Monday 2nd June | Head of School Letter
Welcome back to the final half-term of the academic year.
I hope you had a good time with friends and family over the bank holiday weekend, and during last week if you were able to take time off from your own work schedule.
Year 11 had a truly memorable 'last day' on Friday 23rd May. After completing their GCSE English Language Paper 1 exam in the morning, they enjoyed a wonderful afternoon with friends, signing shirts on the field, and sharing laughter and memories of their adventures over the past five years in an emotional Celebration Assembly. Thank you to Head of Year, Mr. Toon, for supporting them so positively throughout the last three years. While their GCSE exams are still continuing, this event provided a fantastic opportunity to acknowledge their incredible journey to this point in their education. It was particularly poignant to reflect on their start to secondary school in September 2020, a time when the world was still very much in the grips of the pandemic, making their initial secondary school experience vastly different to that of a typical year. They have all grown immensely, both physically – as the photos of them as Year 7s showed – and emotionally, developing into the remarkable young adults they are today. We are so proud of you, Year 11.
Although there are now seven and a bit weeks until the end of this academic year, the energy and activity at The Cottesloe School remains as vibrant as ever. This period is always a particularly busy and exciting time, filled with significant milestones for many of our students. The GCSE and A-Level examinations for our Year 11 and 13 students continue for another three weeks. Following this, they can eagerly anticipate celebrating the end of their exams with friends at the two Prom events planned for later this month.
Our Year 10s are diligently preparing for their enriching work experience placements in July, and more of our Year 9 students will be embracing the challenge of their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh's Award. Year 7s will soon experience their first formal parents' evening of secondary school. Looking ahead to the end of June, Year 8 and 9 students can anticipate discovering their chosen subjects as part of the Year 9 Choices and KS4 Options processes, marking exciting steps in their academic journeys.
Brickstock
Last Sunday, the local music festival, Brickstock2025, held in Great Brickhill, saw three fantastic acts from The Cottesloe School take to the main stage! Our talented Performing Arts Choir, along with two brilliant bands, The 4 Seasons and The Cannisters, delivered incredible performances as the first acts in a packed musical lineup. Overseen by Miss Mayhew Mrs Pinto, it was wonderful to see so many parents there to support our students. Despite the overcast weather, the event was a great success. It’s particularly inspiring to see how the two bands have grown since their beginnings in the Performing Arts extracurricular 'Bandjam' sessions. Their dedication and talent truly shone through!
Boulevard Unplugged
The Cannisters took on another gig over the holidays, playing Boulevard Unplugged last Thursday. This exciting event offers local talent a fantastic opportunity to showcase their skills live on air via Horizon Radio, from the brand-new bandstand in the recently refurbished Boulevard food court of Midsummer Place in Milton Keynes. Horizon Radio described the band as a ‘talented six-piece indie-rock band that continues to impress audiences with their raw, melodic sound and fresh, fearless music’. Congratulations to Reuben, Nathaniel, Fergus, Ted, Isaac and Bailey. It's fantastic to see our students gaining such valuable experience on diverse stages!
3G pitch update
If you used the coach park this morning to drop off your child, you’ll have noticed new fencing around the 3G pitch compound. This is to ensure deliveries can be made safely during school hours, as things are starting to get more exciting now the majority of the earth moving has been completed. We anticipate a smooth afternoon departure for buses and cars, but please be patient if the new set-up means cars need to come onto the school site more slowly.
Bucks Brighter Futures Together Opportunity
The Brighter Futures team are looking for students aged between 13–17 who live or go to school/college in Buckinghamshire to become Young Mental Health Champions, to help influence how new local NHS mental health services are designed. For more information on how to sign up see here: Bucks Young Mental Health Champions
MCAS App
If you’ve not yet signed up to the new App, please do so in order that you don’t miss out on key information about your child as we’re now starting to use MCAS for communication about trips and clubs in addition to its current functions for achievement and behaviour, and attendance reporting.
Every parent and carer with parental responsibility for a student at The Cottesloe School has an MCAS account. If you're unsure of your login details, simply use the Reset Password link to request a new password, which will be sent to your registered email address. You will need the app to pay for the end of term Year 7/8/9 STEAM trips. If you have not yet downloaded the app, instructions can be found here: https://www.cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk/parent-hub/my-child-at-school-app
Bucks Skills Confident Futures Skills Show
The Confident Futures Skill Show supports students with SEND and other barriers to explore career pathways and next steps. It takes place during the day for school visits on Tuesday 10th of June at the Stoke Mandeville Stadium and also offers a twilight session from 3.30–5.30pm for SEND families, jobseekers and career changers. This is a great opportunity for students, especially those in Years 10 and 12 to explore next steps in a sensory-friendly environment ahead of their transition. It is also good for younger students to explore careers prior to year 9 annual reviews or Year 8 options selection.
Employers and specialist next steps providers will be present to discuss various pathways. There will also be talks for students about Supported Internships.
If you would like to attend: BOOK NOW
https://bucksskillshub.org/events/confident-futures-skills-show-2025?
Buckinghamshire Adult Learning
FREE courses and workshops for parents and carers of children at secondary school in Buckinghamshire.
Sports Fixtures and Results
Before half-term, our students showcased incredible teamwork and athletic prowess at the Bucks County triathlon competition held at Stoke Mandeville Stadium! Teams of six worked together to complete an adapted triathlon course, where each member had to swim at least 50m, and cycle and run for set times, allowing them to play to individual strengths. The swim section involved covering the furthest distance in 8 minutes, the bike section for 16 minutes, and the run section saw each person completing 200m before handing over to the next team member, running for a total of 16 minutes. We are absolutely thrilled to announce that our Year 9-10 Girls team, comprising Olive, Flo, Olivia, Sophie, Isla, and Eloise, are now County Tri Champions! Furthermore, our Year 7 & 8 boys, Year 7 & 8 girls, and Year 9 & 10 boys teams achieved fantastic results, being the first non-selective schools to place in their respective competitions. Mrs. Kinloch shared how amazingly well all teams competed, a true testament to their dedication.
Fixtures planned for this week include U15s cricket against John Colet, Years 7 and 8, and 9 and 10 Rounders against Waddesdon, and a Year 10 Rounders Tournament at AHS.
Year 9 Good luck to the next group of Bronze DofE students undertaking their expedition this week.
Have a great week. Thank you very much for your ongoing support.
Best wishes,
Louise Baldwin
Head of School