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 10 February 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
Thank you everyone for making World Hijab Day so phenomenally memorable for out staff and students.
We raised £95.10 in the cake sale which will go towards the catering for the Grand Iftar on 27 March.
Mrs A Khan
Assistant Headteacher
Thank you
You are warmly invited to join us for the next Cotham Parents Network meeting on Tuesday 11 February 2025.
There will be two different times that this meeting will run:
10.00am-11.00am
5.00pm-6.00pm
It will be wonderful to see lots of our parents and carers there and we have exciting plans for the months ahead.
Please find the letter from the Chair of Governors attached below:
Election of Parent Governor 31.01.2025.pdfWe have a mountain of lost property, including coats, that will be recycled during half-term after Friday 14 February 2025.
Students can reclaim their lost items from lost property located at Student Reception.
The Cotham School Design A Bookmark competition is back in honour of World Book Week, coming at the beginning of March. Please design a bookmark inspired by your favourite books or book characters. All entries will be displayed in the library and students will vote for their top three favourites. Winners will have their bookmarks printed and the top prize is a voucher. All voting and participating students will also be entered into a Library Lucky Dip with a chance to win a prize. Click below for further information.
BOOKMARK COMPETITION 2025 WEEKLY M 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.
I am pleased to inform you that we will be holding a non-uniform day on Friday 14 February for Years 7-10. Year 11 students must be in uniform due to exams. Your child will be required to pay £1 and all the money raised will go towards funding the Cotham Grand Iftar on 27 March 2025. Please support the school by sending your child in to school with £1 on Friday 14 February.
Year 11 will have a non-uniform day later in the year to fundraise for the Year 11 Prom.
Thank you for your support.
Mrs A Khan
Year 11 Prom Committee are holding a Valentine Cookies and Love Hearts sale on Friday 14 February at breaktime in the HUB.
Cookies will be £1 each
Love Hearts 50p or 3 for £1
All money raised will go towards the Year 11 Prom.
French Teacher: What a great lesson in a computer room with 7ALE. They are lovely and hard working. What a delight!
Well done to Ahmed 7KMA for confidently reading aloud in an English lesson.
A brilliant well done to Haniya and Maha of 7KMA for having the confidence to speak at the Assembly last week regarding World Hijab Day. Well done girls.
Seven Year 7 students reached the County finals of the sports hall athletics where they competed against the top 2 teams from South Gloucestershire, Bath, North East Somerset and Bristol. They finished 4th out of 8 teams and won multiple events during the day. This group of athletes successfully navigated the North Bristol (2nd) and Bristol finals (2nd) to qualify for the prestigious county finals. From the PE department at Cotham, well done!!
A big congratulations to our new Student Leaders for Year 8 - Amir, Aayat, Elijah, and Suhana!
We had some incredible candidates from Year 8 and some very impressive interviews. This gives us confidence that Amir, Aayat, Elijah and Suhana will do a fantastic job representing both their houses and the year group as a whole!
Please remember that we have put together a comprehensive GCSE Options Portal with essential guidance, subject details and key advice.
📌 Click the link to help your child make an informed choice for their future.
Choosing GCSEs is an exciting (and sometimes daunting!) process, but with the right support and information, students can confidently select the subjects that best suit their interests and aspirations.
Congratulations to everyone who has uploaded a work experience placement. We will be confirming these placements over the next two weeks so keep an eye on your emails. If you have found a placement and not yet submitted it. You must do it urgently, because after Friday 14 February 2025, it will not be accepted.
A massive well done to Malak, who presented in this week's Safer Internet Day assembly!
Malak stood up in front of multiple year groups to deliver the assembly and did an amazing job! The assembly was informative and gave great advice on how to use the internet in a safe way.
Please see the message from the Parent Prom Committee.
"An enormous shout out to the following local businesses who have generously contributed gifts or vouchers to our upcoming Raffle, to raise money towards the Year 11 Prom. We are so grateful as the funds we are raising will enable us to make the tickets affordable to all:
FED
Grape and Grind
The Gallimaufry
BEERD
Thank you very much indeed!"
If you want to get an apprenticeship in any construction trades or professions, you need to attend this final open event for applications this year on Tuesday 11 March 2025, The Create Centre, Bristol, BS1 6XN, 5 PM to 7:30 PM. Please click here to register.
Open Evening Flyer March 2025Mr Walker gives a shout out to his 11b2 Maths class. Every single one of them has been fantastic these last few months. They've been working really hard every lesson, have been motivated and proactive with their revision, and have been approaching some really complex topics (such as vectors, cumulative frequency diagrams, and trigonometry) with enthusiasm, creativity, and resilience. I am so, so proud of them, and they should be very proud of themselves!
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 Mock Exams will continue next week Monday 10 February to Friday 14 February 2025.
Please ensure students are ready and prepared for their exams. Please see presentation attached which contains information on preparing for exams and revision support.
Students need to be on time, in full school uniform, and have their lanyard for exams.
Year 11 have had a great start this week to their mock exams. Students have arrived promptly and fully prepared for their exams. Their behaviour has been fantastic both in the exams and when leaving the exam halls.
It has been lovely watching them come back to collect their bags and coats discussing the exam and sharing how they got on. Well done Year 11!!!
Mrs L Arnold
Year 11 Mock Exams 2024-25We will be running Revision Workshops for Year 11 students in school over 3 days during Periods 3 and 4. The dates are Monday 24 February, Monday 3 March and Tuesday 4 March. We will be explaining to students how the memory works, how to retain information over time as well as revision and exam practice techniques. This event is for students only during the school day. The students will take part in one workshop and will be informed of their slot in tutor time.
The Respect Ambassadors and prospective law students had a brilliant afternoon with the UWE Law Clinic. They spoke with law professors and students and explored the legal systems in place to support those experiencing Gender Based Violence, including legal processes and understandings. We look forward to using what we learned to build on our Respect Project in North Bristol Post 16.
This month the focus is the importance of fibre in our diets. Studies show that only 4% of 11-18year olds are eating the recommended amount of fibre. Foods rich with fibre make us feel fuller, help digestion, prevent constipation and may reduce the risk of certain diseases. Year 8 had a fun experiment this week to model how our digestion system works and the benefits of having a higher fibre diet. We should choose foods such as wholegrains, wholewheat pasta, wholemeal bread, potatoes or brown rice.
We are delighted to share some truly impressive artwork created by our talented Year 8 students. Their creativity and skill are evident in these pieces, and we are incredibly proud of their accomplishments. Year 7's have been creating Mandalas this term learning about the importance of meditation and mindfulness as well as other cultures such as Buddhism.
Year 8's have been understanding and learning the importance of observational drawings of insects and bugs and the links between science and art from back in history when we may not have had photography for text book purposes. After learning about the importance of accuracy and proportion they created more fictional bugs with objects such as gears and also zentangled patterns.
Mr Moody travelled with the following students to UWE Bristol to compete in the County Finals of the sports hall athletics. Students competed against the top 2 teams from South Gloucestershire, Bath, North East Somerset and Bristol.
They finished 4th out of 8 teams and won multiple events during the day.
This group of athletes successfully navigated the North Bristol (2nd) and Bristol finals (2nd) to qualify for the prestigious county finals!
From the PE department at Cotham, well done!!
On Wednesday 12 February we will be holding our first steel pans concert of the year. Our 10 steel pans bands, featuring over 120 student performers, have been rehearsing in preparation.
If your child is performing, they will need to return to school via visitor reception at 5:45pm. Doors open at 6:00pm for a 6:30pm start. It is anticipated that the performance will last approximately 60 minutes with no interval.
Tickets are available on Wisepay and are likely to sell out ahead of the event.
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.
Auditions have begun for our whole school musical, Guys and Dolls!
Guys and Dolls tells the story of gamblers and their female companions navigating the vibrant underbelly of 1940s New York City, filled with memorable songs and lively characters.
Auditions continue next week until Thursday 13 February. Information on what to prepare and sign up sheets can be found in the performing arts foyer.
If you would like to help out backstage, please let Ms Dawson know in the Performing Arts office (E102).
27 of our Year 9s, 10s and 11s recently participated in the Intermediate Maths Challenge, an international challenge that encourages use of logic and reasoning to solve problems. Of those, a fantastic 22 of them achieved a Bronze award or better! Particular congratulations go to Logan, Phoenix, Mike, and Agnes in Year 11 (Agnes getting Best in School!) and Zane in Year 9, who all achieved a Gold award. Well done to everyone who participated, and good luck in the next round to our four qualifiers!
A Walker
Last week we had a successful bake sale for World Hijab Day! We baked the cookies with a team of students who were incredibly helpful and supportive. We raised a profit of £95.00 pounds after costs and all money raised will be going towards this years Grand Iftar! Thank you for everyone that got involved and helped support by purchasing a cookie!
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 that we are hosting an Inter-House Ramadan information poster competition!
Entries must be:
Colourful
Hand-written/hand-drawn
Deadline: Monday 24 February
The winning entry design will be displayed around school and the winner will receive a £15 gift voucher!
Mr Z Vohra
Well done to Gamma House for securing the highest attendance!!!
On Tuesday 4 February, five of our Sixth Form philosophers hosted the BEP Philosophy Society, welcoming many other BEP schools. The topic was 'Free Will' and with over 60 guests, Maja, Djanu, Sam, Felix and Dylan did a fantastic job. Please congratulate them. Thank you to Rachael Crimmins for supporting students with the content of the presentation, and to Aimi Potter for supporting the event as Director of Post 16. It was great to see so many staff there too.
On Monday 27 January, four of our Year 12s participated in some training as part of BEP pilot scheme on volunteering. They will be volunteering at a local primary school after half term for the foreseeable future to help young readers. Tristan, Matilda, Martina and Sofia are excited to start. Thank you Miss Dutton for supporting students with their DBS applications around this role. It is much appreciated.
Last week our student leadership trainees attended session four of their training at Collegiate School on how to be an effective leader. This session was on coaching, after the last session on communication, and they presented a 1-minute passion talk of their choice. Dawud, Deeqa, Maysa and Serena continue to enjoy their training. Thank you to Mr Barber for accompanying: he sent lots of great feedback throughout the day.
'Pruh-PAW-shuhn'
Meaning:
A part, share, or number of one thing compared to another (noun).
Example:
The proportion of cake she received represented the fact that it was her birthday.
Their reaction was out of proportion to what I said.
The cat’s eyes were out of proportion to the rest of their body.
Synonyms:
Part, amount, percentage, share, portion
'Kuh-heer-uhnt'
Meaning:
Logical, clear and consistent (argument, policy, theory) (adjective)
Forming a unified whole (adjective)
Example:
The student’s essay on Macbeth was coherent.
They all gave a coherent account of events.
They were stressed and unable to be coherent .
Synonyms:
Logical, reasoned, rational, clear, orderly.
Established by the UK Safer Internet Centre (UKSIC), Safer Internet Day is celebrated around the world. This year, on Tuesday 11th February 2025, it will be celebrated with the theme:
‘Too good to be true? Protecting yourself and others from scams online’
Free Self-Help Tool Centre from Get Safe Online
Get Safe Online have several free tools that you can use to help protect you and your family. The tools include checking a website, how to spot a phishing email, how to check your social media footprint as well as a fun tool to see if you can spot what has been generated by AI.
https://www.getsafeonline.org/selfhelpcentre/
Free Cyber Action Plan from the NCSC
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) have a wealth of advice and tips on how to protect you and your family online, including a short questionnaire to assess how you can improve your cyber security. Once completed, they will provide you with a personalised plan:
https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/section/information-for/youyour-family
How to deal with online scams: a parent guide from Parent Zone
Parent Zone have published an article outlining how to deal with online scams. The article includes how to report scams, further support, and preventive measures you can put in place:
https://parentzone.org.uk/article/how-dealonline-scams-parent-guide
Interactive online scams guide from Internet Matters
Internet Matters have produced an interactive guide to help you understand scams. They also provide further links to additional resources. Find out more here:
https://www.internetmatters.org/resources/tackling-online-scams-guide/
LGfL have produced this video titled “Life Online - What Grownups Just Don't Get!”
