Sent to parents and carers on 4/07/25
Weekly Bulletin for Friday 4 July 2025
It was lovely to see the whole community come together to celebrate the end of Year 11’s time with us last Friday at their Prom. There was a wonderful atmosphere as staff, parents, siblings and friends watched our (now former) students arrive and enter the gardens at the venue. The evening itself was a fabulous way to end their time with us, and I think everyone there thoroughly enjoyed themselves. A big thank you to Mrs Woodhouse and the Prom Committee for organising such a wonderful evening for us all.
Thank you to everyone who attended the Year 7 parent andcarer evening last night. The relationship between school and home is so crucial in helping our students to achieve their potential so it was good to see so many families represented there.
Year 10 GCSE Drama
On Monday, Mrs Price was were thrilled to have a number of parents, carers and family members attend a rehearsal of Year 10 GCSE Drama’s final devising project. It was fantastic to showcase the talent, hard work and creativity the students have put into their performances.
We were very grateful to have such a supportive audience at this critical time to give our young people a boost ahead of their final performances, thank you again for your attendance! Good luck to Year 10 with their exam recording this Wednesday.
Year 10x PSHE Talk: Cancer Support Suffolk
On Monday 30 June, Kimya Piper from Cancer Support Suffolk and Darren Couchman from Robin Cancer Trust visited the academy to speak to 10x in their PSHE lesson about breast cancer and testicular cancer. Their engaging presentation ensured students felt comfortable to get involved and discuss these issues. Kimya and Darren informed students about the signs to look out for and when it might be necessary to seek support.
It was clear to see that our students left this session with a greater understanding of breast and testicular cancer, but also with the skills and confidence to ensure that they check themselves on a regular basis.
Darren said, “your Year 10 students today were fantastic. They really engaged with the session and were impeccably behaved. They are a real credit to your school and indeed, you should be extremely proud of them.”
Arrangements for the Last Day of Term
We will be communicating separately to parents and carers about the arrangements for the last day of term on Tuesday 22 July. As usual, students will be dismissed at the earlier time of 13:20 and for the academy to close at 13:30. Students who are eligible for Free School Meals will need to buy this at morning break as there is no lunchtime service.
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.
Attendance Matters
“Attend today, achieve tomorrow. Education is your passport to the future. Good attendance is the stamp that gets you there.”
Attendance Focus for last week w/c: 23/6/25
- academy attendance across years 7-10 for the year to date is 87.7%
- academy attendance across years 7-10 last week was 86.1%
- Year 7 – 85.9% / Year 8 – 84.5% / Year 9 – 88.4% / Year 10 – 85.5% attendance to school last week
- 529 students across the academy had 100% attendance to school last week
- Year 7 – 134 students / Year 8 – 127 students / Year 9 – 143 students / Year 10 – 125 students had 100% attendance to school last week
- the best year group attendance was Year 9 with 88.4%
- the best tutor groups for attendance last week were Year 7 – 7W – 94.4% / Year 8 – 8T – 92.7% / Year 9 – 9E – 94.1% / Year 10 – 10R – 95.9%
- 526 students did not receive a single late mark last week
- 319 students did not receive a single late mark to lessons or tutor time and had 100% attendance last week
- Year 7 – 7 O / Year 8 – 8 O / Year 9 – 9R / Year 10 – 10N were the tutor groups in each year with the best punctuality last week
- the best year group overall for punctuality to school and lessons was Year 10
- the best year group for 100% attendance and 100% punctuality to school last week was Year 9
- 53 students currently have 100% attendance to school this academic year – this is an excellent achievement
Praise & Reward Update
- 713 students received positive points during last week in their lessons for exemplary work, behaviour or attendance
- 15,095 positive points were awarded to students during last week
Safeguarding Update
The safety and wellbeing of every child is our top priority. As part of our ongoing commitment to safeguarding, we kindly remind all families to remain vigilant and take proactive steps to help keep children safe, both in and out of school.
Please consider the following key points:
Online Safety – Monitor your child’s internet use and talk regularly about what they are doing online. Ensure parental controls are in place, and encourage open conversations about staying safe on social media and other platforms.
Trusted Adults – Remind your child that they should always speak to a trusted adult if they feel worried, uncomfortable, or unsure about any situation, whether in person or online.
Supervision – Know where your child is, who they are with, and what they are doing, especially during evenings, weekends, and holidays.
Healthy Boundaries – Talk to your child about personal boundaries, respecting others, and recognising inappropriate or unsafe behaviour.
Support – If you or your child need support, please know that our safeguarding team is here to help. We work closely with families to ensure children feel safe, valued and heard.
Together, we can create a secure and supportive environment for every child to thrive. Thank you for your ongoing support in helping to keep our children safe.
Westbourne safeguarding team contact details:
Email: wes-safe@attrust.org.uk
Phone: (01473) 742315
4YP Summer Programme
4YP are hosting a four-week long Summer Programme for Years 7-11. The programme starts on Monday 28 July and runs through to Thursday 21 August. Please see their timetable below which shows the great array of activities they have planned!
For 12-16 year-olds, the programme takes place on Mondays to Thursdays from 1pm through to 3.15pm, meeting up from 12.45pm each day.
Activities will be taking place at the 4YP Hub, in Lower Brook St, as well as at DanceEast, Goals, and AMPP Studios. These locations are all in close proximity to each other in Ipswich town centre. If this is something that interests you, please sign-up by Tuesday 15 July.
As an extra, 4YP are also hosting a ’Level-Up’ week from Tuesday 26 to Friday 29 August, which is aimed at young people who are facing a transition period and maybe worried about changing schools, suffering from back-to-school anxiety or concerned about friendship groups etc. They are invited to drop in to 4YP for one-to-one sessions, no booking is required.
Food Hall Menus
The menus on offer for the next three weeks in our Food Hall next week can be found here: Catering & Food Hall – Westbourne Academy:
- 7 July – menu 3
- 14 July – menu 1
- 22 July – menu 2
Sub Club runs on Tuesday and Thursday lunchtimes when students can choose their bread type and a range of fillings.
Appling 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:
The Department for Education (DfE) has updated the Free School Meals (FSM) guidance to confirm that all households in receipt of Universal Credit will be entitled to receive FSM from the start of the 2026/2027 school year. They have also extended transitional protections until the end of the 2025/2026 school year.
SCC FSM Guidance For Familes Re Changes
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 that the app.
A copy of the email and instructions sent to parents and carers can be found here on our website latest news page:
Cashless System – Westbourne Academy
Key Dates 2025
Monday 7 – Friday 11 July – CCF Central Camp (Cumbria)
Tuesday 8 July – Y10 post-16 taster day at Suffolk One
Thu 17 – Sat 19 July – Y10 History trip to Battlefields
Tuesday 22 July – Last day of term/early close at 13:20
Thursday 21 August – Y11 exam results collection (10:00-12:00)
Monday 1 September – Staff PD Day (closed to students)
Tuesday 2 September – Staff PD Day (closed to students)
Wednesday 3 September – 1st day of autumn term for all students
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
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