We are absolutely thrilled to finally be able to share some amazing sporting success! Due to an error in the processing of results, we have delayed sharing the success, but last week we received final confirmation of the medal places achieved by our school swim team at the English Schools Swimming Association (ESSA) Championships. Mr. Jones was delighted to present the students with their medals on Thursday morning.  

Swimmers participated for the first time ever in the East & South East qualifier Secondary Teams Relays Championships on 19th September (Boys and Mixed Relays) and 3rd October (Girls) in Watford.  Our Junior (Years 7/8) Mixed Relay teams delivered outstanding performances, bringing home both Gold and Silver medals:

• GOLD MEDALS: The Junior Mixed Freestyle team took First Place, earning gold for Cameron, Eleanor, Luke, and Lottie.

• SILVER MEDALS: The Junior Mixed Medley team secured Second Place, with brilliant swims from Cameron (Backstroke), Luke (Breaststroke), Lottie (Fly), and Sophie (Freestyle).

This debut performance is a fantastic result for our swimming team. The competition was a qualifying round for the ESSA National Secondary Schools Team Relay Championships. We're waiting to hear if our team's time ranks them in the top 10 fastest in the country to earn them an invitation to compete in the National Final.

Congratulations to all the swimmers who participated across both nights of competition – and to the parents who supported the evening event in Watford. We’re very proud of their achievements, and hope this is the first of many swimming successes representing the school!

3G Pitch Update

We are delighted to let you know that the construction work of our state-of-the-art 3G football pitch is now complete. The school has officially taken ownership, and we are rolling out plans to integrate this exceptional facility into our PE curriculum and expand our provision for local partner clubs. Staff and students are hugely excited about the high-quality training and playing experience this pitch will offer. We want it to benefit as many people within our school community and local community as possible; this means we all have to look after it really well. 

• Footwear: To ensure the longevity of the pitch, specific footwear is required. The PE department will be in contact with all parents shortly to confirm the exact PE kit and footwear requirements for each year group. There’s no need to purchase new boots until you’ve had this letter – different year groups will be using the pitch at different times across the year and we know feet grow!

• Fundraising and Donations: We have launched a campaign to purchase additional specialised equipment for the pitch and to accept the donation of pre-loved footwear. Your contribution will help ensure every student can participate fully. For further information click: 3G pitch equipment fundraising

We would like to thank the Football Foundation, Berks and Bucks FA and Buckinghamshire Council for their funding and support of this project.

Wear Yellow

Supporting World Mental Health Day A reminder that this coming Friday, we will be recognising World Mental Health Day by supporting YoungMinds, a leading UK charity dedicated to the mental health and emotional well-being of young people. Currently, more than one in four young people are struggling with a probable mental health condition, and many lack access to necessary support. We invite all students to participate in our 'Hello Yellow' day by wearing one item of yellow clothing along with their usual school uniform on 10th October. By raising awareness and funds, we send a powerful message to young people that they are not alone. A letter has been sent home about the bake sale and how to make donations via the MCAS app. 

Sparx Science

A Great Leap Forward: We have seen an outstanding commitment to Science independent learning this week! The overall completion rate has seen a massive jump, and our Year 7 students are leading the charge with an incredible 90% completion rate! Go Year 7! Here’s the breakdown of the on-time completion rates:

• Year 7: 90%
• Year 9: 72%
• Year 8: 70%
• Year 10: 60%
• Year 11: 50%

A massive well done goes to our top five classes who showed phenomenal dedication, with the Year 7s dominating the top spots:

1. 7y/Sc1: 100% (A perfect score!)
2. 7w/Sc1: 97%
3. 7w/Sc2: 97%
4. 7y/Sc2: 94%
5. 9wx/Sc1: 93%

A special mention to 9wx/Sc1 for being the only non-Year 7 class on the leaderboard - well done! Consistent, on-time completion equals increased scientific knowledge.

Sparx Maths

Our students continue to show incredible dedication to their maths learning, hitting new milestones! This week’s statistics are as follows:

• 148,038 questions answered correctly.
• 1,700 personalised learning hours completed.
• 554 students reached a new XP level.
• 80 students improved their times tables - fundamental for maths mastery.

The school's overall average completion rate sits at an excellent 82%! 

• Year 7: 93%
• Year 8: 86%
• Year 9: 81%
• Year 10: 78%
• Year 11: 68%

Congratulations to the following classes for achieving the highest on-time completion rates in their year groups:

• Year 7: 7w/Ma1 (Top class overall with 97% completion!)
• Year 8: 8w/Ma3
• Year 9: 9YZ/Ma1
• Year 10: 10w/Ma1
• Year 11: 11WY/Ma5

A huge well done also goes to 7y/Ma2 for achieving the Highest Average XP this week, showing a focus on challenging themselves and deepening their knowledge!

Sport Fixtures and Results

Despite a relatively quiet week on the fixture list, our athletes delivered performances filled with commitment and success! 

Netball

It was a fantastic turnout for our enthusiastic Year 7 netball players, who took part in their seeding tournament this week. We entered both A and B teams, and the girls performed brilliantly, gaining valuable court experience with a mixture of wins and hard-fought losses. The energy and enjoyment shown by the whole squad were excellent! Congratulations to our Players of the Match: Oakley (Yellow Team) and Kiera (Black Team)

Girls Football

Our U13 Girls Football team secured a crucial victory in their District League game against RLS, winning the tough fixture 1-0! The team worked tirelessly to keep their opponents at bay, but the standout performance belonged to the Player of the Match, Rose. Rose was a rock throughout the game, ensuring the team secured the clean sheet. Her dedication and fantastic form were capped off by a spectacular save during the match—a moment where she celebrated with the passion of a World Cup winner!

Congratulations to all our players across both the netball and football squads for representing the school so well this week! We are super proud of your efforts. This week we’ve got County Cup football, rugby and netball taking place home and away.

Careers Support for families from Unifrog

Apprenticeships are on the rise for school leavers with 23% of all apprenticeships started in the UK in 2024 by young people under 19 years.  Sign up to this webinar on Wednesday 8th October at 5:30pm to find out about all things apprenticeships, degree apprenticeships, and how to support applications. You’ll have the opportunity to get all your questions answered so you can better understand your child’s next steps to an apprenticeship.

Talking about career choices with your young person doesn’t have to be tricky. Unifrog's free new resource will help you to explore what interests your child, the careers they want to learn more about, and what they can do to turn their ideas into a reality.  It also provides practical next steps – like using Unifrog tools or speaking with their career adviser – to make your conversations constructive.

Can you help the Friends of The Cottesloe School through a fantastic, cost-free initiative called easyfundraising? Time and budgets are tight, which is why this platform is so valuable. Every time you shop online, over 7,000 shops and sites (including major retailers for clothes, groceries, insurance, and holidays) will donate a small percentage of your spend to the school, at absolutely no extra cost to you. You raise funds for the school simply by buying what you were going to buy anyway. To sign up or find out more, click here: Friends of The Cottesloe school Fundraising | Easyfundraising