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Newsletter 18th September 2026

Head’s Note Dear Parents The first full week of term has seen us properly reconnecting as a Castle Court family. The children are settling back into the rhythms and routines of school life, and it has been wonderful to see the school so full of energy again. We have had topic exploration days and talks in EYFS, Year 1 and Year 2, with our Year 2 parents even venturing into the woods with their children for a famous person treasure hunt. I’m not entirely sure which celebrities or historical figures were discovered lurking amongst the trees, but I look forward to seeing and reading all about them! The week ended with our traditional beginning-of-year Welcome Evening, when nearly 80 parents joined us in the Main House to hear more about the year ahead and, just as importantly, to enjoy fabulous food, good company and a few glasses of something sparkling. It was lovely to see so many of you there and be able to show you our new parent area. All of this got me thinking about what binds us together as a Castle Court family. More particularly, what makes a Castellan a Castellan? In assembly this morning, I spoke to the children about kindness. Kindness can sometimes sound like a rather simple value, but in practice it asks quite a lot of us. It means noticing other people and thinking about how our words and actions affect those around us. It means being prepared to give our time, effort and energy for somebody other than ourselves. We see that spirit regularly at Castle Court. We have seen pupils give their time to run the tombola at SummerFest, support younger children, and take on extraordinary challenges for causes they care about. Most recently, Alexandra in Year 7 planned and completed a remarkable 350-mile ride to Paris to raise money for the Gurkha Welfare Trust. Her aim is to raise enough money to be able to fund an Earthquake-Resilient home for a Gurkha veteran or widow in Nepal. She has already raised £3,000, with further donations still coming in. It is a wonderful achievement, not simply because of the distance travelled, but because of the purpose behind it. As Alexandra said, “I want to show that no matter how young you are, you can still make a real difference.” Kindness, resilience and leadership matter. But perhaps most important of all is servant leadership: the understanding that leadership is not about being in charge, but about what you can do for others. That is something we deliberately seek to develop in our pupils. Last Friday’s Year 8 Leadership Day was a great example. Along the Purbeck coast, the whole year group worked together, supported one another and stretched themselves through a variety of challenges. They were learning that good leaders listen, encourage, notice when someone needs help and, when necessary, put the needs of others before their own.

Head’s Note As our oldest pupils, Year 8 will have many opportunities to put those lessons into practice over the coming year. I am looking forward to seeing them lead not simply through badges or positions of responsibility, but through their everyday actions and the example they set across the school. Perhaps that is the answer to my question. What makes a Castellan a Castellan? For information, I will be out of school next week (Wednesday 23rd to Friday 25th) at the IAPS Heads’ Conference in Birmingham. I will be leaving the school in the capable hands of Mr Dunsford, Acting Deputy Head, who I know will be well-supported by the senior leadership team and colleagues. I also wanted to provide a staffing update. Sadly, Mrs McSorley will be leaving us at the end of this term, having secured an exciting new opportunity as the Area Manager for a small chain of Nurseries. She will also be returning to her car racing, which she has put on hold over her time of service here due to clashes with the term dates. While we will miss Mrs McSorley hugely, I would like to thank her for the way she has grown and developed the nursery during her time here. She will be taking an important role in our recruitment of a new Nursery Manager ready for January, and we wish her all the very best in her exciting new ventures. I hope you are able to have a relaxing and enjoyable weekend. Best wishes, Katie

UPCOMING EVENTS Future Schools Evening Yrs 4-8 21st September 26

Year 4 Trip 21 September 26 Kingston Lacy

Reception Topic Exploration

Year 1 Trip

2 3 rd S e p t e m b e r 2 6

Farm Trip

23rd September 26

Head’s Awards RECB

Raife

Kate

Raffi

Grace

2GH

Kaydon

Alexander

Ayla

Daisy

Naish

Eliza

Amelia

Nina

Max

George

Max

Hogan

Theia

Head’s Awards are given out every Friday morning in assembly to children nominated by their class teacher or form tutor. The reasons for these are many and varied, including outstanding effort, overcoming difficulty, or helping a friend in need. A huge congratulations for their efforts goes to these children.

Parent Noticeboard ol o h Sc e be h T n a ar c link d n Cale on Edu d r foun alenda C S C C

Key S choo l Cont a Can b cts e fou nd Here SCHOOL BIATHLON COMPETITIONS

We are pleased to share details of two exciting School Biathlon competitions taking place this November at Millfield and Leweston. These external events provide a fantastic opportunity for pupils to challenge themselves, enjoy some friendly competition and represent themselves as part of our school community. Competition Dates

Millfield: 22nd November Leweston: 29th November Parents can enter their children directly using the entry form below. As these are external competitions, pupils must be entered and paid for by their parents/carers, as we are unable to submit entries as a school. Please note: As this is an external event, we cannot guarantee that CCS staff will be available to attend. We will, of course, do our best to be there where possible. Parents/carers are therefore responsible for transporting and accompanying their children to the event. We hope lots of our pupils will take the opportunity to get involved and enjoy what promises to be a great couple of sporting events! Register Here

Click here

Amazing Achievements

JONAH AND MARLON COMPETED IN AN ATHLETICS COMPETITION REPRESENTING DORSET. THEIR TEAM WON AND JONAH GOT TO TAKE THE TROPHY HOME AS THE U10 BOYS INDIVIDUAL WINNER.

HANNAH COMPETED FOR DORSET IN A U10 ATHLETICS COMPETITION. SHE PLACED SECOND OUT OF 15 AND TEAM DORSET WON OVERALL. SHE CAME 1ST IN THE 400M OUT OF 15 GIRLS.

AT JUST 11 YEARS OLD, ALEXANDRA CYCLED THE ENTIRE 400-KILOMETRE ROUTE FROM LONDON TO PARIS, RAISING MONEY FOR THE GURKHA WELFARE TRUST. SHE HAS ALREADY RAISED MORE THAN £3,000, WITH FURTHER DONATIONS STILL COMING IN. HER MAIN GOAL IS TO HELP FUND THE CONSTRUCTION OF AN EARTHQUAKE-RESILIENT HOME IN NEPAL FOR A GURKHA VETERAN, WIDOW OR FAMILY AFFECTED BY THE EARTHQUAKES. EACH HOME COSTS APPROXIMATELY £9,800 TO BUILD, AND ALEXANDRA IS DETERMINED TO KEEP FUNDRAISING TOWARDS THAT TARGET. SHE IS ALSO VERY KEEN TO VISIT NEPAL ONCE ONE OF THE HOMES HAS BEEN COMPLETED AND SEE THE DIFFERENCE THE FUNDRAISING HAS MADE.

A Week In Pictures

Parent Information Evening It was lovely to welcome so many of you to our Parent Information Evening. We hope you enjoyed meeting your child’s teachers, finding out more about the year ahead, and getting to know other parents.

Year 8 Leadership Day To kickstart the year, our Year 8s headed to Swanage for paddleboarding before taking on the challenge of coasteering at Dancing Ledge! Land & Wave did an incredible job of facilitating this experience, and our 8s embraced every challenge that came their way. It was an afternoon filled with teamwork, friendship and resilience as pupils conquered heights, supported one another and pushed beyond their comfort zones. From encouraging each other through tricky moments to showing courage in the face of a challenge, this was LEADERSHIP IN ACTION! What a fantastic start to the year for this wonderful group! We can’t wait to see what the rest of this academic year holds for them!