Sent to parents and carers on 26/6/26
Weekly Bulletin for Friday 26 June 2026
It was a real pleasure to welcome our incoming Year 7 students to Westbourne on Wednesday and Thursday this week. I was delighted to be able to teach three of our new tutor groups for history and we are well and truly looking forward to them joining us as Year 7 in September.
Students and staff have persevered this week in some quite uncomfortable temperatures. We are certainly not as well equipped for these extremes of temperature as schools in hotter climates and I think this may be something the education sector in collaboration with the government does need to look at moving forward.
Although the forecast is for temperatures to be more normal for an English summer next week, they are predicted to pick up again the week after (although not to the levels we have seen this week), so we have decided that students may continue to wear their PE kit instead of their normal uniform if they wish to. Students in normal uniform may continue to leave off their jumpers, blazers and ties.
A reminder, that trainers will no longer be part of the school uniform from September. We will be sharing an updated set of guidelines for what is and isn’t considered to be part of the uniform (trouser styles etc) before the end of term. As always, families who are experiencing hardship and are unable to afford uniform should contact Mrs Clarke, our DSL, at the school and she will be able to offer support.
Parent/Carer Forum: Tuesday 30 June
The forum for this half term takes place on Tuesday 30 June at 18:00 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. Entry is via main Reception at 18:00. Staff will meet you on arrival and take you through to the Main Hall.
To give us an idea of the numbers expected, please register your attendance on our online MS Form here:
Registration for Parent/Carer Forum: Tue 30 June 2026 – Fill out form
WA Community Hub Events 2026
Open to all! Our next Westbourne Community Hub event takes place on Monday 29 June between 15:15 – 16:30. Entry is through the main entrance doors to Reception. Bags of non-perishable food items and feminine hygiene products are available in exchange for a £3 donation (exact change please).
The date of the last community Hub event for this academic year is Monday 13 July.
Suffolk HAF Programme
Suffolk HAF programme is now live for bookings for the Summer holidays. HAF provides activities for families who are eligible for means tested Free School Meals (FSM), or other support needs upon referral. Eligible families can view listings and book sessions including a meal here:
Suffolk HAF Programme (Summer) flyer
If you have any questions or issues, please email HAFenquiries@suffolk.gov.uk
SENDIASS sessions for Parents and Carers
Booking is open for parents/carers, hosted by SENDIASS, exploring how construction intervention can help children and young people to develop social understanding. The session is delivered by specialist teachers from Suffolk’s Communication and Interaction service which is one of the Specialist Education Services.
How construction intervention can support social communication
14 July 2026 (10.30 – 11.30am)
Register for session
Helpline: 01473 265210
Email: enquiries@suffolksendiass.co.uk
Text: ADVICE4ME to 87007
Suffolk SENDIASS website
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.
You can contact the attendance team direct on 01473 466145 or by email wes-attendance@attrust.org.uk
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 2026
Monday 29 June – WA Community Hub 15:15-16:00
Tuesday 30 June – 15:15 Y10 v Y11 Football Match (3G pitch)
Tuesday 30 June – Parent/Carer Forum 17:15-18:00
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