On Thursday 13^th July, some of our Music students performed at the School Proms Concert at the Symphony hall in front of over 1500 people and other Primary and Secondary schools. It was an amazing occasion and a fantastic opportunity for our students to showcase their talents with the steel pans. They have been working extremely hard towards this event and they all did themselves, the school and their parents proud.  Well done!

We will be holding a few open events this year to give all prospective Year 7 parents and pupils the chance to come and visit us. These events will give you a little insight into what is means to be a pupil at Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School and give you the chance to ask any questions you may have.

Open Evening will take place on Thursday 14th September 2023 4pm – 8pm

Open Mornings in September will take place between Monday 2nd – Friday 6th October 9:15-10:10am.

Our Open events are always extremely busy. To keep the flow of people moving and minimise large gatherings we are staggering entry times.

Tickets MUST be booked in advance or you will not be permitted entry. A ticket must be booked for every person attending, including any children. As tickets are limited, please support us by booking only the number of tickets you need and keeping your party as small as possible.

We are holding our very first, Early Help Coffee morning here at Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School. Our first coffee morning will be on 14th July 2023, running from 9.30am to 11.00am. We will have a number of community connectors coming on the day, who work for Early Help and they will be on hand to support and discuss things such as the cost of living, money advice, parenting support, advice on uniforms and clothing, sexual health and mental health. Register for your place now!

More info: https://decschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Early-Help-Coffee-Morning.pdf

The evening kicked off with whistles blaring from a decorated car, swiftly joined by revved engines from a variety of sportier options. Others arrived in stretched hummer limos or made for a subtler entrance. 

It goes without saying that everyone looked stunning. Couples had coordinated outfits to perfection, dresses sparkled and suits looked crisp. There was a wide spectrum of outfits with special mention to a Pac Man themed suit and a steam punk costume, complete with pocket watch.  

As people arrived the venue soon filled up and the photo booth became a much-desired stop to take quirky photos with friends. Without any coaxing, the dance floor was flooded and the celebration truly started.  

Everywhere you looked there were smiles and enjoyment. A pure sense of community, especially when votes were cast and the new Prom King and Queen were announced with loud cheers and applause.  

What was also humbling was the warmth shown to staff as well, from handshakes on arrival to being invited/dragged onto the dance floor to join in with the festivities. The shared enjoyment and laughter throughout the evening just showed how valued the staff were for the hard work put in throughout Y11’s time at Dame Elizabeth Cadbury. This culminated in a much-deserved standing ovation for the organiser of the event, Ms Britt.  

The year 11 prom was the best celebration for an amazing group of young adults, who have worked incredibly hard throughout their GCSEs and exams. It was obvious to see, that this was a wonderful send off for the class of 2023. 

On Wednesday 28th June our Year 9 and 10 Spanish students were treated to a performance of “Mi personalidad” by Onatti Productions, specialists in producing interactive Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) plays. The play was performed by native-speaking actors. 

The play, performed entirely in Spanish, was all about a teenager called Fernando who was looking for his new identity as he started university and his worries about not being able to make friends. Fernando tries to reinvent himself by trying out different personalities including being a sportsman, an activist, a fashion icon and a Goth with help from our pupils and mysterious visitors who climb through his window. Well done to Olivia S, Isaac A, George E, Abbi F, Tom G, Grace B.

There was laughter and audience participation throughout as we empathised with poor Fernando, helping him with his gym timetable, advising on his fashion choices and pondering the differences between being a Goth and an Emo. Ultimately, he gives up and realises he should just be true to himself and by doing that, he makes his first friend at college.

The play was a great opportunity for our linguists to boost their confidence in understanding Spanish as well as enriching their appreciation of the language beyond the classroom. We look forward to welcoming Onatti back to Dame Elizabeth for MFL plays in the future!

Last week’s assembly theme was on ‘Healthy Eating and potential Health Risks’ related to an unhealthy and imbalanced diet. Students were encouraged to make more committed and educated decisions to ensure that they are limiting the number of sugars and fats within their diets and to consume these in moderation. A number of students were also challenged to burn 22 calories (the same amount of calories in a single ‘Strawberry Haribo’) with 100 sit ups in front of their year group so students can visualise how hard it is to burn off the energy produced in certain foods. You can receive more information about what a balanced diet is by clicking on the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtFx55a-j0Y

Year 12 took part in a series of engaging practical activities which relied on and emphasised the use of excellent communication as part of our DEC Top 10 Employability skills. Pupils were required to describe abstract scenarios to other pupils in order to complete a task. The depth to which the task was completed depended on how well pupils gave verbal instructions and how the other team listened. Another employability skills demonstrated was teamwork. Well done year 12!

#DECCareers #Employabilityskills

In our 9R maths lessons this week, we have been collecting our own primary data via some unconventional methods. Pupils have been measuring each other, timing each other in outdoor races and playing different sports. Pupils will collate the data and analyse it, presenting their findings to teachers in their lessons.

Last term 130 year 7 and 8 mathematicians sat the UKMT Junior Maths Challenge. The Junior Mathematical Challenge is a 60-minute, multiple-choice challenge sat by students across the country. It encourages mathematical reasoning, precision of thought, and fluency in using basic mathematical techniques to solve problems. It provides students with the opportunity to solve interesting problems and questions outside of their usual maths lessons.  

All students who sat the challenge did exceptionally well and it was evident that students were trying their hardest to work through the problems. Congratulations and well done to everyone who took part.  

Students who achieved certain scores were awarded certificates for their efforts and as a school we achieved 1 gold, 7 silver and 27 bronze certificates. This is an amazing achievement and all students who received a certificate should be very proud of themselves. A particular well done to Anna A in year 7 who achieved best in year and Macy R in year 8 who achieved best in school. 

At the start of this half-term 37 year 10 prefects went on their team building trip to Ackers Adventure. They were split up in to four groups and completed kayaking/canoeing, rock climbing and bush craft. All students conducted themselves fantastically well and showed great resilience and teamwork across the three activities. It was great to see them encouraging each other to succeed and push themselves, especially with the climbing which for some students was very much out of their comfort zone. The prefect team really came together to support and guide each other throughout the day. It is going to be great to see them apply the skills they have developed, at Ackers, to their roles within school and beyond.