Year 7 recently took on the challenge of climbing Y Fal, also known as Sugar Loaf Mountain, with each tutor group spending the day exploring the outdoors and discovering what they were capable of. The trip was a powerful opportunity for students to show resilience, determination, and courage in real time.

The conditions on the mountain tested everyone differently. Some groups were met with harsh winds, driving rain, and slippery paths, yet students pushed on with impressive perseverance. 

Even when the weather made the climb tougher, they kept going, encouraging one another and refusing to give up. Reaching the summit under those conditions gave many a genuine sense of achievement and pride. Others faced their own personal challenges, from managing tired legs to overcoming nerves during sections that required scrambling.

At the same time, the mountain offered moments of reward: bursts of sunshine, beautiful autumnal colours, and sweeping views that appeared through gaps in the clouds.

Students supported friends who were finding the climb tough, shared encouragement, and learned how to rely on one another. By the end of the trip, they had not only completed a physical challenge but also strengthened their confidence, their relationships, and their ability to persevere when things get hard.

Unfortunately, due to some severe weather conditions, 7P1’s trip will be rescheduled for the spring time. 

The experience will stay with them, giving Year 7 a memorable example of how resilience, teamwork, and a positive mindset can help them overcome challenges both on and off the mountain.

Mr Hodgson, Outdoor Education Lead

Ms Tallis organised our annual Christmas Card competition and once again we were bowled over by the high quality of entries - difficult to choose the winners! House points were awarded to entries, the  overall winner was Emily Brosa (10Y).

I write to you on December 15th, 72 hours away from the biggest event in the calendar. The only thing that matters. That’s right. The St Katherine’s Sixth Form Tutor Room Christmas Decoration Competition™ is very nearly upon us. 

Will 6GAB continue to reign supreme following last year’s incredible Elf On A Shelf-themed effort? Will 6TH return to the throne? Will 6GF manage to top last year’s actual (yes, actual) brass band performance? Or will the newbies, 6LH, gatecrash the medals in their first year? I actually can’t sleep with anticipation. You’ll find out the winners in Term 3. 

Other than this, we’ve actually been quite busy this term. Once again, it’s been packed with enrichment opportunities and outside speakers hoping to develop our Sixth Formers’ understanding of a range of pathways and careers. We’ve had Sixth Form alumnus Fergus Creton deliver an engaging talk about his apprenticeship journey, Royal Holloway talk to students about studying in London, and TV producer Ruth Harris share her incredible experiences travelling the world via her work on the CBBC nature documentary series Deadly 60. We were also lucky enough to have Weston Uni lead a session on lie detectors whilst speaking about careers in public service and criminology.

Year 13 have been extremely busy balancing the impending UCAS deadline (14th January) with the impending internal and external exams (12th January), and we have done all we can to support them to do ‘the hard yards’ early on these, ensuring there is plenty of time to spend with friends and family over the Christmas break in amongst the revision. 

We would also like to take a moment to congratulate our new Year 12 Deputy Head Students: Felix Huertas, Liam Davies, Beth Niemczyk and Bella Perales-Morris. We look forward to seeing your impact on the Sixth Form and the wider school community over the coming weeks and months. 

Right, we need to go and wrap some cutlery for Christmas dinner. Have a restful break, and see you next year. 

Mr Davies, Head of Sixth Form

Term 2 has been an incredibly positive and energetic chapter in our House Championship at St Katherine’s School, and it has been fantastic to see such a strong fighting and competitive spirit across the whole school. Hundreds of students have got involved this term, earning valuable points for their houses and truly embodying the sense of community and healthy competition that the House system promotes.

This term’s ethos competition focused on Punctuality, while the values competition centred on Resilience Points. Both competitions saw impressive commitment from all houses, with Turing House taking the win in both categories. Congratulations to Turing on this achievement, and well done to all other houses who finished very close behind, highlighting just how competitive the championship remains.

Creativity has also been on full display this term. Stephenson and Yousafzai enjoyed success in the Christmas Tree Decoration competitions, bringing festive spirit and imagination into school. A special shoutout must go to 7Y2, who won the overall Christmas Tree competition with an outstanding and eye-catching entry - an excellent achievement.

On the sporting front, Pankhurst House have demonstrated real strength and determination, enjoying success across a number of sporting competitions this term and adding important points to their total.

As we look at the standings, Stephenson Houseare currently in the lead at the end of Term 2, but with the other houses so close behind, everything is still very much to play for.

I am extremely proud of all students who have got involved across every element of school life this term. Your enthusiasm, resilience, creativity, and teamwork are what make the House Championship such a success. I look forward to seeing this fantastic level of participation continue into the new year.

Mrs Humphries, Assistant Headteacher

Term 2 has been a busy and varied one for Pankhurst House, with students taking part in a wide range of academic, sporting, creative and community-focused competitions across the school. As ever, our students have embodied the House values of Passion, Perseverance and Pride, consistently demonstrating our motto: “Deeds Not Words.”

There was strong engagement in interhouse academic and creative events, including the Year 7 English Guidebooks project, the Tutor Christmas Tree competition, Christmas card and decoration challenges, and a number of fast-paced FFF activities such as Rock, Paper, Scissors, Speed Walking and Christmas Wrapping. These events showcased enthusiasm, teamwork and good-humoured competitiveness across year groups.

Pankhurst students also made a significant contribution to sporting competitions this term. Cross Country events across Years 7–11 saw determined performances throughout, with a particularly strong result in Year 11 Cross Country, where Pankhurst finished first. Netball and football fixtures were keenly contested across multiple year groups, with Pankhurst achieving a joint first place in Year 8 netball and football, reflecting both skill and teamwork.

Reading and learning beyond the classroom continued to be a focus this term. While the Reading Log competitions were competitive across houses, Pankhurst students showed steady commitment to independent reading, alongside participation in the Bucket List and Accelerated Reader challenges.

In our Ethos and Values competitions, Pankhurst students once again demonstrated that character matters. High levels of engagement in the Punctuality and Resilience challenges reflected our ongoing commitment to responsibility, consistency and personal growth - qualities that underpin success both in and out of the classroom.

Overall, Term 2 has been a strong and well-rounded one for Pankhurst House. Thank you to all students who took part - every entry, fixture and point earned contributes to our shared success. We look forward to building on this momentum in Term 3

Mr Murdoch, Head of Pankhurst House

As we reach the end of term two and the evenings grow darker, I would like to reflect on the many achievements Stephenson House has celebrated. Across a wide range of activities - including sport, the arts, quizzes, and creative writing - our students have embraced every opportunity and consistently embodied our RED house values of resilience, equality and determination.

Early in term two, students in 11S faced their most demanding challenge to date with their mock examinations. I am delighted to report that they approached this period with maturity and professionalism, making significant progress in their preparation for the summer exams. Their efforts reinforce the important lesson that growth often comes through challenge. I would like to thank Ms Campbell for her unwavering support for her tutor group through this period.

I am also pleased to share that Stephenson House has regained our place at the top of the house championship standings as we approach Christmas, though competition from the other houses remains strong.

The term began on a high note with success in the Christmas card design competition - congratulations to Liv Richardson, Charlie Stokes and Emily Ralph. Building on this momentum, Stephenson House secured victory in the tutor tree competition thanks to amazing contributions from 7S, 9S and 10S2. Furthermore, we dominated the Christmas tree decoration competition with incredible efforts from Alfie Elwell, Charlotte Dickens, Caleb Sinton-Hewitt, Charlie Stokes and Vincent Hennessey-Price.

As an English teacher, I am particularly proud of the strong culture of reading that continues to grow within Stephenson House. 

Finally, I would like to give a special mention to Maddison and Amelia Lovett. The Lovett sisters have done so well in their extra-curricular cheerleading endeavours that they have been invited to compete in Florida at the international championships in 2027. 

With best wishes for the festive season,

Mr Court, Head of Stephenson House 

The students of Turing House continually impress me with their individual and collective achievements. They exemplify unity and teamwork in all they do, and I feel privileged to serve as the Head of this close-knit and supportive house. I’m deeply grateful to our exceptional Tutor Team, alongside our dedicated House Leaders, Faria Azium and Ohemaa Gymiah-Sarpong who have been leading the house council meetings. 

This term is always packed with assessments, subject evenings and house competitions. Typically, Turing students stepped up to the challenge of Term 1 which saw Turing House finish in fourth place. But the House Championship isn’t meant to be easy and we like a challenge! From finishing in third place in the Ethos Attendance competition in Term 1 to first place in the Ethos punctuality competition this term to taking first place in four of the five year group Resilience challenges. This, along with some fantastic individual contributions to the house Christmas competitions, we are growing from strength to strength. 

A special thank you must go to the following students for the unwavering dedication to these competitions: 

• Milly Matthews (10T2) and Reece Thompson (9T) for their contributions to the Tutor Groups’ Christmas Trees 
• Isla Speed (8T1) for her inspirational Turing Christmas house themed decoration 
• Tom Hillitt (10T1), Thishi Thiruchenthuran (8T1), Lili Solymosi and Amelia Taylor (10T1) for their beautiful Christmas card designs

The above individuals’ contributions have played a pivotal role in helping Turing House move closer to first place in the overall House Championship 2025/26. As have all the Turing students who stepped up to the FunFixFriday competitions that have taken place this term. Although the aim of these competitions are to bring some light hearted cheer at the end of the week and unite each house, for each Turing student who has stepped up ‘thank you’ from all of Turing House! You too, are making a difference. 

Again, Turing have continued their commitment to the house by having the highest number of representatives across Years 7-10 in the Inter-house Winter rugby and netball competitions. We definitely had a mixture of results. Thank you to all the sportsmen and women for their athletic endeavours. A special mention to the following Turing teams their sporting prowess; 

• Turing’s year 7 girls - netball champions 
• Turing’s year 10 girls - netball champions 
• Turing’s year 8 boys - second place in the rugby competitions. 

Next term there will be further sport competitions for Turing students to get involved in. These include house Bocca (Y7-9), mixed badminton (Y11-13), mixed basketball (Y11-13). My challenge to any Turing students who have been involved in a house competition is to put themselves forward and get involved! Taking part is what being in Turing House is all about! 

The last house competition I want to talk about are the termly reading competitions. At St Katherine’s we value the importance of reading and expect all students to read a minimum of twenty minutes a day. So why not add it as a competition?! This is an area where those that love reading have an opportunity to shine. In the past, some Turing students have not engaged in these competitions as much as I would like, despite the main winner being the reader (student) in the long run! Turing students in Years 7-9, let's make it a priority to read every day, log our reading and ultimately make a commitment to better our academic opportunities! 

And it wouldn’t be Turing's end of term newsletter without mentioning the outstanding students who have been awarded the Triumphant Termly Turing by their tutor. Often these students consistently embodied Turing’s core values - Unity, Acceptance, and Determination - throughout the entire term. Their resilience and leadership serve as an inspiration not just within Turing House, but across the whole school. A huge well done to: 

• 7T: Cara Harrison - Truly embodies what it means to be a Turing student. She has enthusiastically taken part in a wide range of house competitions while remaining fully committed to her learning, and consistently demonstrating compassion and determination. 
• 8T1: Thishi Thiruchenthuran - Fabulous in every sense of the word, every single day. Following expectations without being asked, showing incredible enthusiasm and determination in all your lessons, especially in maths! You are going above and beyond, well done! 
• 8T2: Jacob Griffiths - Jacob is one of the most respectful, kind, thoughtful, polite, caring of his education students I have ever met! He receives lots of praise points and is an example student day in, day out. He shows heaps of resilience each week. 
• 9T: Sofia Mueller - Constantly putting your best foot forward, working hard in lessons and maximising what the school has to offer. Also an all-round lovely person! 
• 10T1: Erin Whitfield - Constantly putting yourself forward for house events, being our tutor rep and working so hard in lessons. Your kindness, thoughtfulness and high energy is wonderful to have in the class! Thank you for being you! 
• 10T2: Marisa Llewellyn - You've worked consistently hard in your lessons since the beginning of Year 10, really engaging in your GCSE subjects and making the most of your time in school. You should feel really proud of yourself! 
• 11T: Emily James - for outstanding resilience during your mock exams, for working hard at the end of term 2 of Year 11 and for bringing Christmas to 11T! 

Currently, Turing House is in second place overall behind Stephenson House - same positions as this time last year. Let’s use this as motivation to push forward in the first term of 2026. Key areas to focus on include: 

• Winning the house ethos competition, of course.
• Fielding full teams in all house sport competitions 
• Y7-9 students quizzing and logging their reading 
• Participating in house events 
• Striving to be the best version of ourselves 

As we come to the end of term, I would like to wish you and your families a peaceful, joyful and well-earned Christmas break. I hope the holidays provide time to rest, recharge and celebrate together. We look forward to welcoming all students back to school on Tuesday, 6 January 2026.

Mrs Price, Head of Turing House

Term 2 has been a highly competitive and exciting one for Yousafzai House, proving that this year’s House Championship is very much all to play for. With margins tight across almost every competition, our students have shown resilience, determination and a real hunger to push Yousafzai up the leaderboard.

One of the standout successes of the term came in our Fun Fix Friday competitions including Rock, Paper, Scissors, where Yousafzai House dominated the field, scoring an impressive 40 points and securing a clear overall victory. This competition perfectly showcased the enthusiasm, teamwork and positivity that define Yousafzai House, setting the tone for a strong term ahead.

We were also thrilled to see Yousafzai House claim first place in the Year 7 netball and football competition, once again finishing on 40 points. This was a fantastic achievement for our youngest students and a clear sign that the future of Yousafzai House is incredibly bright. Their commitment, teamwork and competitive spirit were evident throughout, and they should be extremely proud of their success.

Across the rest of Term 2, Yousafzai House consistently remained competitive, often finishing close to the top even when we didn’t quite secure first place. Strong performances in events such as speed walking, Christmas wrapping, cross country across multiple year groups, and netball and football in Years 8–10 ensured we continued to collect valuable points and stay firmly in the hunt. In many of these events, the difference between first and fourth was just a handful of points - a clear reminder that every effort truly counts.

What has been most encouraging this term is the breadth of contribution across year groups. From Year 7 right through to Year 11, students have represented Yousafzai House with pride, ensuring we remain competitive in every category. While other houses may have edged certain events, Yousafzai’s determination and depth have kept us firmly in contention.

As we move forward, the message is clear: it’s all to play for. With the leaderboard still within reach and points available in every upcoming competition, attendance, punctuality, behaviour and participation will make the difference. Every student has a role to play, and every competition offers another opportunity to close the gap and push Yousafzai House forward.

I am incredibly proud of how our students have represented the house throughout Term 2. Their resilience, teamwork and aspiration continue to define Yousafzai House, and I have no doubt that with this momentum, we can finish the year stronger than ever. Let’s keep pushing, keep competing and keep believing - the race is far from over.

As we now reach the end of Term 2, I would like to wish all Yousafzai students and their families a restful and enjoyable festive break. This is a well-deserved opportunity to recharge, spend time with loved ones and reflect on the many successes of the term. I very much look forward to welcoming everyone back in the new year, refreshed, focused and ready to give their best as we continue our push up the House leaderboard. Enjoy the break - and let’s come back ready to make Term 3 our strongest yet.

Miss Robinson, Head of Yousafzai House

• Term 2 has been a busy one, especially for house sport with nearly 550 students representing their houses for either dodgeball, benchball, rugby or netball competitions. This year the competition is close with all four houses closely contesting competitions. Congratulations to Turing house who will sit on top of the house sport standings over the Christmas period.
• We kicked this term off with cup football and hockey fixtures. Our U16 girls fought valiantly out at Castle School in their cup tie whilst a range of students represented their year groups on the football pitch. Special mentions to our Year 10 boys who made it to the fifth round of the National Cup and to the Year 8 Boys who will contest Somerset Cup football after Christmas.
• December has seen all eight of our sportshall athletics teams in action. Sportshall fever took hold in our sportshall as we welcomed schools from across North Somerset. SK teams medalled in all eight of the competitions picking up six gold medals and two silver medals. Congratulations to all of our teams and the brilliant athletes in them. We look forward to individuals and teams enjoying more sportshall athletics success in early 2026. 
• Earlier this term we also played host to various North Somerset Primary Schools who attended a key stage 1 multi skills festival. Our leaders took responsibility for managing teams and activities and did a superb job of ensuring that all of our primary visitors enjoyed a memorable morning of sporting activity. Our leaders led with huge enthusiasm, energy and character and it was a real privilege to witness their high quality work in the sportshall. 
• As well as all of the above, we've enjoyed lots of clubs, practices, friendly fixtures and events that have involved a huge number of students. As always, to read about all of the sporting action that has taken place at SK in the last term, please subscribe to our termly PE newsletter by completing the form at this link

Mr Cook, Head of PE

• 05 January: INSET day
• 06 January: Students in school for Term 3
• 14 January: Y10 Virtual Progress Evening, 1600-1900
• 20 January: Y9 Future Brunel WECA Activity Day
• 21 January: Y7 Successful me UWE trip
• 24 January: Y10 Silver DofE Practice Walk
• 28 January: Y12 HE+ Cambridge Residential 
• 28 January: Y11 Virtual Progress Evening, 1600-1900
• 03-06 February: Year 12 Geography trip to Slapton Ley
• 09 February: Y10 Future Brunel WECA Activity Day
• 11 February: Y9 Options Evening, 1700-1900
• 13 February: End of Term 3
• 13-20 February: Ski trip
• 23 February: Students in school for Term 4

There isn’t enough space here to showcase the huge variety of student experiences and achievements this term. Keep up to date by visiting the ‘News and Events’ section on the school website or check the school Facebook page.