Sent to parents and carers on 17/09/25
Department for Education Warning Notice
As you may be aware, on Friday 12 September, the Department for Education published a Termination Warning Notice to Academy Transformation Trust regarding the funding agreement for Westbourne. These are standard procedures from the Department for Education following an Ofsted report like the one we received in July 2025. They provide an opportunity for the Department to understand the situation more fully and to work closely with us on the improvement journey.
Parents and carers who attended either my talks at the parent/carer evenings during the summer term, or the parent/carer forum on 10 September, or have read my recent letter and through our parent/carer bulletin (links below) will be familiar with the robust action plan we have devised alongside our colleagues from the central team at Academy Transformation Trust.
Section 5 Ofsted Report – Westbourne Academy
Parent & Carers Bulletin: 5 September 2025 – Westbourne Academy
The senior leadership team and I are working in earnest to deliver rapid change. As you will be aware, significant steps have already been taken, including the appointment of Mr Stronach (Vice Principal) and Mrs Piper (SENDCO) who have hit the ground running and are already making an impact. This addresses the resource challenges we faced over the past year and gives us renewed capacity to drive improvement.
We care deeply about Westbourne, our students, their families and our wider community. Regardless of any external report or letter, we would always intend to make the school the best it can be. Indeed, Westbourne has improved before as a member of Academy Transformation Trust and can do so again.
The academy does not stand alone. We benefit from the expertise, support and improvement capacity of our wider trust family of 22 academies. We also welcome the Department for Education’s letter, which helps us sharpen and articulate our plans. We value the constructive challenge of our colleagues at the Department as we continue to deliver the very best for the young people we serve.
Parents and carers are welcome to attend our next parent/carers forums where they will be able to hear an update on the progress we are making in our plans to rapidly improve Westbourne. The dates of the upcoming meetings are Wednesday 24 September and Wednesday 22 October, 16:00 -17:00. Parents and carers will receive instructions on how to register their attendance at the forum meetings in our weekly bulletin on Fridays.
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
Attendance or Absence queries to: wes-attendance@attrust.org.uk
Exam queries to: anna.fulcher@attrust.org.uk
Lettings queries to wes-lettings@attrust.org.uk
MCAS, online payments and data information queries to: wes-data@attrust.org.uk
Safeguarding queries to wes-safe@attrust.org.uk
SEND queries to: willow.piper@attrust.org.uk