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 23 June 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.
Kindest regards,
Ms Jo Butler, Headteacher
Momentous News
"I have received confirmation that the Land at Stoke Lodge, Stoke Bishop, Bristol BS9 1BN also known as Stoke Lodge Playing Fields (registered on 22.8.2023) and the associated map, have been removed from the register of Village Greens."
Solicitor
Bristol City Council, City Hall, College Green,Bristol, BS1 5TR
Another great piece of feedback
Email received
"Thank you for inviting us to your refugee party. We all commented on it being happy and full of energy. It is obvious that your students are cared for and feel safe."
Tess at Bristol City of Sanctuary
Thank you
Now we finally have our off-site playing field back at Stoke Lodge, the opportunity for us to collaborate and share the sports facilities there with other Bristol Schools and local clubs is once again a reality!
This is why we're so excited to hear that during a meeting with the Lionesses ahead of this summer’s Euro 2025 competition, the Prime Minister announced plans for a new approach to PE and school sport, including new School Sports Partnerships and a new Enrichment Framework for schools, to ensure all young people have equal access to high-quality sport and extracurricular activity.
The Government has announced the creation of a new national network, which will:
Build strong partnerships between schools, local clubs and National Governing Bodies.
Focus on identifying and breaking down barriers to sport for children who are less active, primarily girls, and pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
Ensure inclusive best practice is shared and adopted widely across all schools in England.
Be supported by a new Enrichment Framework to ensure all young people have equal access to high-quality extra-curricular activities.
Will be linked to new school profiles, which will publish information about every school’s sport and enrichment offer.
Ms Jo Butler
Headteacher
Pride is a fantastic opportunity to display some great inclusive books for students to read, enjoy and discuss.
Celebrating Pride in school is crucial for creating an inclusive environment where LGBTQ+ students feel safe and supported, fostering empathy and understanding among all students and promoting positive attitudes towards diversity and inclusion. By actively embracing Pride, we can help to reduce bullying, improve mental health outcomes for LGBTQ+ students and empower all students to become allies.
pride picnic 25 - Della Payne.docxOn Tuesday 15 July 2025, The Cotham Parents Network have the opportunity to host Dr Clare Short, Psychiatrist with Full Circle Mental Health, to lead a session on adolescent Mental Health. This practical session will look at the adolescent brain and offer practical tips to engage with and support your children with their mental health.
Please fill in this expression of interest form if you are interested in this session and more information will follow.
As you know, we are proud to be a School of Sanctuary. In light of World Refugee Day today (Friday 20 June 2025), we believe this is a great opportunity to raise money for our crowdfunding campaign in support of our refugee and asylum-seeking students and their families, many of whom live in temporary accommodation.
To support their wellbeing, we offer extracurricular activities, including a fortnightly cooking club, local trips, and various school events. These initiatives provide a sense of stability, belonging, and enrichment, helping students feel more at home in our community.
The cake sale led by the School of Sanctuary ambassadors that raised about £50 in 15 mins, was incredible!
Your generous donations help sustain these vital projects and ensure continued support for our students. Thank you for your kindness and generosity!
Thank you
The EAL Team
We are excited to offer an excellent opportunity for Years 7-9 students to take piano and keyboard lessons right here at Cotham School! These lessons will be taught on our lovely grand piano by our highly experienced teacher, Christina Craig-Jones.
She is a specialist teacher, catering to all levels from beginners to advanced and offering a diverse range of styles including classical, jazz improvising, and rock and pop.
Limited spaces are available for this term and in preparation for next year. Summer holiday lessons are also an option.
To learn more or to book a free taster lesson, please contact Christina directly at chriscraigjones@hotmail.com.
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 get 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.pdfWe are excited to share some fantastic news, recently featured on BBC News: children under 16 can enjoy free bus travel across Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset and Bath & North East Somerset this summer!
From Friday 19 July to Thursday 5 September, kids can travel for free, making it easier and more affordable to visit friends, explore local attractions and enjoy summer activities.
This initiative, supported by the West of England Combined Authority, aims to help families and give children more opportunities during the holidays.
We'll share more details soon on how to access the free travel.
Have a wonderful summer!
Please click below for further information.
Bristol poster -Final.pdfA brilliant lesson from 10YGM today - Some tricky grammar which students worked well on and they finished off with some read aloud tasks and the pronunciation was FANTASTIC! Keep this up Year 10 - excellent work.
Frau Bingham
From Wednesday 11 June to Friday 13 June, GCSE Geography students visited Burnham-On-Sea for their Paper 3 fieldwork. They assessed sea defences and tourism's impact on the town. Despite the wet and cold weather, students represented themselves and the school brilliantly. Huge thanks to the students for their effort, staff for making the days run smoothly and parents for their support in organising the trip!
Congratulations to Year 11 for making it to the end of their GCSEs. They behaved brilliantly every time they came in to use the library space. Quiet and respectful of each other and a joy to have around. Now that the summer beckons can you all look in cupboards, under beds and around corners for any Cotham library books. Both story books AND textbooks/revision guides. Cotham school have to spend money to replace lost books every year so PLEASE remember to return them.
Thank you & good luck Year 11
Return Books Here Year 11 2025 1.MAKE SURE you have accepted your place at SGS College - email admissions@sgscol.ac.uk
2.YOU MUST attend enrolment. Student Must attend in person to enrol and secure their place. If you are not able to attend that enrolment day, then you must inform the college - email info@sgscol.ac.uk.
3. For learners who have not yet applied but wish to do so after GCSE results day - Advice and Guidance sessions will open on Thursday 21 August 2025 via SGS College website - Monday 1 September 2025 to Friday 5 September 2025 from 9:30am to 3:00pm.
As Year 11 finish Cotham and move on to new adventures, please see some of the lovely shoutouts from faculties and staff highlighting what a fantastic group of young people they are.
Well done Year 11!
Ms Payne:
Year 11s visiting the library this year were the best behaved cohort so far!
They revised lots and were quiet and respectful of the library space. I was really impressed with their mature attitude and I wish them all well for the future.
From MFL :
A massive congratulations from all of us in the MFL department to our amazing Year 11 linguists. We know first-hand how challenging it is to not only read, listen, and write, but also to speak to us in a different language.
You all stepped up brilliantly to that challenge this year and truly made us proud. Remember, very few things in life will ever feel as daunting as your MFL speaking exam in K-Block.
Shout out to Year 11 Philosophy and Religion. What an absolute gem of a class. Some of you had the misfortune of being taught by me for 4 years since I joined when you were in Year 8. You were such a delight to teach, hardworking but with great sense of humour too. Looking forward to seeing you next year! Mr Buchanan
Ms Radford-Hines - Shout Out for the first ever Year 11 GCSE Business cohort. Setting the standards high. Future entrepreneurs, changemakers and millionaires.
Year 11 iMedia Class: Thank you so much for being such an amazing class to teach. You all pulled it out the bag in the end and rose to the challenge of being the very best you can be! Good luck to a bright future! You will be missed. Mrs Khan
Miss Boys: I joined Cotham the same year as you all and for a short period had the pleasure of having some of you in 7EBO (before it became KD!). It has been an honour to watch you all grow into such brilliant young people and I wish you all the best for whatever the future holds for each one of you. I hope to see some of you next year taking science courses at the North Bristol Post 16 Centre!
Mrs Brock - To our amazing STEAM students — iMedia, Computer Science, Art, and Engineering — you've designed, coded, created, and built your way through every challenge. You’ve shown creativity, logic, and innovation in everything you’ve done. Now go out there, power up your potential, and create your future.
Good luck — you’ve got this!
Year 11 Drama - It's been quite a journey!
You have been incredibly creative, hardworking and very funny.
I don't need to wish you luck for the future because you don't need luck - you have talent, dedication and sparkling personalities. You will be amazing in whatever you choose to do.
Missing you already!
Mrs Ashcroft
We are very excited to be holding out first Post 16 Sports Day on Wednesday 25 June period 5. There is a choice of three sports to compete in: badminton, dodgeball and tug of war. All of our young people have been sent the sign up form and we would love to see as many of them involved as possible!
Well done to the following students who participated in the University of Bristol Mini Languages Workshop on Monday 16 June.
They got involved in workshops in multiple languages, mini lectures on linguistics and had a tour of the university. They represented Cotham amazingly and asked some incredibly insightful questions!
Miss Brooks and Ms Flynn
Daniels K
Arjun E
George S
Sumaya A
Aishani D
Zack D
Aniah M
Rachel T
Amjad K
Lorinc B
Reda Z
Finlay A
Lara C
Amia A
Paola J
Oli P
Alex L
Lisa S
This week, the Year 10 Art students have been drawing inspiration from ceramicist Kate Malone as they begin creating clay pumpkins for their 'All You Can Eat' project. Using the coiling method to build the structure, they have carefully shaped their pieces into pumpkins. Once the clay is dry, the pumpkins will be ready for firing in the kiln!
Tickets for this year's whole school show Guys and Dolls are now on sale via WisePay! Choose from 3 price options at checkout:
£5 Concession – if this suits your budget, we’d love to welcome you.
£8 Standard – helps support our extra-curricular performances.
£15 Pay It Forward – subsidises two concession tickets and helps more people enjoy live theatre.
We are excited to inform you that on Monday 30 June, we will be holding a Student Leadership Training Day for all student leaders in Years 7-9, as well as our Prefects. This engaging and team building event will be led by Miss Madge, who will guide the students in developing essential leadership skills such as communication, teamwork and decision-making.
I am delighted to announce that you have won because your creative and eye-catching design impressed the Student Leaders. Your outstanding design will soon be proudly displayed in K Block for everyone to enjoy. As a token of our appreciation, Eloisa will receive a certificate and a delicious chocolate treat.
Well done, Eloisa, your creativity and hard work have truly shone through!
Reminder that every Wednesday, from now until the end of the academic year, Ms. Forbes is running a Creative Club in C005 from 2.45pm-3.45pm. Please come along and bring anyone who wants to get creative and meet like minded peers! We will be drawing painting, crocheting and collaging!
Last Friday, Mr Sebana had a highly productive meeting with the Omega prefects and student leaders. We had a great discussion about Omega House reviewing upcoming events, future plans, and the direction we want to go as a House. They shared some fantastic ideas, which we’re excited to implement as we continue the amazing legacy and impact of Omega House. After all, we dare to be great!
The much-anticipated Table Tennis final will take place on 27 June 2025, with competitors proudly representing each house: Delta, Gamma, Sigma, and Omega.
All participants will be awarded a certificate of participation, and the winning doubles team will receive a trophy and be crowned the Table Tennis Champions!
Let’s cheer on our students as we celebrate skill, sportsmanship, and house pride!
Well done to Gamma House for securing the highest attendance!!!
This week, Mr Worster took four of our fantastic Year 9 students to Bristol Grammar School for a Mini United Nations debate. Each school were allocated a country to represent during a range of debate motions on a variety of politics topics, practising valuable skills of public speaking, active listening + advocacy. Cotham received the award for 'Commended Delegation' (3rd place overall.) Well done to Arwa, Janaan, Kayvaan and Esther, who herself received the individual award for Commended Delegate.
Huge thank you to Mr Lloyd, who recently hosted an event at Cotham as part of BEP Teacherfest. Mr Lloyd hosted a great day of professional development to local A Level history teachers, including a walking tour around Bristol with the Myers-Insole Learning community on the benefits of exploring local history in context. Mr Lloyd's experience in History teaching+ his passion for learning beyond the classroom is very much valued. We are delighted others are now able to share in his expertise.
'Kuh-myoo-nuh-tee'
Meaning:
is a group of people who share something in common, whether it's living in the same place, having the same interests, or belonging to the same group (noun)
Example:
“We can begin the process of making community wherever we are. We can begin by sharing a smile, a warm greeting, a bit of conversation; by doing a kind deed or by acknowledging kindness offered to us.” Bell Hooks
Synonyms:
Group, neighbourhood, collective, band, society
'Kuh-myoo-nuh-tee'
Meaning:
is a group of people who share something in common, whether it's living in the same place, having the same interests, or belonging to the same group (noun)
Example:
“We can begin the process of making community wherever we are. We can begin by sharing a smile, a warm greeting, a bit of conversation; by doing a kind deed or by acknowledging kindness offered to us.” Bell Hooks
Synonyms:
Group, neighbourhood, collective, band, society
Dear Parent/Carer
Please find our latest online safety newsletter attached.
Important Notice for Parents:
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 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.
Kind regards,
Farhan Ahmed
Digital Strategy Lead
Online_Safety_Newsletter_3.pdf