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.
Year 11 Weekly Newsletter | Please find the Year 11 Newsletter here.
Year 06 Transitions Events | Our Year 06 Transitions events for the September 2026 intake start this half term. All information regarding these events can be found here. We are delighted to invite families of children in Year 06 to our Year 06 Open Evening on Wednesday, 17 September. This is a wonderful opportunity to experience life at Lift Bexleyheath Academy, meet our inspiring students and dedicated staff, take a tour of our facilities, taste samples of the delicious food provided by our chef and hear directly from our Principal about our vision and values. To give every family the best experience, we are offering three start times: 16:00, 16:45, and 17:30. Find out more by clicking here.
Extra-Curricular Clubs | All Extra-Curricular activities start on Monday, 15 September and students across the school have signed up to their autumn club choices. Please note that clubs will not be taking place on Wednesday, 17 September as we will be hosting our Year 06 Open Evening Event.
Masterclasses | After a hugely successful first year of our masterclasses, we are delighted to announce the return of our Morning Masterclasses, beginning on Tuesday, 24 September at 08:00 with a fascinating session on Paradoxes, delivered by Mr Kirby. These masterclasses will take place in the Main Hall.
The masterclasses are open to students in all year groups and are designed to go beyond the boundaries of the regular curriculum. They are supra-curricular, meaning they explore ideas, themes, and questions that don’t usually appear in everyday lessons but which encourage students to think more deeply, make connections across subjects, and develop a genuine love of learning.
The purpose of these sessions is to spark curiosity, inspire independent thinking, and nurture inquisitiveness about the world. By engaging with challenging and unusual topics, students are encouraged to broaden their horizons, consider new perspectives, and discover the joy of intellectual exploration. Please encourage your child to attend.
Careers Insight Talks | This week during our Careers Insight Talks, we are shining a spotlight on the profession of Accountant. As part of this initiative, we are keen to involve parents, carers, and members of our wider community. If you would like to share your own career journey and experiences with our students, please complete the attached form. We welcome speakers from all industries and backgrounds, as every career story offers unique inspiration and guidance.
Follow Us On Social Media | We are pleased to announce that we are now on Instagram @lift.bexleyheath https://www.instagram.com/lift.bexleyheath/. Follow us on Instagram to see the wonderful things that happen at Lift Bexleyheath.
Emails to Inclusion | If you have any questions for the Inclusion Team, please use the send@liftbexleyheath.org email. This email account for Inclusion is checked every 48 hours, there are likely to be longer delays if you try to contact the Inclusion Team through their personal emails.
What's been happening in Art this week? | This week in Art & Design we’ve burst back into the new term with an artistic EXPLOSION of creativity and colour!
Our Year 09 students kicked things off with a challenge: transforming a traditional fruit still life into something bold and dynamic by experimenting with the formal elements of space and texture. Meanwhile, Year 80 have dived into their brand-new Black and White Media Topic, exploring how artists harness the power of contrast to create mood and impact.
Over in Year 07, students have been discovering the expressive possibilities of different types of line, filling their sketchbooks with imaginative mark-making. At KS4, the focus has been on stunning tonal studies of natural forms, inspired by Edward Weston’s iconic pepper photography, while our KS5 artists have been pushing boundaries with ambitious responses to a variety of contemporary 2D practitioners.
We are incredibly proud of the passion, focus, and imagination our students have already shown so early in the term and we can’t wait to see even more creativity unleashed at our Art Clubs in the weeks ahead!
Congratulations Year 07! | We are extremely proud of all our Year 07 students who have completed their first full week of secondary school! Year 07, have faced the challenge of finding their way around a brand new environment, met new friends, and adapted to a whole new routine and they have done it with resilience, courage, and a positive attitude. This is just the beginning, and they have already shown they are ready for the journey ahead. Ms Golding has collected some feedback below from her focus groups:
Year 07 Transitional Events | Term 01 Virtual Drop-in Sessions | Families of Year 07 students will be provided with the opportunity to meet with Ms Golding, Year Group Lead, this term. These sessions will be 15 minutes and will be virtual. The dates are as follows:
Appointments are reserved on a first-come-first-served basis and will open a week before each event. 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).
Uniform Expectations | At our school, we place a strong emphasis on the value of wearing the correct school uniform. Uniform is more than just clothing, it sets a standard of equality, ensuring that no student feels different or singled out because of their appearance. When everyone dresses the same, the focus remains where it should be: on learning, achievement, and personal growth, rather than on fashion or competition over how one looks.
For this reason, we have clear expectations around uniform and presentation. Part of this includes our policy that students in Years 07–11 do not wear make-up. At this age, developing a reliance on make-up can contribute to self-esteem issues and shift attention away from building a healthy and positive mindset. We want all our students to feel confident in themselves as they are, and to understand that their value lies in their character, skills, and achievements, not in appearance. We will continue to issue corrections for make-up and ask students to remove this when they arrive at school.
We also expect students to follow guidance on skirt lengths. Whilst this may seem like a minor detail to some families, it is an important part of maintaining consistency and high standards. Upholding these expectations helps students understand the importance of presenting themselves appropriately for different contexts an essential skill that will serve them well beyond school, in further education, the workplace, and wider society. Should students attend the school with incorrect skirt lengths, we will provide them with uniform to wear for the day. As some families are aware, we have started to meet with them to address the issue.
These expectations were made clear when students joined the school, and we ask for the continued support of families in helping us uphold them. By working together, we can ensure that our students maintain high standards, grow with confidence, and make the most of every opportunity their education provides.
Free School Meals | Free School Meals (FSM) are a government-funded scheme designed to ensure that children from eligible families receive a nutritious meal at school each day, at no cost to the family. This not only helps to support students’ health and concentration in lessons, but also removes the worry of having to provide money daily for school meals. Importantly, applying for FSM is completely confidential – students who receive them are not identified separately, and all meals are served in the same way as for any other student.
Submitting an application for FSM can also benefit families beyond the immediate support of a daily meal. Schools receive additional funding, known as the Pupil Premium, for every child registered for FSM. This funding is then used to provide extra resources, interventions, and opportunities that directly support students’ learning and well-being. Examples of how some of this funding is used at the school is as follows:
Even if a child prefers to bring a packed lunch, completing the FSM application ensures the school can access this vital funding, which in turn benefits the whole school community. Families are strongly encouraged to check their eligibility and complete an application if they qualify. Please review this document which outlines the criteria and links on how to apply.
Chromebook Insurance | We charge £15 a year for Chromebook Insurance. This will be per Chromebook supplied. We will start to request payment for this from Monday, 08 September through ParentPay. This cost goes towards the cost of maintaining the Chromebook and is needed to ensure that we can continue to provide students with this resource which is needed for their education. Should damages occur to the Chromebook and the Chromebook does not have Chromebook insurance, we will request the full cost of the repair or the full cost of a replacement device which will be £210.
Parent Portal Arbor App | Please ensure you have access to your Parent Portal account, where student timetables, progress report cards, and student information is held. Please contact info@liftbexleyheath.org if you need your Parent Portal login information sent to you again.
Parents' Evening | In response to valuable feedback from families, we will be introducing a Priority Parents’ Evening system designed to offer more meaningful engagement and flexibility for all year groups.
Starting next year, each year group will be assigned a Priority Parents’ Evening, during which families will be invited to attend the academy in person for face-to-face meetings with their child’s teachers. For example, if Year 07 is selected as the first Priority group, Year 07 families will attend on site, while other year groups will still be able to meet with staff virtually on the same evening.
This new model allows us to offer:
We believe this blended approach offers the best of both worlds, maintaining the convenience of virtual meetings while reintroducing the benefits of in-person conversations and direct engagement with students' learning. Moving forward, Parents' Evenings will start at 14:30 and end at 18:30. This offers more appointments for each event. The Parents' Evening will be taking place on the following dates:
RE Opt Out | Religious Education (RE) is an important part of our school curriculum, designed to help students explore different faiths, beliefs, and worldviews, and to develop respect, understanding, and critical thinking about the diverse world around them. RE is delivered through both classroom lessons and educational trips, giving students meaningful opportunities to learn about religion and culture in context. If families would like to request for their child to be withdrawn from RE, they will need to complete the RE Withdrawal Form. Once this form is received, a member of the school team will contact you to discuss this decision further, as we believe RE plays a vital role in promoting tolerance, empathy, and personal development for all students. Complete this form here.
Lift Bexleyheath
Woolwich Road
Bexleyheath
Kent
DA6 7DA
