Newsletter 21/03/25
cotham gardens primary school
weekly newsletter
Message from the Head of School
Spring has sprung! What a glorious end to the week, with today made even brighter thanks to Red Nose Day as well as a play street and bake sale to celebrate 😊. As ever, thanks to the wonderful parents who work so hard in the background to organise, risk assess and run these community events.
This week we had an external monitoring visit to evaluate the Department for Education (DfE) funded school improvement support that has been taking place in school since January. Chris Seaton and I met with their representative and talked through various actions we have been working on. Mr Insall then led a learning walk to look at Maths lessons. We received some really encouraging feedback regarding progress on improvements to the way we structure maths lessons. The team also saw the vast majority of children exhibiting good learning behaviours across the school.
Today we also heard that we have been accepted as a partner school with the English Learning Hub. This will be a three year partnership to ensure that our early reading and phonics provision and outcomes are the very best they can be. We will also be working on making sure this good practice is extended right up through KS2 for children who are catching up with reading. The partnership will begin in earnest in September.
I am pleased to announce that our catering contractors, AIP, will be hosting a drop-in information and tasting event on Tuesday 1st April in the Cotham Grove hall from 3-4pm. The event is open to all families and will represent the variety, quantity and standard of food served on both sites. I’d also like to take this opportunity to remind all families of the need to book lunches in advance and also to make sure your Arbor account stays in credit. Thank you for your cooperation with this.
Finally, our school is taking part in Sustrans’ “Big Walk and Wheel” challenge next week. This is a nationwide initiative to encourage people to make active journeys to school. The children will log their journeys and we can keep an eye on the leaderboard through the week here: https://bigwalkandwheel.org.uk/schools/1303/profile
For those families who live too far away for an active journey, children can still take part by including at least 10 minutes of active travel either side of their usual journey.
Have a lovely weekend!
Emmeline Smith
GOLDEN CERTIFICATE WINNERS
ATTENDANCE WINNERS AND REMINDERS
This week’s class attendance winners are:
Class 6B with 99% - Well done!
This week’s class punctuality winners are
classes Dragonflies and 5B with 100% Well done!
Whole school attendance this week was 93%
We have also seen a huge improvement in the number of pupils arriving late for school. Thank you for your continued support.
Punctuality Reminder
When a child arrives late to school, they miss important events like assembly, teacher instructions and introductions. Children often also feel embarrassed at having to enter the classroom late. Gates close at 8.55am and children should be in class, ready for registration at 9am. Children arriving after the gate closes should be signed in late via the screens in the school office entrance.
If your child arrives after 9.30am, the morning session will be marked as unauthorised.
COMING UP NEXT WEEK
MONDAY
YR and YR1 Space WOW Day
Explorer Dome coming into school to visit - we will be going on an exciting adventure into Space. - Please log onto Arbor to give your consent for your child to participate
YR5 Swimming
Please remember to bring in your swim kits 5B and 5MC
YR3 Ukulele Assembly
Side hall gate (breakfast club entrance) will open at 2:50pm
WEDNESDAY
Coffee Morning at Cotham Grove hall after drop off 9am-10am
FRIDAY
PTAF Easter Egg Hunt
RED NOSE DAY
Thank you to everyone that has donated or dressed up wearing RED today - There is still time to donate to Comic Relief, please use the link below.
Over the past 40 years Comic Relief has supported over 100 million people across the world, including here in the UK. This Red Nose Day, let’s giggle again to help put food on plates, roofs over heads, and keep little ones safe.
REMINDER - PARENT CONSULTATIONS
Parent consultations will be taking place on the following dates:
40B
- Tuesday 1st April between 3:45 -18:30pm (Virtual online or face/face)
- Wednesday 2nd April between 3:45 -18:30pm (Virtual online or face/face)
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
- 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 will be able to book your child’s 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.
- 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
EID-UL-FITR
The school can authorise a one-day of absence for religious observance. If your child will be absent from school for Eid-ul-Fitr, please complete an absence request form as soon as possible:
https://www.cothamgardens.co.uk/Forms-and-Letters/
Paper copies are also available from the school office.
If you have any further questions or queries regarding Ramadan, please get in touch as soon as possible.
CHANGE IN DATE - EID MENU - 1ST APRIL
On Tuesday 1st April 2025, we will be celebrating EID with a special lunch menu.
Unfortunately we are unable to add this special lunch onto Arbor now that our menu is live – so please can we kindly ask you to book your child’s meal choice for the day according to the options below:
EID Meal Options
If your child would like:
• Chicken Curry– please select the BBQ Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
• Halal Chicken Curry– please select the - Halal BBQ Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
• Chickpea and Spinach Curry– please select the Vegan Quorn Loaded Masala and Rice
The above options are all served with vegetable samosa and rice.
Jacket potato options will still be available.
Thank you for your cooperation and we look forward to celebrating with the children!
EID-UL-FITR PARTIES
As with previous years, we would like to celebrate Eid al-Fitr with a class party on the afternoon of Thursday 3rd April. Your child can bring in some party food to share with their classmates if they wish but please ensure that the items are nut free. Please also note that we have no available refrigeration facilities, so sadly cannot take cooked food no matter how delicious!
Thank you for your cooperation and we look forward to celebrating with the children!
TASTER MENU
We are excited to invite you to a special taster session hosted by our caterers, AIP, on Tuesday 1st April. The event will take place between 3-4pm in the hall at Cotham Grove. This is a wonderful opportunity for parents and carers to sample some of the delicious food from the new Spring/Summer menu that will be served to children at both sites after Easter.
We hope you can join us to explore the tasty options and provide your feedback.
Looking forward to seeing you there!
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.
- YR / YR1 Explorer Dome - Space Day
- Y1 Bristol Zoo Project - Tuesday 13th May
- Y2 Aerospace museum - Thursday 15th May
- YR Farm Trip - Tuesday 20th May
- Y6 Residential Camp - Wednesday 2nd July - Friday 4th July
SCARLET FEVER
We have a few cases of Scarlet Fever reported at our school.
For more information on symptoms and treatments, please click on the link below:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/scarlet-fever/
Please note, if you or your child has scarlet fever, stay away from nursery, school or work for 24 hours after you take the 1st dose of antibiotics.
4PB BOOK CORNER
This term, 4PB are reading: The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Rauf. Everyone has really resonated and empathised with the boy’s feelings of anxiety and apprehension starting a new school. Unable to speak English and seated at the back of the class, Ahmet 'the refugee kid' becomes the perfect target for bullies and rumours alike. We’ve read up to chapter 6 and really looking forward to reading more… we’re hoping he makes lots of friends!
YR1 GROUP WORK
We were so proud of Year 1 for the wonderful welcome that they gave to a visitor we had this week talking to us about the Judaism and the Jewish day of rest- Shabbat. The children have been learning about this topic during their RE lessons this term; they did an amazing job asking interesting questions, sharing lots of information that they have learnt and looking at artefacts relating to Shabbat. Our visitor shared a song with us and she even brought some baked Challah bread for us to try. Both classes were such good audience members that we have awarded them a Golden Certificate for 'Showing Respect' this week. They really demonstrated our school motto 'Celebrating Diversity, Learning Together'- well done Dragonflies and Ladybirds!
ABSENCE REQUESTS
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 and recreation 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
Friday 4 April 2025
Monday 2 June 2025
Trustees are currently finalising INSET dates for next academic year.
In the meantime we can confirm that there will be an INSET day on 2/9/25 and that term will start for all pupils current pupils on Wednesday 3rd September 2025.
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
COFFEE MORNING - 1ST APRIL
BIG BRUSH CLUB!
Big Brush Club will be attending coffee morning at Cotham Gardens primary on the 1st April. They provide valuable information on how to support children aged 0-11 years to have the best oral health start.
Big Brush Club are also hosting several live oral health improvement webinars for parents/guardians. These sessions will provide valuable information on how to support children aged 0-11 years to have the best oral health start.
During each session there will be two dental care professionals presenting and on hand to answer any questions you might have throughout the webinar. We do not require any cameras or microphones to be used, however there will be a chat box to ask any questions you might have throughout.
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.
YR5/YR6 FOOTBALL AND NETBALL
THE LITTLE PRINCESS TRUST - MISS KING
I DID IT!!! 💇♀️
I want to say a big heartfelt thank you for all your generous donations. I’ve managed to raise a whopping £1280! What fantastic impact it has made for such a great cause.
I am absolutely in love with my new hair 🥰
https://www.justgiving.com/page/louise-king-lpt?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL
PTAF NEWS
Easter Egg Hunt on 28 March
Buy your tickets at £3 on Classlist. The event is on Cotham playground at 3.45 pm. Refreshments, games and crafts. Siblings are welcome.
Please make or buy snacks and cakes and bring to the office in the morning or afternoon. NO NUTS. Thank you to Chance and Counters and Tesco for their generous donations.
Board Games Evening on Monday, 31 March, 7-11 pm
Tickets are available on Classlist. The event takes place at Chance and Counters on Gloucester Road and is open to adults and friends.
Easyfundraising
Please use this site for online shopping for goods and services.
The QR code is on the banner outside the main gate. Hundreds of companies donate a percentage to the school at no extra cost to you.
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/
Great News from Shine!
If you need last minute childcare, or you have forgotten to book your child into their After School Club, don’t worry we have extended the time that you can book your child into Shine.
You can now book at MyShine.co.uk for the same day, until 2:30pm. Shine staff use live registers on a tablet, so you can be reassured that they will pick up your booking.
After 2:30pm, you can still book, but you will need to phone the office on 01174 033 033, or email info@myshine.co.uk and the admin team will be able to help you.
New programmes which will be running after Easter, until the end of the school year.
Shine Clubs will be bookable online on Wednesday 19th March at 10:00am.
COMMUNITY NEWS
Job Vacancy in Cotham Gardens Primary School
SEND Learning Support Assistant (full-time)
Are you looking for an exciting opportunity to join a brilliant team in a multi-site Primary Academy where you can use your skills, knowledge and experience to make a real, positive and lasting impact on our pupils?
Start Date: September 2025 (or sooner for the right candidate)
The role: We are pleased to announce that we are expanding our fantastic team of SEND LSAs.
Experience of some or all of the following is desirable:
- Working with children with ASD, ADHD and attachment needs
- Experience of delivering speech and language interventions
- Working with children with attachment needs
- Working closely with outside agencies to deliver EHCP provisions
The School: Cotham Gardens Primary School is a large, happy and vibrant 2-form entry primary school within a wonderfully diverse community. We are split over two sites and based within the Cotham area of Bristol city centre.
Contract: Well-being is a high priority for staff and students alike at our school. We are looking to find the right people for our school and can offer flexibility on our contracts. Please state your preferences in the application form.
Full-time hours are 32.5 hours per week, working 08.30am until 3.30pm over 5 days, with a 30 minute unpaid break. Term time only, plus 5 INSET days.
Candidates must demonstrate good communication skills in spoken and written English to effectively engage with children, parents, and colleagues.
Salary: Grade BG6, Scale Point 6-7. Salary £25,183 to £25,584 pro-rata.
https://www.eteach.com/job/send-learning-support-assistant-full-time-1471665
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/
Dyscalulia Awareness Event
Bristol Parent Carer Forum
Bristol Parent Carers offer a range of free support sessions designed to support parents and carers of children with SEND.
Join them for:
Understanding and Supporting your child with Dyscalculia | with Sue Willis from Act4SEND on
Thurs 27th March at 10 AM at St Werburghs Community Centre BS2 9TJ and
The Zones of Regulation (Understanding and supporting regulation with children and young people with SEND) | with Catrina Lowri from Neuroteachers on
Thurs 3rd April at 6:45PM at St Annes House - Community and Creative Hub, BS4 4AB
It's easy to book, just visit https://bit.ly/Getbookednow to secure your place!
New Murmuration Nurture Groups
Murmuration's new Nurture Groups are now live! These groups are a space for SEND parent carers to come together to find connection and improve mental wellbeing. Past participants comment 'It was life changing because I now feel that I can cope' and 'The best thing is the feeling of belonging and being looked after'. To book visit murmurationcommunitytherapy.com .
