What better place to see that sparkle than in the summer production of Matilda, which saw Year 12 students taking a number of lead roles, both centre stage and behind the scenes. Congratulations to all involved for bringing such joy to so many.

The other big event of the term was the Year 12 Futures Conference. The conference focused on Post 18 plans and covered a variety of options including, university, apprenticeships, employment and travel. The students were brilliant and it was fantastic to see so many of them getting excited about opportunities open to them after they leave us. We were so pleased to be able to deliver this event face to face,welcoming students from both Cotham and RGS to the event. A reminder to all of our students that resources for the conference can be found via the NBP16 student hub in links at the bottom of the Futures section here (student login required). There are a large number of resources and support materials in this section of the Hub, which can be accessed from home as well as onsite. Furthermore, the Futures Bulletin is packed with summer opportunities.

We also had a brilliant morning with Year 12 off timetable looking at a range of personal development areas linked to their futures. Students engaged very positively in a group session focused on the way we learn. As well as looking at study skills and stress management, students also explored neurodiversity and what inclusive learning looks like. They then moved on to tutor seminars where they engaged further with the Cotham School Respect Project to explore topics of gender expression and body image. 

Term six, as always, has also been a busy one for trips and visits. The majority of our Year 12s have kept themselves on a busy schedule of University Open Days as they begin the task of narrowing down their UCAS choices. We also had our fantastic Duke of Edinburgh gold crew out on expedition at the Jurassic Coast. They were extremely lucky to experience a break in the rain, which helped to keep spirits high.  Another big trip went out this term, which saw all our Year 12 biologists undertaking their field work in Slapton. The weather was also stunning for this trip and they got so much out of the experience and Mr Barber commented on how exceptionally proud he was of their focus and resilience. Then of course we sent our expeditioners off to Morocco just before the end of term, where they are getting a wider-ranging experiences, with an immersive community experience and a four day trek in amongst them. The photos are already making us very jealous!

As well as the bigger expeditions, we have also had a large number of day trips and visits. 19 Year 12 students attended an Experience Day run by Future Quest at Glenside campus UWE. As part of the NHS-E Access to Medicine, Pharmacy & the Allied Health Professions programme, students were able to experience hands-on workshops exploring different healthcare professions. The programme also includes ongoing support for students through FutureXplorer sessions, which provide patient scenarios, online NHS Values activity, personal statement guidance, and UCAS application support. Staff at Future Quest were extremely impressed with the engagement from our students and look forward to supporting them with their future choices. We also welcomed students from UWE who ran two days work of immersive workshops for our Year 12s on all things economics. 

And finally, a thank you and well done to our students leadership team who put on some fantastic events and the end of term. The table tennis tournament was hard-fought and brought a brilliant energy to Charnwood, even as some of the staff favourites were toppled one-by-one! The team also put together a team quiz for the last Core session of the year. Even with some of the most random rounds included, it was a fantastic celebration at the end of a fantastic year,  

As always, we wish our students a restful summer break. We encourage our Year 12s to view this short film on the step up to Year 13, if they haven’t already. Please also encourage them to look out for the wellbeing bulletin, being emailed to them at the end of term (you can preview a summary of this here). We are exceptionally proud of everything that has been achieved at Cotham P16 this year and look forward to continuing those successes in September, with lots of exciting plans afoot for the next academic year.

 

We first of all need to congratulate Year 13 student Ed for provoking brilliant discussion at the Bristol Education Partnership Philosophy Society event hosted at Cotham in February. We were joined by staff and students from Redmaids, Clifton High, Badminton, QEH and Redland Green for an evening of discussion and debate, ably facilitated by Ed and his presentation exploring the enormous question: what is religion? Congratulations also go to the brilliantly talented Natlie in Year 12 who has been selected to have her artwork featured in Mingle Bristol’s ‘Hong Kong in Your Eye’ exhibition as part of Hong Kong March, an event designed to highlight and celebrate the immigrant experience. Congratulations also to Sara in Year 12 who, as part of ‘Bristol Youth Empowerment’ raised an incredible £6427.50 for earthquake survivors in Syria and Turkey. You can read more about this on Bristol Live here. Finally, we congratulate Lily, winner of our Post 16 short story competition. A popular winner, with her tension-filled submission ‘The Specialist’ which you can read in full here.  

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. 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 of the best submissions we have ever seen, from original musical compositions, to innovative and intricate artwork, 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 new areas to benefit future planning and personal wellbeing. At the start of term, we had a session from Into University who came to talk with Year 12 about the range of different Post 18 opportunities available to them, including Apprenticeships, Higher Apprenticeships, gap year volunteering and work-based routes. The final session of this term was focused on revision hints and tips, supporting Year 12 in building healthy study habits ahead of their mocks at the start of next term. As always, summaries and resources for all Core sessions can be accessed by students via the P16 Hub (student login required).

There has been plenty of subject extension activity this term, with 12 A Level Film students braving the snow in March to visit ‘Screenology’ in Temple Quarter. They took part in a combined set of activities during the afternoon, including a screening of student films, a tour of the studios and a chance to have their say on regeneration in the city. Our brilliant business Foundation students also undertook their event management projects this term with a range of fundraising activities taking place from staff vs student sport to a charity quiz. Year 12 A Level Literature students attended a fantastic talk by renowned poet Moses Mckenzie. Moses' debut novel An Olive Grove in Ends, focuses on the life of a young man growing up in Stapleton Road in Bristol and vividly captures life on the east side of the inner city, reflecting the melting pot of cultures in its skilful blending of modern English, Jamaican Patois, Arabic and multicultural slang. The author spoke about his experiences as a school pupil, student and writer growing up in Bristol, followed by a question-and-answer session. The term then ended with our Year 12 geographers setting off on their field work trip to Slapton in Devon. This trip runs each year and is part of the geography course, giving students the practical experience to prepare for their non-examined assessment. Despite the rain, they did themselves proud. Ms Meek said “The weather was very wet and cold, but the students were absolutely brilliant”.

Year 12 mocks will be upon us in the second week of next term and you can view the summary timetable here. 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 to use a reading pen for exams can borrow one of these from Ms Beaver for any in-class assessments to practise using them.

Thank you 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. 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 D+D and our brand new crochet club!

With futures on the mind following 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. 

All that remains is to wish our students a well deserved Spring break and Ramadan Kareem, 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. 

The first thing we need to do in this update is congratulate our students who sat BTEC exams and/or set tasks in January. At a period of huge uncertainty (many took place in the same week school closure was announced) our students came in to sit external assessments for IT, Business, Sport, Health and Social Care, and Science courses. This term we received the results for these which were some of the best we have ever seen. A HUGE congratulations to all students who sat these assessments for an incredible achievement. 

During the lockdown, we continued to celebrate some fantastic student achievements, with a commendation at this year's Moving Image Awards, "to acknowledge the high standard of work entered to our Moving Image Awards competition this year." The two pieces entered were Meg's "Burning Up" (which you can watch here) and Tom's "Two Heads are Better than One” (which can be viewed here). 

We were also really pleased to see our students developing new skills during this time. A great example of this was Dylan’s incredible photographs of a female Common Zebra Spider (Salticus scenicus) and Balkan Anemone (Anemone blanda):

During March we have also seen many of our students gain offers to their first choice universities. It has been very challenging for students to navigate the UCAS process this year, with school closure in the summer of 2020 (when this was launched) and then again over the final submission deadline; once again their resilience and perseverance has shone through. One scheme that many of our students take part in is the Heading Higher passport, with 88.3% of bristol students on the scheme getting offered a place on their chosen course. 

This term we also launched a mentoring programme with one of our partner organisations Future Quest. These students have been working with a coach to gain support, advice and guidance on next steps and all things future-focused. Workshops have now been offered and many students have signed up for next term.

Following a huge amount of high-profile media coverage around issues relating to gender, we felt it important to raise the profile of conversations around these issues in our community. We recognised that all of our students who identify as female needed a safe and supportive space to air their anger, fear and anxieties. We hosted a lunchtime, socially distanced, discussion group which was attended by a large number of students who made powerful use  of their voices to share experiences and plan for change. This work will now move to the re-launch of our Respect Ambassador programme and we look forward to updating you on this in the weeks and months ahead.

Congratulations also to Abdi who has been working with Bristol Somali Youth Voice to speak on behalf of the youth in the community to this year’s Bristol Mayoral candidates:

Core Programme has continued online this term through the Votes for Schools programme, with topics explored like ‘Are the days of cash numbered?’ ‘Will your gender affect your future?’ and ‘What is the solution to fair trade?’. Several global organisations engage with the student voice created by this each week and we are proud that our students are being heard in cuh important national and international conversations.

We wish all of our staff, students and their families a well earned rest over the break. Holidays can be tricky at the best of times, but perhaps even more so this year. We would encourage all students to look out for the wellbeing bulletin, being emailed to them at the end of term (you can preview a summary of this here); this is a reminder of the range of wellbeing support they can access. We would also encourage you to keep an eye on our weekly careers bulletin as there are a HUGE number of exciting opportunities currently available (many that can be accessed online and for free). You can view this here.