In The Loop

Dear families,

I received an email today from Bridget Phillipson MP, Secretary of State for Education, congratulating us on the excellent outcomes achieved last academic year, particularly by disadvantaged pupils, and recognising us as "among the very best nationally". She wrote to thank and congratulate all CCF staff and pupils and to recognise "everything [we] do to give children the best possible opportunities to succeed". Please click here to read the letter in full.

It has been another busy and successful week at Christ’s College Finchley. This week we have welcomed pupils from a number of different primary schools with Year 5 pupils from Brooklands Junior School, Martin Primary School, Chalgrove Primary School, Holy Trinity Primary School and St Mary’s Primary School visiting to take part in DT, English, Science, Music, Maths and Art sessions. 

On Wednesday we also hosted the Barnet Primary Partnership for School Support event which saw pupils from Akiva, St Theresa’s, Brunswick Park, All Saints NW2, All Saints N20, Dollis, Broadfields, Church Hill, Tudor, Barnfield and Brooklands take part in a number of sporting challenges led by our Sports Leaders. It was a fantastic day and our Sports Leaders were impressive as they taught the younger pupils the skills required to navigate the various activities and provided encouragement and enthusiasm throughout the day. The School Games Organiser for Barnet West, Caroline Connell, wrote to thank us for being so welcoming and praised our “most amazing leaders” saying “their confidence and energy levels were amazing. We had a number of comments from school staff on how strong they were. It takes a lot to stand up and deliver a station, and also adapt it, and they did this with ease.” Congratulations to our Sports Leaders and to all of our pupils who have supported the visits from our local primary schools this week. 

This week also saw Year 11 parents’ evening and I would like to thank parents and carers of pupils in Year 11 who attended. This is a significant time for pupils in Year 11, following their Year 11 mock examinations, and it is fantastic to see Year 11 pupils engaged in their lessons and attending intervention sessions before and after school. The mock grades and teacher estimated grades suggest that the outcomes for the Year 11 cohort in the summer will be incredibly strong and reflect their hard work and the support and dedication of their families and school staff. 

We held a fire drill on Monday and I am pleased to share that the pupils were impressive in their behaviour during the practice. It is vital that we practice our emergency procedures regularly and we will also practise Shelter in Place over the course of this term. Parents and carers may be aware that schools have a duty to practice Shelter in Place and teachers will explain the procedure to pupils during the practice. 

I am privileged to be the headteacher at Christ’s College Finchley which has such a supportive parental community. The Department for Education has worked alongside the charity Parentkind and the school’s inspectorate Ofsted to produce a guide for parents to help parents work in partnership with schools. Click here for the guide and please continue to contact the school via info@ccfplus.com if you have any questions or concerns about your child.

Finally, we have been given advance notice by Barnet Council that they intend to close part of the pavement near the entrance to the school from 4 February 2026 until 15 February 2026. The area they intend to close is as you turn left from East End Road into the school area on the side of the crematorium. This is so that the council can carry out essential telecoms works and we have been assured that there will be sufficient space for our pupils to walk safely during this period. 

I hope you all have a lovely weekend and we look forward to another successful week. 

Kind regards,

Dr Ruth Hill

Headteacher