The Roundup - Edition 73

Notices

Whole School

Entry to Main Reception 

Over the Summer holidays we installed a new entry system to the Main Reception door in the Senior School.  To be let in, all visitors now need to press the buzzer located on the control panel on the right hand side.  Once the buzzer is pressed, Reception will be able to let you in.  Once the door has been released, please push the door (do not try to pull it.)

 

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Shape of The Day - Reminder

Nursery

 

 

 

Junior School 

 

 

Senior School 

 

 

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Save the Date - 30th Annual Inter-School Recycled Fashion Show

Alternate Realities

We’re very excited to announce that the 30th Annual Inter-School Recycled Fashion Show will take place at St Chris on Saturday 28 February 2026.

This much-loved event has been running for nearly four decades and brings together schools from across the region for a thought-provoking celebration of creativity, sustainability and self-expression through fashion.

This year’s theme is: Alternate Realities

From futuristic dreamscapes and magical worlds to wild eco-utopias and parallel lives, the theme invites students to imagine different versions of reality – and bring them to life through wearable artworks made from recycled and repurposed materials. Whether playful or powerful, conceptual or character-led, the focus is on imagination, bold thinking, and making something beautiful with limited means.

The show will feature a live catwalk in the St Chris Theatre, stalls, industry judges, and of course the legendary interval. It’s always a highlight of the creative year, and this milestone event promises to be particularly special.

More details to follow in September – but for now, save the date and start imagining your alternate reality…

Proceeds from the event will this year go to local mental health arts charity H'Arts in Mind

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Community Swim Sessions

Our Autumn Term Community swim sessions commence from next Monday, 8 September as below:

• Parent & Staff swims on Tuesdays 07.15-08.30, Wednesday at the new time of 07.15-08.30; and on Fridays at 07.15-08.30; and
• Sunday Family Swim at 09.30-11.30  

Please note that all swimmers must wear a swim hat for the session and that children under 8 years old need to have an adult swimmer in the water with them at all times (one adult to one swimmer); swimmers aged 8-18 must be accompanied by an adult to supervise from either poolside or in the water.  Our Sunday Community Swim session is always a very popular choice for families however, this can mean that we reach the maximum capacity of the pool and may mean you will have to wait until other swimmers leave before you will be allowed to enter. 

To attend these sessions, please bring your Staff ID badge or for non-staff community members, please email Sarah Armstrong no later than the Tuesday before you wish to attend with the name of the adult (18+) to be put on the card and your relationship to the school, eg. parent of Joe Bloggs II Group & Bess Bloggs H Group, so that we can create a Community Swim for you to collect on your first swim session. You will need to bring your card to each session to sign in with the Lifeguards at the pool reception. 

 

Masters Swim Session

Our Masters level swimming classes will be returning for the Autumn term however these will be at an amended schedule for this term only. The classes will run on alternate Mondays from 12.00-13.00 starting from Monday 15 September.

The sessions will be led by Alice Barnes, a St Chris swim teacher and coach with extensive experience (including personal participation) in competitive swimming, triathlons and open water events.  Training will be centred around enhancing fitness, stamina and technique, predominantly focusing on front crawl.  To be eligible for the sessions, you must be able to swim a minimum of 200m continuously in one of the four main strokes.

For further details, session dates and to sign up to the sessions, please complete this form

 

Adult Beginner and Improver Class:

Following the success of our Adult Beginner and Improver classes last year, we are excited to be able  to offer these sessions again for Autumn term. Sessions will take place every Tuesday, starting Tuesday 16 September (excluding the half term). 

These classes are suitable for beginners just starting out in their swimming, through to improvers looking to refine technique or learn a new stroke in a supportive and encouraging environment. 

For further details, lessons costs and all term dates, please email sarah.armstrong@stchris.co.uk 

 

ESSA Boys Secondary Team Gala : Friday 19 September 2025

We have begun the process of identifying potential swimmers for the ESSA Boys Secondary Team gala taking place on Friday 19 September. Jenny White will be in touch next week with swimmers who may be interested in particpating in the gala but if there are any swimmers who would be keen to participate or any new students who would like to be considered for the team, please email jenny.white@stchris.co.uk details of your preferred stroke and any relevant times you have acheieved. 

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Staffing Update

We updated parents at the end of the last term on staffing changes this Academic Year, but there have been some additional changes over the Summer holidays, as below: 

Leavers

• Aleksandra Kukielka in Payroll, who was covering Cleo Headland's maternity leave, has left and until Cleo returns from her maternity, Clive Eggs has returned to St Chris to help Finance out this term on a part-time basis.

• Elena Sapsford, Individual Needs Assistant, also left and Laurene Lee (Teacher of MFL) will be covering her MFL teaching until Edel Davies's return from maternity leave in November.

• Suzanne Spaven has stepped down as Counsellor and we are currently recruiting her replacement. 

We thank them all for their work at St Chris and wish them all the very best in their future plans.

Unfortunately, Lihmarra Ogilvie (LSA linked to EHCP) and Erin Van Tam (School Nurse, maternity cover) will now not be joining us and we are currently re-advertising for these posts.

Changes

• Simon Holmes has taken on the role of Director of Operations.  Simon will focus fully on the operational running of the school and ensuring that our systems and day-to-day functions are working at their very best. He will also ensure that the significant area of compliance is at the forefront of the work we do as an organisation.

New Staff

Junior School 

We are delighted to welcome the following new members of staff to St Chris:

• Annette Keech – Junior School Teacher (part-time)

• Yuliana Dimitrova – Early Years Educator

• Kayleigh Howell – Early Years Educator

• Laura Smith – LSA linked to EHCP

• Due to a last-minute increase in D Group (Year 6) student numbers it was necessary to appoint an additional teacher over the summer holidays and we have appointed Rachael Mileham who will be starting after October half term, subject to safer recruitment checks.

Senior School

• Princess Curtis-Broni - Head of AI, Computer Science and Technological Innovation
• Lucy Valerio - SEMH Senior School
• Ines Holguin – Spanish Gap student
• Lili Gossare – French Gap student
• New lifeguards: Josh White, Alfie Cartwright and Dillon Raja; and lastly
• We have appointed a new part-time Finance Strategy Lead, who will be starting with us as soon and we will let you have details of the postholder shortly.

Governors

I am delighted to announce two new additions to our Governing Board:

• Georgiy (George) Danilenko: George took his GCSEs at St Chris in 2017-2019.  He is currently working in London in investment banking.

• Aashish (Ash) Bansal:  Ash is a GP and has two children in the Senior School.   

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Junior School 

Meet the Teacher

Our ‘Meet the Teacher’ evening takes place on Monday 8 September from 6.00 to 7.00pm. This is a parents-only event and we kindly ask that no children attend.

During the evening, your child’s class teacher will share key information about the term ahead, including curriculum highlights, class routines, expectations, and timetables. It’s a great opportunity to find out more about your child’s school day and ask any questions you may have.

Please come directly to the Junior School for the event. 

Please note we will also be running a Preloved Stall at the event in the foyer - which will include PE kits, wellies etc. If you have any items to donate to the stall please leave them in the box outside the Junior School Reception. 

Clubs and Wraparound Care 

Our after-school clubs and wraparound care provision begins on Monday 8 September. If your child is attending after-school care, please make sure you have booked their place in advance by emailing jswraparound@stchris.co.uk.

If you have any questions about clubs or wraparound care please do email Jo in the Junior School Office: joanna.pitts@stchris.co.uk 

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Week commencing 1st September - Podcast: Puberty and adolescent changes for boys with Amy Forbes-Robertson, Author and Founding Director of It Happens Education.