Category: Senior School News
Our U12 and U13 netballers have had a busy couple of weeks, with league and tournament wins.
Woodbridge vs Farlingaye, Woodbridge vs Ipswich School
Playing well in a match that provided an excellent opportunity to work on areas for improvement, our U13A team won against Farlingaye in the league last week, while the U12C and D teams alongside the U13C and D teams played some exciting and close matches against Ipswich School – no wins but lovely netball played by all the girls which they all enjoyed.
Woodbridge vs Finborough
The matches continued into the week and the hard work that the girls have been putting in to training really paid off on Wednesday with the U13B, C and U12A, B and C teams all winning their matches against Finborough. Some great mid-court, defensive and attacking play by all the teams showed how far they have come this term.
U13 Tournament at Framlingham Prep
Our Year 8 netballers then travelled to Framlingham Prep School to play in an U13 tournament. Framlingham Prep School kindly hosted teams from Felsted, Barnardiston, Orwell Park, Norwich School, Culford and Finborough. Woodbridge played Norwich in their first match winning 11-8, in a tough game. They then went on to play Culford and dominated in the defensive end with great work from Rosie, Philippa and Eva sealing them a win of 14-3. Then it was on to play Orwell Park who the team knew well; some great shooting from Izzy and Amelie, and attacking play from Georgia, Felicity and Annie saw the girls take a 13-5 win, in a 16 minute game – impressive!
Woodbridge then played Felsted, the runner-up in Pool 2 ,and in a physical game came out on top 15-2, with some great passing, interplay and shooting. Then it was Norwich in the final and even though it was a closer game, our team always had the upper hand, and in a calm and cool manner came out on top 12-9, although it was slightly tense at times.
Thanks for the amazing support on the side-lines as well as to Framlingham Prep School for hosting and Miss Sanders for her excellent umpiring. The girls thoroughly deserved their victory and medals!
All the netball coaches have been very impressed with the teams’ play, determination and spirit in all matches played. Well done girls!
Congratulations to Year 8’s Romilly and Felicity, Year 10’s Phoebe, Year 12’s Isobel and Henry and to Year 13’s Amy who have been selected to represent Suffolk at the annual English Schools Cross Country Championships on 18 March; Suffolk will take a team of just 48 athletes across all ages from Years 8 to 13.
English Schools is the largest school event on the cross country calendar and the final race of the cross country season. On Saturday 18 March, just the top eight athletes from 44 counties will race at Wollaton Park in Nottingham in each age group.
Congratulation also to Year 9’s Charlie and Jasper, and Year 10’s Angus who are on very short reserve lists and may still get the call to run!
Wishing every athlete the very best of luck for their trip to Nottingham in March.
The Anglia Inter County Schools Cross Country took place in Northampton last weekend, with 22 of our athletes representing Suffolk. Taking six of the eight team victories, it was an amazing performance from everyone.
Suffolk Schools select teams of 16 across four age groups covering Year 6 to year 13, to compete against Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire and Norfolk.
It was a fantastic day with our athletes making a major contribution to the Suffolk Schools team that were dominant on the day, and taking six of the eight team victories. This obviously meant Suffolk Schools were crowned Anglian Schools Champions, defending the title they won last year!
Woodbridge School top individual honours went to Year 12’s Henry, who was 2nd in the Senior Boys, taking the individual Silver medal.
Our stand-out team contribution was the Minor Boys (Year 6 and 7) where six of our athletes finished in the top 12 – an amazing performance!
Woodbridge School athletes full results:
Minor Girls:
- 12 India (Year 6 – India was 5th Suffolk finisher)
- 15 Ella (Year 6)
- 17 Marina (Year 7)
- 18 Grace (Year 7)
- 26 Alexandra (Year 6)
Minor Boys:
- 5 Dexter (Year 6 – Dexter was 2nd Suffolk finisher)
- 6 Otis (Year 6)
- 7 Alfie (Year 6)
- 10 Digby (Year 7)
- 11 Charlie (Year 6)
- 12 Oliver (Year 6)
Junior Girls:
- 9 Romilly (Year 8 – Romilly was 3rd Suffolk finisher)
- 16 Felicity (Year 8)
- 19 Charlie (Year 9)
Junior Boys:
- 47 Jasper (Year 9 – Jasper was 12th Suffolk finisher)
Inter Girls:
- 9 Phoebe (Year 10 – Phoebe was 4th Suffolk finisher)
- 44 Poppy (Year 10)
- 48 Ellen (Year 11)
Inter Boys:
- 37 Angus (Year 10 – Angus was 9th Suffolk finisher)
- 57 Bruce (Year 11)
Senior Girls:
- 11 Amy (Year 13 – Amy was 2nd Suffolk finisher)
Senior Boys:
- 2 Henry (Year 12 – Henry was 1st Suffolk finisher)
For most of our Minor athletes (Year 6 and 7) this will mark the end of a busy yet very successful cross country season.
A fantastic day, congratulations to every athlete and thank you to parents and staff that travelled to Northampton in support!
At the time of writing this, for Junior and older, Suffolk was about to select a reduced team to compete at the English Schools Championship in Nottingham on Saturday 18 March – six of our athletes were chosen, you can read about that in our separate news report.
Last weekend saw the traditional block fixtures against Royal Hospital School kick-starting the boys hockey season. Delivering some solid team performances, the matches offered lots of learning opportunities and gave the teams lots to look forward to the rest of the term. The support from family and friends on the side lines was also fantastic and really spurred our teams on!
Woodbridge 1st team vs RHS
This was a very exciting, high paced and end to end home match to start the season with too many highlights and good performances to single out. In perfect conditions on a Saturday afternoon, with great support on the side lines, the team delivered a performance which will hopefully fill them with confidence for the rest of the term. It took consistent hard work, skill, team play, good decision making as well as precision to make the result happen and never letting the their guard down or taking the foot off the gas.
RHS scored first deep into the first half with a field goal when they were outrun on the left flank, and the overload was too big to recover from. Woodbridge answered in the perfect way, when Year 11’s Alfie scored from a broken-down penalty corner seconds before the half time whistle. The score was doubled early in the second half when Year 12’s Edward scored from a PC (penalty corner) rebound, just reward for an outstanding personal performance. Five minutes later RHS benefitted when a speculative high reverse hit into the D ricocheted off the post and landed perfectly to be put into the goal, much to Woodbridge’s frustration. Yet another five minutes later team captain, Year 13’s Henry cleverly flicked the ball over the desperate keeper, following up well after the initial shot was saved.
Both teams had chances in the remainder of the match but defences stood strong. Well done to the team and every player on this fantastic first performance. Player of the match was Henry, leading from the front.
Credit to all the players who made their first team debut, but looked like seasoned pros: year 12’s Theo and Zaid, year 11’s Luca, Oscar, Bash and Joe, and special mention to Year 9 debutants Tom, Jasper and Alex H.
Woodbridge 2nd team vs RHS
This was a proverbial ‘match of two halves’ which saw RHS dominate the first half and Woodbridge the next. Being the first game of the season, it took a while for the boys to find their feet and gel. Unfortunately, in this time RHS scored a well worked goal. In the second half, Woodbridge dominated possession and had the better of the chances but RHS scored two break away goals, despite the best efforts of Year 11’s Oscar in goal. Well done to Year 10 boys who played up and did a great job.
Woodbridge U15A vs RHS
The U15s seem to follow the trend of the 2nd team. Taking time to get into things after their first fixture of the season had to be postponed due to frosty pitches. RHS dominated the first 20 minutes and Woodbridge the next 30. Woodbridge conceded two goals before they started to gel and string passes together and play with more confidence. It was not possible to overcome the goal deficit but much experience gained and learning setting the team up nicely for the next matches.
Woodbridge U15B vs RHS
Playing the last home match late in the afternoon and under the lights, the U15B team definitely did not disappoint with their spirited performance. The game was evenly poised throughout the opening stages with chances at both ends. Year 10’s Ethan made a couple of excellent saves and telling clearances to keep the scores level at half time. Ten minutes into the second half, the U15s broke the deadlock through a deft finish by Year 10’s Henry following a short corner. The boys defended resolutely to close out an excellent win. A great start to the season! Well done to Ethan for an excellent performance in goal.
Woodbridge U14A vs RHS
This was an equally fought contest between two strong teams. The first half saw both teams having strong chances, but our defence held firm. Year 9’s Alex H took control of the back, and not much got through him and, when it did, he remained cool and calm. His interplay with the rest of the defensive team, coupled with the strong midfield play of Year 9’s Jasper and Tom, meant we owned much of the midfield. The Year 9s will look forward to being more clinical with their goal finishing when they next face RHS. This time there was nothing to separate the teams in the score line, yet a very entertaining end to end match.
It was a team performance, and each and every person listened to instruction at half time, then acted on it. We look forward to the rematch. Alex was named player of the match.
Woodbridge U14B vs RHS
As the afternoon wore on and the temperature dropped, a faithful band of parents stayed to watch their sons play a decent game at RHS. RHS had the best of the first half and they had a couple of dynamic and skillful players. Both goals came from penalty corners that were hit with enormous power and accuracy; nothing the keeper could do in either case. Woodbridge gave a much better account of themselves in the second half and profited most when using the space out wide. Woodbridge then managed a number of promising entries into the D and finally worked the RHS goalie after good build up player by player of the match Year 9’s Josh. There were no more goals in the second half to give RHS ‘bragging rights’ this time round!
Our Junior hockey teams were in action on Wednesday 25 January, with all our Year 7 and 8 boys in matches against Framlingham College.
Woodbridge Junior 1 vs. Framlingham
The Junior 1s continued their good form with a superb performance against a very strong Fram College team. The team knew it would be a tough game but relished the chance to be the underdog and work for an upset. What resulted was an end-to-end game where both teams’ goalkeepers stole the show. Year 8’s Arthur in the Woodbridge goal was a metaphorical wall, making one great save after another, keeping us in the game. Woodbridge had chances of their own with Year 8’s Oliver Y using his pace to good effect, Harry his skill and Toby and Elijah excellent forward positioning, but were denied by equally good saves by the Fram goal keeper.
Year 8 defenders, Barney and Oliver M, played very well but eventually Fram managed to find the back of the goal, once in each half. The result was not to be, but the performance is up there with the best and the Woodbridge players stole the hearts of everyone watching, showing their own big hearts and character. Every player played their best match with Arthur being unanimously awarded player of the match.
Woodbridge Junior 2 vs. Framlingham
The Junior 2s also came up against a strong Framlingham team. A slow start from us saw the opposition score three quick goals. Despite conceding early, the boys played some great hockey in the first half and created a number of chances that weren’t converted. The second half was just as entertaining, with some excellent link up play resulting in lots of action in the opposing D, before one of the chances was finished well by player of the match, Year 8’s Toby.
Woodbridge Junior 3 vs. Framlingham
Another Wednesday and another cracking game of hockey for the Junior 3s. The team, with a new addition in year 7’s Frank, worked hard throughout the game and made significant inroads into the Framlingham defence in the initial ten minutes. Unfortunately no goals were scored in this time and once Framlingham had weathered the storm they came back strongly and they then had possession of the ball in our half for the next 10 minutes, which resulted in a goal by the big front man.
Early in the second half, Fram doubled their lead, however a few changes in position and Year 8’s Tom started making inroads down the right-hand-side. One of his powerful runs ended in a great cross and Lade scored with 15 minutes to play. Woodbridge were now on the attack and more strong runs by Tom saw the Woodbridge forwards hitting the post on two occasions and narrowly missing the goal on a further three occasions. Pushing for the equalising goal in the closing minutes, Woodbridge threw caution to the wind, playing with an attacking formation, however a lucky break away meant that Framlingham scored another to seal the win. And round up an excellent end to end game of hockey and some fantastic performances. Well done to Year 8’s Tom on his player of the match performance.
Woodbridge Junior 4 vs. Framlingham
The match started slowly in the first half, with neither team dominating. An opportunistic deflected goal by year 8’s Sam P in only his second hockey match gave the small band of dedicated supporters something to cheer about. The second half saw some hockey with attacking intent break out! Woodbridge had a series of one-on-ones that resulted in Year 8’s Oscar R bagging two quick goals and we also forced a number of promising penalty corners. Yes, we conceded a sloppy goal but generally year 8’s Edward made good goalkeeping decisions at the back assisted by a stout and dependable player of the match performance by Year 7’s Alex H. Year 8’s Ted settled everyone’s nerves by bagging a well-taken late goal. This was a great squad performance and it was good to see urgency, hunger and desire in the second half.
Woodbridge Junior 5 vs. Framlingham
The Junior 5s had a very close, competitive game against Fram which was an excellent challenge for both sets of players. Two contrasting styles saw Woodbridge with a good amount of territory and possession pushing numbers forward and Fram looking to counter quickly against the exposed defence. This led to some exciting goal mouth action at both ends but without any end product. Deep into the second half the game was decided; a strong attack by Woodbridge was denied by a superb save by the opposition goalkeeper and moments later the winning goal was scored. Woodbridge again attacked but Fram defended well, won the ball back and rapidly transitioned forward, winning the game with a composed finish.
This was a game that could very easily have been won by either side and we should be rightly proud of our performance, strong play throughout and a wonderful response to going behind so late in the game. Special mention to Year 7’s William and Pranav who defended so resolutely throughout and set up many attacks.
Woodbridge Junior 6 & 7 vs. Framlingham
The Junior 6 and 7 teams played Framlingham with the 6s playing the first half. Woodbridge started the game with some good speed getting the ball back early from the hit off. Some good play from the attack moved the ball out wide and played a good ball into the nine-yard area and tapped in by Year 8’s Callum. Some good defending saw Woodbridge keep Framlingham out and Woodbridge kept up the pressure with Callum scoring a hattrick before half time. After half time the Junior 7s took to the field and Woodbridge carried on the attack with a good run down the right wing from Year 7’s Jamie and a tap in by Year 7’s Max. Framlingham scored two goals in quick succession with some good link-up play. Both teams managed one more goal before the final whistle and Woodbridge holding on for the win.
Students have been meeting with Miss Norman for tea and cake, recognising various team events and personal accomplishments in School this week, to celebrate their Head’s Commendation. This reward is recognised throughout School as not only a treat but an opportunity to share and celebrate your success with others, and something students and Miss Norman look forward to enormously.
Last Friday, Year 11’s Phoebe, Eloise and Ellen, alongside Year 12’s Izzy and Year 13’s Amy received and celebrated their Head’s Commendation for achieving third place in the Regional Finals of the cross country cup, going through to the National Finals which take place on 3 December.
Meanwhile Year 7’s Ella joined Miss Norman for tea and cake to celebrate her fabulous efforts with Inktober earlier in the School year; students were invited to create and share a drawing in ink for each day of October.
Having prepared and presented a superb short lecture for Year 10 students on Of Mice And Men, Year 12’s Sophie, Lala, Jack, Isla and Rufus were invited to receive their Head’s Commendation this week; while Year 12’s Amy, Faith, Xander, Lulu and Arthur were joined by Year 13’s Henry, Sasha, Isla, George and Marnie to recognise their superb help in creating the Art department’s video.
And finally, several students joined Miss Norman to celebrate their contributions to the English Essay competition. Year 11’s Bea won first place, with an essay on the way human failings are explored in Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. Year 10’s Katie was the runner-up, with a fascinating essay exploring the way power is shown to be dangerous in two highly contrasting texts. Year 11’s James, Amelie and Ellen also joined Miss Norman, having provided excellent entries for the competition.
On Wednesday Woodbridge School had two Girls teams compete at the 51st Annual Cross Country Relays at King Henry School in Coventry. The relays are a national event, the largest schools cross country relays in England, with strong cross country schools competing from around the country. The format is teams of four, with each athlete running 2.3 miles; pur Running Coach Mark Goddard reported on the event.
Mark Goddard’s Report
For the fifth year in succession our Girls A Team (Year 13’s Amy, Year 8’s Romilly, Year 9’s Charlie and Year 10’s Phoebe) finished in the top ten, coming home in 9th place.
For Amy this will be her last ever cross country in a Woodbridge School vest and fittingly she recorded our fastest school leg of the day. Such is the consistency amongst our top athletes that all four in the team competed their legs within half a minute of each other.
Our second team (Year 10’s Rose and Poppy, along with Year 8’s Sophie and Felicity) went one better to record the best ever finish for our seconds, coming home in 19th place. Again consistency across the team with a blistering last lap from Felicity.
Whilst this is the final race for Woodbridge School teams this winter, there are still a number of regional and national events to follow, the first of which is this Saturday 4 February, where 24 of our athletes will race for Suffolk Schools at the Anglian Schools Championship in Northampton. A five county event with 80 athletes in each race and for Juniors (Year 8) and above the final selection race to compete for Suffolk at English Schools in Nottingham in March.
Congratulations to our relay runners and good luck to everyone competing on Saturday.
Our U14 and U16 netball teams travelled to Stanborough School last Friday, ahead of the East Regional round of the National Schools Championships. One of only two schools representing Suffolk in both age groups, the teams did incredibly well.
Our U14s won three out of their six matches, their losses only by a tiny margin, one game by only one goal! They took joint 4th place out of their pool of seven, going on to take joint 9th place overall in the final placings.
Our U16s followed suit by winning three out of their six matches too, again with losses by a very small margin. Taking joint 4th place in their pool of seven, the final placings saw them in joint 7th place overall.
The girls should be incredibly proud of themselves and their performances, as well as how they conducted themselves; they faced some very tough and at times very physical opposition, but rose to the occasion and played very well indeed, it was a real team effort (we even had four pairs of siblings playing) and the girls thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
Special thanks to everyone who helped organise and take the teams away overnight as well as getting them ready for the matches.
Last weekend will definitely be etched in the memory of our young athletes for some time to come. On Saturday, Woodbridge School was proud to host the National IAPS Cross Country Championship with some incredible results for our Prep School athletes.
Our U11 boys were National Champions for the second year in succession, with Year 6’s Dexter taking individual Gold and Year 6’s Otis winning the silver medal. Not to be outdone, our U11 Girls, who took third place last year, went one better to take a well-deserved team Silver this year.
The day was an amazing community event, with over 100 entrants in each of the U11 races and our own Year 12’s Henry handing out medals and trophies at the presentation.
And just as the dust began to settle, on Sunday morning Suffolk Schools Athletics announced their team to compete at Anglian Schools in Northampton on Saturday 4 February.
Woodbridge School had a previous school record of 18 athletes selected across the age groups, but this year our young athletes surpassed that with ease, with 24 earning County selection and a further two on short reserve lists. With almost 80 schools having entered the first trial, 41 schools make up the team of 128 athletes selected across the age groups, and the next highest contingent selected from a single school is 9 compared to our 24.
Congratulations to every athlete and good luck for the regional and national events remaining this season.
Students selected to represent Suffolk Schools:
Minor Girls:
India (Year 6)
Ella (Year 6)
Alexandra (Year 6)
Marina (Year 7)
Grace (Year 7)
Alice (Year 7)
Minor Boys:
Dex (Year 6)
Alfie (Year 6)
Ollie (Year 6)
Otis (Year 6)
Charlie (Year 6)
Digby (Year 7)
Reserve:
Oscar (Year 7)
Junior Girls:
Romilly (Year 8)
Felicity (Year 8)
Charlie (Year 9)
Junior Boys:
Jasper (Year 9)
Inter Girls:
Phoebe (Year 10)
Poppy (Year 10)
Ellen (Year 11)
Reserve:
Rose (Year 10)
Inter Boys:
Angus (Year 10)
Bruce (Year 11)
Senior Girls:
Isobel (Year 12)
Amy (Year 13)
Senior Boys:
Henry (Year 12)
Mrs Brown, Assistant Head (Pastoral) at Woodbridge School has been working hard introducing proactive, positive measures to support students’ mental health.
Mindful of students’ experiences throughout Covid, lockdowns and the lasting impact this has had on many of our students, Mrs Brown has put various measures in place to support the promotion of positive well-being throughout the School. Covid added to the usual stresses and strains of being teenagers and our young people are often surrounded by the pressures from and, the impact of, social media. Equipping students to navigate these waters is a key aim.
Alongside an open-door policy allowing students to drop in to see her for support, she has also introduced specific support through tutor sessions. Students from every year group are encouraged and given the opportunity to spend time focusing on a number of proposed topics when they meet with tutors during the week, and during January those topics have included:
- Understanding anxiety and why it’s not a bad thing
- Guide to stressful situations for young people
- Guide to managing social media for young people
- Playing sports benefits your body and benefits to mental well being
Outcomes from these tutor sessions can be shared with Mrs Brown by teachers and/or students, or students can approach her individually, to put in place action plans for those who want and need additional support.
Future plans include podcasts focusing on different areas associated with well-being, broadening the buddy system and a well-being check-in platform that is currently being trialed by Year 10 students.
Through increased accessibility and visibility of support, further planned activities and those that will be developed throughout the year, Mrs Brown will support students as they navigate life in and outside of School. We look forwarded to reporting on further developments throughout the year.