Monday 13th July | Head of School Letter
Welcome to the penultimate week of the academic year!
Warm Weather
A reminder that it’s still PE kits for this week and for the last three days of term next week. After the very high temperatures of the last few weeks, we’ll welcome wearing school uniform again in the cooler weather in September.
Timetable and teaching group changes
As we prepare for the new academic year, we're carefully reviewing teaching groups for students in Years 7–11. Each year, we make thoughtful adjustments based on student ability and cohort dynamics, always aiming to place every student in the optimal group for effective learning and excellent progress. This means that at the start of the new academic year, students may find themselves with different classmates. Please be assured these decisions are always made with your child's best interests at heart. We understand that adjusting to new groupings can sometimes be difficult, especially as group sizes and timetables are meticulously coordinated. To provide ongoing stability across a student’s Cottesloe journey, tutor groups remain consistent, and wherever possible, the same teacher will stay with their tutor group from Year 7 to 11. We are confident that even if students aren't with all their previous friends, they will form new friendships and be able to focus fully on their learning in their new classes. Our staff work hard to support students in settling into their new groups to thrive.
Year 6 into Year 7 Transition
Last week, we had the absolute pleasure of welcoming 216 Year 6 students to The Cottesloe School for their two-day transition experience. It was a fantastic, high-energy introduction to secondary school life, and our incoming cohort fully embraced the adventure. During their time with us, the students focused on building new connections by meeting their form tutors and starting to form friendships within their future tutor groups. They also got a genuine taste of the school day, attending their first official cohort assembly with myself and Mr. Fox, touring the site to find their bearings, and diving into a vibrant range of secondary lessons including English, Maths, Science, PE, French, D&T, Society and Religion, Geography, Art, and History. We wrapped up the second afternoon by inviting parents and carers on-site for our 'Meet the Tutor' session, which was a wonderful opportunity to begin to build school-home partnerships.
These days are incredibly important for shaking off those pre-secondary nerves. We were thrilled to see the students leave feeling confident, excited, and ready for September. They’ve taken their very first steps on their Cottesloe journey, and we are looking forward to them joining us as Year 7 after the summer break.
New Staff
On Wednesday, we were delighted to welcome our new teachers who will be officially joining the Cottesloe teaching team this September. They spent the day getting to know the school during our induction event, and they are already raring to go. I look forward to formally introducing our new colleagues to you in September's first Head of School letter.
Tutor groups 2026-2027
We’ve published the tutor groups for the new academic year - please click on this link: Tutor Groups 2026-2027 or see the pdf attached.
Farewell to colleagues
We will be saying goodbye to several colleagues next week, whose hard work and commitment have made a real difference to our school. We are incredibly grateful for their contributions and wish them all the very best.
Mrs Webber
Mrs Webber is retiring after an amazing 30 years of service as a teacher at The Cottesloe School. We wish her a wonderful retirement that will be as full as her career has been! She’s planning on doing a lot more reading, and will still be involved in education and teaching English albeit not in a traditional school setting.
Miss Goddard
Having joined us in 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, Miss Goddard is leaving to be Head of MFL at another school. We wish her the very best for the future.
Miss Felton
Since joining our PE team in 2009. Miss Felton has consistently made a significant and positive contribution to our school community, providing invaluable support to all our students with sport. She is taking on a promoted post as Director of Sport at a school closer to home. We wish her every success in this new role.
Mrs Kokuti
Mrs Kokuti has been instrumental in the success of both Psychology and EPQ at KS5 since 2008. She is taking well-deserved retirement. She will be greatly missed by both staff and students. We wish her all the very best for her new chapter.
District Athletics
Unfortunately, due to the very hot weather, this event had to be cancelled.
Summer Sports: Tutor Group Activity Mornings
Following the massive success of last year’s event, we are thrilled to bring back our Tutor Group Activity Mornings! Originally born out of necessity during the 3G pitch construction, this competition proved to be a fantastic way to ensure the competitive spirit of summer sport includes all students, not just our athletics track stars. During these mornings, tutor groups will go head-to-head in a variety of sporting activities. Points earned here will be added to last month’s Sports Day totals to determine who walks away with the coveted Sports Day Cup! We can't wait to see some brilliant teamwork and sporting talent on display.
World Challenge - Peru
Good luck and safe travels to the students who left TCS on Friday, heading to Peru with Miss Gamage, Mr Curtis, Mrs Hutley and Mr Waite. We hope they have a brilliant time; we’re looking forward to hearing all about the adventures when they get back.
Supporting Our Families This Summer: Great British Summer Savings
As we head into the summer holidays, we know that keeping children entertained while managing household budgets can be a challenging balancing act. With costs building up over the break, I wanted to share details of a new national initiative designed to help lower the cost of family activities and days out.
From 25th June to 1st September 2026, the Great British Summer Savings scheme is temporarily cutting VAT from 20% to 5% on a variety of family essentials and outings. This discount applies to:
- Children’s meals in participating restaurants.
- Family tickets for cinemas, theatres, concerts, and exhibitions.
- Admission fees for a wide range of cultural, educational, and recreational attractions.
Additionally, throughout the month of August, there will be free bus travel across England for children aged 5 to 15, making it easier and more affordable to plan travel outside the classroom. To help you find participating venues and discounts right on our doorstep, a handy postcode lookup tool has been launched. You can find local savings by visiting https://summersavings.gov.uk. We hope this information helps your family enjoy some wonderful, enriching experiences together over the break!
Events at School this week
It’s a Curriculum Week 2. Assemblies this week are being taken by Mr Brockwell and will explore Wildlife Photography.
Monday 13th July:
- Year 10 Work Experience begins
- Year 9 Spoken Language English Assessments (All day)
- Year 7 Activity Morning (Period 1 – 3)
- Reading Assessments for 7yEn1 – 7yEn5 (Period 4)
- After School Detention (3pm – 4pm)
Tuesday 14th July:
- Year 9 Spoken Language English Assessments (All day)
- Year 8 Activity Morning (Period 1 – 3)
- Buckinghamshire Music Festival (12.15pm – 4.30pm)
- Young Carers Workshop (1.30pm – 3pm)
Wednesday 15th July:
- Year 9 Activity Morning (Period 1 – 3)
- Year 7 History Walks (Periods 1 & 2, 4 & 5)
- Enhanced Transition (1.30pm - 3pm)
- After School Detention (3pm – 4pm)
Thursday 16th July:
- Year 9 Play Performance Rehearsal (All day)
- Year 7 History Walks (Periods 1 & 2, 4 & 5)
Friday 17th July:
-
Year 6 Uniform Sale in the Hall (3.30pm – 6pm)
Have a wonderful week, and thank you for your ongoing support of our school.
Best wishes,
Louise Baldwin
Head of School