Dame Elizabeth Cadbury Staff and pupils helped to raise money for Save the Children and our house charities by wearing their Christmas jumpers and donating £1. It was a great atmosphere in school and we are proud to have raised over £200.

On Tuesday 22nd October, 5 cadets were given the amazing opportunity to take part in an Air Experience Flight at 8AEF RAF Cosford. All 5 cadets undertook a "ground school" element of the experience surrounding safety equipment and protocols in the plane and also basic instructions on how to handle the air craft in flight. Once the cadets completed ground school the eagerly awaited their time to take to the skies alongside a skilled pilot. 

When airborne, our cadets undertook various manoeuvres with the pilot to get a feel for the way the aircraft handled in the air alongside procedures to actual hand over the aircraft from Pilot to Cadet, when the pilot was happy... The cadets had the controls. Following commands from the pilot, our cadets were about the manoeuvre the aircraft turning, controlling altitude and other plane handling techniques for about 20 minutes before the pilots took command of the aircraft again, once this happened and the cadets were happy, the pilot introduced them to G-Forces by conducting acrobatic manoeuvres such as barrel rolls and loops which everyone thoroughly enjoyed!

All our cadets left the day with huge smiles and incredible lifetime memories from such a short opportunity which we are proud to offer them as these chances don't come around very often. All cadets were immaculately behaved and were not only a credit to the school but themselves displaying maturity, commitment, resilience and bravery! Well done to you all!

On Monday 2^nd December, we invited our year 8 parents and grandparents into school to enjoy a mince pie or two, whilst listening to our wonderful choir sing carols. Thanks to Mr Ewers and Mrs Pugh for arranging a number of songs and performances by our talented young people. We hope the singing and cheer left parents and grandparents with a warm and festive feel! Thank you for joining us.

All pupils at DEC visited our annual Careers Fair on Tuesday 3rd December. We have over 26 exhibitors which represented Colleges, Universities, Apprenticeship Providers and other local employers. Pupils were proactive with their questions and conducted themselves in an excellent manner.

Pupils were able to seek specific career guidance from the experts in the room and gain interest in careers they may never have considered previously. Our Careers Fair is a wonderful chance for pupils to get a head start in planning their future, whether they are thinking about college, apprenticeships, or entering the workforce directly. 

Year 10 Textiles have been exploring different design techniques including making full scale newspaper garments, small scale Harumika designs and using paper collage.

The aim of this unit of work is to enable pupils to find the best way of designing for them and this doesn’t just mean sketching. This will allow pupils to design in their favourite way during their coursework in year 11.

Some amazing creative work produced by our amazing pupils!

Congratulations to our Year 9 boys football team on their victory against Wheelers Lane Secondary School. Our students demonstrated resilience and tenacity to win the game in the last-minute despite being 2-0 down at half time.

Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School 3-2 Wheelers Lane Secondary School.

Commiserations to our Year 8 boys football team who were knocked out of the Birmingham Cup, losing to Arden Academy in Solihull. The team went 1-0 up early on, but despite their best efforts, they eventually lost the game 1-5.

At Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School, excellent attendance for all pupils is one of our top priorities.  We are keen to encourage all pupils to take advantage of every teaching and learning opportunity available to them at school and in order for that to happen it is important they are here. To continue to promote and reward outstanding attendance, we are running a festive attendance incentive in December.

12 Days of Christmas

Between the 4th and 19th of December, pupils in Years 7-13 who attend every day will have the chance to win some fantastic daily prizes. The daily winners will be drawn at random from all the pupils in attendance that day with a prize per year group. (Please note, to be eligible for the grand prize on the 19th of December, pupils must have attended each day between 16-19th December.) If you have made medical or dental appointments during this period, we kindly ask that you make every effort to rearrange these if possible. If not, please ensure that your child only misses the minimum amount of time and not a whole morning or afternoon. We appreciate your continuing support in helping your child achieve excellent attendance.  

Year 8 girls took part in AI activities and events at STEAMhouse Birmingham today, getting a first hand look at technology and careers of the future. CyberFirst invited ten of our Year 8 girls to the Mini MEGA event, a dynamic, hands-on experience dedicated to sparking interest in technology and showcasing potential STEM career paths. 

Mini MEGA offered our students a unique opportunity to:

• Explore cutting-edge innovations in technology, including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, coding, and robotics.
• Engage with leading tech companies and learn about career paths in the tech world.
• Get inspired by talks from influential female leaders within STEM fields.

On Wednesday we launched the Year 10 Prefect application process. 

Our Year 10 pupils are invited to complete a rigorous application process consisting of a written application and interviews with a Head of House, Faculty Leader, or member of the Senior Leadership team. 

Once selected, all prefects will receive Level 1 safeguarding and leadership and team building training. 

Once trained, they will provide valued support to staff and their peers during line-ups, assemblies and at break and lunch and at school events such as Year 6 Transition, Open Evening and Parents' Evenings. 

We are looking for positive role models and leaders who consistently Strive for Excellence and routinely demonstrate our DEC STRIVE Values.

On 21st November year 9 took part in a 'Calling it out' session with Loudmouth theatre company. The aim of the session was to raise young people’s awareness of harmful sexual behaviours. 'Calling It Out' reinforces to students the vital message of non-tolerance of harmful sexual behaviour. The performance and discussion-based workshop explore where these behaviours are coming from and alternative positive behaviours. The programme raises the groups’ awareness of the huge impacts these everyday incidences of sexual harassment and assault can have on young people and how we all have a role in safely challenging and reporting these behaviours.