Our Weekly Newsletter Connecting School and Home
Headmaster’s Message
David Smith
Headmaster
From The FBS Foundation
Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck
My favourite education quote of all time came from the first Headmaster of Stowe School. Back in the 1920’s, he was asked by a journalist what he wanted his students to be like when they left his school. “Simple,” he said, “I want them to be acceptable at a dance and invaluable in a shipwreck”.
It’s easy to view this as a ridiculously outdated statement, but perhaps not. If we ponder for a moment what he meant we can see that the values that lie at the centre of good education have not, in fact, changed as much as we might suppose.
Consider what attributes are needed to be “acceptable at a dance”? In truth, the last thing needed to be acceptable at a party or dance is the ability toactually dance. Instead, what is needed is courtesy; eloquence; smartness; breadth and depth of knowledge; and the ability to communicate with, and
listen to, people from any background and culture. Oh, and you need to arrive on time!
And to help at a time of most need…to be “invaluable in a shipwreck”? Resourcefulness, courage, tenacity, adaptability, logic, leadership, responsibility.
Put together, these are exactly the attributes that FBS aims to instil in its students.
Recently, I attended the leavers assembly of the class of 2023. The Headmaster spoke about how proud he is of their achievements, but most of all, of the people they have become.
Who knows what adventures await them in the years ahead? One thing is for sure though, every one of them fulfils J F Roxburgh’s criteria for a great education. They take with them our best wishes for their exams and their lives beyond school.
Of course, it would not be possible to give our students the best possible start to their adult lives without your generosity of time, energy, spirit, and finance. Your donations through the Foundation are an integral part of providing the education that helps to make our students rounded, socially confident, courageous and resourceful individuals. Thank you for all that you do.
Best wishes,
Julian Thomas
CEO, The Fulham Boys School Trust
From The Friends of FBS
Summer Fair and International Food Day Part 2 – Friday 30th June
Our Summer Fair and International Food Day will take place on Friday 30th June from 3:30pm to 6:30pm (possibly later).
The Friends of FBS
Annual Parent Contract 2023/24 – Action Required Please
Ski Trip 2023
The Ski Trip for this year is now live and so far we have had quite a few sign ups. There are still plenty of places available. More details regarding the trip can be found by reading this Ski Trip letter. If your son would be interested in attending, then sign up can be completed on ParentPay under the payment item titled ‘SKI TRIP CHRISTMAS 2023’.
Changes to Whole School Day
Please follow the link to this document which outlines the upcoming changes that are due to occur at the school from September onwards.
Swimming Gala – Wednesday 7th June
Our annual swimming gala will be held at Fulham Pools on Wednesday 7th June. All boys in Years 7 to 9 will attend the event to cheer on boys in their house who are competing in the event. Boys should come to school as normal and will be escorted from FBS to Fulham Pools and back. Year 7 and 8 will attend during periods 1 and 2 and Year 9 will attend during period 3 and 4. Boys wishing to compete in the races have been signing up during form time this week. Please ensure if boys are competing, they have blue or black swimming trunks/shorts.
Swimming Gala – Wednesday 7th June
Our annual swimming gala will be held at Fulham Pools on Wednesday 7th June. All boys in Years 7 to 9 will attend the event to cheer on boys in their house who are competing in the event. Boys should come to school as normal and will be escorted from FBS to Fulham Pools and back. Year 7 and 8 will attend during periods 1 and 2 and Year 9 will attend during period 3 and 4. Boys wishing to compete in the races have been signing up during form time this week. Please ensure if boys are competing, they have blue or black swimming trunks/shorts.
Year 8 Royal Parks Trip – Tuesday 6th June
On Tuesday 6th June, all Year 8 will be involved in a trip to Kensington Gardens. Please see this Royal Parks trip letter for more information of the day. Important things to note are that boys are not required to wear uniform, they will be dismissed from school at 4pm and also they will required to have credit on their ZIP card. A packed lunch will also be provided for the boys. As mentioned, further information can be found within the letter.
Swimming Gala – Wednesday 7th June
Our annual swimming gala will be held at Fulham Pools on Wednesday 7th June. All boys in Years 7 to 9 will attend the event to cheer on boys in their house who are competing in the event. Boys should come to school as normal and will be escorted from FBS to Fulham Pools and back. Year 7 and 8 will attend during periods 1 and 2 and Year 9 will attend during period 3 and 4. Boys wishing to compete in the races have been signing up during form time this week. Please ensure if boys are competing, they have blue or black swimming trunks/shorts.
Year 10 School Reports
Year 10 Devised Drama Performances – Friday 9th June
On Friday 9th June, our Year 10 Drama boys will be performing their devised performances. Please see this letter for further details. Parents are very welcome to attend and support the afternoon as the performances will take place in the Drama Studio from 15:20-17:00 and will be performed to a live audience. Refreshments will be available.
Help With Work Experience
If anyone is able to help providing a work experience opportunity for our Year 10 boys, please contact Ms Le Hur on c.le-hur@fulhamboysschool.org.
Year 11 Exam Timetable
The Year 11 GCSE exam timetable can be found by following this link. All the details for the exams are listed within the spreadsheet.
Year 12 School Reports
Year 13 Exam Timetable
The Year 13 A Level exam timetable can be found by following this link. All the details for the exams are listed within the spreadsheet.
First Ever Gold DofE Award
Paul in Year 13 recently received his Gold Duke of Edinburgh award at Buckingham Palace. This was a momentous occasion for Paul and also means he is the school’s first ever recipient of the Gold Award. View the ‘Read more’ button below for some photos of the day. This week also saw our U15 Cricket Team in action, resulting in a great win over University College School’s B Team. Well done gents!
Hold the date! Summer Fair and International Food Day Part 2 – Friday 30th June
Our Summer Fair and International Food Day will take place on Friday 30th June from 3:30pm to 6:30pm (possibly later).
Please use this Google form to let us know how you can help us with this event and what food you may be able to make. We appreciate anything at all that you can do towards making the evening a success. We would love you to come to the event in traditional dress and welcome any flags or artefacts to help decorate your country table too!
The Friends of FBS
Sports and PE Kit – Injuries and Illness
Kit: For the summer term, students should be wearing trainers, white socks and white polo shirts for both PE lessons and sports afternoons/mornings. We would encourage students to also bring a fleece or rain jacket just in case. As the weather gets hotter, please ensure your son has a water bottle and sun cream available. If required, please follow this Tylers Sportswear link for The Fulham Boys School kit page.
Peripatetic Music Lessons
There is availability at the school for lessons in the following instruments: bass guitar, brass, drums, guitar, piano, woodwind (saxophone, clarinet and flute) and finally lessons for singing. If you think your son would be interested in taking part in these lessons, contact either Mr Chawla (r.chawla@fulhamboysschool.org.uk) or Mr Gleed (o.gleed@fulhamboysschool.org.uk) to find out more.
The Drum/Guitar teacher would like to increase his uptake for instrumental lessons. Again, please contact either Mr Chawla or Mr Gleed if your son would be interested. Please see his introductory video here.
Parent Reminder For Visiting School
This is a polite reminder that parents should avoid visiting reception wishing to speak with a teacher, form tutor, HoH etc without prior arrangement. Parents should contact the relevant staff member by email to make an appointment. Thank you.
Tuesday 6th June |
Year 8 Royal Parks Trip |
Wednesday 7th June |
Year 7, 8 and 9 Swimming Gala |
Friday 9th June |
Year 10 Devised Drama Performances |
Monday 12th June |
LAMDA Showcase in Drama Studio 5:15pm – 7pm (more details sent out soon) |
Tuesday 13th June |
LAMDA Showcase in Drama Studio 5:15pm – 7pm (more details sent out soon) |
Wednesday 14th June |
Year 8 Mandir Trip (more details sent out soon) |
Thursday 15th June |
Y10/12 Silver/Gold DofE practice training session 5pm – 7pm (more details sent out soon) |