Outstanding Achievements in Arts Award!

We are thrilled to celebrate the brilliant success of our students in their recent Arts Award moderations:

• Bronze Arts Award (Year 9): An incredible 66 students passed!
• Silver Arts Award (KS4): Six super committed and hardworking students passed!

Arts Award takes young people on a creative journey - exploring the arts, developing artistic potential, building leadership skills, and earning a nationally recognised qualification along the way. Whether exploring music, drama, art, or creative writing, the award fosters essential 21st-century skills, including creativity, communication, problem-solving, reflective thinking, and confidence. At TCS, we currently offer the Bronze Award in Year 9 and the Silver Award at Key Stage 4, and we are actively exploring how we can expand our offering to include the Gold Award at Key Stage 5. Huge congratulations to all 72 students on their achievement, and a massive thank you to Mrs Pinto for her leadership and coordination of the Arts Award at TCS. 

Social Media, Group Chats, and Online Safety

As a new school year begins, we want to remind families of some important considerations regarding social media and student group chats. While these platforms are often used in positive ways for staying in touch and helping with homework, they can also become overwhelming. We have advised our Year 7 students to be cautious with large group chats, where excessive notifications can cause distress and unnecessary pressure. This can also affect older children, so we encourage you to talk to your child about managing their group chats and to remind them to seek help from a trusted adult if an online space becomes problematic. 

To support these conversations at home, recent data published by the NSPCC highlights the main platforms young people mention when contacting Childline regarding online safety and abuse. The top five platforms reported over the past year were Snapchat (324 mentions), TikTok (234), Instagram (197), Discord (92), and WhatsApp (39). None of these app names will come as a surprise, but these figures are a helpful reminder of where our children spend time online and why open, regular dialogue about digital safety is so vital. We encourage parents to review privacy settings, discuss online boundaries, and ensure age-appropriate safety measures are active on your child's devices: Childnet: Group Chats Cheat Sheet

Student Voice: The Big Future Survey

At our school, we value student voice and encourage our young people to advocate for their futures. The Children’s Commissioner for England is currently seeking the views of young people across the country through a national survey called The Big Future. This is a great opportunity for our students to share their thoughts on what matters most to them and help shape policy at a national level. So far, fewer than ten students from our school have completed it, and we would love to see our school community strongly represented! We ask parents to encourage their children to have their say: The Big Future Survey 

Sparx Science Expectations and Results

Sparx independent learning is underway; a vital tool for embedding core scientific concepts and building strong study habits. Science tasks are set weekly directly on Sparx and linked on Google Classroom. To support students in Science, the Sparx expectations are:

• Minimum Expectation: 30 minutes of effort per week with 80%+ completion.
• Rewards and Accountability: Students who achieve 100% completion earn 1 AP. Students who do not meet minimum expectations receive 1 BP.

Years 10 to 13: Post-16 and Post-18 Intentions

A reminder for parents of students in Years 10 and 11 (Post-16 Intentions) and Years 12 and 13 (Post-18 Intentions): the deadline to record these on Unifrog is today 21st September. At the time of writing, we still had a number of outstanding submissions across these year groups, so please support your child in completing this. Full instructions can be found as an assignment on their Futures Google Classroom. If your child requires any help, please contact their Form Tutor or Mrs Gunn at careershub@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk.

Year 10 Progress Evening Wednesday 30th September (4pm to 7pm):  

As our Year 10 students continue their Key Stage 4 journey, ensuring they are secure and well-informed regarding their post-16 plans is a top priority.

We would like to invite every student, accompanied by their parent/carer, to attend an individual appointment with a senior member of staff. This is a vital opportunity to ensure your child has a concrete plan to support their next steps in education, training, or employment.

For students planning to study A-Levels or Level 2/3 courses, we will discuss subject options to ensure they align with their future career or university aspirations.

For students considering other paths or who are not sure of their intentions, we will use this time to discuss possible alternatives and guidance.

Event Details

• Date: Wednesday 30th September 2026
• Time: 4:00pm – 7:00pm
• Format: 10 minute face-to-face appointments

Full details will be sent to you this week.  

Sixth Form Open Evening - Monday 9th November 2026

If your child is in Year 11, we invite you to our Sixth Form Open Evening on Monday 9th November 2026. This is the perfect opportunity to see what makes our Sixth Form special. You will get to meet our dedicated teachers, hear from current students, tour our modern facilities, and learn about the academic and wellbeing support that underpins our students' success. Even if your child is undecided about their next steps, we encourage you to attend as the evening is designed to help your family make a well-informed decision about post-16 options. To help us manage numbers, please reserve your place for one of two sessions.

5pm Session Book Now

6pm Session Book Now

The Best UK universities 2027

The Guardian University Guide 2027 is live, and it is one of the most student-focused tools available for secondary and college students, and parents trying to help navigate the process. Unlike traditional rankings that heavily weight research reputation, The Guardian ranks institutions on what actually impacts student life and future careers: teaching quality, feedback, student spending, and post-graduation employment. How different year groups could use it: 

• Year 9: Look ahead at degree requirements to help guide GCSE option choices.
• Years 10 & 11: Explore degree subjects and check entry tariffs for post-16 planning.
• Year 12: Filter by subject to shortlist five balanced UCAS choices.
• Year 13: Compare career stats and feedback to finalise firm and insurance choices.

The University of Buckingham Open Day 10th October

Buckingham Open Day is holding an Open Day, and they’re inviting local families to attend. This event is a great way for you and your young person to get a firsthand look at university life by:

• Touring the campus and student accommodation.
• Gaining insight directly from current students and staff.
• Having their questions answered in person. 

For additional information and support about university, there’s lots to explore on our school website: Careers Hub - University