Today is World Book Day, and with reading being such an important part of life here at Cowley, we are enjoying being involved with today’s events.
World Book Day changes lives through a love of books and shared reading. Their mission is to promote reading for pleasure, offering every child and young person the opportunity to have a book of their own.
Reading for pleasure is the single biggest indicator of a child’s future success – more than their family circumstances, their parents’ educational background or their income.
We have various activities going on in college today, including our Year 7 & 8 students reading a book in a day and ‘The Masked Reader’.
A number of books have been made available for £1 for World Book Day and they are offering all secondary students a £1 book token to obtain those books for free or to get £1 off more expensive books. Please use the QR code (right) to download your token.
Some independent study has been set for all students in Years 7-10 who will not be in College on Tuesday, 28th February, due to the industrial action.
Years 7-10 Independent Study – 28 Feb
College will be re-open to all students on Wednesday 1st March, and it is a requirement that all students attend.
21st February 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 second strike day will be next Tuesday, 28th February.
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. However, the plans are different to the first strike day arrangements.
Next Tuesday, 28th February, 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 will complete their English and Maths GCSE rehearsal exams during P1-4 and then leave the site at approximately 1pm 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 Friday, 24th February for us to make appropriate arrangements.
All Y7 – 10 students not attending next Tuesday will be provided with appropriate independent study to complete throughout the day. 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 Tuesday, 28th February, 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, 24th February 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 Wednesday 1st 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
This year’s Safer Internet Day was marked at Cowley with a number of activities going on in Computing lessons.
The annual event has a different theme each year, and this year’s was based around ‘Want to talk about it? Making space for conversations about life online’.
To get students thinking and talking about life online, they joined in with activities such as a dice game (with the number thrown relating to a specific topic to discuss) and designing posters to display around the classrooms with ways to stay safe online.
For more information about Safer Internet Day, and resources to help children and parents/carers stay safe online, please visit: https://saferinternet.org.uk/.
Dear Parent/Carer,
All BTEC subjects have timed, mid-term examinations which will count towards their final KS4 qualification at the end of Year 11. Mid-term examinations will be taking place in:
- Animal Care
- Child Development
- Dance
- Digital Information Technology (Computing)
- Engineering
- Graphics and Textiles
- Health and Social Care
- Sport
- Travel
Why are these examinations important?
The mid-term examinations count towards the final grade of your child’s KS4 qualification and are a crucial component of the course. It is vital that your child attends all of these and is fully prepared.
What happens if my child is absent?
It is vital that your child attends each day. If your child is absent, then you must contact the college and provide medical evidence. There will not be a resit opportunity.
When will they take place?
Some subjects have already started their mid-term examinations, but the majority will start on 6th February 2023 and continue until mid-April.
What will happen in lessons?
Mid-term examinations will take place in lessons with students working independently under formal examination conditions.
Mid-term examinations in Animal Care and Sport include video evidence of students completing practical tasks. The videos will be stored securely and only shared with the examination board.
Once the mid-term examinations are complete the grades will be sent to the examination board and there will not be a resit opportunity.
How can I support my child?
Attendance, punctuality, behaviour and engagement are key to students’ success. College will contact home if required standards are not met.
If you have any concerns or questions, please contact the college.
We appreciate your support during this mid-term examination phase.
Kind regards,
The Year 10 Team
25th January 2023
Dear Parent/Carer
Re. Industrial Action
As you may 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 first day will be next Wednesday, 1st February.
Due to the number of NEU members at Cowley and the health and safety implications, unfortunately, after careful consideration, I have made the difficult decision that the College cannot operate a standard day.
Next Wednesday, 1st February, the College will only be open to Sixth Form and a small group of identified Y7-11 students. Parents/carers of this 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.
All students not attending next Wednesday will be provided with appropriate independent study to complete throughout the day. Miss Barry will be providing more details about this and adding information to our website early next week.
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 the LA and union representatives and will keep you informed of any progress or change.
College will re-open to all students on Thursday, 2nd February and it is a requirement that all students attend.
If you have any questions, please contact the college via email, however, more details will follow over the next few days.
Yours sincerely,
Mr R Cormack
Principal
Cowley Sixth Form College Year 12 student, Eve Kelly, has won a prestigious German A-Level writing competition organised by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures at King’s College London.
The competition, open to A-Level students across the UK, invited students to submit an original piece of writing in German of about 400-450 words on the topic of climate change.
Entries were judged on both the content and the language.
News of the success was broken to Eve, rather fittingly, during a recent college trip to Stuttgart with the rest of Cowley’s German A-Level students.
Talking about her reasons for entering the competition, Eve explained: “I wanted to enter to be able to express my thoughts on something outside of A-Level whilst using my German, as I really enjoy writing, especially in German.
“German is definitely my favourite subject because of how diverse language learning is and how much you receive from it, like the opportunity to express yourself in a different perspective of language.
“In the future, I want to continue my German learning at university, alongside Mandarin. I would really like to live in Germany and maybe work over there doing translation, teaching or something in publishing.”
As the winning entrant, Eve was invited to a prize-giving ceremony where she received a book token and her essay has been published in the Königspost, the German-language magazine produced by students at King’s College London, which has a wide circulation among university students and language learners across the UK.
Mrs Faulkner, Director of Cowley Sixth Form College, said: “We are incredibly proud of Eve for this achievement. To win a nationwide competition like this is no mean feat, so she has done incredibly well.
“As the only sixth form college in the area to offer A-Level German, it is fantastic to have students like Eve who enjoy the subject and are excelling with it, both inside and outside of college.”
Applications to join Cowley Sixth Form College in September 2023 remain open until Friday 20th January, and you can apply online now at www.cowley.st-helens.sch.uk/sixth-form.
Recently, students on the Cowley Sixth Form College Nurse Cadetship programme were given a talk about nursing apprenticeships by visitors from the healthcare sector.
The guests shared information about the courses and the different career pathways they can lead to, sharing their own individual experiences and knowledge of the healthcare profession.
As part of our Nurse Cadetship programme, the students spend two days a week on work placement in various healthcare sectors to gain hands on experience alongside all the study they carry out within college, with this talk, and others which take place throughout the course, providing additional value to their learning experience.
It was a thoroughly engaging session with students asking plenty of questions, and we would like to thank our guests for taking the time to speak to the students.
Year 11s (from Cowley and beyond), you still have time to apply to come and join the Nurse Cadetship programme or Cowley Sixth Form College’s other fantastic courses from September 2023.
To apply online, please click here.
Two aspiring mathematicians in Year 9 have been adding to their learning by attending the Mathematics Education on Merseyside (MEM) Masterclasses.
Tom Curley and Rhys Crehan were nominated by the Maths department for their enthusiasm and ability in the subject and, over the past couple of months, have attended four Masterclasses across the region to enhance their learning.
The sessions included activities on Roman numerals, origami, bridge building, fun mathematical puzzles as well as a spot of maths juggling from guest speaker, Colin Wright.
Both students commented that the juggler was their favourite part of the experience, stating that he was “really interesting and funny”.
Reflecting on the experience, Tom said: “At the beginning, I was quite nervous, but I settled as soon as I got there.
“It wasn’t like a test, it was all about finding enjoyment from maths. I’ve learned a lot and found it very enjoyable and am thinking about studying maths after high school.”
Rhys added: “Like Tom, I was nervous at first, especially with it being in a university setting, but there was tonnes of help which eased the nerves.
“It was an experience I enjoyed, seeing how maths is used outside of school and as part of a career.”
During the final session, the students received a presentation in one of the university lecture theatres where they collected a certificate, pen and some maths books.
The College would like to thank the students’ parents for their fantastic support of this programme.