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Headteacher Foreword
As we reach the end of this term and look forward to the festive season, I am reminded of a powerful truth: the greatest gift we can give is not material, but the encouragement and belief we have in others. This sentiment has been at the heart of everything we have achieved together over the past few months.
From our Rewards Breakfast, where we celebrated students who have gone above and beyond, to the inspiring work of our Wellbeing Ambassadors, this term has been filled with moments that reflect kindness, resilience, and community spirit. Our younger students have embraced new challenges, such as the Year 7 Mini First Aid sessions, developing practical skills for life, and the handwriting focus, which has encouraged pride in presentation. Beyond the classroom, we’ve seen incredible generosity through the Rotary Shoebox Scheme and the commitment shown during the Grantham Ark Sleep Out, raising awareness for those in need.
Individual achievements have also shone brightly and our Year 11 students were excellent in the Geographical Quiz. Alumni stories, like that of Nik Holmes, remind us of the lifelong impact of education and belief.
Festive cheer has been alive in our Carol singing events, and the traditional school Christmas lunch. Our outreach through the CGS Holiday Camp and the work of the reconstituted PTA continues to strengthen our community ties.
Finally, we mark a significant moment in our school’s history—the retirement of the Head’s PA, Julie Body, after 17 years of dedicated service. Julie’s commitment, care, and professionalism have touched countless lives, and her legacy will remain a cherished part of our community. We thank her wholeheartedly and wish her every happiness in the next chapter of her life.
As we step into the New Year, let’s carry forward this spirit of encouragement and belief. Together, we can make 2026 a year of growth, resilience, and shared success.
On behalf of everyone at Carre’s, I wish you a joyful Christmas and a hopeful New Year.
Mr Law
Headteacher
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Further Dates for Your Diary
Term 3: Tuesday 6 January - Friday 13 February
Term 4: Monday 23 February - Wednesday 1 April
Term 5: Monday 20 April - Friday 22 May
Term 6: Monday 1 June - Wednesday 22 July
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Wednesday 14 January 2026 - Year 12 Parents' Evening (online)
Wednesday 11 February - Year 10 Parents' Evening (in person)
Thursday 26 February - Year 11 Parents' Evening (in person)
Thursday 12 March - Year 7 Parents' Evening (in person)
Wednesday 18 March - Year 8 Parents' Evening (in person)
Information Evening
Year 12 - Thursday 18 June 2026 (UCAS) – at KSHS
Internal Examination dates
Year 13 – weeks commencing 26 January and 2 February 2026
Year 10 - weeks commencing 9 and 16 March
Year 12 - weeks commencing 20 April and 22 June 2026
Year 9 - week commencing 4 May 2026
Years 7 and 8 - week commencing 8 June 2026
Public (External) Examinations (GCSE, CNAT, A Level, CTEC/BTEC)
Public examinations begin during the week commencing 4 May 2026. The awarding bodies have designated Wednesday 24 June 2026 as the ‘contingency day’ for examinations.
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Project X Final at RAF Waddington
Rafferty, Albie, Noah and Harry from Year 8 recently represented the school in the Project X Final, held at RAF Waddington. The boys had been working hard on their entry, using one lunchtime a week to design and build a B2 Bomber model.
During the build process, they experimented with a range of materials, including papier mâché, which unfortunately ended up as a soggy mess! In the end, they opted for a more reliable solution, using plenty of tape to hold their aircraft together.
In the final, the team faced an exciting challenge. Their aircraft had to travel down a zip line, successfully drop two eggs onto separate targets without breaking them, and land safely on the designated landing pad. The boys also delivered a presentation on the development of their aircraft to RAF STEM personnel – a daunting experience, but one they handled admirably.
In addition to the competition, the day included a variety of engaging activities such as Lego robotics, virtual reality headsets, computer simulations and drone flying. The boys enthusiastically took part in everything on offer and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
To top off an excellent day, the team achieved an impressive second place overall, competing against a group of ten students. Sadly, one egg broke during the challenge, which cost them the top spot.
We are extremely proud of Rafferty, Albie, Noah and Harry. They demonstrated creativity, teamwork and excellent behaviour throughout the event. Well done to all involved!
Thank you to Mrs Thomas, Teacher of Science, for supporting the students.
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Year 9 Family History Research
In history this term, Year 9 students have had the opportunity to research their family history. As we started studying the First World War, students were set the challenge to see if anyone in their family fought in the war. Year 9 responded to the challenge by asking parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts about what they knew, looking in family records, finding medals, and then they were able to use the Commonwealth War Graves site to find further details.
Several students found that they had relatives remembered in the Ypres area, and so we will visit their war graves when we go on the Battlefields trip in June.
We have been able to add to the stories we already knew about soldiers from the Sleaford area, and we now have a display that remembers some of these soldiers.
One of the key reasons for this research was to ensure that students recognise that ordinary people like us were involved in the fighting in the First World War. Since the research, students have also had the opportunity to use letters, memoirs and official correspondence to investigate what life was like for soldiers in the trenches.
Mrs Wilson, Teacher of History
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Some of the students who earned a special breakfast for their excellent effort grades.
Top effort – well done!
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Carre's Grammar School Wellbeing Ambassadors
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Written by Georgia Smith
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Personal Development – Mini First Aid
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Students in Year 7 took part in Mini First Aid sessions.
Students learnt what to do if they found someone who was unconscious – checking for breathing, recovery position, calling 999, and using What3Words as a location for the emergency services.
Thank you to Jo from Mini First Aid for the super training sessions.
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This term has seen the English Department lead on improving students’ handwriting. Many students may see handwriting as an outdated form of communication, but exams are still handwritten, so it is essential that students have legible handwriting. The days of young people writing diaries and letters are long gone; this means that many students don’t write outside of school. Also, not all subjects require students to write lengthy answers, meaning that students don’t have the opportunity to practice this valuable skill and often see it as a chore. This has had a detrimental effect on students’ ability to write clearly and at length.
The importance of handwriting has been shown in many studies. Handwriting is beneficial for long-term learning and memory encoding. This can be seen in research for younger learners where handwriting helps create pathways in the brain for reading. Additionally, research for older students found that making handwritten notes connected areas of the brain crucial for memory formation and learning new information.
Key Initiatives
- Dedicated Weekly Practice: Year 7 students will begin one lesson per week with a structured handwriting practice session.
- Self-Auditing and Guidance: Students will be guided through a personal handwriting audit, receiving specific, actionable tips and resources tailored to their individual needs for improvement.
- Key Stage 3 Penmanship Competitions: To foster pride and engagement, termly handwriting competitions will be held for all Key Stage 3 students, celebrating excellent penmanship.
Research Supporting This Initiative
The efficacy of this intervention is supported by modern educational and neuroscientific research:
- James and Engelhardt (2012), Trends in Neuroscience and Education: Focuses on the link between handwriting experience and functional brain development in pre-literate children.
- Mueller and Oppenheimer (2014), Psychological Science: Demonstrated the cognitive advantage of longhand note-taking over typing for improved conceptual learning.
- Van der Weel and van der Meer (2024), Frontiers in Psychology, showed that handwriting, unlike typewriting, leads to widespread and stronger brain connectivity vital for learning and memory.#]
Mrs James, Teacher of English
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On Thursday 20 November, two teams from Year 11 competed in the Lincolnshire Geographical Association Worldwise Quiz.
Twelve teams from different Lincolnshire schools were pitted against each other to show their geographical knowledge in a number of different areas, including anagrams, fieldwork and general geography knowledge.
It was a closely run contest where the top three teams were only five points apart for most of the evening. Eventually, the Carre’s teams came third and fifth.
Well Done to everyone involved!
Miss Chaddock, Head of Geography
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The Design and Technology department is incredibly proud of Charlie, who has been awarded the Arkwright Scholarship for the 2025 programme. Charlie attended a presentation event at Leeds City Museum where he met with his mentor for the programme and other scholars.
Competition for the 2025 entry was tough. 1,500 applications were made and only 350 scholarships awarded. The Arkwright Scholarship has been running since 1991. The aim of the scholarship is to identify future leaders in Engineering and nurture their high potential.
The rigorous process saw Charlie submitting an application, sit an online aptitude exam and take part in a 1-hour interview to secure the scholarship, which is sponsored by the Dougals Bomford Trust. The mission of the Dougals Bomford Trust is to improve communication and technology in agriculture and food production.
Through this sponsor, Charlie will be able to take advantage of work experience events, career planning and a financial award to assist with his studies.
We are all very proud of you Charlie - well done.
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Carre's Book 'Depositree' – part of the Sleaford Methodist Church Christmas Tree Festival
Thank you to Mrs Wilson and the PTA for organising the staff and students to create a label showing their favourite book, and to Mrs Scott for ensuring the tree was returned to school ready for display in reception.
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Mrs Quinton and Mrs Karumazondo took the choir for their annual visit to Oakdene and Ashdene Care homes.
They entertained the residents with lots of Christmas carols and some of the songs they had been preparing for the Christmas Concert and School Carol Service.
Mrs Quinton, Head of Music
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Our annual Christmas Concert was a huge success, and we are very proud of everyone who performed. There were some amazing solo performances, great ensembles and beautiful singing. Year 7s helped to create a spectacular performance of ‘Believer’ by Imagine Dragons followed by Wizard’s ‘I wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day’ accompanied by the school band.
A big thank you to everyone who was involved.
Mrs Quinton, Head of Music
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Christmas Lunch and Jumper Day
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There was a fantastic atmosphere in The Chill as 530 Christmas lunches were cooked, served and eaten, including Brussels sprouts!
Huge thanks to Chef Robert and the Catering Team for a fantastic lunch and to all the staff who distributed cutlery and crackers, signed students in, served, poured gravy, and cleared tables.
Phew, same time, same place next year!
£524 was raised by wearing Christmas jumpers in aid of Save The Children – Thank you.
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Students and staff donated items for the Rotary Shoebox Scheme.
Mr Austin from the Rotary Club collected the boxes ready for donation to children and families in Eastern Europe.
A huge thank you to everyone who donated items.
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A massive well done to Mr Wilson, Mr Holland, Mr Ahmed and Mr Law for taking part in Movember this year.
Movember is the annual campaign that raises awareness of men’s health issues, including mental health, suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer. By growing moustaches and sparking important conversations, they helped shine a spotlight on these vital causes.
Together, they raised an impressive £300, supporting research and programmes that make a real difference to men and their families.
A big thank you to everyone who supported this worthwhile cause.
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£1.437.50 was raised for Children in Need.
Thank you.
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Grantham Ark Sleep Out – Mrs James
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The forecast was brutal: a Friday night in Grantham where the temperature was set to feel like -5C. This was the challenge of the Grantham Ark 2025 Sleep Out, and I was taking part.
A colleague, seeing the weather on his mobile, generously sponsored me. However, I was quick to remind him (and myself) that I only had to endure the cold for one night in the relatively safe setting of the beautiful Grantham House garden. The crucial point is that we were raising money, so a homeless person doesn’t have to face those conditions every night.
About Grantham Ark: The charity was launched in 2020 by the Vicar of St Wulfram’s Church to address the complete lack of local support for the homeless. It provides temporary accommodation, a stable address, and essential support services designed to break the cycle of homelessness.
I am delighted to announce that I raised £340. I offer my deepest thanks to everyone who sponsored me—together, we have made a tangible difference.
Mrs James, Teacher of English
Well done Mrs James - great achievement!
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Arthur in 8C came 3rd in the East Midlands Junior Épée Fencing Competition.
Well done Arthur - top effort!
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Tom 7W recently auditioned for the National Youth Choir and was accepted – this is an amazing achievement.
Well done Tom!
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Jack recently took part in the Xpirit Dance World Cup in Cancun, Mexico as part of the Phoenix Boys group.
Jack performed five dances on Friday night, and I am pleased to say that he managed a 2nd place and two 1st places. One of the 1st places (his Senior Group Dance) received the highest Jazz mark in the whole competition and were, therefore, crowned Grand Champions.
Absolutely amazing Jack – well done!
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Nick Holmes was a student at Carre's from 2010-2017. When he left Sixth Form, he moved to London to undertake his undergraduate degree in Acting and a Masters in Film Making at the Central Film School, graduating in 2021.
Nick has been featured in Lincolnshire World recently and he mentioned Carre's Grammar School.
https://www.nicholasholmesfilm.com/
Well done Nick – great to hear you are doing so well.
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Carre's Grammar School PTA News
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The PTA would like to say a big thank you to everyone for the kind donations of board games already received – further donations would be welcome – and for signing up to the Parents' Lottery. There's still time to join in – the link is www.parentslottery.org
The Committee is planning an AGM in January to decide on dates for fundraising events during 2026 and will share more details after Christmas.
Charlotte, Jules and Karen were pleased to be able to support staff and parents attending the Year 9 Parents' Evening this term – the biscuits seemed to be particularly appreciated!
The committee is looking forward to providing the same at other open events and parents' evenings during the school year. All proceeds will be used to provide equipment and resources to benefit students in the school.
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If you receive any benefits, you should tell your school as they can get extra funding called the Pupil Premium grant. This includes:
Universal Credit – your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)
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 not also 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.
Children who get paid these benefits directly can also get free school meals.
If your family is facing hardship, find out what government support is available: https://www.gov.uk/
Holiday activities and food programme
School-aged children and young people who qualify for benefits-related free school meals can access free holiday clubs during the:
- Easter holidays
- Summer holidays
- Christmas holidays
Clubs provide a wide range of activities, for example:
- sports and games
- arts and crafts
- music
- drama
- learning about food as well as healthy meals and snacks
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Holiday, Activity and Food Programme – Winter 2025
Multi-Sports and Creative Activities Course
Sleaford Rugby Club
Places available for students on free school meals
If you have any queries regarding the HAF programme offered at MACCA Sports Academies, please contact the team at: admin@maccasportsacademies.com
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Our Planet Our District – Young Person’s Poster Challenge Exhibition
Over the summer, North Kesteven District Council’s Climate Change team invited young people aged 5–18 years living in the district, to design a poster to be used by the Council to promote environmental action, which could include being displayed on the side of waste collection lorries, in leaflets, or other promotional materials. Over 150 entries were received, and we were delighted with the creativity and imagination of those who participated.
The winning entries, runners-up, and commended artwork will be on display from 1 December – 31 January at The Natural World Centre, Whisby Nature Park, Moor Lane, Thorpe-on-the-Hill, Lincoln LN6 9BW
Please come along to see their amazing efforts.
partnershipsteam@n-kesteven.gov.uk
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Beauty and the Beast at the Palace Theatre Newark
This Christmas, enjoy a magical family day out with Beauty and the Beast at the Palace Theatre Newark!
Running from 5 to 31 December, this festive pantomime is packed with laughter, music, and stunning costumes; perfect for all ages.
🎟 Book now at www.palacenewark.com or call 01636 655755
Don’t miss this enchanting tale as old as time!
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17 Nov 2025
Last month, the DfE released the 23/24 16-18 progression data. We are proud to announce that the Sleaford Joint Sixth Form is now one of the top-performing establishments in the country for the number of young people (aged 16-18) progressing into apprenticeships.
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13 Nov 2025
The Sleaford Joint Sixth Form continues to set the standard for collaborative post-16 education, uniting the co-educational sixth forms of Carre's Grammar School, St George’s Academy, and Kesteven & Sleaford High School.
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13 Nov 2025
We’re delighted to announce that Carre's Grammar School has been recognised in the top 10% of all FFT schools nationally for attendance during the 2024–25 academic year.
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12 Nov 2025
Reverend Philip Johnson delivered a whole school Remembrance Assembly honouring and remembering all who served, gave their lives and those who lived with the consequences of the outcome of war.
Those Old Carrensians who lost their lives in both world wars and more recent conflicts...
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