Colton Hills School Bulletin

Website: https://www.coltonhills.co.uk/highperformancelearning

Welcome to this week’s school bulletin. It has been another vibrant and engaging half-term at Colton Hills so far, filled with achievements and memorable experiences.

First off, we are incredibly proud to announce that Colton Hills has recently been ranked 17th in the Top Happiest Schools in the UK and Wales by The Sunday Times, based on Ofsted data from the last few years. With 98% of parents who returned the survey in November 2023 reporting that their children are happy at school, we’re significantly above the national average. This is a testament to the positive and supportive environment we strive to create.

World Book Day 2025 was also a tremendous success, with a number of staff dressing up - please do keep reading to see Ms Ruth's incredible effort. Our Year 7 and 8 students also enjoyed an exciting escape-room challenge in the library. A big thank you to Ms Cooper and Mr Chan, and well done to the winners!

Our 6th Form Business students organised a fantastic CHCS League mini-games event for Year 7 and 8 on Wednesday last week. A huge thank you to our Year 12 Business Studies students for their excellent organisation and to everyone who supported this really popular event.

We are really proud to continue offering such a wide range of opportunities and experiences for our students and this week was again no different with some exciting sporting activities where our school drummers performed at the Kabbadi World Cup opening ceremony, and Year 9 Rugby players got to meet and work with England rugby player, Shaunagh Brown. Speaking of incredible opportunities, Colton Hills staff and students spent a week on the slopes of Italy learning to ski and making lifelong memories. There were many jealous staff when the pictures started coming through! A massive thank you though to all the staff involved in planning and leading the visit, who have really helped provide a once in a lifetime opportunity for our students.

Please also read to see some opportunities below such as the University of Gloucestershire’s summer residential programme, and a recruitment drive for adult volunteers including parents to get involved with our CCF activities.

Finally, please remember that our Spring Term Enrichment Clubs are in full swing, offering a wide range of activities for students to enjoy. Thank you for your continued support.

In a recent analysis by The Sunday Times based on data from the schools regulator, Ofsted, Colton Hills has been ranked 17th in the table of happiest schools in UK and Wales. The survey is based on the percentage of parents that said their child was happy at school between 2020-25. The national average score is 83 per cent and we scored 98%.

We are celebrating this fantastic result and determined to keep up the positive vibes.

As a reward for being the top 20 entries in the English writing competition, students from Year 7 and 8 got to take part in an escape-room style game afternoon with Miss Cooper and Mr Chan in the school library. They had to locate clues in books, solve puzzles, anagrams and work as teams to find the winning code. Well done to the winning team and everyone who took part. Congratulations to Japleen (Year7), Mankiran (Year 7) and Gurleen (Year7) for being the top 3 winners and walking away with shopping vouchers.

On Wednesday, 12th March, our 6th Form Business students organised an afternoon of mini-games for our Year 7 and 8 students. Only 50 places were available for this ticketed event in the dance studio. There were elimination rounds, snacks and one special prize for the last contestant standing.

The students had a great time at this sold-out event and well done to the winner, Tyler in Year who made it all the way to the end! Massive well done to the Year 12 Business Studies students who put this event together as part of their Business Studies module and arranged the publicity, logistics and administration by themselves. Thank you to everyone who supported and participated in the event.

Colton Hills is delighted to have been part of this fantastic fifty strong dhol drum ensemble at the Kabbadi World Cup in Wolverhampton on Monday, 17 March. Made up of music students from various schools around the city, the group came together and played under the brilliant guidance of Mr Harjit Singh. Thank you to all our students who took part. Click here to watch the video clip.

On Wednesday, 12 March, T1 Rugby Series ambassador and former Red Roses player, Shaunagh Brown paid a special visit to Colton Hills. We were lucky to be the only school to have won this exclusive training session. Shaunagh worked with the Year 9 students in preparation for the Wolverhampton T1 Rugby Series event. All the students thoroughly enjoyed the session.

Our ski group has returned safely back to school following a week of wonderful skiing experience in the northern mountains of Italy. They enjoyed amazing weather with clear blue skies, skiing lessons daily as well as evening activities. The students thoroughly enjoyed this unforgettable experience with their friends and we are thrilled to have been able to offer them this opportunity. One student said:"10/10 experience. I learnt a new skill and got better each day. I have made so many new friends from the ski trip." Another students commented: "Going to Italy was a great experience. Skiing is something I’ve never had the chance to do before and it was good to experience this with my friends."

This trip would not have been possible without the coordination and organisation of many members of staff including Mrs Panaser, our Student Services Administrator, Mrs Fox who set the ball rolling and of course, the staff team that led the group. Thank you for helping our students make new memories.

Applications are now open for University of Gloucestershire's summer residential programme. Open to students in Year 10 and 12, its a fantastic opportunity to have a taste of university life and courses. Free to apply. For more information, visit www.glos.ac.uk/outreach/summer-residentials/

Are you able to spare us an hour or two? Here at Colton Hills CCF, we are looking for adult volunteers, including parents to help out after school on Tuesdays or the occasional weekend. Your help will enable us to expand and carry out activities more efficiently. Email tyoungman@coltonhills.co.uk or nmatthews@coltonhills.co.uk for more information.

We politely request that parents and carers be considerate about where they park as some local residents have found it difficult to access their driveways to get in or out at peak school hours. Thank you for your co-operation.

If you suspect or believe a child is suffering or is likely to suffer Significant Harm, including any form of mistreatment or abuse, you should report your concerns on the following numbers:

Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5pm,

Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm on 01902 555392

Outside of the above hours for emergencies on 01902 552999

If the child or young person is at immediate risk of serious harm dial 999