Friday 11 June 2021 Dear Parents and Carers Welcome back to the new term. It has been great to see all of our year groups out enjoying the playing fields each breaktime and that feeling of normality gradually returning. That said, we ask that you continue with the twice-weekly testing …

Dear Parents and Carers It is here – a few days of well-earned rest for everyone, but still plenty to do and achieve in term 6. As I mentioned last week, the year 9s begin their GCSEs next week, and the year 10s and 12s have their own internal mock …

Dear Parents and Carers I recall that one of the arguments over the years to rethink the summer exam season was the sheer heat or humidity of those weeks. This has been one less demand on our year 11s and year 13s this year! Year 11 and 13s Mr Trainer …

Dear Parents and Carers I hope that this letter finds you and your family well. This week, I provide confirmation on face coverings but also wish to share some thoughts about the future. COVID-19 Update on Face Coverings The Prime Minister’s announcement last Monday evening means that from Monday 17 …

Dear Parents and Carers I hope this letter finds you and your family well. The news around the world on the pandemic remains deeply upsetting, but closer to home we are seeing many signs that our normal lives and schools are resuming once more. Attendance Matters – Now More Than …

Dear Parents and Carers Welcome back to the summer term! Just a short letter from me this week to welcome everyone back to school and what we hope will be an increasingly normal summer term. The internal assessments for years 11 and 13 are now underway, and all other year …

Dear Parents and Carers It was really motivating to listen to the radio on the way to work this morning. I listened to a summary of the soon to be published report by ‘The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities’. Their report will be important to read and digest in …

Dear Parents and Carers I hope this letter finds you and your families well at the end of what has been a challenging term for everyone. We are so pleased to have our students back in school and to be going into the Easter holidays together. There is a definite sense …

Dear Parents and Carers Year 11 and Year 13 Grades As the days progress, more information and clarification around how final grades will be determined is emerging. Mr Trainer and Mrs Armistead will be writing to all Year 11 and Year 13 students and families in two weeks’ time to …

Dear Parents and Carers It is so good to be back! Things have gone really well this week and we are very pleased to report that we are approaching five days into the nine-day testing programme and the students have been FANTASTIC. By next Thursday, all students will have undertaken …

Dear Parents and Carers There is a strange sense that we have come to the end of a mini-term and beginning another new journey on Monday. In a very positive sense, it feels either like the end or the start of something good and special. Whilst our core purpose always …

Dear Parents and Carers My letter to you this week is largely devoted to outlining the arrangements for the reopening of our school from Monday 8 March 2021. Before I get to that topic a few words on yesterday’s news. Awarding of GCSE, BTEC and A level Grades in 2021 …

Tuesday 23 February 2021 Dear Parents, Carers and Sixth Form Students I trust you all had a restful half term and have been heartened by the speed of the vaccine rollout and the Prime Minister’s roadmap for leaving lockdown. It is abundantly clear how keen we all are to return …

Friday 12 February 2021 Dear Parents, Carers and Students In my final letter to you of this term, I wish to share some news on the work of our Parent & Teacher Association, look ahead to next term and thank you for your support and encouragement over the past six …

Dear Parents, Carers and Students It’s official, spring is on its way: I saw snowdrops growing near a hedge on Sunday morning and there is no further proof needed that winter is behind us! At some point in the next two weeks, we ought to know more about plans for …

Dear Parents, Carers and Students Today’s letter is going to be slightly unusual in as much as I wish to communicate directly to parents, carers and students, and (ironically) devote much of my longer than normal letter to the importance of reading. I have chosen to structure my letter in …

Dear Parents and Carers A shorter than usual letter from me this week following Mr Gent’s letter to families on Wednesday and the launch of the 2 minute parent survey. That survey remains live and will help us shape the direction of future provision. Thank you for the 200+ responses …

4Dear Parents, Carers, Students and Colleagues NHS Test and Trace: COVID-19 testing for students and staff As I hope you are aware, we continue to work hard to keep our school as safe as possible. You may have heard that testing for those without coronavirus symptoms is beginning across the …

Friday 8 January 2021 Dear Parents and Carers We all hope the first few days have gone well and that the transition to remote learning has not been too difficult or problematic. I shall write to you each Friday and this week have a series of clarifications, reminders and a …

Dear Parents, Carers and Students I hope that this letter finds you well and that we might all emerge from this very difficult period as soon as possible. Following the Prime Minister’s announcement last night, I wish to set out how this will affect your children in the weeks ahead. …

Dear Parents and Carers A Phased Start to the Spring Term Please forgive me for writing to you on New Year’s Eve. Following yesterday’s announcement by the Department for Education, I am now in a position to set out how the spring term will commence. Monday 4 January & Tuesday …

Dear Parents and Carers Managing COVID-19 through the CHRISTMAS BREAK The main purpose of my letter to you today is to set out what needs to happen if your son or daughter tests positive for COVID-19 during the Christmas break. This a complex matter and therefore I hope the following …

Dear Parents and Carers As we enter the final week of term, I am so proud of the way that your children and my colleagues have responded to the full resumption of school life since September. For most of us it has been pretty ‘full on’ since the release of …

Dear Parents and Carers RE: COVID-19 UPDATES Well, we continue to live in very interesting times and the past few weeks have, of course, been no different. From US presidential elections to the cancellation of examinations in Wales, there has been plenty to talk about, as well as the good …

Dear Parents and Carers With the national lockdown now underway, we just wanted to contact you to clarify the limited impact this has on your son or daughter at CNS. After School Clubs [continue as normal] We have been advised that all school-based activities that relate to catch-up, examination preparation …

Dear Parents and Carers End of Term Fundraising Our term ends on Wednesday and therefore we shall be running a non-uniform day. The day will be in support of one of the four local charities that we support at CNS. THRIVE has done tremendous work before and during the pandemic …

Monday 12 October 2020 Dear Parents and Carers Meet the Tutors Evenings This Week Starting today with years 7 and 8, phone calls will take place throughout each evening between my colleagues and yourselves this week. Naturally, the focus of each conversation will be different, depending on the individual circumstances …

Monday 28 September 2020  Dear Parents and Carers  Last Week’s Letters from Mrs De Bruyn and Mrs Armistead  I hope you enjoyed last week’s letter from our new assistant headteachers and that it allowed you to  broaden your awareness of the many ways in which we strive to be an …

Monday 14 September 2020 Dear Parents and Carers I trust you received my letter regarding a confirmed case of COVID-19, sent last night. Whilst I do not wish to revisit the content of that letter, it is worth dwelling for a moment on the fact that such letters and responses …

Thursday 10 September 2020  Dear Parents and Carers  Health & Safety Update – Including Revised Face Covering Expectations  Those more familiar with our risk assessment will be aware that we carry out a weekly review of our  reopening procedures. I am writing to you today to set out a few …

Dear Parents and Carers Between us all, we seem to have started the term really well. In broad terms, the zones across the school are working and everyone appears to have got the hang of it pretty quickly. However, we continue to learn a little more each day about what …

Wednesday 2 September 2020 Dear Parents and Carers Today That’s it; we are back up and running! The Year 7s arrived this morning with very little fuss and have enjoyed a full day with their new tutor and several lessons as well. We hope they arrive home with plenty of …

Dear Parents and Carers I hope this final week is going to plan – whether that is catching a few final days together as a family or simply getting everything ready for next week. You may recall that I wrote to you last week andcommitted to setting out more information …

Friday 17 July 2020 Dear Students For most of you, this is your last day of term – but please spare a thought for those GCSE, BTEC and A level students of Geography and PE who will be coming in next week. My hope is that this letter will be …

Friday 21 August 2020 Dear Parents and Carers Welcome back as we step-up preparations for the start of a new term and year. I do hope that you have had a great rest and break and that your children are increasingly eager, if not desperate, to get back to school. …

Monday 13 July 2020 Dear Parents and Carers In the past week, there has been a great deal of work ‘behind the scenes’ to put flesh on the bones of our plans to fully reopen the school to all students in September. I expect to write to your children (and …

Monday 6 July 2020 Dear Parents and Carers As we enter the final two weeks of the summer term, it continues to be business as usual in terms of both the provision / completion of home learning and the continued on-site provision for Year 10 and 12 students. You will …

Monday 29 June 2020 Dear Parents and Carers Welcome back to a new school week. I hope your weekend was restful and that you managed to enjoy those patches of summer weather between the various showers and downfalls. You may recall that I used last week’s letter to look ahead …

Dear Parents and Carers This week: focusing on the future As the reopening for Year 10 and 12 students gets underway, with mentoring conversations this week and lessons next, I feel able to step aside from the day-to-day operational work of the school and look towards the future. I hope …

Monday 15 June 2020 Dear Parents and Carers It is another bumper letter but it is an exciting one because I can finally move our focus to reopening and the gradual return of normality. I shall do my best to set this letter out in a logical order and try …

Monday 8 June 2020 Dear Parents and Carers I hope this letter finds you all well and that the sudden turn in the weather did not put too much of a dampener on the first week back after half term. Reopening Feedback from Year 10 and Year 12 Families Since …

Monday 1 June 2020 Dear Parents and Carers I hope that the half term break was refreshing in every respect and that the resumption of home learning, including our A Level bridging courses, is going well this morning. With things being so busy in every household right now, I am …

Monday, 18 May 2020 Dear Parents and Carers Staggered Reopening of Schools in England Following the Prime Minister’s statement last Sunday, there has been a great deal of information circulated regarding the eventual reopening of schools. It appears logical and reasonable for secondary schools to begin that process with those …

Monday 11 May 2020 Dear Parents, Carers and Students VE Day Celebrations And so, how did Friday go in your home or street? The added poignancy of the lockdown clearly intensified the dignity with which the nation remembered those brave men and women who fought for our liberty. There was …

Monday May The Fourth Be With You 2020 Dear Parents and Carers School Closure Update Like you, I am sure that over the weekend you heard, read or watched a great deal of discussion and speculation about the timing and manner of how the national lockdown might be eased in …

Monday 27 April 2020 Dear Parents and Carers Hart of Gold In amongst the inspirational stories of fundraising altruists, you may have noticed one of our Year 11 students doing her bit for the NHS. Issy cycled over 100 miles in order to raise £2000+ for NHS Charities Together after …

Monday 20 April 2020 Dear Parents and Carers WELCOME BACK I hope that this letter finds you well and managing the various demands on your lives, including the resumption of home learning this week. Having spent several hours with my daughter on her work today, I was again reminded of …

Monday 30 March 2020 Dear Parents and Carers I hope this letter finds you all well and managing the various new demands and pressures. The Goldilocks Zone – Not Too Much and Not Too Little? We hope the letters sent to you in the past week were helpful. We also …

Monday 23 March 2020 Dear Parents and Carers Keeping You Updated We shall do our very best to strike the right balance between keeping you informed and overwhelming you with information from the school. Our plan is that we shall issue a whole school letter on most days as follows: …

Dear Parents and Carers Years 11 and Year 13 Celebration Day It is too early to compose anything vaguely coherent about today. Our Year 11s were just brilliant – stoic and happy to have had a day to celebrate their school lives together. We do not quite know how or …