Monday 20th April | Head of School Letter
In Japan, the word sakura (桜) translates to cherry blossoms and is believed to originate from the word saku (咲), which simply means to bloom. In Japanese culture, these beautiful flowers are deeply symbolic, representing spring, renewal, hope, and the fleeting nature of life due to their brief but spectacular blooming period. Each spring is marked by these sakura bursting to life, with people gathering for hanami (flower-viewing parties) to appreciate their delicate beauty. The anticipation is so great that Japanese media features dedicated blossom watch weather reports as people eagerly wait for them to flower!
I’ve been reminded of this throughout the week as I’ve walked past the three magnificent cherry blossom trees situated in the middle of our school site. For a very short period each spring, these trees burst into life and look truly incredible. Not only do they bring a vibrant splash of colour to the site, but they also serve as a reminder of the season of growth and hope we are in. Like the sakura, our students are constantly growing, developing, and finding their own moments to bloom.
The sakura also reminds us of how quickly time passes. It is with this sense of renewal - and an awareness of how fleeting the school year can be - that Mr Jones, Mr Fox, and I spoke to the students during assemblies last week. We encouraged them to use this time to reset and refocus on this final third of the academic year. We want them to fully embrace everything on offer, to take the opportunities presented to them, and to challenge themselves to be their absolute best. We asked them to reflect on our core values of Prepare, Aspire, Succeed and to apply them every day. By working hard to finish this academic year well, they are ensuring they will be thoroughly prepared and ready to hit the ground running for the next one.
Wearing PE kit to school during the summer exam season 2026
A reminder that students wearing PE kits for the exam season starts from today. Here’s the letter that went out before the Easter break: We want all our students taking KS4 and KS5 exams to have the very best experience during the exam period. To ensure this can happen, we will be closing the PE changing rooms located by the gym/canteen. They are very close to the rooms used for public exams and students getting changed and moving to their PE lessons creates distracting noise for candidates completing their exams nearby. From Monday 20th April until the end of the Year 12 mock exams in July, if students are timetabled to have Athletics as part of their PE lessons, and would get changed at the old gym changing rooms, they should come to school dressed in their PE kit. PE teachers will confirm with their groups which days are athletics lesson days, and therefore, which days PE kit should be worn to school.
Do you have Athletics today?
- Wear your full TCS PE kit to school in the morning
- Bring a spare pair of socks and shoes to change into in case the grass is wet (and bag for the wet shoes). You can bring a spare top for hygiene reasons.
- Go to the Sports Hub for your lesson.
Do you have Cricket or Tennis today?
- Wear normal school uniform to school in the morning
- Bring your PE kit to change into in the Sports Hub changing rooms as usual
When students are coming into school wearing PE kit, it must be their specific school PE kit. No other sports kit/item of clothing is permitted. The website has more details about PE kit requirements: TCS Uniform and Equipment If students wish to wear an additional layer over or under their PE top, they can wear their TCS rugby shirt, TCS fleece or a thermal 'skin' top, or they may wear their usual school blazer and/or school coat over the top of their PE top. If they wear their coat, they will be expected to remove it during classroom-based lessons. No other tops are permitted. Hoodies or other non-TCS PE kit items of clothing must not be worn.
Summer Term Extracurricular Clubs
Our lunchtime and after-school club programme for the Summer Term is officially open! Whether your child is looking to learn a new skill, get active, or simply have fun with friends outside regular lessons, our extracurricular programme is the perfect way to make the most of the summer term. There really is something for everyone to get involved in. You can view the full, exciting list of available clubs on our website: Lunch & After-School Clubs. All sign-ups are managed quickly and easily through the MCAS app. A huge thank you to all of our staff members who generously volunteer their own time to plan, organise, and run these fantastic enrichment opportunities for our students. We couldn't offer such a vibrant programme without them!
Research Opportunity for young people to have their say on neurodiversity
We are sharing an opportunity for our neurodivergent students to take part in a research project being led by Victoria Clarke, a trainee educational psychologist with Buckinghamshire Educational Psychology Service, who is undertaking a thesis as part of her Doctorate in Educational Psychology at the University of Southampton. Her study focuses on neurodiversity and young people’s experiences at secondary school. Victoria, who is neurodivergent herself, is passionate about ensuring young people's voices are heard. The project aims to explore:
- What neurodivergent young people would like their neurotypical peers to know about neurodiversity.
- How secondary schools can use this knowledge to foster acceptance, understanding, and neuro-affirming practices, helping all students feel included at school.
Victoria is looking to speak with students who are currently in mainstream secondary school or college and have a formal diagnosis or self-identify as neurodivergent. As a thank you, participants will be given a £20 Love2Shop card. A Participant Information Sheet and a poster with further details have been attached alongside this week's Head of School letter to help you and your child decide if they would like to take part. If your child is interested in participating, or if you have any questions, please contact Victoria directly at v.j.clarke@soton.ac.uk
Sparx Maths
We are incredibly proud of the dedication and hard work our students continue to show towards their independent maths learning.
- 1 272 145 questions answered correctly!
- 14 444 hours of personalised Maths learning completed so far this year.
- 282 students have successfully improved their timetables.
A special shout-out to the following classes for their outstanding homework completion rates this week. Excellent effort from everyone involved:
- 9YZ/Ma1: 96% completion
- 7y/Ma1: 94% completion
- 8Y/Ma1: 91% completion
- 10Y/Ma1: 85% completion
- 11wy/Ma6: 71% completion
NHS Text Support Service for Parents and Carers
The Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust School Nursing Team has asked us to share details of a new service they are launching. Introducing ParentCarerChat, a brand-new text-based support service for parents and carers of school-aged children across Buckinghamshire. This service allows you to text a qualified member of the School Nursing Team for confidential advice on supporting your child's health and wellbeing. The team can help with a wide range of common childhood concerns, including:
- Behaviour management and emotional health
- Wellbeing and general development
- Healthy eating
- Sleep and toileting
- Puberty-related questions
ParentCarerChat is not an AI service; every message is responded to directly by a skilled and experienced professional from the School Nursing Team who uses their knowledge to support families appropriately. You can message our local school nursing team by texting 07312 263 175.
Best Start Family Hub
The Elmhurst Centre has recently become the very first Best Start Family Hub in Buckinghamshire! This is a fantastic community resource designed to offer joined-up early years support to help local children and families thrive. To ensure the hub meets the needs of the community, the team is eager to hear directly from you. They are asking parents and carers to share their ideas on what they would most like to see at the centre and how it should be developed moving forward. To gather your feedback, they are hosting a special drop-in event on Wednesday 29th April, between 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm at the Best Start Family Hub Elmhurst, Dunsham Lane, Aylesbury, HP20 2DB. All families and children are warmly welcomed, drop in at any point during the afternoon to meet the team, take a look around the hub, and share your thoughts. To read more about the brilliant work being done by the Best Start Hubs, please click here.
Easyfundraising New In-Store Donations
A reminder that there is a fantastic way to support The Cottesloe School without it costing you a penny extra. Through the easyfundraising app, you can now raise donations for our school by using your normal debit or credit card at your favourite high street shops, cafes, and restaurants. Participating retailers pay the donation directly to us – a simple way to help boost our school community's funds during your normal weekly shop or when grabbing a quick coffee. How to set it up:
- Open the easyfundraising app and select the In-store option.
- Link your payment card by clicking the Add a card button.
- Shop as normal! When you pay with your linked card at participating stores such as Tesco, M&S, or Costa, a donation is automatically sent to The Cottesloe School.
Easyfundraising cannot see your full card number or access your funds; the secure, encrypted system simply recognises when the card is used at a partner retailer so that they can process the donation for us. Every single donation, no matter how small, helps us provide better resources and facilities for our students. By taking just a minute to link your card, you can turn your everyday spending into valuable, ongoing support for our school. Further information is available here: The Cottesloe School Easyfundraising Page Thank you, as always, for your continued support!
Sports Report
While we are currently compiling the full round-up of last week's fixture results, we have some absolutely fantastic news - our Under 15 girls’ football team has officially secured their place in the Sisters n Sport National Finals following a brilliant home victory against Hinchingbrooke School from Cambridgeshire. Huge congratulations to our talented Year 10 girls on this outstanding achievement. They will now join our U13 girls, meaning we proudly have two teams heading to the national finals! We will share the full match report, along with the rest of our sports results, in next week’s newsletter.
Vacancies We are currently advertising for a number of posts:
- Assistant Teacher / Learning Support Assistant (closing date: 21/04/2026)
- Science Technician (closing date 24/04/2026)
We would be grateful if you could share the adverts within your networks: Join Our Team
Events happening at school this week
GCSE German and French-speaking Exams
Bonne chance and Viel Glück to Year 11 students taking their speaking exams. Exams run from Monday to Friday.
Assemblies focus on Volunteering as it’s Volunteer Recognition Day on 20th April.
Monday 20th April
- MK Fortitude Trip to MK Dons (8:30 am – 12:00 pm)
- U13 Girls Football vs John Colet (Home, 3:15 pm)
Tuesday 21st April
- Year 7: Author Visit
- Year 12: Parents' Evening (Virtual, 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm)
- U13 & U15 Badminton vs John Colet (Home)
Wednesday 22nd April
- GCSE PE Moderation Day
- Design & Technology: Product Design NEA Workshop
- Year 9 Football League Final vs Lord Williams (Home)
Thursday 23rd April
- Sixth Form English Literature Talk
- Blood Brothers Theatre Trip to Wycombe (1:00 pm – 6:15 pm)
- Careers Café Session 4 in the Team Hub (3:30 pm – 5:00 pm)
Friday 24th April
-
Last day of MFL Speaking Exams
Have a wonderful week, and thank you for your ongoing support.
Best wishes,
Louise Baldwin
Head of School