Sent to parents and carers on 7/03/25

 

Weekly Bulletin for Friday 7/03/2025

 

As usual, we have had a range of activities taking place this week at Westbourne.  Our Year 11 students have been eagerly preparing their dishes in their Hospitality and Catering practical exams.  Mr Smith has been leading assemblies focusing on our rewards programme, and our Year 7 students have been involved in a National Space Academy masterclass in the science department.  Thank you to Miss Feakes and Miss Walker for organising.

During Ramadan, we are offering our Muslim students access to prayer rooms in A block at lunchtimes.  Furthermore, students who are fasting in the warmer weather who wish to adjust their uniform should speak to Mr Higgon, Mrs Woodhouse or Mrs Clarke.

Thank you for reinforcing the need for young people to be on time to their lessons and tutor time with your children.  Staff have noticed an improvement in students’ attitudes to punctuality.

As I mentioned last week, to reinforce the importance of this crucial habit for a successful adult life, we have been issuing lunchtime loss of learning detentions for anyone more than five minutes late to a lesson or tutor time.  Students who are late more than once or miss their lunchtime detentions will sit a longer after school detention and if they miss that then will spend time in our seclusion room.

We are in the process of organising a weekly email for parents/carers which summarises the previous week’s punctuality, positive and negative points along with the same data for the year to date.  Some parents/carers will have received it this week but, unfortunately, we experienced technical difficulties with our email server, meaning some parents/carers may have received it multiple times and others not at all.  This is now resolved and all parents/carers should receive this useful summary on Monday for this week just past.

It has been brought to my attention that conduct from some students at the end of the school day has not been in keeping with our STAR values including on some buses.  Whilst students are in our uniform and/or on their way to and from school, the academy rules still apply and so we will follow up any reports of poor student conduct from members of the public or bus companies and respond according to our behaviour policy.

 

Year 10 Careers Trip

On Tuesday morning, a group of Year 10 students spent the morning at Ipswich Magistrates’ Court with Mr Payne and Mrs Pepper. They met with the Chairman of the Magistrates and learned about the roles and purpose of the various people in the courtroom and the way the criminal justice system operates.

Students were then able to join the Public Gallery and watched a number of real-life court sessions in progress that included careless driving, shoplifting, assault of emergency workers, threatening behaviour and refusal to provide a breath test to the police.

These students were excellent ambassadors for the academy and their hosts were most impressed with their conduct, attitude and empathy. They also found the experience thought-provoking, and it opened their eyes to future careers and pathways. They also came away with a very real sense of how easy it might be to find yourself in a situation that could land you in court, leave you with a permanent criminal record and in financial debt.

 

 

Year 9 Parent/Carer Evening

On Tuesday, information was sent to parents and carers inviting them to book appointment to meet with their child’s teachers on Thursday 13 March 2025. This event has been changed from a video call event to an in-person event in the main hall. A copy of the email sent can be found here on our website news page:

Year 9 Parent/Carer Evening: Thursday 13 March 2025 – Westbourne Academy

 

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 / 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.

Attendance Matters – “Attend today, achieve tomorrow” 

“Education is your passport to the future, and good attendance is the stamp that gets you there.”

Attendance Focus for w/c 24/02/25

  • academy attendance across years 7-11 for the year to date is 87.6%
  • academy attendance across years 7-11 last week was 88.5%
  • 726 students across the academy had 100% attendance to school last week
  • the best House attendance was Nightingale with 90.3%
  • the best year group attendance was Year 7 with 90.4%
  • the best tutor groups for attendance were N5 and R3 with 96%
  • 565 students did not receive a single late mark last week and had 100% punctuality to lessons
  • the best House for punctuality to school and lessons was Nightingale House
  • the best year group for punctuality to school and lessons was Year 11
  • the best House for 100% attendance and 100% punctuality last week was Nightingale, with 68 students achieving this impressive feat.
  • 113 students currently have 100% attendance to school this academic year

 Praise & Reward Update

  • 906 students received positive points during last week in their lessons for exemplary behaviour or attendance
  • 16, 855 positive points were awarded to students during last week

 

Attendance Mentoring Programme

Parents and carers of students in Years 7 to 10 will today receive a separate communication from us about the attendance mentoring programme and information about data sharing. This will programme will run for 3 years starting later this month. A copy of the communication can be found here on our website news page:

https://www.westbourne.attrust.org.uk/attendance-mentoring-programme/

 

Easter Holiday Activities

 

Careers Convention for Years 10 & 11

Ipswich School would like to invite students from Years 10 and 11 and their parents/carers to join them on Thursday 20 March 2025 for their annual Careers Convention.

The event will run from 6:00-9:00pm and you are welcome to arrive any time throughout the evening. This will be a fantastic opportunity for students to learn more about the opportunities that are available after their studies and help them to make informed decisions about their future career path.

They will be joined by over 55 exhibitors including local and national employers as well as universities including Bath, Loughborough, Newcastle and York. There will also be several overseas universities, and companies specialising in studying overseas and USA Sports Scholarships.

They welcome both parents and students to attend the event and tea/coffee and cookies will be available with a suggested donation of £1 per item with all monies raised going to support our chosen charity, St Elizabeth Hospice.

They would request that you be considerate to their neighbours when parking in the surrounding streets and be mindful that Crown Car Park (IP1 3HS) closes at 6.30pm. William Street car park is open 24 hours (IP1 3HX) and charges £2.50 for entry after 2pm.

Access to this event will be via the entrance to Great School on Ivry Street

https://what3words.com/letter.digit.dizzy, please note there are steps at this entrance.

Ipswich School Careers Convention 2025

 

 

Year 11 Apprenticeships

Students in Year 11 have this week been sent a copy of the Wednesday Weekly bulletin from Mr Payne. This digital document contains a wealth of information about apprenticeship vacancies in and around Suffolk as well as useful instructions for Year 11 students on applying for apprenticeship vacancies.

Apprenticeship Update 05.03.2025

 

Free Event! RAF Top Guns

Step into the high-stakes world of the Royal Air Force and take your ambition to new heights! Inspired by Channel 4’s Top Guns: Inside the RAF, this special edition RAF World: Top Guns virtual event gives you unparalleled access to the cutting edge of air and intelligence operations.

For full details on how to reserve your spot please open the RAF document below:

RAF World Top Guns 19.03.25 Flyer Eng

 

 

 

North West Ipswich BLT

We have been asked local organisations to share the March Community Buzz digital magazine with the wider community. Follow the link below to visit their page:

https://sway.cloud.microsoft/bx53fGPEhn2CW06v?ref=email

 

Food Hall Menus

The menus on offer for the next three weeks in our Food Hall next week can be found here: Catering & Food Hall – Westbourne Academy:

  • wc 10 March – menu 3
  • wc 17 March – menu 1
  • wc 24 March = menu 2

 

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 that the app.

 

A copy of the email and instructions sent to parents and carers can be found here on our website latest news page:

Cashless System – Westbourne Academy

 

Key Dates 2025

Thursday 13 March                 – Y9 In-Person Parent/Carer Evening 4-7pm

Friday 28 March                      – Staff PD Day (school closed)

Monday 31 March                  – WA Community Hub 3.15-4.30pm

Thursday 3 April                      – Y10 In-Person Parent/Carer Evening 4-7pm

Friday 4 April                           – Y9 MENACWY+DTP vaccinations

Friday 4 April                           – Y11 friendship & year group photos (Lunch & Period 5)

Tuesday 22 April                     – 1st day of Summer Term 1

Thursday 24 April                    – Y9 Pathway Evening 6-7.45pm (details to follow)

Thursday 19 June                    – Y8 In-Person Parent/Carer Evening 4-7pm

Friday 20 June                         – Staff PD Day (school closed)

Wed 25 & Thu 26 June            – Year 6 Transition Days for pupils offered a school place for Sep 2025

Friday 27 June                         – Y11 Prom at All Manor of Events Henley

Thursday 3 July                       – Y7 In-Person Parent/Carer Evening 4-7pm

 

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 

MCAS, online payments and data information queries to: wes-data@attrust.org.uk

SEND queries to: opal.degville@attrust.org.uk