As we reach the end of another jam-packed and exciting year at Cotham Post 16, it’s a real pleasure to look back on what has been a truly memorable summer. Our students continue to impress us not just with their academic commitment but with their energy, creativity and boundless community spirit.

We start with a massive and proud congrats to Cotham Post 16 alumnus Ella Rae Smith for her recognition as European Actress of the year at the prestigious Ischia Global Fest. We love seeing you soar and showing each new generation of Cotham P16 students how real and magnificent a career in the arts can be. Also, a huge shout-out to current Year 12 student Ellie, who represented us nationally in the prestigious Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators. With over 22,000 students entering this University of Oxford-run competition, Ellie’s beautifully crafted translation earned her a Commendation, awarded by professional literary translators and Oxford students. What an incredible achievement - well done, Ellie!

We were thrilled to host our first-ever Post 16 Sports Day this term, and what a day it was! From intense badminton rallies to the chaos of dodgeball and the all-important tug-of-war, it was brilliant to see so much enthusiasm and healthy competition. Huge thanks to Mr Book for masterminding the whole event; we’re already looking forward to next year.

June saw us celebrating our Pride Day, and it was every bit the rainbow-filled delight we hoped for. Students and staff came together for crafting, a fabulous catwalk, and a joyful picnic celebration in the sun. As always, the creativity and sense of community on show were inspiring.

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. Our Gold Duke of Edinburgh students tackled their expeditions with resilience and good humour, bossing every mile and making memories that will last a lifetime. Meanwhile, our A Level Biologists soaked up both knowledge and sunshine on their field trip to Slapton, bringing classroom learning to life in the best possible way.

And a thank you and well done to our student leaders who put on some fantastic events at the end of term. We were proud to see students lead a fundraising event in the courtyard, featuring henna tattooing; by the end of lunchtime, there wasn't a hand left unpainted! A lovely example of students combining creativity and compassion to support good causes.

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 host this event at Cotham, welcoming students from both Cotham and RGS to the event and with Cotham Post 16 alumni as our keynote speakers! 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 on-site. Furthermore, the Futures Bulletin is packed with summer opportunities. The second phase of the conference moved onto important workshops on mental health and authentic masculinity, which was a powerful day of reflection and forward planning.

The highlight of the summer term for many was our dazzling production of Guys and Dolls. Post 16 students took centre stage in lead roles, bringing energy, humour and heart to the performance. Their talent and teamwork were a joy to witness. A huge well done to all involved, both on and off stage.

We wrapped up the term with a brilliant Community Quiz in our final Core session: a lovely way to finish the year with fun, a little bit of competition, and plenty of laughs.

This term, we say a heartfelt goodbye and thank you to Ms Skinner, Ms Mohamed and Mr Davies, who are moving on to new adventures. Their contributions to Post 16 have been immense, and they will be very much missed by students and colleagues alike.

Finally - a bit of a plea. We have just begun our fundraising campaign to turn the old toilet block(!) into a Wellbeing Hub in the heart of Charnwood. It’s a massive but important ambition, which we need your help to realise! You can find details of the project aims HERE, along with the opportunity to donate. Please share the link far and wide. If you know of any Bristol businesses who would be interested in sponsoring some or all of this campaign, please get in touch so we can share our corporate fundraising letter. We have £40k to raise, so it’s going to take a full community effort!

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). Thank you to all our Post 16 students, families and staff for your continued support, positivity and commitment. Wishing you all a restful, sunny and well-deserved summer break.

We’ll see you in September!