11 September 2026 - Letter to Parents
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11th September 2026
Dear Parents and Carers,
I hope that your child has settled in well and enjoyed their first week at school. We were really happy to see our students return; we have been busy planning another wonderful year of high-quality teaching and learning following strong results again this year, alongside brilliant pastoral support and lots of participation opportunities and it is great to have a full school once more.
Welcome, especially, to our new Year 7 parents and carers! We are delighted that you have joined us – welcome to the Orchard family.
This is a bumper edition of our usual weekly letter, but hopefully, you will find the key information useful.
Key Dates
There are some important dates to be aware of this term. From September we have Meet the Tutor Evenings for every year group, an important opportunity to get to know the person your child spends time with every day, and with whom, in the first instance, you should raise any concerns or support needs. Please make sure you put these dates in your diary.
All Year Groups – Meet the Tutor Evening – Tuesday 15th September 3.30-4.15pm
Open Evening – Wednesday 23rd September 4 – 7pm
Year 11 Mock Exam Information Evening – Thursday 22nd October 6.15-7pm
Year 10 Mock Exam Information Evening – Tuesday 25th May 2027 6.15-7pm
Parent Subject Consultation Evenings
The dates for these through the year are as follows:
Year 7 Parent Subject Consultation Evening – Thursday 12th November 3.30 – 7pm
Year 8 Parent Subject Consultation Evening – Thursday 11th March 2027 3.30 – 7pm
Year 9 Parent Subject Consultation Evening – Thursday 25th February 2027 3.30 – 7pm
Year 10 Parent Subject Consultation Evening – Thursday 26th November 3.30 – 7pm
Year 11 Parent Subject Consultation Evening – Thursday 8th October and Thursday 21st January and 3.30 – 7pm
Please also note the following date:
Year 9 Options Evening – Wednesday 10th February 2027 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.
Meet the Tutor Evening
Next week, for the first time, we are offering the chance for parents to come in and meet the tutor of their child/children at Orchard School. We feel it will be a valuable opportunity to meet the key individual in your child's school life. The session starts at the end of the school day next Tuesday 15th September and from 3.30 pm onwards you will be able to have a short presentation from the tutor followed by a chance to have a discussion and have questions answered. The SEND team, Year teams and the Senior Leadership will all be on hand should you wish to discuss anything with them. We will direct you to your child's tutor once you arrive at reception. Your child does not need to attend with you but they are more than welcome to. The evening is open to parents in all year groups. The session will end at 4.15 pm. Car parking is not available on site but there is an option to park at the public car park just a little bit further up Filton Road.
Our Open Evening runs on Wednesday 23rd September 4pm-7pm. Please do come along if you have a child in Year 6. Staff will be on hand throughout the evening to update you with information on why Orchard really should be your school of choice. You do not need to book for this; please just come along and sign in at reception. You will be able to take a tour with some of our students, if you wish, or you may visit the faculties of your choice. If you have any accessibility requirements, please contact us in advance on 0117 377 2000 so that we can support you on arrival. Further details can be found on our website.
Timetables and Homework
We would like to remind parents and carers that your child has a two-week timetable. This week was Week A, next week is Week B, and this alternates throughout the term. To help you understand clearly which week it is across the school year, so that you can support in the important packing of bags for the right lessons on the right days, please see a ‘Week A or B’ timeline on our website, here: https://www.orchard.amplifyeducation.co.uk/News/Week-A-Week-B-Checker/
We use the platform, Microsoft Teams, to set homework. A guide for this will be sent out next week. We also appreciate that some pupils benefit from a physical planner, especially those with specific organisational or learning needs. If you feel your child would still benefit from a paper planner, please let us know by contacting info@orchard.ampedu.co.uk and write ‘FAO (in subject line) Head of Year’ (add their name) and your child’s tutor group. We will gladly provide a printed planner, tailored to your child’s requirements.
At KS3 (Years 7-9) homework will usually be set fortnightly, and at KS4 (Years 10-11) home learning will usually be set weekly.
School Timings
Here’s a reminder of what time school starts and finishes, and lesson and social times in between available on our website: https://www.orchard.amplifyeducation.co.uk/Term-Dates-School-Day/
Key Contacts
We sent out letters last term with the names of the Heads of Year and Pastoral Managers so that you know who to contact first, should you need to. Below is a reminder of the staff responsible for each year group: Heads of Year and Tutor Teams (Parents & Carers menu tab)
Teaching and Learning/Curriculum
Students have settled well into their lesson routines. Our routine approach to lessons – the Orchard Teaching & Learning Cycle – gives our students consistency, and ensures our lessons are planned using educational research. You can find out more about our curricula here: Orchard School - Curriculum Faculties
Safeguarding
Here at Orchard School we have a fantastic safeguarding team. Our new Deputy Headteacher, Mr Marshall-Aherne, is the school’s main Designated Safeguarding lead, but we also have a number of Deputy Safeguarding Leads, e.g. every Pastoral Manager is trained. If you have a concern about your child, or another child, please contact your child's Pastoral Manager in the first instance.
The Whisper button is also a tool we have on the school website under the ‘Quick Links’ section. This is an anonymous reporting tool where anybody can report a concern to the school.
Travelling to and from School
The majority of secondary school pupils travel to school without their parents. With that in mind, it is essential that you reinforce with your children that they need to follow these basic steps to ensure their safety.
Look left-right-left before crossing any road
Stay on the pavement
Never run into the road or between parked cars
If cycling to school, students should wear appropriate safety equipment such as a helmet and follow traffic laws.
Students are not allowed to travel to school on personal e-scooters; these are illegal to use and will be confiscated if seen.
Clubs – Term 1
We are really proud of our personal development offer at Orchard, where we run a whole host of clubs and enrichment activities for our students. These are not only good for pupils’ physical wellbeing, but also their mental health, as they are a great way for children to learn new skills and, most importantly, develop lasting friendships. Below is a link showing the clubs on offer from next week - please do encourage your child to come along. We will be adding more in the weeks to come and will inform you of the new additions. Clubs and Enrichment (Curriculum menu tab)
Facilities
We are pleased to share details of a number of enhancements to our catering provision this year, designed to improve choice, service efficiency and the overall dining experience for our students.
Our facilities management company (BAM) have been working in partnership with our new catering provider (Innovate). Innovate have invested in a refreshed service model within the dining halls that will offer students greater flexibility and a wider range of lunchtime options. The introduction of dedicated Hot Meal and Grab & Go service points will help students easily access the food choices that best suit their preferences and lunchtime routines.
More Choice for Students
Students will continue to have access to a nutritious hot meal each day, alongside an expanded range of grab-and-go products, including freshly prepared sandwiches, wraps, salads and lighter lunch options. This increased choice aims to cater for a wide range of tastes while maintaining a focus on healthy, balanced eating.
Investment in Facilities
The catering service has invested in upgraded equipment and service areas to improve the dining experience and support a modern school food offer. These improvements have been designed to enhance food presentation, increase menu variety and ensure students can be served as efficiently as possible during busy lunchtime periods.
Supporting Healthy Choices
Our catering provision continues to be aligned with School Food Standards, ensuring students have access to nutritious meals every day. Fresh drinking water remains freely available through hydration stations across the school, and students are encouraged to make healthy choices from the range of food and drink options available.
Supporting Our Free School Meal Students
We remain committed to ensuring that all students, including those entitled to Free School Meals, have access to a high-quality, balanced lunch each day. The catering offer has been developed to provide a variety of appealing, nutritious options that meet students' needs and support their wellbeing and learning throughout the school day.
Ongoing Review
As with any new initiative, we will continue to work closely with our facilities management company and their catering team and gather feedback from students and families. This will help us ensure that the service continues to meet the needs of our school community and provides the best possible lunchtime experience for our students.
Parking Outside School
May I remind parents and carers to be mindful of where you park if collecting children by car at the end of the day. Many of the streets around us are residential areas, and residents need to be able to enter and exit their properties without disruption. Furthermore, it is not safe for cars to park on pavements, causing children to walk on the roads. There is a public car park just past the school which is free to park in and just around the corner for children to walk to, should you wish to collect them by car. The nursery next to us also needs clear access, so please do not park in the turning circle outside our gates or in the nursery car park. We still retain the use of our accessibly bays outside the gate at the front of the school. Please note these should not be parked in when dropping off students, they are for the use of students/parents and visitors with accessibility needs. Many thanks for your understanding on this road safety matter.
Phones
As you are aware, the government has now made it a statutory requirement (rather than just a recommendation) that students are not to have phones, or any other electronic devices, e.g. smart watches, tablets in school, and these are treated as prohibited items. This is non-negotiable for all students, and we need parents and carers to support the school’s expectations around this, please. At Orchard, Yondr pouches are part of our school uniform; students are required to lock their phones away in their pouches on arrival to school in the morning, and then in the afternoon unlock them on the way out of school so that they can use them on their journeys home. Please remind your child that they must always have their pouches in their bags, even if they do not bring a phone to school. It is part of our uniform policy.
Behaviour for learning
Here is a reminder of a letter regarding behaviour for learning systems at Orchard from this year: Orchard School - 04 September 2026 Letter to Parents
Our full Behaviour for Learning policy can be found on the school website. Please contact your child’s Pastoral Manager or Head of Year in the first instance if you have any further queries about the Behaviour for Learning approach at Orchard.
Attendance
We know that attendance is crucial and that missing school in the early weeks can mean pupils go onto to have less than 90% attendance overall. We know that any amount of absence throughout the year can and does affect children’s academic progress as well as other aspects of school life and we want to work with and support families from the start of the year, to ensure your children are in school every day.
Notifying us of Absence
If you have any concerns or questions at all or are struggling to get your child into school for whatever reason after the summer break, please get in touch with us only via the absence line of 0117 377 2021 (not via Pastoral Managers, as we now have an Attendance Manager). We are here to help. Please also be reminded that we will be in touch via different means throughout the year about attendance, whether that is to celebrate excellent attendance, or if we have any concerns. We have a new attendance team working to support you, and you will receive regular visits from the pastoral team to help you get your child back to school where they are struggling. We are really looking forward to working with parents and carers on ensuring excellent attendance this year, an Orchard, and national, priority.
Breakfast Club
For children who wish to have a free breakfast at school, we offer this service every morning and it is open to all. Students are welcome to arrive at the Student Reception between 7.50am and put their mobile phones in their Yondr pouches, then head to the main dining room. Any un-pouched phones will be confiscated for the day and retuned via your child’s Year team at the end of the day.
School Menus
Our new school 3 weekly menus can be found here:
https://www.orchard.amplifyeducation.co.uk/School-Meals/
Aerosols
To help ensure a safe and comfortable environment for all pupils and staff, we kindly ask that spray deodorants are not brought into school.
Many aerosol products can trigger asthma symptoms and other respiratory difficulties for those with asthma, allergies, or sensitivities. We therefore ask that pupils use roll-on or stick deodorants instead.
Thank you for your support in helping us maintain a healthy and inclusive school environment for everyone.
Community Events
Rise Youth Dance are beginning their new term of dance workshops for different age groups, at The Hub in Gainsborough Square and Trinity Academy. See here for the timetable of classes.
Many of our students and families access free, after school sessions at The Ranch in Southmead. If you are interested in exploring the Youth Sessions they offer for Year 7s and above, information can be found on their website: Youth & Play – Southmead Development Trust.
Wishing you a lovely weekend.
With best wishes,
Mel Sweet
