Term two at Cotham Post 16 has been packed with student achievement and activity. Congratulations to Asma who completed a work experience placement with British Geological Survey, who are developing a character-driven online interactive challenge for young people. Asma designed and developed some characters during her placement and has now been asked to stay on board with the project to see her designs to completion, as well as receiving a financial award from the organisation for her hard work. Congratulations also to the fabulous Agnes who provided invaluable support for the Cue Theatre Company Winter Performance. The director, Beth, could not stop singing Agnes’ praises for the professionalism, good humour and creativity shown throughout. 

As well as always making us proud with their extra curricular pursuits, we know the student population at Cotham Post 16 to be very politically active. So it comes as no surprise that, upon hearing we were to expect a visit from our MP Carla Denyer, the questions box overflowed! Congratulations to the students who were involved in the session for the thought provoking ideas you brought and the challenging questions you posed. 

In addition, this term we had a triumphant Culture Day, planned and hosted by our brilliant student leadership team. The day was packed with activity, including a fashion show, craft projects, henna, origami, face painting, film screenings, photo booth, cuisine sharing and an after party in Upgrade where staff and students danced their feet sore at the end of the school day and were also treated to a showcase of the Bollywood routines Ms Din had been teaching a group of students over the past week. 

This term we also marked International Men’s Day by selling flowers as part of our, now established, ‘Give a Man a Flower’ campaign. Students and staff wanted to raise awareness and money for early intervention around young men and mental health. They developed the idea intent on changing the narrative that, for many men, the first time they receive flowers is at their funeral. All stock sold out and we had to do a midday dash for more flowers! Proceeds have been donated to  Equimundo, a charity who, in their own words, are working to "create a world free from violence by engaging men and boys in partnership with women, girls, and individuals of all gender identities."

The work followed off the back of a powerful Year 12 Core session delivered by Tom from M-Path who shared his own personal battle with mental health, he spoke in depth about the 'Man Box', and that building awareness around this helped him in embracing his authentic masculinity. This term also saw an incredibly powerful session delivered by volunteers from Alcoholics Anonymous who talked with our young people about the true experiences of addiction and recovery. 

This term has also been one for a great deal of industry when it comes to all things Futures. We had our Futures Launch with Year 12 (all resources here - student login required) which introduced the progression pathways and gave students a whistle-stop tour of all that the P16 Hub and Career Pilot have to offer. Year 13 have been equally as busy finalising and submitting their UCAS applications. This is such a huge and pressured task; we remain immensely proud of our students for managing this alongside their studies. A special shout out to the significant number of Cotham Post 16 students who have been successful in being invited to interview with Oxford or Cambridge University and/or for medicine courses. An overview of the Futures provision at Cotham Post 16 can be viewed here. 

With mocks approaching for Year 13 in the New Year and Year 12 in the spring, we are proud of the study routines and work ethic our students continue to develop. Especially in their pursuit of developing themselves as whole, skilled people above and beyond examination success. Students are reminded to check out the massive amount of resource and support available through the Upgrade section of our Hub (student login required); included is a link to a free online skillsbuilder course to support students in developing effective revision routines. 

As always, we work hard to promote the value of healthy balance and urge students to look out for the Wellbeing Bulletin shared with them at the end of term (preview here). The winter break is filled with excitement, but can also be a challenging time for many and this resource offers a range of resources and support routes for students to access over the holidays should they need it. On that note, we are excited to welcome back Jade, our visiting therapy dog, next term. As a charity, they do not charge for their volunteer visits, however they have asked that we share their fundraising link should you as parents and carers be in a position to support their important work. To donate what you can afford to give, please click HERE and give Cotham Post 16 as your reference.

All that remains is to wish a very Merry Christmas to those who will be celebrating. Charnwood will be closed to students and staff for the duration of the break (we have also made sure to notify our resident mascot ‘Blurry’ the fox of this). Thank you to all our parents and carers for your support this year; we look forward to seeing our students back with us in 2026!