‘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.

On the 20^th June 2021, forty pupils from the Matrix Academy Trust, travelled from Birmingham for a trip to Frankfurt with the Turing Scheme. The Turing Scheme is a fully funded government initiative that funds a range of international opportunities for young people to go abroad and experience different cultures around the globe. Pupils for this scheme are selected via criteria provided by the Department for Education.

After 15 long hours of travel, we arrived safely in Fulda, a beautiful city one hour North-East of Frankfurt. Upon getting settled at the accommodation the first evening was spent relaxing and preparing for the excitement of the week ahead.

On Monday, the pupils travelled into Fulda for a guided walking tour. With three different tours on offer, each group was able to experience a different aspect of the city and share this over dinner in the evening. Pupils were taken to visit the oldest church in Germany and explore its history, the engineering around it and importance it has on the local community today.

Pupils also had the opportunity to meet German pupils from a local school with a meet and greet arranged in a local park. With a range of activities and games, some familiar and some new it was an opportunity to develop language skills and see how life was different for a pupil in Germany. During the afternoon, we headed to a local school for some German taster lessons and then to a lovely Italian restaurant for dinner, which would go on to become a firm favourite of the group! On Tuesday, pupils returned to the German school to experience a day in the life of a German pupil. Our pupils were fascinated to see how different school was in Germany, with one of the pupils even saying they would not mind going to school in Germany over the UK!

As the next few days followed, we had an action-packed schedule; visiting Point Alpha, a memorial to East German citizens and learned about the shocking history of the East German regime, pupils bravely conquered the high-ropes at an adventure park, which involved a range of obstacles and bridges suspended between trees, we were shown the sights of Frankfurt by a local tour guide, went swimming in an outdoor pool, explored the inside of a model heart at the Museum and visited Fulda’s very own palace!

Friday was a much more sombre day for the group, as we took a coach to Buchenwald Concentration Camp Memorial. Here, we learned about the horrifying actions that took place during the Third Reich and to reflect on what took place. After first watching a film explaining the history of Buchenwald, the pupils were led on an audio tour of the camp itself. This was an incredibly emotional day and all pupils showed the utmost respect while here.

It’s safe to say that everyone had a wonderful time on the trip. Although exhausted, we all returned to England with big smiles and new friends.

Comments from parents:

“We would just like to say a big Thank You to all of the Staff that organised and went on the trip. Without the staff putting in this tremendous effort and taking on so much responsibility many children would not get these experiences.  They have certainly had extra challenges Covid restrictions and birds hitting planes to deal with.“

“I would just like to say a massive thank you for choosing my two sons to go to Germany as part of the Turing scheme. They had a wonderful time and haven’t stopped talking about it since they got back. Highlights for the boys were the high ropes, swimming pool and the heart at the museum. They also enjoyed trying the different foods. It was lovely to hear that they made some friends from different schools and spent this evening chatting on the phone and have even arranged to meet at the weekend. Please pass on my gratitude to the staff involved for organising and looking after the children, it must have been a challenge especially when things didn’t go to plan. Thank you once again for giving them this wonderful opportunity which I am sure they will never forget”.

On Monday 20^th June, 10 students and 2 staff set out for a week’s residential trip to Barcelona. We met the other pupils from the other schools in Matrix Academy Trust at the airport, just before checking in. For some of the pupils, it was their first-time experiencing flying, but all of the pupils fully committed themselves to the experience, a trait which was repeated throughout the week.

When we arrived at Barcelona airport, we met our bus and then went to our home for the week, the Urbany Hostel. After a quick meal at Glories, the local shopping centre, we went to bed to get an early night ready for the busy week ahead.

On the next day, we braved the Barcelona Metro for the first time, which was our main mode of transport for the week. We visited a few different sites around Montjuic, including the Olympic Museum and arena for the 1992 Olympics, and the cable car up to Castell de Montjuic for some impressive views over the city. After this, we got the Port Vell Cable car across to Barceloneta Harbour (Mr Larvan was not a fan of the ride!). We then enjoyed a lovely meal on the harbourside before heading back to recharge ourselves for another busy day.

Day 3 started with a trip to Camp Nou, home of Barcelona FC, where we had a tour around their trophy room, stadium and sidelines.  From there, we headed to La Rambla, where the pupils were able to soak up the culture of one of the most famous streets in Europe. That evening, we had a movie night, watching some of the latest film releases (although pupils were pleased to hear the films were in English with Spanish subtitles!). This allowed us to mix up the schools, giving the pupils chance to get to know each other more.

Day 4 was Gaudí Day, exploring two of the most famous works of one of Spain’s most famous architects. First was a tour of the impressive Sagrada Familia, which is still unfinished 140 years after construction started. We were able to see the inside and outside of the church, marvelling at the detailed sculptures on the outside and the sunlight shining through the stained-glass windows on the inside, spreading fantastic colours through the interior. We even took a bit of time to make our own artwork, inspired by the building. We left the Sagrada Familia and after a lot of escalators, steps and hills made it to Parc Guell, where pupils were given time to explore this large fantasy-inspired park, before meeting at El Drac, a larger-than-life mosaic sculpture of a lizard. As we headed home that evening, we started to see the fireworks and bonfires being set up for the evening’s festivities, which took place all over Barcelona, including right outside our hostel, until the early hours of the morning.

After a late night, Friday started with a well-earned lie-in, before a trip to see the Barcelona aquarium and an afternoon spent relaxing on the beach, followed by another delicious meal in the harbourside.

Feeling refreshed, Saturday saw us heading to see some of the wildlife in the Barcelona Zoo, including tigers, rhinos and elephants. After a wild day, we headed back towards La Rambla for a spot of retail therapy, before heading up to see the views of the city from the Palau Nacional.

Sunday was the day that some of us had been looking forward to the most, a trip to Portaventura Theme Park, which is home to over 50 exhilarating rides, including Dragon Khan and Shambhala. After a fantastic day, we returned to Barcelona before a final evening meal together and then a morning flight (and run through the airport!) to head back home.

Every single one of the pupils represented themselves, the school and the Trust extremely well and we were so impressed by their manners, fantastic attitude and willingness to embrace new experiences, whether that was trying new food, travelling abroad or going on cable cars. We hope that we have instilled an interest in travelling and have opened the pupils’ minds to see more of the world.

Comments from parents:

“My son, has just returned from the Turing Tour to Spain and I just wanted to thank the school for this great opportunity. He has come home full of information about the places he has visited, the friends he has made, and it is so evident just how much he has enjoyed it. I also feel it has given him a confidence he did not have before”

“I would like to say a huge thank you to all the staff at the Turing Scheme for giving my son an amazing experience and for looking after him so well – you are amazing”