The Bridge – Friday 28th April 2023

Student Departure Times – Tuesday 2nd May

As mentioned in Mr Smith’s message, there will be no Year 7, Year 8 or Year 9 co-curricular next Tuesday due to the strikes taking place. Therefore, departure times for these year groups will be as follows.

Year 7: 15:20 / Year 8: 16:10/ Year 9: 15:20 / Year 10 17:00 / Year 11 17:00.

Student Departure Times – Wednesday 3rd May 

Due to the Year 9 parent consultation on Wednesday 3rd May, departure times will be as follows. Year 8 will have PSHCE afternoon on this day. 

Year 7: 14:30, / Year 8: 16:10 / Year 9: 12:40 / Year 10: 14:30 / Year 11: 12:40 / Year 12: 15:30 /  Year 13: 12:40

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’.

Year 7 Reading Lessons

As you are aware, at FBS we place huge emphasis on the importance of reading and literacy skills. There are significant educational reasons for this, for example the department for education have stated that ‘Children who are weak readers will struggle as much in maths and science at GCSE as they do in English and in arts subjects, according to one of the biggest ever studies of student reading’. Reading is a particularly big issue for boys in England and as a school we are passionate about ensuring our boys buck the national trend and genuinely enjoy reading for pleasure and are all proficient readers. Alex Quigley, the National Content Manager at the Education Endowment Foundation, says: “Reading is the master skill of secondary school. Skilled reading, writing and talking is crucial for our students to succeed.” 

For this reason we have decided to add an additional reading and literacy lesson to the curriculum in Year 7.  This is taking place in the time when the boys were studying Computing as they have completed the necessary learning in Computing and all boys continue to use their chromebooks in all lessons and for completing ownwork. We will also continue to cover essential computing elements in the co-curricular and through our PSHCE curriculum. 

Please discuss this with your son and ask him about the short story that the boys have been reading which is called ‘Hey, you down there!’ by Harold Rolseth. Later this term they will be writing their own creative short stories and prizes will be awarded for the best ones.

Year 8 Reading Lessons

As you are aware, at FBS we place huge emphasis on the importance of reading and literacy skills. There are significant educational reasons for this, for example the department for education have stated that ‘Children who are weak readers will struggle as much in maths and science at GCSE as they do in English and in arts subjects, according to one of the biggest ever studies of student reading’. Reading is a particularly big issue for boys in England and as a school we are passionate about ensuring our boys buck the national trend and genuinely enjoy reading for pleasure and are all proficient readers. Alex Quigley, the National Content Manager at the Education Endowment Foundation, says: “Reading is the master skill of secondary school. Skilled reading, writing and talking is crucial for our students to succeed.” 

For this reason we have decided to add an additional reading and literacy lesson to the curriculum in Year 8.  This is taking place in the time when the boys were studying Computing as they have completed the necessary learning in Computing and all boys continue to use their chromebooks in all lessons and for completing ownwork. We will also continue to cover essential computing elements in the co-curricular and through our PSHCE curriculum. 

Please discuss this with your son and ask him about the short story that the boys have been reading which is called ‘Hey, you down there!’ by Harold Rolseth. Later this term they will be writing their own creative short stories and prizes will be awarded for the best ones.

Year 9 Parent Consultation – Wednesday 3rd May (2:45 – 7pm)

As you know the Parent Consultation afternoon for Year 9 is coming up on Wednesday 3rd May. This is the chance to meet with all of your son’s teachers to find out how he is getting on at FBS this academic year and exactly what he needs to do now to achieve his end of year target grade in the June exams. These meetings will take place online with each of your son’s teachers. 

Appointments will be available to book from 4pm on Friday 21st April. Please log on to School Cloud to make your appointments. You can also find a link to this booking system on Parent Portal, and on the website under FBS Parent Platforms. Please do not hesitate to contact the school you have any questions or concerns.

Year 9 Bronze DofE Practice Expedition 2 – Friday 5th – Saturday 6th May

Communication was sent to parents this week regarding upcoming key dates regarding Duke of Edinburgh. A reminder that the expedition next Friday 5th May will be for Liddell and Wilberforce boys. Please see this Liddel and Wilberforce expedition letter for more information regarding the 5th date. Please also see key dates below for upcoming DofE activities.
5th – 6th May – Practice Expedition – Liddell & Wilberforce (Liddel and Wilberforce expedition letter)
15th May 5pm – 7pm – Assessment training session – map reading/ route planning – attendance compulsory for all
19th – 20th May – Final Expedition – all boys

Year 12 University/Post 18 Options Information Evening – Tuesday 2nd May

Year 12 Oxford Trip

Communication was sent previously to parents regarding a trip for certain Year 12 students to Oxford University. Please note, the boys will now be travelling by school minibus (due to the train line being closed). Boys will meet at school at 8.15am and should be back to school by 5pm.  Parents should have received a refund via ParentPay. All other information remains the same as the letter. Please contact Ms Le Hur if there were any further questions. c.le-hur@fulhamboysschool.org.uk

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.