At the end of term two, we have much to celebrate and much to look forward to. Subject leaders have recently conducted a series of visits to lessons and have been unanimously impressed with the focus and industry of our students in both Year 12 and 13. In addition, the student leadership team led a student voice lunch, which gave staff an opportunity to talk with students about their learning and celebrate some of the brilliant work they have completed so far this year. Students were overwhelmingly positive about their learning experience, as well as offering lots of creative ideas to further develop the way they engage with their lessons.

At the end of term two, we have much to celebrate and much to look forward to. Subject leaders have recently conducted a series of visits to lessons and have been unanimously impressed with the focus and industry of our students in both Year 12 and 13. In addition, the student leadership team led a student voice lunch, which gave staff an opportunity to talk with students about their learning and celebrate some of the brilliant work they have completed so far this year. Students were overwhelmingly positive about their learning experience, as well as offering lots of creative ideas to further develop the way they engage with their lessons.

Term two is also a time where our Year 13 are putting their Post 18 plans into action through the UCAS process. We have seen a surge in student applications to some of the most competitive universities in the country, with ten out of twelve Oxford or Cambridge applicants receiving invitations to interview. All students have had bespoke coaching from their tutors to ensure their personal statements are rigorously prepared and several have now taken part in mock interviews, conducted by leading industry and academic professionals from around the city.

Our Year 12 students are also looking ahead to the future, with 30 Cotham students receiving places on the prestigious Access to Bristol programme. This scheme allows students to attend a series of lectures at the University of Bristol, leading to a reduced offer to study, tuition support and a bursary for students from low income households. Bristol Uni received 1700 applications for 800 places, so the rate of success here is incredibly impressive. In addition, Barnabas Fullbrook has received a place on the On Track to Bath programme, the equivalent scheme at the University of Bath.

In October, we were pleased to welcome parents and carers of our Year 12 students, who joined us on Family Consultation Day. This was an opportunity for parents to meet with tutors to discuss the first progress report and to gain a clear understanding of the support in place, as well as the expectations for all students. Many thanks to all of you who took time out of your busy day to attend this event; we received a significant amount of very positive feedback.

The Year 12 Core programme has continued into this term with a talk from the National Citizen Service about their leadership and volunteering programme. We hope many students will consider joining this excellent enrichment programme, which you can read more about here. In addition to this, students also had a talk delivered by the Brilliant team at Barnardos to explore healthy relationships and consent, building upon the excellent work done by our RESPECT Ambassadors.

There have been some exciting activities taking place in subject areas this term, with Y12 L3 BTEC Business students attending a UWE Business and Marketing taster day.  They worked with students from SGS and City of Bristol to plan and present a business pitch. They were complimented on their business acumen and ideas which ranged from clothing brands, apps for job seekers, babysitting and learning to drive to Chariteens (a music festival aimed at raising money for Children in Need).

In addition, we had a visit from a group of students and teachers from the Agricultural College of Auch in South West France who gave presentations in English on their school and region before giving a singing performance. Our students did Cotham proud by presenting brilliantly in French to the (intimidatingly large!) group on sport, music and graffiti.  We have also had glowing feedback after our Authentic Biology students gave a dazzling presentation at the Wellcome Trust. You can read the letter here.

To end the term with festive spirit, all students in Post 16 have been contributing to a ‘Reverse Advent Calendar’, bringing daily donations for local food banks. After such a busy term of activity and achievement, we hope that all our students get a well earned rest over the holidays and look forward to welcoming them back next term.