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Welcome Term 1: October 2026
Welcome to our first newsletter of the new academic year! It has been a busy and positive start to the autumn term, and it has been wonderful to welcome our new Year 7 pupils into the school community and see all our students settling into their routines, embracing new opportunities and getting involved in school life.
As ever, there has been plenty happening both in and beyond the classroom. This term, we have celebrated the many languages spoken within our school community, come together for our Harvest Assembly and supported the Granville Community Kitchen through generous donations. A huge thank you to everyone in our school community who contributed to our Harvest collection. Your generosity and kindness have helped us support families in our local community and are a wonderful reflection of our school values. Our students have also enjoyed some fantastic opportunities beyond school, including the Year 11 Green Careers Event and a football tournament at Paddington Recreation Ground, where our newly formed SMBS FC showed great teamwork and sportsmanship.
Creativity continues to be a big part of school life. This term, our SMSC and Creative Arts Faculty have been running the After School Club, where pupils have made a fantastic start on a collaborative tile mosaic. We are looking forward to seeing this exciting project develop over the coming months, with plans to install the finished mosaic in the school grounds towards the end of the academic year. We are also excited about the launch of our first Staff-Student Choir, which will perform at the St Marylebone Carol Service in December.
It has been particularly lovely to see students taking on new challenges, developing their confidence and making positive contributions to our school community.
Thank you to all our families for your continued support throughout this first term. We wish you all a restful and enjoyable 2 week half-term break and look forward to another exciting term ahead! The new term starts on Monday 9 November at 8.30am.
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22 Oct 2026
STOP PRESS! WE’VE ACHIEVED ARTSMARK GOLD!
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19 Oct 2026
On Wednesday 7th October, SMBS students attended a football tournament held at Paddington Recreation ground.
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19 Oct 2026
Our Year 9 students recently enjoyed an exciting trip to New Scientist Live at ExCeL London, where they had the opportunity to explore the fascinating world of science and technology through a fantastic range of interactive exhibits and hands-on experiences.
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19 Oct 2026
Our Year 8 and Year 11 students recently enjoyed fascinating visits to the Bank of England Museum, where they had the opportunity to explore the history of money and discover how our currency is made and managed.
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Spanish
In Spanish this term, year 9 pupils have been learning how to describe the weather. They have been using a range of different phrases to talk about different types of weather. They concluded the topic by putting together weather forecasts for a range of different Spanish speaking countries and then presented their forecasts to their peers in lessons last week.
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Food Tech
Year 9 pupils have been exploring Mexican Day of the Dead festival in Spanish and Food Tech.
Pupils shaped and baked and decorated their own Pan de Muertos this week. The special sweet bread is traditionally made for the festival. Pupils learnt the bread is decorated with a ball on the top to represent a skill and strips coming from the centre to represent bones. The bread is placed on altars as an offering to departed loved ones.
   
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Science
Year 7
This term in Science with the year 7's they have been working on their understanding of the Scientific Process. Pupils used a Bunsen burner for the first time to determine which chocolate would melt the fastest. For the experiment, they developed their scientific questions, made their predictions and methods and labelled their scientific drawings.
 
Year 8
Year 8 pupils have been studying plant reproduction in Science this term. 5 students went along to Paddington Gardens on Tuesday to plant crocus bulbs to brighten the gardens in the spring and support biodiversity together with members of The Rotary Club of St Marylebone. The event also raised money for the End Polio Now charity.
It was a super way for our students to be part of a community event and see apply their learning from science to the real world.
 
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ENGLISH
It has been a busy and creative start to the year in the English department!
National Poetry Day
We celebrated National Poetry Day by embracing this year’s theme of Wonder across all classes. Every class worked together to write their own class poem, and we were delighted by the imagination and thoughtfulness students brought to their writing. You can read some of our favourites in the Pupil Work Section below.
Years 7/8 Dracula
Years 7 & 8 have been sinking their teeth into Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Students have learnt how to spot a vampire, brought the characters to life through role play, and come up with plenty of predictions about what will happen next in the story. We can’t wait to see which predictions come true!
Year 9 Coraline
Year 9 have been reading Neil Gaiman’s Coraline, and have been exploring some of the folklore woven through the story. Students learnt the art of reading tea leaves and discovered the lore behind hag stones - stones with a natural hole said to reveal hidden truths - before making hag stones of their own.
  
KS4
Our KS4 students have been busy with a range of texts:
Students studying J.B. Priestley’s An Inspector Calls turned detective with their own version of Cluedo, piecing together clues to uncover who was responsible.
Those reading Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes reenacted a courtroom scene, stepping into the roles of the characters to examine justice and responsibility.
Students studying Bend It Like Beckham by Narinder Dhami have been exploring gender roles, racism and cultural identity through the story.
We are very proud of the enthusiasm and creativity our students have shown this term, and we look forward to sharing more in Term 2!
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Stitching and Sewing Club
It was lovely to see some of our new Year 7 students joining Stitching and Sewing Club on Monday lunchtimes this term. Several Year 7s got their Sewing Machine Passports and have since then, they been creating floppy pots together with some of our older students.
 
 
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Duke of Edinburgh Award: Preparing for expedition
Pitching tents and building teamwork! Our Year 11 Duke of Edinburgh students have been working hard this term mastering their expedition prep. From perfecting their tent setup to practising cooking meals using portable stoves, their focus and collaboration have been brilliant as they gear up for their upcoming outdoor adventures!
  
 
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European Day of Languages
To mark European Day of Languages and celebrate the many different languages spoken by our staff and pupils, SMBS pupils were invited to create posters for a competition.
Congratulations to our winners:
3rd place: Zara (y11)
2nd place: Keyshia (Y11)
1st place: Kieranie (y7)
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English: World Poetry Day
I wonder… (Y9)
I wonder if I will get a new toy car for my birthday, I wonder why I ate chicken food on Sunday and it tasted better with herbs, I wonder why was a kid going to the airport to get into a military camp, he had an RPG, it’s not safe. I wonder why Theodore had an apple and he wasn’t going to share, I wonder what is for today's lunch, I wonder when I am going to win poker in Red Dead 2.
Ordinary or not (KS4)
I’ll make it peak like the tower of Pisa, Bally on my face so you can’t see me either, My breakfast crab ran away from the table, I ain't telling no fib or fable, The wonderful blue sky, fluffy white clouds, scorching and roaring sun, The trees sigh loud as the wind blow on, When I go yard I take a shower and put my PJ’s on, Home is ordinary but extraordinary.
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Creative Club
Students who attended the Creative Club after school on Mondays this term have been designing and creating tiles for a school community tile mosaic which we will continue working on across the school year. We hope to be able to install the mosaic outside towards the end of the year.
Below are some of the tiles which have already been created:
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Wishing Mr Mitchell a Happy Retirement!
On Thursday 22nd October, the SMBS community said a bittersweet farewell to our wonderful Behaviour Lead, Mr Mitchell, as he officially begins his well-earned retirement.
Over almost nine years of dedicated service to SMBS, Mr Mitchell has made a lasting impact on staff and students alike. He will be remembered by all of us for his kindness, understanding, and incredible sense of humour that brightened so many days.
As he starts his well-deserved break, hopefully with a long-awaited trip to sunny St. Lucia, we just hope he remembers us all back here while soaking up the Caribbean sunshine!
Thank you, Mr Mitchell, for everything you have given to our school. We wish you a peaceful, restful retirement and the best of luck with whatever adventures come next!
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Mental Health Week Celebration
To mark World Mental Health Day on 10 October, St Marylebone CE Bridge School (SMBS) celebrated a week dedicated to promoting mental health and wellbeing, kindness and gratitude.
The celebrations began with an assembly on resilience and mental health, delivered by our Head of Mental Health and Wellbeing, Judy Cardoso, alongside George Franzio, Drama Therapist from the charity All Kind. The assembly encouraged pupils to reflect on the importance of looking after their mental health and seeking help when needed.
Throughout the week, pupils took part in activities that promoted kindness and giving back to the community. Our KS3 pupils created thoughtful postcards for the charity Age UK, which will be shared with residents supported by the charity. This lovely gesture was an opportunity for pupils to spread kindness and help others feel valued and remembered.
Meanwhile, Ms Fusella along with our KS4 pupils supported fundraising efforts by helping to sell delicious bakes at Chaos Cafe, our very own school cafe. Through their efforts, they raised money for BBC Children in Need, demonstrating their enthusiasm for making a positive difference in the lives of others.
This year’s celebrations highlighted our pupils’ wonderful values of kindness and gratitude, while embracing one of the Five Ways to Wellbeing - Give. By giving their time, creativity and support to others, our pupils experienced how small acts of kindness can have a meaningful impact on both our own wellbeing and the wellbeing of those around us.
We are incredibly proud of our pupils for showing such compassion, generosity and community spirit throughout the week. At SMBS, we recognise that looking after our mental health is not just about caring for ourselves, but also about building connections and supporting one another.
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Harvest Service Assembly and donations
Our new Chaplin, Rev Lucy Bush led the school in a special Harvest Service in September. The service was interactive with pupils from across the school joining in to create a visual representation of the creation story.
In the lead up to the Harvest Service, SMBS staff and pupils brought in generous donations for Granville Community Kitchen. Leslie Barson, Co-Founder of Granville Community Kitchen joined us for the assembly and thanked staff and pupils for their fantastic contributions.
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Staff-Student Choir
We are excited to announce that The St Marylebone Bridge School (SMBS) is launching its first Staff-Student Choir. The Choir will be performing a piece of music at St Marylebone School’s annual Festival of lessons and Carols on the evening of 17 December in St Marylebone Parish Church.
Pupils who are interested in being part of the choir should get a letter from their Form Tutor.
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The Tri-borough Music Hub (TBMH): Opportunities for pupils
Calling all vocalists, instrumentalists and music production aficionados!
TBMH lessons and ensembles have started!
Sign up page here
Direct any enquiries to: musichub@rbkc.gov.uk
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Green Careers Trip
Year 11 students recently attended the Green Careers Event, where they had the opportunity to explore a wide range of careers focused on sustainability and the environment. Students spoke with representatives from over 30 organisations, gaining valuable insights into different career pathways, while also taking part in talks and interactive workshops.
The event covered a variety of topics, including renewable energy, sustainable construction, sustainable fashion, conservation, waste and recycling, and CV writing. It was a fantastic opportunity for students to broaden their understanding of green careers, develop their employability skills and discover how they could contribute to a more sustainable future.
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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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Monday 9 November 2026: First day of Term 2. School starts at 8.30am.
Tuesday 1 December 2026: Pupil Experience Day: students finish at 1.30pm. Parent appointments online with Form Tutors, 2.15pm - 4.30pm.
Friday 18 December: Parent Workshop: Understanding Language Disorder and Autism, 9.45am - 11.45am.
Friday 18 December 2026: Last day of term. Celebration Assembly 11.50 -12.30pm. Finish at 12.30pm.
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