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Dear Parent/Carer,

We hope you are having a lovely Easter Holiday.  We are excited about students returning and the start of the exam season.

So students have a strong and calm start to the new term, we would appreciate your support with these key points:

• All students are required to attend from Monday 17^th April at 8:30am
• Preparation is vital.  Please ‘set up for success’ over the weekend.  We do not want any panics on before College on Monday while your child is trying to get ready for College.
• Please ensure your child has full uniform and all the required equipment Uniform, Footwear and Essential Equipment – Cowley International College – St Helens
• Please ensure there are no issues with piercings, jewellery or hair colour.

Many thanks,

Cowley International College

There have been some changes to the school bus services which operate to and from Cowley International College which come into effect from Monday 17th April 2023.

One afternoon 706 journey is re-numbered as 757 and now runs to Desford Avenue, replacing the 757 operated by Cumfybus. One am and one pm 716 journey are renumbered 726, and are now operated by Stagecoach. There are some operator changes and minor timing changes.

The changes can be outlined in the chart below:

The full timetable can be found in the document below:

School Buses – April 2023

With an important few weeks ahead for students in Years 11, 12 and 13 with exam season just around the corner, we are putting on some useful revision classes over the Easter holidays for students to attend.

In the past, students have found these sessions really useful in their preparations for the exams. Please find the timetables below.

A number of music students from Cowley Sixth Form College are organising an event to showcase different genres and styles of music from local students, with acts including bands and solo artists performing from the St. Helens area.

The event is aimed at bringing music lovers and the people of St. Helens together in one place for one night only. The event is titled: Upcoming!

The concert will be held on Friday 5^th May 2023. Visitors can enjoy a range of music for the price of £7, the price includes tickets to the venue, and a raffle ticket, with prizes including a signed Saints rugby ball. The venue has a licensed bar

The night was created to bring local musicians and bands from local colleges together, giving students a platform to showcase their abilities  to a live audience.

The event will be held at the Tunza Centre. The night will be themed as an outdoor festival, that is indoors, creating a fun lively feel.

We would like to send our appreciation to the Tunza team and its owner Ian Smith, who has been a great help in organising the event and letting us use their space for our concert.

On the event Ian said: “It’s a great privilege to work with the staff and students at Cowley on their music event. Each year the students work hard to not only organise the event but to take part in it as well. There’s always a tremendous atmosphere and there are some very talented musicians on show. The Tunza Centre is a beacon for young people to thrive, express their creativity and perform, in many cases, to a packed audience for the first time. I’m sure this year’s “Revolution” event will be a great success.”

Mr Watkins, Head of Performing Arts at Cowley added: “I am extremely proud of the music students devising this wonderful concept giving young music artists with the St Helens area a platform to showcase their skills. This really is a night not to miss out on. Book your tickets for ‘Upcoming’ soon!”

Please contact the Sixth Form College on 01744 678 030 (option 2)  to purchase tickets.

Funded by the Department for Education, the FREE holiday activities and food (HAF) programme provides healthy food and enriching activities for primary and secondary school-aged children eligible for benefits-related free school meals.

Take a look at all the local Easter holiday activities and food programme  events that are taking place by visiting this St Helens Council webpage:

Holiday activities and food programme – St Helens Borough Council

Dear Parent/Carer,

I am writing to you to invite you to stand for election as a parent governor or to nominate another parent to do so.

The Governing Body, with the Principal, have overall responsibility for the running of the college. Governing Bodies have three core strategic functions:

• Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction.
• Holding the Principal to account for the educational performance of the college and its students.
• Overseeing the financial performance of the college and making sure its money is well spent.

No special qualifications are required and the most important thing is to have a keen interest in the college and be prepared to play an active part in the governing body’s work. However, we would particularly welcome nominations from parents with skills and experiences in Human Resources. Training is available for all governors and this governing body has an expectation that those new to being a Governor attend free induction training.

The attached sheet (see below) summarises the circumstances under which someone cannot serve as a Governor. In addition, parents/carers who have paid employment in the college for 500 or more hours per academic year or who are elected members of the Local Authority are not eligible to stand in these elections. Nominations must be from parents or carers with children at the college on the day that nominations close.

If you would like to stand for election, please complete the nomination form by following this link https://forms.office.com/e/x67r15BmVp, or via the form embedded below, no later than Tuesday, 18th April 2023. You may also include a short personal statement to support your nomination, which should be no longer than 250 words. Self-nominations will be accepted, but if you are nominating another parent/carer please seek their prior consent.

If there are more nominations than vacancies the election will be by secret ballot. If that is necessary, voting papers will be sent to all parents together with details of the ballot procedure.

Yours sincerely,
Mr R Cormack
Principal

Qualifications And Disqualifications To Serve As A School Governor

Some independent study has been set for all students in Years 7-10 who will not be in College on Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th March due to the industrial action.

15th March

16th March

College will be re-open to all students on Friday 17th March, and it is a requirement that all students attend.

Link:
Letter from Principal re: Industrial Action on 15/16 March

At the beginning of February, a selection of Cowley students from Years 9, 10 and 11 took part in this year’s Intermediate Maths Challenge, ran by the UK Mathematics Trust.

The Intermediate Maths Challenge is a 60-minute, multiple-choice Challenge which is carried out under examination conditions.

The problems on the Challenge are designed to make students think, encouraging mathematical reasoning, precision of thought, and fluency in using basic mathematical techniques to solve interesting problems.

The challenge was, as ever, a difficult one, but the Cowleians who took part produced an excellent set of results with an impressive total of 34 medalists, 10 higher than last year’s haul of 24 and the highest figure the College has achieved for nine years.

There were four gold medalists, 10 students achieved silver medals while a further 20 picked up a bronze medal, with our highest scorer earning a place in the Pink Kangaroo, an even more challenging follow-on round of the Maths Challenge.

The students have all received a certificate for their achievements. We’d like to congratulate all the students who participated. We’re incredibly proud of you.

8th March 2023

Dear Parent/Carer

Re. Industrial Action

As you will be aware, the National Education Union (NEU) has announced it is to take industrial action due to a national dispute between the unions and government over teachers’ pay and funding decisions for school. The next planned strike days will be next week on Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th March.

Due to the number of NEU members and health and safety implications, unfortunately, after careful consideration, I have made the difficult decision that the College cannot operate a standard day. I have outlined the plans below.

Next Wednesday and Thursday, the College will only be open to Sixth Form, Y11 students and a small group of identified Y7-10 students. Parents/carers of this Y7-10 identified group will receive a personal communication in the next few days.

Sixth Form students will follow their normal timetable. If their teacher is not in College, they will complete independent study in the Sixth Form Study Area.

Year 11 students on Wednesday, 15th March will complete their English Literature rehearsal exam during the morning and leave site around 12.15pm to complete exam study at home. On Thursday, 16th March, the Maths and Science papers are scheduled for the morning session; all students, except those taking GCSE Biology, will leave site around 12.45pm. Students sitting the separate Biology GCSE will leave site around 1.15pm. The afternoon session should be used to complete exam study at home. Year 11 students will arrive at 8.30am, in full uniform, and register with the year team in the canteen. If Y11 students require school transport at the end of the school day, we will supervise them during lunchtime and period 5. Please inform the Y11 team if your child requires this facility by Monday 13th March for us to make appropriate arrangements.

All Y7 – 10 students not attending next Wednesday, and Thursday will be provided with appropriate independent study to complete at home. Miss Barry, Vice Principal, will be providing more details about this and adding information to our website early next week.

As most students entitled to Free School Meals won’t be in school on Wednesday, 15th and Thursday, 16th March, Mrs Callaghan, Business Manager, has once again arranged for £2.50 to be credited to their ParentPay meal account which won’t expire until spent. We understand that times are tough for families and it is important that no student goes hungry, therefore, if you prefer, a packed lunch can be collected or delivered on the day. Please let Mrs Callaghan know by noon on Friday, 10th March via email to enquiries@cowleysthelens.org.uk and she will arrange for this to happen.

I am sorry that you will have to make alternative arrangements for your child, and for the disruption to their education. I very much hope this situation can be swiftly resolved so we can continue to deliver high quality education and opportunities for our students. I am in regular contact with LA and Union representatives and will keep you informed of any progress or change.

College will be re-open to all students on Friday, 17th March, and it is a requirement that all students attend.

If you have any questions, please contact the college on the above email, however, more details will follow over the next few days.

Yours sincerely,

Mr R Cormack
Principal