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Monday 2nd March | Head of School Letter

Last week was a full-on week at The Cottesloe School, and I have been incredibly impressed by how our students have lived out our core values of Prepare, Aspire, and Succeed. Our Year 13 students showed great focus and resilience as they sat their mock exams, while our Year 12 students looked toward their future goals during an inspiring trip to the NEC for 'What University? Live'.

It was also a really important week for Year 11, who displayed great maturity during their mock results day on Thursday before engaging proactively with staff and parents during their Parents' Evening. We are really pleased with their mock results - they have worked super hard and are in a strong position to gain fantastic results in the summer. On Wednesday, we were delighted to launch the KS3 Year 9 Choices process. It was wonderful to see our Year 8 students and their families beginning to aspire to their future pathways during the presentation in the school hall. These events highlight the commitment of our students to their personal and academic growth. We also wish all our families celebrating Purim or Holi this week a wonderful time.

Welcome to our new Year 7 cohort for September 2026!

Today is National Offer Day, a milestone moment for Year 6 students and their families across the country, and we are absolutely delighted to officially welcome our new cohort joining The Cottesloe School in September 2026! For some of you, this is a familiar process as younger siblings prepare to join their brothers or sisters already here. For others, you may be reading this newsletter for the very first time as you prepare to join the TCS family. Whether you are a returning family or joining us for the first time, we are incredibly excited to have you with us. We understand that the move to secondary school is a significant step, and we are very much looking forward to getting to know your child over the coming months. Our transition programme will begin shortly, and we will be in touch soon with more information regarding the transition process. 

national offer

Safeguarding Newsletter - February 2026

The latest edition of our Safeguarding Newsletter is now live and can be accessed here: February 2026 Safeguarding Newsletter. This month’s edition includes a very important warning regarding dangerous social media trends, specifically a breath-holding challenge currently circulating online. While these trends can appear as harmless challenges, they have been linked to serious injuries and fatalities globally. Tutors have been discussing these risks with students in form time, and we strongly encourage you to continue these conversations at home. Also in this month’s issue:

  • Digital Resilience: Expert tips on raising teenagers who can navigate the complexities and uncertainties of life online.
  • App Guides: What parents need to know about the Lemon8 app and a handy guide to the most popular games and apps of 2026.
  • Keeping children safe online: Google’s parental controls and the new PlayStation Family App.
  • Gender Research: Understanding the different ways boys and girls experience the digital world.

Keeping our young people safe in an ever-changing digital landscape is a shared priority. Please read the Safeguarding newsletter and explore the resources provided. As always, if you have any concerns, please contact a member of the Safeguarding Team - contact details are here: The Cottesloe School - Safeguarding or use the Share A Concern link via the website: Share a Concern 

Raising Concerns and working together

At The Cottesloe School, we want every family to have a positive experience. While we strive for the best, we know there may be times when you have questions or concerns or where we might fall short. To support productive conversations, we recommend this Parent Guide to School Complaints written by Parentkind, Ofsted, and the DfE. It’s a great resource for understanding how to raise matters constructively. To learn how we manage concerns and complaints at TCS, please see below:  

If you have a concern, please speak with your child’s Subject Teacher or Form Tutor; a quick conversation is almost always the fastest way to a solution. While our Governors are incredibly supportive, we kindly ask that you do not approach them with individual concerns, as they are unable to act on a personal basis. By following these steps, you help us ensure that your feedback reaches the right person quickly. 

Sports Report

Bedfordshire County Swimming Championships

Last week’s celebration omitted two names: Congratulations to Jessica W and Jasmine W who both swam at the County Championships and achieved PBs in all their events. This is a fantastic result for both girls and an achievement they should be very proud of.  

National Cross Country

We are incredibly proud of Poppy M (Year 8), who travelled to Sedgefield during the half-term break to compete in the 2026 Saucony English National Cross Country Championships. Representing Bedford & County AC, Poppy tackled a 3.1km course against 250 of the best runners in the country. She delivered an outstanding performance, finishing in 40th position with a time of 12:08. This result is fantastic preparation for the English Schools Championships in Liverpool on 14th March, where Poppy has qualified to represent The Cottesloe School, along with Olive G, as part of the Buckinghamshire County team. This is a brilliant example of Poppy's dedication to Prepare, Aspire, and Succeed at a national level. Good luck! 

School Sport It has been a brilliant, high-scoring week across the board for our teams, with some fantastic individual and team performances.

Football

Our football teams have been in clinical form. The Year 11 side secured two impressive wins this week: a dominant 9-3 victory against STFMS on Monday, followed by a 5-3 win against RL on Wednesday, where Henry O was Player of the Match. The U14s also enjoyed success against RL, finishing with a convincing 5-1 win.

In the Sisters in Sport competition, the U13 Girls travelled to Coventry on Tuesday. Delivering a masterclass by winning 7-0, Eve N was Player of the Match for her hat-trick.

Netball

The Year 9 netballers faced a tough away fixture at Waddesdon on Thursday. In a fast-paced game, the girls stayed composed to secure a 23-17 win. Lydia A was awarded Player of the Match for her excellent contribution.

Badminton

Wednesday saw a mixed bag of results against SHFGS for our Year 11 team. Our girls' pairings performed brilliantly to win their matches overall, while the boys faced very tough opposition and unfortunately lost their sets.

Basketball

The Year 11 basketball team hosted RGSHW on Monday. Due to the opposition arriving late, the match unfortunately had to be abandoned before a full game could be played. Despite the frustration of the late start, the team handled the situation with great sportsmanship.

Events happening at school this week

  • All Week: Year 12 and 13 Mock Exams. Good luck to all our students! 
  • Monday 2nd March: Year 7 NHS Careers assembly, After School Detention, Year 10B Netball vs SHFGS (Away), U13 Girls Football vs John Colet (Home), and Year 7B Football vs Waddesdon (Away).
  • Tuesday 3rd March: Year 8 NHS Careers assembly, Bucks Youth Orchestra Trip, and U13 & U15 Badminton vs John Colet (Home).
  • Wednesday 4th March: Year 9 Bucks Skills Show Prep assembly, GCSE Drama Performance Exam, After School Detention, Year 11 Badminton vs John Colet (Home), and Year 7A & B Netball vs SHFGS (Away).
  • Thursday 5th March: Year 10 Careers assembly, KS4 German Cologne Trip departure, Bucks Skills Show Trip, Astronaut Talk, U13 & U15 Badminton vs Princes Risborough (Away), U15 Girls Football vs Mandeville (Home), and Year 11 Basketball vs AVA (Away).
  • Friday 6th March: Year 11 Careers assembly. 

Have a super week, and thank you for your support. 

Best wishes,

Louise Baldwin

Head of School

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