Head of School Letter 1st July 202401/07/2024

Dear Parents/Carers,

It’s now July, and we’re rapidly heading towards the end of the academic year! It feels as though no time has passed since last September but when we reflect on the achievements and successes of students and the school, everyone has done so many incredible things. Although it’s only seventeen more school days until the summer holiday, there is still a lot that will be happening, not least this week as we look forward to welcoming the Year 6s who will be joining The Cottesloe School in September, and their families, to a number of events. Today we are holding a Parents Welcome Evening, in two sessions to accommodate all families in the school hall, and on Tuesday and Wednesday it’s the turn of the Year 6s themselves, joining us for two full days in school, experiencing a range of lessons and activities to help them feel confident about Year 7. 

Wing Family Fest It is less than a week away from Wing Family Fest! We are all really looking forward to it. If you’ve not got your Colour Run tickets, the deadline is tomorrow, Tuesday 2nd July. Over 70% of Colour Run tickets have already been sold so do book ahead if you can to avoid disappointment. Tickets for the Colour Run are available here: Friends of Cottesloe PTA Colour Run  Of course, you don’t have to participate in the run, there are so many other activities to do throughout the day. The Fest starts at 10am, we hope to see you there! 

District Athletics Miss Felton writes: A week on from Sports Day,  the PE department has had a super busy week. On Monday we took a team of 77 athletes to Hillingdon Athletics Stadium in Uxbridge to compete in the District Athletics Championships. We competed against ten local schools in Aylesbury Vale and we came a fantastic third place in the overall competition!

The following students need special recognition, becoming the District Champion in their event after coming first :

• Yr8 Oliver - 300m 

• Yr8 Harriet  - 75m Hurdles

• Yr9 Olive - 1500m 

• Yr9 Bella - 800m  - Bella competed as a Year 10, beating girls older than her. 

There were many second places and great individual performances on the day.  In true Cottesloe style, our older students supported some of the younger, nervous students and everyone's behaviour was exceptional. 

Families and Learners’ Careers Evening The Careers Event was well attended last week, with students from across the year groups and their families attending to find out more about career pathways, listening to a number of Cottesloe Alumni about their careers and the decisions they made to get them to where they are today.  Thank you to all the Alumni who supported the event, and also to Mrs Gunn and Mr Matcham for their organisation.

Parking Reminder A request to families that collect students from the front of school to please use the coach park. We have received a complaint from a local resident about their driveway being blocked on a regular basis by parents picking up from The Cottesloe. We work hard to maintain a good relationship with our neighbours, never more so than whilst the building work is ongoing and delivery lorries are a regular occurrence, but we need families to work with us to help with this issue. Picking up from the coach park is a straight-forward, quick process. 

End of term reminder A reminder that school finishes at 1pm on Tuesday 23rd July, to allow staff time to celebrate the end of term, say goodbye to colleagues leaving us for pastures new, and wish well those colleagues who are retiring. Buses that come onto the school site to collect children will pick up at 1pm, and parents’ cars will be allowed on site once the buses have departed, around 1:05pm. There will be more information about staffing changes in next week’s Head of School letter. 

Year 11 Sixth Form Induction took place this week across a number of days. It was wonderful to see Year 11, and meet some of the new faces who will be joining us in September from other local schools, should they achieve their expected exam results. Thank you to Mr Youngs, Mrs Smith and Mrs McMonagle for planning a great introduction to sixth form study.  

This week it’s the Year 11 Prom and we’re very much looking forward to celebrating five years’ worth of hard work with Year 11 who always look so incredible in their dresses and suits. Thank you to Mr Magill and the staff who have been working behind the scenes to ensure everything runs smoothly on the night. 

Year 10 Work Experience is fast approaching. If your son or daughter has yet to get their place organised, someone from the Year 10 or Careers Team will be in touch. Any student not attending work experience will be expected to attend school as normal. We really value the experiences that this opportunity gives to students. We’re one of only a few schools locally that still schedule two weeks’ of work experience to all students. 

Year 9 Another group of intrepid students are undertaking their Bronze D of E expedition, starting yesterday, and completing it later today. We hope it goes well!

Year 8 The WW1 Battlefields trip departs for France at 5:30am this Friday. This trip offers a powerful educational experience that will give students a deep insight into the World War 1 battlefields. Symbolic places such as the Menin Gate Memorial in Ypres, Belgium and the Thiepval Memorial in France represent an opportunity for students to learn and think critically about the impact of war and conflict on both soldiers and civilians. We look forward to hearing about their experiences when they return to school. Thank you to the members of staff giving up their weekends to provide students with this opportunity,  

Have a great week and thank you, as always, for your ongoing support.

Best wishes, 

Louise Baldwin

Head of School