Sent to parents and carers on 13/11/26
Weekly Bulletin for Friday 13 November 2026
There has been a strong focus on Remembrance at Westbourne this week, with assemblies for each year group led by our Team Leader for History, Mr Archer, a two-minute silence for all students on Wednesday 11 November and a memorial service including the laying of a wreath at former pupil Aaron McClure’s memorial on Marlow Road by our Cadets.
Thank you to the parents/carers and members of the community who joined Aaron’s family, our staff and our Combined Cadet Force at the front of the school and to Miss Wilsdon and Mr Carr for their work in organising the ceremony. Thank you also to Reverend Rachel Revely from St Thomas the Apostle and Martyr Church who spoke poignantly at the ceremony.
At the weekend a contingent of our CCF had the honour of representing our cadets in the national Remembrance service at the Cenotaph in London. Remembrance holds a unique place within British history and culture. Our Westbourne community is proud to support this important national and international event, as we honour the memories of those who fought and died for the values which we are fortunate to live under today in modern Britain.
Please continue reading for a fuller report from Sergeant & Contingent Commander Wilsdon as well as a photo montage.
On Thursday, it was a great pleasure to join the Year 7 and 8 attendance rewards afternoon, which saw around 200 students rewarded with pizza, doughnuts and drinks for attending the 13 Mondays and Fridays during the first half term of the autumn term. Seven lucky winners were drawn out of the hat to win vouchers for Amazon and local attractions such as the cinema and the bowling alley. Good attendance leads to academic and personal success, so it is important that we take every opportunity to encourage students to come to school as much as possible.
Cadets Visit to London Cenotaph Parade
It has been an incredibly busy and memorable week for our CCF cadets as they have taken part in a number of significant Remembrance events.
From Thursday through to Sunday, a group of our cadets travelled to London, where they spent several days preparing for and participating in the Cenotaph Parade. This included the tremendous honour of taking part in the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall, followed by marching in the National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph. These were truly special experiences, giving our cadets the opportunity to witness the importance of remembrance first-hand, alongside veterans and serving members of the Armed Forces. They represented Westbourne Academy with immense pride, demonstrating commitment, discipline and respect throughout. They did us incredibly proud!
On Wednesday, our school CCF held its annual Remembrance parade in front of the memorial to former Westbourne student Aaron McClure, who lost his life serving in Afghanistan. The cadets gathered to observe the two-minute silence and pay their respects to all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of our country.
Every year, this is an incredible honour and a particularly important moment for our cadets and the wider school community. They conducted themselves with great dignity, maturity and respect, ensuring the occasion was honoured beautifully. We are immensely proud of all our cadets and grateful for the care and commitment they have shown in keeping the spirit of Remembrance alive.
Here is a photo montage of the CCF parade in front of the Memorial Wall:
WA CCF Remembrance Parade 11.11.26
Friday 27 November 2026: Staff PD Day
A reminder that the academy is closed all day on the above date for a staff PD Day. Students return as normal on Monday 30 November. Future staff PD days for this academic year, when the academy is closed are as follows:
- Monday 4 January 2027
- Friday 25 June 2027
Westbourne Academy Spring Showcase!
Following the success of ‘Shrek’ last year, the Performing Arts team is excited to build on that momentum and once again provide our students with an opportunity to shine and share their talent on stage.
The performing arts play a vital role in school life, developing confidence, creativity, teamwork, resilience and communication skills. We are fortunate to have a huge amount of talent at Westbourne, and we would love to see as many students as possible get involved in the upcoming Spring Showcase.
We would like to encourage any budding actors, singers, musicians or dancers to sign up for auditions, which will take place after school on Wednesday 16 December. Sign-up sheets will be appearing outside S9 and M1 very soon. Students can see Mrs Berry or Miss Turner in school, if they have any questions. Parents/carers can email wes.office@attrust.org.uk
Whether students have years of experience or are simply looking for the confidence to step onto a stage for the first time, this is an amazing opportunity to be part of something special.
Thank you for your support in helping us celebrate and nurture the creative talents of our amazing young people!
Young Enterprise
Earlier this week, Mr Opukah who is our Team Leader for Vocational Subjects, met with representatives from Young Enterprise. It was a really productive and successful meeting. They have managed to secure funding for our Year 10 Business students to take part in the programme which will involve them setting up and running a real business (aligned to the curriculum).
This is a really exciting opportunity with lots of little competitions throughout the year and the opportunity to win prizes and showcase the amazing learners we have at Westbourne. Students should get an advisor who can support them with their company and also enhance their knowledge and understanding of what running a business looks like.
They were very impressed with all of the work the Y10 Business students have done so far and are keen to get on board and work with us.
Support Staff Vacancies
We are looking to appoint a full time/term time Academy Receptionist as well as two part-time Cleaning Operatives. Full details including actual salary, job specifications, essential requirements and our online application portal can be found here on our website vacancies page:
Vacancies – Westbourne Academy
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 groups 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
Christmas Lunch: 15 December 2026
Please follow the hyperlink below to find out how to pre-order our 2-course festive Christmas Lunch for your child on the above date. A separate communication was emailed to parents/carers on 6/11/2026.
Christmas Lunch – Tuesday 15 December 2026 – Westbourne Academy
The Microsoft Form will close on 27 November 2026 and no further orders will be accepted after that date. Students who are eligible for FSM will need to pre-order lunch if they want it or eat at morning break instead.
Year 7 Shoebox Appeal 2026
Mr Opukah’s Year 7 PSHE class have organised a Shoebox Appeal project in support of two local Suffolk charities. They are seeking new and unused donations of toiletries and essential items as well as treats and well-being products. Full details can be found on their promotional poster. Donations may be left at Reception by members of the local community or taken to room B6 by students. The deadline for dropping off donations is 1st December and any donations would be gratefully accepted.
Parent/Carer Forum: Tue 1st December
The second forum for this academic year, which will focus on the recent Ofsted monitoring inspection and our academy improvement plans for 2026-27, will take place in the main hall on Tuesday 1st December starting at 18:00. To give us an idea of the numbers expected, please fill out our MS Form here:
Registration for Parent/Carer Forum: Tue 1st Dec 2026 – Fill out form
Heads of Year & Assistant Heads of Year for 2026-2027
We are pleased to confirm the Heads of Year and Assistant Heads of Year for September are as follows:
Year Group Head of Year Assistant Head of Year
New Year 7 Mr D Payne Ms L Robbie
Year 7 into 8 Mr J McLean Mrs G Rockell
Year 8 into 9 Mr C Compton Mr J Peter (Interim)
Year 9 into 10 Mr M Agate Miss T Davies
Year 10 into 11 Miss S Bird Miss K Thomas-Astley Mon-Tue-Wed AM
Mrs A Fulcher Wed PM-Thu-Fri
To communicate with your child’s year team, please email wes-office@attrust.org.uk in the first instance and staff will come back to you as soon as they are able to do so.
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
Changes to HAF-Funded Activities in School Holidays
Suffolk County Council has asked schools to share the following information with parents and carers:
As a result of changes to Free School Meal eligibility introduced in September 2026, there have been changes to eligibility for the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme.
Children and young people receiving Targeted Free School Meals are automatically eligible to access HAF-funded activities during the Easter, Summer and Winter school holidays.
SCC recognise that some families who have previously accessed HAF may no longer be automatically eligible under the new criteria. However, discretionary support may be available for families experiencing hardship.
Families who are not automatically eligible but feel they require support, or professionals who are concerned about a family, can request a Professional Referral Form by contacting the HAF team at HAFenquiries@suffolk.gov.uk. They may require the school to complete this for them.
For full details of the programme, eligibility criteria and available support, please direct families to the Suffolk InfoLink | Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) programme 2026 in Suffolk
SCC say that many families who are eligible for this support do not access it; it is important that they reach as many of them as possible in the lead up to the Winter school holidays.
If you have any questions, please contact the HAF team at HAFenquiries@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
Key Dates 2026-2027
Friday 27 November – Staff PD Day (school closed)
Mon 30 November – Flu Vaccines P1-3 (Y10-11)
Fri 4 December – Flu Vaccines P1-2 (Mop-ups all years)
Tuesday 8 December – Y11 RS trip to Essex Uni
Thu 10 December – Y8 Parent/Carer Evening 16:00-19:00
Wed 16 December – Y8 HPV Vaccines
Fri 18 December – Last Day of Term / Early Close
Mon 4 January – Staff PD Day (school closed)
Tue 5 January – 1st day of Spring Term
Thu 14 January – Y11 Parent/Carer Evening No 2 16:00-19:00
Thu 4 February – Y10 Parent/Carer Evening 16:00-19:00
Mon 8 – Fri 12 Feb – Y11 PRE-Week p1-4 in Sports Hall
Mon 15 – Fri 19 Feb – Half Term Holiday
Thu 25 February – Y9 Parent/Carer Evening 16:00-19:00
Fri 5 March – Y9 MENACWY+DTP Vaccines
Thu 25 March – Y11 Year Group Photo P5
Fri 26 Mar – Fri 9 April – Easter Holiday
Thu 15 April – Y9 Pathway Evening 16:00-18:30
Wed 5 May – Y11 Summer Exam Series starts
Mon 31 May – Fri 4 June – Half Term Holiday
Fri 18 June – Y11 Leavers Assembly 14:15
Wed 23 June – Y6 Transition Day No 1
Thursday 24 June – Y6 Transition Day No 2
Friday 25 June – Staff PD Day (school closed)
Friday 9 July – Year 11 Prom (Venue 16)
Thu 1st July – Y7 Parent/Carer Evening 16:00-19:00
Thu 8 – Sat 10 July – Y10 History Trip/Battlefields
Wed 21 July – Last Day of Term / Early Close
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