“Cotham School: Life-enhancing education that develops the character, talents and potential of every child regardless of starting point”

Dear Parents, Carers and Children

A warm welcome to the Cotham School community

I am exceptionally proud to be Cotham’s headteacher; it is such a special place and on behalf of the staff and Governors, I take great pleasure in welcoming you to our school. Cotham has an excellent reputation in Bristol built upon our creative and academic curriculum in Key Stages 3 and 4 and a GCSE and A Level examination record that is amongst the very best in the City. Our Sixth Form, the North Bristol Post 16 Centre, is thriving with close to 900 students studying academic programmes taught between Cotham and Redland Green School. At Cotham, we take pride in the academic and personal success our students have achieved over the years and as a staff, we work tirelessly and enthusiastically to secure the best possible achievement, outcomes, life chances and happiness for every student who joins our community.

At the Cotham community, we wish to instil an enjoyment of learning in all our young people and you will find an unwavering commitment from all staff to the highest ambitions for your child. Our school culture is one where the full range of success– creative, sporting, academic, practical support for others and triumph over adversity is celebrated. All students benefit from the best-trained and qualified staff and major investment in new facilities and resources. We offer a broad and balanced curriculum and a stimulating range of extracurricular activities, trips and visits to support wider learning.

Achievement at Cotham is broad and whether through our extensive visual and performing arts programmes, outdoor education and adventurous activities, sports or Sixth Form community service, we expect all students to contribute to the wider life of the school. Underpinning our educational philosophy is a nurturing of the development of the ‘whole child’ and future citizen and this is a core and integral part of the Cotham experience. The character, life skills and confidence to be gained from this approach are beyond measure in terms of their real-life application and we believe that excellence will be achieved by constantly challenging students, raising aspirations, and by insisting that good behaviour enables great learning. Our school community is a harmonious and respectful one where students are taught that with rights come responsibilities. At Cotham we value the partnerships we have with families and the wider community and take pride in the fact that our school community reflects the diversity of Bristol. We value the quality of relationships that we build and the rich variety of backgrounds and experiences that our students bring to the school. At Cotham we seek to provide an education that both enables our students to gain university places of their choice and the skills needed to succeed in the workplace.Our ambition is for students to leave us well prepared for a globally changing future and ready to take their place in society.

Thank you for joining us on our Open Evening or on one of our Open Mornings. If you have any questions at all, we are here to help, please do not hesitate to contact the school or to ask in person.

We hope you find what you need on our website but if not please do get in touch via phone: 0117 919 8000 or by email: info@cotham.bristol.sch.uk.

With very best wishes on behalf of all of us at Cotham,

Ms Jo Butler

(Headteacher)

Our Vision

Governors and staff are highly ambitious for our students. We have a strong commitment to the Cotham community and to providing a highly achieving, inclusive and respectful environment for our students to learn in.  At Cotham we provide an excellent all round educational experience that has contributed to the achievement and examination success of our students over many years. Cotham is a wonderfully comprehensive and inclusive 11-19 school with a student body that fully reflects Bristol’s diversity and our stakeholders are rightly proud of the community that we have created. However, if we are to make the biggest difference, inside and outside the classroom, our success will not only be measured in academic outcomes. Nurturing the development of the ‘whole child’ and future citizen has always been of key importance to us and advancing equity will continue to be of key importance to us into the future. We will provide an outstanding educational experience at Cotham; a place where children and young people can learn, work, play and grow up together within a setting that is inclusive and welcoming to all. We are highly ambitious for all our students and want them to build strong foundations for their future alongside excelling in school. 

We will achieve this by ensuring there is excellent communication and engagement with all of our stakeholders; through outstanding leadership, an ambitious curriculum, excellent teaching and learning and pastoral care.  It will also be achieved through honest and robust self-evaluation and by being ’outward facing’, cultivating informal and formal partnerships and relationships with other educational and external organisations to the benefit of our students.  At Cotham, we will continue to provide a quality of education that both enables our students to gain university and apprenticeship places of their choice and the skills needed to succeed in the workplace.   Our ambition is for them to leave us well prepared for a globally changing future and ready to take their place in society.

Our Values 

Achievement:

• We are a top school in Bristol for examination outcomes.

• We have high standards of teaching and learning and assessment

• We are ambitious for every student.

• We develop academic, creative and sporting excellence.

• We seek out potential: hidden talents

• We develop confidence and character aided by our excellent staff.

• We celebrate student successes both inside and outside of school.  

• We value progress: every child matters and no child is left behind.

• We understand that children only have one childhood. 

Diversity: 

• We are a proudly diverse and cohesive school community.

• Our school environment is warm and welcoming to all. 

• We celebrate our differences and give our students and staff the tools to do so positively.

• We develop curiosity and knowledge about the world and each other through our broad and inclusive curriculum.

• We believe in being open: with students and their families, colleagues in our school and those beyond, sharing information and ideas to raise standards and enhance life chances.

Respect: 

• We care for others.

• We are empathetic and treat everyone as we wish to be treated ourselves. 

• We are honest.

• We strive to become better listeners

• We act in a courteous and respectful manner in our interactions  with everyone. 

• We are socially responsible and we maximise our positive impact on the people in our communities while minimising our footprint on the world

• We care about being Safe and Happy - all members of our school community have this right.