As we approach the end of a fantastic first term, we have an action-packed final day planned for all students. Attendance is especially important as we continue high-quality learning right up to the end—and there’s plenty to look forward to!
🎭 The Masked Singer Returns!
Back by popular demand and bigger and better than last year, our very own Masked Singer will take place on the last day of term. Staff will once again be performing in disguise…
Can you work out who’s behind the mask?
🎟️ Attendance Prize Draw
We are holding a special Attendance Prize Draw on the last day.
Students earn one ticket for every full week they are in school, and each ticket equals one entry into the draw. The more you’re in, the more chance you have of winning! There are some excellent prizes up for grabs.
📚 High-Quality Learning Until We Break Up
Learning continues right to the end of term.
We will be teaching the full curriculum up to and including the final day, and attendance remains a top priority. Every day matters.
🏆 Achievement Assemblies
We will finish the term with our Achievement Assemblies, where we celebrate:
-
Outstanding effort
-
Personal accomplishments
-
Successes across the curriculum
-
The incredible progress made this term
These assemblies give students a chance to reflect, recognise their achievements, and celebrate together as a community.
Cowley International College is delighted to share that we have been appointed as a Lead School for Sound! Music Hub, the newly established music hub for the Liverpool City Region and Warrington.
This appointment recognises our school’s strong commitment to high-quality music provision and our dedication to supporting the musical development of children and young people across our wider community.
What is a Lead School?
Sound! Music Hub’s Lead Schools Network is made up of 15 schools from across the Liverpool city region and Warrington— including primary, secondary and special schools. These schools will work closely with Sound! Music Hub to help shape music education across Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Warrington.
Lead Schools act on behalf of their local school networks and communities, representing a broad range of voices, sharing best practice, and helping to ensure that every young person has the opportunity to engage with music in meaningful ways.
Our Role
As a Lead School, Cowley International College will:
- Actively support and promote music education and the work of Sound! Music Hub across the region.
- Collaborate with local music services, fellow Lead Schools, and other schools to develop opportunities and resources.
- Develop and deliver CPD, mentoring, peer support, and learning networks.
- Co-create and participate in collaborative projects, events, and the sharing of practice and resources.
- Provide in-school support where relevant to areas of expertise.
- Support career pathways into music for young people.
- Advocate for inclusive, diverse, and high-quality music education across the region.
- Share examples of great practice and innovation in music education.
- Represent the voices and needs of local schools and communities.
- Help shape the direction of music education across the region
What is Sound! Music Hub?
Sound! Music Hub covers the areas of Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Warrington. It is part of a national network of 43 music hubs which are dedicated to providing music education and opportunities to young people across the UK.
Serving the areas of Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Warrington, Sound! Music Hub brings together a variety of organisations to deliver music education and career pathways to children and young people.
In collaboration with local music services and both regional and national music organisations, Sound! works with 555 schools, reaching over 210,000 pupils, including those who are home schooled or educated through alternative methods. The hub aims to increase access to music activities both in and out of school, fostering a stronger connection between the two and ensuring every child and young person has the opportunity enjoy, experience and champion music.
Sound! Music Hub is funded by the Department for Education through Arts Council England and is led by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority – the Hub Lead Organisation (HLO).
To find out more about Sound! Music Hub and its work across the region, visit www.soundmusichub.com
We are delighted to announce the return of the St Helens Secondary Schools’ All Stars Awards for 2025, proudly founded by the St Helens Association of Secondary Headteachers (ASH).
Following the success of last year’s inaugural event, the awards are back to once again celebrate the outstanding achievements of students from across all ten local secondary schools.
Each school has nominated pupils across 11 categories, with the winners set to be announced at a special ceremony on Thursday 23rd October at the St Helens Rugby League Stadium.
We have four students up for awards in the following categories:
- Kind and caring student of the year
- Outstanding contribution to the school community
- Creative and Performing Arts student of the year
- Sportsperson of the year
This promises to be another inspiring and uplifting evening, shining a spotlight on the remarkable dedication, talent, and resilience of our young people.
Awards will be presented by Councillor Burns in the following categories:
- Academic grit and determination award
- Student leader of the year
- Sportsperson of the year
- Outstanding perseverance and resilience
- Outstanding contribution to the school community
- Outstanding contribution to the St Helens community
- Creative and Performing Arts student of the year
- Kind and caring student of the year
- Environmental student of the year
- Young carer of the year
- New for 2025 – Team of the Year
Missed Our Open Evening? We’ve got you covered!
We were delighted to welcome so many Y6 students and their families to our recent Open Evening and showcase everything our school has to offer. From meeting our passionate staff and students to exploring our fantastic facilities, it was a wonderful opportunity to experience life at Cowley.
However, we understand that not everyone was able to attend – and some families may wish to take a second look before making this important decision. That’s why we’re offering an additional date where Y6 and their family can take a look around our school and hear a presentation about everything we have to offer. SENCo will also be on hand to answer any questions you have
Monday 13th October
4:30 – 6:00pm
Cowley International College
Booking is required. Please use the link below to reserve your spot:
Whole School Musical Announced: The Addams Family!
We are delighted to announce that this year’s whole school musical will be The Addams Family!
With a cast of over 70 students from across all year groups, this production promises to be a spectacular showcase of our school’s talent, teamwork, and creativity.
Performance Dates:
The show will run for four nights at the end of October:
21st – 25th October, 7:30pm, plus a Saturday matinee at 2:30pm
Following the huge success of our past musicals – which have sold out performances and even received NODA award wins and recognition – we are expecting another fantastic response from our school community and beyond.
Over the summer, a group of our students embarked on an extraordinary journey to Cambodia with Camps International, taking part in life-changing community development projects.
This once-in-a-lifetime experience saw students fully immerse themselves in local culture while making a real impact. From supporting essential community initiatives to contributing to vital environmental work, they demonstrated resilience, teamwork, and compassion every step of the way.
We are incredibly proud of all the students involved — your commitment, courage, and community spirit have made a lasting difference. Well done!
Here is Cameron’s write-up of the expedition and his thoughts for students thinking of taking part in a Camps International expedition in the future:
The Cambodia trip was an absolute dream that will change your life. You’ll learn about the history of Cambodia and how it got to peace from decades of recent turmoil, widening your historical and cultural knowledge. You’ll visit the bustling cities of Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, highlighting the real progress of Cambodia. Not to mention, you’ll get to meet new people and now, some of my best friends are people I met on this trip! From visiting the world famous Angkor Wat (the largest religious building in the world) to sleeping in a monastery after meditating with monks, this is such a unique opportunity that I strongly urge you to take. The only bad part will be missing Cambodia and reflecting on your memories once you arrive back home!
You’re Invited: High School Open Evening – Thursday 11th September 2025
We are excited to welcome prospective students and their families to our Open Evening on Thursday 11th September 2025, from 4:00pm to 6:30pm.
This is a fantastic opportunity to:
-
Explore our school’s facilities and classrooms
-
Meet our dedicated teaching staff and current students
-
Learn more about our curriculum, enrichment support services
-
Experience the vibrant atmosphere that makes our school community so special
Whether you’re considering joining us in Year 7 or looking for a fresh start in another year group, our Open Evening offers the perfect chance to see what we’re all aboutWe look forward to seeing you there and sharing what makes our school a place where every student can thrive.
No booking required – just come along!
To our class of 2025 — well done. 🎉
You’ve worked incredibly hard, faced challenges with determination, and shown resilience beyond your years. Today isn’t just about grades — it’s about grit, growth, and everything you’ve achieved along the way.
Whether you’re feeling proud, relieved, surprised, or even unsure — take a breath and know this: you’ve done something big. You’ve done your best. And that’s what truly counts.
A huge congratulations to student, Phoebe, who has achieved an outstanding set of GCSE results — nine grade 9s across the board. This exceptional performance places Phoebe within the top 0.2% of students in the UK, a remarkable achievement that reflects years of hard work, commitment, and academic excellence. We couldn’t be prouder — well done, Phoebe!
To the Class of 2025, you’ve done it! GCSEs done! Congratulations from all of us — we’re so proud of each and every one of you.
We’ve captured some of the smiles, hugs, and joyful moments from today and will be updating this page over the next few days.
“I’m proud of every single one of our students for their effort, grit, and all the hard work behind every result.
“Each exam grade isn’t just a number, nor does it happen by chance — it reflects consistent effort in lessons, hours of revision at home, dedication in attending period 6 sessions after school, participation in the breakfast boost sessions in the library, and the care and support from both parents and school staff.
“Well done to our Class of 2025! Today, you receive your well-earned results that are the key to opening the doors to your next exciting chapter in education and training. I wish you all the very best.”
Mr Cormack
It is with great sadness, pride, fondness and deep respect that we pay tribute to Ray French MBE, a much-loved former teacher, colleague and friend of Cowley who passed away last weekend.
Ray served for many years as an English teacher here at Cowley, where he inspired generations of students with his passion, warmth and boundless enthusiasm, not just for education, but also for sport, character and community, playing a major role in the school playing both rugby league and rugby union and taking teams on tours.
In the classroom, he was a charismatic and engaging teacher who made literature come alive. On the sports field, he was a true motivator, instilling in the students the values of teamwork, dedication and fair play.
But Ray’s legacy extends far beyond his teaching. As a dual-code rugby international and long-standing broadcaster, he became a cherished voice of the sport, known to millions for his unmistakable commentary, his humour and storytelling. And yet, throughout his remarkable career, he remained proud of his Cowley roots and committed to his hometown of St Helens.
Ray embodied the very spirit of Cowley, he was a proud and passionate man. He left a lasting impression on all who knew him and generations of students and staff will remember him with great affection and gratitude.
We send our heartfelt condolences to Ray’s family and friends. His contribution to our school and community will never be forgotten.
Rest in peace, Sir.
