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Dear Chailey Families,

As another week draws to a close, we can reflect on the busy and exciting week we have had here at Chailey.

One of the highlights of my year so far was hearing the brave Year 10 students speak so eloquently during the speak out challenge. I want to thank every single one of them for coming forward to do so, as well as the Year 9 audience who listened on so respectfully. I wish I could have made all 7 winners, but a huge congratulations

go to Ella who won the competition and to Arthur who closely followed.

We also celebrated our Ofsted report in which we have tried to summarise it on one page for families here.

We are so proud of our entire community and quotes like this one here remind us what we stand for at Chailey School: “Pupils are rightly proud to attend Chailey School, where ‘everyone is the best they can be’. This kind, caring and nurturing school provides a wealth of opportunities for its pupils.” Ofsted 2026

As a side note, I recently did an assembly about local heritage talking about the brickworks, Chailey and Newick Train Station, RAF Plumpton and other local landmarks (including the ruins of the windmill across from the school), and some students have asked for the side by side map viewer I used, if any of them (or indeed parents) are interested, this was the tool used: Side by side georeferenced maps viewer - Map images - National Library of Scotland

We hope you all have a lovely weekend

Mr P Holt

Headteacher

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Please see the Year 11 GCSE Exam Support and Information page on the website

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Please see the Year 11 GCSE Exam Support and Information page on the website

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Year 11 GCSE Exam Support and Information - Chailey School

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Chailey School is a mixed, non-selective, community secondary school located in the village of South Chailey, Chailey, just outside Lewes in East Sussex, UK. Chailey School offers a wide range of aca…

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Help Us Fund Careers Trips – Vote for Chailey School at Tesco

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Help Us Fund Careers Trips – Vote for Chailey School at Tesco

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Chailey School has been selected to take part in the Tesco Stronger Starts community funding scheme. We are raising money to fund our careers trips and activities for KS3 and KS4 students during the 2026–2027 academic year.

These trips give students vital real‑world experiences, helping to raise aspirations and support informed choices about post‑16 and post‑18 pathways by meeting employers, visiting workplaces and exploring future options.

How to cast your vote

Shop in: Tesco Burgess Hill Superstore & Express, Haywards Heath Express Stores at Northlands Wood and Hazelgrove Road

Make a purchase of any value

Receive one red or blue token per transaction at the checkout - if you aren't given one, there is usually a box that you can help yourself to tokens from 🙏

On your way out, place your token in the Tesco Stronger Starts voting box and vote for Chailey School

Where you can vote

Burgess Hill Superstore, RH15 9QT

Haywards Heath Walnut Park Express, RH16 3TG

Burgess Hill Gatehouse Express, RH15 9XB

Haywards Heath Express, RH16 3PH

Voting closes on: 31st July 2026

The project with the most votes in our region can receive up to £1,500, so every single vote really does count. Please support us by voting when you shop — and encouraging family and friends to do the same.

Thank you for your support with this, we have raised money this way for the last two years and have been able to increase the amount of trips that we can run, so every little really does help!

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Support Your Child with Career Decisions

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Support Your Child with Career Decisions

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To support parents and carers in helping young people make informed career choices, we’d like to share a useful resource:
Career Decisions in Secondary Education – A Guide for Parents and Carers (2026), produced by Careers East Sussex.

The guide provides clear, practical information about:

post‑14, post‑16 and post‑18 options

qualifications, apprenticeships and vocational routes

how to have positive career conversations at home

local labour market information and support services

You can download a free digital copy from:
👉 https://www.careerseastsussex.co.uk/information/parents

If you would prefer a printed copy, these are available on request — please contact Gail Wickens, gwickens@chaileyschool.org who will be happy to provide one.

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Careers, Post‑16 & Work Experience – Stay Up to Date

Our Careers, Post‑16 & Work Experience Padlet is the main place where we share up‑to‑date information for students in all year groups, not just Year 11. It includes guidance and opportunities to support career exploration and future planning from Year 7 onwards.

The Padlet brings together information about careers, college and sixth‑form options, apprenticeships, work experience opportunities, application guidance, open events, and useful Unifrog resources for both students and parents/carers.

Rather than sending regular newsletters, this Padlet is updated continuously, so we strongly encourage families to save the link and check it regularly to make sure they don’t miss important information, deadlines or opportunities.

👉 Access the Careers, Post‑16 & WEX Padlet here:
https://padlet.com/chaileyschoolcareers/chailey-school-careers-post-16-and-work-experience-padlet-dlwrt4c8u2afvyrh

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TO REPORT YOUR CHILD ABSENT DUE TO ILLNESS OR A MEDICAL APPOINTMENT

·         Log into Arbor

·         Navigate to 'Quick Actions' and click - this is usually in the top left of the screen

·         Click 'Attendance'

·         Click 'Log Absence'

·         Enter the reason for absence

·         Click 'Log Absence'

FOR GENERAL ENQUIRIES

office@chaileyschool.org

01273 890407

TO BOOK AN APPOINTMENT FOR THE SEND SURGERY

(Friday Mornings)

SENDCO@chaileyschool.org

01273 890407

TO BOOK AN APPOINTMENT FOR THE SLT SURGERY

(Friday after school)

srodd@chaileyschool.org

01273 890407

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Copies of communications sent to our families can be found on the website.

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Chailey School is a mixed, non-selective, community secondary school located in the village of South Chailey, Chailey, just outside Lewes in East Sussex, UK. Chailey School offers a wide range of aca…

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School Calendar (What’s On) - Chailey School

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Chailey School is a mixed, non-selective, community secondary school located in the village of South Chailey, Chailey, just outside Lewes in East Sussex, UK. Chailey School offers a wide range of aca…

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Add new guardians and contacts for your child on the Parent Portal and Parent App

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This article explains how primary guardians can add new guardians and contacts for their child using the Parent Portal or Parent App. It details the steps to view the child’s profile, add new conta…

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Year 10 Parents Evening - Thursday 21st May 3.30pm - 6.30pm

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Year 10 Parents Evening - Thursday 21st May 3.30pm - 6.30pm

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Free Parent Webinars – Supporting Your Child by INVESTIN

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Free Parent Webinars – Supporting Your Child by INVESTIN

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We’re pleased to share information about a new series of free parent webinars, designed by INVESTIN to support families in helping young people with their next steps and wellbeing.

The three parent‑focused webinars will be running over the summer term, offering practical guidance and useful resources the first one will be:

How to Support Your Child During Exam Season
🗓 Wednesday 29 April

This session will cover:

Recognising signs of stress and burnout

Ways parents can support effective revision

Creating a calm and supportive home environment

Followed by:

How to find work experience

May 13th - 6pm

This session will cover:

What really counts as work experience, including less obvious opportunities that can still strengthen applications.

Understand why work experience matters and how it helps young people explore interests and future career paths.

Get practical advice on how to find placements, approach employers confidently and make the most of every opportunity.

Everything you need to know about applying for University

10th June - 6pm

This session will cover:

The full university application process, including key steps and deadlines for the UK and overseas destinations.

How to access support with choosing the right university, using practical tools to explore options, goals and next steps.

How to stand out to admissions teams and approach applications with confidence, including competitive pathways such as medical school and Oxbridge.

Book HERE

Parents can view the full schedule of upcoming webinars and find further details by visiting the provider’s website.

For all things Careers, Post-16, Work Experience and more, please check out our Careers Newsletter/Padlet HERE.

Gail Wickens

Careers & Work-Related Learning Coordinator

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Booking for term 6 goes live on 18th May 2026

https://support.arbor-education.com/hc/en-us/articles/360008179494-Signing-my-child-up-for-a-Club-on-the-Parent-Portal-or-Parent-App

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Signing my child up for a Club on the Parent Portal or Parent App

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Follow the instructions below to register a child for a club using the Parent Portal or Parent App.If you are unable to sign up, please contact your school. They will need to follow these instructi…

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Amazing artwork from 8 Caburn

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And our fundraising total is now at £472.50. Let's see if we can raise even more money for children in hospitals to enjoy the magic of stories.

Next week is the LAST WEEK of our sponsored readathon; please bring in your sponsorship card (and - if you have any - any cash raised) to your English teacher by Friday 22nd May.

Online payments can be made at Readathon - Sponsor a pupil

If you want to find out more about the charity and the work they do, have a look via this link: Read for Good's hospital programme gives books and stories to children's hospitals.

Thank you so much!

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School Uniform Donations of the following items:

Skirts

PE Tops

PE Shorts

Chailey School Jumpers

KS3 and KS4 ties

Donations can be left at the school reception.

No other items are needed at this time thank you

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Chailey School is a mixed, non-selective, community secondary school located in the village of South Chailey, Chailey, just outside Lewes in East Sussex, UK. Chailey School offers a wide range of aca..

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On Wednesday morning, seven year 10 students took part in the Speak Out Challenge assembly final.

As the name would suggest, the ‘Speak Out Challenge’ is designed to give teenagers a platform and an opportunity to have their voices heard. The assembly final sees students presenting their speeches before an audience so that the winner and runner-up can be selected. The winner will then go on to present their speech at the Regional Final of the competition.

Following on from the workshop back in March, the students involved have all worked incredibly hard to prepare for the competition by selecting meaningful topics, crafting their speeches, and honing their delivery.

Our year 9 audience listened avidly to the range of topics that the speakers had selected: Ethan explored music’s power to motivate and move us; Jack cautioned against procrastination; Ella urged us not to compare ourselves to others; Chloe spoke about the power of gratitude; Daisy encouraged us not to fear making mistakes; Toby shared his personal connection to the power of music; Arthur encouraged us to focus on what unites us, rather than what divides us.

The speeches were a fantastic example of our students using their voices to impart messages they believe in and were a real testament to not only the preparation they had put in but also to their courage on the day.

The judges were incredibly impressed by the carefully considered and well-crafted speeches as well as the maturity of their delivery.

Although all seven speakers delivered a fantastic performance, of course there could only be one winner. After deliberation from the judges, Ella has been crowned the winner and will be going on to represent Chailey at the Regional Finals, with Arthur as reserve. A huge congratulations to all assembly finalists and our very best wishes to Ella and Arthur as they prepare for the next stage of the competition.