In this issue: Science under the microscope: find out what the children have been getting up to!
Year Group photos: don’t forget to place your order Swimming Galas galore!
Community Events
The much-anticipated Year 8 PSPQ Exhibition opens and more!
Dear Parents,
As a teacher you sometimes experience a standout moment with pupils which makes all the hard work and late nights worth it. Watching the Year 8s perform their TEDX style presentations last night and then listening to each one of them speak so passionately in the PSPQ Exhibition was definitely one of those It really was such a moving experience and I could not be prouder of them. The Year 8’s PSB journey with us is now coming to an end. As I said last night, whilst I know that the Year 8s’ time with us is drawing to a close, I am confident they have everything they need for the journey ahead and to be the true leaders I know they can be Judging by the talent, passion, confidence and humour on display, they have a very bright future ahead of them
At the other end of the age scale, it was a joy to watch the Pre-Prep performances this week and to see our youngest pupils’ enthusiasm and confidence on stage It is such a privilege to see our pupils flourishing due to the breadth of opportunity available to them and the nurturing environment we provide It certainly makes me feel very proud as Head of this school.
There have been lots of sporting successes this week, with our pupils enjoying the swimming galas In total, 18 school records were broken over the two days which shows the talent of our pupils; however I was equally proud of those who showed such determination in completing their races. A huge well done to all those involved.
On Saturday, I had the pleasure of supporting Mrs Richards at the IAPS Swimming Finals at the London Aquatic Centre. I was so proud of all the children who took part and we certainly looked incredibly impressive as an overall swimming squad. The U10 girls’ relay team smashed their PB and the U10 Boys’ relay team came first and second in their heats again beating their previous PBs in style Molly T excelled in her heat and qualified for the finals of the U12 breatstroke Josh R and Fred C swam brilliantly in their very competitive races and Arthur K came second in the U12 backstroke finals which is an amazing achievement. On Wednesday, 34 pupils took part in the Wessex Athletics event with 11 medals being won in total. Finley M and Maddie B also qualified for the national finals and Finley M was named U13 athlete of the day – what an achievement Huge congratulations to them all
In other news, I wanted to update you further on staffing for next year. I am delighted to announce that Mrs Anna Hanger has been appointed as Year 1 teacher and will be working alongside Mrs Zachariades. Anna has two children at Castle Court and therefore fully understands all that makes Castle Court so special She is joining us from Hampreston First School and we are really looking forward to welcoming her on to the staffing team.
Next week, I am looking forward to taking part in the Year 4 camp I hear the children have been busy practising for the talent show and the campfire songs I’m personally also looking forward to the cooked breakfast the next morning! As always, there is a lot going on each week so please do continue to check the school diary and the key events highlighted in the newsletter.
Finally, a personal request for your support In certain subjects and year groups we have been giving pupils small, fun prizes as rewards. Unfortunately, it looks like this has motivated them a little too much and we have inadvertently created a craze for mini ducks and capybaras. We have become aware that some pupils are now bringing in boxes and large collections of these mini toys from home and this is causing issues Whilst I do not want to be the Grinch who banned these prizes, I will have to take this step if they continue to cause problems. I would therefore ask for your support in ensuring that pupils do not bring in these toys from home. Thank you.
Wishing you a restful and happy weekend
Head’s Awards are given out every Friday morning in assembly to children nominated by their class teacher or form tutor; the reasons for these are many and varied, including outstanding effort, overcoming difficulty, or helping a friend in need A huge congratulations for their efforts goes to
RECB Demi
RECS Florrie
P1D Krishn
P1Z Amelie
P2A Isaac
P2G Bonnie
3D Archie
3M Felix
4D Grace
4M Sebby
5D Juliette
5M Sholto
6D Kobe
6M Theia
7D Sebry
7M Dylan 8D
All of Year 8
8M
Monday 16-Jun-25 Year 7 Informal, End of Unit Assessments in English, Maths and Science
Tuesday 17-Jun-25
Bryanston Familiarisation Day 14:15 Year 3&4 Mixed Cricket v Dumpton
18:00 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' - Performance to Parents (Year 6)
Wednesday 18-Jun-25 14:15 Year 5-8 Mixed Cricket v Dumpton
09:00 ABRSM Music Exams
Thursday 19-Jun-25
09:00 Reception Trip to Swanage RNLI
16:15 Year 4 overnight camp (at school - until Friday)
Canford Familiarisation Day
Friday 20-Jun-25
08:35 Parent and Colleague Prayer Meeting in the Boa 14:45 Best of British Day (Reception Parents' Tea Party
16:30 CCS Unplugged (Hall)
Monday 23-Jun-25 13:55 Year 5&6 Trip to 'Arabian Nights' (Canford)
Tuesday 24-Jun-25 14:15 Years 3&4 Cricket v Durlston
Wednesday 25-Jun-25 09:00 Years 3&4 Summer Concert (Hall)
pParentsinYears3and4leaseseetheemail CregardingOvernight ampingandmakesure gyoucompletetheformto iveyourchildpermissiontoattend.
11:00 U11 Boys' Cricketers at the Jimmy Adams Festival, Sherborne 14:15 Years 5-8 Cricket v Durlston
Thursday 26-Jun-25 13:55 Senior Play Rehearsal
16:15 Year 3 overnight camp (at school - until Friday)
Friday 27-Jun-25 Poole and Bournemouth Schools' Transition Day
09:00 Pre-Prep Sports Day
Saturday 28-Jun-25 09:00 Senior Play Rehearsal (Hall)
Pleaseseethe ParentNoticeboard formoreinformation ontimingsforthe Pre-PrepSports Day.
Tomakethefollowingclubsviableand keepthemrunning,wehavespaces andneedchildrentosignupfor:
FreshAirClub-Tuesdayevenings
MiniHandball-Mondayevenings
ComedyClub-Fridayevenings
Pleaseemail activities@castlecourt.comifyou wouldliketobookyourchild(ren)onto eitherofthese!
ThiswillbeheldonFriday28June foraroundanhoureach.
LittleNinjas
Do you have a child in Reception, Year 1 or 2?
We have a few spaces remaining in our Little Ninjas class on Saturdays at 9am in the Sports Hall Call Sensei Ben on 07801730097 to arrange a free try out! OldSportsKit If you have any old sports kit at home, please do bring it in to the office; we have a home for it in Africa.
CorfeMullen5KandJunior1Milerun: fanta community events promoting fun, fitness, an inclusion for all!
�� Junior 1 Mile – for ages 8–13
��♂ Adult 5K – open to anyone aged 14+
�� Tuesday 17th June
�� Corfe Mullen Recreation Ground (registra up to 15 minutes prior the race)
�� Start time: Junior 7:00 PM - Adult 7.30PM
100% of the funds raised go directly to this y Corfe Mullen Carnival beneficiaries – suppo great local causes!
Full details can be found at CM5Kcouk, and entries can be made online at: poolerunningevents.co.uk
To complement work being undertaken by the Ancient Dead Languages Department, Mr Edmond is keen to encourage interested pupils (in any yeargroup) to visit the Bournemouth University'BIGDIG'OpenDayon Sunday29thJuneatNorthWest Farm,WinterbourneKingston DT119AT - where they'll be able to see first-hand the latest finds from a month-long archaeological dig right on our doorstep
Guided tours are available from 10am: there's parking available on-site, but the actual dig is a good 25 minute walk uphill (there is a shuttle-bus service available as well!)
Any Castellans who bump into Mr E in the refreshment area afterwards will be able to claim their free thirst-quenching lemonade from him...
For further details, check out @durotrigesbigdig on Instagram and @durotrigesdig on X (but, be warned: it's a worm-hole from which you will never escape) If you'd like an idea of what it looks like, please see this short summary from Dr Miles Russell (Bournemouth University) a few years ago: The Durotriges Big Dig 2021
This week saw children in Years 3-8 take to the water for their swimming galas! Thank you to all parents who were able to join us for these events, and to our wonderful Sports team for all their hard work in bringing the events together
Our Reception children are enjoying learning about 'People Who Help Us' We were very fortunate to be visited by Mr House (a 'real life superhero'!) and his ambulance. He told us all about being a paramedic and the work he does to help others. The children loved looking around the ambulance and turning on the emergency blue lights and siren! A super learning experience and a memory made Thank you, Mr House!
The theme for this term is biologyand the children have been exploring different aspects of this topic under the watchful eyes of Mrs Gallop, Mrs Lea and Mr Laidler.
Year4have been learning about food chains which exist within different habitats, including the woodland here at school. (We used the outdoor classroom too!)
Year6have been studying the structure and function of the heart, including carrying out heart dissections This was followed by an investigation in to how exercise affects heart rate
Year3havebeenlearningaboutwhat plantsneedtogrow,andaboutthe structureandfunctionofaleaf .
Year5have been working collaboratively to explore the different features of the 5 groups of vertebrates: fish, birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians.
Year8 are undertaking a STEM project to understand more about the impact of increased flooding in Bangladesh (due to climate change), and then design, make and evaluate a model floating garden which would help people to grow crops on flooded land.
Year7have been investigating anaerobic respiration in yeast and have seen through their experimental work that yeast produce carbon dioxide gas. They have also been developing their microscope skills by making their own slides using samples of natural materials such as flower anthers and moss leaves.
Click on the play button for a sneaky peek at the Exhibition!
Year 8 opened their PSPQ Exhibition this week This is the culmination of their PSB journey, and at the time of writing, we are all eagerly awaiting their talks on Thursday evening; photographs of this will be shared next week.
TUESDAY15THJULYUNTILTHURSDAY17THJULY,9-3pm
(Early and late pick ups available on request)
As our new holiday course providers, Foundation Sports, are not able to offer holiday provision until Monday 21st July, our CCS team are excited to be able to host a three day holiday course during the first week of the summer holiday for children from Badger Cubs to Year 8.
The cost of the course is £35 per child per day
BadgerCubstoYear2
This will be led by Mrs Speer and members of the Pre-Prep team. The three days will be full of creative fun, friendship and laughter
Year3toYear8
Led by Mr Fermor-Dunman, this will be a hockey training camp each morning mixture of multi-sport and fun activities each afternoon A chance for you to d hockey skills, tactical awareness and general hockey fitness.
Ifyouwouldliketoknowmore, please email: Mrs Speer (lspeer@castlecourtcom) or Mr Fermor-Dunman (afermor-dunman@castlecourt.com)
We are delighted to announce that Foundation Sports and Play will be managing our holiday provision from July 2025
They are a highly experienced company who currently offer before and after school provision, as well as holiday provision, in a number of schools across the local area
Their provision will run from Monday21stJulyuntilFriday29thAugust andwillbeopentoallchildrenaged3-13
The activities on offer will be varied: a mixture of sport (from multisports to swimming), dance art and crafts making full use of our lovely 50 acre estate. The children will be based at two locations in the school, with the older ones in the Jubilee block and the younger children in the Badgers/Badger Cub area
You will be able to book for ad-hoc days, or full time; whatever works best for your family.
Foundation Sports and Play will then run further provision eachhalfterm,plusduringtheChristmasandEaster holidays. They are able to offer wraparoundcarefrom8.00am,andifyouwouldlikeit,ahotlunch.
IfyouwouldliketoregisteryourinterestinthesummerprovisionthenpleaseuseTHISLINK.
We hope that this exciting opportunity will prove to be a great help to you as you plan your child care for the summer months.
MusiclessonscannowbebookedforSeptemberforanynewstart
The deadline for bookings for next term will be FRIDAY27 JUNE. th
These will be allocated in date order of receipt of booking. The updated documents and booking form can be found in EdulinkLinks - Music Timetable - Music Documents for Parents.
New for this year is an online booking form which can be found by clicking HERE You do not need to complete a form if your son/daughter is continuing with the same tuition as this year.
As a reminder, music timetables can always be found on EduLink–Linkssection–MusicTimetable page.
From there, search for the music teachers’ name – click on their timetable – find the letter next to your son/daughter’s name – find this letter in the yellow highlighted column and read across for the tim the lesson. All timetables are posted on a Friday, ready for the following week and are removed when lessons have taken place
The Summer Term is a busy one in the Music Department, and some key dates for your diary are:
"CCSUnplugged"- Friday 20 June - 4.30pm th
Parents will have received an e-mail today to notify them if their son/daughter is performing.
Years3&4SummerConcert- Wednesday 25 June - 9am th
This will involve all children in Years 3 & 4
This week’s Artist of the Week is Cleo in Year 6, with her wonderful Sickly Sundae, which looks absolutely delicious! Well done, Cleo!
This year’s task is to createanA3posterexploringatleastoneisland: its location its people its places its environments
The poster can be handmade (then submitted electronically using a scanned copy or photograph), or made electronically using PowerPoint, Canva, Word, Publisher or PDF.
WhataretheRoyalGeographicalSociety lookingfor?
Eye-catching, innovative, informative and accurate submissions.
A well-written and informative piece that demonstrates geographical knowledge and uses accurate geographical terminology
Any images used must be copyright free – you may choose to visit an island and take your own images
All images must be credited. Excellent attention to spelling, punctuation and grammar.
Original and independently produced - class sets of identical entries or entries which have copied information from other sources, such as the internet or AI, will not be accepted
Entries must be produced by single pupils – no group entries allowed.
If produced electronically, please use a minimum font size of point 10
Entries must not be 3D or have tabs or hidden information.
Ideasforislands:
Local- Brownsea Island, Green Island, Long Island, Isle of Portland
National- Isle of Wight, Isles of Scilly, Lundy Island, Scottish Islands, Islands on Lakes, Isle of Man
Global- Remote Islands (Artic/Antarctic), Tropical Islands (Pacific, Caribbean, Coral Reefs), Holiday Islands, Islands for defence...
Howtoenter:
All entries must be made as an online submission via the RGS website: https://www.rgs.org/ygoty2025.
The deadline for doing this is 3 October 2025; however, the RGS recommend submitting them in good time before this date.
Whocanenter?:
There is a category for Key Stage 2 (pupils aged 7-11) and for Key Stage 3 (pupils aged 11-14)
Badger Cubs
Class Teachers / Form Tutors
Mrs Genge | Mrs Tomblin
Badgers Mrs Bartlett | Mrs Wilson
Reception Mrs Brewer | Mrs Speer
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Mrs Dobson | Mrs Zachariades
Mr Antell | Mrs Glenn
Mrs Baugniet | Mr Bambrey
Year 4 Dr Lippiatt/Mrs Deards | Mr Laidler
Year 5
Year 6
Year 7
Year 8
Mr Mills/Mrs Vivian | Mrs Miller/Miss Sinclair-Smith
Mrs Rule/Mrs Major | Mr Fermor-Dunman/Mrs Hoey
Mr Jordan/Mrs Harmer | Mrs Lea/Mr Cheadle
Mr Phillips/Ms Thompson | Mrs Gallop/Mr Smith
Section Leaders
Nursery Miss Hixson
Pre-Prep Mr Antell
Years 3&4 Mr Laidler
Years 5&6 Mrs Munns
Years 7&8 Ms Thompson
Heads of Department
English Ms Thompson
Maths Mrs Miller
Science Mrs Gallop
History Mrs Rule
Geography Mrs Hoey
CAVE Mrs Hoey
Music Mr Smith
Art Miss Sinclair-Smith
DT Mr Phillips
Sport Mr Fermor-Dunman
Yourfirstpointofcontact foranydaytoday questionsandenquiries relatedtoyourchild(ren)is theirtutororclass teacher.
Leadership Team
Mr Dunsford Assistant Head (Pastoral)
Mr Edmond Assistant Head (Operations)
Mrs Hoey Head of CAVE
Mrs Munns Director of Teaching & Learning
Mrs Robson Admissions & Marketing
SENDCo
Mrs Harmer
Absences:
Please report absences to the School Office on office@castlecourtcom or by telephone to 01202 694438
MrsJohnson:
To make an appoointment to see Mrs Johnson, please contact her PA, Hannah, on hmsec@castlecourt.com or use the telephone number above.