24th February 2025 | Head of School Letter
Welcome back after what I hope was a refreshing half-term break!
I hope you all had a chance to rest and recharge and spend time with family and friends, if you were able to take time off work. This week marks the beginning of the second half of the spring term, and we're looking forward to a busy and productive time for everyone.
Ramadan
The end of this week marks the start of Ramadan, a time of reflection and prayer for our Muslim students and families. We wish all those observing Ramadan a blessed month. To support students who wish to pray, a quiet prayer space will be available in the Admin corridor at lunchtime. Students should go to main reception, where they’ll be taken to the room. If your child is fasting, and you have any concerns about them at any point during Ramadan, please contact their Head of Year.
Bromcom Launch Date
We wrote to families just before half-term to let you know that over the next few weeks we are transitioning our Management Information System (MIS) away from our existing systems, known as SIMS and Go4Schools (G4S), into a new package called Bromcom. In time, Bromcom will allow us to present you with an integrated, single point of access to all your child’s school related information such as attendance, achievement points, payments for meals, trips etc.
Today is the Bromcom launch date when all attendance, achievement, behaviour data and timetable information can be accessed through the My Child At School (MCAS) app/website. To access the system click here: www.mychildatschool.com Initially, Bromcom will only be used to take registers, track attendance and log achievements and behaviour points with more functionality implemented later on.
- Student timetables will be migrated across and will be visible in the new app and website, My Child At School (MCAS) www.mychildatschool.com
- The Cottesloe School code for MCAS is 15566.
- Day to day attendance registers will be taken in Bromcom.
- Parents/Carers will be able to see attendance in the MCAS app or website.
- Achievements and behaviour points will be shown as zero in MCAS on transition (as we are transitioning mid year) and will accumulate as we use the new system, however data from the outgoing system will still exist.
- Markbooks and progress data will remain within Go4Schools for the time being and will still be visible to you via your existing logins.
- Academic reports will be published through G4S until September 2025.
- Parent Pay remains the current platform for ordering/purchasing items from the school. BROMCOM has this functionality; it will be integrated later on.
Moving to a new system is a large undertaking and we have been working on this for a number of months leading up to the launch date, however we know that some disruption is inevitable as the changes take place. As new features and functions of the MIS become more integrated, we will let you know. Please access our website for further information and ‘how to’ guides that you may need to help with this change: https://www.cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk/parent-hub/my-child-at-school-app
Design and Technology Tournament Success
Students from across the year groups attended The Grange School for the annual D&T Rotary Club Tournament, as part of seven different teams. Our students showcased exceptional talent and ingenuity and we’re thrilled to announce that our Year 9 team, consisting of Robyn, Isla, Tom, and Joe, triumphed in the foundation task! Their winning creation earned them the coveted trophy, which is now proudly displayed in school reception. Further success was seen in the intermediate category, where Seb, Seth, Leon, and Myla secured a commendable second place. In the advanced student category, Ashton, Eddie, Abi, and Will demonstrated their skill and determination, earning a well-deserved third place. Congratulations to all students who participated; your hard work and dedication were truly impressive! Thanks to Mrs Hankin for organising and accompanying the teams.
Assembly Theme
World Book Day Mrs. Oxley is leading assemblies this week in preparation for World Book Day on 6th March. As a school, we celebrate the joy of reading not only through English lessons but also Accelerated Reader, Reciprocal Reading in tutor time, and encouraging positive engagement with words across all subjects including tier 3 words - those associated with a particular subject, for example photosynthesis in Biology.
PowerUp Literacy
We know that vocabulary knowledge is crucial for students’ school success. To support our students that find aspects of reading and literacy more challenging, we’ve been trialling an online programme called PowerUp Literacy with a small group of Year 7 and 8 students. The trial period has come to end and we’ve been so impressed with the progress the students made that we will be continuing with the programme in the coming months. In recognition of their success, all members of the trial team have been awarded Gold Thumbs Up badges.
Sports Fixtures and Results
The week before half-term saw a mix of results for our school teams. On Tuesday, our badminton squads faced tough competition away against Aylesbury Grammar and Aylesbury High. Unfortunately, the Under 13s and Under 15s teams all experienced losses. Despite the results, we commend the teams' effort and sportsmanship.
Thursday brought a brighter outcome on the netball court. Our Year 7(b) team displayed excellent teamwork and determination, securing a thrilling 5-4 victory away against Waddesdon. Rose was deservedly awarded Player of the Match for her outstanding performance. In the later match, our Under 18s netball team faced a strong Waddesdon side, resulting in a 17-13 loss. Baylie's strong performance earned her Player of the Match. We congratulate all students who represented the school this week and thank them for their dedication.
Sixth Form
Good luck to Year 12 and 13 students for their exams this week and next. They have enjoyed being able to use their new Sixth Form study spaces as we were finally able to access them just before the holiday, following a successful visit from the building inspectors.
Year 11
Mock 2 Results will be shared with students on Tuesday this week as a rehearsal for the real results day in the summer. Year 11 Art students will be undertaking their mock exam on Wednesday. Year 11 Geography students will be taking part in their Paper 3 field trip - the research gathered on the trip will be used in their GCSE exam in the summer.
Year 10
A reminder about organising Work Experience - details can be found here: https://www.cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk/curriculum/careers-hub/work-experience The deadline for completing the online form is 25th April 2025.
Year 9
Thank you to all families for getting the Options Forms submitted - we appreciate your support. Year 9 will be listening to a talk by internationally renowned author, Philippa Gregory on Tuesday afternoon. We are very lucky to have been able to organise for her to visit us. It should be an exciting afternoon!
Year 8
This week the KS3 Year 9 Choices process begins. Students will attend a Choices assembly during PSHCE on Tuesday, and we look forward to welcoming parents (students can attend too but it’s not compulsory) to the Choices Information Evening on Wednesday 26th from 6pm-7pm in the school hall. Further information about the process is here: https://www.cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk/curriculum/ks3-choices
Have a wonderful week and thanks, as always, for your support.
Best wishes, Louise Baldwin
Head of School