03 October 2025 - Letter to Parents

3rd October 2025

Dear Parents and Carers,

We have had a busy week at Orchard, with an incredibly successful UNO tournament which produced a winner who was kind enough to pass on their prize of some UNO cards to another student. We have also had some sports fixtures across different year groups, which, unfortunately, included a few no shows from the opposition – they must know of our reputation! Next week, we have a dodgeball tournament on Thursday 9th October and rugby, football and netball fixtures against Cathedral School, Downend and Blaise High.

Key Dates

There are some important dates to be aware of this term. From September we have Parent & Carer Information Evenings arranged for each year group. Please make sure you put these dates in your diary.

Year 8 Parents’ Information Evening – Thursday 9th October 6.15 – 7.00pm   

Year 10 Mock Exam Information Evening – Wednesday 20th May 6.00 - 7.00pm   

Year 11 Mock Exam Information Evening – Wednesday 12th November 6.00-7.00pm 

These special information evenings are a welcome to the year from school staff, and a presentation to give you an overview of the year, an understanding of the learning and academic assessments that are happening, the reports you will receive, opportunities for trips and visits, clubs and advice with managing the wellbeing and mental health of young people in this age group. Staff are on hand to answer questions afterwards and ensure you feel confident with aspects such as home learning, access to laptops/resources, any support with free school meals or hardship fund applications. We look forward to seeing you. Please note that teachers are not present at these Information Evenings. The opportunity to find out about your child’s progress in each subject is at Parent Subject Consultation Evenings.

Parent Subject Consultation Evenings

The dates for these through the year are as follows:

Year 7 Parent Subject Consultation Evening – Thursday 23rd April 3.30 – 7pm  

Year 8 Parent Subject Consultation Evening – Thursday 11th December 3.30 – 7pm   

Year 9 Parent Subject Consultation Evening – Thursday 19th March 3.30 – 7pm  

Year 10 Parent Subject Consultation Evening – Thursday 27th November 3.30 – 7pm  

Year 11 Parent Subject Consultation Evening – Thursday 6th November and Thursday 12th February 3.30 – 7pm  

Please also note the following date: 

Year 9 Options Evening – Thursday 26th February 6 – 7.30pm  

To help parents and children decide together which options subjects/GCSEs they might choose to take over the next two years in school.  

Free School Meals

Your child may be eligible for Free School Meals, and we do not want them to miss out. There are some common myths about Free School Meals:

Your child does not have to queue or eat separately. Other students will not know that your child receives Free School Meals. You can still give your child a packed lunch if you prefer!

You do not have to live in social housing to be eligible for Free School Meals.

You do not need to have been claiming Free School Meals when your child was at primary school.

It’s not just about food. If a child is registered at our school as in receipt of Free School Meals, then we as a school get additional funding, which means we can offer you discounts on school trips, educational resources, revision materials, extra mentoring and in some cases, uniform, or IT for home learning.

The quickest way to apply for Free School Meals is via the council website: https://www.bristol.gov.uk/schools-learning-early-years/free-school-meals

We can help you to fill in the form if you need it – just email us or phone us: info@orchard.tila.school or 01173772000. We can print and send off forms for you too at school reception.

Alternatively, download the form attached to this email, print and send to:

Free School Meals Service, Bristol City Council (City Hall)

PO Box 3399, Bristol, BS1 9NE

We know that lots of parents could claim Free School Meals for their child but have not yet done so. The process of applying using the link above is quick and easy and in most cases, you will get an instant decision. More information can be found here: https://parent.bristol.gov.uk/web/portal/pages/parents/travel-and-free-schoolmeals

School Communication

If you would like to follow us on X (formerly Twitter), our handle is @OrchardSB. Please note that we do not communicate via social media though, so we won’t respond to queries or comments through social media. It is used predominantly to celebrate successes and give a few key reminders of events throughout the year.

Teaching and Learning/Curriculum

This week has seen Prep after-school lessons start back up for students in Year 11. We are really pleased with the engagement of students in these essential sessions as we drive the current Year 11 cohort to achieve their potential. As a teaching staff, we met on Tuesday after school to look through our Year 11 classes and work out how to support our students in moving up a grade by the December mock exams, and what lessons we can learn from the 2025 examination series. Your support in ensuring that Year 11 continue to attend these sessions is really appreciated.

Safeguarding - Online Safety – A Shared Responsibility

As part of our ongoing commitment to safeguarding, we want to remind all parents and carers of the importance of staying vigilant when it comes to children’s online activity. With increasing access to the internet through phones, tablets, and gaming devices, it’s crucial that we work together to ensure children are using technology safely and responsibly. The BBC has reported that The University of the West of England has published a report stating that parents often do not understand the seriousness of some content that children are accessing.

We encourage you to talk regularly with your child about their online use, check privacy settings, and be aware of who they are interacting with. If you ever have concerns about online behaviour or safety, please don’t hesitate to contact the Head of Year of Pastoral Manager for your child.

You can also find helpful resources on online safety on our school website and through organisations such as CEOP and NSPCC.

Important Update: Fire Call Point / Emergency Exit Signage

We are committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all students at Orchard. As part of this, we are addressing the misuse of fire call points and emergency buttons within the school.

Unfortunately, we have experienced instances where these call points have been activated without cause, resulting in significant disruption and financial cost. To help prevent further misuse and to ensure students are fully aware of the consequences, we are installing clear signage above where each call point is located.

The signage will inform students of the serious implications of activating a fire call point or emergency exit button without a genuine emergency, including the financial cost and potential consequences being a monetary fine. We believe this will serve as a strong deterrent and help reinforce responsible behaviour.

Thank you for your continued support in helping us maintain a safe and respectful learning environment. If you have any further queries about this, please contact sbm@orchard.tila.school.

Clubs – Term 1

Please remember to encourage your child to sign up to one of our brilliant lunchtime or after school clubs. They’re a great way for them to meet new friends, learn new skills and make lasting memories.

Orchard School - Clubs and Enrichment

Attendance Winners this Week

7B2 top the leaderboard this week, closely followed by 9A2 and 10A2. Great work! Butterfield were top of the Houses last week for attendance, so well done to students in Butterfield, too!

Belonging

We are excited about our termly House assemblies which will take place next week. These see all students across all year groups come together in their Houses to celebrate their House points, attendance and participation across clubs and competitions! Has your child entered our latest House competition? The theme is Autumn photography, and more information has been shared with students in tutor time.

World Mental Health Day

Friday 10th October is World Mental Health Day. The charity, Young Minds, are launching their annual campaign called "Hello Yellow". The theme for Orchard this year is ‘Resilience’. 

During tutor time in the week commencing 6th October, students will be able to write down ways they have shown resilience and post them in The Grove’s post box at reception or hand them in to their tutor. The House with the best examples of resilience will win House points. On 10th October, teachers will be able to dress in yellow to raise awareness and prompt conversations around mental health. 

The Grove team will also be delivering assemblies regarding the mental health support available at Orchard and in the wider community.

The Young Minds team have lots of information on supporting children and young people’s wellbeing., too:

Parents Mental Health Support | Advice for Your Child | YoungMinds

Community Events

There are free stay and play nature sessions running this Autumn at the Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust, delivered by the Avon Wildlife Trust. See the flyer below for details.

Next week is Kinship Care Week. The local authority has a new Kinship local offer website which has information about the support available locally for kinship carers.

Looking for fun and engaging activities this school break? Please see details for Mojo Active Holiday Club.

Wishing you a lovely weekend.

With best wishes,

Mel Sweet, Headteacher