Weekly Message 318 – 23 October 2026
23rd October 2026
We would like to wish our pupils and their families a restful half term break and look forward to welcoming pupils back on Monday 2 November 2026 – Week B.
Equipment
A reminder to re-stock your child’s equipment over the holiday – particularly pens, whiteboard pens and rulers.
For Maths lessons, calculators are available to purchase on Arbor for £10.
National Numeracy
This November, National Numeracy is encouraging everyone to feel more confident with numbers through Number Confidence Week.
More than a third of adults experience maths anxiety, and children can often pick up on the worries that parents and carers may have about maths. By building our own confidence, we can help children develop a more positive attitude towards numbers too.
National Numeracy offers a range of free resources, including practical tips, inspiring stories and the National Numeracy Challenge – a confidential online tool that helps adults develop their number skills at their own pace.
Whether you would like to feel more confident helping your child with maths homework or managing everyday tasks involving numbers, there is support available for everyone, whatever their starting point.
Find out more and explore the free resources at nationalnumeracy.org.uk/numberconfidenceweek.
Weekly Numeracy Challenge
This is a great opportunity to celebrate how everyone can develop their number skills, with a little practice making a big difference.
To mark the occasion, we’re launching our Weekly Numeracy Challenges! Each week, we’ll share a fun problem in the weekly message to get pupils and families thinking, encourage problem-solving and show how maths can be used in everyday life.
Why not have a go at our first challenge? It’s not just about finding the right answer – it’s about exploring different approaches, thinking creatively and building confidence with numbers!
Try this week’s problem together, then pupils can talk about it in school with their Maths teacher to gain achievement points.
Pumpkin Power: can you find the best buy?
The Patel family are buying pumpkins to carve and to cook with. The farm shop sells three:
- Pumpkin A: 3 kg for £4.50
- Pumpkin B: 6 kg for £7.20
- Pumpkin C: 9 kg for £11.52
(a) Which pumpkin is the best value per kilogram? Show how you know.
(b) The family needs at least 12 kg of pumpkin altogether. What is the cheapest way to buy it using whole pumpkins?
Talk about it at home: When do you check the price per kilo, or per 100 g, when you shop? Is the biggest pack always the best value?
Challenge: The shop puts 15% off Pumpkin C. Is it now the best value?
Talk about it in school: Share your answer with your maths teacher or drop your working into Ma4 to gain achievement points.
Answers will be in next week’s weekly message.
Zombie Hands in Art Club
This week saw Art Club finish their latest creation: Zombie Hands, ready to be proudly displayed for Halloween.
They spent three weeks constructing, papier mâché-ing and painting their models and they thoroughly enjoyed getting all kinds of messy.
After half-term we will be creating some model Remembrance Poppies then jumping straight into Christmas crafts.
Great South Run
Congratulations to all staff and pupils who completed The Great South Run, The Great South 5k or The Junior Great South Run last weekend.
R Barr – Great South 5k
A Edmunds – Junior Run – 21st
S Fagelman
A Harris
F Smith – Junior Run – 9th
Mr Arnold
Mrs Fields
Mr Govan
Arthur Edmunds – Fundraising for African Adventure
A huge congratulations to Arthur Edmunds, who took part in the Junior Great South Run last weekend and finished an incredible 21st out of 1,500 children! What an amazing achievement! Arthur is also using his running efforts to raise money for African Adventures ahead of his upcoming trip next Summer to Kenya with the school. He has set up a fundraising page and has raised almost £700 to date and he plans to take part in more events to support this worthwhile cause which will benefit the schools we will be working in.
We are incredibly proud of Arthur’s determination, enthusiasm and commitment to helping others. Well done, Arthur, and good luck with your future challenges!
If you would like to support Arthur’s fundraising efforts, you can visit his page here:
Arthur’s African Adventure Fundraising Page
Sports Results
Senior netball won against Fareham Academy 31-2
Year 9 boys. football drew with Fareham Academy 3-3
Menu w/c 2 November 2026
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.
Parent Workshop – Anxiety – sent 20/10/26 0948
Cancellation of clubs in Sports Hall – sent 7/10/26 at 11313G Pitch – sent 2/10/26 1800
Flu Vaccinations reminder – sent25/9/26 1800
Homework – sent 22/9/26 1000
Late Start for Pupils – Friday 25 September 2026 – sent 18/9/26 1800
Coffee Morning x four forms– sent 11/9/26 1600-1801
PE Footwear – September 2026 – sent 11/9/26 at 1352
School Immunisation Service -sent 10/9/26 at 1201
Walk Wheel Cycle Trust – sent 4/9/26 at 0851
Welcome back – sent 2/9/26 at 1700
Statistics
Positive Behaviour Points Averages per Pupil for this Week (4 days)
Year 7 7.7 points
Year 8 5.5 points
Year 9 5.8 points
Year 10 4.2 points
Year 11 Autumn Exams
Attendance
This week – 93.5%
Same week last year – 93.9%
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
Over 50% in Maths Homework
Year 7 Revision task set
Year 8 85%
Year 9 56%
Year 10 77%
Over 75% in Maths Homework
Year 7 Revision task set
Year 8 83%
Year 9 51%
Year 10 70%
100% in Maths Homework
Year 7 Revision task set
Year 8 74%*
Year 9 36%
Year 10 44%
*For example, this figure means 74% of Year 8 got 100% in their homework tasks.
Scores in green show an increase or the same as last week’s figures.
Year 11 are doing weekly maths exam practice tests with feedback lesson on a Friday
Maths Homework Support is open to all Years on Wednesdays in ICT3 and Ma10 until 4pm.
Next In-Class Maths Assessments
Year 10 – week of 9 November 2026 – calculator and non-calculator
Calculators and other equipment for sale
Casio fx-85GT CW+ 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-85GT CW+ scientific calculator- £10.00
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 Key Stage 4 use – See Arbor for details
