06 Oct 2026
LeadHer ♥ Badminton 5/10/26
We held the first LeadHer event for girls in BGS on Monday 5 October.  This was a badminton tournament for girls of all ages and all abilities.
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The Year 7s have made a brilliant start to not just Year 7, but their lives here at Bexley Grammar.

As their Director of Studies, it has been such a delight to welcome your child to our school and see them navigate the challenges of moving to secondary school. All the year groups are now settled and are making good progress at stepping up their learning and study habits. 

It has been so pleasing to see so many Year 7 students take part in the House events that have already taken place, from the Harvest Box competition to House Music and Sport. Well done to everyone and I look forward to seeing students at further school events throughout the year. 

Please click on the link here to see the Year 7 Tutor Groups Photo Gallery 2026, taken in the last of the Autumn sunshine.

Mrs Belton-Owen
Director of Studies, Year 7

05 Oct 2026
Netball: Well played ladies!
It was a pleasure to be invited to a Sixth Form netball tournament, giving our Year 10 and 11 players a valuable opportunity to test themselves ahead of the Kent tournament.
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07 Oct 2026
BGS PE Honours Boards
It’s always a thrill to update our PE honours boards, and the new entries this term represent some fantastic accomplishments by our talented athletes.
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Monday Maths Clinic

Did you know that the school runs a Maths Clinic for all students in Years 7 to 11?

It happens in room G13 every Monday at 3:15pm, run by a maths teacher, usually Mr Male, finishing at 4pm. Any student who would like to improve their maths is welcome. You do not need to be invited!

If you come, you will be allocated a Maths Prefect, (usually a Year 12 student, doing A-level maths) and together you will work through some maths questions.

You should arrive with something specific you want to work on. Here are some ideas:

  • A specific topic (such as “quadratic equations” or “trigonometry”). Just the name of the topic will do, the maths prefect will find some appropriate work in a textbook.
  • A specific worksheet, perhaps something your maths teacher has given you.
  • A past paper you need to practise for your GCSE exams.
  • A maths assessment you’ve recently taken, where you need to better understand where you went wrong.

Whatever you bring, you will work with your designated Prefect, and they will help deepen your understanding of maths and strengthen your skills. Students who have come to a maths clinic in the past have found it very beneficial in boosting their assessment scores and ultimately their GCSE maths grade!

Mr Male, Maths Department

When you can't get started

When a task feels too big, your brain may freeze before you even begin. 

Try the following to help you break through that 'stuck' feeling:

  1. Make it smaller – break the task down and take one step at a time. 
  2. Set a timer – you do not have to do the whole job at once. Just begin.
  3. Remove one obstacle – get what you need ready first. Clear the space and make it easier to start than to avoid.
  4. Stop aiming for perfection – give permission to start messily. Perfection often keeps people stuck. Starting badly is still a start.
  5. Reset your body – stand up, stretch or walk for a minute and then come back to the task. Movement can help shift the stuck feeling.
  6. Leave a next step – before you stop, decide what you will do next. A clear next step makes it easier to return and reduces tomorrow's friction.

Being stuck is not laziness. Stress, fear and tiredness can all make starting harder. Small progress is still progress.

Mrs Westergaard, Wellbeing Team

Please click on the link here to access all our Wellbeing Weekly updates.

Please click on the link here to access all our Safeguarding Updates

WhatsApp Parental Controls

WhatsApp has announced a new set of optional parental controls for teenagers aged 13–17. Parents, carers and teenagers have to agree to link their accounts, after which parents and carers can manage some privacy settings and certain features using a PIN.

The new controls can include:

  • managing who can see a teenager’s profile photo and who can add them to groups;
  • alerts when a teenager joins or leaves a group, or when a group grows significantly;
  • controls around Channels and Status;
  • choosing between the standard 13+ Meta AI experience and a more restricted Limited Content option.

These features are still rolling out gradually, so we should start to see them fairly soon.

There has also been some confusion around WhatsApp for younger children. WhatsApp has separately developed parent-managed accounts for children under 13, focused mainly on messaging and calling with built-in parental supervision. However, these accounts are still being rolled out gradually and there has not yet been a full rollout outside of the US.

Below are some useful links for parents and carers:

Links:
WhatsApp – New Controls to Help Parents Guide Their Teens
WhatsApp Help Centre – Parental Controls
WhatsApp – Parent-Managed Accounts

Mr S Auckland
Deputy Head and Designated Safeguarding Lead

GCSE Examination Timetable ~ Summer 2027

The GCSE summer examination timetable is available on the school website or by clicking on the link here.

GCSE Contingency Sessions Summer 2027

Please note that the awarding bodies have designated the morning and afternoon sessions of Wednesday 23rd June 2027 as ‘contingency sessions’. These contingency sessions are designed to be used in the event of national or significant local disruption to examinations.
This means that all exam candidates must be available to sit exams from the date of their first exam until Wednesday 23rd June 2027.
This decision is not a school decision and does apply to all candidates in all schools.

PA Preloved Uniform Sale
3:15pm – 4:00pm
19
October
BGS PA Annual General Meeting
3:15pm – 4:00pm
04
November

Lost Property 

PE Shirts - We strongly advise that all students have their names embroidered on their shirts (by Casey's in Blackfen) as this very much helps us to return items of lost property.

However, if you do choose to give your child a plain white polo shirt please label it with their name to enable the above to take place.

Please may we also remind parents/carers to write your child's name on all of their belongings so that we can return any lost items to them. If belongings are handed in to us, and they are named, we will contact the student directly, so please ask your child to check their school email account to see if we have messaged them. 

Click on the link here to report any lost property or email us directly via reception@bexleygs.co.uk.

Thank you 

Reception Team

Young Professionals Workshops

Young Professionals is an organisation that seeks to help young people in the early days of their careers. The founder featured on last year's series of The Apprentice and has been helping Bexley Grammar School students access information, advice and work experience opportunities for the last two years. They have developed new workshops targeting parents who are interested in supporting their children as they take their first steps into law or business, finance and accounting careers. These workshops will take place via the Zoom app on Tuesday 13th and Wednesday 14th October 2026 from 6pm-7.30pm. You can find out more information and sign up using the link below:

https://mailchi.mp/young-professionals/youre-invited-free-parent-evenings-with-slaughter-and-may-pwc-kpmg-and-more 

Mrs Harris, Head of Business & Economics

Free School Meals & Pupil Premium

Dear Parent or Carer,

We are writing to let you know about changes to free school meals (FSM) from the start of the 2026 to 2027 academic year.

What is changing?

Expanded entitlement for families on Universal Credit

From the start of academic year 2026 to 2027, all children in households receiving Universal Credit will be entitled to free school meals, regardless of earnings.

Going forward, there will be two types of eligibility:

  • Targeted FSM: for households in receipt of universal credit earning £7,400 or less (includes free meals and additional support such as pupil premium).  Other educational entitlements such as the Holiday Activities and Food program (HAF) and the ‘extended rights’ element of school travel assistance, will also continue to be based on targeted FSM.

  • Expanded FSM: for households in receipt of universal credit earning above £7,400 (free meals only).  Families with no recourse to public funds may also be eligible for Targeted FSM subject to meeting separate criteria.  

End of transitional protections

Since 2018, some children have continued to receive free school meals, even if their family circumstances changed during the rollout of Universal Credit. This is referred to as transitional protections.  Now that entitlement is being expanded to all families on Universal Credit, these protections will end at the end of the 2025 to 2026 academic year.

This means:

  • Some children may no longer be eligible from the start of the 2026 to 2027 academic year if their family does not receive Universal Credit or another qualifying benefit

  • Eligibility will now be based on current benefit status

What you need to do

If your child currently receives free school meals:

  • We encourage everyone to reapply from now on as this is something you will need to do on an annual basis.

  • In some cases, your child’s school or the local authority may contact you to confirm your details

  • If you are unsure, please contact your local authority for advice.

If your child does not currently receive free school meals

  • You may now be eligible under the expanded criteria

  • You will need to apply through your local authority / school

Please follow this link and enter your details.  https://fsm.lgfl.net

Not sure?

If you are unsure whether you need to/can apply or if your circumstances have changed, please complete the link above for an instant decision.

Yours sincerely,

Mr AJ Skinner
Assistant Headteacher & Deputy DSL

October

Year 7 Open Morning for entry September 2027 ~ click here for further details
All Day
13
October
Year 7 Open Morning for entry September 2027 ~ click here for further details
All Day
14
October
Year 7 Open Morning for entry September 2027 ~ click here for further details
All Day
15
October

Year 7 Concert ~ click here to book your tickets & read the Music Dept. letter
4:00pm
20
October
Last full day before half term
8:30am – 3:10pm
22
October
Half Term ~ School closed to students
8:30am – 3:10pm
from 23 Oct until 30 Oct
23
October

November

Half Term continues ~ School closed to students
8:30am – 3:10pm
02
November
First school day following half term
8:30am – 3:10pm
03
November

June 2027 (advance notice)

GCSE Contingency DAY ~ click here for details
8:30am
23
June