Newsletter 25/04/25

 

Thank you from the Repair-Ed Project!

 

Arathi Sriprakash from the Repair-Ed Research Project at the University of Oxford visited Cotham Gardens Primary School before Easter to speak to teaching staff, parents, and former pupils about their experiences. By listening directly to stakeholders, the Repair-Ed project explores how schools across Bristol can better address racial and class inequalities. Repair-Ed researchers will continue to visit schools across the city and these perspectives are being brought together in an online interactive archive which you can access here – A People’s History of Schooling in Bristol.

 

Arathi would like to thank the Cotham Gardens community for welcoming the project. She’ll be staying in touch with the school to share resources that the Repair-Ed Project develops. In the meantime, you can follow updates on their website: www.repair-ed.uk.

 

 

The following classes will be taking part in Tennis lesson with Simon Porter on the below dates. The tennis coaching will be happening in the school playground.

28th April - YR3

5th May - YR4

19th May - YR4

 

 

 

The last payment of £46.50 for YR6 camp is due next week - 30th April.

Please logon to Arbor to make sure you are all up to date with your payments.

Can we also ask that the consent/medical form is completed over the weekend - please find the link below if you have not done this already.

Year 6 Camp Consent & Medical Form 2025

 

 

 

 

If you have received an offer for you child to start in Reception in September 25, please make sure you accept this offer by Wednesday 30th April. More details can be found by clicking this link. 

Key dates for your diary: 

• 30th April: Parents must respond to Bristol City Council regarding their offer of a school place at Cotham Gardens.
• 12th June: Induction evening where you will meet your child's class teacher.
• 5th June: Stay and play event. This is a chance for your child to play in their new classroom and for you to meet other parents and some key staff and school partners over coffee and biscuits. 
• 3-5th September: Home visits.
• 8th September: First day of term for reception children

Whether this is your first child starting school or you are a returning family, we know that beginning school is a big step for children and adults alike. If you have any questions about the school or accepting your child's place, we will be delighted to welcome you into school for a face-to-face meeting with the Head of School and/or a visit to our wonderful EYFS provision at Elmgrove over the coming week. Please contact the office to make an appointment by phoning 0117 3772610 or emailing office@cothamgardens.co.uk 

We look forward to working in partnership with you to ensure your child has a smooth and successful transition to Cotham Gardens Primary School. 

 

 

 

The next Community Forum Meetings will be held on the following dates - all welcome!

• 7th May in the Cotham Grove Hall at 9am

 

• 8th May online at 18.00pm - You will find the Microsoft ID and Password to join on ClassDojo calendar

   

We have a special  lunch on Wednesday 21st May.

If your child would like:

 

• Chicken Fajita served with rice – please select the Roast Chicken with Roast Potatoes.

 

• Halal Chicken Fajita served with rice– please select the Halal Roast Chicken, Roast Potatoes.

 

• Roasted Vegetable Quesadilla served with Rice– please select the Hummus and roasted tomatoes with roast potatoes.

 

 

 Please find the remaining bank holidays where the school will be closed.

 

• Monday 5th May 2025
• Monday 26th May 2025 - School on Half-Term

 

 

 

If you have recently moved house, updated your mobile number or email address - please make sure you update these on Arbor to ensure we have the most up to date information for you.

 

 

 

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 into the office. Thank you in advance!

   

 

 

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.

 

 

• Y1 Bristol Zoo Project - Tuesday 13th May
• Y2 Aerospace museum - Thursday 15th May 
• YR Farm Trip - Tuesday 20th May 
• YR5 Circus Skills Workshop - 21st 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 

 

 

 

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 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 

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

  

 

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.

 

 

Year 4 had a fabulous Spring term and we are really looking forward to all that is planned for the Summer term too! Throughout the Spring we built carved soap, went to M-Shed and became Anglo-Saxon experts, and experimented with ice cubes! Wow!

As artists the children explored 3D shape and structures. We focussed on a selection of artists including Magdalene Odundo and her large, sweeping sketches. We created a variety artworks including drawing outside, carving soap sculptures and using shadows.

As historians we explored what life was like in Anglo-Saxon Britain. The children took a great interest in what day to day life would have been like – we even built our own walls using wattle and daub! This lead nicely to our trip to The M-Shed, where we were lucky enough to have an Anglo-Saxon workshop lead by the experts themselves! It was fascinating and a fabulous opportunity for the children to show off all their new knowledge!

We are only one week into Term 5 and yet have already completed some wonderful learning! Despite the staffing changes, the children have settled back in really well and are already getting to grips with our new topics.

In history this term we are investigating Mayan civilization and just how they managed to survive for so long in a rainforest. In DT we are planning and building our own cladded pavilions, we’ve already began exploring 3D shape and which are strongest!

We’ve continued our fraction and decimal learning and are now ready to move on to money, time and shape this term. We continue to work hard on our times tables to ensure they become a part of our DNA!

We are all so proud of Year 4 and their return to the Summer term and are looking forward to the rest of the year with them!