Monday 15th June | Head of School Letter
It rained an awful lot last week! Thank you to all our students - and staff on duty - for coping so well with the wet weather, which certainly threw some challenges our way during break times, lunchtimes, and for Years 11 and 13 as they signed out after their exams. Fortunately, the forecast for this week looks much warmer and drier - although not this morning! We are particularly looking forward to Thursday evening this week, when we will celebrate the end of the exam season with the Year 11 Prom. Mrs Woodburn has planned an incredible night for the students, and we cannot wait to see them looking fantastic in their prom dresses and suits. Elsewhere, we wish the very best of luck to our Warhammer Team as they head off to Warhammer World tomorrow. Wednesday marks our annual Sports Day - good luck to all the athletes taking part! It promises to be a highly competitive day, and we look forward to seeing which tutor group triumphs to become this year's champions.
Exam Season
The end of the exam season is now firmly in sight, with the final whole cohort GCSE exam taking place this morning and the remaining A-Level exams finishing next Monday. It seems a long time ago since our Year 11 linguists kicked off the summer series with their MFL speaking exams back in April. We are incredibly proud of every student who has taken a public exam this summer, including our Year 10s completing their GCSE Statistics and our Year 12 students sitting modular exams for vocational courses. An operation of this scale requires an enormous amount of organisation. We extend our sincere thanks to our superb team of invigilators for ensuring all sessions ran smoothly and strictly in line with JCQ regulations to maintain exam integrity. Our gratitude also goes to Mr Passaro for coordinating the revision rooms and supporting our exam masterclasses, and finally to our brilliant Exams Officer, Miss Hall, for her exceptional oversight throughout the entire exam season. We wish the very best to all our students, including those for whom this marks one of their final moments as a Cottesloe student. To every student who is finishing their exams – whether you are returning to us in September or moving on to new chapters – have a wonderful, safe summer break, and we look forward to seeing you in August to share your exam result success! Whatever your next steps, we know you will continue to Prepare, Aspire and Succeed.
Buckinghamshire School Awards 2026: TEAM Hub Reaches the Finals!
We are absolutely thrilled to share some wonderful news that we received this week. Following a nomination submitted earlier in the Spring term, our fantastic colleagues who work in TEAM Hub - Miss Phillips, Miss Coyne, along with our Deputy DSL, Mrs West - have successfully advanced through two rounds of rigorous judging to reach the finals of the Buckinghamshire School Awards 2026! They are one of just three finalists selected across the entire county in the Health & Wellbeing Award category. With over 150 high-quality nominations submitted from across Buckinghamshire this year, reaching the final is an outstanding achievement. It is a well-deserved recognition of the incredible dedication, passion, and care this team provides to our school community every single day. The team has been invited to be celebrated alongside the county's top educators and support staff at the official awards ceremony on Thursday 9th July in Wycombe, where the overall winners will be announced. Please join us in sending the warmest congratulations and the very best of luck to Miss Phillips, Miss Coyne, and Mrs West!
Celebrating Creativity at Brooklands Middle School Art Exhibition
This week we are celebrating the incredible creativity of our Year 7 and 8 artists at the Brooklands Middle School Art Exhibition! We are immensely proud that some truly amazing artwork created by our talented Year 7 and Year 8 students will be on public display. This fantastic community event brings together the work of students from 16 different schools across Leighton Buzzard (and Wing!), showcasing a diverse and inspiring range of local talent. It is a wonderful opportunity to support our students, be inspired by their talents, and experience the gallery first-hand. The exhibition takes place on Tuesday 23rd June from 4pm to 6pm at Brooklands Middle School, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 3PF.
Year 8 Drama Trip to Operation Mincemeat
Last week, Year 8 Drama students travelled to Milton Keynes for a fantastic theatre trip to see the brilliant musical Operation Mincemeat. It was an absolute privilege to accompany this group, all of whom have opted to continue with Drama as one of their Choices subjects next year. As ever, our students were incredibly well-behaved throughout the evening and were a credit to both the school and their families. The show itself was absolutely wonderful. Based on the extraordinary true story of a secret WWII plot to fool Hitler and the Nazis, the production features a stellar ensemble cast of just five actors playing multiple parts. The performance was exceptionally sharp, utilising clever props, quick costume changes, and inventive lighting to make it incredibly clear and engaging - it is highly recommended if you ever get the chance to see it! A huge thank you goes to our fantastic Performing Arts team - Miss Mayhew, Mrs Pinto, and Mrs Holmes - for organising and offering these wonderful experiences to our students, and to Mr Perkins for accompanying the trip.
Options and Choices Allocations
As we finalise the curriculum and timetable for the upcoming academic year, the KS4 Options and Year 9 Choices letters will be sent home early next week. These communications will confirm the subject allocations for our Year 8 and Year 9 students for September, marking an important step forward as they prepare for their next stage of study.
Thank a Teacher Day
A reminder that it’s National Thank a Teacher Day this Wednesday so it’s not too late for you or your child to recognise a member of staff who has made a difference - it includes all colleagues, not just the teachers. Our school thrives thanks to the incredible dedication of every single member of our team. From the teachers guiding learning in the classroom to the support staff who keep everything running smoothly behind the scenes, they truly go above and beyond to help our students succeed. If you’d like to send a thank you to a special teacher, a dedicated support staff member, or school department/team that deserves a shout-out, you can tell them via this link: National Thank A Teacher Day.
Sports Results
Our fixtures were cancelled for another week due to the weather. However, the Bucks Schools AA Track & Field Championships did go ahead on Saturday at Stantonbury Campus in Milton Keynes. Our athletes performed exceptionally well against strong competition from across the county, achieving outstanding individual results, including two county titles.
- Poppy M (Junior Girls 800m) – 1st Place and County Champion
- Josh I (Inter Boys 3000m) – 1st Place and County Champion
- Olive G (Inter Girls 800m) – 3rd Place
- Freya I (Junior Girls 800m) – 10th Place
To compete at a county championship is a significant achievement in itself, and to return with two titles and further top-ten finishes is a testament to the dedication, hard work, and sportsmanship of these students. Congratulations to all of them; they have represented the school brilliantly, and we are very proud of their success!
Year 10 Work Experience
Work Experience is 20 school days away! Year 10 will have a Work Experience Preparation assembly this week. Please contact Mr Clawson if you have any questions via email: sclawson@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk.
Youth Volunteering Panel: Shape the Future of BBOWT
We are excited to share a fantastic opportunity from the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) for young people aged 16–21. BBOWT has just launched its brand-new Youth Volunteering Panel, a brilliant initiative designed to give young people a powerful platform to have their voices heard and directly shape the future of environmental volunteering across our region. This may be of particular interest to our current Year 11 students taking A-Level Environmental Science in September. Joining the panel is an exceptional way to get a head start on key themes of the course, collaborate with like-minded peers, and gain invaluable, real-world conservation experience that will beautifully complement their future studies and university or career applications. If you know a student who would be a great fit for this panel, please encourage them to take a look and apply directly via the BBOWT Application Link.
Events at School this week It’s a Week 2.
Monday 15th June:
- Year 7 Careers Assembly
- Sports Leaders Primary Cricket Festival (All day | Cublington)
- After School Detention (3:00pm – 4:00pm)
- U12 Cricket vs Royal Latin (3:15pm – 5:00pm | Buckingham)
Tuesday 16th June:
- Year 8 Careers Assembly
- Warhammer World Trip (8:30am – 6:00pm | Nottingham)
- Year 10 Art Mock Exam (All day)
- U13 Cricket vs John Colet (3:15pm – 5:30pm | Cublington)
- Year 9 & 10 Athletics (3:15pm – 6:00pm | AHS)
Wednesday 17th June:
- Year 9 Careers Assembly
- Sports Day (All day)
- After School Detention (3:00pm – 4:00pm)
Thursday 18th June:
- Year 10 Assembly – Work Experience Prep
- Year 11 Prom
Friday 19th June:
-
Year 12 Mock Exams begin
Have a great week, whatever you have planned. Thank you for your ongoing support for our super school.
Best wishes,
Louise Baldwin
Head of School