Monday 24 February - Term 4 Starts

Please see further dates and useful information on the school website www.carres.uk

Belgrano Day School Visit Carre's Grammar School

Carre's has a history of sports tours as well as hosting schools when they tour the UK, most recently, Matthew Flinders College in Queensland, Australia.

On Friday 31 January, Belgrano Day School in Buenos Aires visited us to play Rugby Union and Volleyball. All the matches were keenly contested, with Carre's being victorious in the U16 Rugby and the U18 Volleyball.

Belgrano took the honours in U18 Rugby and U16 Volleyball. Many students got to watch both sports and the atmosphere for the U18 volleyball was superb!

It was a new and interesting experience hosting teams from this part of the world. At times, the language barrier was prohibitive but, as ever, the common love for sport shone through in the end. Playing teams from different cultures always teaches you something about different philosophies and tactics when playing.

Many students will remember the day for years to come, and it was great to be able to offer such a different opportunity to those usually afforded in the sports in this area of the country.

‘Lessons from Auschwitz Learning Hub’: My experience and why you should try it too! 

Written by Tamsin Henry

The ‘Lessons from Auschwitz Learning Hub’ is an exciting once-in-a-lifetime course which enriches your historical knowledge of the Holocaust and the ‘Jewish experience’ throughout the late 1930s-early 1940s. It humanises the survivors, transforming their trauma from a statistic into reality, and emphasises the scale of the horrors that they experienced. However, it is not simply there to depress or disturb you, it aims to preserve such precious accounts so that they last for generations. Despite being such a difficult topic to discuss, the team at Lessons from Auschwitz handle it with care and create a safe and informative learning environment - staying true to what happened whilst still preserving your mental health. This is especially important because it ensures an engaging online course which can easily be completed on top of your regular A-level History course, that humanises real experiences from something you are taught out of a textbook, giving you a deeper and more informed understanding of such a life-altering event such as the Holocaust.

So, what is it? ‘Lessons from Auschwitz’ is an extra optional course alongside history A-level all about the Holocaust, Jewish peoples’ experiences during the Second World War and personal accounts from survivors. It is a 2-hour course in total featuring 7 modules that range from what the Holocaust was, to how Jews resisted, broken up into 30-minute and 15-minute sections so they are easy to complete on top of your course. Prior to the online modules, you get the chance to experience 2 once-in-a-lifetime seminars of a first-hand account of a Holocaust survivor’s story and a 360 tour of some key areas of Auschwitz-Birkenau. The deadline of completion is 30 June; however, we began it in the second term of Year 12, ensuring 9 months to complete the 2-hour course. Don’t worry about completing it all in one go however, because you have monthly check-ins with Miss Mills, the Holocaust Educational Trust link for Carre's, to make sure that everyone is on track, needs extra help or is just feeling emotionally overwhelmed by the content. At the end of the pathway, you will receive a certificate of completion which can be used to prove your passion and commitment to history (looking especially good on a CV or UCAS application). We are the last generation that are privileged enough to hear from a living survivor, so it is imperative that you snatch up this unique opportunity to expand your historical understanding whilst you still can.

Personally, I decided to participate in this course thanks to encouragement from my teacher, who wanted me to push myself further and thought that I would find it an engaging challenge - she was correct! I want to take modern history at university, either as a single or dual course, and this is a simple online pathway that I can use to prove to employers and universities my love and dedication to the subject. It displays an above-and-beyond appreciation for history, is an experience that very few will have, and is set up by the school making it completely free for students. In the Sixth Form, I take Sociology, History and Fine Art. This course was perfect for me due to not being time-consuming, being able to be completed on top of my art coursework and extra reading for history -the 9 months duration gives you plenty of time, so don’t worry about it adding on any extra stress. Additionally, do not worry about whether or not you think you’ll enjoy it, because if you don’t feel that it is for you after you have started it, you can stop it at any time with ease. (It is better to start the course before deciding it isn’t for you than to let such an AMAZING opportunity pass you by!)

  My personal favourite part of the pathway so far has been the seminar where Susan Pollack OBE was brave enough to share her experience as a young girl under the reign of Nazi terror. It was an extremely enlightening experience about not only the conditions in concentration camps and ghettos, but also the complicity of regular people to the Nazi regime - how they did not help, even innocent Jewish children, due to either prejudice or fear. Her story really stuck with me due to how young she was throughout and because we do not learn in school the reality of how horrific the treatment and lives of Jewish people were, even before the beginning of the Second World War. Do not be discouraged from participating in this due to fear or worries about what you will hear, however, because you are never forced to do or listen to anything that you don’t feel comfortable with. I think that it is especially imperative that we learn the true extent of Jewish treatment under the Nazis so that we can better understand the terrors of the regime and to ensure that they failed in erasing all Jewish lives, stories and culture. We must acknowledge the actions of the past to ensure that they are not repeated in the future.

So to recap, ‘Lessons from Auschwitz’ teaches you bespoke details about the Holocaust, provides a first-hand account from a living survivor (and allows you the opportunity to ask questions), you develop independent research skills, vital to university, and it brings you a deeper understanding and appreciation of the importance of remembering and recalling Jewish lives. Overall, this course is an engaging and rare opportunity that we are lucky enough to have access to and will deeply enrich your A-level history knowledge, especially if you are considering taking history at university. If anything you’ve read here piques your interest, I would strongly encourage you to ask your teacher how you can take part too and give it a go!

The online Lessons from Auschwitz Learning Hub is something new we are doing this year, and it seems to have gone down very well - we have 29 Year 12 history students taking part. It gives those who did not get a chance to participate in the actual visit (we can only send two students) the chance to learn more and take part in something totally unique. 

Miss Mills, Teacher of History

English Speaking Union Churchill Public Speaking Competition and refreshments 

Lincolnshire Schools’ County Cross-Country Championship

Several committed Carrensians braved freezing temperatures on Saturday 12 January to represent Kesteven in the County Cross Country Championship at Burghley Park, Stamford. The going was definitely firm, and the bitterly cold conditions tested the resilience of the competitors as they tackled the course in the beautiful Lincolnshire countryside.

All the Carre’s students finished their races, no mean feat given the conditions and level of competition, with notable performances from Jazz (3^rd in the Senior Girls), Aiden (7^th in the Junior Boys), Jenson (13^th in the Y7 Boys) and Austin (16^th a year young in the Inter Boys).

Lincolnshire Schools’ Anglian Cross-Country Championship

The Anglian Schools’ Championship took place at Woodbridge School, Suffolk on Saturday 1 February. 3 of our students competed after qualifying from the County event, with Jazz (Senior Girls) finishing in 16^th place to qualify for the Nationals, and Jenson (Minor Boys) and Aiden (Junior Boys) achieving very respectable times. Jazz did remarkably well to qualify for the National Championships a year younger, and we wish her all the best in East Sussex.

Pictured below: Austin, Charlie and Jenson wearing their Kesteven colours with pride - well done!

Jakob - Year 9

Last year, 2024, I had a great start to the karting year and was leading the championship at Fulbeck Sprint. This was in spite of the fact that it was my first year in Junior Rotax. I was 13, competing with drivers up to sixteen years of age.

I asked my parents if I could compete in MSUK at the PF International circuit, which is a much harder and higher level of competition. I did this because I wanted to learn more and drive to a higher standard.

My first race of this year is 1 February. I had a preseason shake down in preparation for it last week.

I had a successful test day. Liam Atkin, my driver coach and kart mechanic, helped me tremendously. It was a cold, damp day, making the track very challenging because it was extremely slippery. These conditions occur regularly in the winter months and on race days, so it is important to be able to drive confidently and well in them. The track was in the worst condition first thing in the morning and improved as the day went on. This affects the set-up of the kart, the driving lines I take and the tyres I use. The track changes rapidly, and I had to adapt my driving style throughout the day to overcome the changes. If done well, this will make me faster and more prepared on competition days.

I had six sessions of twenty minutes throughout the day. Sometimes, going in to discuss kart setup and my driving and then going out again within one session. I discovered that I need a bigger rib protector and a new bigger seat as I have grown.

I started at PFI and left Fulbeck Sprint in September. There can be up to 64 karts in my class now with an A and B final. At the very beginning, my aim was to reach the A final and to qualify well. We have had some ups and downs. It is a very tough competition, but some highlights were qualifying 11^th out of 46 at my first attempt and I finished 9^th in the B final. I had plenty to work on for the October race.

In October, I qualified 38^th and finished the B final 19^th.

In November, I qualified 10^th and this put me straight into the A final, where I finished 28^th. My first time in the A final and I won the top novice trophy. I must run with novice plates for 6 races before I can come off them. There is always a competition for the highest placed novice, which I won.

In December, I completely hashed my qualification on the Saturday and ended up 60^th out of 66. This left me with a lot of work to do on the Sunday. In pre-final B, I made up 12 places to finish 18^th and, in the B final, I finished 4^th. The top four in the B final go through to the A final, where I started last. I managed to make up another 12 places to finish 24th, my highest position ever. I also received the top novice trophy again.

I am really looking forward to this season. I have lots to work on, being consistent in qualifying, improving track times and reaching the A final being just a few of them.

Well done Jakob!

Notices

Sickness/medical absence can be notified to the school office by telephone call 01529 302181 (we have an answer machine for outside office hours), the MCAS App, or via email: enquiries@carres.uk

If your son/daughter is poorly/injured during the school day, they should come to the school office for assessment/treatment.  Office staff will then make the decision to contact parents and arrange for collection.  Students should not call home if they feel poorly.

Don't forget to inform the office if your son/daughter has any changes to their medical conditions/medication.

A polite reminder that the front car park should not be used to drop students off in the morning or at the end of the school day. This is for safety reasons due to the number of students and staff arriving/leaving the site. 

If your son/daughter needs to be collected during the day for an appointment/is injured or poorly, you are welcome to use the front car park.

Thank you for helping to keep our site safe for everyone.

Free School Meals / Pupil Premium Grant

As a school, we feel that it is vital for all our students to enjoy a healthy lunch.

Your son/daughter may be eligible for free school meals alongside several other benefits if you are in receipt of one or more of the following qualifying benefits:

• Income Support

• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance

• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance

• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

• The guaranteed element of the state Pension Credit

• Child Tax Credit (provided you're also not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more £16,190)

• Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit

• Universal Credit your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get).

Children who get paid these benefits directly, instead of through a parent or carer, can also get free school meals. 

Parents and carers can apply for free school meals online at https://lcc.cloud.servelec-synergy.com/parentportal

In addition to your son benefitting from a healthy lunch, a successful application will also entitle you and your son to a range of other benefits through whole school funding. Full details of how this additional funding is spent can be found in detail on the school website Pupil Premium and Service Premium pages. The funding is given directly to schools so it can be targeted to ensure the qualifying students make academic progress in line with their peers.

At Carre's Grammar School we do, however, invite parents/carers of qualifying students to draw down some of this funding, increased for next academic year to £120, to subsidise any of the following costs:

• Uniform (including PE uniform and school shoes)
• Transport costs (for students coming from outside our designated transport area or who have to make a contribution to their transport

We simply ask that parents/carers complete the claim form on the school website. On completion, please return your form, and receipts, to the Finance Office or to finance@robertcarretrust.uk.  If you need any further assistance or have any questions, the finance team will be more than happy to help and can be contacted at the above email address.

This national government funding is only allocated to the school if an application is made by a parent/carer and approved. Therefore, it is vital that parents/carers of students eligible to claim for free school meals do so. Your child is NOT obliged to eat a free school meal and can, if preferred, maintain their current lunch arrangements. The funding will provide other benefits in school too, such as financial support for residential trips and visits for your child.

It should be noted that our cashless catering system does not differentiate between a student who pays for their meals and a student on free school meals. This means that no student can be identified as being on free school meals, removing any stigma.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Finance Office on 01529 411017.

Yours faithfully

Lauren Bedford

Director of Finance and Resources