Cowley’s Ambassadors are Year 11 students who have been successfully selected to represent the College, not only on a daily basis, but on Open Evenings and at wider community events.
If you are currently in Year 10 and would like to apply to be a Year 11 Ambassdor (including for the role of Head Boy / Head Girl), then please complete the following form.
Penalty Notice Leaflet
Dear Parent/carer
THE EDUCATION (PENALTY NOTICES) (ENGLAND) (AMENDMENT)
Please note the following changes from the Department for Education will be coming into effect from August 2024 and that the fine for unauthorised school absences will change.
Some key points to note:
- All schools will be required to consider a fine when a child has missed 10 or more sessions (5 days) for unauthorised reasons.
- From August 2024, the fine for school absences across the country will be £80 if paid within 21 days, or £160 if paid within 28 days. This is per parent, per child absent.
- In the case of repeated fines, if a parent receives a second fine for the same child within any three-year period, this will be charged at the higher rate of £160.
- Fines per parent will be capped to two fines within any three-year period. Once this limit has been reached, other action like a parenting order or prosecution will be considered.
- If you’re prosecuted and attend court because your child hasn’t been attending school, you could get a fine of up to £2,500.
During these difficult times and with many facing a cost-of-living crisis, we do not want fines issued to any family. However, this is a new National Framework, and we must work together to ensure Cowley students are not disadvantaged because of poor attendance.
The Education Hub provides some key details for parents on this new framework:
We were delighted to welcome award-winning photographer, Terry Donnelly, to Cowley Sixth Form College on 24th May.
Terry delivered an in-depth talk on Composition to our A-Level Art & Photography students.
Terry’s talk was very well-attended by our creative sixth form students and they have benefitted from his expertise in photography tremendously.
An extract from a letter that Miss Kay, Head of Department for Art and Photography, sent to Terry after the visit:
Our students, and staff, were given an assignment immediately afterwards in which the students must respond to your lecture, then critique the work immediately after the Whitsun break. I am very happy to inform you the work is a wonderful response to challenge set; the students are still talking about it. I have attached several examples for you to view.
It was an honour to be able to hear your ideas and for those ideas to have an immediate impact. I very much look forward to seeing you again and introducing you to a new cohort of students.
Terry’s work has been exhibited in over 25 countries in International Photography Exhibitions earning in excess of 250 international awards and 13 Best in Exhibition titles.
This is the second time that Terry has met with Cowley Sixth Form College A-Level Art and Photograph students and we hope to secure another visit in the next academic year.
6 June 2024
Dear Parent/Carer,
Over the last term we have been responding to the Government guidance on mobile phones in schools. I last wrote to parents in April 2024 to explain the options, decision and FAQs from parents Click here to read that letter
The Cowley policy has now been written and approved by the Governing body. The policy will go live on Monday 17 June 2024. I appreciate we are building new routines and habits with students, and therefore, there will be a ‘soft launch’ for outside the building for the first three weeks. Students will not receive detentions for the first three weeks if they do not follow the policy outside the building. However, if a student persistently breaks this rule, their phone will be confiscated. The issue will be logged on ClassCharts for parents to see if their child is following the new expectations; and detentions and confiscations for outside will start in September 2024.
We have spent a significant amount of time communicating and consulting with parents, students and staff and I appreciate the positive feedback to how we are introducing this new college expectation. I am confident with a consistent approach from school and home, students will benefit from improved concentration and better outcomes due to this new phone policy.
This week, the students have received assemblies about the policy and the plan for the launch. I encourage all parents/carers to:
1. Familiarise themselves with the policy: Click here to read the policy
2. Discuss the policy with their children and help them be prepared.
3. Revisit the FAQs Click here
Yours sincerely
Mr Cormack
Principal
Y11 Revision timetable
Y13 revision timetable
FIFTY ‘number crunchers’ from Year 7 and Year 8 at Cowley International College have won medals in a UK junior maths challenge.
Lower school students recently participated in the UK Maths Trust Junior Mathematical Challenge and the results are a record for the school with 50 students taking away medals.
In April, students from Cowley joined schools from up and down the country to compete in a nationwide maths challenge. The challenge is organised by UK Mathematics Trust and requires students to use mathematical reasoning and techniques to think-outside-the-box and solve sophisticated mathematical problems.
Six students achieved coveted Gold medals, ten achieved Silver and 36 bagged bronze, which is a phenomenal result for the school.
Year 7 student, Oscar Downs-Johnson, achieved an impressive score and was crowned Best in School.
The number of awards won in this challenge is a personal best for the college. In the past, our students have achieved Bronze, Silver and Gold certificates, and many have qualified for further rounds.
A massive thank you goes out to our Maths Department, for all the training and encouragement given to our competitors. We also give thanks to the parents and carers who continue to support their daughter/son in their academic and extra-curricular endeavours.
9th May 2024
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 or supporting other parents/carers. Training is available for all governors and this governing body has an expectation that those new to being a Governor attend free induction training.
By following the link at the bottom of the page, you will find a document that 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/bHeTWAiT4V no later than 23rd May 2024. 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 for serving as a School Governor
St Helens Councillors David Baines and Anthony Burns were present as Cowley International College officially opened a new outdoor classroom in Cowley Woods, a woodland area within the school’s grounds.
Part of Cowley Woods has been developed into an outdoor learning space with the help of the Mersey Forest, who assisted with the installation of a clear open space within the woods, pathways, including wheelchair friendly access, as well as a seated area.
The new classroom will be used by the school on a daily basis for outdoor learning across a number of different academic subjects, as well as being a space to help improve students’ mental health and wellbeing.
Principal of Cowley International College, Mr Cormack said: “We are delighted to officially open this outdoor classroom, which will provide students with a wonderful learning space and allow them to experience the great outdoors.
“Research shows that being outside and taking in the fresh air is positive for wellbeing, which is another really important factor in providing this offering for our students.
“The College is extremely grateful for the support from Dave Armson from Mersey Forest for enabling this to happen at Cowley.”
Students have already been busy using the new facilities, with researchers from Manchester Metropolitan University working on a ‘Voice of the Future’ project that involves collaborating with children and young people to re-imagine treescapes.
Asked about the new outdoor learning space, one student said: “Being outdoors makes me happy. It is nice to be outside with the wildlife and in the fresh air.”
Another student added: “I really like this outdoor area as it is really calming and relaxing and a space where you can be creative.”
The school’s Eco-Committee will also be utilising the space as part of their weekly activities, and the group have already been building bug hotels to encourage pollination and provide a safe haven for insects.
Miss Meredith, Sustainability Leader at Cowley, explained: “The Eco-Committee is an important part of the school community and is continuing to grow with more and more students joining us, so it’s great for us to have this fantastic new facility to encourage the students to take care of the environment around us.
“The students have big plans for how best to use the outdoor classroom and we’re really excited to start using and developing it further.”
After the official unveiling, students took part in a number of activities including nature finding and making animals out of bamboo that will be hung on the trees to help decorate the learning space.
St Helens Star reporter, Simon Mulligan, captured the new outdoor learning space and the peace and tranquility it can help offer students.
A new outdoor woodland learning area has been launched at Cowley International College pic.twitter.com/RPkwRupSgi
— Simon J. Mulligan (@SimonJMulligan1) May 1, 2024
Please find attached a letter regarding mobile phone use on the 11-16 site.