It has been yet another busy term at Cotham Learning Community. My first mention should go to the year twelve students who conducted themselves impeccably through their mock examinations at the start of May. This can be an incredibly pressured time, but students rose to the occasion and we have been celebrating some fantastic progress as results are coming out at the end of term. Any student who did not secure a pass will be offered an opportunity to re-take and you will receive a separate communication from me outlining next steps and support available.

There are also a significant number of individual student achievements to share from the last term. Firstly, a huge congratulations to Atchchuthan for achieving Gold in both the British Biology Olympiad and the British Chemistry Olympiad, which places him in the top 5% of students involved in these prestigious national competitions; to achieve this in two subjects is phenomenal. Congratulations also go to Ezzat and Maria for earning places on the Mayor’s City Leadership Programme. They saw off fierce competition to gain their places and will take part in an immersive two week programme next term. In addition, we offer our congratulations to Abier and Svenja who gained “highly recommended” accreditation for their project contributions in the regional HE+ programme.

We also extend our congratulations and support to former student Betty Barber who is currently cycling 1000 miles through France to raise money for Peruvian Hearts. You can find out more about her adventure (and sponsor her) by clicking here.

Early in the term, Year 12 students went to the UCAS conference at UWE Exhibition Centre which was a great opportunity for them to find out about different courses available at over 100 universities. We will be building on this work next term as we host our Futures 18 Conference.

It has also been a busy term for MFL students, book-ended by the return visit of the Spanish Cultural Exchange to Bristol and the French exchange. At the start of term, our Spanish guests were treated to the best the city has to offer and there were emotional scenes outside Charnwood when the Spanish students had to leave, with summer reunions planned. We would like to say a BIG gracias to all the families involved - It really was fantastic to see the enthusiasm generated by this adventure in all students who took part.  Feedback from the first leg of the French exchange will be shared in next term’s update.

Though technically at the end of last term we were also keen to share with you a few snaps from the Geography field trip to Slapton:

Core Programme this term has provided a range of opportunities and insight for our Year 12 students, including the launch of the Creative Youth Network Programme which provides a variety of services for young people across Bristol. Students have also benefited from a session on Mindfulness and Wellbeing, as well as a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Medicine) workshop, run by Feeding Britain's Future:

We must, of course, mention our fantastic Year 13s who celebrated in style at their leavers assembly on the last day of term. This year group have made an indelible mark on Cotham School though their energy, warmth and the incredible hard work they have invested during their last two years of study. We wish all of our Year 13s the very best of luck in summer examinations and look forward to celebrating with them on results day.

Finally, we would like to remind you at this time that there are a range of wellbeing support options available to students as they navigate the inevitable anxieties of exams and transition. A wellbeing bulletin is emailed to students at the end of each term with a range of links and resources, including support available at the Centre. This includes our counsellor who works in Post 16 on a Wednesday; please ask your son/daughter to see Mrs Kempt for more information on how to access this support.