Weekly Message 287 – 19 December 2025
19th December 2025
As we come to the end of another successful school term, we would like to take this opportunity to thank all members of our school community for the way our shared values of courage, courtesy and commitment have been demonstrated throughout the past weeks. These values continue to underpin everything we do and have been evident both in and beyond the classroom.
This week, we held celebration assemblies for each year group, providing an opportunity to recognise and celebrate pupils’ achievements across a wide range of areas. It has been wonderful to acknowledge the hard work, progress and positive contributions made by our pupils.
On Tuesday, Year 11 pupils received their Autumn Examination results. These exams were an important stepping stone towards the summer examinations, and we encourage pupils to reflect carefully on their outcomes and use this information to identify what actions are needed to secure the results they wish to achieve.
As a reminder, the school is now closed for the Christmas break. Pupils will return to school for the first day of the Spring Term on Tuesday 6 January. Please note that Monday 5 January and Friday 30 January 2026 are INSET Days, and the school will be closed to pupils on these dates.
We would also like to remind parents and carers of the importance of pupils returning to school in full, correct school uniform and fully equipped for learning. We have high expectations for all pupils, as outlined on the school’s website and we appreciate your continued support in helping pupils meet these expectations consistently.
We wish all our families a safe, restful and enjoyable Christmas break and look forward to welcoming pupils back in the New Year.
Santa Run Update
A massive thank you to everyone who donated and joined the Santa Run last Thursday.
We are delighted to share that we raised an incredible £1,622.03 for Cash for Kids – Mission Christmas! A sincere thank you for all the donations.
Call for Work Experience Placements
Apologies, the dates published in last week’s Weekly Message were incorrect. Please see below for the confirmed information. Our Year 10 pupils will be completing mandatory work experience Monday 9 March 2026 to Friday 13 March 2026. Are you a local business to Fareham/Portchester/Portsmouth who would be willing to take a pupil and inspire them in the world of work? If so, please get in touch by emailing careers@camshill.com. Please share!
Christmas Dinner for Disadvantaged Families
The Christmas dinner held at the school on Wednesday 10 December was a great success and a truly heart-warming event. It provided families with the opportunity to come together and enjoy a festive meal in a welcoming and supportive environment. The event not only offered a delicious Christmas dinner but also helped strengthen the sense of community within the school, making it a memorable occasion for all who attended.
Christmas Food Boxes and Hampers
The distribution of Christmas food boxes and hampers for disadvantaged families this week has also been successful and greatly appreciated.
These thoughtfully prepared hampers provide essential food items and festive treats, helping to support our families during the holiday season.
This initiative ensures our families can enjoy a more comfortable and joyful Christmas, while reinforcing the school’s commitment to supporting its community. We would like to wish all our families a very Happy Christmas.
Diversity Day
On Wednesday evening, we hosted our first Diversity Celebration at Cams Hill School. Zarian (Year 10) successfully applied for and received a grant from the NHS Health and Well-being fund, which helped fund the event.
Pupils ran stalls representing different cultures, faiths and identity, including Barbados, Scotland, India and Spain. Lots of families came and experienced these wonderful stalls, music from Soul Band, and a delicious range of world cuisine from the canteen. Zariyan delivered a heartfelt speech that encouraged us all to celebrate the diversity that exists in our community and we certainly did!
Christmas Cook Club
Our Year 7 Christmas Cook Club has been filled with festive fun as pupils baked and decorated their very own gingerbread creations.
Focusing on seasonal baking skills and creative decoration, the pupils worked with enthusiasm to produce beautifully finished gingerbread treats. Each set of biscuits was carefully presented in a Christmassy presentation box, making them perfect for sharing with family or gifting to someone special. The session was a wonderful mix of creativity, teamwork, and holiday spirit – a delicious way to celebrate the countdown to Christmas!
Geography Field Trips to Gunwharf Quays
This week four groups of Year 10 Geography pupils went to conduct their fieldwork investigation of Portsmouth Harbour. They were lucky with the weather and were able to collect plenty of data on redevelopments around The Hard and Gunwharf Quays area and consider whether they helped create a Portsmouth “sense of place”. Once their work was done, they were able to ascend the Spinnaker Tower to look at these redevelopments from an entirely different perspective! We are very proud of the pupils’ conduct during this fieldwork and we wish them the very best of luck putting their results to the test in their exams later this year.
Choir Trips
This week, our school choir has been singing Christmas songs across the community. They performed festive songs for residents at Cams Ridge Care Home and Carleen Nursing Home. The choir finished their mini tour at Portchester Community Centre, where they sang for the Dementia Care Hub’s Christmas Party.
Well done to our singers for their wonderful performances and for sharing the spirit of Christmas with our community!
Sports Results
Year 8/9 boys’ basketball lost to Brookfield 32-18
Year 8/9 girls’ basketball lost to Brookfield 22-8
Menu w/c 6 January 2026
Menu Week 1 25,26. Inset day monday
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 Term letter – sent 19/12/25
Christmas Jumper Day and Non-Uniform Day – sent 8/12/25 1212
12 Days of Christmas Attendance – 5/12/25 1514
Santa Run – sent 1/12/25 1324
Christmas Lunch – Final Booking Opportunity – sent 1/12/25 1137
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
Community First Local Children’s Partnership
The following link will take you to events and courses that are available over the Christmas period and beyond to support your child with their mental health and wellbeing (under the “CAMHS 2026” heading.) Some of the sessions available are provided by Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS).
https://www.camshill.com/school-life/care-guidance-and-support/safeguarding/
Statistics
Positive Behaviour Points Averages per Pupil for This Week
Year 7 – 2.54 points
Year 8 – 2.63 points
Year 9 – 2.01 points
Year 10 – 1.88 points
Year 11 – 1.82 points
Attendance
This week – 90.9%
Same week last year – 91.8%
Sparx – Maths
Over 50% in Maths Homework
Year 7 68%
Year 8 Independent learning for assessment
Year 9 65%
Year 10 55%
Over 75% in Maths Homework
Year 7 66%
Year 8 Independent learning for assessment
Year 9 59%
Year 10 49%
100% in Maths Homework
Year 7 61% *
Year 8 Independent learning for assessment
Year 9 40%
Year 10 28%
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