ℯNEWS MARch, 6 2026
Poetry Recital
This afternoon, we enjoyed an engaging poetry recital. Our youngest pupils in Form One and Form Two delighted us with their own thoughtfully written poems and lively class performances, while pupils from Junior One and Form Three, Four, Five & Six captivated the audience with confident and expressive readings of works by poets including Maya Angelou, Joseph Coelho and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. We hope you all enjoyed the wonderful variety of poetry and gained an insight into the themes and skills the children have been exploring this term.
We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to all the families who generously donated books for this year’s second-hand book sale. Special thanks to the Parents Fundraising Committee for coordinating this event. Proceeds from book sales will contribute to the CHS Bursary Fund, helping to provide support for families within our community. Books that were not sold will be donated to the Children’s Book Project, helping families who may not otherwise have the means to access books.
Form Six - Junior Citizenship Scheme
The Junior Citizenship Scheme was an inspirational morning for the Form Six class on Wednesday. In little over two hours, they met representatives from TFL, the London Ambulance Service, Police and Fire Brigade. Each body shared information which the class found would be useful to them when they transition to their new schools in September. The idea is to keep them safe and also encourage them on how to behave when out in the city. The morning ended with lunch on the Piazza at Covent Garden.
National Debating Competition - Form Six
On Tuesday the Form Six pupils took part in the semi-finals of a national debating tournament. The Cicero Cup is now in its third year and sees hundreds of children compete against each other over several rounds of competition. The team of Rafeeq, Mikayla and Elena were ably supported by the writing of the rest of the class, especially from Kira. They had to argue in favour of the motion: ‘This house would introduce voting for everyone from the age of 12.’ They were up against The Study School from Wimbledon. The format for the semi-finals sees the highest scoring eight teams, out of the 32 competing schools, progress to the finals. I am pleased to say that our team made it through and will now be going to the Cambridge Union for the finals in the Summer Term.
World Book Day Celebration
On Monday, we returned to school to a wonderful world of literary characters in celebration of World Book Day. Mary Poppins paid a visit to the school, alongside several Gryffindor pupils, a Slytherin student, and an array of other much-loved book characters. It was delightful to see such creativity in the costumes, and we would like to thank parents for encouraging and supporting their children with their imaginative ideas.
In addition to dressing up for World Book Day, various classes took part in online sessions hosted by Scholastic and other platforms, which were made available to all year groups as part of the celebrations throughout the week. Classes participated in virtual discussions with writers, such as Philip Reeves and some pupils created book token designs for the World Book Day competition. The children have been given World Book Day tokens, which allow pupils to exchange them for one of the books included in the World Book Day initiative. For further information, please follow the link below:
https://www.worldbookday.com/books-and-tokens/participating-retailers-events/
Upcoming
Form Four, Five & Six Trip to British Library - Monday 9 March
As part of our whole school focus on developing a love of reading and writing, Forms Four, Five and Six will be taking part in a Creative Writing workshop at the British Library on Monday, 9 March 2026. The children will be guided in using some of the library treasures for inspiration in the writing workshop. Afterwards, they will explore the Treasures Gallery to see firsthand famous treasures, such as Magna Carta. .
Easter Egg Collection - St John’s Hospice
As part of our ongoing charitable work with the local community and the Marble Arch Partnership, we are once again collecting donations of Easter eggs for St John’s Hospice. If you would like to contribute, please send an Easter egg in with your child on Wednesday 18 or Thursday 19 March. These will then be delivered to the hospice on Friday 20 March.
This small act of kindness brings great joy to the recipients and serves as a valuable opportunity for our pupils to develop empathy and an awareness of those in need. Thank you for your generosity and support.
Open Day - Friday 27 March
The annual Open Day is always a highlight at CHS and this year it will take place on the last day of term, Friday, 27 March. Family members are welcome to visit and the children will give a tour of where they spend most of their time.
An invitation with a link to book your entry time slot will be sent to you in due course. This is simply to manage the flow of entry, and families are welcome to stay until the end of the Open Morning at 11.30 am. This then allows us to prepare for the Open Afternoon, where prospective parents will visit, and the Form Six children will act as ambassadors for the school. We look forward to welcoming you on the morning of Friday, 27 March.
House Points
Clifton = 1338 Sussex = 1266
Artwork of the week
Michael in Form Five, for an excellent artwork based on traditional Japanese textile techniques. Fantastic use of Shibori-style resist dyeing and Sashiko-influenced stitching. Well done Michael!
Upcoming Dates for Your Diary
March
Monday 9th F4, F5 and F6 trip to the British Library
Wednesday 18th Form One Open Dance - (Parent event)
Wednesday 18th and 19th Easter Egg collection for St John’s Hospice
Friday 27th OPEN DAY - Parent in school event in the morning (no school in the afternoon)
Friday 27th END OF TERM
April
Tuesday 21st First day of Summer term
