Head of School Letter 13th May 202413/05/2024

The weather has been wonderful this weekend and I hope you have been able to enjoy it, whether you stayed up to witness the spectacular colours of the Northern Lights or had already gone to bed and missed it!

On Friday we wished our incredible Year 13s well as they began study leave - we’ll see many of them this week as the A Level public exam timetable gets going. In his speech as Head of Sixth Form, Mr Youngs reminded them that we are with them on this last part of their Cottesloe journey; if they need us they need only to reach out. He also encouraged them to support one another in the coming weeks, as they have done as a year group throughout, for what has been for most of them, the last seven years at The Cottesloe School. As teachers, it is always emotional and a privilege to reflect on how those small Year 7 students have grown into young adults, ready to take on the world and the adventures that lie ahead. There’s a wonderful reel on Facebook that captured the day perfectly.

Wing Family Fest - Saturday 6th July 2024: Tickets are now available for the Colour Run at Wing Family Fest. You will have received a letter from the Friends of Cottesloe and Overstone PTA - here’s the link to book tickets: Friends of Cottesloe PTA Colour Run (https://www.pta-events.co.uk/thecottesloeschool/index.cfm). This is a community event open to everyone, not just families with children attending either school so share with your friends and neighbours to encourage them to come along for what looks to be a brilliant day.

Classroom to Careers newsletter: The latest newsletter from the Bucks Skills Hub has been released: Bucks Skills Hub Classroom to Careers May 2024 (https://heyzine.com/flip-book/6f3bd855ea.html#page/2)

Families and Learners’ Careers Evening: A separate letter has gone out about a Careers Event being hosted in school on Wednesday 26th June 2024, from 6pm-7:30pm. The event is open to all year groups, from Years 7 to 13. In partnership with The ASK Programme & Bucks Skills Hub, the evening will allow families to explore various career pathways, helping them gain valuable insights into different professions and make informed decisions about their future. To confirm attendance please register via Eventbrite: Families and Learners' Careers Evening (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/families-learners-careers-evening-cottesloe-careers-pathway-tickets-798618638847)

Supporting Children with SEND: Bucks SEND IAS Service is the free, confidential, impartial information, advice and support service for children and young people with SEND and their parents/carers. They’ve added to their library of recorded webinars for parents/carers, and shared this with us to pass on. The webinars cover topics such as Alternative Provision, Education Other Than At School (EOTAS) and Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA). For further details of the support available, click on the links: SEND Information Advice and Support Service (https://buckinghamshire-gov-uk.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/SEND-IAS-A5-Flyer_viiv9wj.pdf) and SENDIAS news, events and webinars | Buckinghamshire Council (https://www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/bucks-sendias-service/news-events-and-training/).

Sports Fixtures and Results: Just one fixture to report this week with our U13 girls attending a football festival at the Royal Latin on Friday. They lost all their games but enjoyed the experience and learnt a great deal. Year 9 and 10 Rounders matches are planned against Waddesdon School this week.

Festival of Ideas Trip: On Friday, students from Year 10 and 12 who are studying Health and Social Care, Separate Sciences and/or Criminology are visiting the University of Hertfordshire in Hatfield to participate in its first Festival of Ideas.

Year 10: Parents Evening for Year 10 will take place on Tuesday this week.

Year 9: The next group of Year 9 students undertaking their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s Award expedition training will be out in the Bucks countryside on Monday and Tuesday this week with Mr Curtis and Mrs Rudge.

Year 7 and Year 8 Sparx Maths: Mr Brawn, Head of Maths, has shared that an outstanding 22,169 questions have been answered correctly in the first week of Sparx Maths. Well done Year 7 and Year 8!

Vacancies: We have a number of vacancies for teaching and non-teaching posts for September. Please share with family and friends who might be interested in working with us in the new academic year. Vacancies (https://www.cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk/about/vacancies).

Have a wonderful week and thank you for your ongoing support.

Yours sincerely
Mrs L Baldwin
Head of School