Sent to parents and carers of Year 6 pupils starting at Westbourne in September 2025
Embracing a New Chapter
Welcome to Westbourne Academy! We are excited that your child will be joining us in Year 7 this September. Transitioning to secondary school is a significant milestone, and we are committed to supporting both you and your child throughout this journey.
Starting Year 7 brings exciting opportunities: new subjects, routines and the chance to develop independence, organisation, and resilience. While this can feel overwhelming at first, most students settle in within the first fortnight.
Please do not worry about your child’s home learning and signing-up to Satchel One. No home learning will be set on Satchel One for the first fortnight of the new term. By then, all new Year 7 students will have had their first computing lesson where they learn how to sign up to Satchel One, school email and Sparx Maths.
During the week of the new term, we will also contact you to let you know how to sign-up for My Child at School. This is where you will find information about your child’s attendance, pay for dinner money and trips and view your child’s academic reports. It is therefore essential that you keep us updated of any changes to your email address or mobile number. You can notify us of any changes to your contact details by emailing wes-office@attrust.org.uk.
Support from Day One
During your child’s first few days there will be lots of changes they will be getting used to. There will be plenty of questions that may need answering. Our dedicated team of form tutors and pastoral staff will be readily available to monitor academic progress, pastoral wellbeing, and to ensure a smooth, settled start.
Looking ahead, if your child requires a toilet pass for to medical reasons, please provide up-to-date, relevant medical evidence to support this request. You can email a copy/photo of the necessary documentation to wes-medical@attrust.org.uk.
If your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) in place then there is no need to respond to this letter as we have already processed those requirements.
Academy Uniform
As you will hopefully be aware, the new blue tie that Year 7 will be wearing in September is now available to pre-order from PMG Schoolwear and should be in stock by the end of July.
All students are expected to wear their full uniform for the first day of term in September. If the warm weather prevails then a decision will be made about jumpers being optional. All students will have their photograph taken by Kittle Photography on 26 September. Full uniform needs to be worn on this date please. Parents and carers will be able to purchase copies and other merchandise online. Orders are usually delivered to school for free and will be available for your child to collect after half term, in time for Christmas.
STAR Ethos & Rich Curriculum
At Westbourne, our inclusive ethos is built around our STAR core values which are embedded into daily life and learning.
As you may already be aware, STAR stands for Safe, Thoughtful, Accountable, Respectful
We offer a broad, balanced curriculum enriched with arts, sports, STEM and more; designed to nurture confidence, compassion, cooperation, and effective communication alongside academic excellence.
We are excited to begin this journey with you and your child. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s new Head or Year, Miss Farr at catherine.farr@attrust.org.uk. Once your child starts Westbourne Academy, we encourage you to contact their form tutor in the first instance. Form tutors will make contact at the start of term in September.
Together, we will make this transition a rewarding, enjoyable experience.
Kind regards
Mr C Arrow
Assistant 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
MCAS, online payments and data information queries to: wes-data@attrust.org.uk
Lettings queries to wes-lettings@attrust.org.uk
Safeguarding queries to wes-safe@attrust.org.uk
SEND queries to: opal.degville@attrust.org.uk