Tuesday 6th May | Head of School Letter
Celebrating 80 Years of VE Day
During last week’s very hot weather, nearly 100 Year 11 and Year 13 students completed the speaking component of their GCSE or A Level MFL exams. Congratulations to all of them, and the MFL team who led the exams. The written papers of the summer exam season begin in earnest next week - we wish every student taking an exam the very best. For further information or to double-check an exam timetable, information can be found here: Examinations
VE Day
This coming Thursday marks the 80th Anniversary of VE Day. Victory in Europe Day marked the end of World War Two in Europe on 8th May 1945. It signified the formal acceptance by the Allies of Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces. This day is a significant moment in history, representing the end of a devastating conflict that cost millions of lives and reshaped the world. Perhaps your village held a celebration over the weekend, or you watched some of the events in London.
The 80th anniversary is a particularly important milestone, offering us a chance to reflect on the sacrifices made, to celebrate the peace that followed, and to remember the importance of international cooperation and understanding. To recognise this day, the History team will be leading assemblies this week. Additionally, a group of musicians, supported by Mrs Pinto, will be visiting Eaton Bray School to contribute to their VE Day afternoon tea. Finally, Year 8 will be heading to France on Friday for three days, exploring the battlefields of northern France and Belgium, and increasing their knowledge of key sites from World War One and World War Two. We wish them safe travels and look forward to hearing about their experiences upon their return.
Physics Olympiad
All our Year 7 to 10 students demonstrated great enthusiasm last week in two different competitions from the British Physics Olympiad. Completing the Olympiad in their Science lessons, Years 9 and 10 completed the Junior Challenge and Years 7 and 8 participated in the Year 7/8 Challenge. The BPhO runs a number of annual competitions to promote the study of physics and recognise excellence amongst young physicists, with the core aim of inspiring students to engage with the subject and pursue it further. The students tackled two 25-minute online quizzes, with the Junior Challenge designed to extend their abilities beyond the GCSE curriculum by rewarding broader knowledge and problem-solving skills, and the Year 7/8 Challenge focused on KS3 topics. Thanks goes to Miss Gamage for her coordination of this event, and to the Science teachers for their invaluable support. We look forward to sharing the results and celebrating our students' achievements in the coming weeks.
LGBTQ+ Awareness Staff Training
Following the recent INSET day's Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion training, we welcomed Mrs West and Dan, one of our Year 13 students, to provide staff training on Tuesday afternoon, on LGBTQ+ issues and how best to support students, however they identify. Many teachers would find it challenging to deliver an hour-long session to their peers, so Dan's confidence in an engaging and at times humorous delivery was particularly commendable. Dan was presented with a Gold Thumbs Up badge in recognition of his excellent contribution. This training also ensures staff are up-to-date on recent legal changes and best practices in supporting all our students.
Parent Survey
Thank you to everyone who completed the survey which has now closed. We’re analysing the feedback, and I’ll share the findings with you in a future letter. A separate survey will be shared in the coming days and Mr Henry with questions designed to capture specific feedback on pastoral matters, including behaviour and rewards, and attendance.
Uniform
Students and staff coped well with the very warm temperatures last week. It’s freezing this week, and it was good to see the vast majority of students smartly wearing their school uniform with ties and blazers, unless today is a PE kit day.
Your help is needed with students wearing trainers to school with their uniform. The number doing so has been increasing - please ensure your child wears black school shoes and not trainers. We would appreciate your support in ensuring that your child wears appropriate footwear. We understand that there can be various reasons for this, such as wet shoes, or the classic "couldn't find them in the morning" (yet the expensive branded trainers worn to school that morning were located without issue!). Other reasons include outgrown shoes, or the need to purchase new ones; we appreciate your efforts to manage these things as quickly as you can.
We would also value your support in checking that if your child wears a school skirt they are not rolling their skirt up. The skirt is available in several different lengths and if worn without rolling the skirt up, modesty is maintained when walking upstairs. We will challenge this appropriately in school, and your help in reinforcing this message at home is much appreciated.
Cottesloe Futures
Families & Learners Careers Evening
It was wonderful to welcome so many families to the ‘Families & Learners Careers Evening - Cottesloe Careers Pathway' event last week, supported by the Bucks Skills Hub and the ASK programme.
Here is the presentation for those of you who could not attend.
The ASK programme focuses on ensuring young people and their families have up-to-date information about apprenticeships. For more information and to sign up for online webinars about apprenticeships, click here: Webinars & Workshops - Amazing Apprenticeships - it’s never too early to start exploring career ideas. Thanks to Mrs Gunn for organising this opportunity.
Waddesdon Manor Internships
To help school-leavers develop skills and knowledge for their future careers, a number of organisations offer valuable opportunities and experiences, more than work experience but not a commitment to a two or three-year apprenticeship. Waddesdon Manor has a paid Internship Pathways Programme.
This programme offers ten different pathways and is open to students aged 18+. The application deadline is midnight on 20th June. While many of our current students may not yet be eligible, it's important to highlight these local opportunities that will be available to them upon completion of their school education, whether they choose to stay with us for sixth form or pursue a different path. More information about the Pathways Programme can be found here: Pathways Programme | Waddesdon Manor.
Sports Fixtures and Results
The summer fixture schedule is still pending, as PE departments county-wide are in the final stages of GCSE moderation. Today, The Cottesloe School hosted the PE moderation for our own students, and three other local schools. This important process brings together students to be assessed on their practical skills in their chosen sports by a visiting examiner. We were pleased to be able to offer our students the advantage of being on home turf for the second year running as the host school.
Vacancies
It’s the time of year where schools are advertising their vacancies in preparation for the new academic year in September. You will be aware that the ongoing teacher recruitment challenge presents a significant hurdle for schools nationwide. Attracting and retaining quality qualified educators is crucial for maintaining educational standards and ensuring the best possible outcomes for our students. If you know of any teachers thinking of moving schools, or completing their teacher training in the coming months, please ask them to consider joining us! We have vacancies for the following teaching positions:
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Head of Computing
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Teacher of Business and Economics
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Temporary Part-time Teacher of Ethics and Philosophy (maternity cover)
For more information see our website, Join Our Team, or the MyNewTerm website, where we advertise all of our job roles: The Cottesloe School, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire | Teaching Jobs & Education Jobs | MyNewTerm
Year 13
The A Level Art exam is on Friday this week. Good luck!
Year 11
Good luck for the written exams which begin this week. GCSE PE Moderation is taking place today - I hope it goes well for all PE students.
Year 8
The Battlefields Trip runs from Friday to Sunday. We hope students and staff have a safe and enjoyable trip.
Have a great week, and thank you for your ongoing support.
Best wishes,
Louise Baldwin
Head of School