Parent Notices – Week 25 (13th April 2026)

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.” –  Colossians 3:23

We were delighted to welcome pupils back this week following the Easter holiday, beginning with our Whole School Photograph on Monday. This occasion was a powerful reflection of the strong bonds within our school family. Pupils were impeccably well behaved, and it was a privilege to speak with them about Laudato Si in my welcome back assembly. Pope Francis’ message reminds us of our responsibility to care for one another and for our common home, encouraging compassion, respect and stewardship. These values are central to how we support our pupils’ personal, spiritual and academic growth.

Our Year 11 pupils are now approaching their GCSE examinations. Drama and PE NEA assessments have taken place this week, and it is essential that pupils remain focused on doing their very best before enjoying a wellearned celebration at Prom. We wish them every success during this extremely busy time.

I am delighted to announce that the Year 9 and 10 prefect applications were held today as part of a new pupil leadership structure, with four key areas: Inclusion, Enrichment, Wellbeing and Academic. I look forward to sharing more positive news as we move forward together but I know this team will bring much positive change to the School.

Have a lovely weekend.

Talented Pupils

I am pleased to announce that Benji Walters in Year 9 has been offered a two year contract with Southampton FC. Well done to him and I am sure we will see him soon at St Mary’s Stadium.

Myself, Mrs Nobis and Father Antony were amazed by the artwork of Ari Charles in Year 9. Artist extraordinaire!

Follow us on social media to stay up to date:

Spring Term 1

APRIL

• Tuesday 21 April – Paris Trip Information Evening commencing at 5.30 pm
• Wednesday 22 April – GCSE Art EXAM – 2 Days (Friday for extra time)
• Thursday 23rd April –
  • Pupil Parliament Meeting
  • Year 10 Food technology pupils – Meat & Fish Workshop
  • A Night at The Musicals – Performances & Showcase (6 pm – 7.30 pm). All parents/carers and community welcome to join
• Friday 24 April –
  • Vincent House Day
  • Year 10 BTEC Creative Media NEA
  • North Korean Defector Speaking to Key Stage 4 History pupils and History Club
• Monday 27 April –
  • Year 11 NEA Drama Rehearsal
  • Launch of End of Year Exams & Revision Booklets (End of Year Exams are after May Half-term)
• Tuesday 28 April – Year 7 & 8 Kintbury Retreat
• Wednesday 29 April – GCSE Year 11 MFL Speaking Exams
• Thursday 30 April –
  • Year 11 BTEC Creative Media NEA (All Day)
  • Year 10 Parents Evening ( 4.30 – 7.00 pm)
• Friday 1 May – Young Enterprise Visit
• Tuesday 5 May –
  • Governors Open Week
  • 4th Carousel change for Enrichment Groups
• Wednesday 6 May – Year 10 Creative Media NEA (All day)
• Thursday 7 May – Theatre Trip – Matilda
• Friday 8 May – Year 11 GCSE Exams Commence
• Monday 11 May – Chaplaincy Assembly / Liturgy – Ascension & Pentecost
• Wednesday 13 May – Pupil Parliament Meeting
• Thursday 14 May – Mass – Ascension of the Lord (9.30 am – all welcome)
• Saturday 16 May – Mini-Marathon for local primary schools
• Monday 18 May – Maths & Physics Week begins
• Thursday 21 May – Paris Trip (returns on 23 May)
• Friday 22nd May –
  • Half-Term begins at 3.30 pm
  • Year 11 Flexi-Leave begins
    

In School Next Week

MONDAY 20 APRIL

• Lunch: Cricket Club (all years in the hall), Vocal Ensemble rehearsal, Rm27
• Year 9 – She Can Be Active Day at WSE from 9.30am-1pm
• Brilliant Club continues with 7 G+T students from Year 10 (20^th & 23^rd )
• Spanish Visitors depart
• Sociology WIN Session – Year 11

TUESDAY 21 APRIL

• Assembly – Year 9 & 10 
• Reading Intervention – Year 7
• Lunch: Basketball Club (KS4), Rugby Club (KS3), SolidWorks Club Rm30, History Club, KS3 Games (Maths Club) Room 14
• School nurse drop-ins
• History club are designing a medieval healing herb garden 
• P1&2 English Walking, Talking Exam Guidance Session, Hall & Rm20
• After School: Girls Football, HW Club (Rm28)
• Paris Trip Information Evening 5:30pm

WEDNESDAY 22 APRIL

• Assembly – Year 7 & 8 
• Reading Intervention – Year 9
• Chair of Governor Visit (P3-5)
• Lunch: History Revision 
• Lunch: Chaplaincy Team Rm25, Raquet Sports (Hall), Environmental and Gardening Club, Lunch- Room 8.  All years welcome!
• Netball club
• GCSE Art Exam

THURSDAY 23 APRIL

• Reading Intervention – Year 10
• Assembly – Year 11  
• Pupil Parliament Meeting – AM reg
• Year 10 Food Tech pupils – Meat & Fish Workshop 
• Lunch: Rugby (KS4), Vocal Ensemble (Choir) Rm27, Inclusivity Alliance Rm23
• After School: DSTL Lego Spike Club – Rm30, Trampolining (Hall), Warhammer/Painting/Modelling club
• Lunch: Room 21 will be open if any students have their own embroidery/cross stitch/crochet/knitting project that they want to bring along
• Bath Spa University Workshops P3 7F & 7V (Rm7) & P4 7M & 7T (Dining Room)  
• Night at the musicals – 6pm – 7:30pm
• GCSE Art Exam Conitunes

FRIDAY 24 APRIL

• Vincent House Day
• KS4 debate club – ‘can violent protest ever be justified?’
• North Korean Defector speaking to KS4 History pupils and History Club – Fri

For our current programme of weekly co-curricular clubs, click the button below to go to our Co-curricular page.

Chaplain’s Report

I would like to say how incredibly proud and impressed I have been with our chaplains who visited St. Osmund’s Catholic Primary School yesterday. Elikem, Lucas, Rumeth, Laura, Imogen, Elsie, Noel, Cassidy and Ruby represented our school brilliantly throughout the visit.

This was our first visit since the Easter break, and the chaplains were wonderful ambassadors for our community. They listened carefully and respectfully to the pupils in Mrs. Hitchman’s class and supported them enthusiastically in their activities. Their kindness, leadership and willingness to help truly showed how well they serve our wider community.

During our visit we also agreed on our next step together. In two weeks’ time our chaplains will return to St. Osmund’s to deliver a presentation about Pentecost. This will help prepare the pupils there to join us for our Pentecost celebrations on the field at St. Joseph’s in May. The St. Osmund’s chaplains will then share this learning with other pupils in their school so that everyone can be well prepared for the celebration.

Following our chaplaincy meeting on Tuesday, the group also agreed that it would be a lovely idea to create a focal point near the front of the school. We will begin producing thematic displays that will change throughout the liturgical year. As we are currently in the Easter season, we will begin by creating a display of the empty tomb of Jesus, with crosses placed around it and the white cloth left inside the tomb. We are very excited to start this creative project and bring our ideas to life.

Thank you to all parents for your continued support of our chaplaincy work. A reminder to please sign up for the Kingbury Retreat on 29th April if your child would like to attend. Our last visit was a wonderful experience with 27 pupils taking part, and we hope even more can join us this time. The day will be full of activities and workshops run by American, Spanish, Mexican and Portuguese students currently on placement in Kintbury, who will be delivering Catholic workshops at the Cassian Retreat Centre. It promises to be a fantastic and enriching day, and I would love to be able to take another couple of minibuses of pupils along. Please sign up as soon as possible if your child would like to attend.

Finally, please remember that we are still collecting donations for the Salisbury Foodbank. If you are able, please continue sending your children to school with contributions so that we can add to our Easter donations before they are delivered.

Thank you again for all your generosity and support.

This week has marked an important point in the academic calendar, with reflection, preparation and forward planning across a number of year groups.

Year 10 Academic Review Week

We are currently in the midst of Year 10 Academic Review Week, providing pupils with structured opportunities to reflect on their progress and set clear targets as they move towards the final year of their GCSE courses. These conversations are a key part of helping pupils take ownership of their learning and plan effectively for the months ahead.

Looking ahead, Year 10 Parents’ Evening will take place in three weeks’ time, offering families the chance to discuss progress and next steps in more detail with subject teachers.

Year 11 – The Final Straight

Year 11 pupils are now firmly in the final straight in the runup to GCSE exams. The WIN programme continues to provide targeted support, alongside subjectspecific interventions to address gaps and consolidate learning.

We will shortly be sharing a structured revision programme, carefully mapped to when each exam takes place, to guide pupils through revision priorities during the exam period and ensure preparation remains focused and manageable.

Looking Ahead – Year 10 Mocks

Once the GCSE examination window concludes, Year 10 mock examinations will follow. These mocks are a vital opportunity for pupils to experience exam conditions and understand expectations as they move closer to the demands of Year 11.

Year 9 Options Update

We are pleased to confirm that Year 9 Options blocks are now complete.

• 95% of the year group have secured all three of their preferred subjects
• All pupils have been allocated at least two preferences and one reserve choice

Meetings will take place next week with those pupils who have not secured all three of their original preferences, to ensure they are fully supported in their next steps.
 A separate communication will be sent to Year 9 parents before options are formally confirmed.

Key Stage 3 End of Year Assessments

Planning is underway for Key Stage 3 End of Year Assessments, which are scheduled for after the May halfterm.
 In two weeks’ time, assemblies will be delivered to launch these assessments, outlining expectations, exam formats and how pupils can best prepare.

Year 7 Parents’ Evening

Finally, it was wonderful to welcome families into school for Year 7 Parents’ Evening this week. There was a real buzz in the hall, and staff greatly valued the opportunity to discuss pupils’ progress, attainment and positive starts to secondary school with parents and carers.

UK Maths Challenge

For those in 7Ma1 and 8Ma1

FREE webinars to support your students in their preparation for the Junior Mathematical Challenge on Wednesday 29^th April.

We are pleased to share another exciting opportunity from our friends at Parallel (https://parallel.org.uk), a charitable project founded by best-selling science writer Simon Singh. Parallel aims to increase the number and diversity of excellent mathematicians.

In this week’s Careers Newsletter…

• A range of career opportunities and events are available, including medical conferences, university search sessions, and work experience programmes like the House of Lords placement.
• The “Job of the Week” is Satellite Engineer, involving designing, building, and maintaining satellites for communication, weather, and space exploration.
• The UK job market currently has high demand in healthcare, IT/tech, engineering, construction, and education, with shortages in roles like doctors, engineers, and teachers.
• Students can explore extra opportunities such as competitions (Young Songwriter, Write on Art), apprenticeships, work experience events, and industry insight programmes.
• There are pathways to further education and careers, highlighted through employer (e.g. ASDA opportunities) and university (University of South Wales) spotlights.

‘What I wish my parents or carers knew…’: a guide for parents and carers on children’s digital lives (Children’s Commissioner) 

The Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, has published a guide to help parents and carers navigate the challenge of managing children’s everyday online habits. Written with direct input from children and young people, including teenagers consulted in schools and the Commissioner’s Youth Ambassadors. The guide is designed to make difficult conversations easier and more regular.

The guide covers setting boundaries around phone use, talking about harmful content, and building ongoing communication that goes beyond a one-off conversation. The voice of young people runs through it, including this from one teenager: “Don’t be afraid to be firm… If you are worried your child is seeing harmful content and you don’t know what they’re watching and it’s affecting their behaviour, just take it that you know best, they don’t.”

Click on the images below to view the Guide and a helpful Activity Pack.