Sent to parents and carers on 10/10/25
Weekly Bulletin for Friday 10 October 2025
We have been focusing on attendance in assemblies this week. A lot has been written in the press about a national decline in attendance at secondary schools since the pandemic and it seems that Westbourne students have also been affected by this. We know that there is a clear link between strong achievement in Year 11 and good attendance. Students with two days off per half term, or fewer achieve, on average nine grade 5s (a strong grade C), whereas students with more time off than this average much lower grades. It is really important that we work together to encourage them to come to school when they are feeling like they want the day off. They are then better equipped to succeed in the long term, and I would like to thank the families who are routinely doing so.
At the start of next week, I will be sending a separate communication regarding our plans to become a phone free school after half term. I will also be leading assemblies with the students on this topic next week.
Parent/Carer Forum: Wednesday 22 October
Our next parent/carer forum will be held on the above date starting at 16:15-17:00. To give us an idea of numbers, please register your attendance on our MS Form here:
https://forms.office.com/e/Jcvh2hy0yh
Year 10 GCSE Drama Monologues
After school on Wednesday 8 October, we welcomed the parents/carers and family members of Year 10 Drama students to watch them perform their monologues (solo pieces). The students put on a fantastic show which highlighted their hard work, independent learning and acting skills. The pieces, written for them individually, showcased a wide range of characters who had each been affected by a central catastrophe.
Mrs Price was so proud to see the students rise to the occasion and perform at their best in front of such a supportive audience. A special ‘well done’ to Poppy in Year 9 who, after watching the Year 10s rehearsing at Year 6 Open Evening, asked to join in and be given a monologue of her own… with five days until the performance evening. Well done, Poppy! Well done, Year 10!
We look forward to welcoming our parents, carers and families back to watch their Unit 1 exam pieces in the spring term.
Road Safety/Personal Safety
As an academy, we would like to ask our parents, carers and children to be mindful of being safe, at all times. It is crucial to teach your children road safety basics. Remind them why they should not run across the road, talk to them about how to identify safe places to cross and reinforce the importance of road safety.
Encourage teenagers to keep a sense of awareness. Young people should be discouraged from wearing headphones and should not be concentrating on their phones whilst walking to and from school. Being pre-occupied and distracted will only make them more vulnerable, both to being mugged or hit by a vehicle.
As any parent knows, it can sometimes be difficult to get a teenager to part from their mobile phone. Whether they are talking to friends or listening to music, they can be distracted. As a result, they are less aware of dangers in their surroundings such as other people or traffic.
If your teenager insists on wearing their earphones, encourage them to opt for the ear bud types and ideally only use on one side. Often teenagers walk in packs and are chatting and simply not paying attention. Sadly, it is often on these occasions that accidents can occur.
If your child travels on their own, encourage them to take the safest routes and to avoid dark shortcuts. Encourage them to walk confidently, even if they don’t feel it, especially in the dark. Help them work out strategies for dealing with difficult situations so they know what to do in an emergency. For example:
- Shouting for help if someone approaches them in an aggressive manner.
- Use the iPhone function (press off button 5 times) to alert police if unable to dial.
- For non-iPhone users, call 999 and press 55 if in danger and unable to speak.
If you have any concerns and would like to speak to a member of the safeguarding team, please use the contact details below.
Email: wes-safe@attrust.org.uk
Phone: (01473) 742315
Nasal Flu Vaccinations: Year 10 and 11
A copy of the email sent to parents and carers about the nasal flu vaccine on offer at school can be found here on our website:
Flu Vaccination for Years 7 to 11 – Westbourne Academy
Monday 13 October is the date when students in Years 10 and 11 will have an opportunity to get the nasal vaccine if consent has been given in advance. Classes will be taken to the LRC by their teacher when it is their turn. The nurses will check their system to see who has had parental consent and who has not. There will be mop-ups for students in Years 7 to 9 as well and they will be collected from class by a member of staff.
If you have given consent for your child to have the vaccine, please remind them to ensure they are aware.
Any queries about the vaccine or giving/declining consent should be made direct to Vaccination UK on 01449 701430 or by email to suffolk@v-uk.co.uk. Their online form does not always work properly for some devices.
Year 11 Parent/Carer Evening & Success Fayre
Our online appointment booking system is now open for the Year 11 parent/carer evening on Thursday 16 October 16:00-19:00. On the same evening, between 18:00-19:00, our Year 11 Success Fayre will also take place in the Food Hall next door to the Main Hall. A copy of the communication sent to parents/carers can be found here on our website news page:
Y11 Parent/Carer Evening & Success Fayre – Westbourne Academy
SENDIASS
SENDIASS provides arms-length, confidential and impartial SEND information, advice and support to children and young people with SEND, and their parents/carers. Following feedback about the best ways to help schools to share with families, below are two PDF flyers about their sessions and a termly overview.
SENDIASS News And Events 10 October 2025
SENDIASS Autumn Term 2025 Sessions
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 menu on offer at break and lunch in our Food Hall can be found here on our website here, the menus rotate every three weeks:
Catering & Food Hall – Westbourne Academy
Norwich City Football Club
Schools have been asked to share information about the training session for girls in Years 7 to 11 which is being hosted in Bury St Edmunds by Norwich City FC on 17 October. Full details on how to register can be found here:
Norwich City Girls Football Session – Westbourne Academy
Year 8 Parent/Carer Evening: Thursday 6 November
At the end of next week, we will be sending email instructions to parents and carers of Year 8 students, inviting them to book appointments to meet their child’s teachers on Thursday 6 November. This is an in-person event in the main hall between 16:00 – 19:00. When the online booking system is open, you will receive an email from us, provided we have the correct details on record for you.
Year 11 PREs: November 2025
Year 11 students will be taking Progress Review Examinations (PREs) in the sports hall under exam conditions between Monday 17 and Thursday 24 November. These will be during the morning only with normal lessons after lunch each day. A copy of the PRE timetable will be given to students at their Success Fayre on 16 October. A copy of the latest exam timetable for 2025-2026 from Mrs Fulcher can be found on our website here:
Exams Information – Westbourne Academy
Key Dates 2025-26
Monday 13 October – Y10-11 flu vaccinations
Wednesday 15 October – 9:00-14:00 EAL Parent/Carer Hub (info to follow)
Thursday 16 October – Year 11 Parent/Carer Evening 16:00-19:00
& Success Fayre 18:00-19:00
Monday 20 October – WA Community Hub 15:15-16:15
Wednesday 22 October – Parent/Carer Forum 16:15-17:00
Monday 27 – Friday 31 Oct – Half term holiday
Monday 3 November – Staff PD Day (school is closed)
Thursday 6 November – Year 8 Parent/Carer Evening 16:00-19:00 (info to follow)
Wednesday 26 November – Parent/Carer Forum 16:15-17:00
Monday 15 December – Flu vaccination mop-ups
Wednesday 17 December – Parent/Carer Forum 16:15-17:00
Friday 19 December – Last day of the autumn term with early close at 13:20
Monday 5 January – Staff PD Day (school is closed)
Tuesday 6 January – First day back for all students for the spring term
Monday 12 January – Y9 MENACWY+DTP vaccinations (info to follow)
Thursday 15 January – Y11 Parent/Carer Evening No 2 16:00-19:00
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