Budehaven Community School

Read our '2026 Christmas Book'.
List curated by our very own awesome Librarians!

https://www.budehaven.cornwall.sch.uk/docs/PDF/General/Christmas_Book_List_.pdf

A MASSIVE thank you to Budehaven pupils, parents and carers for their generous donations to the Bude and Camelford Food Banks today.

The donations received will be delivered today.

Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas and all the best for 2026!

Mr Wilkes and the Budehaven Team

We are very pleased to announce the launch of our end of year newsletter, The Budehaven Bugle - Issue 9

It showcases all the great stories, achievements and news from across the school this term.

Find it here:
https://sway.cloud.microsoft/4ppCpqC5ArKgnhqc?ref=Link&loc=play

All of our Heads of Year and Inclusion Support Coordinators have been spreading Christmas cheer this week with delicious hot chocolate treats!
It’s been wonderful to see students enjoying a cosy moment, festive smiles, and a little extra kindness as we head towards the end of term. Thank you to our amazing staff for always going the extra mile to support and uplift our school community.

Our Year 7 geographers have been busy developing their map skills by creating contour models as part of their recent homework. These models help pupils understand how contour lines show height, slope and the shape of the land, turning flat maps into three-dimensional landscapes. The work on display shows great creativity and careful thinking, and reflects an excellent start to developing key geographical skills.

Yesterday, some Year 10 Mathematics students experienced a taster Day at Plymouth University. The event, titled “Why study A Level Mathematics?”, gave students a glimpse into university-level learning and the exciting opportunities that come with continuing mathematics at A Level.
During the day, they took part in three interactive workshops exploring real-world applications of mathematics. One highlight was learning about Peterson’s Capture-Recapture Method – a fascinating technique used to estimate population sizes in ecology and conservation. For example, scientists use it to determine the number of fish in a lake or animals in a wildlife reserve by capturing, marking, and releasing individuals, then analysing the proportion of marked individuals in later samples.
This hands-on experience showed students how mathematics goes beyond the classroom and plays a vital role in solving real-world problems. We’re so proud of their enthusiasm and curiosity!

Mathematics Enrichment Mathematics Enrichment With Plymouth University

Dear Parent/Carer,

Re: Last day of term arrangements – Friday 19th December 2025

I hope you and your family are well. I am writing to outline the arrangements for the last day of the autumn term, Friday 19th December 2025.

The school day will begin at the normal time of 8.45am, with pupils being registered in their tutor groups. They will attend their normal lessons for the first two lessons of the day. They will then go to their tutor room at 11.35 for the House Christmas Quiz and tutor group celebrations.

Once this has taken place, senior staff will dismiss the students by tutor group around 12.45pm.

The following Hills bus services have been rearranged to collect pupils at this earlier time:

· Cornwall: BUD007 Woodford/Shop
· Devon: BID001 Welcombe

For all other routes, parents/students will need to make alternative arrangements or utilise the existing timetables and stops. Those services which cannot be amended to the early finish time will still be running at the standard end of day timings if any students require use of them.

If you have any issue with your child leaving school at 12.45 pm and would like us to supervise them until 3.15pm (as with a normal school day), please also let us know by emailing [email protected]

Friday will be a non-uniform day, with the request that pupils, if possible, bring in non-perishable items to donate to local food banks in Bude and in Camelford. The donations last Christmas were so generous, and I was told when dropping them off that they were hugely appreciated, and that there has never been a greater need to help others in this way. Thank you in advance of any kind donations.

Thank you for your ongoing support, especially last week, and I wish you a restful Christmas break.

Yours faithfully,

Mr Dominic Wilkes
Headteacher

✨ Year 10 Chemistry – Festive Science! ✨
Today we turned 2p coins into festive “gold” coins using chemistry! 🪙🎄
First, we used electrolysis to coat the copper coin with zinc. Then, by heating the coin, the zinc mixed with the copper to form brass, giving the coin a shiny gold colour ✨
🔬 Chemistry behind it:
Zinc is deposited onto the coin during electrolysis
Heating causes zinc and copper to alloy
The “gold” colour comes from brass, not real gold!
A brilliant way to explore electrolysis, alloys, and metal reactions – and perfect for the festive season! 🎅🧪

🧬 Year 8 Science in Action! 🧬
Today we dissected chicken wings to learn how our bodies move 💪🐔
We explored:
🦴 Tendons – attach muscle to bone and help pull bones to move
🔗 Ligaments – connect bone to bone and keep joints stable
🛡️ Cartilage – covers the ends of bones to reduce friction and protect joints
Seeing these parts up close helped us understand how muscles and bones work together to create movement. Hands-on science at its best! 👩‍🔬👨‍🔬

🧪 Year 9 Chemistry in Action! 🧪
Yesterday we extracted copper metal from copper oxide – and it was awesome to see chemistry happen right in front of us! 🔥✨
We heated copper oxide (CuO) with carbon, and a red-brown copper metal formed. This is a reduction reaction, where oxygen is removed from copper oxide.
🔬 The science behind it:
Copper oxide + Carbon → Copper + Carbon dioxide
Carbon is more reactive than copper, so it takes the oxygen away.
This is a redox reaction (reduction and oxidation happen together).
It was exciting to see how metals can be extracted from their ores, just like in real industry! 🧠⚙️

Gentle reminder:

All Year 11 and Year 13 students who left Budehaven Community School in June 2025 can collect their GCSE and A Level exam certificates on Thursday, 18th December, between 4pm and 6pm from Reception.

If you are unable to collect them on this date, please email [email protected] to arrange an alternative collection time.

12th December 2025

Dear Parents and Carers,

Re: Return to on-site learning on Monday 15th December 2025

Thank you so much for your support and cooperation over the past two days whilst we have moved our provision online for all year groups due to a very high amount of illness due to Flu and Streptococcus A infection. This decision was taken in conjunction with Cornwall Council, the UK Health Security Agency, and the Chair and Vice Chairs of Governors, who all agreed that it was the right thing to do given the amount of illness.

We plan to open the school as normal on Monday 15th December at 8.45am. Please read the guidance from the UK Health Security Agency on our website, which you can refer if your child is displaying any symptoms detailed in the attachments.

I hope you have a good weekend, and I wish anyone who isn’t well at this time a speedy recovery.

Yours faithfully,

Mr Dominic Wilkes
Headteacher

More information is available on our website:
https://www.budehaven.cornwall.sch.uk/News/Return-to-on-site-learning-on-Monday-15th-December/