Sent to parents and carers on 21.11.2025
Weekly Bulletin for Friday 21 November 2025
We are seeing continued improvements in the number of students arriving to school on time in the mornings. Thank you to parents/carers for supporting us by reinforcing the importance of punctuality.
On Tuesday it was a great honour to receive the Aaron McClure memorial trophy on behalf of our CCF from Aaron’s mother, Lorraine. The trophy will be awarded to the most successful cadet each year. Cadets embody our aspirational qualities of Leadership, Organisation, Resilience, Independence and Communication, and it is always a privilege to take part in their activities.
Parent/Carer Forum
Our next parent and carer forum takes place on Wednesday 26 November at 16:15. To register your attendance please sign up on the MS Form below:
Registration for Parent/Carer Forum: Wed 26 Nov 2025 – Fill out form
Job Vacancies
We have four vacancies at the moment which we are seeking to fill as soon as possible. You can find details on our website here: Vacancies – Westbourne Academy
- Teaching Assistant x1
- Design & Technology Technician x1
- Cleaning Operative x1
- Lettings Assistant x1
Winter Holiday Activity & Food Programme (HAF)
The countdown is on the the Suffolk Winter Holiday Activity and Food Programme (HAF) – just two weeks until they go live! Bookings open at midnight on 28 November via their booking system:
https://eequ.org/suffolkhaf
Parents and carers will be able to book their children onto the Winter Activities for the school holidays. In the meantime, activities will be visible on their page, and families can express interest before bookings officially open. Please note that activities are being added all the time, so although hthey have lots there already there is much more to come.
More information on Suffolk HAF : Suffolk InfoLink | Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) programme 2024 in Suffolk
Suffolk HAF registration and booking system: Eequ · After school. In place of school. Beyond school. https://eequ.org/suffolkhaf
Christmas Lunch
Parents and carers were sent information on 14/11/25 about the two-course Christmas Lunch on offer on Thursday 18 December in the food hall. Any students who wish to have the Christmas Lunch will need to have been signed up by the deadline of 16:00 on 1st December. This includes any students who are eligible for Free School Meals. There will be no other hot food on offer at lunch time. You can find a copy of the information here on our website news page:
Christmas Lunch: Thursday 18 December 2025 – Westbourne Academy
Westbourne Community Hub
Our next Westbourne Community Hub event takes place on Monday 24 November 2025 between 15:15 – 16:10. Entry is through the main entrance doors to Reception. Bags of non-perishable food items and feminine hygiene products are available in exchange for a £3 donation (exact change please). The contact in school is our Deputy SENDCO: opal@degville@attrust.org.uk
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
Nasal Flu Vaccination Mop-ups
Monday 15 December is the date when students in all years have an opportunity to get the nasal flu vaccine if they missed it in October. Students with parental consent will be collected from class by a member of staff. Please ensure your child knows beforehand if you have given consent for them to have the vaccination. A copy of the email sent to parents and carers with instructions on how to give consent online can be found here on our website:
Flu Vaccination for Years 7 to 11 – Westbourne Academy
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.
Key Dates 2025-26
Monday 24 November – WA Community Hub event 15:15-16:15
Wednesday 26 November – 16:15-17:00 Parent/Carer Forum meeting
Monday 1st December – deadline for sign-up for Christmas Lunch by 4pm
Monday 15 December – Flu vaccination mop-ups
Wednesday 17 December – Parent/Carer Forum 16:15-17:00 (registration form to follow)
Thursday 18 December – Christmas Lunch (see email sent 14/11/25)
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
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