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Welcome Term 6: July 2025
It has been an exceptionally busy and exciting end to the academic year at SMBS. Pupils across all year groups have taken part in a wide range of trips, events and activities, showcasing their creativity, confidence and community spirit both in and out of the classroom.
This term, we said a fond farewell to our Year 11 pupils, who completed their exams and enjoyed a successful week of work experience before celebrating their time at SMBS with a well-deserved graduation week. At the same time, we were thrilled to welcome our incoming Year 7 cohort for a Transition Day at the end of June.
Highlights of the term have included our second annual Talent Show, a joyful and energetic Sports Day, an action-packed Activities Week, and a vibrant World Culture Day. We also welcomed families into school for our Open Afternoon, giving them the opportunity to see our pupils in action and to share in the life of our school community. And of course, there was also the wonderful wedding of our very own Miss T in June which was a big SMBS community event.
This term also brought the publication of our Ofsted Inspection Report. We are delighted that the inspectors recognised the unique and special community we have built here at SMBS, and the positive and nurturing environment our staff and pupils work so hard to create every day. You can read the full report here.
As we come to the end of a memorable year, we would like to wish all our families a restful and enjoyable summer break. We look forward to welcoming pupils back for the start of the new academic year on Friday 5 September 2025 at 8.30am.
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 | 14 Jul 2025 On Thursday 10 July, the school opened its doors to parents, carers and friends for our annual Open Afternoon—and what a fantastic event it was! We were delighted to welcome around 30 visitors, all eager to get a glimpse into life at SMBS and see the brilliant work our pupils have been doing... |
 | 14 Jul 2025 This year’s Sports Day took place on Monday 30 June at Paddington Recreation Ground—and what a scorcher it was! With temperatures soaring to 32°C, pupils and staff alike showed true determination and team spirit in the heat. |
 | 14 Jul 2025 The Class of 2025 graduated from SMBS with a wonderful Celebration Assembly shared by staff, family and friends. |
 | 14 Jul 2025 What do you get when you mix a singing Peppa Pig, Super Mario dance moves, and some top-tier football tricks? Our second annual School Talent Show, of course! |
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Art: The Wallace Collection Workshops
Year 7 Complete Their Second Term of Creative Sessions at the Wallace Collection
Our Year 7 students have now completed their second term of creative sessions at the Wallace Collection, taking part in a series of five workshops that built on their previous learning.
In their final session, they explored the fascinating world of portrait lockets — miniature paintings once used to hold images of loved ones before the invention of photography.
After studying examples in the gallery, students crafted their lockets by hand and added miniature portraits inspired by the artworks they had seen. They were captivated by the craftsmanship and intrigued by the idea of a world without photographs or mobile phones.
The care and creativity they brought to their work was outstanding, and each student proudly took their locket home to share with their family.
 
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Year 9 Drama: Exploring Lorca’s Blood Wedding
This term, Year 9 have been working creatively in Drama to devise their own pieces of theatre inspired by Blood Wedding, the powerful play by Spanish playwright Federico García Lorca. Pupils explored three distinct performance styles, using a different one for each scene: the first scene was performed in a naturalistic style, the second took on a more abstract approach, and the third used choral techniques to powerful effect.
In a fantastic cross-curricular link with their Spanish lessons, pupils incorporated lines of chorus in Spanish into the final scene. They had been learning and practising these lines while also exploring Lorca’s life and the cultural context of his work.
Year 9 should be very proud of the imaginative, thoughtful performances they created!
 
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Protective Behaviours and Maths
Year 7 and 8 pupils brought learning from Protective Behaviours together with Maths and worked on an Escape Room task earlier this term.
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Stitching and Sewing Club
Aprons
Pupils have been working hard over the past two terms sewing their own aprons. They used a pattern and cut out the different pieces of their aprons and then sewed the seams all the way around. They had to sew the straps for the aprons and then turn the straps the right way out (a very tricky job for Ms Moon and Ms Brooks) before finally attaching these.
 
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‘Stitched Together’: Our Community Quilt Heads to National Competition
This year, pupils in the Stitching and Sewing Club have worked together to create a beautiful and meaningful group quilt, which has now been entered into the Group Quilt category at the prestigious Festival of Quilts competition.
Each pupil designed their own square, with themes ranging from the London Underground to nature and superheroes—reflecting their individual interests and perspectives. The patches were brought to life using colourful felt, carefully cut and sewn onto fabric squares. These were then stitched together to form a vibrant and joyful community quilt, aptly titled Stitched Together.
We’re proud to share that our quilt will be on display alongside hundreds of others at the Festival of Quilts, held at the NEC in Birmingham from 31 July to 3 August. Well done to all the pupils involved for your creativity, collaboration and craftsmanship!
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English: Review of My Neighbour Totoro by Keshia, 9 Wandsworth
On Thursday 3rd July 2025 some students in years 7, 8, 9 and 10 went to the Gillian Lynne Theatre to watch My Neighbour Totoro. The show is about two siblings who move to a new house where they meet new people and spirits like Totoro. I thought the play was really funny. Most of all I liked the flying cat bus! I thought the puppets were good and the songs were good. I joined in with the last song 'Totoro'.
I would recommend this show to those who like anime and go and watch it for themselves and see if they like it.
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SMBS Named Regional Winner in National Art Competition
We are thrilled to announce that SMBS has been named a regional winner in this year’s Art Bytes inter-school competition!
Art Bytes is a prestigious national art and EdTech programme open to Year 5 and Year 9 students from all educational settings. It combines a high-profile art competition with a bespoke virtual gallery and in-person Celebration Events held in cultural venues across England.
Our pupils’ outstanding artwork was showcased at a special celebration event at the Saatchi Gallery in London. Families joined us to see the pupils’ work displayed alongside that of young artists from across the region — a truly memorable experience!
A huge congratulations to Samuel, Adil and Zara for their creativity, hard work, and success. Their winning pieces can be viewed in the virtual gallery here.
Well done to all who took part — we’re so proud of you!
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Threads of Elegance project
As part of the Threads of Elegance project, students have taken part in workshops linked to the Naomi Campbell exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Royal Dresswear exhibition at Kensington Palace.
Starting in September, students will join a 12–14 week programme, attending once a week. In this programme, they will explore textiles through interactive presentations, guided tours of the V&A’s textile collections and visits to the London College of Fashion Archives. They will also take part in hands-on art workshops led by artists.
The creative activities will include block printing, weaving, and heat press design. These sessions will help students develop their hand skills. They will also make their own fabric sample books, dress mannequins, and learn sewing techniques from Fashion-Enter Ltd.
In addition, students will receive customer service training at Westminster Archives and Libraries. They will also get support with interview preparation and learn how to curate exhibitions, with help from MA Curation students at the London College of Fashion.
All these activities are part of accredited learning pathways, designed to support students and open up future career opportunities.
 
 
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Chelsea Football Club Careers Trip
Students recently took part in a fantastic educational visit to Chelsea Football Club, where they experienced a combination of sports history, real world careers insight, and immersive learning. The trip included a behind the scenes tour, exploration of the Chelsea FC Museum, and an engaging careers focused workshop.
The day began with a full stadium Chelsea FC Museum tour, where students explored the club’s rich heritage, major trophies, and celebrated players. Students then engaged in a careers information session, which opened students’ eyes to the wide variety of job roles within a football club. From media and marketing to sports science, hospitality, and business operations. Students asked lots of great questions relating to career paths and future opportunities.
The trip was both inspiring and educational, blending fun with future focused learning.
One student said, "I thought football was just about playing, but now I know there are so many other careers I can get into, not just being a footballer."
 
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Mental Health and Wellbeing
Please take a look at the School's Mental Health Bulletin here to find out more about how pupils' mental health and wellbeing are being supported.
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Free access to audio books
We would like to highlight to families these sites where children and young people can access audio books free of charge:
https://www.calibreaudio.org.uk/
https://help.libbyapp.com/en-us/6103.htm
Audio books are available for free but membership of a local library is required.
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Friday 5 September 2025: First day of Term 1. School starts at 8.30am.
Tuesday 16 September: Year 7 Information Afternoon, 2.15pm - 3pm.
Thursday 18 September: Year 10 Information Evening, 4pm - 5pm.
Tuesday 23 Sept: Year 8 & 9 Information Evening, 4pm - 5pm.
Thursday 25 Sept: Post-16 Information Evening for Year 11. 4pm - 5pm
Term 1 Celebration Assembly
Friday 17 October: Last day of Term 1. Celebration Assembly, 1.30pm - 2.15pm. School finishes at 3.15pm as usual.
Friday 17 October: Parent Workshop - Home Learning & Tracking Progress, 2.15pm - 3.15pm
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