FBA Weekly Update
29th September 2025
Thank you
Welcome Evenings – Thank You
Last week, it was a real pleasure to welcome so many of you to our Year 7 and Year 12 Welcome Evenings. Your support and engagement make such a difference, and we are truly grateful for the strong partnership we share with our families. A successful education is built on this partnership between home and school, and by working together we can ensure every child feels supported, inspired, and able to thrive.
As a reminder, our Home–School Communication Policy is in place to help you know the best way to reach out to us with any queries or concerns. Following this guidance ensures that we can respond promptly and effectively, always keeping your daughter’s best interests at the centre. (Please see Policy below)
Personal Development Day
Last week, students across the school took part in a rich variety of activities for our Personal Development Day. Year 8 enjoyed glorious weather at Walton-on-the-Naze, Year 7 showcased their entrepreneurial flair in When Dragons’ Den Meets The Apprentice, and Year 9 focused on empowerment through the Be Her Lead programme. Year 10 sharpened their advocacy skills with Debate Mate, whilst Years 11 and 13 explored careers and how to be future-ready. Year 12 rose to the challenge of demanding team-building activities at Nuclear Races.
None of these opportunities would be possible without the dedication of our staff, whose careful planning and energy bring these experiences to life.
At FBA, we are more than an examination factory – we are committed to providing opportunities that shape character, broaden horizons, and inspire our students to see the world differently. #greatthingshappenhere
All the key dates for the year can be found on the school website at:
https://fbaok.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Key-Dates-for-Parents-2025-2026.pdf
Please find below some of the key dates for the first half term
Thursday 2nd October - Sports Awards evening
Friday 3rd October - School Birthday (119 years). Early finish for staff training
Monday 6th October - Year 12 Settling In assessments start
Thursday 16th October - Year 11 Step Up to Sixth Form Day (Taster Day)
Wednesday 22nd October - Year 11 Parents' Evening
Thursday 23rd October - Black History Month event
Friday 24th October - Last day of half term 1
Looking to Hire Our Facilities?
We are pleased to offer selected spaces across the school for hire. We have a number of spaces that are ideal for community groups, clubs, or private events. Our rooms, sports hall, and outdoor areas are available at competitive rates and under flexible terms.
To check availability and make a booking, please visit our lettings portal at: https://bookings.edu-lettings.org/romford/edu-frances-bardsley-academy. If you have specific requests or would like more information (e.g. capacity, equipment, access times), feel free to contact EDU , they will be happy to assist.
School Birthday, we are 119!
On Friday we are celebrating our school birthday as as part of our long tradition, students are invited to plant bulbs, participate to our annual cake decoration competition and card competition.
In Year 7, 8, 9 students will attend a special assembly where we all reflect in our past, present and future.
Everyone is also gifted a Mars bar, this is also a 'quirky' tradition and its origin is still a mystery !
There is also an early finish for students as our staff are taking part in professional development activities. Please refer to the letter below which was sent on Friday to all parents and carers for more details
Good luck to everyone and happy birthday to us!
On Tuesday 23 September, The Appleby Gallery held a day of workshops with Eastside Community Heritage and 40 Year 9 students. The girls engaged in a presentation and used archival material and media throughout the session to learn key interview techniques.
The students delved into some of their own experiences and histories whilst at the same time learning more about Havering's history; the Blitz, Ford Dagenham and immigration.
The session culminated in the girls using the skills they had learnt, along with digital recorders and microphones to interview each other and preserve their own historical information.
🍔 Fakeaways – Healthy Swaps You Can Make at Home!
This week’s healthy tip comes from Eliza in 7E: "Instead of ordering takeaway, try making your own 'fakeaway' at home! It’s healthier, cheaper, and fun to cook with family or friends."
Here are some easy Fakeaway ideas you can try:
- Homemade Pizza – use a tortilla wrap as the base, add tomato sauce, veggies, and load up with your favourite cheese.
- Oven-Baked Chips – slice potatoes or sweet potatoes, season, and bake instead of frying.
- DIY Chicken Kebab – grilled chicken pieces with salad and a yoghurt dressing in a wholemeal pitta.
- Healthy Burgers – use chicken, beef mince or veggie patties and load up with cheese, lettuce, tomato, and avocado.
Inspirational Woman of the Week
Our inspirational woman of the week is Wangari Maathai as nominated by Precious W in 10B. She was a Kenyan social, environmental, and political activist who founded the Green Belt Movement, an environmental non-governmental organization focused on planting trees, environmental conservation, and women's rights.
Maathai fearlessly confronted corruption and government-led environmental destruction, speaking truth to power and bearing the physical scars of her activism. During clashes with authorities, she was beaten and injured multiple times—such as when she led demonstrations to save Nairobi’s Uhuru Park and Karura Forest from illegal land grabs. In 2004 she became the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Career of the month “Careers in Information Technology”
IIT (Information Technology) is all about using computers and technology to solve problems, create things, and help people work smarter. It plays a part in nearly every job today, from healthcare and education to gaming and entertainment. There are loads of exciting careers in IT for people who enjoy solving problems, being creative, or working with computers.
UX/UI Designer:
UX (User Experience) and UI (User Interface) designers focus on making apps, websites, and software simple, attractive, and enjoyable to use. UX designers think about how users interact with technology, how easy it is to navigate, how quickly someone can find what they are looking for, and whether the overall experience feels smooth. UI designers work on the visual side of things, choosing colors, fonts, buttons, and layout to make sure everything looks great and is easy to understand. If you enjoy being creative, thinking about how people use technology, and working with design tools, this could be a great career path. Many UX and UI designers’ study digital or graphic design or take online courses to build their skills.
Game Developer
Game developers create the video games we play on phones, computers, and game consoles. They can be involved in different parts of the game making process, such as coding how the game works, designing characters and environments, writing stories, or adding sound effects and music. Some developers focus on making sure the gameplay runs smoothly without errors, while others bring characters and scenes to life with animation and special effects. This career is great for people who love games and enjoy being creative, solving problems, or working with technology. You can study computer science, game design, or animation to get started, and there are lots of tools and platforms online where you can begin creating your own games today.
Why Work in IT?
IT is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. There are jobs in every area, from fashion and sport to music and space. It can be creative, practical, or very technical, so there is something for everyone. IT jobs often offer flexible working, good pay, and the chance to make a real difference using your skills.
It has been a happy and busy start to the term at the FBA farm, and this week, Rocky and Nugget the Shetland ponies will be having a visit from our equine vet for routine dental treatment. Tooth rasping is the filing down of teeth with a specialist tungsten alloy file, and is carried out routinely to help reduce any overgrown teeth, remove any sharp points that can damage the cheek or tongue, as well as reducing rostral (premolar) and caudal (molar) hooks if overgrown.
Adult ponies require a dental check and tooth rasping at least once annually; this will help them maintain an optimal grinding surface for eating, alongside preventing any problems developing. In older ponies, dental care is important as it will preserve tooth function for as long as possible. Ponies live until around 30 years of age, so good dental health is necessary to help them maintain a healthy mouth and teeth for the duration of their lives.
Students can visit Rocky and Nugget the ponies, and all our other animals and birds; The Farm is open on Monday-Friday every break and lunchtime and after school until 4pm on Thursdays - all are welcome
Do you know Kooth?
Kooth is a free, anonymous online mental health and wellbeing platform for young people, commissioned by the NHS and BACP-accredited. It offers 24/7 access to self-help resources, moderated peer-to-peer support forums, and text-based counselling sessions with qualified emotional wellbeing practitioners. Kooth is available 365 days a year, requires no waiting lists, and allows young people to connect with support from any internet-enabled device.
What Kooth offers:
Free and anonymous access: Young people aged 10 to 25 can use the platform without revealing their identity or paying a fee.
Professional help: Users can receive one-to-one, text-based chat support from BACP-accredited counsellors and qualified wellbeing practitioners.
Peer support: Moderated forums allow young people to share their experiences and receive support from others in a safe, judgement-free space.
Self-help tools: The platform provides self-help resources, activities, and guidance to help users manage emotions and build life skills.
Flexibility: Users can access Kooth at any time, using various devices, to get support when and where it is most convenient for them.
- No thresholds or waiting lists: Anyone within the eligible age range can access support immediately.
- BACP accreditation: Kooth's services meet the standards set by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy.
- 24/7 availability: While chat sessions have set hours, the platform itself is available year-round.
As it is our birthday ...
The Mars Bar was created by Forrest Mars Sr. in Slough, England, in 1932, modelled after his father's Milky Way bar but adapted for a European audience. Initially coated in Cadbury's chocolate, the bar has a nougat and caramel centre. During World War II, Mars bars were distributed to troops, and post-war, the company introduced a popular pineapple-flavoured version and later a deep-fried variant in Scotland. The original Mars Bar is still made at the same Slough factory where it was first produced.
Key Facts
Inventor: Forrest Mars Sr. established his own confectionery company in England in 1932 to create the Mars bar, a thicker, chunkier version of the Milky Way.
Origin: It was first manufactured by hand in Slough, England, using a different recipe to suit the European taste; it is still produced at the same Slough factory.
Chocolate Coating: In its early days, the Mars bar used Cadbury chocolate for its coating before the Mars company developed its own chocolate blend.
Wartime Distribution: Despite rationing, Mars bars were successfully supplied to British and German soldiers during World War II.
Other Variations: A pineapple-flavoured version was briefly sold after the war and the Deep-Fried Mars Bar, a whole Mars bar dipped in batter and fried, became an unusual but popular item in Scottish chip shops in the 1990s.