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Head of School Letters

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  • Monday 5th October | Head of School Letter

    Published 05/10/26

    I hope everyone was able to enjoy the weather over the weekend—if forecasts are to be believed, it may well have been our last taste of summer before autumn sets in. Last week was another packed and productive one at TCS. We hosted two more successful Open Mornings for prospective families, while our Year 12s stepped up brilliantly for the Team Talk Challenge with Hidden Leaders. The whole school also completed both a Lockdown practice and a Fire Drill; both ran remarkably smoothly, and I commend students and staff for their calm, mature responses. Thank you to all the families who attended our online Tutor Meetings to discuss how students across all year groups (except Year 10 and 12) have settled in, as well as the wonderful turnout at the Year 10 Progress Evening appointments. It was fantastic to see families face-to-face as students begin their GCSE journey, helping focus their efforts and providing suggestions for next steps as they prepare for life beyond KS4. 

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  • Monday 28th September | Head of School Letter

    Published 28/09/26

    It has been another vibrant and action-packed week at school, with our students engaging in a wide variety of opportunities alongside classroom learning. From welcoming prospective families during our Open Mornings to celebrating creative talent at our Arts Award certificate presentation and waving off our Silver Duke of Edinburgh cohort on their expedition to Devon, the school has been buzzing!  

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  • Monday 21st September | Head of School Letter

    Published 21/09/26

    The third full week of the academic year is now underway, and the term continues to be filled with incredible energy and purpose. Our Year 7 students continue to impress with their seamless transition into secondary school life, while students across all year groups have shown a determined commitment to our core values: Prepare, Aspire, and Succeed.

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  • Monday 14th September | Head of School Letter

    Published 14/09/26

    We had a really positive week last week, with all year groups getting settled into the routine of school life. Our newest members of Team TCS, the Year 7s, have been especially impressive, adapting to secondary school life with great enthusiasm. The weather kept us on our toes last week, with sudden shifts from sun to torrential rain and back again. As a reminder, now is the perfect time to ensure your child has a warm winter coat that still fits them. With the school site being so exposed to the wind, and many children waiting at bus stops/walking to and from school, a proper coat is essential. Please remind your young person that coats must be worn over blazers. Hoodies or round neck jumpers are not part of the school uniform and should not be worn as a substitute.

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  • Monday 7th September 2026 | Head of School Letter

    Published 07/09/26

    Welcome to The Cottesloe School at the start of a new academic year!

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  • Monday 20th July | Head of School Letter

    Published 20/07/26

    We’ve nearly completed the academic year, and although it's a shorter week, learning is still happening. Tomorrow, our Rewards trips are heading off for some fun at Legoland, Thorpe Park, and Chessington, and for students in school, there’s an exciting activity day planned. Meanwhile, our Year 12 students will have a fantastic day of interviews and career support with a variety of people from a range of different professions, companies and organisations, designed to help prepare them for life beyond sixth form.

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  • Monday 13th July | Head of School Letter

    Published 13/07/26

    Welcome to the penultimate week of the academic year! 

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  • Monday 15th June | Head of School Letter

    Published 15/06/26

    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.

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  • Monday 18th May | Head of School Letter

    Published 18/05/26

    By this point in the academic year, the school heating is usually turned off until October. However, because it has been so cold this week, our exam students were really feeling the chill in the Hall and the Old Gym. Sitting still for several hours doesn’t generate much body heat, even with a jumper and blazer on. To ensure our students were fully prepared to focus entirely on their papers without distraction, we turned the heating back on. The weather looks to be warming up to more seasonal temperatures this week, so we hope to turn it off again soon. Despite the unseasonal cold, our students have shown immense resilience. A huge well done must go to our Year 11 and Year 13 students, who are now fully immersed in the main summer exam season and showing the high aspirations we encourage across all year groups. We also extend our praise to the Year 12 students taking Core Maths, Further Maths, and modular BTEC exams, all of whom are approaching their assessments with that same commendable drive to achieve their very best and succeed.

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  • Monday 11th May | Head of School Letter

    Published 11/05/26

    Last week was an incredible week at The Cottesloe School! 

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  • Tuesday 14th April | Head of School Letter

    Published 14/04/26

    Welcome back to the start of a new term!  It’s great to be back; we’re looking forward to another busy term. I hope you had a wonderful Easter break and enjoyed some well-deserved time away from work and school routines, connecting with family and friends, and doing the things you love most. I spent last Sunday on the south coast at the Brighton Marathon, running my 103rd marathon overall and my seventh as an official pacer. The weather created some challenges for all runners with strong winds along the coast – there was either a welcome tailwind, or a tough headwind to overcome. I was one of two six-hour-fifteen-minute pacers, and we absolutely smashed our target. As pacers, we have to cross the finish line within one minute under our goal time, so I was very proud to bring my group home in 6:14:21!

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  • Monday 23rd March | Head of School Letter

    Published 23/03/26

    Welcome to the final week of this short term! As we prepare to break for our Easter holiday this Friday, I want to reflect on a truly momentous few days for our school. As you know, Ofsted visited us last week for our first inspection since November 2021; I am beyond proud of our community. The new Ofsted framework has been in use since last November, and with anything new, it can be tricky to know if your interpretation of the guidance is correct and if you’ll do the school and the community justice. The six inspectors were incredibly impressed with our students' characters, noting how polite, respectful, and resilient they are, both in their learning and around the school site. Importantly, the inspection team saw exactly what I wrote to you about last week - the conduct and maturity that visitors praise is simply who our students are every single day. Thank you so much for the support, kindness, and understanding you, as families, showed us throughout last week.

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