Head of School Letter 16th September 202416/09/2024

Dear Parents/Carers,

Last week seemed to fly by! As the first full week back at school following the summer break, there have been many different things happening already. Students have settled into the routine of school life remarkably quickly, and our newest members of Team Cottesloe in Year 7 have adapted particularly well. Teddy, our fabulous therapy dog, visited on Wednesday and was greeted with great enthusiasm by his fans both old and new at break and lunch. 

The weather has been quite unpredictable this week, going from sun to hail to torrential rain back to sun. If you’ve ever spent any time walking around the school site, you’ll know if the wind is blowing, it is very cold. As a reminder, now would be a good time to check if your child’s winter coat still fits. Students should wear their coat over their blazers, not instead of, and hoodies are not part of the school uniform and should not be worn under blazers, in place of a coat.

Wing Family Fest It’s less than a week until Wing Family Fest on Saturday 21st September from 12pm to 4pm! We hope you will be able to join us. The last few tickets for the Colour Run as available via the link below.   

• Colour Run: Open to all ages, we have a foam machine as well as obstacles!  Tickets are selling fast so don’t miss out! Booking: Friends of Cottesloe PTA
• Food and Drink stalls
• Local Seller Stalls
• Music & Entertainment - DJ Garry Mac is attending, as well as our own Performing Arts students, and Teddy’s Punch and Judy Show 
• Inflatables (weather permitting)
• Fairground Attractions
• Raffles and More!

Wider Curriculum clubs and Sports Clubs begin this week! Wider curriculum opportunities are any activity or learning opportunity that takes place outside normal school lessons. Research has shown that where students regularly participate in these wider learning activities, attainment of the subjects they study at KS3 and KS4 improves. Participation in a wider curriculum activity also has a positive influence on attitude to learning, personal wellbeing and impacts on attendance at school.

Mrs Hooley, Assistant Headteacher for Teaching and Learning has done a fantastic job in creating a broad range of opportunities for students to participate in both at lunch and after school. Thanks also go to the members of staff who volunteer to run the clubs. We hope there is something for everyone and if there’s not and a student would like to suggest a new club, Mrs Hooley will be happy to hear more from them. 

For more information please see our website: Wider Curriculum and Activities

Links to club timetables here:  All Clubs    Sports Clubs and Teams     Performing Arts 

School Production The School Production, Aladdin, is scheduled to take flight in December. Miss Mayhew, Mrs Pinto, Mrs Holmes and the rest of the school are thrilled to be putting on such an incredible show; the cast list will be up today. 

Year 6 into 7 Open Evening There are just a few tickets left for the 5:30pm tour and talk. The other two sessions are now fully booked for our Open Evening on Thursday 26th September: Open Events 2024 | 25 

Pick up and Drop off  Thank you to all the families who have followed the coach park drop off and pick up procedures detailed in last week’s letter; we appreciate everyone’s cooperation to ensure all students can arrive and depart safely. 

Attendance at school Regular attendance at school improves student outcomes. The Buckinghamshire Education service have launched a new campaign, Present for their Future, to support families to ensure regular school attendance for children in Bucks this school year. A new page is now live on the Buckinghamshire Council website where parents can easily find free resources and support to help with their child’s school attendance. If you are ever concerned about your child’s attendance, please contact our Attendance Officer, Mrs Cowlishaw or your child’s Head of Year. For further information about supporting attendance, click here: Present for Their Future | Buckinghamshire Council 

Keeping Young People Safe As part of the “Stay True to You” campaign, helping to support parents in keeping young people safe, Buckinghamshire Council and Thames Valley Police have organised a free, online information session on Wednesday 25th September, 6:30 - 8:30pm.  This session is for parents/carers and family members and will cover knife crime and how we can keep our young people safe - delivered by The Ben Kinsella Trust, a leading national anti-knife crime charity.

The session will cover the risk factors that can cause conflict and lead to violence, explores what is driving the “fear factor” that can lead to vulnerable young people carrying weapons for perceived self-protection, and also looks at issues including online harm, exploitation, gangs and county drug lines.  The sessions aim to raise awareness of these issues and to give parents and carers the confidence of signs and symptoms to look out for, tips on how to build stronger relationships and to have those difficult conversations. To book a place, click this link: Ben Kinsella Trust. The session will explore some of the learning from the wider “Stay True to You” campaign: Stay True to You 

Sixth Form In PSHCE this week, Year 12 and 13 will attend a talk about gambling harm awareness from the team at EPIC Global Solutions to help them be able to make better-informed decisions and remain safe from gambling-related harm. 

Year 12 A-Level Drama students will travel to London to watch ‘Our Country’s Good’ at the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith. The play is a set text at A Level. 

Year 11 Students studying GCSE French are off on a long weekend to St Omer to immerse themselves in French culture and practise their speaking, listening and reading in preparation for forthcoming mock exams later this term. Departing at 3:30am on Friday and returning late on Sunday, we say a very big Merci! to their accompanying teachers, Miss Mesnil, Mrs McMinn, Miss Gray and Mr Knightley. 

Year 9 A Quadcopter fly and build challenge competition is taking place in the school hall this morning for three groups of Year 9 students, designed to inspire students to consider careers in STEM. Thanks to Mr Clawson for organising this opportunity.

Year 7 The Year 7 Online Form Tutor Evening is taking place this Thursday.

I hope you have a great week, whatever you’ll be doing and thank you, as always, for your ongoing support.

Best wishes, 

Louise Baldwin

Head of School