Dear Parents and Carers

And following what can feel like the blink of an eye, the GCSE and A-level examinations will be coming to a close in the coming days. What a relief for our hardworking students! They can now begin to look forward to the post-examination treats. In addition to today’s Year 11 Leavers’ Assembly, we have next week’s Prom and then the visit to Thorpe Park the week after. We look forward to the Year 13 Leavers’ Event next Friday evening, and by that point, all our Year 11s and Year 13s will be ‘free’ of revision and examinations, and can enjoy a well-earned rest—and an extended summer holiday. Today was all about our Year 11s, and it was another one of those idyllic days in school!

RAISING MONEY FOR AN OUTDOOR AREA

Further to a recent key letter on site development (which is still available on our website), I wish to bring you up-to-speed with two imminent fundraisers in association with our wonderful PTA.

Year 7 Sponsored Screen ↔ Swap

We are calling on all Year 7s to raise at least £10 each over the course of ten days (Friday 27 June 27 to Sunday, 6 July). The idea is that they swap any kind of screen time for ‘real-world activities’ that can be acts of kindness (like fixing a neighbour’s boiler or weeding their front garden), or something that promotes greater connectedness (like playing a board game or taking the dog for a walk as a family).

There is a great deal going on here behind the scenes to get ready, but if all our Year 7s managed to hit their goal, we would be able to buy one of the pillars or stanchions that will eventually hold up the large outdoor area. Small steps for big gains.

Staff ‘Raising the Roof’

Meanwhile, my colleagues and I are trying to do our bit by heading off to Pen y Fan Peak (Brecon Beacons, South Wales) to run, walk, or crawl thirteen miles to raise money to raise that roof. You can make your own donation by heading off to this JustGiving page. These are another few steps and strides on that journey to building a wonderful facility that will help us with all-year-round lessons, breaktimes, and activities.

Free School Meals Update

You will be aware that the Government has announced an extension of Free School Meals provision, leading to all children with parents or carers on Universal Credit being eligible. Please speak to anyone at CNS if you think you may be eligible. It is worth at least £500 per pupil and certainly worth exploring. Simply call anyone at CNS you feel comfortable talking to or complete this online form.

Biometrics Update

In a related matter, we shall be collecting the biometric data to enable the high-tech facilities to be installed in time for September. All current students will provide the data on Wednesday 9th July, with the rest collected on the first day back in September.

Thank you to those families who have already provided Biometric consent for their children. We are at just over 50%, and therefore will need a few nudges in time for 9th July. To ensure your child is able to purchase food and drink swiftly by this method in September, you must provide your consent no later than Friday 27th June ready for the Data Capture Day in July.

Once again, may I reassure you that no actual fingerprint image will be stored in the system. Instead, unique numbers are generated and stored, making it impossible to recreate the original fingerprint.  The unique numbers representing the fingerprint are utterly meaningless to anyone else.

We expect, in September, a much-improved lunchtime service for consented students, with the added benefit of:

• Students not having to remember to bring their lunch card to school each day;
• No requirement to fund the purchase a replacement card;
• Student queuing time further reduced due to a streamlined cashless process.

Child Exploitation and Online Harm Video Resources

Local schools have recently received a very helpful letter from Matthew Barber, the Police & Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley. His letter is attached for you to read and contains links to valuable resources that we fully endorse. These include two short but very informative new videos that explore the themes of child exploitation and online harm. These exist alongside existing resources (‘Stay True To You’) that help parents and carers who are struggling to help their children make good choices. You will forgive me for adding that these materials are not for others’ kids, and in fact help all schools and all families find the best ways to keep all children safe. Great children from great families can find themselves in very difficult situations and therefore being as well-informed as possible can never do any harm. Please share these links with friends who may be facing challenging circumstances so that they do not feel alone.

Yours faithfully
Barry Doherty,
Headteacher