News and events
Our latest news and events give you an insight into life at school.
Our latest news and events give you an insight into life at school.
End-of-Term Arrangements | Term one ends on Friday, 16 October at 15:10.
Year 11 Weekly Newsletter | Please find the Year 11 Weekly Newsletter from the Year 11 Team here.
Sixth Form Newsletter | Please find the Sixth Form Weekly Newsletter from the Sixth Form Team here.
Fixtures for the Week | The following fixtures are taking place this week:
If you have any questions about the fixtures, please contact Mr Sheehan, Faculty Director for Sports (tsheehan@liftbexleyheath.org).
Extra-Curricular Clubs & Interventions | All extra-curricular clubs and interventions will be paused until Monday, 16 November. Some of our lunch-time clubs will still continue during this time. All clubs in The Hub will also continue during this time.
Celebrating our young people | Is your child working towards a personal goal or have they achieved something they’re proud of? We’d love to celebrate their success in our end-of-term celebration assemblies! Please email your child’s Year Group Lead with a photo and a few details, and we’ll be delighted to share their achievement. Every success deserves to be celebrated!
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Celebrating World Religions | 11–19 October 2026 | Hinduism | Navaratri | Navaratri, meaning "Nine Nights", celebrates the victory of good over evil and honours different forms of the Goddess Durga. Across the festival, many Hindus gather for prayers, music, traditional dancing and community celebrations.
Navaratri teaches the importance of courage, perseverance and standing up for what is right.
In It To Win It | Friday, 16 October | We’re celebrating the power of showing up! Every student will have the chance to win a prize just for being here! Let’s make it a fantastic day, celebrate great attendance, and show that EVERY DAY COUNTS!
Homework | A big shoutout to all of our students who completed their weekly homework and to those that went above and beyond and completed their additional independent learning challenges. A reminder that homework is due Thursday at 10pm. Students must complete all their English, maths, science and Spanish homework. If it is not completed, students have a homework correction after school. This is a supportive environment to ensure students can be successful in completing homework in future weeks. Full details of our homework can be found on our website.
Dynamic Progress Reporting | DPR | We are excited to see so many of our parents/carers logging in to DPR this week. If you have not logged on to DPR before, you can use the access code and instructions which were sent to you by DPR Axle Education. Please watch our information video to support you with DPR. It can be found here.
We Love Reading | Reading at home is one of the best ways to boost your child's confidence and comprehension across all subjects, and using the "Pause, Prompt, & Predict" strategy makes daily reading interactive and effective. By breaking texts into short chunks to check understanding, asking children to summarise what happened or explain a character's choices in their own words, and inviting them to predict what will happen next, you can help transform passive reading into an engaging habit that builds strong critical thinking skills.
Powerful Purple Pen | We are excited to introduce a fresh strategy in our classrooms to celebrate effort and track challenge: The Powerful Purple Pen!
Starting this term, students will use purple pens whenever they attempt our 'Push Yourself' activities. These activities are designed to stretch thinking, deepen understanding and encourage students to step outside their comfort zones.
By making their extra challenge work stand out in purple, children can instantly see and feel proud of all the moments they choose to stretch their learning. It gives them a clear, visual record of their own hard work and perseverance every time they look back through their books.
How you can support at home: Ask your child where they used their powerful purple pen this week! It is a wonderful way to start a conversation about resilience, growth mindset and the power of giving that little bit extra.
Together, we are building confident, ambitious learners who are not afraid of a challenge!
Extra-Curricular Clubs | Chess Club | It was fantastic to welcome more than 40 students to Chess Club this week, all enjoying the opportunity to play, learn new skills and challenge themselves over the chessboard. Chess is a brilliant way to develop problem-solving skills, patience and resilience, while also encouraging young minds to think ahead, learn from mistakes and enjoy a little friendly competition.
The best part, everyone is welcome, whatever their experience or ability. Whether you are a seasoned player looking for a challenge or a complete beginner keen to learn the rules, there is a place for you at Chess Club. Join us on Wednesday lunchtimes and Thursdays after school.
We look forward to welcoming even more budding chess champions in the weeks ahead!
A reminder that clubs will not run during the Year 11 and 13 mock examination period starting next week. All lunchtime and after school clubs will resume on Monday, 16 November. All HUB clubs will continue to run: Homework support, Lego and mindfulness colouring, Organise and Focus and Chill club.
Year 07 Virtual Events | Families can book a 15 minute virtual drop-in appointment with Ms Sandra Byfield, Year 07 Pastoral Manager. These sessions are an opportunity to ask questions, discuss any concerns and find out how we can continue supporting your child’s transition into secondary school. The bookings are open from today. The dates are as follows:
Appointments are reserved on a first-come-first-served basis. Information on booking appointments can be found on the Parents' Evening page of the Academy's website. If you have any questions regarding our Parents' Evening’s, don't hesitate to get in touch with Ms Fisher, Data Manager: dfisher@bexleyheathacademy.org.
Transitions | A week of Creativity and Drama | It’s been lovely to welcome more Year 06 children for two exciting taster sessions this week as they begin to get a feel for life at our school. They had the chance to try something new, get creative and explore their skills in both Art and Drama.
In Art Attack, students experimented with an unusual combination of ink and shaving foam to create their own abstract neuro art prints. It was a great opportunity to get hands-on, explore different textures and patterns, and see how exciting art can be when you try something a little different! They then worked back into their prints, developing their understanding of the formal element of line and adding their own creative touches to their work.
Our Drama session got everyone moving and thinking! Students took part in warm-up games to explore the importance of communication, concentration and focus before being introduced to a range of drama skills and techniques. They then put these into practice by creating freeze frames around the theme of bullying, using body language, facial expressions and teamwork to communicate a message and bring each scene to life.
We are very excited for the upcoming Fantastic Food Tech session on Tuesday, 13 October and Curious Coding session on Thursday, 15 October.
There is still time to join us on one of our additional Open Morning Tours next week. These can be booked on the transition tab of our website.
Year 07 Parents' Evening Success! | Thank you to all our Year 7 families who joined us for their first Parents’ Evening at Lift Bexleyheath. It was lovely to welcome you into school, discuss how your children are settling in and celebrate the progress they have made during their first weeks of secondary school.
These opportunities to meet face to face are an important part of the partnership between home and school. Coming onsite allows families to get to know their child’s teachers, ask questions and share information that helps us understand and support each student. It also provides time to discuss learning, identify next steps and agree how we can work together to help your child achieve their best.
Thank you also for your kind words, thoughtful conversations and engagement so far this term. Your support makes a real difference as students establish new routines, build friendships and grow in confidence. We look forward to continuing this partnership throughout Year 7 and beyond, helping every child achieve, belong and thrive.
What's been happening in Art this week? | Year 07 have made a fantastic start to Art this term, learning how artists use line and texture to represent objects and make their work more expressive. Students have explored the difference between visual texture, which creates the appearance of a surface, and actual texture, which can be physically felt.
They have applied this learning to wax-resist paintings of lemons, combining oil pastel, watercolour and salt. The oil pastel resists the watercolour, allowing drawn marks to remain visible, while salt creates varied patterns as the paint dries. Experimenting with these materials helps students understand how different techniques affect an artwork, alongside developing their observational skills and control of materials. We are proud of the enthusiasm, care and creativity they have shown.
This week, we also welcomed Year 6 students into the Art Department for a creative workshop. They used shaving foam and ink to produce marbled backgrounds, exploring how colours and patterns interact before using their designs as a starting point for drawings. The workshop gave them a taste of secondary school Art and an opportunity to experiment with an unfamiliar technique.
Beyond lessons, our 3D, Photography, Painting and Mixed Media clubs offer students further opportunities to explore their interests, practise techniques and develop their own ideas. Our 3D Club members have been making clay cups and are now painting and varnishing their pieces. This process introduces students to working in three dimensions, considering both the shape and surface decoration of their creations.
Please encourage your child to explore our Art clubs if they enjoy being creative or would like to try something new. These opportunities help students build confidence, patience and problem-solving skills while taking pride in what they produce.
Safeguarding | World Mental Health Day | World Mental Health Day reminds us of the importance of supporting children’s mental health and emotional wellbeing. This year’s theme, “Lived experiences heard: real voices, real change,” highlights the need to listen to those experiencing mental health difficulties and involve them in shaping the support they receive.
Families can make a difference by creating regular opportunities to talk, listening without judgement and taking concerns seriously. Young people face many pressures and may need reassurance that their feelings matter before they feel ready to seek advice or support.
Asking, “Would you like me to listen, help you think through the problem, or support you in finding someone to talk to?” gives young people a choice in what happens next. By respecting their perspectives and involving them in decisions, we can help them feel valued, understood and confident to ask for help. If concerns persist or affect everyday life, seek further advice and support.
If your child is experiencing difficulties with their mental health or emotional wellbeing, support is available. Depending on their needs, you may wish to explore the following services:
If a child or young person is in immediate danger or needs urgent medical help, call 999 or attend A&E.
World Mental Health Day is a reminder that supporting young people's mental health is a shared responsibility. Families, schools, communities and professional services all have a role to play in ensuring that young people are listened to and that their experiences lead to meaningful improvements in the support they receive.
This October, we encourage parents and carers to make time for conversations, listen with empathy and involve young people in decisions that affect their wellbeing. By taking their concerns seriously and acting on what they tell us, we can help build a culture where asking for help is encouraged, individual experiences are respected and no young person feels that their voice does not matter.
If you have any concerns about your child’s safety or wellbeing, please contact the school’s safeguarding team without delay: safeguarding@liftbexleyheath.org. In an emergency, or if you believe a child may be at immediate risk, please contact the police directly. Thank you for your continued support in helping us keep our community safe.
What's been happening in Personal Development this week? | Ahead of World Mental Health Day on Saturday, 10 October, Year 09 students have been exploring self-regulation in their Personal Development lessons. Students discussed emotional triggers, how to recognise the internal signs of stress and emotional responses, and practical strategies to manage their emotions effectively. A key focus was the 5-4-3-2-1 sensory grounding technique, which encourages students to use their senses to regain focus and feel calmer in challenging situations. Students engaged positively with this strategy and recognised how it could support their wellbeing both inside and outside the classroom.
Careers Insight Talk | Ground Engineer | This week, students had the privilege of hearing from Ms Penny Greta, a Ground Engineer with five years of professional experience. Penny delivered an engaging and insightful presentation, sharing her educational journey and providing students with a valuable understanding of ground engineering and the wide range of career opportunities available within this important sector.
Born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland, Penny went on to study Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Leeds, England. She shared how her academic background and professional experience have prepared her for a career that combines mathematical knowledge, practical problem-solving and environmental awareness.
Students learned about the two key areas of ground engineering: geoenvironmental engineering, which involves investigating soil and groundwater contamination, assessing risks to people and wildlife, and advising on how polluted land can be cleaned up; and geotechnical engineering, which focuses on examining soil and rock conditions to ensure that buildings and other structures are safely supported by the ground beneath them. Penny also explained the variety of tasks ground engineers undertake, from collecting soil and rock samples on construction sites and conducting laboratory tests to using specialist software, carrying out calculations, preparing technical reports and collaborating with clients and architects.
The session highlighted the skills required to succeed in this field, including problem-solving, attention to detail, teamwork, communication, risk management and a strong understanding of mathematics, science and geography. Penny also discussed salary expectations and career progression, from Graduate Engineer to Engineer, Senior Engineer and Principal Engineer, with opportunities to progress to senior positions such as Associate and Partner. Students learned that typical salaries can range from approximately £30,000 for graduates to £60,000–£100,000 for professionals with more than 10 years of experience.
Penny encouraged students to consider studying mathematics and sciences, exploring engineering work experience placements and apprenticeships, developing their problem-solving and communication skills, and building confidence in using software such as Excel, QGIS and CAD. Her presentation demonstrated how ground engineering combines science, creativity and practical problem-solving to support construction, protect the environment and contribute to safer, more sustainable communities.
We encourage parents and carers to continue these conversations at home and explore careers in ground engineering, civil engineering, environmental engineering and related sectors using the LMI widget.
Assembly This Week | Mutual Respect and Individual Liberty | This week, students in Years 7–10 explored the foundations of healthy relationships during assembly, developing their understanding of how respect, trust, honesty, support and open communication help us build positive connections with others. Students considered how these principles apply to friendships, family relationships and everyday interactions within our school community.
The assembly encouraged students to recognise that healthy relationships involve listening to different perspectives, respecting personal boundaries and feeling able to express opinions without fear of judgement. These ideas reinforced our school ethos of kindness, integrity and respect, alongside the fundamental British values of mutual respect and individual liberty. Understanding these principles helps students make thoughtful choices, resolve disagreements constructively and contribute to an environment where everyone feels safe and valued.
Students also reflected on Black History Month as an opportunity to deepen their understanding of Black history, celebrate the contributions of Black individuals and communities, and consider the continuing importance of equality and social justice. Through learning about inspirational figures who challenged discrimination and campaigned for positive change, students explored how courage, perseverance and education can help challenge prejudice.
Together, these themes encouraged students to recognise their own responsibility in building an inclusive community. Whether through showing kindness, challenging stereotypes or standing up for others, every student can help make our school a place where people feel that they belong and can thrive.
Lift Bexleyheath
Woolwich Road
Bexleyheath
Kent
DA6 7DA
