6th December 2023
KS3 Parent Information Event
an Online Cotham School Event
Welcome Video
Key Staff
Year 7 Team:
Mr Knight (Y7 Learning Coordinator)
Ms Svitska Y7 Behaviour Manager
Ms Veale (Assistant Headteacher) - SLT Link for Y7
Year 8 Team:
Ms Buckley (Y8 Learning Coordinator)
Ms Bunka Y8 Behaviour Manager
Mr Dunkley (Assistant Headteacher) - SLT Link for Y8
Year 9 Team:
Mr Farmer Y9 Learning Coordinator
Mr Arnold Y9 Behaviour Manager
Mr Dunkley (Assistant Headteacher) - SLT Link for Y9
Subject Course Videos
Computing & IT
English
Food and DT
Humanities
Maths
MFL
Performing Arts
PE
Science
Art
Key KS3 Documents
Curriculum Booklets
Assessment Calendars
Helpful Online Portals
Preparing for Assessments
Online Learning: Platforms
As a subscriber, your child now has access to GCSEPod’s library of over 6,000 ‘Pods,’ 3-5 minute videos designed to deliver knowledge in short bursts. GCSEPod makes learning and revision much more manageable: every Pod is mapped to an exam board, and contains all the right facts, quotes, keywords, dates and annotated diagrams that your child needs for GCSE success – all neatly organised into topics and exam playlists.
One of the best things about GCSEPod is that you can download any Pod to your child’s mobile device, and then they can watch them at any time, in any place, with or without internet. It’s like they’re carrying a whole set of textbooks in their pocket! Make sure you download the GCSEPod app from the App Store (Apple and Android are supported) to access this feature.
GCSEPod also has the ability to identify knowledge gaps and automatically send playlists to help fill them. After completing any homework set on GCSEPod, your child will get a personalised “Boost Playlist” of Pods relevant to their identified areas of weakness. We strongly suggest you encourage your child to review these playlists regularly as this will speed up their progress.
We recommend that you talk about GCSEPod with your son or daughter – check that they’ve successfully activated their account and encourage them to make use of this amazing resource throughout their GCSE’s. Once they’ve activated their account, they can browse the GCSEPod library and create their own playlists – just as they would when they’re listening to music.
For more ways to support your child using GCSEPod, please visit www.gcsepod.com/parents where you’ll find lots more information and resources.
Your child has already been registered with GCSEPod, if your child can’t remember their username and password, please ask them to contact Mr Ahmed (ahmedf@cotham.bristol.sch.uk).
You may be aware that many Faculties are using SENECA Learning to support our students’ digital learning. Seneca offers high-quality free online learning courses for students to study from a computer, tablet or phone. The courses are suitable for students aged 13 and above and cover KS3, KS4 GCSE and KS5 A Level subjects.
Parent Accounts
SENECA also provides free parent accounts. The free parent accounts allow you to track your child’s learning and help make conversations about school and learning easier.
SENECA’s parent accounts also allow you to learn alongside your child if you wish to do so. This might be helpful in supporting you to work with your child on areas of their school work that you are less familiar with.
We are aiming for more parents to create a parent account as this will enable us to access further opportunities from SENECA and the Department of Education which will help all students at Cotham. We are aiming to have 200 parents and carers create accounts so that we can link more closely with SENECA.
You can sign up for a free SENECA parent account here: app.senecalearning.com/parent
Seneca have made this handy 2 minute video to help you get started.
Or you can read how to get your free account if you’d prefer.
If you have any questions about how SENECA works, you can get support from the SENECA team using the live chat on their website or you can email them at learnmore@seneca.io.
Tracking Home Learning with Google Classroom
Google Classroom email summaries for parents and carers
Google Classroom email summaries for parents and carers have now been enabled.
If you were receiving the summaries last year the emails will automatically resume. If you are a new parent for a new student, you will receive an email invitation via the email account that the school holds on record for you. You have 120 days to accept the invitation before it will expire.
When you accept the invitation, you can select whether you have a daily or weekly summary of all the work set for your child and the status of all tasks set.
If you have misplaced the invitation link, please email us on GCSupport@cotham.bristol.sch.uk with the name of your child and their tutor group and we will resend the invitation to you.
Helpful KS3 Links
Books for Parents
Come and see some of the books that we are recommending to parents to help you support students at home during the GCSE years:
A Parent’s Guide to The Science of Learning: 77 Studies That Every Parent Needs to Know
Supporting parents in the quest to help their children learn as effectively and efficiently as possible. 77 of the most important and influential studies on student learning are translated into easily digestible overviews. This book will develop parents’ understanding of crucial psychological research so that they can help their children improve how they think, feel and behave in school (and, indeed, in life).
Help and Support with Student Wellbeing
Help and support can be found here, if you are worried about your child:
Young minds - advice on teen behaviour and mental health
Family lives - Guidance on parenting teens
Off the Record - youth mental health ages 11-25
Happy Maps - advice on young people’s mental health and services directory