9 2.6 questions
Year 10 2.3 questions
Year 11 14.8 questions
Highest Number of questions answered by one pupil this week
Year 7 248 questions
Year 8 222 questions
Year 9 95 questions
Year 10 27 questions
Year 11 208 questions
Over 50% in Maths Homework
Year 7 60%
Year 8 61%
Year 9 12%
Year 10 45%
Year 11 33%
Over 75% in Maths Homework
Year 7 42%
Year 8 40%
Year 9 9%
Year 10 37%
Year 11 16%
100% in Maths Homework
Year 7 16% *
Year 8 14%
Year 9 2%
Year 10 13%
Year 11 4%
*For example, this figure means 16% 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.
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.
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 26 questions
Year 8 24 questions
Year 9 49 questions
Year 10 43 questions
Year 11 63 questions
Highest number of questions answered by one pupil this week
Year 7 380 questions
Year 8 300 questions
Year 9 320 questions
Year 10 390 questions
Year 11 1652 questions