The Bridge – Friday 5th May 2023

Our Weekly Newsletter Connecting School and Home

Headmaster’s Message

Unbelievably, we are half way through the half term already with the weeks flying by. Thank you for bearing with us during the strike action on Tuesday. There was inevitably some disruption to lessons but I felt it important to keep the school open for all boys to allow learning to take place. 

 
This week, we held two parent information sessions on our changes to the school day which will be implemented from September. The sessions were well attended and it’s great to see parents engage in the process. We have produced an FAQ Document with further information. If you were not able to attend this week and, having seen our FAQs, we haven’t answered your questions, please let me know.
 
Thank you to everyone who engaged with the Year 9 parent consultation on Wednesday where attendance was close to 100%. The next consultation is for Year 7 parents on 16th May. Bookings are now open via the parent portal.
 
School highlights this week have involved a GCSE and A Level Drama trip to the Lyric Theatre to see a performance of The Good People of Szechwan, a visit to Oxford University for a dozen of our Year 12 students and our second set of Year 9 boys embarking on their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award expedition. On Wednesday, Year 12 enjoyed a wellbeing afternoon undertaking a range of activities including a netball tournament with Ms Clegg, baking with Ms Johnson, and a mental health session led by the Year 12 Prefect Team. All of these experiences  help lay the foundations to ensure that make FBS more than just a school.
 
Please do take some time to read a special prayer written by Mr Brown our Director of Christian Ethos to mark the occasion of the Coronation of King Charles III on Saturday.

Have a pleasant long weekend.

David Smith

Headmaster

From The FBS Foundation

Boost your donation through “match funding” – it’s easy and the impact is huge.

Did you know that you could be able to double your donation to The FBS Foundation without any cost to yourself (and very little effort)?

A huge number of companies in the UK offer to match any charitable donations made by employees and there is a good chance that you may work for one of them. If so, we would be incredibly grateful if you could take them up on this generous offer.

There is no definitive list of companies who offer match funding but there are numerous examples including banks, building societies, utilities providers, phone companies and supermarkets. We believe that match funding opportunities are available at:

  • NatWest Group Aviva
  • BAE Systems
  • Barclays Bank
  • BP
  • British American Tobacco
  • British Gas
  • BT Group
  • Coca-Cola European Partners
  • Deloitte
  • Deutsche Bank
  • Diageo
  • Ernst & Young
  • GlaxoSmithKline
  • Goldman Sachs
  • Google
  • HSBC
  • IBM
  • John Lewis Partnership
  • JPMorgan Chase
  • KPMG
  • Lloyds Banking Group
  • Marks & Spencer
  • Microsoft
  • Morgan Stanley
  • Nationwide Building Society
  • Nestle
  • PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers)
  • RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland)
  • Rolls-Royce
  • Royal Mail
  • Santander
  • Shell
  • Standard Chartered
  • Tesco
  • Unilever
  • Vodafone
  • And many more….

We would be most grateful if you could email your HR department to ask if they offer match funding for charitable donations. If the answer is yes, quote our charity details (below) and let us know. We’ll do the rest.

If a number of our donors can do this, the impact on the school will be huge.

Thank you in advance.

Julian Thomas

CEO, The Fulham Boys School Trust

j.thomas@fulhamboysschool.org.uk

Charity Details
The Fulham Boys School Foundation CIO
Registered Charity Number: 1197150

Whole School News

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.

Student Departure Times – Tuesday 16th May

On Tuesday 16th May, it is Year 7 parent consultation. Leaving times for this day can be seen below.

Year 7: 12:40 / Year 8: 14:30 / Year 9: 14:30 / Year 10: 16:10 / Year 11 17:00.

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’.

Spanish Trip to Barcelona – Year 7, 8 and 9

The MFL department is excited to open additional places on our Barcelona tour for September 2023. Please see this Spanish trip letter for further details. Sign up for this trip can be completed via ParentPay.

School Prayer – King’s Coronation

Please follow this Coronation prayer link to view a prayer that will be read to all form groups to mark the King’s Coronation.

Year 7 News

Year 7 Update

Science learning 
We are very much aware that due to staff absence some of your son’s have had a turbulent learning experience in Science over the last term. As a school we are very much aware of the impact that this has had and we have now employed an additional Science specialist who will be with us until the Summer. Mr McEvans and the rest of the Science team are supporting Ms Boatson as she gets to know the boys and works on filling any gaps in their learning. Our priority now is to ensure that the boys are well prepared for their end of year exams in June. Please continue to support your son’s learning at home and help him revise for these exams using the materials he is given in school and those available on the Google classroom. 
 
Pink sheets 
Hopefully your son has discussed with you the session we had in school on Tuesday about ways to revise. As we begin the countdown to the end of year exams we are working with the boys to ensure they know what and how to revise to maximise their potential. We have also given all the boys a pink sheet to help them review their target grades and understand exactly what is required in each subject to reach or exceed their targets. Please review this sheet once completed with your son and add your comments. He will then also discuss it with his form teacher. If he has lost the sheet there are spares he can collect from the PSC. If you have any questions about target grades or exams please do not hesitate to contact Ms Johnson at the school. 

Year 7 Parent Consultation

As you know the Parent Consultation afternoon for Year 7 is coming up on Tuesday 16th 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 1pm on Friday 5th May. 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 8 News

Year 8 Update

Science learning 
We are very much aware that due to staff absence some of your son’s have had a turbulent learning experience in Science over the last term. As a school we are very much aware of the impact that this has had and we have now employed an additional Science specialist who will be with us until the Summer. Mr McEvans and the rest of the Science team are supporting Ms Boatson as she gets to know the boys and works on filling any gaps in their learning. Our priority now is to ensure that the boys are well prepared for their end of year exams in June. Please continue to support your son’s learning at home and help him revise for these exams using the materials he is given in school and those available on the Google classroom. 
 
Pink sheets 
Hopefully your son has discussed with you the session we had in school on Tuesday about ways to revise. As we begin the countdown to the end of year exams we are working with the boys to ensure they know what and how to revise to maximise their potential. We have also given all the boys a pink sheet to help them review their target grades and understand exactly what is required in each subject to reach or exceed their targets. Please review this sheet once completed with your son and add your comments. He will then also discuss it with his form teacher. If he has lost the sheet there are spares he can collect from the PSC. If you have any questions about target grades or exams please do not hesitate to contact Ms Johnson at the school. 
Year 9 News

Year 9 Update

Science learning 
We are very much aware that due to staff absence some of your son’s have had a turbulent learning experience in Science over the last term. As a school we are very much aware of the impact that this has had and we have now employed an additional Science specialist who will be with us until the Summer. Mr McEvans and the rest of the Science team are supporting Ms Boatson as she gets to know the boys and works on filling any gaps in their learning. Our priority now is to ensure that the boys are well prepared for their end of year exams in June. Please continue to support your son’s learning at home and help him revise for these exams using the materials he is given in school and those available on the Google classroom. 

Year 9 Bronze DofE Final Expedition –  Friday 19th – Saturday 20th May

A reminder that the final DofE expedition will take place on the 19th – 20th May. This will be for all boys who are involved. Another reminder that there will also be a practice session on Monday 15th May from 5pm – 7pm . This will be an assessment training session involving map reading and route planning. Attendance is compulsory for all boys involved.

Year 10 News

Year 10 Work Experience Forms

Please ensure that the work experience forms are returned to Ms Le Hur as soon as possible. Forms need to be signed by a parent/guardian, the student and the employer. 

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.uk.

Year 11 News

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 11 MFL Speaking Exams

This week Year 11 completed their first French exam. The whole department was extremely impressed and proud of how the boys conducted themselves in the preparation and examination. Good luck to our Spanish students who complete theirs next week!
Year 12 News

Well being Afternoon and Oxford Trip

Year 12 recently enjoyed a well being afternoon at the school where they were involved in a whole host of activities.  The boys really benefited from this time together and were able to take part in activities they wouldn’t normally have chance to do. Furthermore, on Thursday, a group of Year 12 boys visited Oxford University for a tour of the campuses and also took part in an array of different workshops. Follow the below link for some photos of both events.

Read more

Year 13 News

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.

Sport Update

Year 9 DofE Practice Expedition

Year 9’s first practice expedition to Box Hill was a great success. All the boys gained vital experience which will aid them in their final expedition in the weeks to come. For a Bronze practice, the navigation skills shown by the boys were very impressive and all but one group were able to navigate their way back to the campsite without any issues. Follow the below link for some photos of the expedition.

Read more

Arts Update

Trip to The Lyric Theatre Hammersmith

On Wednesday evening, many of our boys travelled to The Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith to view a production of The Good Person of Szechwan. The boys thoroughly enjoyed this performance and will go a long way in supporting them in upcoming exams that they have.

Upcoming Events For Parents

FBS Foundation Event Night – Thursday 18th May

We are getting very excited about The FBS Foundation’s most ambitious fundraising event yet.  There are just 10 tickets left so do follow the link in the invitation if you would like to join us on what promises to be a memorable night.

Read more

See our calendar for more events

Other Important Information

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.

Injuries/Illness: Students are expected to be in full PE kit unless they are unable to get themselves changed (ie. they are on crutches or have a cast). Should your son have a legitimate injury or illness that might prevent them from fully engaging in PE lessons they should still bring their kit and support in lessons as far as they are able. If you believe that your son will not be able to manage this then a request should be made to your son’s Head of House to ask for alternative arrangements to be made during PE lessons and Sports Afternoon. 

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.

Monday 8th May Bank Holiday

A reminder that there will be no school on Monday 8th May due to the bank holiday.

Quick Dates For The Diary

Monday 8th May

 Bank Holiday

Wednesday 10th May

PE Trip to St Mary’s University
Thursday 11th May

Year 13 Last Day

Friday 12th May

 Year 11 Last Day

Monday 15th May

 DofE Final Expedition Practice Session (all boys)

Tuesday 16th May

Year 7 Parent Consultation 

Thursday 18th May

 FBS Foundation Event at Tramp Club

Friday 19th May

 DofE Bronze Final Expedition (all boys)

Monday 22nd May

 Year 8 Parent Consultation
Useful Links

Term Dates

FBS Platforms For Parents

Sports Fixtures Calendar

Sogans Uniform Shop

Ways you can support FBS

Contact Information