Sent to parents and carers on 6/11/26
Weekly Bulletin for Friday 6 November 2026
It has been a genuine pleasure to welcome students back to Westbourne this week. Mr Stronach and I led assemblies with Years 7-10 on Monday to offer reminders about our new routines as well as celebrate the students’ achievements of the first half term.
It was not just the students we welcomed on Monday. Miss Davies joined us as Assistant Head of Year 10 and has been busy getting to know our students and staff this week.
Year 11 meanwhile have been busy finishing this round of PRE (mock) exams in the sports hall. They have approached their exams well and are building towards the success we want for them in the summer term.
Beyond the school, as part of our efforts to build better links with the local community, Mr Mason and I welcomed Reverend Rachel Revely and Emma Lake, youth worker from St Thomas the Apostle and Martyr Church on Bramford Lane on Tuesday this week. Rachel and Emma spent time meeting students at lunchtime and discussing how we can work together to run local youth projects at Westbourne in the future. We are also hoping to organise a youth choir together here soon, watch this space.
On Wednesday evening it was a real highlight of the term so far to join the Year 11 colour run and support their efforts to raise money for their prom. So far the sum raised is £436! Whilst the patina of pink dust I brought home on my shoes was less welcome, it was great to be a part of the atmosphere of a group of young people and staff coming together with a shared sense of purpose to raise money for a good cause. I ended up being handed a collection of glasses, phones and jewellery as students made ready to run round the obstacle course designed by our own Mr Carr, a bit like the sad relative at the theme park who doesn’t like going on the roller coasters.
You can view a collection of photos of Year 11 taking part in the colour run here:
Y11 Colour Run Photo PowerPoint
Shortly afterwards, and slightly more orange and pink than I had started the day, I attended the Pride in Place Neighbourhood Board meeting at Whitehouse Community Primary School. We are looking at hosting a public meeting towards the end of November at Westbourne to discuss the project and canvass your views on how we should develop our vision for the next ten years in Whitehouse. More details to follow shortly once we have finalised the arrangements.
Finally, Mrs Woodhouse has been leading our assemblies this week on the theme of anti-bullying. We have worked hard recently to make sure students have trusted adults (such as their tutor, assistant head of year, head of year, the senior team plus the safeguarding and wider pastoral teams) who they can go to if they feel they need someone to talk to. I have always found it is safer to take the approach that bullying is probably happening here and we need to be ready to deal with it, as this ensures students are supported to deal with unkind treatment from their peers. Our staff are well versed in supporting the children in our care with a range of difficulties including bullying so that thankfully, it is relatively unusual and when it does happen it is dealt with.
I hope that you have a restful weekend.
Anti-Bullying Week 2026
This week’s assemblies, led by Mrs Woodhouse, focused on Anti-Bullying Week 2026 and the importance of creating a school community where everyone feels safe, respected and valued. Using this year’s theme, “Break the Silence”, students were encouraged to recognise the impact that bullying can have on individuals and to understand the importance of speaking up when they witness or experience unkind behaviour.
The assemblies explored the different forms that bullying can take, highlighted the role that bystanders can play in challenging inappropriate behaviour, and reminded students of the support available within school. Our key message to students was that everyone has a responsibility to help create a culture of kindness and respect, and that no one should feel they have to deal with concerns on their own.
Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s Award at Westbourne
On Wednesday in assembly, Miss Kelly talked to our Year 9 students about the Bronze DofE Award that they can sign-up to and the sort of experiences they can take part in. A copy of the information sent to parents/carers can be found here on our website news page:
Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s Award – Westbourne Academy
Remembrance Day Parade
At 10:30 on Wednesday 11 November, fifty students from our Combined Cadet Force will be holding a parade on Marlow Road during which a wreath will be laid at the Memorial Wall. All students who are members of Army Cadets, Sea Cadets or Air Cadets are invited to participate and a local priest will attend to give a blessing.
Year 7 Shoebox Appeal 2026
Mr Opukah’s Year 7 PSHE class have organised a Shoebox Appeal project in support of two local Suffolk charities. They are seeking new and unused donations of toiletries and essential items as well as treats and well-being products. Full details can be found on their promotional poster. Donations may be left at Reception by members of the local community or taken to room B6 by students. The deadline for dropping off donations is 1st December and any donations would be gratefully accepted.
Christmas Lunch: 15 December 2026
Please follow the hyperlink below to find out how to pre-order our 2-course festive Christmas Lunch for your child on the above date. A separate communication was emailed to parents/carers earlier today.
Christmas Lunch – Tuesday 15 December 2026 – Westbourne Academy
The Microsoft Form will close on 27 November 2026 and no further orders will be accepted after that date. Students who are eligible for FSM will need to pre-order lunch if they want it or eat at morning break instead.
Parent/Carer Forum: Tue 1st December
The second forum for this academic year, which will focus on the recent Ofsted monitoring inspection and our academy improvement plans for 2026-27, will take place in the main hall on Tuesday 1st December starting at 18:00. To give us an idea of the numbers expected, please fill out our MS Form here:
Registration for Parent/Carer Forum: Tue 1st Dec 2026 – Fill out form
Dance East: Sing Child Sing
On 20 November, Dance East are hosting a workshop for up to 20 Westbourne students who are in Years 10 or 11. This will be a great opportunity for students to fuse dance and theatre together and then follow up with watching the production and witness this fusion transform into performance at a larger scale.
At least 20 students would need to sign up in order for the workshop to take place, either at school for 1.5 hours or at Dance East for the day. The cost is £18 per student.
Expressions of interest from parents/carers of Westbourne students may be sent to wes-office@attrust.org.uk and should be marked for the attention of Mrs Lambert.
Heads of Year & Assistant Heads of Year for 2026-2027
We are pleased to confirm the Heads of Year and Assistant Heads of Year for September are as follows:
Year Group Head of Year Assistant Head of Year
New Year 7 Mr D Payne Ms L Robbie
Year 7 into 8 Mr J McLean Mrs G Rockell
Year 8 into 9 Mr C Compton New Appointment tbc
Year 9 into 10 Mr M Agate Miss T Davies
Year 10 into 11 Miss S Bird Miss K Thomas-Astley Mon-Tue-Wed AM
Mrs A Fulcher Wed PM-Thu-Fri
To communicate with your child’s year team, please email wes-office@attrust.org.uk in the first instance and staff will come back to you as soon as they are able to do so.
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
Changes to HAF-Funded Activities in School Holidays
Suffolk County Council has asked schools to share the following information with parents and carers:
As a result of changes to Free School Meal eligibility introduced in September 2026, there have been changes to eligibility for the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme.
Children and young people receiving Targeted Free School Meals are automatically eligible to access HAF-funded activities during the Easter, Summer and Winter school holidays.
SCC recognise that some families who have previously accessed HAF may no longer be automatically eligible under the new criteria. However, discretionary support may be available for families experiencing hardship.
Families who are not automatically eligible but feel they require support, or professionals who are concerned about a family, can request a Professional Referral Form by contacting the HAF team at HAFenquiries@suffolk.gov.uk. They may require the school to complete this for them.
For full details of the programme, eligibility criteria and available support, please direct families to the Suffolk InfoLink | Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) programme 2026 in Suffolk
SCC say that many families who are eligible for this support do not access it; it is important that they reach as many of them as possible in the lead up to the Winter school holidays.
If you have any questions, please contact the HAF team at HAFenquiries@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:
Catering & Food Hall – Westbourne Academy
Key Dates 2026-2027
Wednesday 11 November – 10:30-11:10 CCF Remembrance Parade on Marlow Road
Friday 27 November – Staff PD Day (school closed)
Mon 30 November – Flu Vaccines P1-3 (Y10-11)
Fri 4 December – Flu Vaccines P1-2 (Mop-ups all years)
Tuesday 8 December – Y11 RS trip to Essex Uni
Thu 10 December – Y8 Parent/Carer Evening 16:00-19:00
Wed 16 December – Y8 HPV Vaccines
Fri 18 December – Last Day of Term / Early Close
Mon 4 January – Staff PD Day (school closed)
Tue 5 January – 1st day of Spring Term
Thu 14 January – Y11 Parent/Carer Evening No 2 16:00-19:00
Thu 4 February – Y10 Parent/Carer Evening 16:00-19:00
Mon 8 – Fri 12 Feb – Y11 PRE-Week p1-4 in Sports Hall
Mon 15 – Fri 19 Feb – Half Term Holiday
Thu 25 February – Y9 Parent/Carer Evening 16:00-19:00
Fri 5 March – Y9 MENACWY+DTP Vaccines
Thu 25 March – Y11 Year Group Photo P5
Fri 26 Mar – Fri 9 April – Easter Holiday
Thu 15 April – Y9 Pathway Evening 16:00-18:30
Wed 5 May – Y11 Summer Exam Series starts
Mon 31 May – Fri 4 June – Half Term Holiday
Fri 18 June – Y11 Leavers Assembly 14:15
Wed 23 June – Y6 Transition Day No 1
Thursday 24 June – Y6 Transition Day No 2
Friday 25 June – Staff PD Day (school closed)
Friday 9 July – Year 11 Prom (Venue 16)
Thu 1st July – Y7 Parent/Carer Evening 16:00-19:00
Thu 8 – Sat 10 July – Y10 History Trip/Battlefields
Wed 21 July – Last Day of Term / Early Close
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