FBA Weekly Update

As we come to the end of our first half term, we would like to take a moment to pause, reflect and express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who makes our school such a special community.

Although this has been a relatively short half term, it has certainly felt like a long and incredibly busy one! It has been filled with hard work, learning, achievements, challenges and countless moments that remind us why we do what we do.

To our parents and carers, thank you for your continued trust, support and partnership. The relationship between home and school is so important, and we are truly grateful for the many ways in which you work alongside us to ensure that our girls thrive, both academically and personally.

To our teaching staff, thank you for your unwavering dedication, commitment and continued hard work. Every day, you go above and beyond to provide the very best education and opportunities for our girls. Your passion, care and determination to make a difference do not go unnoticed, and we are incredibly proud of all that you do.

To our support colleagues, whose contributions are often behind the scenes but are absolutely essential to the life of our school, thank you. Your tireless efforts, kindness, flexibility and willingness to support everyone across our community help keep our school running and ensure that our students and colleagues have what they need to succeed. You are deeply valued and appreciated.

To our governors, thank you for your ongoing guidance, commitment and support. Your time, expertise and dedication to our school community are greatly appreciated.

And, of course, to our wonderful girls — you continue to amaze and inspire us every single day. Your talents, determination, kindness, resilience and willingness to embrace new opportunities are what make our school so special. Whether through your achievements, your everyday acts of kindness or the way you support one another, you constantly remind us of the greatness and potential within each of you. We are so proud of you.

As we reach this well-deserved break, we hope everyone has an opportunity to slow down, rest, recharge and spend quality time with family and loved ones.

Thank you all for everything you have contributed to this first half term. It is through our collective efforts, shared values and strong sense of community that we continue to make our school a place where every girl can flourish and belong.

We wish all our students, families, staff and governors a safe, peaceful and restful half term. We look forward to welcoming everyone back, refreshed and ready for the next chapter of our school year.

• Monday 19th October: Week 1 of Year 11 Mock examinations starts
• Thursday 22nd October: Black History Month Event for students in school
• Monday 26th to Friday 30th October: Half term

Here are a few key dates for the start of the next half term

• Monday 2nd November: Start of Half Term 2
• Monday 2nd November: Week 2 of Year 11 mock examinations
• Thursday 5th November: Year 9 Parents' Evening (Online) 4:00 - 7:00pm
• Tuesday 10th - Thursday 12th November: Year 9 Ypres trip
• Thursday 12th November: PTA meeting at FBA 5:00pm
• Thursday 19th November: 6th form Open Evening 4:00 - 6:30
• Monday 23rd November: Year 13 Mock Examinations start

Our Governor of the Year for 2026 was awarded to Fr Hingley at this year's conference. Fr Hingley joined FBA as Governor in 1996 and was instrumental in supporting the school during the transition to a MAT in 2012. He then became a Governor at The Bridge in 2016, and as vicar of St Alban’s has hosted many year 13 Leavers services. He has been vicar of the parish for 34 years and takes great interest in the wellbeing of the students and staff in both schools, often enjoying taking or being part of assemblies and celebrations. Congratulations Fr Hingley on this well deserved award.

We are inviting you to participate in the consultation on our proposed Admissions Policy for 2028.

Please find attached a copy of the proposed policy for your review. For ease of reference, all proposed changes have been highlighted in yellow.

We welcome any comments or feedback you may have regarding the proposed amendments.

Please submit any comments or feedback by email to info@fbaok.co.uk no later than 26 November 2026.

Miss Cooksey has completed her Apprenticeship (Property Maintenance Operative). Miss Cooksey achieved the overall grade of Merit – with Distinctions in the examination and professional discussion elements. Miss Cooksey has been an invaluable addition to the Site Team and has consistently gone above and beyond the technical requirements of her apprenticeship - always supportive and willing to help her colleagues. Her sound judgement, good organisational skills and calm manner makes sure everything goes smoothly.

Best of all, we get to keep Miss Cooksey as she is now a permanent member of the Site Team, so we will continue to benefit from her contribution across the school - she is a great role model for our students.

Here are some photos of Miss Cooksey in action, displaying only a fraction of her many, many skills…

We had a record 4 classes up to the Gallery in one day last week, to enjoy our current historical archive show, Pixels & Pioneers. Students can attend and see how we have brought some of our old archive to life with AI and learn what life at school used to be like by picking up one of our interactive telephones and listening to stories and antics from some of our former students.

There is still time. Pixels & Pioneers runs until Friday next week, 23rd October.

The Gallery is open Monday, Thursday & Fridays.

Congratulations to all of the runners who competed in the Havering Cross Country event. Every student completed the undulating course at Stubbers. Year 7 debut performances came from Scarlett M in 6th place and Lucia B in 7th place. In Year 9, Molly J-S in Year 8 achieved 4th place, Lucy T achieved 7th place and Alessia L achieved 9th place. The top ten will be selected to represent Havering at the London Youth Games at Parliament Hills next month.

A huge well done to the year 7A and B team on their first game against Marshalls Park! They showed great team work and very promising for their journey ahead. Two wins on their first ever games. Keep up the hard work!

Following along with online yoga routines is a great way to meet your daily activity targets (aiming for at least 60 minutes a day) while supporting your mental and physical health. Practicing yoga helps:

· Improve blood circulation throughout the body

· Calm the nervous system and lower stress levels

· Build flexibility and core strength

Give this 20-minute, student-friendly guided session a go at home: Follow-along Yoga Video

Our inspirational woman of the week is Simone Biles as nominated by Anastasia R in 10L.

Simone Biles is one of the greatest gymnasts of all time, winning multiple Olympic and World Championship medals. She has become a powerful role model for girls and women worldwide, proving that females can break barriers, challenge expectations and achieve greatness in traditionally demanding and competitive environments.

Simone supports female empowerment by showing girls that their strength, talent and worth are not defined by other people's expectations. She has challenged the pressure placed on female athletes to be perfect, reminding the world that women should be respected for who they are, not just for what they achieve.

During the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Simone bravely prioritised her mental health over competition. By speaking openly about her struggles, she challenged the idea that women must always be strong, silent and self-sacrificing. She showed girls that speaking up, setting boundaries and putting themselves first are signs of courage, not weakness.

Through her achievements and honesty, Simone inspires girls to believe in their abilities, stand up for themselves and challenge gender stereotypes. She demonstrates that women can lead, make their own decisions and redefine what success looks like.

Simone Biles empowers girls to take up space, believe in their potential and understand that they never have to sacrifice their wellbeing to prove their worth.

Last week we held out first ever International Day of the Girl celebration at FBA with a fantastic event dedicated to celebrating the achievements, potential and power of girls everywhere!

The celebration was a great success, and it was wonderful to see so many students turning up, getting involved and embracing the spirit of the day. Students took part in creative activities, shared their thoughts and wrote empowering pledges celebrating what makes girls strong, unique and inspiring.

From celebrating individuality and confidence to recognising the importance of equal opportunities, the event was a brilliant reminder that every girl deserves to feel valued, supported and empowered to achieve her dreams.

A huge thank you to everyone who attended and participated so enthusiastically. Your positivity, creativity and willingness to get involved helped make the event so special. It was fantastic to see our school community coming together to champion equality, encourage one another and celebrate the incredible potential of girls.

Let’s continue to lift each other up, challenge stereotypes and create a world where every girl knows that she is capable of achieving amazing things.

What do they do?

Quantity Surveyors manage the costs of construction projects. They prepare budgets, monitor spending and work with construction companies to make sure projects stay within budget while maintaining quality and value.

Skills Required

Maths, negotiation, attention to detail, organisation and analytical thinking are important skills for Quantity Surveyors. They need to be comfortable working with numbers and able to communicate with clients, contractors and other professionals.

Essential Qualifications

GCSEs including English and Maths are useful. You can progress through A Levels, a T Level or another Level 3 qualification. A degree or Degree Apprenticeship in Quantity Surveying can lead to a career in this field.

Why work in this role?

Quantity Surveying offers excellent earning potential and the opportunity to work on major construction and infrastructure projects. There is also strong demand for people with cost management and commercial skills across the construction industry.

Did You Know?

Quantity Surveyors can help construction companies save thousands or even millions of pounds by carefully managing project costs and identifying where money can be saved.

Ducks are incredible water birds that spend their lives on ponds, lakes, and rivers. Their webbed feet work just like paddles, making them fast and effortless swimmers. Even though they spend all day in the water, their skin stays completely dry and warm thanks to waterproof feathers. They produce a special waxy oil near their tail and carefully spread it over their feathers with their beaks.

When searching for food, some ducks simply tip upside down in shallow water to eat plants and tiny bugs. Other species dive deep underwater to catch small fish and shellfish. As the weather turns cold, many ducks migrate to warmer places for the winter, flying together in a big V-shape across the sky to save energy. While people love to feed them bread at the park, it actually acts like junk food and makes them sick. Instead, ducks thrive on healthy treats like peas, sweetcorn, oats, and lettuce. Come and meet our rabbits, as well as our ponies, goats, guinea-pigs, chickens and ducks.

The FBA farm is open Monday - Thursday at break and lunch, and after school on Thursdays until 4.15pm for Farm Club; all are welcome to come and help look after our animals and birds, or simply to visit and spend some time outdoors. The farm is closed on a Friday.

Each week we will share a new app or website you or your daughter could use to help you with mental health and wellbeing.