This term has been notable for many things, but the re-emergence of our daffodils in our outdoor wellbeing space sums them up beautifully; the sun is out and we are here for it! We happily welcome our new scarecrow and look forward to its head joining its body next term, foreshadowing the planting of our budding seedlings so we might once again benefit from some home-grown fruit and vegetables before the summer break. 

A real highlight of the term has been some magnificent efforts in student leadership. We need to congratulate our phenomenally talented student leadership team who put together a spectacularly joyful programme of events for Neurodiversity Celebration Week. With a brilliant series of assemblies, a hobby swap, design competition, quiz, author visit in the library all being second only to the ‘explosively’ brilliant fidget toy building workshop that engaged many in the creative and clean up phases! What a celebration of inclusivity and identity that sums up the best of who we are at Cotham Post 16. Shout out to Ms Morris who has been the driving force behind this work. What’s more, the team also put impressive fundraising efforts in throughout Ramadan - engaging in The Date Project, Cakes for Syria and a lunchtime social to raise funds for Islamic Relief. Proof here that, in the busiest of times, our young people remain outward looking to build a fair and equitable world beyond their Charnwood walls. 

 

Another notable achievement this term has been the way our Year 13 students have responded to the feedback from their January mock examinations. This is such an important phase in their studies and a last opportunity to practise those examination skills within a full exam hall experience ahead of the summer season. Feedback from teachers this term has been exceptionally positive, particularly in the way our incredible young people have been seeking advice and support to ensure that they are pursuing their ambitions in healthy balance. And then to our fabulous Year 12s who have entered their first Post 16 mock season with maturity, focus and balance; you have earned your Spring Break! We are keen to remind students that support with organisation, revision and a wide range of other study skills can be sought from our brilliant Academic Mentors in Upgrade. We also encourage Year 12 to familiarise themselves with the assessment support materials on the Upgrade page of our NBP16 Hub, which contains a huge bank of bespoke resources and information, put together by NBP16 staff and students, to support the assessment process, including managing anxieties. A reminder that all students eligible who use a reading pen for exams can borrow one of these from Ms Beaver for any in-class assessments to practise using them.

As always, the academic ambitions of our young people have burst beyond their curriculum and this has been exemplified by countless extra-curricular pursuits. Particular mention goes to the inaugural Poetry Workshop in the library. They came for the tea and biscuits; they left us with creative legacy. And then we also congratulate Bayan, who progressed from the Bristol heats to compete in the South of England Regional Final for ‘ARTiculation’ at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. As our first student to ever compete in Articulation (against some prestigious schools!), we are incredibly proud. 

We cannot congratulate on academic achievements without also commending all of our Extended Project Qualification students who have met their submission deadline this term. We have had some incredible portfolios submitted, exhibiting passion, enthusiasm, originality and genuine personal growth. Projects have ranged from original works of fiction and music, to innovative and intricate artefact builds, as well as some truly thought provoking and intellectually challenging essays, many of which have been produced to undergraduate level. 

Core programme this term has provided some great opportunities for Year 12 students to explore revision hints and tips, supporting them in building healthy study habits ahead of their mocks. In addition, we have started to ask the huge question of: why go to university? It’s not for everyone, but it is accessible to everyone and we always endeavour to empower our young people to make an informed choice on their pathway. 

With futures on the mind, then followed a brilliantly well attended Year 12 trip to the UCAS convention in Exeter. We would encourage students to make sure they keep an eye out for the weekly Post 16 Futures Bulletin, which is emailed to them directly but can also be accessed here at any time. On this note, we congratulate our fantastic Foundation cohort who engaged with great enthusiasm in the Apprenticeship workshops delivered as part of their Skills programme.

As always, it is brilliant to see our students feeding back into their learning experience. This term, we had a fantastic turnout for our STRIDE (student voice) lunch, where students came to speak with staff about what they love about their learning and what they feel could work even better. Thank you must also extend to all parents and carers who joined us for the Year 13 post-mocks surgery (identified students only) and the Year 12 online parents evening. Thank you also to those who turned out for our Student Finance evening; look out for more in-community events coming up later in the year. Your engagement with us is enormously valued and provides such an important bridge to support the academic ambitions and achievements of our young people. 

Student enrichment has been another highlight of term four, with brilliant engagement in a really wide range of enrichment activities. This year, we once again have huge numbers of student-run groups, which is a testament to how well our amazing Year 12 students have adapted to life at NBP16. Clubs that have been really popular this term are the D+D group and our ever popular sports provision, with a number of inter-centre fixtures planned! We have also enjoyed some theme weeks this term, notably World Book Day where staff and students brought their creative energy in full force. Congrats must go to our brilliant Senior Tutor Mr Sla(y)ne who lived up to his name and utterly slayed as the eye of Salron, bringing home the staff team win for the science faculty. 

It is always hard to encapsulate every student achievement in this update, but I know you’ll forgive me for going over my usual word count for a final shout out to the EXCEPTIONAL Leo who was presented with a medal by HM Lord Lieutenant of Bristol, Ms Peaches Golding OBE (on behalf of *the actual King*), for his services in support of St John’s ambulance during the coronation. Just wow. 

All that remains is to wish our students a well deserved Spring break. We also wish a belated Eid Mubarak and an upcoming Happy Easter, for all those who are observing. We encourage students to find some time for rest and to have a look through the ideas and resources in our end of term Wellbeing Bulletin, which is emailed to them on the last day of term and can be previewed here.