Achievement | Diversity | Respect

29 September 2023

Parent and Carer Weekly Mailing

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 2 October 2023 is Week A

Standing Items are now located at the bottom of the mailing.

Headteacher's Welcome

Dear Parents and Carers

Good afternoon! In this week's video, I want to express my gratitude to our amazing students and dedicated staff for making our recent school opening a huge success. I also want to thank the parents who have reached out to us with positive feedback. In this mailing, I'll be sharing important information about open mornings, the word of the week, the house system, student leadership, extracurricular activities, and upcoming events like Year 11 parents' evening and Black History Month. Please take a few minutes to watch the video and stay informed about what's happening at Cotham.

Kindest regards,

Ms Jo Butler, Headteacher

Weekly Mailing Update.mp4

Positive feedback of the week 👍

Dear Ms Butler

I just wanted to let you know how much our family especially our year six daughter enjoyed visiting Cotham School for yesterday's Open Evening. We picked up on a genuinely kind, very happy and upbeat vibe from all staff and students. Also we are very happy to know students well-being is of paramount at the school. Something of such high importance for us and other parents.

The students, performances, the year 7 students who shared their experience and your talk was truly wonderful. We loved it.

We will definitely be putting Cotham as one of our choices and will keep our fingers crossed.

Kind Regards
(from a Parent visiting Open Evening on Wednesday night)

Thank you

Dear Mrs Arnold

I never cease to be amazed at the English warm welcome and support for us in such a difficult time for our entire nation. Thank you very much to your entire team.

Kind regards

(From a Year 10 Parent).

Thank you

Word of the Week

KS3

Indicate

"In-duh-kayt"

Week 4 T1: KS3 Word of the Week

KS4

Surplus

"Sur-plus"

Week 4 T1: KS4 Word of the Week

New Announcements

Year 11 Parents Evening

Year 11 Parents' Evening is an in person event taking place on Thursday 5 October between 3:45 pm and 6:45pm.

Appointment Details

Parents and carers will have the opportunity to meet their child’s teachers for a 5 minute appointment. All appointments will take place in A Block and all parents should enter the school via our Reception Entrance on Cotham Lawn Road. Please note there is no parking on site. To park in a residents’ parking scheme area during its hours of operation you’ll need to have a valid pay and display session.

Booking Appointments

Please visit https://cothamschool.schoolcloud.co.uk to book your appointments.

There is a written guide explaining how to book appointments: English Version | Somali Version

After School Detentions (ASDs)

Recently we have received a number of enquiries regarding the notification process behind the issuing of After School Detentions (ASDs).

For clarity I wanted to communicate our position on this matter.

ASD20

If a student receives a 20 minutes After School Detention (ASD20) throughout the school day the expectation is that they will sit this detention on the same day, an exception to this is if a student receives a detention during period 5 before the end of the day in some cases this will not have been recorded on the daily detention sheet (due to the set time that detention notification text messages are sent out) and therefore the Parents/Carers/Guardians will not have received a notification.

The students will always know if they have a detention and are therefore required to remain in school for 20 minutes at the end of the day as this is an automatic consequence for being sent out of the classroom.

The statutory guidance states 'School's do not have to give notice to parents for after-school detentions so long as the pupil can get home safely'

Student Absence - Reminder

Notifying the school of student absence - all info can be found on the School website

Parents and carers can report student absence in 3 ways.

Parents and carers can either:

- complete the absence form on school website

- email the attendance absence email at absence@cotham.bristol.sch.uk (Year 7-11) or p16absence@cotham.bristol.sch.uk (Year 12 and 13)

- telephone the attendance absence line on 0117 919 8000

House System

House Assemblies

Last week was House Assembly week where our new prefects introduced themselves and their responsibilities to the whole school. There was an extremely positive environment with students in younger years appreciating the chance to engage with older students and have older role models lead an assembly for them.

Prefect duties have also started up with our Year 11s being on a rota in the Year 7 canteen. Ms Crocker has been fantastic in inducting them into the roles by training them to deal with lunch queues and Year 7 organisation. Lots of the new Year 7 students have been asking a fantastic amount of questions to the prefects about what they can expect from their journey at Cotham School which has been fantastic to see.

Student Executive Leadership Team (SELT)

Students in Years 7, 8, and 10 will have an exciting new opportunity to join the school's Student Executive Leadership Team. There will be 6 students in each year group who will replace the current Tutor group reps. Students will be applying to take up the positions online in a google form that will have been released Friday 22 September and will remain open until today.

The responsibilities of our Student Executive Leadership Team are as follows:

Collate the views of your year group on a given issue
Feedback to the Senior Leadership team
Work with LC’s in meetings
Meet with Ms Butler
Attend meetings / events
Support and suggest house/year group events
Work on whole year group rewards for positive behaviour
Suggest ways to help us make our school an even better place to be
Wear your badge with pride!

Please encourage students to put themselves forward for this role as it is a fantastic opportunity for them that should not be missed!

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Oracy

Recently our two Year 10 finalists for Bristol Youth TED Talks took part in a public speaking workshop at St. Brendan’s Sixth Form College as part of their preparation for the final competition. The workshop was run by Barney Grenfell from Ignited Presenting and gave the students an opportunity to think about their presentation skills, share ideas and get feedback from Barney and their peers. It was a really useful, positive workshop. Our students made some excellent contributions, despite being among the youngest contestants in the competition.

Reading at Cotham

Reading is a top priority at Cotham School. We want all students to have a love of reading and to have the necessary reading skills to ensure that all students have the same life-chances, regardless of background.

As well as being an important life skill, reading is also a fantastic way for young people to switch off from daily life, improve their mental health and enjoy a bit of escapism. Therefore, we have designed our curriculum and school day to provide access to a range of high-quality texts, which enable students to develop their skills and inspire their passion for reading.

Reading in our Curriculum

All teachers see themselves as teachers of reading. We feel that it’s important for our students to know that all members of staff value reading, regardless of the subject they teach. Teachers ensure that lessons involve explicit vocabulary teaching and that reading strategies such as skimming, scanning and reciprocal reading are practised. By practising these strategies together, our students become more confident with approaching unfamiliar texts when reading independently.

Reading in Tutor Time

Each week, there is regular time in which Key Stage 3 tutor groups read a book with their tutor. The book that your child will read is a book chosen by your child and their tutor group; we feel it’s really important to give them ownership of what they read to maximise their enjoyment. We’re really proud that our students have the opportunity to choose books from an interesting range of texts and genres.

Tutors also see this reading time as a fantastic opportunity to develop their relationships with tutees through discussing their chosen book, debating ideas and sharing opinions about the events or characters.

How we Support Students who Need Help With Reading

We make sure teachers are aware of reading ages, so that any complex text can be adapted or any more difficult vocabulary can be defined.

If your child’s reading age is behind their chronological age, they may be invited to read with some of our Post-16 students as part of our Reading Buddies programme, or alternatively they may be invited to attend intervention lessons to help them to further develop their reading skills.

How can you Support Your Child With Reading?

Ask your child what they are currently reading. Talking about books is a great way to further connect with your child. If they don’t have a book that they are currently reading and enjoying, take them to visit a local library or ask them to visit the school library. The school librarian will be pleased to help your child to discover a book that’s just right for them. Ideally your child will read a range of texts from different genres, including non-fiction texts. However, the most important thing is that they are reading.

KS3, KS4 and KS5 Recommended Book Lists

Book Finder Website: Match your Child's Age and Interests to a Book

Please make sure your child has a book in their bag every day; students are given the opportunity to read their own book at the start of English lessons, so it’s important this time is spent effectively by enabling them to become immersed in a wonderful book.

Please also encourage your child to read every day, even if it’s just for a short period of time. If possible, listen to them read and enjoy their chosen book together.

Here are some questions that we use when reading texts with your child, which you too can ask your child when reading together:

What do you think is going to happen next and why?
Are there any words on this page that you don’t understand? If so, what do you think that word might mean?
How do you think the character is feeling and why?
How do you think the writer is trying to make you feel? What makes you think that?
Why do you think the writer has used that word? What does it make you think/ feel?
What is interesting about the setting?

What if my Child Doesn't Like Reading?

We’re confident that by working together, we can further develop your child’s reading skills and foster their love of reading. Thank you for all of the work that you do to support your child and Cotham School.

Modern Foreign Languages Competition Time!

In celebration of the European Day of Languages on Tuesday 26 September, we invite all Year 7 and Year 8 students to take part in a cookery/baking competition. Please see the attached poster for details. We look forward to seeing your creations.

European Day of Languages takes place every year. Throughout Europe, 700 million Europeans are represented in the Council of Europe's 46 member states and are all encouraged to discover more languages at any age. This stems from the conviction that linguistic diversity is a tool for achieving greater intercultural understanding and a key element in the rich cultural heritage of our continent. At Cotham we celebrate this event by celebrating all the diverse and fascinating languages we speak in our community and encourage students to take part in this day. There will be tutor time activities to complete as well as activities during MFL lesson time. For further information about European Day of Languages, please follow this link:

Danke, gracias, merci

Cotham cook, bake off MFL comp.pdf

Year 7

Tutor Shout-outs for students in Year 7 demonstrating the Cotham School Values

Sumaya 7BOP - Perfect attendance and great participation.

Ayhan 7AVA - Excellent contribution in class discussions.

Lorinc 7LH - for being so polite and saying good morning everyday.

Fozi 7GD - engaged in lessons, answering loads of questions, enthusiastic all the time. Made a superb start at Cotham!

Saja 7EW - Always arrives on time, ready to learn. Polite, respectful and supportive of everyone around her and is a joy to teach.

Abdelrahman 7CBR - Achieving the most house points so far this year!

Rasai 7RBI - for 'his resilience and determination to keep going'

Ollie 7EW - for always being positive and helpful.

Sennen 7DS - an amazing start to Cotham; she is mature, polite, hardworking and always ready to get involved.

Mia 7RB I - feedback from teachers has been that she's working hard.

Samy 7LH - excellent feedback from teachers.

Eva 7AVA - being enthusiastic and consistently following instructions.

Francesca 7EWI - "or being proactive and taking all the opportunities that Cotham has to offer.

Evie 7CBR - for achieving the most house points in the tutor group and for having an excellent attitude to learning.

Henry 7BOP - great behaviour in lessons and amazing punctuality.

Mrs Veale - Learning Coordinator

Year 7 - Meet The Tutor Event
Thank you to all of the parents and carers of our Year 7 cohort who attended the Meet the Tutor event last week. We hope you found the evening useful in answering any questions you may have had and meeting your child's tutor in person.

Mr O. Knight

Associate Assistant Headteacher

Year 8
Thank you so much to all of the Year 8s that gave up 3 hours of their own time to help show prospective new parents and children around the school. I had so many positive comments from parents saying how informative the Guides were and how helpful they all were. There will be many more opportunities, but thank you again to those students who helped on the first event of the year.

Year 9

The Year 9 5-a-side Football tournament began on Friday 22 September with several teams battling it out in the hopes of progressing into the second round. Mr Farmer, Year 9 Learning Coordinator has developed a social engagement programme of activities to ensure that the students are engaged during their social time and are developing core teamwork skills as well the necessary social skills.

Congratulations to Tutor Group 9LBR for achieving the most house points last week. They all enjoyed a sweet treat in Tutor Friday morning.

Mr Dunkley - Assistant Headteacher

Year 9 - Turkish Borek Pastries

Year 9 students made Turkish Borek pastries last week. In their previous lesson they made rough puff pastry and learnt the functions of the ingredients used and the importance of gluten formation and lamination to achieve a light flaky pastry. Students are aware that traditional Borek pastries would be made with a pastry called Yufka not too dissimilar to Filo pastry. These pastries were then filled with onion, garlic, thyme, potato and cheese. A few videos taken from lessons can be viewed here. The recipe is also here should anyone wish to make it a block of ready made pastry could be used.

Turkish Borek Pastries

Year 10
I have been so impressed with how Year 10 have settled into the year. There is a very happy vibe within the year group and lots of positive conversations and interactions amongst the students and this is being reflected in their behaviour both in the classroom and the community areas of the school. The students have begun their GCSE subjects and are finding their new timetables and subjects exciting. I am pleased to say that lots of Year 10 students have shown interest in being tour guides or ambassadors within faculties for the Open Evening this week. If they have bought a permission form home, please remind them to return it. The kindness of Year 10 has been evident over the last two weeks. They have shown our new Year 7 students where to go when they have been lost and supported them with collecting lanyards.

We started our Year 10 Tutor Football League this week, the pressure is on this year as 10SME have won it for the last two years and are keen to retain their title as the overall winners of the league.

We have two dates in the calendar: Inter Tutor Bingo Thursday 5 October and Bake Off Friday 20 October - more details to follow.

Mrs Arnold - Learning Coordinator

Year 10 - Silver Arts Award - 100% Pass Rate

A huge congratulations to all the Silver Arts Award candidates in Year 10. We had the moderator’s visit last week. The moderator was very impressed with the hard work and creativity of all our candidates and everyone passed! Students embarked on a fascinatingly wide range of creative personal challenges including: stage makeup, script writing, embroidery, painting, flower arranging, song writing, animation, dressmaking, crochet and many, many more. Students also had to teach a skill as part of the course and in doing so, they ran an assortment of clubs and activities both at school and at home.

Thank you so much to all the parents who supported this work by providing resources, offering advice and sometimes even becoming a pupil in their childs’ lessons! Thanks also to the teachers who offered support and particularly to those who allowed Arts Award candidates to interview them and observe their lessons. Thank you: Miss Forbes, Mx Heaton, Ms Phillips, Mr Geoghegan and Mrs Arnold.

Well done everyone!

A huge shout out to Gen, Marli and Faysal who showed kindness and went above and beyond to support Year 7 students. They each received a Mrs Arnold's Super LC bar of chocolate.

Congratulations to the Year 10 students who took part in the SIlver Arts award. It was a great success and everyone passed. Well done Year 10.

Year 11

Period 6: started on Tuesday 26 September. Please click here for the letter sent to parents/carers.

Year 11 Tutor Programme: Over the coming weeks, during tutor time, we will be supporting students on how to create a revision timetable for their upcoming mock examinations. We will also be introducing a different revision technique each week for students to try. We are also in the process of purchasing revision material for all tutor bases which students can use for revision and to practice the techniques that have been shared with them. We hope that they will find this useful. Each week we will share the slides that have been communicated during tutor time so you can support your child's revision at home.

Ms Khan - Assistant Headteacher

Year 11 - Upcoming Careers Events

We are excited to announce that we will be holding two '"Passport to Success'" events in school for Year 11. The first one will be held on the Tuesday 3 October and the second event will be on Thursday 12 October. Students will each visit a workshop from a range of local Colleges/Training Providers and Higher Education providers. Both of these activity days will take place in our Sports Hall at the time when students would usually have PE. PE kit for these days will not therefore be necessary.

Artwork of the Week

Year 13 have been doing a photo transfer workshop this week. They have brushed a transfer medium onto their chosen image, then applied it to either fabric or wood. Once dry they rub off the paper to create these images.

WOTW Y13 Phot transfers.pdf

Malcolm X Community Elders/Windrush Generation-Afternoon tea at Cotham

Cotham will be hosting afternoon tea for Elders from the St Paul community on Wednesday 4 October 2023!

Students will prepare and serve a range of specially made sandwiches, homemade scones with jam and cream, plus cupcakes. We are looking to forward the opportunity to exchange stories and hopes from the past, present and future!

Welcome to Dance at Cotham: Frequently asked questions:

It has been lovely meeting all the new Year 7's in dance, and welcoming back Years,8, 9 and 10, who have all had a great start to the term.

I wanted to take the opportunity to go through the do's and dont's regarding kit, as well as help explain why we need kit and no socks so that you can support your child in their learning and keeping them safe in lessons.

The kit for Dance is:

Black Dance T shirt (red masks logo). You may wear a black long sleeve plain t shirt under with black shorts or black leggings, or black cycle shorts or black track trousers

If you have yet to order the dance t shirt it is acceptable for you to provide a plain t shirt alternative, ideally black and no logo. Please provide a note to explain this.

The dance T shirts are available to order from: harris sports or monkhouse

Please contact your head of year if you require assistance regarding uniform.

No socks:

In addition to this, your child will be aware of the no shoes and no socks policy for dance. This includes no air hop/grippy socks and no "half socks" (where students cover toes/half foot only). This is for their safety and effective movement in dance. If your child is particularly sensitive about their feet, please can we ask that you discuss the safety reasons, in support of the school policy and remind them that they can use foot wipes and plasters. When the weather gets colder the policy will remain, so please wear additional layers: base layers under kit for example.

The Performing Arts team greatly appreciate your support in this and we look forward to sharing more information about excellent student work in dance very soon.

Ms Phillips

WHAT YOU DO AND DON’T WEAR IN DANCE.pptx

Bristol Parent Carers

Bristol Parent Carers are excited to invite you to three fantastic, no-cost events happening over the next few weeks. These sessions are all about providing you with the knowledge and support you need to champion your child's and family's well-being.

Discover digital solutions for supporting mental well-being, seek support for children with needs connected to Tic and Tourette's and come to our in-person to find out more about managing extreme behaviour. Follow the link to find out more.

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Online Safety Information Session for Parents/Carers

Knowsley City Learning Centre will be providing a free workshop for parents/carers on the topic of how to keep your child safe online, looking at current trends, understanding the risks, what you can do and signposting to further support. Follow the link to access the free session.

Date: Wednesday 4 October 2023

Time: 4pm – 4.45pm

4th October Online Safety Flyer.pdf

Beezee Bodies

BeeZee Bodies work with Bristol Council to provide FREE (and FUN!) healthy lifestyle support for families. Follow the link for healthy living courses where you and your family can learn how to make small changes to create healthy habits.

Parent Mail - Sept 23.docx

Technical Youth Theatre - Bristol Old Vic

Bristol Old Vic is delighted to be offering a 7 month long Technical Youth Theatre for 15–18 year olds. This free programme will take place on-site at Bristol Old Vic, where participants will attend weekly sessions covering a range of skills with the aim of giving a pathway into production-based roles.

The Technical Youth Theatre will offer 2 hour sessions every Friday evening. Here, the participants will explore and develop practical skills in backstage and off-stage roles that exist within theatre. Working in collaboration with professional technical staff, freelance facilitators, and specialist trainers, the programme aims to act as a steppingstone to the next part of their professional careers.

This is a unique opportunity for young people to train in the longest running theatre in the English speaking world working with professionals in the theatre industry. Applications are now open, if you know of any young people interested in this please do encourage them to apply with the link above.

Cotham Futures
Early Professional Opportunities

IBM Early Careers Webinar

IBM are back to provide everything you need to know about starting your career in tech. On Tuesday 17 October 2023 at 6.30pm - 7.30 pm for Students and parents of those in years 10 to 13 you can speak directly with the recruitment team. Follow the link to register.

Try a Trade: Introduction to the Try a Trade programme

Wednesday 4 October 16:00 - 17:00

To register, click here. Join this exclusive webinar and hear from colleagues at Checkatrade to find out more about Try a Trade, a new free careers programme for schools that aims to inspire students about apprenticeships and careers in domestic trades.

Getting to Grips with HTQs

Thursday 5 October 15:45 - 16:15

To register, click here. Hear from Joanne Fradd, Policy Lead, Department for Education, to find out everything you need to know about HTQs.

ACCA Careers in Business Expo

ACCA are pleased to bring back “Careers in Business”, the virtual expo, this time in partnership with Success at School!

This opportunity enables one to establish connections with employers and experts in diverse careers across the UK, allowing you to share valuable information about all aspects of the business world. Throughout the day we will host multiple live and interactive sessions covering topics such as jobs and roles available across various areas of business and entry pathways e.g. T Levels, apprenticeships and university.

On: Wednesday 6 December at 8.30 - 5.30pm

For: Students and parents. Follow the link to register.

ASK: Understanding Apprenticeships

Thursday 19 October, 15:30 - 16:00

To register, click here. The focus of this webinar is to provide in-depth details of an apprenticeship, where can you find them, how are they delivered and how are they structured.

Have you downloaded your FREE University Guide yet?

Our Success at School University Guide 2023-24 covers everything you and your child need to know about applying to university including how to choose the right university and course.

Get expert advice from universities such as Cambridge, Liverpool John Moores, UWE Bristol and more. Follow the link to download a copy.

University of Cambridge

Key Application Dates and Deadlines

As the UCAS application deadline approaches, please see a reminder of the key deadlines that fall over the next month.

29 September 2023: deadline to register for pre-registration admissions assessments (with the exception of the LNAT).

16 October 2023: UCAS application deadline. Please ensure all references and predicted grades are prepared so applications can be submitted on time.

23 October 2023: deadline for students to return their My Cambridge Application. Students will be sent a link to this via email after they’ve submitted their UCAS application.

23 October 2023: Extenuating Circumstances Form should be submitted by this date. This form should be used to detail any serious disruption to a student’s studies.

You can find more important dates and deadlines on our website.

Next week's TV programme on the graduate job market & degree apprenticeships

The programme will be essential viewing for those considering university entrance in 2024 and will showcase many of the graduate job opportunities, occupations and professions that sixth form students can aspire to in the future.

Highlights from the 90-minute live programme include:

• the latest analysis of the universities and degree courses that are most likely to lead to a well paid job after graduation

• an introduction to degree apprenticeships and how they can offer a debt-free alternative to the traditional university experience

• interviews and discussions with graduate employers, recent graduates, degree apprentices and recruitment experts

• guidance on how to use university to develop the skills and experiences that graduate employers are looking for

• new research on the universities that the country’s top employers are most-likely to target for their graduate recruitment

• the chance to hear from today’s students about the choices they’ve made and what they wished they’d known before applying to university

• expert advice on student finances and the new loan repayment scheme introduced this year

The programme will provide inspiration, information and practical careers guidance on how university – or one of the growing number of degree apprenticeships – can lead to ambitious, rewarding careers in areas like engineering, technology, banking & finance, law, accountancy and the public sector.

Graduate Careers Live! is produced by High Fliers Research in association with the Department for Education.

Graduate Careers Live is being presented by Martin Birchall, Editor of The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers and Levi Jouavel, journalist & presenter at the BBC. Graduate Careers Live! begins at 2pm on Thursday 5 October. Register to Watch Programme

Rowing Opportunities

Rowing Taster and Talent ID days will be running across Bristol. Interested pupils & parents can sign up here.

British Rowing are looking to find young athletes who have what it takes to potentially make it into the GB Rowing Team racing at the World Championships and Olympic Games.

This event will be free of charge, last around an hour, and allow students to experience the sport first hand. It will involve assessments to measure their physical attributes and strength, as well as a short taster session on the water.

Height brings a big advantage in rowing, so ideally girls should be at least 176cm (5’9”) and boys at least 188cm (6’2”) tall. This will generally mean that we are looking for students in Years 9 to 13. No prior rowing experience is necessary. British Rowing are looking for athletes who may currently be playing a different sport, such as rugby, netball, volleyball, basketball or swimming, but who have the right build and physicality to succeed at rowing.

Rowing Taster and Talent ID days will be running across Bristol. Interested pupils & parents can sign up here.

Post 16

Student Leadership

The deadline has now passed for Student Leadership applications. Here are some reminders of key dates:

Interview with P16 Leadership: Monday 2 October
‘Hustings’ speeches: Wednesday 4 October
Student Vote: Friday 6 October

Please check back next week when we will be proudly announcing our Student Leadership Team for 2023/24

Student Ambassadors

We are looking for a team of enthusiastic students who would like to volunteer their time to help out as Student Ambassadors at our upcoming P16 Open Evening on Thursday 12 October 6pm-8.30pm. Ambassadors will be greeting parents/students, showing them where things are and answering questions. This is a great opportunity to show off our amazing P16 centre and share real experiences. Being a Student Ambassador looks great on UCAS applications and CVs, there will also be free drinks and snacks provided! Please encourage students to email Ms Morris if they are interested in helping out.

Black History Month

A local bookshop that some of you might already know, Bookhaus in Whapping Wharf, is hosting a series of events throughout October in relation to Black History Month. The details of the events can be found here on their website. Tickets are £6 (bursary students can get a free ticket) and include a discount on the book they discuss on the night. This would be great for any student, regardless of subject interests. They are really important events and books detailing instances of history purposefully left out of the mainstream narratives, and books such as these help to combat the continued normalisation of erasing the history of oppressed groups.

Year 12

Subject Change

Full details of the process can be found here. Please note, part of this process involves all students getting a signature from a parent/carer so please rest assured that you will be involved in this process. The deadline for all subject change requests is Monday 2 October at 1:45.

Enrichment

Enrichment was launched on Wednesday this week. A full overview of what's on offer can be found here. Students have been emailed a personalised link which will enable them to sign up for activities this term.

Access to Bristol

Applications for Access to Bristol are now live. You can apply online here. Applications will close on Sunday 8 October at 11:45pm. The Access to Bristol scheme is for local students taking A-levels, BTECs, Access to HE courses or equivalents. Taking part shows a commitment to further study that will strengthen your application when you apply to university. On completion, you will be guaranteed a contextual offer/interview from Bristol, a top ten UK university (QS World University Rankings 2023).You will get an idea of what it is like to study at the University of Bristol, working with academics and current students who can offer advice and guidance about higher education and their subject area.

Year 13

Please share information about ‘Next Step Bristol’ is a programme run by University of Bristol for Black, Asian or of mixed background young people. They will provide advice, and support to students through a series of webinars. Students will be guaranteed a contextual offer to study at UoB. (more information linked above).

Coming Up Soon...

Concert - Friday 27 October, 7pm - 9pm in Memory of Eddie King Kinuthia

Elim Bristol Church is a Pentecostal community church based in Bristol, Stokes Croft and in response to the recent tragic passing of Eddie King Kinuthia, would like to dedicate their concert in October to honour Eddie's memory and raise awareness around knife crime.

Eddie's death is a catalyst for people in the community to wake up, go back to the drawing boards and ask what can be done to help the individuals involved in this lifestyle.

Precious lives are being lost amongst young people and it is becoming more evident that our community needs to respond in order to see change. Violence is not the answer as there is a choice for peace. We want to fuel that message to the community to stop this cycle so it does not happen again. This concert is not the final answer but it will be a step closer to ensuring young people know they can Put it Down For Peace.

What the concert will include:

Games
Live dance performance
Spoken word poems
An inspirational testimony from someone who has first hand been effected by knife crime.
Headline Artist: Limoblaze a UK based award winning musician, singer songwriter and well respected Christian artist in the gospel music community who has performed with the likes of Travis Green and Blessing Annatoria (Winner of The Voice UK 2020).
Performing act Tidez an up coming young Christian rapper who has performed at Big Church Festivals.

Please follow the link to book tickets. Concert to be held at:

E5 BRISTOL, 3-15 Jamaica Street, Bristol, BS2 8JP

Ages 16-21 (separate seating area for ages 13-15)

£8 online or £10 at the door

100 free tickets are available

For groups with 10+ people tickets are £5 each. (Please contact E5 CHURCH for a separate link to book this deal).

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October Holiday Club

At Kingsdown Sports Centre

Ages 5-12 , 9am - 3pm

Activities include Halloween themed sports

and arts and crafts, soft play.

Halloween fancy dress and other halloween activities.

£16 per day or £70 for the week

halloween hoilday club.jpg

And Don't Forget From Last Time

Sports Fair 2023-24 : Extra-curricular offer

The PE Faculty will be holding their first Sports Fair of the year this week. Students will have an opportunity to come down to the Sports Hall to find out what clubs are taking place over the next couple of terms.

The PE Faculty have also arranged for some specialist sports coaches to attend the Sports Fair. The coaches will be promoting their private sports clubs that take place outside of school. Cotham is really keen to encourage as many students as possible to attend an extracurricular club (or more than one if they want to). Please discuss this opportunity with your child!

School Uniform Suppliers

As a student at Cotham School you are expected to wear full school uniform, including your school lanyard. It is also important to wear the correct PE / Games and Dance kit. Our school uniform suppliers are Monkhouse and Harris Sports. Please visit their shops or websites to view the approved skirts, shorts and trousers.

The school rules will be enforced according to the Uniform Policy. Examples of suitable uniform can be found on the Cotham School website. May we remind you to always label your child’s uniform with their child’s name and Year/Tutor Group.

Nasal Flu Immunisations

Children in Reception to Year 11 are being offered flu vaccinations this winter to help protect them from flu and serious complications such as bronchitis and pneumonia. Vaccinating your child will also help protect you, your family and friends. The flu vaccine is administered using a nasal spray, this vaccine is free and painless, please follow the link to ensure you complete your consent form. If your child is unable to receive the nasal flu vaccine, community catch-up clinics will be available, please contact
sirona.sch-imms@nhs.net or 0300 1245515 for more information.

Digital Literacy Corner

Latest Pa

What Parents and Carers Need to Know About:

Tik Tok

Age Inappropriate Content

Explicit Songs

Tik Tok Fame

Hazardous Visibility

Addictive Nature

In App Spending

Parents - TikTok.pdf

Our latest GCSE Pod Usage

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Pods watched this academic year

6,692

Number of Pods watched so far in Term 6

243

Most watched subject this week

Geography

Our latest Seneca Learning Usage

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