Sent to parents and carers on 16/01/2026
Weekly Bulletin for Friday 16 January 2026
Thank you to those parents/carers who attended last night’s Year 11 parent and carer evening. It was a really timely opportunity to discuss the progress students have made since their PREs last term, and agree how best to help them prepare for their final exams in the summer.
We have started to receive really interesting feedback around the impact of the phone pouches on our students and our school:
- A number of students have reported that the pouches are helping them to concentrate better in lessons.
- We continue to have more noise in our playgrounds and the food hall, as students are now talking to each other at break and lunchtime.
- Far fewer students are asking to leave lessons to go to the toilet.
- Students who are visiting the toilets are spending far less time in there.
- Far fewer students are out of lessons on the corridors.
- Students in exam classes are concentrating far better than they were before Christmas.
We have refined our morning routines so that students can pass through our morning pouch checks as quickly as possible and still be on time to tutor time. Staff and students have experienced far fewer confrontations and arguments about students using their phones around the academy. The number of recorded incidents of students refusing to hand over a phone, after being found using, one has dropped from 14 a day before Christmas to 1 a day after the first day back. It was commonplace to see students sneaking a look at their phone or carrying it around in their hands before Christmas. Now they are not seen or heard at all.
Some parents have said to us that they are no longer receiving multiple messages in a day from their children – who are encouraged to solve their problems in school with their peers and the staff without having to contact a parent at work or at home who can’t physically help them. We will be sharing a parent/carer survey in due course to gather your feedback more formally.
It feels as if this change has been even more positive than I had hoped for when we were planning it. Our students have successfully embraced this significant change to their lives and I am very proud of them for adapting to this new way of working so successfully.
On Wednesday this week, we welcomed visitors from other Trusts we may be working with in the future, as well as experienced headteachers from Academy Transformation Trust. I spoke to students beforehand about how to conduct themselves with so many visitors in the building and they did us proud yet again. Student behaviour around the site throughout the day was impeccable and shows just how much progress we have made over the past year on this important area. We have received some useful feedback about our curriculum and teaching and learning from the visitors, which we will be factoring into our school improvement plans as we move forward.
Year 11 Drama Performances
On Tuesday, we hosted the parents and carers of Year 11 Drama students to watch a performance of the GCSE Drama pieces that they will be examined on in the next few weeks.
The audience was seriously impressed with the amount of effort that the students put in and Mrs Price couldn’t be more proud. The weeks and months of learning pages and pages of lines paid off, the students are becoming more and more prepared for their exam as the date approaches.
Thank you to our supportive parent community for coming along and giving our students the event to work towards.
Student Fingerprint/PIN Codes in the Food Hall
We are having a big push this term to remind students that they are required to use their fingerprint or personal PIN code when purchasing food or drinks in the Food Hall.
From Monday 19 January, we will no longer be searching names on the system at the tills, this causes delays. Using the fingerprint or personal PIN method will ensure we can keep queues moving efficiently and maintain accurate records on student lunch accounts.
Form Tutors are able to let students know their personal PIN if they have forgotten it.
- Please remind your child that they must not share their personal PIN code with other students.
- Students must not write PINs on paper or displaying them where others may see them.
- If a student believes their PIN has been seen, shared or compromised, they must report it to a member of staff immediately so it can be reset.
If your child has not yet had consent for a biometrics fingerprint scan, please pick up a Biometrics Consent Form from Reception and return it to Mr Thorpe once signed. This is the most secure way for your child to purchase food and drink in the food hall.
If you have any questions or queries, please email wes-office@attrust.org.uk or call Mr Thorpe on 01473 466152.
Safeguarding Bulletin
Earlier today, a separate communication was sent from our Designated Safeguarding Lead, Mrs Clarke, about our the focus of year group assemblies this week and our SHARP reporting system. You can find a copy here on our website:
Safeguarding Bulletin: SHARP System & Support – Westbourne Academy
Recognising Kindness and Good Citizenship
Alongside our focus in assemblies, we are also actively recognising and celebrating acts of kindness and good citizenship across the school.
Students who demonstrate kindness, respect and positive behaviour towards others can be awarded positive points. These recognitions help reinforce the importance of empathy, inclusion, and looking out for one another.
We are pleased to share that this week alone, we have already received a number of entries recognising young people for kind actions, both in and out of the classroom. This has been a positive reflection of the caring attitudes we want to continue to encourage throughout our school community.
We will continue to highlight and celebrate these moments, as they play an important role in creating a safe, supportive and respectful environment for all.
Household Support Fund (FSM Eligible Students)
Suffolk County Council is pleased to confirm that the government announced an extension to the Household Support Fund from April 2025 to March 2026. The grant will be issued as a £45 supermarket voucher for each eligible child from our provider Pluxee to cover February half term 2026 and Easter Holidays 2026. This will be sent by email from SCC to priority one parents in week enduing 13 February. Here is a letter from SCC for parents and carers@
SCC Letter To Families HSF Vouchers February And Easter Holiday 2026
Parent/Carer Forum: Thursday 29 January (New Date)
Our next parent/carer forum takes place on Thursday 29 January at 16:15. The date has been changed from Wednesday 28 January due to a diary clash. During this meeting Mr Higgon will go through the progress we have made against our Post Ofsted Action Plan and answer any questions parents/carers may have about our ongoing efforts to improve the school.
To give us an idea of the numbers expected, please register your attendance on our online MS Form here:
Registration for Parent/Carer Forum: Thu 29 Jan 2026 – Fill out form
Entry is via main Reception at 16:15. Staff will meet you on arrival and take you through to the main hall.
The dates of future parent/carer forums for 2026 are as follows:
- Wednesday 25 February
- Wednesday 25 March
- Wednesday 29 April
- Wednesday 20 May
- Wednesday 17 June
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 and new menus will be introduced after half term:
Catering & Food Hall – Westbourne Academy
Key Dates 2025-26
Monday 19 January – WA Community Hub 15:15-16:00
Thursday 29 January – Parent/Carer Forum 16:15-17:00
Monday 16 – Friday 20 Feb – Half term week
Monday 23 February – WA Community Hub 15:15-16:00
Thursday 5 March – Y9 Parent/Carer Evening 16:00-19:00 (info to follow)
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 10 July – Y11 Prom (All Manor of Events 19:00-10:45)
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