Weekly Message 299 – 17 April 2026
17th April 2026
Ski Trip to Austria
We hope you all had a restful and enjoyable Easter break. It has been a positive start to the Summer Term, with pupils returning to school ready to learn and engage.
This week, Year 10 pupils began their Summer examinations, approaching this important milestone with focus and determination demonstrating the knowledge and skills they have developed across the year. These exams provide an important opportunity for pupils to experience formal exam conditions and routines – they are conducted in line with the expectations set by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), ensuring pupils are familiar with the standards and procedures required in external examinations.
Looking ahead, Year 10 exams will continue into next week, and pupils completing their Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award will have their practice camp, which provides a valuable opportunity to develop teamwork, resilience and independence.
Further ahead, we look forward to welcoming Year 7 parents and carers to the Pupil Progress Evening taking place on Tuesday 28 April (a letter was sent home on 10 April). Booking is now open for the first five appointment slots, with remaining slots opening on 21 April at 1900. Bookings will close at midday on Monday 27 April.
Year 11 will have their group photograph taken on Wednesday 29 April and finally, please note that information regarding the Year 8 Pupil Progress Evening on Tuesday 19 May 2026 will be shared in due course.
Ski Trip to Austria
On Thursday 26 March 2026, 38 intrepid Year 10 and Year 11 pupils plus five staff boarded the coach to head to the slopes in Austria. The journey was 24 hours door to door and went by in a flash with no delays.
As we entered the Austrian mountain range the weather quickly changed from warm fair weather to snowy mountain tops and a more wintery vista. We were warmly greeted at the hotel by the owner and our rep. Rooms were sorted and luggage ‘dumped.’ Pupils went and collected skis, boots and helmets ready for the next day. After the long journey, dinner and an early night beckoned!
Day one on the slopes was met with excitement with fresh snow and sunshine. The more experienced skiers left, and the remaining pupils started lessons in earnest. Everyone had a great first day, with lots of stories to share over dinner. That night we had our first activity, skittles bowling and pool.
The coming days saw the pupils develop their skills on the slopes, we saw them fall over (a lot) and giggle their way down the slopes. The more experienced group tackled the hardest run on the slopes (twice) and that gave them the confidence to develop and experience the ski parks.
The evenings were filled with quizzes devised by Mr Booth, Mr Dale and Miss Emery and swimming at a local spa; there were 18 different pools including heated outside pools that looked over the stunning mountains as the snow fell and the sun set. The last evening out was a pizza evening; with some managing to eat their pizza plus leftovers!
The last ski day was filled with the sadness that the trip was coming to an end. The pupils had the opportunity to ski with friends in other groups and say thank you to the fabulous ski instructors who had taught them all week and given them an experience and memories that will stay with them.
Every single pupil was an absolute pleasure to have on the trip, they showed themselves in the best light, they were a credit to their families and the school. We thank Mrs Brooker for organising the trip along Mr Townsend, Miss Emery, Mr Booth and Mr Dale for giving up their time and making the trip the success it was.
Netball Trip to Disneyland
This Easter Cams Hill took 40 pupils and 4 staff to Disneyland Paris to play a netball tournament. Five teams took part and all participated incredibly well. The standard was exceptional and our Year 8 team called The Belles placed 4th overall out of 20 teams. To finish the trip we spent a day in Disneyland, which was amazing! The pupils were fantastic, and we are incredibly proud of how they conducted themselves while away. A huge thank you to Mrs Holden for organising the trip and Mrs Oswald-Cutler, Mrs Cother and Mrs Tolliday who gave up part of their holidays to come on the trip. Trips do not happen without these wonderful people. Hoping everyone made some fantastic memories! Until next time…….
Coffee Mornings
A huge thank you to all parents and carers who attended our coffee and catch-up session this week. It was a real pleasure to see so many of you there and to have the opportunity to connect in such a positive way. This new initiative is all about strengthening communication and building even closer relationships within our school community, and we were delighted with the level of engagement.
We truly value the feedback and the conversations we shared, and these will play an important role in helping us continue to shape and improve the school.
Many of you have already booked onto upcoming sessions, which is fantastic. For those who have not yet had the chance, below is the schedule of dates as a reminder. Further details on how to book will be sent via Groupcall shortly.
We look forward to seeing more of you at future sessions.
Sports Results
There are no sports results this 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.
There have been no whole school letters published this half term.
Menu – w/c 20 April 2026
Statistics
Positive Behaviour Points Averages per Pupil for This Week
Year 7 – 5.44 points
Year 8 – 2.57 points
Year 9 – 2.68 points
Year 10 – 0.35 points (summer exams)
Year 11 – 1.36 points
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 45%
Year 9 64%
Year 10 45%
Over 75% in Maths Homework
Year 7 75%
Year 8 44%
Year 9 59%
Year 10 39%
100% in Maths Homework
Year 7 70% *
Year 8 35%
Year 9 44%
Year 10 26%
*For example, this figure means 70% of Year 7 got 100% in their homework tasks.
Figures in green indicate maintaining or an increase from last time.
Year 11 are working independently with revision homework.
Maths Homework Support is open to all Years on Wednesdays in ICT2 until 4pm.
Next In-Class Maths Assessment
Year 9 – w/c 27/4/26 – calculator
Year 7 – w/c 4/5/26 – non-calculator test
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- £11.08
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
Percentage of Questions Answered Correctly This Week
Year 7 67 %
Year 8 68%
Year 9 73%
Year 10 68%
Year 11 73%
Highest number of questions answered by one pupil this week
Year 7 530 questions
Year 8 231 questions
Year 9 89 questions
Year 10 256 questions
Year 11 813 questions