Newsletter 04/04/2025
cotham gardens primary school
weekly newsletter

Message from the Head of School
This week in school has been full of learning, celebration and enrichment. The children’s mid year assessments were completed and moderated by staff ahead of the parent consultations straight after Easter. Children are assessed three times a year in all subjects, with more formal tracking done in the core subjects of reading, writing and maths. Teachers will share this data with you at parent consultations so that you know if your child is working at the expected level for their age, and if not what we are doing to support your child to catch up.
At our INSET day today, LSAs received updated training in various SEND interventions to support independence, maths and reading. Mrs Welsford our SENDCO has been redesigning and improving the systems and processes we apply in school to support children with SEND. We shall be holding an online information event on Wednesday 14th May at 6pm for anyone interested in finding out more about how our provision is developing.
We have had Year 5 Bikeability this week and also held a STEM sustainability workshop for Year 3 with the UWE Bristol Engineering department. We've also had Eid parties and prizes for our EGGcellent Attendance challenge. Individual lucky winners were chosen at random from every class and the overall group winners were Hedgehogs and 4OB.
I was also very lucky to celebrate the Spring Term’s Golden Rules Champions this week. Every big term two children are nominated by their teacher as children who always keep our four golden rules:
- Show respect
- Be responsible
- Be kind
- Try your best
Well done to Saja, Fatimah N, Arman, Barney, Annie, Alex, Ernie, Robin, Link, Riyanna, Niall, Georgia, Axel, Zoe, Mathis, Asha, Seb, Amy, Amelia L, Oliver, Aisha N, Emma W, Myah, Pudasara, Lyra, Xavier, Rayan, Edie, Lola and Zubaida. Our wonderful learning mentors and I enjoyed ice lollies in the sunshine with the champions as we awarded their special gold stars. What fantastic role models you are!
I hope you all enjoy a well deserved rest and look forward to seeing everyone on Tuesday 22nd April for Term 5.
Best wishes
Emmeline Smith
EGGcellent Attendance Challenge
COMING UP FIRST WEEK BACK
MONDAY
BANK HOLIDAY - SCHOOL IS CLOSED
TUESDAY
5WL Parent Consultations
If you have not specified you want an online meeting, please make sure you arrive at school at your allotted time.
WEDNESDAY
Open Morning - 8.45-9.15
Parents welcome into their child's class to look at their work ahead of parents evening.
YR Lifecycles work shop
Parent Consultations
If you have not specified you want an online meeting, please make sure you arrive at school at your allotted time.
THURSDAY
Open Morning - 8.45-9.15
Parents welcome into their child's class to look at their work ahead of parents evening.
Parent Consultations
If you have not specified you want an online meeting, please make sure you arrive at school at your allotted time.
FRIDAY
Y6 Trip
We shall visit to Temple Meads in the morning to learn about the safety features of Temple Meads railway station in preparation for designing their own station. The children will be back in time for lunch time at school.
YR1 Animal Detective Assembly and Living Things and Habitats Workshop
REMINDER - PARENT CONSULTATIONS
Parent consultations will be taking place on the following dates:
5WL
- Tuesday 22nd April between 3:45 -18:30pm (Virtual online or face/face)
- Wednesday 23rd April between 3:45 -18:30pm (Virtual online or face/face)
ALL OTHER CLASSES (apart from 4OB)
- Wednesday 23rd April between 3:45-18:30pm (Virtual online or face/face)
- Thursday 24th April between 3:45-18:30pm (Virtual online or face/face)
This is an important meeting and provides you with an opportunity to talk to your child’s class teacher about school and the progress that your child is making.
You can book a parent consultation appointment via your child's Arbor account from Friday 14th March at 19.00pm until Monday 21st April at 22.00pm.
- Your child’s consultation will take place in your child's class room (or online).
- Please ignore the note that states staff room when you go to book.
- The appointments will last strictly 10 minutes, whether they are online or face to face.
- Please only book one day.
- When you are booking your Childs Consultation, please state if you would like this to be a face to face appointment or a virtual appointment in the notes section. If this is left blank, we will assume you will be attending in person (face to face)
This guide will help you with booking your time slot but should you need any assistance or have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school office.
We look forward to seeing you there
BIKEABILITY
We have 4 spaces left on the bikeability course starting next term on the 29th April. If you would like your child to take part please head over to Arbor to sign your child up.
For more info on Bikeability please see this short film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1_16Mr1lOI
FREE SCHOOL MEAL VOUCHERS - APRIL HALF-TERM
Bristol City Council are providing Free School Meal vouchers up to the value of £30 per eligible child in order to provide extra support during the half term break. Parents of children in receipt of benefit-based Free School Meals will have received their voucher link via email to redeem online on Tuesday 01.04.2025.
Do I qualify for a food voucher?
All children in Reception, Year 1 or Year 2 are entitled to free school meals. This is called Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM). However, Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) is different to Benefit-Based Free School Meals (FSM).
Children are only eligible for Benefit-Based FSM and Pupil Premium funding if their parents receive certain benefits and have made a successful application with Bristol City Council. If you think you may be eligible for Free School Meals and Pupil Premium, please visit https://www.bristol.gov.uk/schools-learning-early-years/free-school-meals or contact
CLOTHING DONATIONS
The Cotham Grove site are in need of some spare pants, leggings, trousers or shorts (age 7years+) for our spare clothing basket. If you have anything you are happy to donate, please pop it into the office after the Easter break. Thank you in advance!
BOYS FOOTY NEWS!
A huge THANK YOU to YETI. They have very kindly gifted the football team with over £900 worth of goodies to support the boys team in their final!!
Lauren from YETI has also sent a message to the team: "Stay Wild – and good luck for the finals!! YETI are rooting for ya!"
What a wonderful treat!
The boys football team are now proudly sponsored by WORKSTYLE REVOLUTION!
A huge THANK YOU for supporting the team, buying them kits and even getting the school logo on there too!! Here is the proof of the tops!

GIRLS FOOTY NEWS
The Cotham Gardens girls football team have managed to place 3rd in their first ever entry as a team in the SHINE league!
They fought it out to the final whistle and finished just one point shy of the final -showing just how much effort they put into the team. Throughout the league, the children (and parents!) have turned up no matter the weather and worked determinedly to improve their skills and climb the league. A huge thank you to all involved.
Girls, you've done Cotham Gardens proud!
YR2 GROUP WORK
What a busy week for year 2! We have all tried our absolute best with all the quizzes and they smashed it. We also finished our Art unit “clay houses”. Today we added the last details to the clay tiles. It was wonderful to see how everyone was carefully following their designs. In reading, we finished the book about David Attenborough from the series of “little people big dreams” and they got to create their very own front cover.
YR3 GROUP WORK
Year 3 have had a fantastic term of learning! We have completed our ukulele lessons and performed to our families. We have learned about Antarctica and the famous explorer Ernest Shackleton. In art, we have learned to produce frottage (textured mark making) outdoors and then used the patterned pieces for flower pictures. Maths has centered around fractions and money recently, with the tricky challenge of finding change in pounds and pence! In French recently, we have learned parts of the body and colours - we have had fun singing heads, shoulders, knees and toes in French really fast! Our writing skills have been developed by spotting when sentences don't make sense or aren't complete, and choosing conjunctions that extend our sentences. Our scientific skills have been focussed on the parts of plants and dissecting flowers! Special mention goes to our Romans topic recently and our trip to Carleon!
COMMUNITY FORUM - SAVE THE DATES!
The next Community Forum Meetings will be held on the following dates - all welcome!
- 23rd April in the Cotham Grove Hall at 9am (after open classrooms)
- 24th April online at 6pm
TRIP REMINDERS
Please see below some of the trips that are happening over the coming terms. If you have not consented for your child to attend, please head over to Arbor to give consent as soon as possible.
- YR6 DT Trip - Look Draw Build - 24th April
- Y1 Bristol Zoo Project - Tuesday 13th May
- Y2 Aerospace museum - Thursday 15th May
- YR Farm Trip - Tuesday 20th May
- 5B Tudor Boat trip - 12th June
- 5WL Tudor Boat Trip - 17th June
- 5MC Tudor Boat Trip - 20th June
- YR5 Children's Theatre Trip - 27th June
- Y6 Residential Camp - Wednesday 2nd July - Friday 4th July
NEW SPRING MENU
Our new Spring Menu is live and ready for you to pre order your children's
lunches for Term 5.
Please find the link below for the new menu:
https://www.cothamgardens.co.uk/School-Meals-12082020162846/
ABSENCE REQUESTS & TERM DATES
As stated in our school attendance policy, only exceptional circumstances warrant an authorised leave of absence. Generally, a need or desire for a holiday or other absence for the purpose of leisure, recreation or visiting family would not constitute an exceptional circumstance.
If seeking permission for exceptional circumstances leave of absence, the parent/guardian should complete a Leave of Absence Request form. The request should be submitted as soon as it is anticipated; and wherever possible, at least four weeks before the absence. Leave of absence cannot be approved retrospectively.
The school will consider each application individually, considering the specific facts and circumstances. Parents may be required to provide the school with additional evidence in order to support the request. The expectation of the school is that term time holidays should not be planned or booked as a matter of course, as they are likely to be unauthorised.
1. A Penalty Notice
The penalty is £80 per parent, per child payable within 21 days, rising to £160 per parent, per child if paid between 22 and 28 days. (Failure to pay will result in prosecution.) If a second Penalty Notice is issued within a rolling 3-year period the penalty is £160 per parent, per child if paid within 28 days. There will be no option to pay a lower amount.
2. Prosecution
Prosecution could lead to fines up to £2500 and /or up to 3 months imprisonment. (See DfE’s statutory guidance on School attendance parental responsibility measures for more information and Bristol City Council’s Penalty Notice Code of Conduct, available here).
Further information can be found in our Attendance Policy and in the Penalty Notice Leaflet from Bristol City Council.
Term Dates
Term 4: Monday 24 February 2025 - Friday 4 April 2025
Term 5: Tuesday 22 April 2025 to Friday 23 May 2025
Term 6: Monday 2 June 2025 to Tuesday 22 July 2025
INSET days remaining this year
Friday 4th April 2025
Monday 2nd June 2025
INSET days for next academic year are now confirmed as follows:
Tuesday 2nd September 2025
Friday 24th October 2025
Monday 3rd November 2025
Monday 5th January 2026
Monday 23rd February 2026
Friday 3rd July 2026
Wednesday 22nd July 2026
CONSENT REMINDER
As previously communicated, we want to remind you that there is now a new CONSENT section within your child’s Arbor account.
If you have not already done so, please take a moment over the weekend to log onto the Arbor ParentPortal or App and review these sections to ensure we have the most up-to-date information for your child:
- PHOTO/VIDEO CONSENT
- LOCOAL TRIP CONSENT
- CLASSDOJO CONSENT
- SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHER CONSENT
- LOCAL MEDIA CONSENT
- YEAR 6 LEAVERS' BOOK CONSENT (YEAR 6 ONLY)
Thank you for taking the time to review and update your consent preferences.
AFTER SCHOOL COLLECTION REMINDER
If your child normally walks home from school but you book them in to attend a Shine or Zebras after school club - please let the office know, so they can inform the teacher before the end of the school day.
You can let us know by either calling on 01173772610 or emailing office@cothamgardens.co.uk
COMPUTING AND READING NEWSLETTER
Please find below a link to the Computing Newsletter and Cotham Gardens Loves Reading Newsletter below that was shared this week.
https://www.cothamgardens.co.uk/News/
APRIL SEND NEWS
Bristol Parent Carers have asked us to share their April newsletter. Inside you will find some uplifting podcasts and other media, a new free course running across Bristol to support parents wellbeing and help you advocate for your child, information on an important event to share your views on SEND and you and their SENDIAS service plus much more!
Juggling the busy demands of parenting can be tough, inside this newsletter you will find handpicked information on the stuff that matters. We want to be in this together.
Please click the link below for more.
NURSE DROP IN SESSIONS
The school nurse will be dropping in for some sessions with parents and carers on the dates below, please click on the date you would like to book:
The sessions will be about offering support and information around topics such as emotional support and relationships, sleep, healthy eating, exercise, being healthy, smoking/vaping.
The sessions will be running between 9am-10am and are held in the hall at Elmgrove. There are four slots available per session and are offered on a first come, first serve basis. You will be able to join in with coffee morning whilst you wait to be seen.
If you do book a slot with the Sirona Nurse and are then unable to attend, please let us know in advance so we can offer out that sessions to another family.
PTAF NEWS
Easter Egg Hunt
A great afternoon of hunting for clues, crafting, games and enjoying refreshments. The chocolate eggs disappeared well before Easter!
Thank you to Tesco for 50 eggs and £20, to Chance and Counters for a £100 sponsorship and to all who took part and donated delicious treats.
We are grateful to Karen, Debbie, Helen and Ella for organising so efficiently and all volunteer helpers. We made a magnificent profit of £912.
Board Game Night
What a brilliant evening we all had! We played games we knew and learned new ones, and the food was yummy! Thank you so much to everyone who came and a huge thank you to Chance and Counters on Gloucester Road for hosting us. Watch this space for another event next term. We raised £251.
PTAF Donation to the School
The money raised from the Sponsored Read and the Games Night is used by the school to buy two pianos, one for each site.
Easyfundraising
If you buy goods or services online, please do it through this site. The school gets a percentage at no cost to you. There’s a QR code on the banner next to the main gate.
Have a relaxing Easter break.
AFTER SCHOOL AND HOLIDAY CLUBS
Please find all information on the below link for all the afterschool clubs and Breakfast Clubs that take place at Cotham Gardens.
https://www.cothamgardens.co.uk/Pre-and-Post-School-Care/
New programmes which will be running after Easter, until the end of the school year - BOOK ONLINE NOW!
Shine are running cricket sessions this summer for children in Reception – Year 8, starting after the Easter Holidays.
CREATIVITY CLUB
Term 5 is open for booking now!COMMUNITY NEWS
Year 6 Family Camp
Year 6 Parents are organising a Family Camp over the weekend of
16th and 17th May.
All year 6 families and siblings are welcome. We are renting a private site just past Lydney (approx 30 mins drive) for Friday and Saturday nights. Day trippers are also welcome!
For more details and to be added to the WhatsApp group, please contact:
Sarah: 07747 773 321
Victoria: 07710 499 485
Drumming Lessons at Cotham Gardens Primary School
Bristol Beacons now have a drumming instructor coming into school on Tuesdays. for YR2 -YR6.
Please head over to their website if you feel your child would be interested in having drumming lessons.
https://bristolbeacon.org/learn-to-play/
Bikeability Easter Holidays 2025
Booking is open for our Easter holiday course at The Ardagh Community Trust.
Bikeability Level 2
This course is for children who can already cycle and control their bikes. Training begins off-road, then moves onto quiet roads to build skills and confidence. School year 5,6 & 7. Places are £25 per child.
Bikeability Level 3
This course builds on the skills learned at Level 2 and teaches young people the skills to tackle challenging junctions, negotiate multi-lane roads, roundabouts, route planning and other complex on-road activities. School year 7,8 & 9. Places are £40 per child.
Day: Thursday & Friday
Date: 10th & 11th April
Location: Ardagh Pavilion, off, Kellaway Avenue, Bristol BS6 7YL
Course: Bikeability Level 2 & 3
Day: Weds & Thursday
Date: 16th & 17th April
Location: Ardagh Pavilion, off, Kellaway Avenue, Bristol BS6 7YL
Course: Bikeability Level 2
School Holiday Cycle Training Courses
Strengthening Families Strengthening Communities Parenting Programme - starting in April!