Achievement | Diversity | Respect
Keep us posted - It would be great if parents/carers could let the school know of any student achievements outside of school. We would like to find out what students are doing in their own time and celebrate their achievements.
Email us: weeklymailing@cotham.bristol.sch.uk
Week commencing Monday 15 September 2025 is Week A
Standing Items are located at the bottom of the mailing
Dear Parents and Carers,
Please find our weekly mailing which I hope you will find both useful and interesting!
With very best wishes for a relaxing weekend.
Kindest regards,
Ms Jo Butler, Headteacher
Email received by Mrs Beaver
I remember how much support you gave me during the very low points in my life at college and even post college; I can't help but be grateful for all your encouragement and support with my mental health and my education. I think about this a lot and I'm eternally grateful.
Post 16 Student
Thank you
We are delighted to invite you to our upcoming Open Evenings, a wonderful opportunity to experience our school community and learn more about what we offer.
Year 6-7 Main School - Thursday 25 September 2025, 5:30-7:30pm
Cotham Post 16 - Thursday 2 October 2025. 4:30-6:30pm
Redland Green P16 - Thursday 9 October 2025
Open Evenings - All.pdfThe School’s Open Evening for Year 6 parents and families will be held on Thursday 25 September between 17:30 - 19:30. As you will appreciate, this is one of the most important events in the school year and therefore the school will close early for students to help staff prepare.
The school day for students in Years 7-11 will end at 13:45. Any student eligible for a Free School Meal will be able to collect their meal during their usual lunch break.
Should any parent need the school to supervise their child beyond 13:45, please contact your child's Learning Coordinator (email addresses below) to let them know. Students remaining in school will be supervised in our library and will be able to work independently until 14:45.
Year 7: Ms Louise Arnold; arnoldl@cotham.bristol.sch.uk
Year 8: Ms Diana Dickerson; dickersond@cotham.bristol.sch.uk
Year 9: Mr Ollie Knight; knighto@cotham.bristol.sch.uk
Year 10: Mr Travis Lawrence; lawrencet@cotham.bristol.sch.uk
Year 11: Mr Henry Arnold; arnoldh@cotham.bristol.sch.uk
All Post 16 lessons will continue as normal until the end of Period 5. It will not be an early finish for students in Years 12/13.
We would also remind you that Friday 26 September is an INSET day and therefore will be closed to students.
Thank you for your continued support of the school and its work.
We have a fantastic opportunity to offer piano and keyboard lessons to years 7-9 on our grand piano at Cotham School with our very experienced piano teacher Christina Craig - Jones.
She is a specialist teacher of beginners to advanced levels and offers all styles of music from Classics, jazz improvising and rock and pop.
For more details and to book a free taster lesson please contact her directly at chriscraigjones@hotmail.com
Term_1_Clubs_A3_Main_25-26 (1).pdfFree Taster Session:
• Monday 29 September
• 5.00 pm -7.00 pm
• Cotham School
CUE Theatre Company newsletter advert 25 Please inform the school by 9.00am on the first and subsequent days of absence.
School procedure is as follows:
absence message sent if absences have not been reported.
if no response to the absence message, a follow up letter requesting reason for absence will be sent.
If you haven’t already, please download the free Studybugs app, or register on the Studybugs website, and use it to tell us whenever your child is ill and unable to attend school.
Get the app or register now by clicking here.
Thank you
Cotham School
Poster with Additional Info.pdf
Please see the below information leaflet produced by Bristol City Council, it gives advice about term time absence and the consequences of unauthorised absence from school.
Bristol -PN leaflet 2024 - FINAL.pdfWith our new absence procedure Studybugs App running for a period of time, the absence phone line will no longer be available for Years 7-11. If you experience any difficulty downloading or using the Studybugs App, please contact or come to the school for assistance.
A reminder that the School Rail Season Ticket is now available to purchase through Wisepay and full details, including costs and the stations included, can be found in the attached letter.
Parents and Carers of Year 7 and Year 8 students are warmly invited to attend a workshop on parenting in the digital age run by the inspiring Papaya Parents with Cotham staff in attendance.
Many parents are concerned about the impact of screens on their children’s mental health. In this interactive talk, Dr. Davies will unpack these complex issues in a non-judgmental way to help you find solutions that work for your family.
To find our more about PAPAYA please visit.
A brand-new film school for young creatives has arrived in Bristol! The Sparks Film School offers fun, hands-on workshops for children aged 7–14 to learn the magic of filmmaking — from acting and directing to editing.
This is a fantastic opportunity for students to spark their imagination, boost confidence, and develop creative and technical skills.
To find out more and book a spot, please visit.
Sparks Film School Bristol Central .docx.pdf
Year 7 have had a fantastic full week at Cotham! They are settling in well, finding their way around the school, and really enjoying the variety of new subjects on offer.
On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of dropping into a Year 7 Technology lesson, where students were busy preparing boiled eggs and toast. It was great to see them learning new skills and confidently using the cookers. The results looked (and smelled!) excellent — well done, 7DTe1!
One week in and already lots of fantastic shout outs for Year 7 from staff;
Ms Elliott gives a shout out to 7TE who have had a superb start to the year. No behaviour incidents at all and lots of enthusiasm!!
Mr Sebana: I would like to give 7DSE a big shout out for settling in so well this term. Every student has been working hard, showing respect and kindness, and overall representing themselves in a wonderful way. They have made a fantastic start, and I am truly proud of them all.
Miss Madge gives a shout out to 7FRA have made a fantastic start to History following our new Gamma motto of "Work hard, be kind". They helped other students who were not in to set up books and had an amazing academic knowledge about history. I was super impressed. Well done!
Ms Phillips gives a shout out for all year 7's doing so well at remembering their dance kit. They have been brilliant this year.
Anyone who doesn't have the black dance t-shirt: they can get one for £1 from visitor reception.
You are invited to our Meet the Tutor Evening at Cotham School on Tuesday 16 September from 5.00-6.00pm.
This is your chance to meet your child's tutor, ask questions, and connect with other parents in the tutor group. Your child's tutor will support them throughout their time at school, so we encourage you to attend.
We look forward to working with you to help your child reach their potential. Please arrive via the Cotham School Main Reception on Cotham Lawn Road.
If you have any questions or require further information please email Louise Arnold, Year 7 Learning Coordinator and Senior Learning Coordinator for Years 7-11, at: arnoldl@cotham.bristol.sch.uk
This meeting will be followed by a parent workshop at 6:15pm, and you will have received a separate letter with all the details.
We are now in Week 2, and Year 8 students are well into the swing of the new term! The students continue to impress us with their enthusiasm and focus. It’s a pleasure to see their progress and teamwork growing each day. Well done Year 8 - keep it up.
Miss Price
Year Team Assistant
Thank you for your ongoing support.
Thanks so much to Year 8ac/Sp3 Paella for some amazing work in Spanish, they all had their equipment and the correct uniform in lessons and they all tried their best and spoke lots of Spanish on their first week, fantastico! No time wasting, we even got to play some games in Spanish, let's keep it up! I would like to specially highlight the brilliant effort of Ibrahim, who is a natural when it comes to Spanish pronunciation. Thank you, Amiir for helping with little jobs in the classroom, and thank you to Freya, Annabel, Nakita, Puria, Elsie, Ruby, Grace, Abdiraham...(I could go on!) for some great work! Muchas gracias!
Lara Rios
Spanish Teacher
The students all received a house point at the end of the lesson for their focus and hard work during the lesson and assessment! Everyone contributed to class discussions when we were looking at different products and analysing them. Special shout out to Polly for identifying lots of improvements that could be made to the products we were looking at and a special shout out to Jonah for being very analytical and including lots of detail when answering questions.
Edward Chinn
Design and Technology Teacher
We’ve had a positive start to the new term, and it’s been a pleasure to see Year 9 students settling back into routines with focus and enthusiasm. This week, many are already engaging well with their lessons and beginning to think more deeply about their progress and goals for the year ahead.
Behaviour has been fantastic in and out of lessons and they have been making a real difference. Let's keep it up!!
Our Year 10 students have made a fantastic start, showing real maturity as they transition from Year 9 into the challenges of GCSE study. It has been wonderful to see them settle so quickly and embrace new routines with positivity.
Parents and carers are reminded that students should now be finalising their work experience placements for the week of 18 May 2026. This is a brilliant opportunity to explore future pathways.
The deadline for requesting a change to KS4 Pathway Option Subjects is Friday 26 September but please bear in mind that most courses are now full and all approvals will be subject to availability and meeting any subject requirements for the course. Please email: ks4pathways@cotham.bristol.org.uk.
Year 11 have made a fantastic start to the year! I’ve received numerous emails from teachers praising their positive attitude, strong engagement, and the impressive effort they’re already putting into their work. It’s great to see them focused and motivated so early on. We’re really proud of how they’ve begun this important year and look forward to supporting them every step of the way. Well done to all our Year 11 students, keep up the great work!
We’d like to inform you that the first set of Year 11 mock exams will begin in the final week before half term, starting on Monday 20th October, and will continue after the break from Monday 3rd November. Most of the exams will take place in the Sports Hall under formal exam conditions. These mocks are an important opportunity for students to assess their progress and prepare for the summer exams. A detailed timetable will be shared closer to the time.
This is a reminder that Period 6 sessions for Year 11 students will commence next Wednesday. If your child is scheduled to attend, you will have received a letter with the relevant details.
An assembly was held on Monday to outline the benefits of these sessions and to inform students that attendance is compulsory.
Please report any absences through StudyBugs.
This week we welcomed many parents/carers from our fantastic new Year 12 cohort to Charnwood House for our Year 12 Information Evening. Members of the Post 16 team explained the structure of Year 12, including important details about what to expect from a school day, timetable, directed study, how to access support, and much more. If you missed it, please see the slides attached.
The charity "We Solve Problems", along with the Maths Department at the University of Bristol, are excited to offer a series of free extra-curricular Saturday activities for students who enjoy Maths. The sessions promote the art of problem-solving and structured thinking, and are designed to support students to articulate their ideas and construct mathematical arguments.
The sessions will be held weekly on Saturdays, 2:00pm to 3:30 pm, at the University of Bristol. It is starting in October, and are open to all students in years 7-11. This is not a course with a beginning or an end, but an ongoing social club for puzzle lovers.
Please note that this is not a school trip so the organisers will be responsible for students throughout.
For more information please refer to their website.
To sign up, please complete the attached form here, which is also available on Google Classrooms. Please note that places fill up very quickly due to high demand.
In June, students took the NGRT reading test. With a target of 3 Reading Points, last year’s average increase was an impressive 6! Shout-out to standout readers: Year 7: Amiir, Archie, Sofia, Alisha, Amran, Taha, Hoodo, Maryam, Jak Year 8: Tegan, Amina, Amina, Priya Year 9: Adan, Efrata, Mohamed, Zoe .
We’re excited for a new year of reading, author visits, competitions, and World Book Day!
Year 9 students have jumped straight into making puff pastry from scratch, focusing on the art of lamination, layering butter and dough to achieve a light, flaky texture. The pastry has been frozen ready to be thawed in their next lesson and they will then transform them into delicious Turkish Borek pastries. It’s a great chance to see how preparation and technique work hand in hand to create something truly tasty… watch this space for the final result!
This week, Year 8 art students kicked off the term by creating striking, colourful name designs in their new sketchbooks. What a fantastic start!
We're off to a fantastic start this term! The students are back with wonderful energy and cheer. We're also incredibly proud to announce that Gamma House leads the school in attendance with an impressive 92.4%—a true testament to your support.
Thank you for your partnership.
'OB-stuh-kuhl'
Meaning:
Something that blocks your way or makes it difficult to do something (noun)
Example:
The sleeping lion was an obstacle they had to avoid.
His lack of time on the pitch was an obstacle he overcame with a spectacular hat trick.
The biggest obstacle to our success is our fear or failure.
Synonyms:
Block, barrier, hurdle, hindrance, stumbling block
'Ik-SEED'
Meaning:
To be greater than or superior to.
To go beyond a limit or a boundary.
Example:
My spending this year has exceeded my budget.
Do not exceed the speed limit.
Congratulations, your exam result has exceeded your predicted grade.
Synonyms:
Surpass, transcend, excel, outdo
Dear Parent/Carer
Please find our latest online safety newsletter attached.
Important Notice:
This newsletter is intended for adults and includes discussions on online safety, including sensitive topics such as the online exploitation of children. Some of this content may be upsetting to both adults and children.
We strongly encourage parents and carers to prepare themselves before reading and to carefully consider which information to share with their child, based on their age and cognitive ability. The language and explanations used may not always be suitable for younger children, so please use your discretion when deciding what is appropriate for your child.
Your awareness and thoughtful approach is vital in ensuring a safe and informed discussion about online safety.
Farhan Ahmed
Digital Strategy Lead
Email: AhmedF@cotham.bristol.sch.uk
