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.
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
Cowley’s Mental Health Coordinator Teardrops – to offer support and advice
A cake and refreshment stand (run by students who are hoping to raise as much money as they can for local charities).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/.
