Weekly Message 300 – 1 May 2026
1st May 2026
Art Club Puppet Project
Thank you to all parents and carers who attended the Year 7 Pupil Progress Evening on Tuesday – it was a valuable opportunity to discuss progress and next steps, and we greatly appreciate your continued support.
This week also saw our Year 11 pupils come together for their group photograph; as we move into their final weeks with us, it was a special moment to capture and reflect on their journey through the school.
In addition, a group of pupils has travelled to Barcelona for the weekend, on a trip organised by our Modern Foreign Languages and Art Departments. This promises to be a fantastic opportunity to immerse themselves in language and culture.
Looking ahead to next week, please note that Monday is the Bank Holiday and the school will be closed. We then begin an important period for our Year 11 pupils, as their summer examinations get underway. We wish them every success and encourage them to continue their focused preparation capturing as much as they can from the expertise of their teachers in their few remaining lessons and revision sessions, alongside independent study at home.
How to Access Arbor if the App Isn’t Working
If you are having problems accessing the Arbor app, you can use the web version of Arbor instead. Below is a link to explain how to do this.
Arbor-Home-Screen-Guide 26 05 01
School Bus Pass Change
If your child has a council issued school bus pass, you will have recently received a letter explaining some upcoming changes. From Friday 1 May 2026, pupils will only be able to use their pass on the specific route it was originally allocated for, and it will no longer be valid on any other route.
Cams Hill Careers Fair – Employers Wanted!
On Tuesday 14 July all our pupils will attend a careers fair at the school. They will be given the opportunity to speak to a variety of employers about future career options. If you have a business you would like to promote and highlight the wide variety of opportunities post-16, please email Miss Vadis on office@camshill.com.
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Silver Expedition
Last weekend, Mr Parratt, Mr Townsend, Mrs Parson and Miss Deathers took 21 Year 10 pupils to the New Forest for their practice Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award expedition. Pupils enjoyed putting their navigation, teamwork and blister management skills to the test. The weather was perfect, even if the frosty nights were a shock to the system.
Art Club Completes their Puppet Project
Over the last three months, Art Club has been working hard on an extended modelling project. They have all been tasked with creating foam form puppets to design, build and personalise. After 13(!) weeks of continued enthusiasm and passion for the project, they have finally completed their puppets and will be taking them home to refine their puppetry skills in front of their friends and family.
Not only has this project given the pupils the opportunity to use an extensive range of materials – including foam, fabric and wire – they have also learned how to use new mediums to achieve professional puppets.
Over the last year, art club has been focusing on different creative projects which can go on to become entrepreneurial pursuits – demonstrating the need for creative thinkers, and hands-on craftpersons, within our community.
Our next project will begin on Wednesday 6 May, and we look forward to welcoming new faces to our club.
Top Tips for Parents/Carers on Managing Exam Stress
Below is a link to information from The National College on managing exam stress.
Keeping Your Child Safe – Online and Beyond
The digital world that our young people experience today is ever changing with ever increasing worries and demands for them and for you as a parent/carer. The following link Parentsafe takes you to LGfl SafeguarED, this page provides you with tips and support for keeping your child safe online.
Sports Results
Year 7 girls’ netball won against Henry Cort 27-7
Year 9 netball won against Henry Cort 27-7
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.
How to access Arbor if the App Isn’t working (sent 1/5/26 at 1700)
Menu – w/c 20 April 2026
Menu Week 3 25,26 Bank holiday
Bicycle Equipment Library
Statistics
Positive Behaviour Points Averages per Pupil for This Week
Year 7 – 3.64 points
Year 8 – 4.17 points
Year 9 – 3.73 points
Year 10 – 1.98 points
Year 11 – 0.63 points
Attendance
This week – 93.2%
Same week last year – 94.0%
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 Revision week for test
Year 8 60%
Year 9 67%%
Year 10 45%
Over 75% in Maths Homework
Year 7 Revision week for test %
Year 8 60%
Year 9 61%
Year 10 31%
100% in Maths Homework
Year 7 Revision week for test
Year 8 49%
Year 9 47%
Year 10 14%
*For example, this figure means 49% of Year 8 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 4 May 2026 – 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 66%
Year 8 77%
Year 9 79%
Year 10 76%
Year 11 72%
Highest number of questions answered by one pupil this week
Year 7 200 questions
Year 8 392 questions
Year 9 236 questions
Year 10 776 questions
Year 11 986 questions