To mark National Poetry Day, students from Years 7–11 were invited to take part in a whole-school poetry competition inspired by this year's theme, "Wonder Where You Are – Look Again: Poetry from Our Community."

The challenge encouraged students to explore and celebrate the hidden wonders of our local area here in Carshalton, using poetry to capture the people, places, history and moments that make our community special.

Students submitted a fantastic range of thoughtful and imaginative poems, many inspired by local landmarks, green spaces and personal connections to the area. Their creativity and enthusiasm highlighted not only their literary talent but also their appreciation for the community around them.

The winning and shortlisted entries have now been brought together to create a beautifully illustrated Virtual Anthology, showcasing the voices and perspectives of our students. The anthology celebrates the diverse ways in which young people see and experience the world around them and demonstrates the power of poetry to help us look again and discover wonder in familiar places.

Huge congratulations to all students who took part and a special thank you to the English Department for supporting the project through lessons and workshops leading up to the submission deadline.

We are incredibly proud of everyone who contributed. The finished Virtual Anthology can be viewed below.

Join a Club This Term!

We would like to encourage all pupils to make the most of the clubs and enrichment opportunities available this term. With 75 clubs currently running, and more still to come, there is something for everyone to enjoy.

From sports and performing arts to academic societies and special interest groups, our enrichment programme offers fantastic opportunities for pupils to develop new skills, explore their interests, build friendships and make the most of their time at school.

You can view the full list of clubs here: Carshalton High School for Girls – Extra-Curricular Clubs.

We are always keen to hear from students about new activities they would like to see added to the programme, so pupils are encouraged to share their ideas and feedback.

Parents and carers are asked to check with their child which clubs they have chosen to attend and ensure they know where they are expected to be after school each day.

Students and staff at Carshalton High School for Girls celebrated their Year 13 A Level and vocational qualification results, marking the culmination of two years of hard work, commitment and achievement. 

We are delighted that students have once again secured many excellent outcomes across a wide range of subjects and courses.

This year saw an increase in the proportion of A*-A grades, while almost 98% of entries achieved grades A*-E. Achievement in vocational qualifications was particularly strong, with BTEC performance placing within the top quartile nationally.

These outcomes reflect the ambition of our curriculum, the quality of teaching and support provided by staff, and the determination shown by our girls throughout their Sixth Form studies.

We are especially pleased that our girls have secured a wide range of positive destinations and are now preparing for exciting next steps at university, in apprenticeships and in employment.

We congratulate all of our Year 13 students on their achievements and look forward to hearing about their future successes.

Dear parents, carers and students,

Revised early closure during heatwave

Following our earlier communications and in light of the Met Office red alert for extreme heat, we have further adjusted our arrangements for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week. The school day will now finish at 1:30pm on each day for all students.

Year 10 students may leave the site from 1:10pm, or once they have collected or eaten their lunch.

Examinations

• Afternoon examinations for Years 10 and 12 on these days will be postponed.

• Morning exams will go ahead as normal.

• Rearranged dates for affected exams will be shared as soon as possible.

Educational visits

Some trips scheduled for these days have been cancelled. If this affects your child, you will have been contacted separately.
 

Further contingency planning

Our priority throughout the heatwave is to keep the school open, where it is safe to do so. However, we will continue to monitor conditions across the site closely. There remains a possibility that further adjustments — including partial or full closure — may be necessary to ensure students can be safely accommodated in cooler environments. Should additional measures be required, we will notify you immediately.

To allow us to implement any further change, we would be grateful if you could complete this dismissal consent form: Carshalton High School for Girls - hot weather contingency June 2026 – Fill out form. This will allow you to indicate whether your child may leave the site independently following our notification, or whether you would prefer to be contacted by phone to give consent before dismissal. Parents of year 12 students do not need to give this consent.

Thank you for your continued understanding and support.

Peter Baumann-Winn

Headteacher

A new school day will be introduced in the last two weeks of the Summer Term from Monday 6th July, with full introduction from the start of term in September.

The new model addresses recent and long-running feedback from students, parents and teachers, including:

• Lunchtime is too short with not enough time to comfortably eat, refresh and enjoy.
• Year 7 have two split lessons each day, impacting negatively on teaching and learning.
• Having Tutor Time at the end of the day means that important Personal Development sessions are delivered at a time when students are not at their most responsive.

With these concerns in mind, we intend to move to a new model which retains aspects of the schedule that works well but  addresses the issues above. Some of the most notable changes are: 

• A longer lunchtime of 45 minutes, which will make clubs and activities possible.
• A longer CARES session with form tutors in the mornings, made up of literacy and PSHE sessions and the removal of afternoon Tutor Time.
• The removal of line-ups. Students will be expected on-site by 8.25am and in their tutor rooms ready to be registered by 8.30am (8.50am on Wednesdays).
• A regular finish time of 3.05pm (five minutes later). The removal of the early finish on Fridays and the introduction of a slightly later start time of 8.50am on Wednesdays to allow for weekly staff training.

Change to the school day will bring costs as well as benefits, but expected gains are:

• More efficient use of time resulting from fewer transitions within the school day.
• Greater opportunities for enrichment and enjoyment at lunchtimes with students having the choice to use either the Canteen or the Snack Shack.
• Better learning experience for Year 7.

The new times will be introduced in the last two weeks of the term to identify pinch points and unforeseen consequences and enable any necessary adjustments before September. The new model is below.

We are keen to know what you think of the new school day, so if you would like to give feedback, please do so using the MS Form linked here: Changes to the School Day – parent/carer response.

Mr Sambrook
Deputy Headteacher

The SWLSTG Education Wellbeing Service is offering lunchtime and evening parent Webinars across the year to help support your child’s wellbeing and mental health.

You can sign up to any of their free webinars by copying this URL:

https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/secondarycollege-parents-wellbeing-workshops-725989?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=creatorshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=odclsxcollection&utm-source=cp&aff=escb

The Managing Exam and Assignment Stress (Years 7-10) webinar will be presented on the 21^st April at 7pm, and 23^rd April at 1pm.

The Supporting your teenager with emotional difficulties and self-harm webinar will be presented on the 10^th June at 1pm, and 18^th June at 7pm.