Sent to parents/carers on 12/09/2025
Weekly Bulletin for Friday 12 September 2025
It has been really pleasing that the majority of students have responded positively to keeping their phones off during the school day. Thank you for your support in this. If you need to contact them during the school day, please do so via reception.
It was great to welcome those parents and carers who came to our first parent/carer forum on Wednesday evening. I outlined the plans we have put in place to rapidly improve the academy following our Ofsted report which came out at the end of last term. These forums will occur on a monthly basis and will allow all parents and carers to hear the progress we are making towards achieving our potential.
At May half term, we introduced a new system of after school detentions in response to students being removed from a lesson (C3). Where students do not attend a detention, a longer detention is then set. We are keen for students to attend the original detention rather than having them escalate. Some students are telling us they do not know about their detentions, so whilst we improve how we communicate these in school, I would appreciate it if you could check carefully on the MCAS app or website. This is where we will message you with details of any detentions they may have, and remind them of these in the morning.
In all cases there will be a range of positive points on the MCAS app and website, so it is worth checking on there to discuss the positives that your children have achieved each week.
Co-Curricular Clubs & Activities: Autumn Term 2025
We have updated our programme of co-curricular activities for students and this can be found on our website here: Co-Curricular & Enrichment – Westbourne Academy
The activities on offer at lunch and after school by the PE team are now available on our website link above. The library is open every lunch time and after school Monday to Thursday. Students can access computers at lunch and after school in the library to do their home learning under the supervision of a Teaching Assistant.
Year 7 Auditions for Shrek
Year 7 Auditions for ‘Shrek’ the musical will be taking place on Tuesday 16 September from 15:00-16:00 in S9. No preparation is needed, students can just come along. There is a part for everyone: from speaking/singing roles to being in the songs and dances. It is a great opportunity to have fun, gain confidence and make new friends. Everyone who auditions will be in the play, so come along Year 7s and have a go!
Parents and carers can email tolia.price@attrust.org.uk for more information. If students have any questions, Mrs Price will be available in S9 to discuss them with students during Monday break time.
Year 11 Prom
As we look ahead to the Year 11 Prom, we would like to remind everyone that attendance at this event is a privilege rather than a guarantee. When deciding who will be invited, we will be taking into account each student’s behaviour, effort and attendance throughout the year.
If your child would like to attend, there is a £15 non-refundable deposit that needs to be paid on MCAS by 17th October. The option to pay the deposit will be added to MCAS in the next week or so. Mrs Woodhouse spoke to our Y11 students in assembly earlier this week about Prom and Mr Hawkes will shortly be sending out further details regarding the ways in which students can earn the right to go to Prom. Thank you for your support in helping us ensure this is an amazing celebration for all.
Should you have any questions regarding Prom, please feel free to contact Mrs Woodhouse
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.
Breakfast Bagels
Starting on Monday 15 September, breakfast bagels will be served in the food hall from 8:20-8:30am for any students who would like one. These are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. No need to sign-up, just turn-up at 8:15.
Suffolk Parent Carer Forum
An online focus group hosted on Microsoft Teams has been arranged on Thursday 25 September 10AM – 2:30PM and schools have been asked to share this within their communities. Parents and carers that they are welcome to join for the entire session, or just the parts that you would like to be involved with.
Please see below the schedule and topics covered on the day.
The poster for the session can be downloaded and viewed here – Events – Suffolk Parent Carer Forum
Please note, registration for focus groups closes the day before the session at 2PM. To register your interest, please email: info@suffolkpcf.co.uk.
School Photos
Kittle Photography will be with us on Friday 26 September to take new photographs of all students and they will be escorted to the Girls Gym by their class teacher when it is their turn. On the day, students will be given a named QR code to take home so that parents/cares can purchase copies of their child’s photos online. There will be an opportunity for sibling group photos to be taken at lunchtime. Siblings will need to manage this themselves. Students should please wear their full academy uniform for the photograph. Any photos or merchandise that is ordered will be delivered free to school and distributed after October half term.
WA Community Hub
Monday 29 September is the date set for the next event. Queries may be sent to opal.degville@attrust.org.uk. The dates for this year’s Community Hub events are now released and can be found here on our website:
WA Community Hub Diary Dates for 2025-2026 – Westbourne Academy
Lost Property
We still have lots of lost property from last academy year including coats, jackets, hoodies, bags and jewellery. Please remind your child to see Mrs Lambert at break, lunch or after school if they wish to retrieve any items before they are donated to the WA Community Hub. Mrs Lambert’s office is located next to the Hub in what was previously the Green Room. Anything remaining on 19 September will be donated to the WA Community Hub.
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:
The Department for Education (DfE) has updated the Free School Meals (FSM) guidance to confirm that all households in receipt of Universal Credit will be entitled to receive FSM from the start of the 2026/2027 school year. They have also extended transitional protections until the end of the 2025/2026 school year.
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 that the app.
A copy of the email and instructions sent to new Year 7 parents and carers can be found here on our website latest news page:
Cashless System – Westbourne Academy
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
EAL Parent & Carer Hubs 2025-26
Do you have English as and Additional Language? Do you have questions or need support with anything school related? If so, we can help! Contact us and make an appointment to come along to one of our EAL Parent/Carer Hub days. We can support with MCAS, behaviour logs, listen to any queries and concerns your child may be having or help you apply for Free School Meals.
Email WES-EAL@attrust.org.uk
SMS to: 07850 901422
Free Online Neurodivergence Workshops
The Psychology in Schools team, part of the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, is excited to share with you our live parent/carer childhood neurodivergence workshop programme for September – December on the Suffolk Local Offer page.
The NSFT Psychology in Schools Team is offering an online parent/carer workshop programme that addresses childhood neurodivergence and covers key topics that families have identified as most helpful. These free workshops are offered to support families on the neurodevelopmental (NDD) pathway in Suffolk. You can book your place onto upcoming live workshops using this link: Neurodivergence online parent/carer workshops – Suffolk SEND Local Offer.
You can also access previous childhood neurodivergence workshop recordings, slides and resources using this link. By registering for any of the childhood neurodivergence workshops, even if you are unable to attend the workshop live, you will receive a copy of the workshop recording, slides and resources.
Below are flyers with more information. They contain the link to the local offer page where upcoming and previous workshops can be found. Moreover, information on the live upcoming workshops.
Childhood Neurodiversity PST Workshop Poster Sept Dec 2025
Please note that the Psychology in Schools Team only provides the Childhood Neurodiversity Parent Workshop Programme. We are therefore not able to respond to any queries regarding NDD referrals as this information sits with our Neurodevelopmental pathway teams.
Pastoral Queries (from 1st September 2025)
For non-urgent, day to day matters, the first point of contact between home and school is your child’s form tutor. For urgent matters, please contact your child’s Assistant Head of Year or Head of Year:
Year 7
Head of Year – Miss C Farr (01473 466102) catherine.farr@attrust.org.uk
Assistant Head of Year – New Appointment to be confirmed
Year 8
Head of Year – Mr T Perry (01473 466128) tom.perry@attrust.org.uk
Assistant Head of Year – Mr Z Elseidy (01473 466172) zachery.elseidy@attrust.org.uk
Year 9
Head of Year – Mr M Agate (01473 466143) matthew.agate@attrust.org.uk
Assistant Head of Year – Ms S McKnight-Shaw (01473 466101) shaffron.mcknight-s@attrust.org.uk
Year 10
Head of Year – Mr A Durrant (01473 466168) aaron.durrant@attrust.org.uk
Assistant Head of Year – Miss K Thomas-Astley Mon/Tue/Wed (01473 742315) kyia.thomas-astley@attrust.org.uk
Assistant Head of Year – Mr K Carr Wed/Thu/Fri (01473 742315) karl.carr@attrust.org.uk
Year 11
Head of Year – Mr D Payne (01473 466109) danny.payne@attrust.org.uk
Assistant Head of Year – Miss L Robbie (01473 466170) lisa.robbie@attrust.org.uk
Ipswich YM Rugby Club
Daniel Mason, coach at Ipswich YM Rugby Club, is reaching out to local schools to offer students in Years 10 and 11 the opportunity to try rugby in a welcoming and supportive club environment.
They are keen to help young people develop new skills, build confidence, and enjoy the camaraderie that rugby brings. To encourage participation, they are offering the first three training sessions completely free of charge, giving students a chance to experience the sport and our club without any commitment.
Training sessions are held at Ipswich YM Rugby Club, The Street, Rushmere St Andrew on Tuesday 6pm – 7pm and on Sunday 10am -11.30am. They provide a safe, inclusive, and enjoyable atmosphere for all abilities, whether students are completely new to rugby or already have some experience.
Please feel free to contact Mr Mason directly if you would like further details: danielm@profbuild.co.uk
Norwich City FC Open Training Sessions
Stephen Clarke from Norwich City Football Club, has contact all schools in the Suffolk area regarding an exciting opportunity they have coming up for pupils in Years 2 to 6. They are hosting an open training session at their Whitton player development centre over the course for boys who may be interested in joining the programme, successful candidates will receive dedicated coaching from our highly skilled coaches, NCFC training kit, the opportunities to progress within the clubs development pathway and many more opportunities.
For more details please contact: Stephen.Clarke@canaries.co.uk
Key Dates 2025-26
Wednesday 24 September – Y11 Geo field trip
Thursday 25 September – Y11 Geo field trip
Wednesday 24 September – 16:00-17:00 Parent/Carer Forum (registration form to follow)
Monday 29 September – 15:15-16:00 WA Community Hub
Thursday 2 October – 16:00-18:30 Year 6 Open Evening (early close at lunch)
Friday 26 September – Whole school photos
Monday 6 October – Y7-8-9 flu vaccinations (information to follow)
Monday 13 October – Y10-11 flu vaccinations (information to follow)
Thursday 16 October – Year 11 Success Fayre 18:00-20:00 (info to follow)
Wednesday 22 October – 16:00-17:00 Parent/Carer Forum (registration form to follow)
Monday 27 – Friday 31 Oct – Half term holiday
Monday 3 November – Staff PD day (school is closed)
Wednesday 26 November – 16:00-17:00 Parent/Carer Forum (registration form to follow)
Monday 15 December – Flu vaccination mop-ups
Wednesday 17 December – 16:00-17:00 Parent/Carer Forum (registration form to follow)
Parent/Carer Evenings
Here are the dates for our parent/carer evenings which take place in the main hall between 16:00 – 19:00. You will receive email instructions approximately two weeks in advance announcing when the online booking system is open:
Year 7 – Thursday 11 June 2026
Year 8 – Thursday 6 November
Year 9 – Thursday 5 March
Year 10 – Thursday 26 March
Year 11 – Thursday 16 October & Thursday 15 January
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 Please be aware that Monday 20 July 2026 is now a staff training day and the academy will be closed.
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