Cotham Gardens Primary School

Weekly Newsletter  17/10/2025

 

 

As we draw near to the end of another busy term of school development, I wanted to highlight our recent Ofsted monitoring visit from last month. The inspectors were positive about the work we have done since the last inspection and the report  is a good reflection of the stage we have reached on our school improvement journey. It highlights our improved leadership capacity, approach to teaching reading, strong governance, improvements in the  quality of support given to pupils with SEND and classrooms that are "generally calm and purposeful.” You can read Ofsted’s letter in full here.

The inspectors’ assessment of our reflects much-improved academic results achieved this summer. In national assessments (SATS), pupils at Cotham Gardens Primary School performed in line with, or above, the national average in key areas. This included improvements of more than 10% from 2023/24 in Reading, Writing and Maths  while the youngest children had similar improvements in phonics. I look forward to telling you more about this and other strategic developments at the community forum on Wednesday 22nd October - in the Cotham Grove Hall 9.00am - 10.00am or the online Community Forum on Thursday 6th November - 5.45pm - 6.30pm. The meeting link will be shared on ClassDojo the morning of the online forum.

A quick final reminder of parent / carer consultations which will take place next week on Tuesday and Wednesday. You can book appointments via your child's Arbor account until Monday 20th October at 10.00pm. These consultations are complemented by open mornings which will take place in your child's class room, ahead of the evening consultations. This will allow you to look at your child's work ahead of your appointment with their teacher.  Eagle class appointments took place this week. Please contact the office team if your child is in Eagles and you have not yet had this important meeting. Our local PCSO Charlotte Andrews will be at Cotham Grove for the Wednesday sessions and will be sharing information about various local initiatives, including our collaborative work on increasing road safety around our both sites of our school.  

Have a good weekend.

Emmeline Smith

 

 

MONDAY 20TH OCTOBER

YR5 swimming

Please remember to bring in swimming kits and a snack for afterwards.

Girls Football:

Shine sports ground 16.00pm-5.00pm

 

TUESDAY 21ST OCTOBER

Open Morning:

Parents/carers welcome 8.45-9.15am

Hedgehogs tennis:

Tennis in the morning with Simon

Parents evening:

3.40pm - 6.00pm (Virtual online or face/face)

 

WEDNESDAY 22ND OCTOBER

Open Morning:

Parents/carers welcome 8.45-9.15am

Community Forum:

In the Cotham Grove Hall 9.00am - 10.00am 

YR5 We The Curious:

Please remember that your child will require a packed lunch and sensible shoes and waterproofs

Parents evening:

3.40pm - 7.00pm (Virtual online or face/face)

  

THURSDAY 23rd OCTOBER

Last day of term

 

FRIDAY 24TH OCTOBER

INSET DAY SCHOOL CLOSED

            

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This week’s class attendance winners are: 

Ladybirds with 100%  - Well done! 

This week’s class punctuality winners are:

Maple with 100%  - Well done! 

 

We know that getting children to school on time every day takes real effort and  commitment from families. Morning routines can be challenging, and we truly appreciate everything you do to ensure your children are ready to learn.

Your support in prioritising attendance and punctuality makes such a difference to your child's education and to our whole school community.

 

  

The deadline to book your child's parent consultation appointment is Monday 20th October at 10.00pm.

They are taking place on the following dates:

• Tuesday 21st October between 3:40-6:00pm (Virtual online or face/face)
• Wednesday 22nd October between 3:40-7:00pm (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.

When you are booking your 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!

 

 

Open mornings for all classes accept Eagles, will take place in your child's class room, ahead of the parent consultation evenings. This will allow you to look at your child's work ahead of your appointment with their teacher. 

Tuesday 22nd October from 8.45am-9.15am

Wednesday 23rd October from 8.45am-9.15am   

 

 

 The community forum will be taking place on the below dates; 

Wednesday 22nd October in the Cotham Grove Hall 9.00am - 10.00am 

Thursday 6th November - 5.45pm - 6.30pm (Online)

The meeting link will be shared on ClassDojo the morning of the online forum

 

This is a friendly reminder that the school will be closed to all pupils on Friday 24th October 2025 and Monday 3rd November 2025.

You can view the full academic year calendar, including all term dates and INSET days, on our school website at any time: https://www.cothamgardens.co.uk/Term-Dates/

  

We want to make sure we can always reach you quickly, especially in an emergency during the school day.

Update Your Details Anytime via Arbor

You can easily update your contact details through your Arbor parent portal at any time.

To access Arbor:

1. Log in via the Arbor app or portal
2. Select ‘View Student Profile’
3. Review your contact information
4. Make any necessary changes and save

If you need help accessing Arbor or updating your details, please contact the school office and we'll be happy to assist you.

  

  

As part of our commitment to keeping your child safe and respecting your family's privacy preferences, we'd like to remind you about photo and video consent settings on Arbor.

Please Check Your Consent Settings

We use photos and videos in various ways at school, such as: 

• Celebrating achievements on our website and social media
• Recording special events and performances
• Creating displays around school
• Showcasing our wonderful school in marketing materials 

Your consent preferences help us know whether we can include your child in these activities. 

How to Check Your Settings:

1. Log in to your Arbor app or parent portal
2. Select ‘View Student Profile’
3. Go to the 'Consents' section
4. Review your photo and video consent preferences
5. Make any necessary changes and save

If you haven't yet completed your consent preferences, please take a moment to do so.

 

You Can Change Your Mind at Any Time

It's important to know that you have the right to withdraw or change your consent at any time. Your circumstances or preferences may change, and that's absolutely fine.

 To update your consent:

• Simply log back into Arbor and change your settings in the 'Consents' section
• Or contact the school office, and we'll update your preferences for you

Need Help?

If you're having trouble accessing Arbor or finding the consent section, please contact the school office and we'll be happy to help you.

  

At Cotham Gardens, we take data protection very seriously. We're committed to keeping your personal information safe and secure, and only using it for legitimate school purposes.

You can view our privacy notices at any time on our school website: https://www.cothamgardens.co.uk/Policies/

Our privacy notices explain:

What information we collect

• How we use it
• Who we share it with
• Your rights regarding your data

If you have any questions about data protection or our privacy notice, please don't hesitate to get in touch. 

 

 

If your child is in year 6 or was born between 1 September 2014 and 31 August 2015 you need to apply for a new year 7 secondary place.

You'll need to register for an account on our Parent Portal admissions system if you've not made an online application for a school place or free school meals before.

This must be received before 31 October.

https://www.bristol.gov.uk/residents/schools-learning-and-early-years/school-admissions/secondary-admissions/secondary-apply

 

Bristol City Council are providing Free School Meal vouchers up to the value of £15 per eligible child in order to provide extra support during the October half-term. 

Families already in receipt of Pupil Premium Funding will receive these vouchers in week commencing Monday 20th October.

You may be entitled to Free School Meals and Pupil Premium if you receive certain benefits.

For more information and to apply online, please visit: https://www.cothamgardens.co.uk/Free-School-Meals/

Every child registered for free school meals makes a big difference to the school.

 

Tulip Photography will be in school taking individual school photos on Friday 14th November.

 

Please ensure your child arrives to school on time, as Tulip will be starting promptly at 9am.

 

Please also make sure you have consented on Arbor that Tulip Photography can take photos of your child. 

 

 

We have had an action-packed week in Year 2! 

Rabbits had lots of fun in their tennis session which Hedgehogs are looking forward to doing next week. In art, both classes have been getting creative with some fantastic printed maps using polystyrene tiles as part of our 'Map it out' topic. We also made 3D maps which we put together to make one massive class map! In reading, we have been having some engaging conversations with our new reading book 'Mrs Noah's pockets' and learnt some amazing new vocabulary which the children have loved using throughout the school day. Our Black History Month theme is 'Power in Protest' which has inspired us to learn about the life of Martin Luther King Jr and his powerful message of peace and equality. Science has been focused on living things which has led to searching the playground and investigating microhabitats! 

What amazing learning Year 2!