School Photos, Wednesday 9th September
Next week students in Years 7, 10 and 11 will have school photographs taken. Year 7 will have both individual 'profile' shots taken and a photograph together with their House Group. Year 10 will have profile shots only and Year 11 will have House Group photos taken to mark their final year in lower school.
It is important that we have a photograph on record of every student for safeguarding reasons - these individual photos will not be shared beyond the school.
These pictures can make a lovely keepsake for the future and will be available for families to purchase later in the term – families of these year groups will be sent a sample image and further details of how to place an order with the school photographer, Tempest, in due course.
Please ensure that students are in full uniform, with smiles at the ready, on that day!
'My Child At School' Portal and Timetables
We hope that many parents and carers are familiar with My Child At School (MCAS) as a resource for engaging with your child's attendance, behaviour and assessment information. MCAS is also used for booking timeslots at Parents Evenings later in the school year.
Student timetables can be viewed from your child's MCAS profile and copies for referring to at home can be printed (from the desktop version you will need to right-click on the timetable and select 'print').
Year 7 families and other families with a child new to the school should have received their login details this week.
If you haven't previously used MCAS, please take some time over the weekend to log in and explore the information available to you from this portal: MyChildAtSchool - Login
School Communications
We aim to keep all parents/carers updated about their child’s progress and wellbeing, as well as school news and events. This weekly newsletter is a key part of our communication with families about school events.
The Family-School Communication guide, available to download from the school website explains more about ways we will communicate with you and how you can contact the right person at school if you have a question or concern about your child.
Please be sure to keep us updated with any changes to contact details so that information reaches you. Any changes can be emailed to info@williamellis.camden.sch.uk (please note that for changes to Home Address we would need to see a document as proof, such as a utility bill or council tax statement).
Moving on to secondary school – our open events
If you, or anyone you know, has a son currently in Year 6 or Year 5, we hope you and/or they will join us for one of our open events over the coming half term.
Families can find out more and register to attend events via our website.
Local group 'Meet the Parents' also run informal forums where parents of current primary school pupils can meet families from their local secondary schools and hear about their experiences of those schools. These are taking place from 14 to 17 September - you can book places here.
Parents and carers need to apply for a Year 7 place for September 2026 by 31st October 2025, even if they have a child already attending school in Camden. Details of how to do so will be provided by the Local Authority.
Early finish for students on 24th September
School will close early before our Open Evening on 24th September so that the site can be prepared for this event.
Students will be registered by their Form Tutor at lunchtime on this day and will be able to get a grab-and-go lunch from the canteen before leaving school.
A number of students will be asked to stay for the evening to act as tour guides and help with activities in departments. Families of these students will be contacted in the next couple of weeks with details.
Progress Review Day, Thursday 8th October
Students in Years 7-11 and their parents/carers will be invited into school on Thursday 8th October to meet with Form Tutors and discuss each child's progress and targets for the year ahead on an individual basis.
On this day students will only attend their appointment time. These times will be sent to families later this month, but please make a note of the date.
GCSE Preparation Event for Parents and Carers
We are planning an event for Year 11 parents to learn more about how to support their sons with GCSE exams. This is scheduled to take place on Tuesday 3rd November. Families will receive further details about this event later this half term.
