Weekly Message 284 – 28 November 2025
28th November 2025
Thank you to pupils, parents and carers for joining us at the Year 8 Power to Progress evening on Tuesday. It was a pleasure to welcome you and to share the progress Year 8 have made so far this year.
We remind parents and carers of Year 9 pupils that the Year 9 Pupil Progress Evening is taking place on 9 December 2025. This will be held online with bookings opening on Sunday 30 November 2025 – please see letter sent to parents and carers dated 24 November 2025 for full details of the appointment system.
This week, we were also delighted to welcome back into school our former Year 11 pupils, Class of 2025, as they returned to collect their GCSE certificates. It was wonderful to see them again, to celebrate their achievements, and hear all about the exciting paths they have taken at post-16. From new courses and apprenticeships to fresh interests and ambitions, it was fantastic to see them, and we are incredibly proud of all of them.
As we move from November into December, the school is starting to feel festive! A quick reminder that our Pupil Christmas Lunch is coming up on *Thursday 4 December (as previously advertised). It is always a lovely community event, and to help us get into the Christmas spirit, pupils are welcome to wear a Christmas jumper along with their usual uniform.
*Please note:
- Booking for the Christmas Lunch is now closed
- On the day, only limited snacks and drinks will be available from the Northside kiosk and Southside catering trailer at morning break.
- At lunchtime, pupils who are not having the Christmas Lunch will need to bring a packed lunch, as no other food or drink will be available from the canteen.
Our Christmas Concert is taking place on 11 December 2025 at 1900.
Mission Christmas is a Go!
Are you able to donate to the fabulous cause that is Mission Christmas? If so, the donation box is in school’s main reception. This charity works incredibly hard to ensure children in the south don’t go without a gift at Christmas. The two ages that always struggle for gifts are babies and teenagers and here are some ideas.
Gifts must be new and unwrapped please.
Thank you so much for supporting this wonderful charity.
A Christmas Carol – English Quantum Theatre Company
On Monday 24 November, Year 10 pupils experienced a live version of A Christmas Carol. Just three actors performed the whole of Dickens’ famous festive novella, taking on the miserly Scrooge and the ghosts of Christmas past, present and yet to come.
The pupils were engaged and thoroughly enjoyed the experience, enabling them to understand the plot for their GCSE English Literature studies.
Cycle Maintenance
On Tuesday 25 November 2025, a group of seven pupils from Years 8, 9 and 10 who regularly cycle to school attended a bicycle maintenance and engineering class.
This was delivered by Walk Wheel Cycle Trust who, in partnership with Hampshire County Council, want to promote safe cycling to and from school. The pupils who took part were very enthusiastic and took a lot away from the day, having learned how to fix problems on their bikes as well as how to safely carry out routine maintenance.
Walk Wheel Cycle Trust will be in again in January 2026 to deliver the same session to two other groups. We hope to offer this opportunity on a regular basis in the future.
To find out more about the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust, please click the link to their most recent newsletter.
Sports Results
Year 8 boys finished 1st in the district cross country
Year 8 girls placed first in the district cross country
Year 7 boys’ basketball won against Portchester Community School 8-2
Year 7 girls’ basketball won against Portchester Community School 42-8
Year 11 girls’ netball won against King’s Academy Bay House 26-18
Senior boys’ basketball won against Portchester 50-39
Year 8 boys’ rugby won against Petersfield 30-10
Understanding Attendance ‘Sessions’
A school day is divided into two official attendance sessions: AM and PM.
- The AM register is taken at 08:30
- The PM register is taken during Period 4.
Although teachers take a register every lesson for safeguarding and monitoring, it is the AM and PM session marks that count toward your child’s official daily attendance.
We appreciate that sometimes important appointments can only be scheduled during the school day. However, this should be the exception rather than the norm. Wherever possible, please arrange appointments outside of school hours.
Even short absences can impact attendance percentages and, in turn, affect progress in school. Our aim is to ensure parents and carers have the information they need to make informed decisions that support strong attendance.
Menu w/c 1 December 2025
Menu Week 3 25,26 (Christmas meal week)
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.
Christmas Jumper Day – sent 28/11/25 1440
Punctuality to School – sent 24/11/25 1518
Christmas Concert – sent 18/11/25 1701
Uniform – sent 14/11/25 1501
Pop Up and Drop Off Shop – sent 12/11/25 1602
Consultation on Admissions Arrangements for 2027-28 – sent 7/11/25 1702
Remembrance Day – send 7/11/25 1502
Christmas Lunch – Thursday 4 December – sent 6/11 1801
Statistics
Positive Behaviour Points Averages per Pupil for This Week
Year 7 – 4.11 points
Year 8 – 2.59 points
Year 9 – 3.54 points
Year 10 – 2.07 points
Year 11 – 0.89 points
Attendance
This week – 92.5%
Same week last year – 93.1%
Sparx 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.
Sparx – Maths
Over 50% in Maths Homework
Year 7 76%
Year 8 63%
Year 9 75%
Year 10 Independent learning for assessment
Over 75% in Maths Homework
Year 7 74%
Year 8 61%
Year 9 71%
Year 10 Independent learning for assessment
100% in Maths Homework
Year 7 72% *
Year 8 52%
Year 9 51%
Year 10 Independent learning for assessment
*For example, this figure means 72% of Year 7 got 100% in their homework tasks.
Figures in green indicate maintaining or an increase from last week.
Year 11 are currently working independently with revision.
Maths Homework Support is open to all Years on Wednesdays in ICT2 until 4pm.
Next In-Class Assessment
Year 9 – w/c 1 December – calculator and protractor needed
Year 8 – w/c 15 December – tbc
Year 7 – w/c 8 December – tbc
Calculators and other equipment for sale
Casio fx-83GT scientific calculators can be bought via Arbor 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 Arbor for details
Educake – Science
Average number of questions answered per pupil this week
Year 7 18 questions
Year 8 28 questions
Year 9 51 questions
Year 10 42 questions
Year 11 37 questions
Highest number of questions answered by one pupil this week
Year 7 188 questions
Year 8 261 questions
Year 9 214 questions
Year 10 186 questions
Year 11 279 questions