Dear parents/carers,

A warm welcome back to all families.  It was wonderful to see staff and students back at school this week.  Our inset day Monday was focused on staff training and development to ensure we were all prepared for a busy term.  We celebrated our fantastic GCSE results followed by strategic planning – working on behaviour management, safeguarding, and SEND (special educational needs and disabilities), before Departments met with their own specific agendas.

On Tuesday we welcomed our new starters who settled in quickly with really positive feedback and some excellent learning taking place. Having the school to themselves for the day ensured that new students could find their way around and get properly settled, before the rest of the school returned on Wednesday.  All students were reminded of the school expectations of student behaviour, including the new approaches we are taking this academic year.  I’m sure you will have heard wonderful comments from our students about their first week back too.  It was lovely to have the entire community under one roof for our first whole school assembly.  It was an amazing feeling to be together and remind ourselves of values Kindness, as a strength of the heart, Respect, as a strength of the mind and Determination, the strength of the will; celebrating the successes from last and an affirmation to be determined to continue to be the best version of ourselves.

Thank you to our families; because of your support with our high expectations, we have got off to a very good start!

Looking ahead at this half term we have some new events for your attention.  In response to parents’ feedback last year, we are planning ‘Meet the tutor’ evenings for all year groups in the first half term.  It will allow parents and tutors to have a quick ‘settling in check’ for all our students.  These will start in October, shortly after the Open Evening on Thursday 3 October.  Dates for ‘Meet the tutor’ evenings will be advertised on our website as well as social media platforms and in my fortnightly letters too.

Our open evening is a great opportunity for us to show off our school to children in primary school who are thinking about their choices for secondary education – and their families! We proudly open the school for all families to get a first-hand experience of a typical day at our school. A series Open Mornings are advertised on social media and the school website; the first one is on Tuesday 17 September. All families of Year6 parents are welcome.

I hope it has been a pleasant and enjoyable summer for all families.  It is good to be back with our students at school.  For this term, I will be available to meet with families every Thursday after school from 3:15pm onwards. Please feel free to email office@bourne.org.uk

I look forward to working with you closely this year.

Kind regards

Mrs A Sharma
Head teacher