Headteacher's Message, Friday 8th September 2023

It has been a wonderful return to school this week which built on our excellent examination results this summer.  I am so proud of the achievements of Year 11 and Year 13 who celebrated their results with us and their families in August.  Year 11 achieved some of our best ever results, despite the increased grade boundaries and other challenges they have faced.  Year 13 also had fantastic success, with most students achieving their university preferences and all five of our Oxbridge candidates securing their places.  The hard work of students and staff really paid off and I am so pleased for everyone. 

Students returned positively this week and have spent time in assemblies and with their tutors learning or being reminded of expectations.  One focus this year is how we all move around the site, with an emphasis on the language of ‘safe and calm’ being reinforced across the school. Our old building may look beautiful, but the narrow corridors can present challenges when the whole school is moving, and we will continually be reinforcing the importance of safe movement. 

Over the summer we had a significant IT upgrade to our very old server and storage systems.  In the long term this will be of immense benefit to staff and students, however we have experienced some teething issues, and I am very sorry for the lack of access some families have experienced this week.  We are working with the Trust to resolve any outstanding issues; please be patient with staff in resolving these. 

I am very much looking forward to the year ahead and we will be welcoming Year 10, 7 and 12 parents over the next week as part of our push on parental engagement.  Working together in the interests of your child is part of the ethos of CNS, and I look forward to more of this over the coming year. 

I hope you have a lovely weekend in the sunshine. 

Jo Philpott
Twitter: @head_cns_school