The Week Ahead Updates and Communication for Parents
Psalm 1 v 3
Growing Lives that Bear Fruit
Quick Stop Notices ✋🏼📋
Reminder: Bursary applications for 2026/27 – deadline 8th May 2026
This is a reminder of the email sent on 15th April 2026 regarding bursary applications. Please note that you must apply each year – previous applications do not automatically roll over. If you are seeking any reduction in school fees, you will need to submit a new bursary application."
I am writing to let you know that Bradford Christian School is now accepting applications for school fees bursaries for the 2026/27 academic year.
Who can apply?
This bursary is available exclusively to families with a total household income of less than £45,000 per year.
If your household income falls below this threshold, we encourage you to consider applying for financial support to help with school fees.
What is the bursary for?
The bursary is designed to support families with the cost of school fees for the 2026/27 academic year. This financial assistance will help to ensure that your child can continue to benefit from the education and opportunities available at Bradford Christian School, regardless of your family's financial circumstances.
How to apply
To apply for a bursary, please:
-
Complete the application form – available from the school office or by emailing mrspickles@bxs.org.uk
-
Provide evidence of household income – this may include:
-
Recent payslips (last 3 months)
-
P60 or tax return documents
-
Tax credit award notices
-
Universal Credit statements
-
Self-employment accounts (if applicable)
-
-
Submit your application by 8th May 2026
All applications will be treated in strict confidence, and we are here to support you through the process.
How bursaries are awarded
Applications will be assessed based on financial need and the availability of bursary funds. We will contact you after the deadline to let you know the outcome of your application.
Need help?
If you have any questions about the bursary, eligibility, or how to apply, please do not hesitate to contact mrspickles@bxs.org.uk. We are happy to discuss your circumstances in confidence and help you with your application.
We understand that financial pressures can be challenging for families, and we want to ensure that every child has the opportunity to attend Bradford Christian School and benefit from the education we provide.
Please remember that the school playground is not open until a teacher is on duty.
- Supervision begins: Between 8:40 am and 8:45 am. If children need to arrive earlier than this please book them into breakfast club with Mrs Virgo - it opens at 7:55am and costs £3.00 a day.
- Important: Please do not leave children unattended on the playground before this point. Staff are in essential meetings inside the building until duty begins.
(click)
Next Week ➡️➡️➡️➡️➡️➡️
Week commencing 4th May 2026
NO STUDY CLUB ALL WEEK
Please label any clothes worn / brought into school
Monday: CLOSED
BANK HOLIDAY
Tuesday: CLOSED
STAFF TRAINING
Wednesday:
7:55 - 8:55: Breakfast Club
15:30 - 16:30: LaunchPad footbal for Middle School
Thursday:
7:55 - 8:55: Breakfast Club
12:00: New Lunch menu items
Friday - Lunch - Chip butty
7:55 - 8:55: Breakfast Club
9:00 - Primary School Assembly, Parents welcome
11:00 - Year 11 Leavers Assembly, Parents Welcome
Parent Announcement: Friday Celebration Assemblies
Subject: Join Us! New Weekly Primary Celebration & Worship Assemblies
Dear Parents and Carers,
After requests from a number of parents, we have decided to invite all Primary parents to join us for our Weekly Celebration Assembly every Friday morning. This will be a trial to see how it goes.
-
When: Every Friday during term time.
-
Time: 9:00am – 9:15am (Please arrive via the main reception by 8:55am).
-
What to expect: A short service of worship, a celebration of the week’s learning, the presentation of awards, and a special mention for birthdays.
This is a wonderful opportunity to share with your children and start the weekend on a high note. We look forward to seeing many of you there!
Dates for your Diary 🗓️
Everything you need to know for the Summer Term!
May
- Monday 4th: Bank Holiday - School Closed
- Tuesday 5th: Staff PD - School Closed to Students
- Wednesday 6th & Thursday 7th: Yr11 Transition activities
- Friday 8th: Yr11 Leavers Assembly
- Wednesday 13th: Y9/10 Geography Field Trip.
- Friday 22nd 15:30: Close for half-term (2 weeks)
June
- Monday 8th: Students Return.
- Tuesday 16th: Yr7/8 Hamlet Playmakers Festival, St George's Hall.
- Wednesday 24th: EYFS Ponderosa Trip 🚌
July
- Thursday 9th: Celebration Evening Venue at Sunbridge Road Mission 🏆
- W/C 13th July: Activity & Community Week 🏃🏽♀️🏃🏼♂️
- Friday 17th: Last Day of Term (Early Finish at 12:00 PM) 🕛
🌟 Stars & Students 💫 of the week
Primary
Olive (YN1) great confidence talking to her friends and teachers and developing a lovely special friendship.
Zion (YN2) amazing progress writing his name; focusing on correct letter formation.
Tioluwanimi (YR) for super extended writing in phonics. For focusing on writing neatly and remembering the punctuation.
Seth (Y1) For working really hard on independent handwriting and spelling practice.
Rosie (Y2) For mastering correct pencil grip and doing some amazing writing!
Abigail (Y4) For great inference skills in reading
Oscar (Y4)
Silver Award
Lucy - Yr3
Middle
Aidan (YAcorn 7) for: Aiden Rich, he showed tender care to plant the vegetables in the garden.
Roman (YAcorn 8) for: Demonstrated great physical strength and persistence moving the top soil and barrowing it up the hill and then digging the garden.
Upper
Grace (Y9) for: Working hard to catch up in maths
Caleb (Y10) for: excellent work in History
Peter (Y10) for: excellent work in History
Marley (YOak 10) for: A good attitude in English this week
🎓 Classroom 👨🏫 News
Matilda - £6000 raised!
A HUGE thank you to our whole school community for all your generous support for this project. The children (and staff!) have thoroughly enjoyed it and we've seen confidence blossom in many different forms both on and off the stage. Thank you to everyone for their time and energy with everything that's involved in putting on a show like this.
Through ticket sales, Programme sponsorships, The Matilda mayhem fundraising week and out Stewardship giving link, our £6000 target has been met!
BCS Students Showcase what it means to be 'Good' as Matilda Mayhem goes on stage
And why 'sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty'
This week, the stage of the historic Guiseley Theatre has been transformed into the whimsical and defiant world of Roald Dahl, as middle school students from Bradford Christian School present their highly anticipated production of Matilda.
Running from Wednesday to Friday at 6:30 PM, the production is the culmination of a prestigious collaboration with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). Following in the footsteps of successful regional partners like The Skipton Academy and Bradford College, Bradford Christian School has embraced the RSC’s "Change My Story" initiative, creating a modern take on the classic tale that empowers young people to find their voice.
A Story of Resilience and "Naughty" Ingenuity
This isn't just a school play; it is an exploration of vital themes. The production highlights:
-
Resilience: Overcoming difficult circumstances through the power of imagination.
-
Advocacy: Encouraging children to take a stand against injustice.
-
Community: The strength found in friendship and collective action.
Student-Led Creativity
Under the guidance of Creative Director Mr. Phillips and Musical Director Mrs. E. Kershaw, the students haven't just memorised lines—they have helped build the world of the show. Mr. Phillips has championed a collaborative process, encouraging students to take ownership of the creative decisions.
The choreography features original moves developed by students like Zachary, while the rehearsal process has been energised by the "outstanding enthusiasm and confidence" of students like Fisayo . The cast also benefited from a professional workshop with RSC choreographer Aaron, who spent a day helping the children refine their movement and stage presence.
Stand out performances have been seen from all the cast but special mentions to Mr & Mrs Wormwood, Willow's solo, the Matildas and Miss Honey.
The visual world of the show has been brought to life through creatively brilliant props, with huge thanks given to Mrs. Virgo for her imaginative contributions to the set. Also for Mrs Edwards' and Miss Rowe's constant care for our AP students.
Student Chloe has been selling her fabulous Matilda Merch every night.
Kicking Off the Bish Bash Bosh Festival
The timing of the production is particularly special as it serves as the grand opening for Guiseley Theatre’s Bish Bash Bosh Children’s Theatre Festival. Running from 1st–31st May, the festival celebrates the best of youth performing arts, and Bradford Christian School is proud to be the first act to take the stage.
Please go along and support Mr Phillips and his team.
"Guiseley Theatre is an amazing community asset, and we are thrilled to be kicking off the Bish Bash Bosh festival," said the production team. "It provides the perfect professional backdrop for our students to showcase the hard work, humour, and heart they have poured into this RSC project."
PTFA 👨🏻👩🏼👧🏻👦🏼 💬 Parent, Teacher & Friends Association
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
If you would like to know more or join the PTA, please email pta@bxs.org.uk
🎯 Fundraising 🏆
Stewardship are a Christian charity organisation who have been helping charities raise crucial funds since 1906! You can read more about them here.
If you or anyone you know feel able to give regularly to the work of Bradford Christians School, click the yellow button above to get started and thank you!
It's free to sign up to and start supporting us with Give as you Live. Send our unique campaign links to friends and family so they can support us for free too!
(Click)
£30 raised so far!
Please continue to engage with this campaign.
Thank you!
(click)
£30 raised so far!
Please continue to engage with this campaign. Thank you!
🙏Let's Pray for...
Headteacher's Message
Our Mission
To provide a holistic Christian education for all and to inspire discipleship.
Our Vision
To be a Christian community in which everyone grows in character, faith, knowledge, understanding and wisdom.
Dear Parents and Carers,
As we look towards the remainder of the term and ahead to September, I have several important updates and encouraging news to share with our school family.
First, we would like to extend our warmest congratulations to Mrs. Bullen on her pregnancy! We are thrilled for her and her family during this special time.
We know that staffing updates can sometimes bring questions, but I want to reassure you that we are in a very strong position for September. We are delighted to announce that we have recruited Miss Stewart, an experienced teacher who is currently working in Nepal at the Kathmandu International Study Centre. She will be visiting us in July to meet everyone before officially joining our team.
Staffing-wise, I am extremely confident that we have the right people in place for the new academic year. In fact, God has wonderfully provided for us by sending us three people recently without us even needing to look for them. Each of them is deeply grounded in their faith in Jesus, experienced in teaching, and has a lot to offer our students and community.
In other staff news, Miss Peckover is currently recovering from surgery, and we continue to pray for her healing. In her absence, we have been truly blessed to be supported by Mrs. Ferreira Morfin, who is an art specialist. We hope she will be staying next year.
Speaking of art, this week our students have been sitting their GCSE Art exams. It has been a real privilege for me to spend time with two of our Year 11s, who have absolutely loved their work and shown incredible dedication to their creative projects.
Next week, our staff will be participating in a Professional Development (PD) day. We will be reviewing our school improvement plan and taking time to reflect on all the excellent things that make BCS such a special place.
Best Christian Workplaces (BCW) Survey Results
As part of our ongoing reflection and improvement, I also want to share a summary of our recent Best Christian Workplaces 2026 survey results:
- We achieved an overall score of 4.43 out of 5.00, placing us in the 90th percentile of performance and officially recognizing us as a "Premier Christian Workplace".
- This outstanding score is the fruit of our shared culture and commitment to one another under our vision of "Growing Lives That Bear Fruit".
- Staff highlighted our strong sense of community, describing supportive relationships with words like "camaraderie" and "mutual care".
- Our team deeply values our Christ-centered environment, noting the freedom to share their faith and a profound sense of calling, making this more than just a job.
- Other areas of celebrated strength included supportive and approachable leadership, collaboration, opportunities to grow, and an atmosphere of care and encouragement.
- The survey also highlighted areas where we can continue to grow, such as further professional development, improving facilities & Resources, and involvement in decisions.
- We view these insights as gifts and are committed to addressing them through continuous review and staff involvement in our improvement journey for 2026.
Thank you for your ongoing support, prayers, and dedication to Bradford Christian School. We are so grateful for our community.
