Term two at Cotham Post 16 has been packed with student achievement and activity. We are very proud of our continuing participation in a research project exploring the impact of colourism on young people, facilitated by researchers at King’s College London. In the initial qualitative phase of the research, they spoke to over 200 young people attending secondary schools in Bristol and London, with more than 50 being students from Cotham Post 16. Once again this term, a large number of our students have engaged in the second phase of the research, specifically exploring perspectives of black and South Asian students. We are excited to see this research unfold and proud of the integral role our students have played. 

In addition, this term we had a triumphant Culture Day, planned and hosted by our Brilliant student leadership team. The day was packed with activity, including a fashion show, henna, origami, face painting, film screenings, photo booth, cuisine sharing and an after party in Upgrade where staff and students danced their feet sore at the end of the school day. 

This term we also marked International Men’s Day by selling flowers as part of our ‘Give a Man a Flower’ campaign. Students and staff wanted to raise awareness and money for early intervention around young men and mental health. They developed the idea intent on changing the narrative that, for many men, the first time they receive flowers is at their funeral. £125 was raised in just an hour and all stock sold out! Proceeds have been donated to local project ‘Stepladder’ which is working equally to shift this narrative. 

This term has also been one for a great deal of industry when it comes to all things Futures. We had our Futures Launch with Year 12 (all resources here - student login required) which introduced the progression pathways and gave students a whistle-stop tour of all that the P16 Hub and Career Pilot have to offer. Year 13 have been equally as busy finalising and submitting their UCAS applications. This is such a huge and pressured task; we remain immensely proud of our students for managing this alongside their studies. A special shout out to the 5 Cotham Post 16 students who have been successful in being invited to interview with Oxford or Cambridge University. An overview of the Futures provision at Cotham Post 16 can be viewed here. 

The library continues to be a hive of activity and this term we were really excited to host an author talk from playwright and screenwriter Sabrina Ali. After a triumphant UK tour with her play Dugsi Dayz, Sabrina is now working on the screen adaptation of this, alongside a number of other projects. Her story of following her passion and the industry and commitment she has applied to carve a successful path in the arts was incredibly inspiring for students present. In particular, her focus on a dream of writing stories about young, British-Somali women filled with relatable humour, creating a visibility and representation that she always felt was lacking through her school years. 

Next term, we are excited to be hosting our next author visit from neurodiverse writer Natalie Howells, who is coming in to talk with students about her book ‘Yeah, but how though?’ As an extension of our growing work around neurodiversity at Cotham Post 16, we were also pleased to do a full launch of our ‘How to Understand the eXaminer (HUX) Guides with students this term. These guides have been in development over the past year and were inspired by the insightful feedback of a former Cotham student. They provide students with a one page overview of the assessment parameters for each course with some top examiner hacks and our universal ‘Make it STICK’ guidance for assessment readiness. While a great deal of research has gone into the development and functionality of these resources to support neurodiverse students, they are a resource there to provide support for all. 

The term has also been marked with a number of fantastic sporting achievements, including a return to the court for the NBP16 under 18s basketball team. They played a hard fought opening game against Bristol Free School, bringing home a triumphant 32-17 win at the final whistle. Excited to see what the rest of the season holds for the team, as well as the football, netball and rugby teams.

And we can’t talk about student achievement without a shout out to the brilliant Tash in Year 13 who mustered massive courage (as well as fighting off a winter cold) to co-host a girls’ empowerment session for all students who identify as female in Years 10 and 11. Tash spoke with vulnerability and power in equal measure, reflecting on her own experiences and calling out to the young people in the audience to focus on their character development and to lift each other up as they grow into women. We are really proud of you Tash - it was a very special thing (which we are sure is just the beginning of the story for you in this kind of work). 

With mocks approaching for Year 13 in the New Year and Year 12 in the spring, we are proud of the study routines and work ethic our students continue to develop. Especially in their pursuit of developing themselves as whole, skilled people above and beyond examination success. Students are reminded to check out the massive amount of resource and support available through the Upgrade section of our Hub (student login required); included is a link to a free online skillsbuilder course to support students in developing effective revision routines.  As always, we work hard to promote the value of healthy balance and urge students to look out for the Wellbeing Bulletin shared with them at the end of term (preview here). The winter break is filled with excitement, but can also be a challenging time for many and this resource offers a range of resources and support routes for students to access over the holidays should they need it. All that remains is to wish a very Merry Christmas to those who will be celebrating. Thank you to all our parents and carers for your support this year; we look forward to seeing our students back with us in 2025!