CJM/HV
June 2015
Dear Parents
This time of year at school is an odd one. Due to the exam season many classrooms lie empty when
they would normally be hives of industrious students, corridors at social times are much quieter as
many take the opportunity to sit outside, timetables are being written for next year and staff
appointments and resignations are a preoccupation. The last half of the summer term is unique as it
wraps up one academic year, while preparations are put in place for the forthcoming September.
It would seem from a quick glance that the year is effectively over, the school is merely winding
down and only looking ahead to the new year. That is far from the truth as I would hope you all
appreciate. Yes, Year 11 and Year 13 will leave as they finish their final exams in the next few weeks.
Yes, the new Year 7 will come to visit on their transition days, but they are just two events in a
mutlitude of on-going activities. The school is continuously focussed on ensuring every student
continues their learning up to the very last day of the summer term. Year 10, for example, will work
on their coursework and controlled assessments and Year 9 will be doing preparation work for their
full GCSE courses next year. The greater flexibility in the timetable does allow us to undertake a few
more external visits and organise some other important events. These support and enrich what the
students are learning and are all worthy of mention, many of which I will try to briefly alude to:
Year 11 Celebration Day and Prom
Our traditional Leavers’ Assembly with Year 11 will take place on Friday 19th June. It is chance for the
year group to come together for one final time as they finish their exams and in September many
will progress to apprenticeships or college and others move into 6th Form. It is an opportunity for the
students to say goodbye, reminisce and take a humourous look at their time at Caldew.
Many of the students will gather that night at The Greenhill Hotel for their prom, organised entirely
by themselves with some guidance from Mr Foulkes, our Business Manager. It promises to be a
glittering farewell to a well-liked year group who we hope reach their potential in their exams.
Junior and Middle Awards Evening
The younger students of the school in Years 7 and 8 have finished their exams and are working on
final improvements before the summer. These year groups contain some exceptionally talented
individuals who deserve recognition academically and for their attitude. Invitations will be sent to
parents inviting them to celebrate these students’ achievements with us on Wednesday 1st July.
Those nominated for the Middle Awards for Years 9 and 10 have been notified and will receive their
accolades at their event on Thursday 11th June. It is only right that those who excel in their studies
are recognised and I would like to congratulate all those students nominated this year.
It is important to recognise that there are many students who work tirelessly and receive a
mulititude of other awards and certificates throughout each year. The comprehensive rewards
system is in place to ensure that everyone’s endeavours are acknowledged whenever possible.
Year 7 in September 2015
Our normal intake number (PAN – Pupil Admission Number) is 174 students in each year group. This
makes Caldew a ‘6 form entry’ school (6 x 29), though in reality in every year group we are slightly
oversubscribed. In September we have taken the decision to admit 189 students in Year 7, a ‘7 form
entry’ (7 x 27), as a one-off variation of the PAN. This decision was taken due to the unprecedented
number of first choice applications we received, making us the most oversubscribed school in
Cumbria. The number in Year 7 may yet grow as over the next few weeks we have 35 appeals for
admission to be heard by the Independent Appeals Panel.
Work Experience
All Year 11 and Year 12 students have the chance to complete a work experience placement in the
latter part of this half term; Year 10s who study GCSE Environment and Land Based Studies will also
be on placement as part of their coursework. Many students take advantage of this opportunity and
Mr Greenwood has worked with them to secure a variety of placements. Some are arranged by the
students themselves and this shows growing independence and confidence. Where a student is not
as self-confident, support is in place to help them through the process. As always the students will
find the experience invaluable and a huge thank you must go to the employers whose support is
vital.
SALAD Day
This year, we have already enjoyed three SALAD days and on Monday 22nd June, the whole school
will take part in our fourth. These are ‘Speaking And Listening Active Development’ days where all
lessons are based on speaking and listening activities. Evidence suggests that talking together is
really effective and helps students learn better. It also supports students’ literacy skills as they can
develop ideas and rehearse them aloud before committing them to paper. Students have really
valued the activities, explaining how they’ve enjoyed the days: it has helped them to become more
confident and encouraged them to join in.
St Michael’s and Caldew Dance Display
Miss McCormick, as well as being a teacher at Caldew, is also employed by St Michael’s to teach PE
one day a week. Through this link she has been working on a joint dance display to take place on
Monday 29th June (6.00pm) and I am sure it will be an excellent display. Students are working hard in
rehearsals and would appreciate as much support as possible for the event, to be held at Caldew.
PE
The fine summer weather sees activity in the PE department move from team sports to more
individual endeavours in track and field events. Athletics thrives at the school and it is good to see
that some students are representing Cumbria in wider championships, competing in the North West
Finals. Team games don’t disappear fully, students will be competing against other schools in the
traditional summer sports of cricket and rounders.
Year 8 Archives Visit
Year 8 will visit the Carlisle Archive Centre this half term. It is a truly fascinating place and worth a
visit. The students will not only see the work that is done but also be able to access some of the
many historical documents. We should all be proud of our local history as it defines where we live.
Enabling the students to glimpse the rich records that are kept on the area and its people is a
worthwhile opportunity indeed.
Physics Visit
While we have well-equipped laboratories there is no doubt that facilities are more impressive in
higher education institutes, especially those engaged in cutting-edge research. Year 12 Physics
students will travel to Lancaster University to see the research being done with the specialist
equipment. We hope that this sparks the inquisitveness we would want all our university-bound
students to have and that it inspires some of them to apply to study this crucial subject.
School Council – Prefects
The Head Boy and Head Girl have been working on behalf of the School Council with Mr Clarke to
develop their ideas around a prefect system they wish introduce next year. Much work has gone into
their proposals and they successfully presented their ideas to the school’s Senior Leadership Team
before half-term. I would not want to steal their thunder but suffice to say that Year 9 and Year 10
students will be having assemblies in the next two weeks to explain the proposals and the vital role
they could play in ensuring that the school has in place a prefect system from September that is both
high-profile and effective in what it aims to do.
Year 7 Community Challenge Day
All of Year 7 have been completing the Archbishop of York’s Young Leaders Award over the last few
months. As well as learning about leadership they have been completing a personal volunteering
task at home and working on a school action project. On Wednesday 17th June they will complete
their Community Challenge events. Some students will raise money for charity with a stall in front of
the Co-op in Dalston selling plants, flowers biscuits and cakes. Others are spending time working
with St Michael’s and Cummersdale Schools, others making and delivering hampers to members of
the community, lastly some students will spend time weeding and planting in various locations
around the village. We hope the weather is kind to them and I would encourage anyone who can to
go out of their way to support the students. It is important that all our students nurture that sense
of community and volunteering from an early age and this award scheme is an ideal way of doing
that.
Duke of Edinburgh Award
The students in Year 11 and 13 will be completing expeditions at the start of July to ensure this
crucial element of their award is complete. These expeditions are only possible due to many staff
volunteering large tranches of time. A special thank you should always go to Mrs Dunn whose work
organising and coordinating the dozens of students doing the awards is, at times, nothing short of
miraculous. I hope the students enjoy the finest of weather, though without too much heat!
Non-Catchment Transition Days
Our catchment-area students experience a wide variety of activities at Caldew which allow them to
familiarise themselves with the school before their eventual transition, but non-catchment students
do not receive the same beneficial experiences. As a result, over the last few years we have
introduced additional days when our non-catchment students who will join Year 7 gain some of
those experiences. We hope these days are enjoyable and make the transition to secondary school a
little easier for them. We look forward to welcoming the students on the first one on Tuesday 30 th
June.
Year 5 Science Days
Over the coming weeks, Year 5 students from various schools will visit to take part in experiments
and investigations as our laboratories are freed up by classes who have finished their exams. Our
staff enjoy these days and I know the primary students find them exciting and rewarding. This year
we will welcome record numbers of students as they engage in the Forensic Science Challenge.
Year 9 and 10 Exams
As we finish the external exam season we start the vital internal exams for Year 9 and 10 students.
For Year 9s these will help decide classes and sets for subjects next year as well as providing us with
a final measure of how well each student has progressed over Key Stage 3. In the case of Year 10s
they are the first opportunity to focus on honing techniques for their GCSE exams next year. This is
something that develops over time; learning how to revise and organise time in preparation for
exams is something we are keen that all students do. We wish them the best with the exams that
start on Wednesday 17th June and hope that they all have prepared well so they can demonstrate
their potential.
A level and GCSE Results
 Thursday 13th August
 Thursday 20th August
from 8:00am Year 12 and 13 results are available
from 8:00am Year 11 results are available
from 10:00am Year 10 results are available
Any student wishing to have their results sent to them by post must leave a self-addressed envelope
and a written, signed, request with Ms Maccoll, the Exams Officer. Results cannot be given out over
the ‘phone or to other students without prior written notification.
Geography Field Work
Year 10 will be completing their GCSE Controlled Assesments in the remainder of this term and part
of the preparation for this is their fieldwork. Fieldwork is an integral and vital skill for all Geography
students so I wish the Year 10s well with their coursework and hope the Year 8s have a similarly
enjoyable and informative day out later this term.
School Transport – Bus Routes
The bus routes to school that are provided by School Transport have recently been up for tender.
This may result in some changes to the companies running the routes and possibly to the bus stops
used. Once we know the full outcome of the tendering process we will work with School Transport
to ensure that any changes are communicated in good time before the start of September.
As well as routes provided by School Transport, we also have several commercial operators
providing transport to the school. Cumbria Coaches will be running a new service from the St
Nicholas area with various pick-up points through to Scalegate Road. Further information is available
directly from the company: [email protected] or 01228 404300.
Attendance Does Matter
A summary of what constitutes good attendance is included in every report we send home. 95% or
better is considered ‘good attendance’; this is the national average and equates to 1 day off in every
20. A child with 95% attendance could still have absence of over half a term in total during Years 7 to
11. High attendance is linked to achievement and students should try to maintain as high an
attendance rate as possible.
An Attendance Plan will be put in place for students whose attendance at school drops below 90% as
this is classed as ‘persistent absence’. Parents of students with attendance below 85% are in danger
of prosecution. As a school we do use the legal powers available to fine, and in extreme cases,
prosecute parents who do not ensure their child attends school regularly. In a prosecution case last
year the court ordered the parents and a grandparent of a child to pay a fine, a curfew was imposed
and they were also ordered to wear electronic tags. This year we are awaiting a court decision on an
Education Supervision Order. Such cases are rare and as a school we will exhaust all other avenues
first, however ultimately it is the legal duty of every parent to ensure their child attends school and I
thank you for your normally unstinting support in that.
Holidays in Term Time
I am ever conscious of the upset caused when we have no choice but to decline to authorise
holidays during term time. I have listed next year’s terms dates to help you plan your holidays:
Autumn Term:
Start:
Half-term:
End:
Monday 7th September 2015
Monday 26th – Friday 30th October 2015
Thursday 17th December 2015
Spring Term:
Start:
Half-term:
End:
Tuesday 5th January 2016
Monday 15th – Friday 19th February 2016
Thursday 24th March 2016
Summer Term:
Start:
Half-term:
End:
Monday 11th April 2016
Monday 30th May – Friday 3rd June 2016
Thursday 21st July 2016
Holiday from school can only be authorised in exceptional circumstances. This does cause some
confusion but it is fair to say that if a holiday has been booked where the parent has the ability to
book leave during normal holidays or it is to attend an event that is taking place that could have
been arranged at a different time it is highly unlikely to be authorised. Holidays that would be
authorised would include leave of a parent from a deployed unit in the military or other instances
where a holiday cannot under any circumstances be arranged at a different time. If a student does
not have a good attendance record e.g. it is not 95% or above it is highly unlikely that a holiday
would be authorised.
Future Scholars Programme
In May a group of five Year 9 students were given a taste of studying at a Russell Group University
via a trip to Glasgow University through the Future Scholars programme. The day included a number
of activities: a university-level lecture on Taming the Tsunami, delivered by Dr Gordon Curry, a
geologist who experienced first-hand the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, a guided tour of campus
facilities led by current Glasgow students and finally an interactive workshop entitled Zombie
Science: Worst Case Scenario – a light-hearted approach to the serious science behind disease,
infection control and containment. The five students were unanimous in their appreciation of the
experience which succeeded in demystifying university life and inspired participants to aim for
Higher Education.
Year 12 University Applications: 2015-16
Many Year 12 students will be considering applying to university and the cycle of application has
already started in school. An important aspect of the university application process is the completion
of a personal statement and all students will work on this in their General Studies lessons this halfterm. For those students who at this stage do not intend to apply for university, we support them
with advice and guidance for jobs and apprentice positions, however it is useful to keep all options
open and completing personal statements is a good basis for non-university applications as well.
Now is the time when universities offer open days for students and parents to visit. These days are
very useful because they give insight into what the place is like as well as the university. It is true
that when considering where to study that it has to be the right course and the right place; open
days offer the chance to help students to make those choices and we would encourage students to
attend them this term. You can also find out about eligibility for university bursaries and other
financial support packages on these visits. Sometimes students travel together to the same
universities, particularly if parents cannot make it. Absence from school to attend open days will be
authorised but you need to let us know when your child is going.
On Friday 3rd July 2015 the UCAS Universities Convention is being held at The Sands Centre. We have
reserved an allocated time slot for all Year 12 to attend in the morning and have arranged return
transport from school on that morning. This is a good opportunity for students to talk to
representatives from many universities as well as from Student Finance England. All Year 12 students
should attend so that they can gather information which will help them to make choices.
On the UCAS website there are useful guides for parents and students about the process of applying
as well as links to help compare universities and courses. It can seem a daunting process, particularly
if a student is the first generation in a family to apply for university. If you have any queries about
the process please contact Mr James at school and he will explain. We are a partner school with
Newcastle University and this is a link which particularly helps students whose family have no history
of studying at university. Universities like Leeds and Durham offer similar progression schemes and
students have successfully applied for these in the past. Again Mr James can explain these schemes
to any parents interested, so please contact him at school.
Finally, below are some useful dates and deadlines for the process this year:
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Mid-May 2015: UCAS goes live so students can register and start to fill in their basic details.
September 2015: Newcastle University Partners scheme talk to students in school
September 2015: students circulate subject reference forms to their subject teachers.
15th September 2015: first date for completed applications to be sent to UCAS.
15th October 2015: UCAS deadline for applications to Oxford and Cambridge universities
and also for Medicine, Veterinary Science and Dentistry courses.
14th November 2015: Caldew School deadline for students to complete all UCAS
applications for other courses.
15th January 2016: UCAS deadline for most applications.
Contacting School
I would like to remind parents that we welcome prompt contact with the school from you over any
issue. There is an email link under the staff section on the school’s website for all staff. We aim to
respond to these within the maximum of one a working day and they are often a good way of
contacting staff in the first instance. It can be difficult to respond to ‘phone calls due to teaching
commitments, meetings or missing callers when returning messages; I know in my case this is
certainly true. If you do ‘phone, please try to leave times when it will be possible to contact you so
we have the best chance of reaching you.
In the first instance any pastoral issues should be directed to Tutors or Heads of Houses and
similarly, subject matters directed to the Class Teacher or indeed the Subject Team Leader.
If you do feel that a matter has not been resolved then I would encourage you to contact the Deputy
Headteacher, Ms Jackson, or myself. We will normally respond the same day and we do follow up
concerns responding appropriately to them.
Free School Meals
As I hope you are aware, students whose parents are on low incomes are entitled to free school
meals. The eligibility criteria can be found on www.cumbria.gov.uk in the schools and learning
section, where there is detailed information. The criteria and form (which can be filled in online) can
be accessed here. If you have any queries regarding the process please contact Sheila Taylor in
Student Reception who will be happy to assist.
The school receives the Pupil Premium for all students on free school meals which we use to support
them in their learning and wider participation in school life. How we spend this money each year is
detailed on our website. I would encourage anyone eligible to ensure that they have received their
entitlement as the additional money can help students achieve and participate more widely.
So while school becomes in some ways a little quieter without the presence of Year 11 and Year 13,
it remains a busy place. The other year groups have much to do and to experience. They all need to
remain focussed on their learning. So while the varied and rich tapestry of school life continues it is
on their academic progress that all students should concentrate over the coming weeks. The
summer break is not far away but much remains to be done if they are to continue on the path to
success that we all want them to secure.
Yours sincerely
Mr Chris McAree
Headteacher
[email protected]