On a blustery autumn morning, over one hundred cadets and staff from four of our schools braved the high winds and cold to pay their respects to those who have given the most to our communities and country within the armed forces and emergency services. At this time, we also remembered those innocent civilians who lost their lives in the crossfire of conflict.

This year, our Armistice Day parade was held at Barr Beacon School in Walsall and was attended by the Headteachers from Barr Beacon School, Bloxwich Academy, Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School, Etone College and Turves Green Boys’ School. Major (Ret) Simon Cuthbert of the West Midlands Cadet Expansion Programme attended as the inspecting officer, and our CEO Ms Lynsey Draycott was also in attendance. It was a proud moment for all of the cadets. 

The parade was commanded by Flt Lt Muller. Ms Broome of Barr Beacon School (a Veteran of Afghanistan and Iraq) conducted The Act of Remembrance. All of the cadets and staff marked the two minutes silence before Maj Cuthbert addressed the parade about the importance of remembrance and how smart all of the cadets looked whilst on parade.

LEST WE FORGET.  

Sixth Form Open Evening will take place on Thursday 17th November 2022 – 5:00pm – 7:00pm

There will be a short talk to support students and parents with the Sixth Form process and student’s future careers.  This will include UCAS and apprenticeship information as well as information about the application and interview process.

No booking required.

‘We want the best for every child, regardless of who they are. That is what drives us. Our golden rule is: if it would not be good enough for our own relatives, it is not good enough for Dame Elizabeth pupils.’

You can read our latest school prospectus for September 2023 intake on the below link.

Open Evening and Mornings information can be found HERE. If you have any questions regarding joining us at Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School please email enquiry@decschool.co.uk and follow us on our social media platforms.

We’ve extended our line of communication to include even more social platforms so you can be the first to see important updates and get an insight into all the fun and exciting things happening in school. 

Please take a few minutes to follow us on our social media platforms using the below links:  

Facebook – @DameElizabethCadbury

Instagram – @dameelizabethcadbury

Twitter – @FollowDECTC

The fastest way to ask a direct question is to email our enquiry email address (enquiry@decschool.co.uk) as these are forwarded to the correct member of staff for your enquiry.

Dame Elizabeth Cadbury pupils arrived to collect their well-deserved GCSE grades today. Pupils did incredibly well, and the teachers were grateful the pupil’s hard work and sacrifices paid off. Many pupils are looking forward to studying at our Sixth Form, and we wish those who are going to other destinations the very best of luck. 

The essential information pupils need to know so they can start the new academic year successfully.  

September Start

Tuesday 6^th September: Year 7 and Year 12 will be in school. Year 7 need to arrive at 8.40am. They will finish school at 2.55pm, slightly earlier than usual so we can have some extra time to get them used to leaving site Year 12 need to arrive at 10.00am for an assembly and to confirm their places on their courses. They should be finished around noon. Wednesday 7^th September: All other year groups will be in school for 8.40am and finishing at normal time: 3.10pm.

Change to end of school day

Please note, that in line with the new government requirements, we have a slightly extended school day. School will still begin at 8.40am but will finish at 3.10pm, 10 minutes later than we do currently. This means Period 5 will be slightly longer than the other periods, although this does begin with afternoon registration. This way, we can ensure there is no lost learning time.  

Period 6 for Year 11

Period 6 is essential for all our Year 11 pupils. From September, Period 6 will run from 3.10pm-4.00pm. Period 6 is used as a skills-based session and exam preparation; it is also used to gauge exactly where pupils are at in terms of exam answers. Teachers will use modelling and model exam answers to check pupils understanding. I am sure parents will support their Child in understanding how integral attendance to period 6 is. Please be aware subjects will run on a rota basis. Period 6 will run on a Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. 

Uniform

Our uniform policy is available to read here: https://decschool.co.uk/uniform/ The only difference is providing you with a cheaper alternative. We have taken away the requirement to have a jumper with a purple band, as we know these were quite costly. We have changed this to a plain black ‘V’ neck jumper. This is a much cheaper alternative. Please note that pupils who already have a ‘V’ neck jumper with a purple band along the collar can continue to wear these until they wear our or otherwise need to be replaced. A jumper itself is optional. We are looking to providing further cost saving alternatives for the next academic year. Replacement uniform items can be purchased here:https://kidsessentialsschoolwearbirmingham.co.uk
https://clivemark.co.uk

Rubery Schools Community Swop Shop provides FREE preloved school uniform. 224 New Road, Rubery, Birmingham B45 9JH. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 11:00 to 14:00 (opening times may vary over bank and school holidays) 

School shop

In the new term, pupils will be able to purchase essential equipment from the school shop using money from their Wisepay accounts. 

Catering

Due to increasing food prices, which we are sure you have noticed yourselves when going shopping, we are having to put up the cost of some of our items for sale at break and lunchtime. A meal deal, which was previously £2.10, is now £2.20. This will enable us to cover costs. A meal deal will now consist of a hot meal and a bottle of complimentary water. Menus for school meals will now be published on our website so you can through these with your children at home. 

Advance Notice: Open Evening
On Tuesday 13^th September, school will be closing at 12.40pm so that we can get the school ready for Open Evening. Many current pupils will be involved in this evening and you will receive a separate letter about this. 

Congratulations to all of our Year 13 students picking up their results today.

Boni (left) is off to read Law @SwanseaUni and Jacob (right) is off to read Computer Science at @UniofBath! #ResultsDay#ResultsDay22#AlevelResults

Please find below an important message from Dr Justin Varney, Director of Public Health 

National Heatwave Emergency – keeping children safe

For the first time temperatures of 40°C have been forecast in the UK today and tomorrow. 

Exceptional heat is already affecting a large part of England including Birmingham and the West Midlands and this can particularly affect children, especially babies and infants under 4yrs old and children with long term health conditions like diabetes as well as children with special needs. 

We want to help keep your children safe and well during this extreme weather. Children cannot control their body temperature as well as adults during hot weather and so can be at risk of ill-health from heat. Heat-related illness can range from mild heat stress to heatstroke. 

Teachers, assistants, and all staff will be looking out for signs of heat stress when your child is at school or nursery, and you can look out for these signs too at home. Children suffering from heat stress may behave out of character or show signs of discomfort and irritability, so be aware of any changes. 

The main risk from heat is dehydration (not having enough water in the body) so make sure your child is drinking plenty of water.

They will need more than normal in these high temperatures. Children should not take part in vigorous physical activity on very hot days. Children should wear loose, light-coloured clothing to help keep cool and sunhats with wide brims. High factor sunscreen should be used to protect skin and try to avoid playing out in the sun. A few tips that can help keep your children cool: 

• Quarter fill drinks bottles with water, freeze then top up with cold water for a nice icy drink.
• Eat lots of salad and fruit as it has a high water content to keep them hydrated.
• Put baby wipes or damp flannels in the fridge & use them to cool little ones down.
• Fill a tray with cool water for children to put their feet in.
• Have a cool bath or shower, but avoid freezing cold ones as can be a big shock!
• Make ice lollies by freezing sugar free diluted squash or fruit juice

 If you or your child take regular medication please check the label as some medicines will need to be kept cool in this extreme heat. We all have a part to play in keeping our children safe in these extreme temperatures. 

Kind regards

Dr Justin Varney

Director of Public Health

We recommend that pupils do not bring blazers or jumpers to school for the remainder of term.

All other uniform needs to be the same (shirts tucked in, 6 stripes or more on the tie, no extra jewellery, make up, etc).

Please ensure your child has a refillable water bottle with them at all times as we cannot provide plastic cups. There are water machines throughout the school building.