19 December 2025

Dear Parents/Carers

As the term draws to a close, I hope you all are looking forward to the Christmas break.

The season of Advent prepares us for the birth of Christ, with the themes of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love running through this preparatory period. I am sure most are looking forward to Christmas with great anticipation, but do keep those where this is less so the case in your thoughts and prayers. For some the themes mentioned above are more distant and so we pray for them at this time.

I wish you all a happy and holy Christmas and now take the opportunity to give a few reminders before our return to school in the new calendar year.

Highlights of the term

So much has happened over the course of the first term that I direct you to the link below, which is for the December edition of our school newsletter. Within this month’s issue is a first - The St James’ Podcast, where a group of pupils spend time unpicking the meaning of Advent. Do take the time to listen to this most beautiful reflection, as well as to review the many exciting opportunities afforded to our pupils and the community more widely. Link to December Newsletter

Back issues of the newsletter can be accessed through our website, with the link giving you direct access: Link to Back Issues of Newsletters

Mock Exams, Internal Assessment and Public Exams

Both our Year 11 and 13 cohorts have completed a full suite of mock exams this half term. These are invaluable in supporting pupils as they prepare for the summer exam series and are an important milestone in ascertaining their progress to date. All will have learnt from this experience and will need to work hard over the coming weeks to prepare for their second and last set of mock exams at the end of the next half term. While the summer public exams may seem some way off, there are less than 15 school weeks before they commence, with a number of practical exams taking place well before this.

Our intervention programme recommences immediately after we return from the Christmas break, so do look out for correspondence in this regard, indicating the sessions that your child should attend. This will include after school, weekend and additional holiday sessions.

Our Year 10 and 12 pupils return after Christmas to undertake their internal exams (Assessment Points APs). These years are the foundation for success in Years 11 and 13 so I urge you to support them over the Christmas period in the preparation for these key assessments. Lots of resources have been provided to support their endeavours so do ensure that they are making the best use of them.

We also return immediately after Christmas to a series of public examinations for pupils who study vocational courses in key stage 5. Our vocational outcomes continue to be the best across the local authority, and I am determined to replicate those excellent results again this year. Please support your child in working hard over Christmas to ensure they are able to give the very best account of themselves in these exams. There is a full immersion programme to support this as soon as we return in the New Year.

Safeguarding

As I allude to in my opening, the Christmas period may not quite be the time we all hope it to be and we recognise that for some, it is a real challenge. Miss Agolli, our Designated Safeguarding Lead, continues to work incredibly hard to support you in this regard and has the following message for you:

‘The Safeguarding Team have put together a host of information and signposted help on our school website in order that parents/carers can support the safety and well-being of their child’.

A link to this information can be found here:

Link-Support for families over the Christmas break

Attendance

Before the new term begins in January, can I remind you all that the single most impactful way you can support your child’s education is by ensuring that they come to school each and every day. While I do not want you to send a clearly sick child into school, a minor cold, cough or sore throat should not prevent your child from coming to school. It will additionally help in building their resilience.

New Term Dates

Pupils return to school at the normal time on Tuesday 6 January 2026.

The half-term break is the week of 16 February - 20 February 2026 and the last day of the spring term is 27 March 2026, when there will be an early finish of 12.45pm.

Can I end by reiterating my best wishes to you all across the Christmas and New Year period. God bless you and your families.

Anthony Ellul

Headteacher