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 17 March 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 and Happy Holi to those families who are celebrating this festival of colours!
Kindest regards,
Ms Jo Butler, Headteacher
Email sent to Heads PA
Dear Ms Kennedy
"Good morning. It was a pleasure receiving your call and learning of our child's very good progress with French in the recent months.
We very much believe that French at the next level will not only give our child another language for use in communication but also an excellent and deeper appreciation of an alternative culture, the people, the country and its history all of which will stay and enrich her life and future career.
Our child has been very appreciative of the warm support and encouragement you have extended to them in the past 2 years. We are equally grateful to you for giving them a great deal of your time."
Parent of Year 11 student
Thank you
We are writing to provide urgent information regarding the increasing presence of cannabis vapes, also known as weed pens or cannabis pens, within our community. These devices contain THC and pose significant risks, particularly to adolescents.
Key Information:
Discreet appearance: These devices are often slender, resembling pens or highlighters, and can be easily concealed. Some are designed to mimic everyday items.
Rapid odour dissipation: While they produce a distinct odor, it dissipates quickly, making them harder to detect than traditional marijuana smoke.
Concentrated THC delivery: These vapes deliver concentrated doses of THC, a psychoactive compound with potential adverse effects on developing brains.
Health risks: These risks include impaired cognitive development, increased risk of addiction, potential respiratory problems, and negative impacts on mental health.
Why This Is a Concern:
The use of cannabis vapes presents significant risks to the wellbeing of our students. It is crucial for parents and guardians to be aware of these devices and their potential dangers.
What You Can Do:
Educate yourself: familiarise yourself with the appearance and characteristics of cannabis vapes.
Talk to your children: have open and honest conversations about the risks associated with these devices.
Be vigilant: pay attention to any unusual behaviours or items your child may possess.
Seek support
We are very pleased to invite you to our Cotham Grand Iftar on Thursday 27 March at 5-7.30pm in the Sports Hall. All students of Cotham and their families are welcome. We will have a series of guest speakers from different faiths speaking about Charity. We will end the evening by breaking fast together and enjoying a meal. This event is completely free but you will need to book your place in order to attend. The booking form is linked here.
We extend our sincere thanks for your generous contributions to the Cotham Cooking Club. Your support has been vital in creating impactful Friday evening sessions for our students and families.
The next session will be held on Friday 21 March 2025. These sessions are crucial for community building, cultural exchange, and providing essential support to our refugee families.
We require the following to continue this program:
Volunteers: assistance with session support and cooking.
Ingredient donations:
Fresh: vegetables, eggs, halal meat.
Long-life: rice, spices, flour, sugar.
Monetary donations: to purchase fresh ingredients.
Ms L Rios
Ms E Knight
Miss A Andouard
On WBD last week lots of staff and students dressed up for our brilliant BOOK CHARACTER COMPETITION. Congratulations to ALL that joined in. It takes bravery AND creativity to take part and I thank them for contributing to an amazing day/week of BOOK related assemblies, workshops and activities. The library was buzzing with lots of talk related to FAVOURITE BOOKS AND AMAZING AUTHORS which is the aim of the week after all!! Students will VOTE for best costume. Results next week. Photos HERE
STUDENT DRESS UP COMPETITION 25.pdfCotham School celebrated World Book Week with a fantastic array of activities, reinforcing our commitment to reading.
Highlights included:
Author assemblies: Rachel Delahaye, Ash Bond, and Anika Hussain inspired students with talks and workshops.
Special Events: competitions, a creative writing workshop, and a Zoom session with Karen McManus.
Dress-Up Day: a fun, school-wide book character dress-up to end the week.
Students showed great enthusiasm, with insightful questions and creative contributions. The week fostered a joyful atmosphere and highlighted the importance of reading.
We encourage continued reading at home.
Year 11 Parents on the Prom committee have kindly provided prizes for our Grand Prom Raffle which will take place on Thursday 3 April.
Tickets will be 50p each or 3 for £1 - all money raised will go towards Year 11 Prom.
Students will be selling tickets in the HUB at break times from Monday 17 March and will be popping into tutor bases and round the faculty offices.
Please support the Year 11 student prom committee and buy a ticket.
Prizes include:
2 x £20 John Lewis vouchers
2 x £20 H&M vouchers
2x £15 Odeon vouchers
1 x £25 papadeli voucher
1 x £10 Showcase voucher
£25 Gallimaufry Drinks voucher (adult only prize)
£25 FED voucher
£20 Beerd voucher
1 bottle of Champagne (adult only prize)
1 bottle of Red wine (adult only prize)
Selection of chocolates including Easter eggs, Toblerone and Celebrations
Toiletry sets
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.
STRIDE, our student voice event is taking place on Monday 17 March 2025. If your child has been selected then you will have a letter via email with this notification.
Listening to our students is a key part of ensuring that we keep improving lessons and their experience of learning. Their perspectives and ideas are invaluable. If your child has been selected but cannot attend due to a prior arranged appointment, please email info@cotham.bristol.sch.uk to let us know.
Author Ash Bond took Year 7 on an adventure whilst talking about her exciting new fantasy novel. The whole of Year 7 were amazingly well behaved, engaged brilliantly, listened eagerly and asked the most intriguing questions! A smaller group of Year 7s enjoyed a creative writing workshop with Ash in the library too. All of the students contributed to the lesson with extremely imaginative ideas for stories. Ash was very VERY impressed with our Year 7s.
For more information and photos click below.
ASH BOND LIBRARY LESSON 
Year 7 had a very successful and engaging parents evening on 6 March with an 80% parental attendance.
Feedback on the evening on the whole was very positive!
89 students received a Triple A Award this week for their fantastic efforts in school; Attendance, Achievement and Attainment. The year team will be further rewarding these students and those who are always doing the right thing.
Cotham took part in the Junior Team Chess Challenge tournament at Bristol Grammar School yesterday, and we were able to enter three teams of highly enthusiastic players - all from year 7 and 8. Everyone did absolutely brilliantly, everyone won at least half of their games and I think I counted an incredible 30 wins between them! Aditi, Lana, Alfie and Zuben all from 7ALE…Amazing news!
Well done to everyone who completed the Understanding Media digital literacy lesson!
This week's top performers are 7ALE.
We are delighted to welcome Mr Alasdair Christie to the Year 8 Team as the Year Team Assistant. Mr Christie has worked at Cotham for a little while and we are delighted to be able to welcome him to the team.
We would also like to thank Mr Dehaan for his work with Year 8 over the past few terms as he moves into his new role with Year 10.
A consent form has been emailed home for completion regarding the Germany trip. Please can you complete this and return to me via email: binghama@cotham.bristol.sch.uk or to hand in via the MFL office.
Many thanks
Mrs Bingham
Next week, all Year 9 students will have a short meeting with either a member of the Year 9 Team or SLT to confirm their pathway choices.
We kindly ask that you chat with your child about their options and reassure them that if they have any questions, concerns, or last-minute 'what if' moments, they should bring them to their meeting. This is a fantastic opportunity to clear up any uncertainties and make sure they feel confident in their choices.
All students will have received a sticker on the back of their lanyards and via tutor slides informing them of their appointment time. This is for information only and no parents are required to attend.
Thanks for your support! 💡✨
This week Mr Dehaan joined Year 10 as their new Head of Year, students were informed via an assembly and the news was met with an excited round of applause!
The Year 10 Team will now be as follows:
Head of Year - Mr Dehaan
Year Team Assistant - Mr Arnold
Good luck to Olivia who is representing Great Britain next week in Italy to compete in a Fin swimming competition! A massive well done for working so hard to earn this amazing opportunity!
From Mr King who had a double Maths lesson with11B/Ma4 - every single one of them was brilliant - they listened really well, took down all the key points, and did a really good amount of independent work for pretty much the whole two hours. If they can keep this up it will make a massive difference. Best they've been all year!
Miss Madge gives a shout out to 11Y History, who have had fantastic behaviour all year, they are a joy to teach and I predict they will perform really well in their GCSE's :)
Mr Worster gives a huge shout out to 11X/Gg2 for their continued effort and improvement in Geography. Your Paper 2 mock exams were smashing and you are all capable of smashing your exams in May/June. I am really proud of you all and the work that you have been doing recently - particular shout out to Khulud, Kadija, Seth, Muhammad , Mohamed , Darcie , Lyra , Luca , Zach and Marco .
With only a few months to go now until GCSE's it is important that students attend their Period 6 sessions. It is valuable learning for students in supporting their GCSE's . Period 6 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 20 March - Year 12 Parents Evening
Thursday 3 April - Year 8 Parents Evening
A huge thankyou to Catrin at Papadeli and Eleanor at Tesco's on Gloucester Road (Bishopston) for their extremely generous donations of raffle prizes for the Year 11 Grand Prom raffle.
This week 70 young people from Year 12 went to Exeter to the UCAS convention. They had a brilliant day talking to different providers about the many exciting opportunities available to them when they leave us. They really did us proud and were brilliant representatives of North Bristol Post 16 .
Young people get free bus travel for the whole of their birthday month (and the next). To do this you need to complete the short application form and upload a photo. They'll then check your application and send the free bus pass. You can also apply in advance for a future birthday.
The booking system is now open. Parents and Carers can book up to seven appointments with subject teachers for a 5-minute appointment.
Please see the letter for booking details.
Y12 Parents' Evening Full details letter.pdfYear 8 students recently embarked on an exciting artistic journey, exploring the intriguing world of insects through the lens of Zentangle patterns and vibrant color. This project offered a unique opportunity for students to blend intricate design with their personal artistic expression.
The process began with students sketching their chosen insect, establishing the basic form and structure. They then delved into the fascinating realm of Zentangle patterns, filling the insect's form with a variety of repetitive, structured designs. This technique encouraged mindfulness and precision, allowing students to create visually captivating textures and details.
This week, we'd like to celebrate three outstanding students for their contributions to performing arts at Cotham. Dominic (8NBR) consistently stands out for always volunteering in his Drama lessons. Finlay (8RBI) is recognised for being kind, cooperative, and creative in every group project, making collaboration enjoyable for all. Freya (8CBR) demonstrated courage and confidence by volunteering to perform her Shakespeare work to the class. Well done, Dominic, Finlay, and Freya!
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.
In celebration of Ramadan, Miss Madge organised a special event at school, offering chocolate-covered dates for sale. These treats, which students could enjoy during Iftar, were beautifully made and packaged by Miss Forbes and Miss Madge. Students could take them home to break their fast. Mr Vohra also helped sell them to staff after school which went down a treat! The event raised significant funds for Islamic Relief, supporting humanitarian efforts.
Gamma’s International Women’s Day poster competition was a fantastic celebration of creativity and empowerment! Students showcased their artistic talents, reflecting the strength and achievements of women worldwide. Congratulations to all the winners!
Umeya, Maha, Ziham, Merina, Lana, Alyssa, Eliosa, Penny, Kazi
Overall winner- Hafsah
Prizes can be collected from Miss Madge in the Humanities Office.
Thank you to everyone who submitted entries for the Ramadan Poster competition! They were all so lovely, colourful and informative! Unfortunately, there can only be one winner!
Well done to Monty in 7ALE who produced a magnificent poster - this will be displayed around the school and you will receive a £15 One4All gift voucher!
Mr Vohra
Well done to Gamma House for securing the highest attendance!!!
One of our partner schools in the Bristol Education partnership, Bristol Grammar School, is hosting an event for parents, carers and teachers on Dyscalculia.
Please see the attached flyer and click the booking link if you would like to attend. BGS are very welcoming so please do attend if you would like to.
Dyscalculia Awareness Event 'Uh-KLEK-tik'
Meaning:
Selecting from diverse range of sources (adjective)
Example:
She had an eclectic taste in music.
They carried an eclectic array of objects into the treehouse.
The wore an eclectic sense of fashion.
Synonyms:
Wide-ranging, diversified, broad, mixed, all-embracing
'tuh-ney-shuhs'
Meaning:
Being persistent or determined and not easily giving up. (adjective)
Example:
You are tenacious in seeking the truth
The toddler was tenacious in their grip of the doll
She has been a tenacious champion of human rights
Synonyms:
Firm, tight, strong, forceful, unshakeable
AI is when a computer/machine can learn and perform tasks like a human. Its popularity continues to increase, and examples include:
Virtual assistants like Alexa and Siri.
Chatbots such as ChatGPT and My AI from Snapchat
Chat apps - A simple search of “AI Chat” within the App store highlights the number of apps already available and just scrolling through, you can see that they are not suitable for children with many rated as 17+.
Image manipulation – there are AI tools that can be used to digitally remove clothes from photos, which clearly raises serious safeguarding and privacy concerns.
Deepfakes – there are also AI tools that create realistic, fake videos which can be used to spread misinformation or cause harm.
Child Rescue Coalition discuss the dangers in more detail here:
As always, to keep your child safe online, it is important to:
Develop your child’s digital literacy by highlighting the risks of AI and showing them how important it is to verify what they see online.
Set up appropriate parental controls on their devices/ broadband.
Chat to your child regularly and ensure your child knows that they should talk to you or another trusted adult if anything concerns them.
For further information, the NSPCC and Internet Matters provide useful guides on their websites:
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/about-us/news-opinion/2025/artificial-intelligence-safety-tips-for-parents
https://www.internetmatters.org/resources/parent-guide-to-artificial-intelligence-ai-tools/
Users of this guide do so at their own discretion. No liability is entered into. Current as of the date released 01.03.25. The inclusion of any links does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement of the linked websites, documents, or videos, nor are we claiming any ownership or copyright in the content of the linked materials.
