24 November 2023

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

Year 7 - Shout Out for 7DS

I could not choose student of the week last week as the class were all so brilliant. They are always ready for learning, with their equipment out and busily reading their books at the start of every lesson. They are so focused and tuned in throughout. A huge applause to every single one of you!

Ms Papworth 

7GD were the tutor group selected by the librarian to be the pioneers for the LIBRARY TREASURE HUNT because they were so well behaved and respectful for their induction lesson. Today as pioneers they were absolutely brilliant!  Well done. I am so proud of you.

Ms Papworth

Year 8 

Assessment week is now over for Year 8 (for now), they should be really pleased for getting through this tough couple of weeks and I have really enjoyed students coming and telling me what their results were, well done!

Over 40 students in Year 8 have had 0 negative behaviour points since starting in Year 8, which is amazing!  As a reward they had a 'cinema experience' when we took them off timetable and watched a film in the main hall with popcorn, chocolate, crisps and drinks. You should feel very proud of yourselves, the Year 8 team certainly are!

We had the knockout stages of the football team this week, with the help of Mr Brock from the PE Department. Well done to all teams involved, I will reveal the winners in next week's tutor slides and we can then decide on a treat!

Starting on Monday 20 November, Year 8 will have a class shuffle. While this shouldn't be too disruptive, it should enable some children to be able to work more effectively in their classes. 

Ms Buckley - Learning Coordinator 

Year 9 

This week, Year 9 have had the opportunity to take part in exciting projects and activities! 

Year 9 - Oracy Pioneers 

Four Year 9 students enjoyed another trip to St Brendan's Sixth Form College to continue the Oracy Pioneers Project, this week the students had a chance to practise their public speaking and engage in debates with students from different schools in Bristol.

Year 9 - Envision - Hargreaves Lansdown 

This week a group of Year 9 students returned to Hargreaves Lansdown to continue the Envision Project. This provided another exciting opportunity for students to work with their mentors and progress with the project.

Year 9 - Production - Twelfth Night

Rehearsals have begun for the Year 9 Production which will be William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. The production is open to all students in Year 9 and gives student's with a passion for the performing arts to take part and develop their skills in acting, playing instruments, costume design and producing. 

Year 9 - Key Stage 3, Cinema Experience Reward

Over sixty Year 9 students have been rewarded with the opportunity to enjoy a film in the main hall on Friday morning. This experience is to reward those who have received zero behaviour points so far this year! Congratulations to those who will be watching and enjoying the film. Keep up the great work Year 9, you are setting a fantastic example!" 

Year 10 Triple A Award

An amazing 82 Year 10 students achieved their Triple A award. The Triple A  Award is given in recognition of excellent school attendance, positive engagement with learning and a consistent high quality of work.

Congratulations to you all, I am so proud of you. 

Mrs Arnold - Learning Coordinator

Year 10 - Shout Outs

Miss Madge - 10Y History continues to be the best GCSE History class I've ever taught! They work so so hard in every lesson, I am so grateful I get to teach them! 

Ms Nolan - Shoutout for 10b/ma1 who have been working really hard every lesson. They have been particularly focused on some tricky work with histograms.

Ms Anthony -  a shoutout to 10a5. They worked so hard today and I was really pleased!

Ms Bentham - a shout out for 10bEN4 for all their hard work on their An Inspector Calls essays.  I have been so impressed with what I have read and they have all given themselves a solid foundation to their GCSE Literature course.  SO PROUD!

Ms Grice - Shout out to all of 10CG for being so fab every day - positive, cooperative and a joy to have as a tutor group and an extra Shout Out to Hemant for his articulate responses.

Shout out to the fantastic Year 10 SELT team leaders, Gen, Karina, Zoya, Lila, Vismaya and Rosie who have organised the Year 7 football tournament and to our Year 10 sports leaders Luca, Jake and Ben who are refereeing the Year 7 Football tournaments on Monday lunch times.

Year 11

Congratulations to Year 11 for showing such great resilience and maturity during their two week mock exam period which ends today.

Year 11 Shout Outs

I have been overwhelmed by the number of ‘Shout Outs’ we have received  for Year 11 from their teachers. Below is a summary of the students who have received a Shout Out from their teachers recently. These students will also have received a shout out in assembly and will be added to our rewards list for the end of term where they will have the opportunity to enjoy a cinema and popcorn afternoon on-site with their peers.

Xanthe - congratulations on being the winner of the Oxbright Essay Competition (Mr Dignan)

EAL Department

Zabiullah - Working so hard in EAL to improve his English!

History

Did brilliantly well in mocks due to an excellent amount of revision. Well done!  - Iram, Sheng, Corey, Asma

Khaira - For always putting effort into History lessons

Kes - For being consistently polite and respectful

Macy - Much more focused and working really well in History

Maya - Always completing all work to the best of their ability in History

Aisha - Has an outstanding book of work in History to reflect all her hardwork and effort

Bailey - For knowing more about History than I do!

Ollie  - Consistent hard work and brilliant classroom contributions in History

Fahad - Consistently excellent engagement in History

Aiden - Punctual and always works hard in History

Bushra - Working extremely hard in History, clearly revised for the mocks! Well done!

Yasmin - For working hard in History lessons and always being polite

Jasper - Outstanding effort in History

Alfie - Great Contributions in class

Geography

Orson - Working extremely hard and always staying focussed in Geography

Orsolya - Working extremely hard and always staying focussed in Geography. Well done for doing so well in the mock! 

Science

Working extremely hard in science, clearly revised for the mocks! Well done!

Iram

Livy

Lola

Jasper 

Riad

Has been working extremely hard in chemistry lessons this term - well done!

Siham

Sefton

Asma

Yahye

Sainab

Bethanie

Ash

Fatuma 

Languages

Improved writing in German - wunderbar!

Ankit

Sofia

Asma 

Xanthe

Philosophy & Religion

Yahya - Consistent excellent engagement in lessons, including P6.

Consistent excellent engagement in lessons

Inez

Bethanie

Antony

Hanna

Arfa

Mae

English

Asking for extra feedback on homework to improve his English grade.

Zabiullah

Mustafe

Miss Smith (safeguarding team)

For being polite and respectful

Mae 

Lois 

Ayesha 

Nelle 

Dima

Arfa

Yusra

Giovanna

Kayla - For making an effort to do the right thing 

Food and Nutrition

Mosab - Superb focus in food

Diego - Politeness and consistent effort in Food Lessons.

For working consistently for two years with superb effort and commitment

Verity

Xanthe

Year 11 - Period 6

Period 6 runs every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 2.45pm-3.45pm. If your child has been selected for Period 6 then their attendance is compulsory. Your child will have a sticker on the back of their lanyard detailing which days they have period 6. Please can you support us by ensuring your child attends. You receive a message the next day if your child has failed to attend Period 6. Non-attendance to Period 6 will be classed as truancy and maybe sanctioned accordingly. 

If your child needs another timetable this can be collected from Mr Thomas (Year 11 Learning Coordinator). If you have any queries about period 6, please email Mrs Khan on yr11period6@cotham.bristol.sch.uk. 

Year 11 - Activities Term 2

We have some really fun activities planned for Year 11 this term based on feedback from a questionnaire that they completed at the end of last term. Next we will be launching an inter-tutor Kahoot where different tutor groups will compete against different members of staff each week. We also have a football tournament and a bake-off planned to mention just a few.

Year 11 - Art Trip

Ms. Forbes' Art group enjoyed a recent trip to the Royal West of England Academy (RWA) for the 170 Annual Open. They experienced a stunning variety of work from emerging and established artists, gaining lots of inspiration for their own projects. The group were immaculately behaved and soaked up the full cultural experience. We continue to be unbelievably proud of our Year 11 artists. Ms. Bridgemans' group will be attending on Friday 8 December. 

Year 11 - Reward Trip

At the end of this term, we are planning to take a small group of selected Year 11 students to Bath Ice and Christmas Market. You will receive a letter regarding this if your child has been selected to attend. 

Year 11 - Key Documents

Year 11 assessment calendars 

This provides an overview of all the assessments that will be taking place over the course of the academic year with resources linked in to support your child's revision at home.

Preparing for assessments

This is a link to the school website which has some revision techniques and a section on student wellbeing. Keeping your mind, body healthy and your environment positive while you prepare for your assessments is a vital component in achieving the best possible outcomes in your assessments. We hope you find these useful.

Digital Learning Platforms

This is a link on our school website where students can access GCSE Pod and Seneca learning as well as subject specific support.

Apprenticeship Accelerator

Free Virtual Event Thursday 30 November 5pm - 7.30pm.  Follow the link to register.

Bristol Grammar School Stem Cafe – The Right Light at Night – Thursday 7 December 4pm

Steve Tonkin, Dark Skies Advisor to the International Dark Sky Reserve will be speaking about light pollution and the importance of dark skies.

Light Pollution was first identified as a problem by astronomers, but its consequences reach far wider. It is now widely recognised that artificial light at night, especially bright white light, can have profoundly negative effects on human health, and this is just the tip of an iceberg of harm. The effects on wildlife have been devastating, leading directly to the death of billions of birds each year and being the major driver of the insect apocalypse (studies suggest that 40% of insects will be extinct within the next few decades).

The solutions are at hand, are simple to implement, will have a net saving (of money, energy use and carbon emissions) and will not compromise security or our ability to safely work, travel and play at night. We need to act now.

There will also be a chance to look through a telescope after the talk to see the night sky for yourself (weather dependent).

This event is open to everyone including friends and family members of any BGS pupils and pupils of other local schools. Visitors please wait in reception and someone will come and escort you to the event. There is no need to book.  If you wish to attend or have any questions please email stem@bgs.bristol.sch.uk. Refreshments will be provided.

Art DT (3D- Product Design) GCSE and A Level 

Important communication has been sent home to parents and carers of Year 11 or Year 13 ART/Photography/Design Technology students who received results in August 2023.

The communication is with regards to the collection of practical work on two set dates.  Please check inboxes and complete the Google Form.

Mrs Brock - Faculty Leader for STEAM Faculty

Promoting Strong Attendance During the Autumn Term - Is My Child Too ill for School? 

It can be tricky deciding whether or not to keep your child off school, when they are unwell.  Please follow the link to refer to the NHS website.  There are government guidelines for schools and nurseries about managing specific infectious diseases at GOV.UK. These say when children should be kept off school and when they should attend.  

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