The Bulmershe Bulletin – Issue 13
6th December 2024
Dear Parents and Carers,
How can I talk about anything other than the incredible production of Kinky Boots this week?! As I said to the audience last night, I am rarely speechless but the talent, energy and dedication of our students left me lost for words.
Over three nights, our students wowed audiences with their performances, thoroughly deserving the standing ovations they received. Whether on stage, behind the scenes, or in the tech booth, every individual involved played a vital role in bringing, what I think might be, our best ever show to life.
The message of celebrating difference and being your true self was loud and clear, and exactly what Bulmershe stands for.
Being part of a school production offers students so much more than the thrill of performing. It’s also an opportunity to develop life skills such as teamwork and resilience, build confidence and juggle time management – all of which will benefit them far beyond the stage.
Productions such as these also foster a sense of belonging and shared purpose – working together to achieve something special creates strong bonds and memories that last a life time.
It’s a joy to see students discovering hidden talents (such as dancing in heels!), trying new things and pushing themselves. We owe a huge thank you to Mrs Whitmarsh and her amazing team for their passion and expertise. Congratulations to everyone involved in Kinky Boots. You’ve made the school incredibly proud, and we can’t wait to see what next year’s production has in store!
Amanda Woodfin
Headteacher
Upcoming Events
Tues 10th Dec – Year 7 and 8 Christmas Film Night, 3:30-5:30pm in the Auditorium
Weds 11th Dec – Whole School Christmas Lunch
Weds 11th Dec – After school revision support for Year 11 and 13 – in OASIS
Weds 18th Dec – Year 11 “How to Revise” presentation, 6pm, Auditorium
Fri 20th Dec – Christmas Jumper Day – raising money for Daisy’s Dream
Fri 20th Dec – Term breaks for the Christmas holidays at 12:20pm
Sixth Form Student Leader Assemblies
This week, our Sixth Form Student Leaders showed exceptional confidence as they led assemblies for all year groups. These assemblies provided a vital platform for the student body to hear about key issues raised by the School Council, demonstrating democracy in action—one of the core British values we uphold at our school.
The Student Leadership Team had gathered feedback from the School Council and the school’s Senior Leadership Team and presented this to their peers. Their presentations not only reflected the voice of the students but also highlighted the importance of collaboration between the whole school community.
Leading the assemblies provided an excellent opportunity for our students to develop their confidence and public speaking skills. We look forward to seeing how they will continue to influence positive change within our school. Well done to all involved!
Personal Development Programme
We work very hard on our Personal Development [PD] curriculum and the opportunities we offer at The Bulmershe School, and are keen to keep you informed of both the content and delivery of these sessions.
All Personal, Social, Health Education (PSHE) and Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) are delivered through our PD, taught during two dedicated tutor time sessions each week. We chose this approach because the strong relationships students build with their tutor and peers create a supportive environment for these important discussions.
Every term has a curriculum theme and a focus on one of the school values. This Autumn term has focused on sustainability and Internationalism. As a school, we use a variety of resources to inform and support our planning and teaching of PD, and we follow the guidance and framework of the PSHE Association.
The PD curriculum builds on knowledge and key events each year so that it is age appropriate for each year group. In order to deepen our partnership between school and home, we share the termly curriculum on our website.
Revision Support
OASIS will be running a session afterschool on Wednesday 11th December for students who are worried about revision, where to start and how to revise for maximum output, as well as how to put together a revision timetable and how to populate this. We have exemplar revision timetables that you will be able to take away and work with yourself.
All Year 11 and 13 students are welcome – no need to book. Look forward to seeing you on Wednesday.
Bulmershe Ski Trip 2026
We are pleased to let you know, we have been able to release some additional spaces for the February 2026 Ski Trip to the Aosta Valley, Italy. We will be going over the February Half term and staying in the Hotel Alpechiara, 20 minutes from La Thuile.
If you would like to book a place, the trip will cost £1,589 – which includes travel, accommodation, food, ski passes, helmet hire and a commemorative Hoody!
To register your interest for one of the new places, please email reception@bulmershe.wokingham.sch.uk with your child’s name and tutor, and someone will be in touch.
Exploring Careers in the NHS: Year 8 HealthReach Workshop
This week, our Year 8 students had the chance to participate in a HealthReach workshop titled “It’s not just doctors and nurses”, delivered by the University of Reading. The session aimed to broaden students’ understanding of the wide range of careers available within the NHS, one of the largest employers in the region.
Students discovered that the NHS offers many opportunities, with careers spanning areas like medical technology, administration and healthcare sciences. They also had the chance to get hands-on, trying out some of the equipment used in these professions.
Workshops like this are part of our commitment to providing meaningful careers education, helping students explore potential future pathways and consider the skills and interests they may want to pursue.
We’re grateful to the University of Reading for inspiring our students to think about their futures in new and exciting ways!
Bulmershe rows its way to Victory!
Last Thursday, a group of Year 9 and 10 students from Bulmershe headed to Forest School to take part in an indoor rowing competition. It was an exciting day of teamwork and determination, with our students stepping up to the challenge.
The event was made even more special by the presence of Paris Olympic medallists Becky Wilde and Mathilda Hodgkins Byrne, who shared expert advice and plenty of encouragement. For many of our students, this was their first experience with indoor rowing machines, but they tackled the event with focus and resilience.
The hard work paid off, with every Bulmershe participant finishing in the top three of their category and proudly bringing home medals. As a bonus, the students even had the chance to hold an actual Olympic medal! Mr Hird, who accompanied the team, shared his pride in their efforts, saying, “They did a fantastic job and represented the school brilliantly.” Well done to everyone involved.
Mental Health Matters
Research suggests that 1 in 4 young females and 1 in 10 young males self harm. Our colleagues at the Mental Health Support Team at Wokingham Borough Council are running a FREE online workshop with a Clinical Psychologist, to help you understand self harm, how it affects young people and how you can help them. To book a place email MHSTadmin@wokingham.gov.uk
Should you be concerned about your young person, please feel free to contact Miss Chapman for a discussion around how we can help them at school.
Lego Donations
If you’re looking to rehome any old LEGO, building bricks, or KNEX, we’d love to take them off your hands!
Our Learning Support Centre, OASIS, is running low on these much-loved resources, and your donations could help us build an even better collection for our students.
Simply drop off any donations at our school reception, and thank you for helping us create more opportunities for creativity and fun!
December Food Bank Collection
The Geo-Leaders club are once again collecting food for the Woodley Food Bank in time for Christmas. Please see below a poster they have created with all the information.
🎄Christmas Jumper Day🎄
On the last day of term, students who wish to can swap their Bulmershe blazer for a festive Christmas jumper! 🎅✨
This is a voluntary activity, but if your child does take part, we’re asking for a small donation to support the amazing charity Daisy’s Dream. You can donate:
💷 with cash at the school gate
💻 Online via sQuid Offers
Daisy`s Dream provides support to children and young people who have been effected by bereavement, either supporting them in preparing for a loss or working with them following the death of someone important to them. Daisy’s Dream provides their services free of charge. They couldn’t do the work they do without the support of the brilliant people who want to help them make a difference. At Bulmershe, we have worked with Daisy`s Dream on a number of occasions and it is comfort for us to know they are there to support our students when needed.
Cucina Main Meals – w/c 9th December
On Wednesday 11th December, Students will be able to purchase a special Christmas Feast of Roast Turkey and all the trimmings or Soya Bean and Cranberry Wellington. There’s Christmas pudding on offer too! The cost of the whole meal will be £3.75 and can be paid for using sQuid in the normal way.
HOT CHOCOLATE INVITATIONS
I like to welcome deserving students to my office to share a cup of hot chocolate with me on a Friday during registration. These students are nominated by staff who have been impressed by progress, achievement or attitude.
This week, I would like to invite Naima G, Emerald K, Dylan G, Logan F, Amy R-T and Sienna H to join me for a celebratory cup of hot chocolate on Friday 13th December at 8:35am.
Shout Outs
On a Friday we like to shine a spotlight on those who deserve a thank you or have done well over the past week. If you would like to nominate your child, or a member of staff, please use our nomination email address: HeadsPA@bulmershe.wokingham.sch.uk.
Student Shout Outs
Mrs Edwards would like to give a shout out to Annabelle N and Abby K in Year 10 for selling Kinky Boots programmes and generally being a wonderful help at the show.
Miss Howe would like to give a shout out her year 11 photography class who worked exceptionally hard in their two-day photography mock last week!
Mrs Garrard would like to shout out to all students in 8XE who took part in the NHS careers session. They were brilliantly behaved, and really engaged with using all the equipment provided. Well done guys!
Staff Shout Outs
Mrs Toms would like to give a shout out to every member of the OASIS team for their continued efforts, and for going above and beyond in supporting our students in lessons, with access arrangements for their assessments and in intervention groups.
Parent Shout Outs
To the whole cast and crew of the Kinky Boots production: We watched on Tuesday and were blown away by the professionalism of the productions and talent on show. I wanted to give a particular shout out to the Price and Sons singers. For Year 7s to just have the confidence to volunteer for rehearsals and the performance having been in the school only about two weeks was inspiring. They also made a massive commitment to rehearsals with some particularly late nights and long days in the lead up to the show. Well done all.
Kinky Boots Shout Outs
A special message from Mrs Whitmarsh:
Over the course of this week, we have staged a production of Kinky Boots. As our Communications and Performing Arts team grows larger, so too does the scope of the production. I would like to thank Mr Hood for his support co-directing the production. My thanks also go to Mrs Eveleigh whose choreography meant that we could bring in more complex routines. Every year the stoicism of Mr Andrew, his ability to conduct the band with young live performers, and make it look so seamless leaves us all in awe. We would also like to thank Ms Grist for her help on producing the show. The stage would be looking much sparser without her. Through the support of sound technicians Mr Wicks and Miss Ryan the school show has never sounded so strong. Thank you so much for all your hard work with the mics and balancing the sound. It would not be possible for the show to run as smooth without Mrs Durnin who fantastically cues all of the students and maintains the swan-like presence of the show. We would also like to the Site Team, for their everlasting support with the building of the stage the positioning of the lights and the fantastic lighting board for the close of the show. The experience of the production would not be as wonderful for our hospitality team led by the stalwart of Mrs Edwards, followed by Miss O’Reilly and Miss Brown. We would also like to thank the staff that supported backstage and the bar as well, alongside the many staff that helped to paint make boots and all sorts. Lastly, we would like to thank Mrs Noye and Mrs Bagley-Kelly and the rest of the admin team for the programmes, ticketing the event and organising all of our orders. Furthermore, we would like to also thank Holly Gardner for helping with many last-minute costume fixes. Finally we would also like to thank Nathaniel H and Libby B for their production photos.
Thames Valley Police Alert
Following the email sent to families on 29th November regarding an incident involving a man exposing himself to a young teen in Ashenbury Park, Thames Valley Police have released an e-fit photograph of a man they would like to talk to.
They would ask anyone who recognises this man to please come forward and contact them on 101 quoting reference 43240574101, or you can provide information through their online form.
What’s On
Boxing Winter Camp
Funded by Reading Borough Council, this free camp is open to young people aged 11-18. The camp offers:
Technical and tactical boxing training
Mentoring sessions to support personal growth
A nutritious lunch provided daily
Each day includes two training sessions tailored to age and ability, focusing on boxing technique, sparring, fitness, and conditioning and will run on the following dates: December 23rd, 24th, 27th, 30th, 31st, and January 3rd
Time: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Location: MBMT, Bridgewater Close, Reading RG30 1JT
Spaces are limited, so please encourage young people to book early.
