Head's Welcome
Dear Families, Welcome to this week’s edition of the newsletter. It has been a particularly busy week for trips, with several year groups heading out to explore our local area. The Key Stage 3 students spent a wonderful day at RHS Wisley. It was a joy to hear about them connecting with nature and enjoying the benefits of the great outdoors. Our Year 10 GCSE artists took to the capital for a culture filled day. From wandering the Southbank to exploring the Tate Gallery. As usual it was lovely to hear from our trip leaders on how well our students represented the school. I have spent the last three days attending the annual ISA Heads Conference. While I always miss being in the building, these conferences are a vital opportunity to network with leaders from other settings and gleam information from presenters. It was incredibly useful to share experiences with schools similar to ours, and I am returning with a wealth of ideas and insights. I look forward to actioning these over the coming weeks and months to ensure we continue providing the very best support for our students. Have a lovely weekend and I look forward to seeing everyone next week. Mrs Rich Head
In this week's newsletter
Head's Welcome Students of the Week Dates for the Diary What we've been up to Student Corner SEND in the news Other news and updates, including lost property
Students of the Week
School Tea Towels
Due to the outstanding success we have sold all 50 tea towels. All students and staff have been doodling away. It looks fantastic. In order to ensure that nobody is disappointed we have ordered a further 50. Please complete the google doc below to reserve yours. Please do not complete this form again if you have already placed an order. Payment can be made immediately to the school bank account with your name and tea towels as the reference: Canbury School 20 46 73 00246441 Cash can be sent into school in a clearly marked envelope.
Dates for the Diary
- Thursday 21st May: Y11 study leave begins
- Friday 22nd May: Whole School Sponsored Walk
- W/C 25th May: Half Term
- Wednesday 10th June - 5-6pm: Post 16 information evening (online)
- Thursday 25th June - 5-7pm: Summer Garden Party
What we've been up to
KS3 Wisley Trip
On Tuesday, KS3 visited sunny Wisley Gardens for a wonderful day out. They started with a workshop of modelling, planting and exploring, followed by lunch with the ducks and then free time in the afternoon to explore. This trip is a firm favourite as everyone takes time to slow down to both learn and reflect in the beautiful surroundings. Well done to all of the students for their behaviour and respect during the day.
Y7 Social Skills trip to Isabella Plantation
On Wednesday morning, our Year 7 students set off for the beautiful Isabella Plantation in Richmond Park. We were lucky enough to dodge the sudden rain and hail (!) during our walk, eventually reaching our picnic spot to meet our Sixth Form buddies. The students showcased some confident communication skills while ordering from the café, and there was a cheerful atmosphere as they chatted, played UNO, did some skipping and enjoyed a few rounds of catch. We are incredibly proud of their spirit, and their stamina, as they clocked an impressive 7,000 steps!
Year 10 Explore Live Art and Sculpture at Tate Modern
Our Year 10 students recently traded the classroom for the iconic spaces of the Tate Modern in London. This exciting educational trip offered students a firsthand look at world-class contemporary art, directly supporting their current creative coursework. Students spent the day exploring four powerful, themed displays across the museum: The Tanks: Located in the museum's foundations, these massive, raw industrial concrete chambers once held oil to power the old refinery. Today, The Tanks at Tate Modern act as dedicated galleries for live art, sound, and video, showing students how architecture can transform an artwork. Performer and Participant: This display challenged students to think about interactive art. Year 10 explored how artists use their own bodies, film, or active audience collaboration to create a piece of work, showing them how art can be active rather than stationary. Materials and Objects: Students examined how artists transform everyday, unexpected items into extraordinary sculptures. This section highlighted the inventive ways artists use textures, industrial materials, and found objects to reject traditional painting and bronze casting. Media Networks: This display pushed students to think about how mass media, consumer culture, and digital technology shape our world. They looked at how artists react to the instantly connected, digital age through graphic art, sculpture, and print. The trip sparked fantastic discussions about what defines an artwork. We hope that our students return to school with fresh inspiration, ready to experiment with new materials, space, and media in their own practical projects. Well done to Year 10 for representing our school so brilliantly!
Mental Health Awareness Week including Fruit Tree Planting
This week we asked students to 'Take Action' - this year's theme of Mental Health Awareness Week. They all discusses and reflected on the question: ‘What is one tiny habit that's had the biggest impact on your wellbeing?’ We then also asked for submissions for a lunchtime playlist with the brief: ‘What is your mental health power song - the one track that makes you feel unstoppable?’ From California Dreaming to Footloose, from I Want It That Way to Defying Gravity - a huge range of songs were chosen and we enjoyed listening to them during today's lunchtime. We also planted our (dwarf) fruit tress at lunchtime, with the money raised from our bake off. We are so excited to see them grow and enrich our green area, as well as hopefully providing us some delicious and healthy snacks! Below is also a great resource of 'top 10 actions to support good mental health'.
A summer fete for the whole family at Sandown Park Racecourse
Come and join us at Sandown Park Racecourse on 14 June and bring your furry friend to enjoy the dog show, your friends and family to enjoy the food and stalls from local businesses, and your children to enjoy the fun activities and games and help fundraise for your local Hospice. If you’re a food vendor or stallholder and would be interested in having a space at the event, please contact events@pah.org.uk Location: Sandown Park Racecourse, Portsmouth Road, Esher, KT10 9AJ Date: Sunday 14 June 2026 Time: 12:30pm – 4pm (Dog show – 2pm) Donate what you can on entry – suggested donation of £3 per person, under 5’s are FREE. Entry for the dog show is £7 on the day or £5 if booked in advance online. Please note: Entry in to the dog show does not include fete entry. Register for the Dog show using the following link
Classic & Supercar Charity Showcase (In Aid of Event)
Calling all petrol heads, motor enthusiasts, and admirers of beautiful cars! Join us for this year’s Supercar and Classic Charity Car Show, proudly supporting Princess Alice Hospice. Come along to ACS International School Cobham and enjoy an incredible display of luxury supercars and much‑loved classic cars. Whether you’re stopping by to admire the vehicles or showcasing your own pride and joy, this is an event not to be missed! Location: ACS International School Cobham Heywood, Portsmouth Road, Cobham, Surrey, KT11 1BL Date: Saturday 28th June Time: 8:00am – 12:00pm Tickets:
- £12.50 per car (includes parking)
- £4 per person (no car parking required)
- £10 to present your own vehicle
Come and enjoy a fantastic morning celebrating cars, community, and a wonderful cause. We look forward to seeing you there!
WEBINAR: Supporting Neurodivergent Friendships
Free webinar, Wednesday 20th May, 4-5pm BST, live on Zoom by Pooky Knightsmith Many neurodivergent children want friends but can find the unwritten rules confusing, exhausting, or unpredictable in ways their peers don't seem to experience. So I'm running one of my free 7 Quick Wins sessions focused on practical, immediately usable ideas for supporting neurodivergent children's friendships. Ian Hunkin will be joining me too. I'll lead the session and Ian will come in for the questions (or ideas along the way). A big part of what we'll explore is how neurodivergent friendship is often misunderstood. It can look quite different from the neurotypical version, and that's part of why it's so easily missed or judged. We'll think about: What neurodivergent friendship actually looks like in practice How to recognise the friendships that are working, even when they don't look conventional How to support and encourage friendship without trying to make it conform to neurotypical ideals Practical adjustments that reduce the social load at school, at home, and in other settings It's free to attend, and suitable for anyone working with, caring for, or supporting neurodivergent children and young people. Recording goes to everyone who registers, so please book even if you can't make it live.
Credits:
Created with an image by lucid_dream - "Charity Money Jar"