Term 3 has been another busy one at Cotham, with a large number of student achievements to celebrate. Notably, we congratulate our brilliant Year 13s who have been flooded with offers this term from universities and apprenticeship providers. After so much investment in the application process, including 171 applications submitted to UCAS; it is fantastic to see their hard work and commitment paying off in this way.

Moving into this next phase of life can feel very daunting, but we had brilliant engagement with our Year 13 Futures morning at the start of February, where students participated in sessions around student finance and budgeting for independent living. We also had discussion groups to explore issues around sexual harassment and gender based violence; the level of maturity, engagement and insight shown by students throughout was a testament to everything that makes Cotham Post 16 so special. Advance warning that we will be hosting a student finance evening next term to support parents and carers embarking upon this process. 

Core sessions this term have been packed with ideas and opportunities for the future. This included a guest speaker from the NTProject, who spoke about the often-overlooked negative effects of pornography, particularly on teenagers. The session aimed to foster a healthier understanding of sexuality, emphasising consent, respect, and the importance of balancing online and offline experiences. We were also privileged to welcome Jeanette Bain Burnett, Executive Director for Sports England. Jeanette came to talk about her journey into sports, inclusivity and the general benefits of sports and exercise. In addition, we also hosted one of the directors from the Bank of England who came to speak with our students about career pathways into finance. Then, as a bumper session outside of the usual Core period, we were visited by students from the UWE School of Law who came in to deliver a session which looked at healthy relationships and coercive control. If students are interested in finding out more, they can find the slides from all of these sessions on the Core page of the Student Hub (or speak to a Respect Ambassador).

Another huge Year 13 achievement this term that deserves to be acknowledged is the maturity, resilience and industry with which our Y13 students faced their mock exams in January. The important thing for all students to remember is that mocks are a learning experience and the feedback from teachers, alongside how students act upon this, are the most important elements. Our Year 13 post-mock surgery will be taking place next term. Parents/carers will receive an email and a phone call if you are being invited to this event. 

For our Year 12 students, mock exams are now not far away and will be taking place from 31 March-4 April. Students will receive their timetables next term and can start planning revision schedules. An important reminder that support with organisation, revision and a wide range of other study skills can be sought from our brilliant Academic Mentors in Upgrade. We also encourage Year 12 to familiarise themselves with the assessment support materials on the Upgrade page of our NBP16 Hub, which contains a huge bank of bespoke resources and information, put together by NBP16 staff and students, to support the assessment process, including managing anxieties. A reminder that all students eligible to use a reading pen for exams can borrow one of these from Ms Beaver for any in-class assessments to practise using them.

There are so many individual student achievements to recognise. Notably we offer our congratulations to our Spanish and French debating teams who took part in a debating competition with a number of Bristol schools (mostly private schools) this term. All three teams made us proud, each taking the win! We also proudly congratulate our remarkable Y12 philosophers for their exceptional delivery at the BEP Philosophy conference, hosted at Cotham. They were ably supported by staff and students from Cotham and RGS, making us proud with their insightful and interactive presentation on the philosophy of free will. Congratulations also go to our newly formed netball team who gave their everything to the first fixture of the year against Bristol Free School. Looking forward to lots more excitement on the court over the coming months!

Congratulations also go to Bayan who, following school-based qualifiers, took part in Cotham's first ARTiculation event hosted by the National Gallery. The aim of ARTiculation is to engage students to express opinions, thoughts and ideas with confidence, promoting oracy in Art. Bayan won the regional heat and now progresses to the South of England Regional Final at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford in March. The judge gave her the following feedback: “Bayan demonstrated the power of social media to connect, even while living without other connections, and saw in Salinas’ work some of her own concerns reflected back to her: self-image, anxiety, how to present and to be oneself.  She related this well to Mexico’s greatest female artist of the 20th century, Frida Kahlo, but also pointed out some of the differences between the earlier painter and Salinas’ humorous use of drawing, film, cartoon, all stitched together to create an up-to-date portrait of a young woman and her concerns today.”

25 of our students represented us at UWE’s Raise the Bar conference this term. In part 1, students took part in workshops aimed at connecting cultures, reflecting on their experiences and thinking critically about the education system. In part 2, students took part in their own private taster sessions including Centre for catering; The library and resource centre and a tour of the lecture theatres/study spaces. 

And finally: a huge well done to our brilliant Foundation business students who made us proud at the very end of term with their phenomenal engagement with work experience week. The feedback from employers has been universally excellent and we commend them for getting the absolute most from this experience. 

All that remains is to wish our students a well deserved half term break. This break will be an important opportunity for our students to get some rest and take time for self care. We encourage them to have a look through the ideas and resources in our end of term Wellbeing Bulletin, which will be emailed to them today and you can preview it here.