Sent to parents and carers on 1/05/26
Weekly Bulletin for Friday 1st May 2026
This week has been as busy as ever. On Saturday, the senior leadership team and I attended a conference in Greenwich organised by Teach First to launch a leadership development programme we are embarking upon, aimed at sharing excellent practice from high performing teams around the world.
Thank you to those parents and carers who attended this month’s parents’ forum on Wednesday. It is a privilege to discuss the progress we have made since this time last year in improving Westbourne for our students and staff.
On Thursday, we were joined by Suffolk Youth Justice who led assemblies for Years 7, 8 and 9 talking about Child Criminal Exploitation, a significant risk to young people in the era of County Lines gangs. Thank you to Mr Mason, our new Community Inclusion Worker, who organised the visits for us.
It was wonderful to welcome so many Year 9 parents and carers to Westbourne on Thursday evening for our Pathways Evening. As I said on the evening, students whose parents and carers work closely with the school to support their children through processes like choosing their GCSE options are the ones who enjoy the most success when they reach the end of Year 11.
Also this week, Year 11 have reached the foothills of the exams mountain they have been preparing to climb for the past two years, tackling their Spanish speaking exams as well as 3D Design and GCSE art practical exams this week. Well done to Year 11 and keep going!
Finally, we are pleased to welcome Mrs D Gant to Westbourne who joins us today as our new SENDCO. She replaces Mrs Piper who left us at Easter to move to a school closer to home.
Ofsted Monitoring Inspection Report
On Thursday 30 April, parents and carers received a separate email with a summary of the outcomes from the Ofsted Monitoring Inspection that took place in early March. You can also find it here on our website news page:
Ofsted Monitoring Inspection Report – Westbourne Academy
Vacancies
We have a number of teaching and support staff vacancies that we are currently advertising. These include a Head of Year and a Team Leader for History for September as well as a part-time DT Technician and full-time Academy Receptionist, both required to start asap. Full details may be found on our academy website Vacancy page here:
Vacancies – Westbourne Academy
Post-16 Support for Year 11 Students
To help support our current Year 11 students as they progress onto the next stage of their education, Suffolk County Council (SCC) have additional provisions in place to aid this.
Attached is a letter from SCC which explains the process as well as their privacy notice.
Letter From SCC Year 11 Letter For Parents 2026
Please take time to read the information and take note of the website links included. Should you have any queries or questions, please do not hesitate in getting in touch with Mr D Payne at school. Many thanks for your continued support.
Parent/Carer Forum: Wednesday 20 May
Our next parent/carer forum takes place on Wednesday 20 May at 17:15 for approx. 45 minutes. During this meeting Mr Higgon will go through the progress we are continuing to make following our Ofsted visit and answer any questions parents/carers may have about our ongoing efforts to improve the school.
To give us an idea of the numbers expected, please register your attendance on our online MS Form here:
Registration for Parent/Carer Forum: Wed 20 May 2026 – Fill out form
Entry is via main Reception at 17:15. Staff will meet you on arrival and take you through to the Food Hall. The date of our final Parent/Carer Forum for this academic year is Wednesday 17 June.
Free Child Mental Health Workshops for Parents/Carers
Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Psychology in Schools team would like to share details of their upcoming workshops for parents and carers. These can be booked for free on their Eventbrite page. Workshops include:
– Supporting Your Child to Manage Their Big Feelings (Mon 18 May)
– Understanding the Adolescent Brain (Tue 19 May)
– Supporting Your Child with Bereavement (Mon 22 June)
– Supporting Your Child with Anxiety ((Tue 23 June)
– Managing Changes and Transitions as We Enter the Summer Holidays (Wed 8 July)
Information on all their workshops, past and present, as well as workshop recordings, can be found on their website: https://buff.ly/tYizS1Y
WA Community Hub Events 2026
The dates of community hub events for 2026 are as follows, all are welcome between 15:15-6:00:
- Monday 1st June
- Monday 29 June
- Monday 13 July
May Day Bank Holiday
The academy will be closed for one day on Monday 4 May as it is a UK bank holiday. Tuesday 5 May is a normal school day.
Student Absence
Please ensure if your child is absent from the academy, that you have notified the attendance office at the earliest opportunity on each day they are not going to be in school, in order to prevent the automated text messages being sent or absence calls being made to parents/carers – these commence from 8.35am each day.
The ways in which you can contact the academy to inform us of student absence can be found on our website here.
Applying for Free School Meals
You can apply for free school meals online direct with Suffolk County Council. You will get an immediate response and confirmation email after you have completed your application. You will not be able to apply over the phone because you need to provide an email address, password and sign the declaration stating that you have parental responsibility. Follow the link below which will take you to the SCC website:
Contact: freeschoolmeals@suffolk.gov.uk
MyChildAtSchool (MCAS)
If you have not yet registered, please do so at your earliest convenience to ensure you have access to all the academy’s communications and services. We recommend that parents and carers use the website version of MCAS rather than the app as the website offers greater functionality than the app. A copy of the self-sign-up instructions can be found here:
Cashless System – Westbourne Academy
NOTE: If you have MCAS, then you won’t receive SMS messages from school so please remember to turn on notifications on your device because any messages will go through MCAS.
Food Hall Menus
The new menu on offer at break and lunch in our Food Hall can be found here on our website. The menus rotate every three weeks and new menus will be introduced after half term:
Catering & Food Hall – Westbourne Academy
Key Dates 2025-26
Monday 4 May – Bank Holiday UK (school closed)
Wednesday 20 May – Parent/Carer Forum 17:15-18:00
Monday 25 – Friday 29 May – Half term week (school is closed)
Monday 1st June – WA Community Hub 15:15-16:00
Thursday 11 June – Y7 Parent/Carer Evening 16:00-19:00 (info to follow)
Wednesday 17 June – Parent/Carer Forum 17:15-18:00
Friday 26 June – Staff PD Day (closed to students)
Friday 10 July – Y11 Prom (All Manor of Events 19:00-10:45)
Monday 13 July – WA Community Hub 15:15-16:00
Friday 17 July – Last day of the summer term
You can view our academy events calendar, together with term dates and PD days, on our website here:
Academy Calendar and Term Dates – Westbourne Academy
Kind regards
Mr M Higgon
Principal
Academy vision: Westbourne is an inclusive academy. We support all students, regardless of starting point, to achieve their potential and develop the skills necessary for employment and life.
Academy values: Be Safe, Be Thoughtful, Be Accountable and Be Respectful.
General queries to: wes-office@attrust.org.uk or 01473 742315