Sent to parents and carers on 9/01/2026
Weekly Bulletin for Friday 9 January 2026
It was a pleasure, as always, to welcome our students back on Tuesday. In the assemblies I led with Mr Stronach, we congratulated them on their contributions towards the progress we made last term in improving our school and reminding them about our expectations.
It has been a very interesting week with the introduction of the Yondr phone pouches on Monday to staff and on Tuesday to students. In assembly, I showed our students my own phone in its pouch which I have started using so that the students can see that it is not just something I am asking them to do, I am also going to be putting my phone away for the school day.
I would like to say a massive thank you to all the parents and carers who have supported us in bringing in this new policy. For our young people, many of whom will not have spent a day without their phone on since they were 7 or 8 years old, they need to adjust to this new expectation.
During the first week, a number of staff have commented on how much more noise there is at break and lunchtime as students have conversations with each other, instead of trying to use their phones without a member of staff noticing. It was particularly pleasing to hear from several Year 11 students who told me that they do not even miss having their phones on.
As expected, it has taken a few attempts for some students (and me) to get used to the unlocking system and this has caused a small delay on the way out of school at 15:00. Most students had left site by 3.08pm though and the delay is getting shorter as students get used to the unlocking mechanisms.
In the mornings, it is still taking a little longer than we would like for Year 7 to 9 students to enter the building at B gate. I would like to thank them for their patience whilst we get the new systems working more efficiently.
It has been a good week for Year 7 as well, who have seen their lessons moved to the normal classrooms of most of their teachers. This week they have been busy finding their way around our large site. Year 7 have exhibited some of the best behaviour in the school so far this year. Having analysed how the bubble arrangements in S block worked before Christmas, we decided that a sensible evolution would be for them to join the rest of the school in moving to specialist classrooms for all of their subjects. As a result, this has reduced the amount of time they need to spend lining up waiting for staff to make their way over to S block to teach them in favour of more time in lessons.
From next week, Year 7 will be able to buy food in the food hall at break and lunchtime but, as with all year groups, they will still need to move to their designated area for the remainder of break/lunch once they have eaten their food.
Finally, I would like to welcome Mrs Pietrus who joined us as our new English as an Additional Language Coordinator this week, and Mr Masters who joined us as our new Inclusion Centre Mentor just before the Christmas break. These roles are important in our drive to support young people and their families with engaging with the education we have on offer at Westbourne.
Homework Club
Please can you remind your child that Homework Club is available to them every day except Wednesday from 3.05 – 4.00pm in the LRC/library. The club is supervised by either Mr Opukah or Mr Ojukwu and they are on hand to help if needed. Students can also use the computers to complete their home learning tasks.
You can view this term’s programme for co-curricular activities at lunch and after school on our website here:
Co-Curricular & Enrichment – Westbourne Academy
Year 9 MENACWY/DTP Vaccinations: Mon 12 January
Earlier this week, parents and carers of Year 9 students received information about how to give or decline consent for the above vaccination in school. A copy of the letter from the NHS can be found here on our website news page:
Year 9 MENACWY/DTP Vaccination Information – Westbourne Academy
If you have given consent for the vaccine, your child will be brought to see the nurse by their class teacher. Please ensure they wear a short-sleeved shirt, eat breakfast on the day and bring water to drink. The NHS consent portal will close at 13:45 on Monday, ie one hour before they are due to finish at 14:45.
The vaccination team will also catch up with any Year 10 students who did not have the vaccine in Year 9. They will be collected from class by a member of staff.
Year 11 Parent/Carer Evening: Thu 15 January
Parents and carers of Year 11 students were sent details about the above event before Christmas. If you have not yet made appointments to meet your child’s teachers, please do so before the portal closes at midday on 15 January. A copy of the communication sent on 19 December can be found here:
Year 11 Parent/Carer Evening: Thursday 15 January 2026 – Westbourne Academy
Important Notice: ADHD/ASD Register
On Wednesday, parents and carers received a separate communication from Mrs Piper, our SENDCO, about our ongoing commitment to understanding and supporting every member of our school community. The SEND department is updating its records relating to neurodevelopmental differences such as ADHD and autism. This will help us ensure that staff have accurate information, and that appropriate support can be considered where needed. You can find a copy of the information sent here on our website news page:
Important Notice: ADHD/ASD Register – Westbourne Academy
Free ITFC Football Sessions
For pupils in Years 4 to 11, free Premier League Kicks football sessions are hosted by ITFC Foundation at Westbourne Academy on Thursdays between 17:00 -19:00. For info contact community@itfcfoundation.co.uk
WA Community Hub Events 2026
The dates of community hub events for 2026 are as follows, all are welcome between 15:15-16:00:
- Monday 19 January
- Monday 23 February
- Monday 23 March
- Monday 27 April
- Monday 1st June
- Monday 29 June
- Monday 13 July
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:
Catering & Food Hall – Westbourne Academy
Free Childhood Neurodivergence Workshops from the NHS
The Psychology in Schools Team at Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust is pleased to share their live online parent/carer childhood neurodivergence workshop programme for January–March, now available on the Suffolk Local Offer page. Their free online workshops are designed for parents and carers of children on the neurodevelopmental (ND) pathway in Suffolk, and focus on the topics families have told them are most helpful. You can:
- Book places on upcoming live workshops using this link: Neurodivergence online parent/carer workshops – Suffolk SEND Local Offer.
- Watch recordings and access slides and resources from previous childhood neurodivergence workshops via the same page.
If you register for any of the childhood neurodivergence workshops, you will automatically receive the recording, slides and resources, even if you are not able to attend live.
NHS Childhood Neurodiversity PST Workshops Jan March 2026
Please note: the Psychology in Schools Team only delivers the Childhood Neurodivergence Parent Workshop Programme. They are not able to respond to questions about ND referrals or individual assessments, as these are managed by their Neurodevelopmental Pathway Teams.
NHS Psychology in Schools Workshops
Please see details of upcoming free online parent/carer Mental Health workshops for the Spring Term. Please use the link below to read their PDF flyer with dates and booking information.
NHS Spring Term Psychology In Schools Workshop Programme Jan March 2026
All their upcoming workshops can be booked for free on their Eventbrite page. Information on all their workshops, past and present, as well as workshop recordings, can be found on their website.
Vacancy for a Teaching Assistant
We are seeking to appoint a Teaching Assistant on a permanent basis, 39 weeks a year (term time) for 28.33 hours a week. If you or any family or friends are interested, full details are available on our online vacancy portal here:
Vacancies – Westbourne Academy
The start date is asap and the closing date for applications is 9am on 2 February 2026.
Key Dates 2025-26
Monday 12 January – Y9 MENACWY+DTP vaccinations (info to follow)
Thursday 15 January – Y11 Parent/Carer Evening No 2 16:00-19:00
Monday 19 January – WA Community Hub (15:15-16:00)
Thursday 5 March – Y9 Parent/Carer Evening 16:00-19:00 (info to follow)
Monday 16 – Friday 20 Feb – Half term week
Thursday 26 March – Y10 Parent/Carer Evening 16:00-19:00 (info to follow)
Friday 27 March – Y8 HPV Vaccinations (info to follow)
Monday 30 March – 1st day of Easter holiday
Monday 13 April – 1st day of summer term for students
Thursday 30 April – Year 9 Pathway Evening 16:00-18:00 (info to follow)
Monday 4 May – Bank Holiday UK (school closed)
Monday 25 – Friday 29 May – Half term week
Thursday 11 June – Y7 Parent/Carer Evening 16:00-19:00 (info to follow)
Friday 26 June – Staff PD Day (closed to students)
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
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