Head of School Letter - 4th March 202404/03/2024

Dear Parents/Carers,

I hope this letter finds you well and enjoying the lighter evenings as Spring has officially begun! Mock exams are now complete for students taking public exams this summer. My thanks go to all the teachers who have undertaken the time-consuming task of marking mock exam papers over the past couple of weeks to ensure papers can be promptly returned to students, supporting the process of tackling where and how improvements can be made to contribute to successful outcomes in the summer. 

Vaping

Following the information I shared last week from the Local Public Health Team regarding the rise of contaminated and illegal vapes, assemblies this week will be taken by Mr Fox and myself, focusing on the laws around vaping along with the science about the impact vaping has on a person’s physical and mental health. This builds upon the assemblies on Thursday last week from the Drug Detection Dogs team. Health Education is compulsory in all state-funded schools across all age groups; at secondary school, teaching builds on the knowledge acquired at primary and develops further pupils’ understanding of health, with an increased focus on risk areas such as drugs and alcohol. We deliver this through our PSHCE (Personal, Social, Health, Citizenship, Economic education) programme that is taught every Tuesday period 2 across the whole school,  and within the assembly programme and tutor time.

If you have any concerns relating to these topics or any other matter, about your own child or their peers, please contact our Designated Safeguarding Lead, Mrs Hankin. 

Careers

The Bucks Skills Show, the county’s biggest and most interactive careers event, is taking place this week and as a school, we’re taking Year 9, Year 10 and Year 12 students to the event on Thursday morning. The event is at Stoke Mandeville Stadium and this year it’s also open to parents and families between 4pm - 8pm on Wednesday 6th March. Further information and how to book as a family is here: https://bucksskillshub.org/news/bucks-skills-show-2024 

Attending the Skills Show is just one of the many opportunities students have throughout their journey with us to help develop their plans about their futures, both whilst at school and when they leave. Careers Plan Year 7 to Year 13 describes  all of the career journey opportunities. We are very proud that the school has achieved all eight of the Gatsby Benchmarks of Good Career Guidance. We did so through the leadership of Mr Matcham, the school’s dedicated Careers Consultant. He has the QCF Diploma in  Careers Guidance RCDP qualification which means he is recognised as being qualified to offer career guidance, a key area of preparing students for their futures beyond school. 

An exciting opportunity to find out more about Creative Careers in the UK is scheduled for 18th April,  online. This event is funded by the Department for Media, Culture and Sport, and the Arts Council and is open to all families. Never before have careers across creative industries been more exciting, relevant or innovative. During this session, families will hear directly from creative industry employers about the roles available and the importance of creative skills in the workplace. Click on this link to book a place: Virtual Parent & Carer Open Evening to DISCOVER! Creative Careers

Vacancies

It’s the time of year that schools start to advertise vacancies for the coming September. Currently, we’re looking for a qualified teacher of English. If you know of any friends or family who might like to join our brilliant team, please keep an eye on our vacancies page: Vacancies

Sports Fixtures

There aren’t any fixtures outcomes to share with you this week but we’ll update next week with a bumper set of results from the fixtures and tournaments from last week and this week. Teams will be playing netball and rugby matches for Years 8, 9, 10 and 11 against Thornton College, John Colet and SHFGS.  

Year 11

Year 11 online Parents' Evening is this Thursday. Appointments can be checked/booked via the usual https://thecottesloeschool.schoolcloud.co.uk/ portal. We are beginning the final push towards the summer and students completing GCSEs and Level 2 qualifications with a non-examined assessment aspect to the course will complete these practical assessments over the coming weeks. These assessments form part of the final GCSE grade; they’re important! This week it’s the turn of GCSE Drama and GCSE PE students.  Drama students are performing their scripted pieces in front of an external examiner on Thursday, and GCSE PE students will travel to Stowe School on Friday to undertake their Athletics assessment. We wish them all the very best of luck.

Year 9

Vaccinations are taking place today for Year 9 students with the Td/IPV & MenACWY vaccines providing protection against a number of different diseases; tetanus, diphtheria, polio, meningitis and septicaemia. Parents will have received consent forms directly from the School Nursing Team.  

Year 8

A reminder that the Choices Form deadline is Monday 18th March. Here’s a link to the form: KS3 Choices Form 2024

Thank you for your continued support.  

Best wishes, 

Louise Baldwin

Head of School