FBA Update

As we reflect on another incredible term, we want to take a moment to express our deepest gratitude to every member of our school community.

To our dedicated teachers and support staff—your passion and commitment to education inspire and empower our students every day. Your hard work does not go unnoticed, and we are truly grateful for the positive impact you make.

To our incredible site team—thank you for your tireless efforts in maintaining our school, ensuring that it remains a welcoming, safe, and beautiful space for everyone.

To our governors—your guidance and support play a crucial role in shaping the future of our school. We appreciate the time and effort you dedicate to making our school the best it can be.

To our wonderful parents and carers—thank you for your trust, partnership, and unwavering support. Your encouragement means the world to us and makes all the difference in the success of our students.

And finally, to our fantastic students—you amaze us every single day with your curiosity, resilience, and enthusiasm for learning. You are the heart of our school, and we are incredibly proud of each and every one of you.

Thank you all for being part of this wonderful school community. Together, we continue to make a difference!

We hope they bring as much joy to our students as they do to us!

Tuesday 1st April - Year 10 & 11 Celebration Evening (online)

Friday 4th April - Last Day of the Spring Term

Easter Holidays - Monday 7th April - Monday 21st April

Tuesday 22nd April - First Day of the Summer Term

Tuesday 22nd April - Year 10 in-class assessments start

Thursday 24th April - Year 9 Take Your Daughter to Work Day

Monday 28th April - Year 10 Exams in the Sports Hall start

Monday 5th May - May Day Bank Holiday

Tuesday 6th May - External Examination period starts

Monday 12th May - Year 8 assessment fortnight starts

Friday 23rd May - Year 11 Leavers' Day and end of the Half term

This is located on the Hardstanding at the front of the school. As well as a convenient way to dispose of unwanted items, it helps raise some extra funds for the school.

Everyone is welcome to use the clothes bank to get rid of any unwanted items:

• Clothing
• Paired shoes
• Handbags, belts, hats, jewellery
• Toiletries & perfumes
• Souvenirs and unwanted gifts

Please NO:

• School clothing or uniform as this can be donated to us directly please
• Wet, ripped, soiled or unwearable clothing

Our school recently welcomed a group of visiting students from Japan who participated in a diverse range of educational activities across multiple departments. The visit was designed to provide cultural exchange opportunities while showcasing our school's curriculum and our personal development provision. Fifteen students guided our visitors and paired up with Japanese students in well-designed sessions.

Feedback from both our students and the Japanese visitors has been overwhelmingly positive, with many expressing interest in maintaining contact with their partners.

This visit has reinforced the value of international connections in education and demonstrated our school's commitment to providing global perspectives for our students. Seeing these young girls bond was amazing, even though they never met or spoke the same language. The memories and relationships formed during this visit will undoubtedly leave a lasting impression on all participants.

An electrifying Spelling Bee regional final took place on Tuesday 25th March 2025 when Year 7 students gathered at the Rokeby School in Newham to fight it out for the Spanish, German and French titles. In all rounds the tension was punctuated with nail-biting tie-breakers.

The final was the culmination of months of preparation and hard work for three of our Year 7 girls: Hannah Balaga-Pentiah (French), Habiba Ahmed and Yousr Sid Ahmed (Spanish), who first had to go through a demanding selection process to be picked as our overall school winners.

This competition encourages Year 7s to learn vocabulary and is a way to integrate vocabulary learning, memory and spelling skills into the MFL curriculum – these are all transferable skills. It recognises the effort put in by our brightest and most hardworking students in MFL.

Our students faced stiff competition in each of their languages, and they should all be so proud of their achievements.

We are delighted to announce that Yousr came 4th, and Hannah came 3rd in their respective language! They are going through to the national finals in Cambridge on the 27th June.

We wish them bonne chance and buena suerte for the next round!

With the GCSE and A-level examinations starting in May, we know our Year 11 and Year 13 students will be spending time over the Easter break revising. To help with this, there will be study spaces available (F20 & F39) on Monday to Friday (week 1) and Monday to Thursday (week 2) of the holidays between 10:00am and 2:00pm each day. There will be a member of staff present to register the students and to supervise.

There will also be a range of revision classes taking place and information has been sent out to students and parents/ carers regarding the times.

As Year 13 students prepare for their Summer Term exams, Year 12 has stepped in to show their support by writing heartfelt good luck cards. Each card is filled with motivational quotes and words of encouragement, reminding Year 13 that they are not alone in this journey. These thoughtful messages will be included in an Exam Survival Pack that Year 13 students will receive after Easter, offering a boost of motivation just when they need it most. Good luck, Year 13—you’ve got this!

May L, Year 11 Sports Captain, highlights the importance of flexibility for overall physical health. A simple yet effective way to improve flexibility is by incorporating daily toe-touching stretches into your routine. This exercise engages multiple muscle groups, including the lower back, glutes, hamstrings, and calves, enhancing elasticity and range of motion.

Why Flexibility Matters:

• Improves Range of Motion – Regular stretching increases muscle length and joint mobility, making everyday movements and sports performance smoother.
• Better Blood Circulation – Stretching promotes blood flow to muscles, helping deliver nutrients, remove waste, and reduce soreness.
• Injury Prevention – Flexible muscles are less likely to strain, keeping you active and pain-free.
• Stronger Posture – Loosening tight muscles, particularly in the lower back and hamstrings, supports better alignment and reduces discomfort.

Fitness Challenge of the week

Put May’s tip into action by committing to 30 seconds of toe-touching stretches every night for a week. Track your progress and see if you can reach further each time!

To perform the toe-touch stretch:

1.Stand upright with feet hip-width apart.​

2. Slowly bend at your hips, reaching toward your toes. It's okay if you can't touch them initially; flexibility will improve over time.​

3. Hold the stretch for 15-30 seconds, breathing deeply throughout. You should feel a gentle pull along the back of your legs.​

Our inspirational woman of the week is Simona Halep as nominated by Larisa C in 7W.

Simona Halep is a Romanian professional tennis player who has won two Grand Slam singles titles, including Wimbledon in 2019. Known for her determination, hard work, and resilience, she overcame many challenges throughout her career, including injuries and setbacks, to become one of the top players in the world.

Her success and perseverance inspire young women to pursue their dreams with dedication, no matter the obstacles they face.

An exhibition inspired by International Women's Day

19 March - 25 April

This exhibition celebrates women; from historical and contemporary female artists, to inspirational women of history. It includes the activism of the suffragettes, the pioneering portraiture of Alice Neel and botanical illustrator of the 1600s Maria Sibylla Merian, to contemporary work by Ms Poluck, Ms Farrugia and Internationally acclaimed artist Jeanette Barnes.

The gallery is open for all Thursday & Friday lunchtimes for all students.

Well done to the Year 7 football team who took part in the Havering 7 aside tournament last week. They performed brilliantly winning three games and only conceding 2 goals.

Festival of Running

Well done to all the Year 7, 8 and 9 students who took part in the Inter House Festival of Running last Tuesday.

We are are excited to launch a new project / competition that FBA have been invited to participate in, led by Mulberry Schools. It is similar to last year's competition Letters to Our Daughters and run by the same people.

This is an exciting opportunity to engage with creative writing, family history, and the unique role of mothers in all our lives - while penning a lyrical tribute to your own (or a maternal figure in your life).

Tributes can be in any written style, poetry, prose, letters or stories. Word limit is 400 words, or about one side of printed A4 in 12 point font.

· Who do you count as your mum? We're using 'mothers' loosely. There's biological mums of course, but also aunties, guardians, teachers, foster mums, or surrogate mums of any kind... All are worthy subjects.

· If you were to interview this person about her life, what would you ask?

· If you could give her a message, as someone she helped raise, what would it be?

· Could you write your tribute with beauty and power?

The project's culmination will be a new published volume of 60 of our favourite entries, with a shortlist of 8 audio recorded for posterity, and four finalists invited to learn and perform their letters live at the 2025 Global Girl Leading conference in central London in October 2025.

If interested, please students need to attend an initial meeting during first lunch on Tuesday 1st April in F11.

It has been a busy and happy term at the farm, and our animals are looking forward to having a well-earned break over the Easter holiday.

Rabbits and chickens are traditionally associated with Easter, and the roots of this can be traced centuries back. From before the advent of Christianity, rabbits have been linked to spring and fertility in Europe. Prior to the advent of Christianity, the goddess Eostra’s emblem was the rabbit – Eostra was the pagan goddess of spring and fertility. This is presumably because of how fertile rabbits are, and their very high rate of reproduction; they can have multiple litters a year. Similarly, in pagan times eggs and chicks symbolised birth and new life. Early Christians then adopted these symbols as part of the Easter message of celebrating new life through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In other words, the pagan celebrations of rebirth and fertility were coupled with the Christian holiday of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. The resurrection of Jesus is also seen by Christians to represent hope and new life, which we also see in nature during the spring-time, with lambing season and flowers and trees sprouting blooms and leaves.

The farm is open as usual this week at break, lunch and after school, with the exception of Thursday, which will be the same as our regular Friday time - before school from 7.50 - 8.25am. The farm will reopen on the first day of the summer term - wishing everyone a very Happy Easter!

Kooth have webinars for all Year 11s and 13s as well as sessions for families.

Did you know that 85% of students in the UK experience exam anxiety, yet 71% don’t seek any support? We all know how hard it is to focus when stress takes over. This is why Koot have developed this webinar series to help students navigate this important time in their lives.

Lots of dates are available from 31st March all the way through to early May.

What’s it about?

The sessions will cover:

• Dr Jeri, Kooth Clinical team, talks about stress
• Signs and symptoms of exam stress
• How stress can be a good thing
• Tips to manage exam stress
• Practice of the STOP technique to help manage stress
• 
  

What’s included?

• Live 30 minute webinar
• Downloadable resources (for young people) in a follow up

Don’t worry if you can’t make it!

If you can’t attend the live session, simply select the ‘can’t attend’ option when registering, and we will reach out to arrange sharing guidance on this topic via our local team of engagement leads.

How to sign your students up

For Young People register them here.
For Families please share this link with them.
For yourselves as professionals register here.

Once signed up, you’ll receive a confirmation email and joining instructions will follow the day before the webinar is due to take place.

We would like to extend our well wishes to all in our school community who celebrated Eid al-Fitr and we hope they had a blessed celebration.