Winterbourne Academy

As the red weather warning passes, we are pleased to confirm that school will reopen tomorrow morning 🎉

(Note that the latest information we can make a judgement on indicates that the red weather warning moves over to the South East, with our region being amber for thunderstorms tomorrow. The school and OAT leadership team will continue to monitor the situation and if anything changes, we’ll let parents know at the earliest opportunity. https://weather.metoffice.gov.uk/warnings-and-advice/uk-warnings #?date=2026-06-26.)

Please check your email for a letter from our CEO and Headteacher, or available on our website linked below.

School reopening - Friday 26th June Welcome to the website for Winterbourne Academy, Bristol

⚠️ Extreme Heat Warning

With school closed Wednesday and Thursday, please stay safe in the heat.

💧 Stay hydrated, keep cool, and avoid prolonged time in the sun.

🌊 Do not enter open water to cool off. Cold water shock and hidden dangers can be fatal, even in hot weather.

Looking forward to seeing you all back in school on Friday.
https://www.winterbourneacademy.org.uk/docs/Temporary_School_Closure_-_Extreme_Heat.pdf

www.winterbourneacademy.org.uk

**Heatwave update – Important information for our school community**

An Amber Heat Health Alert is in place for our region until 8:00pm on Tuesday 23 June, although the current forecasts suggest that the hot weather is likely to continue through to the end of the week.

As a reminder, blazers and jumpers are not compulsory in Term 6, and to help students feel more comfortable in the hot weather, ties will also NOT be required next week.

We would really appreciate your support in helping your child stay safe by:

💧 Bringing a reusable water bottle (students will be encouraged to refill it regularly and will have lots of opportunities to do this before and after school, during lesson transitions, and at break and lunchtime). Students won’t be released from lessons to fill bottles as this disturbs lessons and there are other timely opportunities to do this in unstructured time)
🧴 Wearing sunscreen
🧢 Bringing a hat to wear outside, if appropriate

We will continue to monitor the situation and share any updates if needed.

A group of our Year 8 girls recently enjoyed an inspiring day visiting UWE Bristol and City of Bristol College. They had the chance to experience life in different educational settings, learning about the wide range of courses, facilities, and clubs available to them in the future.

At UWE, one of the highlights was the incredible music building 🎵 where students played instruments and sang in a professional recording studio 🎤 They also stepped into a courtroom setting and took turns acting as judges in a fun and interactive legal challenge 👩‍⚖️

At Bristol City College, the animal teaching facility was a firm favourite 🐾 with the meerkats stealing the spotlight and capturing everyone's attention!

The day was packed with exciting experiences, valuable learning opportunities and provided plenty of inspiration for the future ✨💫 We were especially proud of how everyone conducted themselves throughout the visits. Their behaviour was exceptional, and they were a real credit to the school 👏 Well done to all involved!

We’re encouraging everyone in our school community to get involved in Active Travel next week!🚶‍♀️🚴‍♂️ Whether you walk, cycle, scoot, or park a little further away and enjoy the fresh air, every journey counts. Active travel is also great for your physical and mental wellbeing, helps reduce traffic and supports a cleaner, greener environment 🌱 But don't forget, travel safely and legally!

Join in with our Walking Scavenger Hunt between 22-29th June, drop in a for free bike tune-up with Dr. Bike and our ever-popular Golden Lock Competition between 29th June-10th July 🔒 Lots of prizes to be won and house points up for grabs!

Our U15 cricket team delivered an outstanding performance at the Gloucestershire county finals of the Knight-Stokes Cup at Frocester CC this week🏏In the semi-final, the team showed fantastic discipline and determination with the ball, restricting Ashton Park to 92 all out thanks to some superb bowling. With the bat, Haider and Arjun led the charge, chasing down the total in just 10 overs – Haider finishing unbeaten on 52 💪 The final against Sir Thomas Rich’s School proved a tougher challenge, with Winterbourne posting 55. Despite a strong start, the opposition chased the runs with only one wicket down.

A fantastic achievement to finish as runners-up – and even better, the team now progresses to the first round of the national competition at Cheltenham College later this month! 🙌 👏 A huge congratulations to all players who represented the school so brilliantly – we’re proud of you!

A group of our talented Year 12 students are performing Shout next week – and they’d love your support! 🎭 Tickets are £5 and available on Arbor for performances at either 4pm on Tuesday 23rd June or at 6pm on Wednesday 24th June.

Shout by Alexis Zegerman is a funny and moving drama exploring anxiety, celebrating difference, and finding your voice. The story follows Dana, a young person with selective mutism, showing how identity is shaped by more than just the words we speak.

This promises to be a powerful and thought-provoking performance – please come along and support our students! 👏

**Update 15:26 - all buses have now picked up and left school

**Bus update Wed 17/06

The 457 has a delayed pickup - we are unclear on the reason for this at present, but the ETA is 15:15.

The 458 has arrived but has a flat battery - it is currently waiting to be jump started before it can leave.

Apologies for any inconvenience, we know that the services have had a few disruptions recently and we are following these up with WECA and South Glos.

Parents and families are invited to our upcoming school production of DNA – a powerful and gripping play performed by our talented Y10 students. This thought‑provoking drama follows a group of teenagers whose actions spiral out of control after a serious mistake. Exploring themes of friendship, peer pressure, responsibility and the consequences of choices, DNA is both engaging and unforgettable 🎭Tickets are on sale now - don't miss out!

Some of our Year 8 girls recently enjoyed an amazing Employer Experience Day with ✈️ Their challenge was to decide which aircraft the company should purchase to add to its fleet 🚁 Working in teams, they everything from considered costs to reliability, and value for money to operational needs, all while gathering information from a range of industry professionals. At the end of the day, the girls presented their recommendations to the senior leadership team – a task they tackled with confidence, professionalism and incredible maturity 🫡

We are so proud of how everyone represented the school. The girls received fantastic feedback from Ascent staff, who praised their input, enthusiasm, teamwork and presentation skills throughout the day👏

A huge thank you to Ascent Flight Training for providing such an inspiring and memorable experience 🚀 We hope to be back next year for another exciting challenge!