FAQs

What are the timings for the school day?

Gate opens at 8am.

Any bikes should be parked in the bike shed by 8:25am (The sheds are locked from 8:25 am- 3pm)

Registration starts promptly at 8:30am. All students should be in their tutor rooms by then

The School day ends at 3pm, with after school clubs usually finishing around 4pm.

You can see the timings for each lesson here

Where can I find term dates?

This academic year's INSET days and holidays can be found on our website:

Term Dates

If you'd like to see the information for the next academic year, scroll to the bottom of that page and click on the red bar to reveal the information.

What to do if my child is ill/ cannot attend school?

If your child is unable to attend school, it is vital that you call the absence line 0118 935 3353 and press option 1, leaving a clear message detailing your child’s name, tutor group and reason for absence. For lengthy absences you may be asked to provide a medical note from your Doctor. We would ask all parents to please make all appointments out of school hours where possible as it can be very disruptive to learning.

The email address for the Attendance Team is
attendance@bulmershe.wokingham.sch.uk

Who to contact, when?

If you have a general question or concern about your child in school, please contact their form tutor in the first instance. You are also welcome to contact their Head of Year and Engagement Manager. To find these email addresses, please visit your child's dedicated year group page via the "Pastoral & Mental Health" tab

If you have a question regarding a specific subject, you can find each subject teacher's email address via our Subject Information Page - found under the "Curriculum" tab.

Lost Property

With nearly 1,500 students on site, it's really important that all items that come into school are named, so if they are misplaced they can be returned.

If your child has lost anything at school, please ask them to retrace their steps in the first instance. If they do not find it, there is a small amount of lost property in Student Reception, usually items that have recently been found.

The main lost property is kept in the Site Team Office, located near the tennis courts. Please ask your child to keep checking these areas. Parents are not allowed on site to look for items due to safeguarding reasons, but we hold regular Lost Property days, where all found items are displayed in our reception area. We will advertise via email and social media whenever we hold these days.

SIMS Parent Help

We have information and guides on how to install and use our SIMS Parent app on our website: SIMS Parent Help

Forgotten Passwords
1) If you use a SIMS ID account you have been provided with or have registered using an email address please click on the Forgot Password link and request a password reset that way. 

Sims Parent Login Screen

If that fails, email reception@bulmershe.wokingham.sch.uk who can reset your password for you.

2) If you use a third-party backed account you will need to recover that account using that provider's process. For example if you use Google you would need to reset your Google password and then use this new password for both Google and SIMS Parent. 

If you are having any problems with accessing SIMS or need help with your SIMS account, please contact reception@bulmershe.wokingham.sch.uk

sQuid payment platform

Homework on Google Classroom

Google Classroom is an online learning platform which enables teachers to collaborate and  communicate with students. Google Classroom serves as a hub for student work, homework and classroom resources.

Students will set up their school google account in year 7 and will be given a school email address. They should speak to their tutor if they are experiencing any problems accessing their account or if they have forgotten their email address or password.

School email address format:

first initial+last name+year of entry to bulmershe @bulmershe.wokingham.sch.uk

for example:

dbeckham23@bulmershe.wokingham.sch.uk

Further support can be found at the links below:

Parent guide: https://support.google.com/edu/classroom/answer/6388136?hl=en

Video guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgS-hoSIjnw

How to use Sparx Maths

Maths homework is set on Sparx Maths website.

On the login screen, click Login with Google and enter your usual school google account details (same as Google Classroom)

Any issues contact Mr Hussain, head of Maths:  thussain@bulmershe.wokingham.sch.uk

Sparx Maths Login

How to access Seneca Science Learning

Seneca online learning is a homework and revision platform with 1000+ exam board specific interactive courses. Students often use Seneca in class, but sometimes homework and revision will also be set on the platform.

Personalised login links can be found on Google Classroom in the Science Class

Any problems, please contact Mr Burrows, head of science: gburrows@bulmershe.wokingham.sch.uk

How to interpret my child's report

For our Key Stage 3 students (years 7, 8 and 9), we have a reporting approach which bands students according to their current ability which allows them to understand their targets and progress more easily. You can find our How to understand KS3 reports guide here.

For Key stage 4 (years 10 and 11) reports will be based on GCSE grade: current attainment/Estimated Grade/Target Grade.

How to contact members of staff

All of our staff's email address can be found on our website.

Head of Year/Engagement Manager/Tutor Emails:

Go to your child's dedicated Year Group page

Teacher emails:

Select the teacher's department from our Subject Information Page

Report A Child's Absence:

Email:attendance@bulmershe.wokingham.sch.uk

Safeguarding: 
mail: safeguarding@bulmershe.wokingham.sch.uk

PA To The Headteacher

Email:headspa@bulmershe.wokingham.sch.uk

Miss F Childs, SENDCo And Head Of Learning Support

Email:fchilds@bulmershe.wokingham.sch.uk

Mr C Coniam, School Business Manager

Email:cconiam@bulmershe.wokingham.sch.uk

Mental Health And Wellbeing

Email:achapman@bulmershe.wokingham.sch.uk

 

 

 

How to apply for 6th Form

Our next 6th Form open evening will be Thursday 2nd November. Applications will open then until Mid December. 

Any questions, please email Mrs Miles: cmiles@bulmershe.wokingham.sch.uk

To view our 6th Form prospectus click here

How to rent a School Locker

The School has a small number of Lockers for hire around the site, which are allocated on a first come, first served basis.

The cost of a locker from year 7 to year 11 is £24. 

When year 11s leave, our new year 7 students are given the opportunity to request a locker via our sQuid payment system.

Occasionally, lockers become available mid-year. If you would like to add your child’s name to the locker waiting list, please email finance@bulmershe.wokingham.sch.uk. They will then contact you should one become available and let you know the price.

How can students access Goals during breaktimes?

  • Students queue up in their teams on the Netball court by 12:25pm (Lunch A) or 1:25pm (Lunch B)
  • Maximum number on each pitch is 12 (6-aside)
  • Ideally, teams should bring their own ball (There are some balls available from PE but not always enough)
  • No food or drink to be taken onto the pitch (Students should eat at Break time if they plan to use Goals at Lunch)
  • No student will be allowed in after 12:30 (Lunch A) or 1:30pm (Lunch B)
  • Goals session ends at 12:50pm (Lunch A) or 1:50pm (Lunch B) and students must leave their pitch at this time
  • Students can book for the next day at the end of the session

How to access Accelerated Reader

We use accelerated reader in the English department to monitor reading through accelerated reader quizzes. Pupils are encouraged to take a quiz once they have finish reading a book. The quiz results allow teachers to assess how well they understood the book. 

Accelerated Reader Link

Login for years 8-12

Username: lowercase first initial + last name+ year started at Bulmershe e.g. dbeckham21

Password: english1 (note: all lowercase)

Login for year 7 

Username: lowercase first initial + last name+ year started at Bulmershe e.g. dbeckham21

Password: English1 (note: capital E)

Why read for twenty minutes every day?

  • By reading 20 minutes a day, you expose yourself to 1.8 million words in a year
  • Reading can relieve stress by 68% in a lot less than 20 minutes
  • Taking 20 minutes to read every day can boost mental health
  • Children who read 20 minutes a day score in the 90th percentile

What to do if my child feels unwell in school?

If your child is at school and they feel unwell, the first thing they must do is report to Medical. Our Medical Lead, Mrs Gaeton, has an office next to Oasis and she will assess what to do next, and will call home if she feels students need to be collected.

Students should not call home to be collected without getting authorisation from Medical first.