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 24 February 2025 is Week B
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 and end of Term 3 break.
Kindest regards,
Ms Jo Butler, Headteacher
Email received
On a cold and dark Wednesday evening, I had the pleasure to see Cotham's fantastic steel pans concert. For the uninitiated, this is always a really fun event, showcasing the talents of the students from year 7 to 10. This concert did not disappoint, with listeners treated to a range of music covering disco, indie and pop. There was audience shoulder wiggling to Abba, toe-tapping to The Smiths and head-nodding to Amy Winehouse. As ever, I was blown away by what the pupils can achieve in a few short months. It's such a great way to showcase our inclusive and vibrant school community, bringing pupils and their families together for an evening of entertainment. A particularly nice touch was the Year 10 students presenting Melvin, the steel pans teacher, with thank you gifts for all of his amazing work this year and over the last 21 (yes 21) years - thanks from all of us Melvin! We look forward to the summer concert, hopefully outside in some sunshine.
R Thomas
Governor
Thank you
Monday 24 February 2025 is a NORMAL School Day.
Bristol-based author Ash Bond will be visiting Cotham School on Wednesday 5 March to talk to Year 7 for a very special World Book Day event! You have an opportunity to pre-order a copy of her adventurous debut Peregrine Quinn and the Cosmic Realm from Storysmith bookshop and Ash will be able to sign your copy on the day of the event. Please place your order before Wednesday 26 February, and please include the pupil name and class when you check out. Click on the link for more information!
Ash Bond Author Talk poster WM .pdfWorld Book Week is coming next term and for all you avid readers and creative thinkers NOW is the time to get planning your WORLD BOOK DAY BOOK CHARACTER COSTUME.
On Friday 7 March you pay £1 (all money goes to charity) to spend the day dressed as a character from a book. Book tokens to be won! The staff join in too so please TAKE PART and join in CELEBRATING READING FOR FUN click for info
STUDENTS TO DRESS UPChildren’s Mental Health Week is always an important time for us at Cotham and the library has some amazing books on display for the next few weeks.
The theme this year - Know Yourself, Grow Yourself - has an aim to equip and empower young people to embrace self-awareness and explore what it means to them. We want students to discover how getting to know who they are can help them build resilience, grow and develop.
The books available, non-fiction and fiction are fantastic AND informative Info here.
know yourself grow yourself BOOK REC WM 
The Cotham Grand Iftar will taking place on Thursday 27 March 5.00pm - 7.30pm. Ramadan is an Islamic month in the Muslim Calendar when Muslims fast for one month from sunrise to sunset. On this day, we will invite students and their families to come into school and break fast with us in congregation. We will be inviting speakers from other faiths. Families will need to book in order to attend. All booking information will be sent next term so for now save the date and have a wonderful half term!
If you are reporting the absence of your child, you must notify attendance on a daily basis. Please fill out the Year 7-11 absence form which is on our website. Absence must be reported by 9.00am, otherwise it will result in an absence message still being sent home. If there is no response to the message, a follow up letter requesting reason for absence will be sent home.
To recognise the National Governors Awareness Day, we would like to extend a heartfelt thank you for our Governors’ unwavering dedication and support in guiding our school.
Their commitment to improving education and making a difference in our students' lives is truly appreciated.
Their strategic vision and governance help us achieve our educational goals.
Their involvement in policy-making ensures we provide a safe and nurturing environment for our students.
Their support in financial oversight helps us manage resources effectively to enhance learning opportunities.
Watch this short film on the role of governors and trustees.
Once again, thank you for your exceptional leadership and commitment. We are privileged to have such dedicated governors guiding our school community.
Love Productions, the creators of The Great British Bake Off, The Great British Sewing Bee, and The Great Pottery Throw Down, are searching for talented young bakers aged 9-14 to showcase their skills and passion on this fantastic programme.
This is a wonderful opportunity for young bakers to gain experience, learn new techniques, and share their love of baking with the nation.
Important Dates:
Application Deadline: Sunday 23March 2025
Filming Period: From July 2025
Who can apply:
Children aged 9-14 years old
Interested bakers can apply online at - www.applyforjuniorbakeoff.co.uk
We are excited to announce the upcoming grand opening of your new dedicated school uniform store.
Kingswood New Store Flyer.pdfPlease see the attached letter from the Chair of Governors.
Parent Governor Results notice February 2025.pdfThe booking system is now open. Parents and Carers can book up to seven appointments with subject teachers for a 5 minute appointment.
Please see this letter for booking details.
Huge congratulations to 7ALE for excelling in our Term 3 Digital Literacy Quizzes! Their consistent effort and engagement with the online learning platform have truly paid off. Keep up the fantastic work.
After many cold mornings on the AWP, it was the two table toppers 8GD and 8HMI that made it into the final. In what was a fierce battle, HMI took a 2-0 lead before GD persevered and scored an equalising goal (2-2) in the final seconds. The game was decided on penalties, with 8GD coming away as victors!
A special shout out to Xaiver(GD), Ravand (GD), Ozair (GD), Josh (HMI) and Rory (HMI) for their performances in the final and a big congratulations to all students who took part this term.
Well done to Abdi, Adam M, Carminho and Rayan for reading a dialogue aloud in front of their classes, giving directions in Spanish. You are already ready for the read aloud task in GCSE and showing amazing leadership.
Also Aayat, Mia, and Anna, whose bookwork is always presented to the highest standard and who consistently demonstrate a outstanding work ethic.
Muy buen trabajo :)
Señor Dutton
Year 8 exams will take place from Monday 3 March to Friday 14 March 2025. The Year 8 Exam Preparation Booklet provides information on the format of each subject’s exam, its content, as well as suggested sources of revision.
Year 8 Exam Timetable provides students with a 2 week schedule of when their exams are taking place in normal lessons.
Please support your child with their revision and preparation. There is a lot of support available in the Preparing for Assessment portal on the website.
Year 8 Exams 2024/2025 - Student and Parent Preparation Booklet
On Thursday we had a really fun time during our Winter Quiz! The Year 9 Tutors, Mr Lawrence and Miss Catalina chose three students per tutor group to take part. Students had to answer questions about geography, music, films, sport and general knowledge.
We want to keep rewarding our students with the highest attendance percentage and lowest behaviour points. We can't wait for the Easter Quiz!
We want to keep celebrating diversity in Year 9.
We are encouraging students to create a slide showing us how they represent diversity so this can be shared later on with the rest of the Year group during Term 4. This can be about their culture, gender identity, languages, disabilities.
We would love to keep receiving these slides! Please share them with the Year team once they are ready.
Reminder that the SIMS Options Online will close today at 5pm. Any students still requiring support to choose their options, will be supported by the Year 9 team in doing so, early next term.
A reminder that the Year 10 Work Experience deadline is Friday 14 February! Please make sure to upload your confirmed placements to UniFrog as soon as possible.
Work Experience week will commence from Tuesday 6 May to Friday 9 May.
Congratulations to Phoenix, Logan, Mike, and Agnes (Agnes who received best in School!) who all got Gold in the Intermediate Math's Challenge. Well done Year 11.
A huge shoutout to Safiya who played in the U15 Lady Taverners Cricket Competition on Tuesday 11 February. The U15 girls cricket team played Redland Green School as part of the Lady Taverner competition. Safiya demonstrated some very good bowling. They drew 35 - 35.
Year 11 Period 6. This is compulsory for the students who have been selected. If your child is unable to attend please let Mrs Arnold know.
Period 6 will be cancelled on the following dates:
Thursday 6 March - Year 7 Parents Evening
Thursday 20 March - Year 12 Parents Evening
Thursday 3 April - Year 8 Parents Evening
Year 11 have had another fantastic week in the mock exams. Students have been orgainsed and punctual to exams. Behaviour both in the exam rooms and moving to and from the rooms has been excellent. We still have a few exams the first week back after half term Monday 24 and Tuesday 25 February. Well done Year 11!
Mrs Arnold
Reminder that the Year 11 Revision Workshops will be taking place in school on Monday 24 February, Monday 3 March, Tuesday 4 March during school time. This is student ONLY event and parents ARE NOT required to attend. All students will attend one of the three workshops to support exam preparation.
Please see the message from the Parent Prom Committee.
Dear Parents/Carers
In December, the Parent Prom Committee drafted a letter to local businesses seeking contributions to ensure all Year 11 students can participate in the prom. Despite our efforts, we have only received a handful of donations for the raffle so far.
We kindly ask all Year 11 parents to support this event by helping us gather prizes for the raffle, which will take place in term 4.
Year 11 Prom - local business 061224.pdfWe are inviting all students who achieved a U grade in their January mocks to a Post Mock Surgery on Thursday 27 February in G104 (Charnwood House) between 11 and 1. The purpose of this meeting is to review progress to date and discuss how we can support your child to maximise their progress in the lead up to their summer exams. An email has been seen directly to all parents/carers that this affects with booking instructions. If you have any further questions, please contact Ms Mohamed.
On Thursday 6 February, our wonderful A Level Art student Bayan (Year 12) attended Cotham's first Articulation event, hosted by the National Gallery. The aim of articulation is to engage students to express opinions, thoughts and ideas with confidence, promoting oracy in Art. Held at Roche Court, it was a prestigious event.
I am pleased to tell you that Bayan has won the regional heat (South West) and is moving onto the next stage, the Articulation South of England Regional Final at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, on Thursday 13 March 2025, 1.30pm – 4.30pm.
Bayan was incredible, she really held her own against fellow contestants and schools which had participated for years previously.
The Adjudicator, Andrea Rose CMG/OBE (Art historian and former director of visual arts at the British Council) called Bayan's speech "Revolutionary"!
A huge congratulations to Bayan!
GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition class recently participated in the British Dietetic Association's "Fibre February" campaign by baking a batch of high-fibre cookies.
This activity aimed to educate students on the importance of dietary fibre, which is essential for maintaining a healthy digestive system and supporting overall well-being.
The students learned about the health benefits of fibre and how to incorporate fibre-rich ingredients into recipes.
Sticky Toffee Cookies - Fibre February 
A huge well done to our incredible Year 7 Sports Hall Athletics team for reaching the County Secondary Schools Sports Hall Athletics Finals last Monday! Competing against seven other top-performing schools, our team showcased outstanding effort and determination, finishing in an impressive 4th place. Fantastic achievement — well done, boys!
On Thursday 6 February the U13 girls netball team travelled to Taunton to play in the Netball State Tournament.
The team consisted of;
Serine (Captain)
Sunny
Eloisa
Abbey
Maya
Elsie
Bailey
Dot
Lana
Annika
The team showed amazing resilience, team work and positivity. We knew before going that the tournament was going to be an opportunity to compete against strong teams and learn lots for next year. We actually beat a Year 8/9 team and came close to drawing a few other games.
The girls were very receptive to coaching and constantly worked on ways to better themselves and the team. A massive well done to all players for their great attitudes and perseverance. Thanks to Dot for her cookies and all the girls for their singing on the minibus home!
On Tuesday the U15 girls cricket team played RGS as part of the Lady Taverner competition. The girls started the batting & scored 33 innings. Niyati hits some wonderful bats & scored a few 6 runs. Erin, Niyati and Isobelle demonstrated some very good bowling & Amia, Niyati & Aishani caught a few players out. After the first innings we scored 33 and RGS scored 38. 2nd innings we played 10-minute innings & drew 35-35. Great job all, you did great!!
Congratulations and well done to our amazing Year 7 football team on their first game of the season.
We faced a strong St Bedes team, although we came away with a loss there was many positives including:
A second half draw
A wonderful goal from Finn
Incredible goalkeeping from Josh
Outstanding encouragement from Eyal
Great job team, we go again on Tuesday 25 February!
Mr Moody
We are excited to offer access to Digital Theatre Plus! This subscription provides students with world-class productions, study guides, and learning resources to enhance their understanding of Drama and English Literature. It’s a great way to bring the magic of theatre into their studies.
Access to Digital Theatre+ is included for all students. Please log in using your Cotham email address and password.
To celebrate International Women's day on the 8 March we would like students to create a poster about a woman who inspires them! She could be historical, from any country, or even a member of their own family. They should include at least five facts and a picture. It could be hand drawn or digital. Submit your entries to Miss Madge in the Humanities office by Friday 6 March. The eight winning entries will be displayed, and winners will receive a badge and chocolate.
We are excited to announce the election of our new student council members! The first session will take place on Thursday 27 February, where we will discuss behaviour expectations and set out our intentions as a council for the year ahead. This is an important meeting for all student council members to attend as we begin working towards making a positive impact at our school. Looking forward to seeing everyone there!
This year for IWD we will be selling bracelets for £1.00 to give to any girl or woman who you appreciate. Whether this is your friend, mother, or any female figure who makes you feel strong, inspired and brave!
Come to Ms. Forbes' room C005 after school on Thursday 6 March to collect your bracelet and create a card to go along with your gift to show even more appreciation for a woman who means the world to you!
All proceeds raised will be sent to a local Bristol Women's Shelter.
IWD2025Update Congratulations to Liam, Danyaal, Ayub, Flo, Comfort, and Dylan for being recognized as Omega's Finest this term! They have been awarded tickets to the Bristol City FC match tickets a truly well-deserved honour.
A massive thank you goes to Mr Andrew for making this opportunity possible!
Well done to Gamma House for securing the highest attendance!!!
Please read the letter from Mr Buchanan regarding this term's BEP activities.
BEP Letter.pdfStudents have been making great progress in their reading with the support of Mrs Wight and Miss Lewis. In particular, we would like to shout out Taya, Zadok and Phoebe in Year 7 who have all made amazing progress; Suweyda, Alex, Mohammed and Abi in Year 8 who have been working hard in lessons and made exceptional progress; and our outstanding achievers in Year 9 Hussnain, Mason-Kai, Efrata and Imran. Well done to all students who have been taking responsibility for their own learning through attending their reading sessions – we hope you feel proud of the progress you have made.
'Hy-poth-uh-sis'
Meaning:
An idea about how something works that can be tested using experiments(noun).
Example:
My hypothesis is: if I contribute more I learn more.
The purpose of an hypothesis is to test an idea not to prove it.
We need to test the hypothesis before implementing the idea.
Synonyms:
Theory, proposition, supposition, guess
'Kroo-schul'
Meaning:
Extremely important or necessary (adjective).
Example:
This game is crucial to our ambition of winning the league.
Your contribution was crucial to our success.
When running a marathon it is crucial to drink water and stay hydrated.
Synonyms:
Key, pivotal, significant, critical, decisive
The Children’s Society explore this important question in their recent blog titled “Should children have mobile phones?” The article discusses concerns such as excessive screentime being linked with mental health issues as well as the benefits of a child friendly phone rather than a smart phone. You can read the full article here:
https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/what-we-do/blogs/should-children-have-mobile-phones
