Weekly Bulletin for Friday 3 July 2026
It was a pleasure to attend the Academy Transformation Trust Staff Excellence Awards this week with Westbourne nominees Miss Marshall (Rising Star Award) and Mr Stronach (Leader of the Year Award). It was fantastic to see the exceptional practice on display from colleagues across our family of 22 schools, and the pleasure of celebrating the great work going on was bittersweet as we approach the end of our time in ATT.
It was delightful to see the England men’s football team progress through to the quarter finals of the World Cup on Wednesday afternoon. Growing up in England in the 1980s and 1990s, seeing England doing well in these competitions is far from an expectation! I am conscious that many families will want to watch the next game against Mexico on Monday morning live, but with a 1am kick off time this is likely to make coming to work or school the next day difficult. We do want to see everyone in at the normal time on Monday, so it might be worth encouraging them to go to bed early, then wake up for the game, then go back to bed for the last couple of hours before getting up to come into school for the normal time. In pre-Industrial Britain historians believe this (“bi-phasic”) sleeping pattern was quite common, and it might be better than just trying to power through.
This week we have been trialling the move to tutor group line-ups after break and lunchtime, which will begin from Monday. This is designed to reduce cognitive load in students, as they only need to remember one place that they need to go to for their line-ups each time. Teachers will then come and collect them from the same place p3 and p5 that the students line-up in or tutor time. This approach has been used successfully in some of the other schools in our new Trust and we are keen to build upon the improvements we have already made.
Staff v Class of 2026 Football Match
On Monday 6 July at 15:15, some of our sportier members of staff will be taking on a Year 11 football squad on the 3G pitch. Students, parents and carers are welcome to come along and spectate. We will be collecting a £1 donation per person on the gate, in aid of East Anglian Children’s Hospice (EACH). Entry and exit will be through the staff and community car park from 15:00 and not through Reception.
Vacancies: Teaching Assistants
We have 3 vacancies for Teaching Assistants. We are looking for enthusiastic individuals who are self-motivated, and have a passion for supporting teaching and learning by establishing supportive relationships with students, helping to raise their self-esteem and develop a positive attitude to learning within a secondary Academy. Previous experience in a relatable role within an educational establishment is desirable but not essential. These roles require a grade C/4 or equivalent in English and Maths.
Online applications and job descriptions can be found here on our website:
News from Year 10 History Trip
At 12am on Thursday morning, 40 Year History students arrived at Westbourne Academy to set off for the Year 10 First World War battlefields trip to France and Belgium. After a bit of a delay (our coach got stuck on a local road on route to the academy!) we finally departed at 1.50am. However, spirits remained high and with a clear route we headed towards Dover, whizzing through customs to board our scheduled 6am ferry to Dunkirk.
Fuelled by a full English breakfast, we headed to our first stop at Essex Farm cemetery where students viewed the former site of an advanced field dressing station and visited the grave of 15 year old Joe Strudwick, one of the youngest British soldiers to die in the war. From there we headed to the Belgium town of Ypres visiting the town square, the very popular Belgian chocolate shop and the Menin Gate.
In the afternoon, we visited two contrasting cemeteries. Tynecot is the largest Commonwealth war cemetery in the world with more than eleven thousand graves. Students were able to study the names of soldiers from Suffolk and reflect on the more than 8,000 Commonwealth soldiers whose remains cannot be identified. From here we headed to Langemark, one of the few German cemeteries in the area. Langemark Cemetery offered a stark contrast, with mass graves, sombre memorials and the graves of thousands of German soldiers buried beneath oak trees.
Our final stop of the day was Hooge Crater Museum. Here students viewed exhibits connected to their GCSE study of Medicine on the Western Front and walked in the remains of a trench on the front lines. In the evening, we returned to our accommodation in Ypres where students had mixed success in defeating Mr Archer, Mr Day, Mr Durrant and Miss Ellis at table tennis, darts and Uno. On Friday we headed to the Arras Tunnels and the Canadian Memorial at Beaumont-Hamil. Students will return to Westbourne late on Saturday night/the early hours of Sunday morning. Please check the messages from child on Saturday evening for a more accurate arrival time back in Ipswich.
WA Community Hub Events 2026
Open to all! Our next Community Hub is on Monday 13 July from 15:15 – 16:15. Entry via Reception. Bags of non-perishable food items and feminine hygiene products are available in exchange for a £3 donation (exact change please). Queries to wes-office@attrust.org.uk
4YP Summer Holiday Programme
4YP are hosting a free Summer Holiday Programme for two age groups, which will provide each group with two days of activities and lunch for local young people for five weeks of the holidays.
For 12–16 year-olds (School Years 7–11), the sessions will take place on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Each day runs from 10:30am to 2:30pm, with lunch provided. Activities will take place at the 4YP Hub on Lower Brook Street, as well as other great venues such as Clip ’n’ Climb and Colchester Zoo, and will be organised and supervised by experienced 4YP Youth Workers.
Parents need to sign up online here for places by Friday 10 July:
Suffolk HAF Programme
Suffolk HAF programme is now live for bookings for the Summer holidays. HAF provides activities for families who are eligible for means tested Free School Meals (FSM), or other support needs upon referral. Eligible families can view listings and book sessions including a meal here:
Suffolk HAF Programme (Summer) flyer
If you have any questions or issues, please email HAFenquiries@suffolk.gov.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.
You can contact the attendance team direct on 01473 466145 or by email wes-attendance@attrust.org.uk
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 2026
Monday 6 July – 15:15 Staff v Y11 Football match (3G pitch)
Friday 10 July – Y11 Prom (All Manor of Events 19:00-10:45)
Monday 13 July – WA Community Hub 15:15-16:00
Friday 17 July – Last day of the summer term
Tuesday 1st September – Staff PD Day (school closed)
Wednesday 2nd September – Staff PD Day (school closed
Thursday 3 September – 1st day of autumn term 2026
Friday 18 September – Whole School Photos
Friday 27 November – Staff PD Day (school closed)
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
We can confirm that the two published Trust-wide PD days for of 27 November 2026 and 25 June 2027 will remain unchanged, when we transfer to the new Trust in September.
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