Head of School Letter 22nd Jan 202423/01/2024

I hope you had a great weekend. This week I am able to share some brilliant news, planning permission for the school expansion has been granted and the green light is on for building work to commence in the near future! The North Buckinghamshire Area planning committee met last Wednesday and approved the application for four new classrooms, a new science lab, new workshop/garage space for our Site Team and new toilets. Mr Jones will update families with more details soon, including the schedule for works to take place. I am delighted we can proceed with the expansion, it will have such a positive impact on the learning experiences of all students in the future.

Holocaust Memorial Day

Holocaust Memorial Day, an international day of remembrance, is held on 27th January every year, the day that marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp. The day remembers the 6 million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, alongside the millions of people murdered under Nazi persecution of other groups and during more recent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. Assemblies this week will focus on this theme, led by Mrs Redman and the Philosophy and Ethics team.

Sports Fixtures

I am thrilled that our U15 girls’ football team beat Princes Risborough in the County Cup last week. This means we now go through to the semi-finals. Congratulations girls!! This week, it’s the turn of the Year 11 boys’ football team to play Oakgrove in the County Cup on Tuesday; we’re hoping for another great result! Other sports fixtures on the calendar this week will see all year groups from Year 7 to 11 participating in Football and Netball matches, both home and away against Waddesdon, Akeley Wood and Sir Thomas Fremantle. Wishing all the teams good luck for positive results!

Elevate Education Online Webinars

Parents may be interested in signing up to attend Elevate Education Online webinars, designed to support their child over the coming months - these are open to all families but will be particularly relevant to families of students in Year 11, 12 and 13. The first webinar in the series takes place tomorrow, with future sessions scheduled throughout the spring term. For more information, please click on this link: https://go.elevateeducation.com/ukschoolwebinar

Bucks Skills Show

The Bucks Skills Show, the county’s biggest and most interactive careers event, will be held at Stoke Mandeville Stadium on 6th and 7th March 2024. As a school, we take groups of students every year and excitingly this year, the event is open to parents and families between 4pm - 8pm on 6th March. Further information and how to book a free ticket is here: https://bucksskillshub.org/news/bucks-skills-show-2024

Year 11

 Following the very well-attended Progress Evening last Thursday, Year 11 students began their second round of mock exams today. Mocks continue until Monday 5th February. Everyone at school wishes you all the best of luck; remember these exams are a practice to learn from to ensure success in the summer.

Year 9

The KS4 Options Process begins this week, with students attending a PSHCE assembly tomorrow, to learn about the subjects on offer at KS4, and how the process works. Students will receive paper and electronic copies of the Options Booklet and families will have further information and a link to the options form sent home via email before Thursday’s online Options Evening presentations. If you have queries relating to the process, please get in touch via options@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk

Thank you for your ongoing support. I hope you all have a good week.

Yours sincerely
Mrs L Baldwin
Head of School