Category: Sixth Form News
This year’s Carol Service at St Mary’s Church, Woodbridge was once again a highlight of the School calendar, and performed three times to ensure every student has the opportunity to experience it. It remains an important and poignant moment in the educational year, offering space for reflection, celebration, and a shared sense of community for students, staff, alumni and their families.
The services were led by our very own Reverend Ian Wilson, whose warmth and guidance provided a thoughtful spiritual thread throughout each gathering.
The Chamber Choir led a beautifully crafted Service of Nine Lessons and Carols, opening with an atmospheric introit of Tavener’s A Christmas Round. During the first service, the low afternoon sun streamed through the stained-glass windows, bathing the choir and congregation in warmth and coloured light, adding a serene, almost timeless aura to the occasion.
Our Head, Miss Norman, reminded us that the Carol Service – and the work of the Chamber Choir – is ultimately about the feeling each individual takes away with them. This sentiment was reflected in the thoughtful choice of anthems that punctuated the biblical story of the birth of Jesus and in the students’ sincere performances throughout.
The choir sang under the watchful and encouraging eye of Claire Weston, our Head of Singing, whose guidance and high expectations help the students achieve an exceptional standard each year. Claire shared,
“I am immensely proud of the choir and the musical heights they consistently reach, and this year was no exception.”
James Davy’s skilled and impressive organ playing underpinned the entire service, enriching each carol and moment of reflection with both musical sensitivity and grandeur.
A particular delight was Jamie John Hutchings’ arrangement of Silent Night, written and gifted especially for this year’s service and performed with accompanying sign language by the entire ensemble. Gjeilo’s setting of The Coventry Carol provided one of the most striking moments; its haunting harmonies filling the church with this well known carol in a new setting.
The climax of the service came with a newly arranged Personent Hodie by A. Mortensen, a little-known composer from Aldeburgh. The piece’s vibrant energy and fresh character offered a memorable finale, made even more special by the composer’s presence at Thursday evening’s performance.
In the weeks leading up to the services, the choir members demonstrated admirable commitment and focus. Their dedication in rehearsals was clearly reflected in the poise, confidence, and musical excellence they brought to each service. Across all three services, the students’ musicianship, hard work, and sense of occasion shone through, making this year’s Carol Service a truly uplifting celebration for the entire school community.
Our Rugby teams have enjoyed an exciting second half to the season, highlighted by impressive victories across the age groups and teams.
A few recent standouts being the U12s who secured a strong 50-5 home win against Ipswich High, while the U15s delivered a determined performance to defeat RGS Colchester.
Most recently, the 1st XV continued their fine form with a hard-fought 36-12 victory over Northgate with a particular highlight being Year 12’s Arthur G making an excellent break from fullback and offloading in the tackle to Year 11’s Zach C who finished in the corner.
With just one competitive fixture remaining for the senior squad – a final showdown against RGS Colchester on Tuesday with the current Year 13’s playing their final match for the School – the remaining Rugby age groups now looks forward to rounding off the season with a series of spirited inter-house matches.
December may have had only twelve and a half School days, but they have certainly been busy days in Careers.
Tech Talk
The month began with us welcoming Marc Whiting, a Year 13 parent, who shared his career journey and how he landed a role at one of the biggest tech companies in the world. But his talk was about much more than securing that job. Marc spoke about his experiences in school, the challenges he faced, his path after Sixth Form, and the opportunities he seized along the way. Above all, he highlighted how resilience, determination, and staying focused on his ‘North Star’ led him to where he is today. If there was one key message to take away, it would be this quote:
“I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.”
Wayne Gretzky
NHS Webinar
Next was our monthly NHS Webinar, which this time focused on Diagnostic Radiography and the routes into this field. It is always fascinating to learn about the variety of roles within the NHS, as well as the innovation it continues to bring.
British Airways
We also welcomed Old Woodbridgian (OW) Henry Tasker back to the School to speak with a Year 12 student about his experience with British Airways when he was in Year 11; what it was like and how to apply for the programme. It was wonderful to see a recent OW sharing his insights.
Careers in Law
Careers in Law proved to be a popular lunchtime talk, hosted by OW and Governor Florence Paul, along with Polly Hester, a Year 13 parent. They gave students valuable insight into the diverse pathways available within the legal field.
ESNEFT Careers Fair
Finally, myself and Mr Cooper took 20 students to the ESNEFT Careers Fair. This annual event, held at Trinity Park, is a fantastic opportunity for students to explore the wide range of career fields within the NHS; whether that be Finance, HR, Speech and Language Therapy, Surgery, and everything in between. Students especially enjoyed the interactive activities, from wearing a fake pregnancy belly to learning how to gown up for theatre. They truly had the chance to experience it all.
Thank you to everyone for their time and contributions. This month has truly highlighted the strength of our parent and alumni network, along with our connections to local organisations, in helping us deliver a fantastic careers provision.
Our last week of Hockey matches just kept the smiles coming, with more highlights to celebrate. In this last report of the season, we share stats, celebrate our Year 13 players and highlight some of the last matches played, including a shout out to another team ending their season unbeaten!
The Stats
Over the course of the Michaelmas Term our girls’ teams played 85 full length matches in the respective age groups. These delivered 50 wins, 14 draws and only 21 losses – quite a feat from our players. 196 goals were scored; only 94 conceded. Our amazing goalkeepers kept 32 clean sheets and we had 81 different goal scorers from Year 7 to 13! Five hattricks were scored over the season, and the top goal scorer in 11-a-side Hockey (Years 9 to 13) was Year 10’s Eirran with 10 goals for the U15A team over the season. For Years 7 to 8, playing 7-a-side, it was Year 7’s Issy and Sofia with 13 goals each! Two teams remained unbeaten over the course of the season in their Wednesday matches, the Junior 1s and Junior 2s.
Apart from our usual midweek matches, we competed in four County Cup Competitions. Our teams did amazingly well in these England Hockey Area Competitions. The 1st team, Junior 1s and U12 teams competed at the U18, U13 and U13 Regional Finals respectively after finishing in the top two in the County. We have had several players selected for Suffolk and Year 10’s Jemima B has been selected for the East Talent Academy.
What a season it has been!
Woodbridge Junior Teams
Our Junior teams finished their season on a high with a clean sweep over Langley with our Junior 2s, 3s and 4s taking on the U13A, B and C teams from Langley.
The Junior 2s started slowly after their last journey to Magpies but once they got going there was no stopping them. A win and another three goals scored (two from Year 8’s Ava and one from Year 7’s Chloe Y) to end the season unbeaten, with six wins and two draws, scoring 22 goals in the process and conceding just four!
The Junior 3s stormed to another convincing win, scoring three goals while Year 8’s Kitty kept a clean sheet. Year 8’s Elodie and Tati scored our goals. The Junior 4s won by the same scoreline, with Year 8’s Ellie scoring a hattrick of goals.
A pretty impressive last day of Junior matches – three wins, nine goals with only one against.
Well done to the players who didn’t play matches but continued to work hard on their technical ability in their games lesson and were pretty impressive mastering 3D attacking skills.
Woodbridge U15B vs RHS
The U15B team showed real fight and character in their last match of the season against RHS. Coming back from behind twice to draw the game was pretty impressive especially considering the awful weather conditions. The heart and desire shown by the team was a real highlight. Year 10’s Sophia scored both goals and Year 10’s captain, Isobel was named Player-of-the-Match.
Woodbridge Senior Teams
The last word goes to our senior teams.
The 1st team ended things with a good, but perhaps sometimes frustrating match against Langley. The team had to learn to adjust to these frustrations and just play. The Langley keeper kept everything out in the first half, until Year 12’s Bea stepped up to take a penalty stroke, which she converted well to send Woodbridge ahead. At the end of the first half Woodbridge had to deal with a period of sustained pressure from Langley which spurred the team on to be tougher and more clinical to use their chances and take the game away from the opposition in the second half. Player-of-the-Match, Bea, again was influential with line-breaking carries to get into the D and make chances, and ultimately goals. The first of these came with the perfect pass which Year 13’s Lara deflected well, before Bea scored the third in a clinical finish after a good attacking carry. Year 13’s Eve was influential at the back as well as getting involved in attacking areas and having shots at goal. A fun and convincing win to end a very positive season for the team.
The 3rd team hosted RHS for their last match. It was a hotly contested game with both goalkeepers being kept busy. It was great to see Year 11’s Eva back in goal and making such an impact in the game. Year 12’s Valentina scored when she found herself in the D, following an amazing solo run which saw the line to goal open up. The game ended in a draw, but hockey, sportsmanship and fun together were the real winners. Thanks to Mrs Scahill and this group of players for their commitment to this Hockey season.
Lastly, our 2nd team got two wins from two matches to cap off a great second half of the season and wrap things up with a last-minute winner. On Tuesday last week they faced Langley School and outplayed them with a very convincing win, showing the experience our group has. Goals were spread round and scored by Year 13’s Phoebe D (2), Lily G, Georgia G and Year 11’s Frankie (2) and Amelia. Player-of-the-Match was Lily G in her last match for School.
The 2nd team also featured in the last match of the season, against Fram College 3s under lights on the astro, last Thursday. This was a real nailbiter and left everyone on the edge of their seat until the very end. Many staff watching complemented the team on the constructive and attractive hockey they played. Year 11’s Amelia scored the opening goal before Fram College drew level. Woodbridge pushed for the winner in the closing stages with Year 13’s combining well. With time ticking away, the team made an overload count, getting numbers in the D, where Year 13’s Phoebe R scored the winning goal. A fitting end and fitting celebrations to draw the season to a close. Player-of-the-Match was awarded to Year 12’s Scarlett.
Last Competitive Match for Year 13s
It’s with a sad and happy heart that we saw our Year 13 play their last competitive matches for School – happy because of the players and people they have become, and sad because we don’t want it to be over. We are grateful to each of these girls who have given so much to Hockey at School, some from Year 3 when they started playing in matches, some playing their first matches in Year 7, some from Year 12 when they joined 6th Form and some making a return to hockey in their final year of School. Thank you: Lara, Nancy, Georgia P, Eve, Sophie, Phoebe D, Georgia G, Tabby, Lily C, Lily G, Phoebe R, Jazzie, Rose, Emily, Martha, Juno, Tilly and Libby! Thanks for fun memories and so many from this season. You will be missed!
As we head towards the Christmas break , Mr Gunn, Head of Boarding at Woodbridge School, looks back on what our boarders have been doing during Michaelmas term.
“It is wonderful to reflect on just how much our boarding community has achieved together over the first term of this academic year. A particular highlight has been the creation of our new boarding promotional video, with students showcasing the very best of School House, Woodbridge School, and the town itself. Their enthusiasm and maturity made the project a real success and a pleasure to work on together.
This term has also been marked by meaningful moments of community and reflection, including our involvement in Remembrance and our shared silence to honour those affected by conflict. Alongside this, boarders have enjoyed a rich programme of weekend activities and trips, from escape rooms and go-karting, to pottery, punting in Cambridge, and preparing for university life through cookery sessions.
We are equally delighted with the extensive redesign of School House, including a new front office, refreshed rooms, and improved social spaces. These refurbishments have already had a positive impact on daily life, creating an even warmer and more welcoming environment for everyone at School House.
It has been a busy, positive, and memorable term, and we are immensely proud of the way our boarders have embraced every opportunity, merging together as a boarding family, taking care of themselves and one another through kindness, community and generosity to one another.
We look forward to carrying this momentum into the next term.”
Woodbridge School is delighted to confirm our ranking in The Sunday Times Parent Power 2026 tables, contributing towards the biggest regional improvement being seen in East Anglia, as we moved up a stunning 43 places year-on-year rise in the national tables.
The survey provides a definitive resource for parents researching schools, by providing rankings based on their performance in A levels and GCSE; our students’ A* rate at A level confirms our position as the best performing school in Suffolk, as do our GCSE results, which, at 59.7% grades 9 to 7, also put us top of the tree in the region.
These results and this ranking is testament not only to the hard work and commitment of our students in their academic studies and examination performance, but to the support, dedication and encouragement provided by our teachers and parents. Academic results are tangible, and of course something we work towards, and this recognition reflects that success. However, we strive to provide students with an enriched and balanced education, through a range of co-curricular activities focusing on other aspects of life such as sport, leadership opportunities, clubs and societies as well as our Combined Cadet Force. Results are just one part of a student’s journey and personal development; we celebrate every aspect of their lives inside and outside of School, helping them on the pathway to becoming everything they are meant to be.
Shona Norman, Head of Woodbridge School, said:
“As Head of Woodbridge School, I am of course incredibly proud of our students and their achievements, and of them being recognised in this way by The Sunday Times. But again, this is pride that I share with our entire community, since it is a team effort involving our students, teachers and parents, in achieving consistent excellence in all areas of School life, not just academic.”
In terms of recognition for the School, the Parent Power survey is a useful tool for navigating the complex landscape of education in terms of making informed choices and selecting a suitable school for children. Woodbridge School is a key part of our town and region, and we are proud to be part of the reason East Anglia has seen the biggest regional improvement, with local schools leaping an average of 15 places. It feels wonderful to have contributed to this with a stunning 43 place year-on-year rise in these national tables.
Last Friday our A level Drama students travelled to London to see Punch, written by state-of-the-nation playwright James Graham (Dear England, This House, BBC’s Sherwood). Punch brings Jacob Dunne’s extraordinary true story to the stage in a gripping, high-energy and deeply moving production directed by Adam Penford.
Jacob Dunne, a teenager from Nottingham, spends his Saturday nights seeking thrills with his friends. One fateful evening, an impulsive punch leads to fatal consequences. After spending time in prison, Jacob finds himself lost and directionless. Searching for answers, Joan and David – the parents of his victim James – ask to meet, sparking a profound transformation in Jacob’s life. A powerful true story of hope, humanity, and the possibility of change.
Year 13’s Isaac shares his thoughts on the play below:
“Punch was a brilliant production that tackled so many pressing issues, from drug abuse, herd mentality, and a failed school system for those with learning difficulties.
The second act beautifully captured a reconciliation of the victim’s family and the perpetrator, bringing the difficult idea of forgiveness into the forefront.
Taking inspiration from Jacob Dunne’s memoir Right from Wrong it was incredibly interesting to see how two perspectives of James’ death dealt with the aftermath and the new process in place to restore some form of informal justice between the James’ family and Jacob.
The set and lights were exceptional; what seemed like a bare stage was used effectively to create a nightclub, a housing estate, a prison and a community centre seamlessly. They used the lights well to hide elements of the story such as excluding the physical punch through a blackout; I thought that was a brilliant idea and ensured that the focus was kept on the impact felt by all the characters after that event.”
On Tuesday evening, students came together to perform in our annual Michaelmas Concert. Thank you to everyone who came along and supported the students, and to all those involved in ensuring the concert could take place, in particular our Director of Music, Mr Woodley, and our Head of Singing, Miss Weston, who shares her report of the concert below.
What an incredible evening! The Woodbridge School Michaelmas Concert was a triumphant and ambitious musical showcase of the immense and diverse talent of our students at Woodbridge School.
The success of the evening was testament to the students’ hard work in preparation for the evening; the appreciative audience clearly showed their support enthusiastically for every performance and Seckford Theatre was buzzing.
The varied programme powerfully demonstrated the diversity of music and the spirit of inclusivity fostered here at Woodbridge School.
The Percussion Ensemble opened the show vibrantly with A Sky Full of Stars – what a great way to start! Solos from Year 9’s India B (Matilda) and Year 8’s Joseph (Jingle Bell Rock) were wonderful highlights met with a warm reception. The Big Band delivered a powerful, locked-in rendition of Under Pressure and Rock Band ‘If only’ injected raw energy with Seven Nation Army, promising a strong and exciting future for rock at the School.
After the interval, the Concert Band earned a worthy cheer by bravely tackling the complex jazz fusion piece Lingers under Mr Woodley’s baton. Vocalist, Year 11’s Amelia G, delivered an outstanding and mature display of elegance with her beautiful and emotional performance of Lost Without You.
The rock stage then lit up as ‘T.O.R.C.H’ channelled 90s angst with powerful Nirvana and The Cranberries covers, and Idyll followed with a solid, classic rock take on Come Together. Mr Shepherd led the Brass Ensemble with his usual style, Fitzroy Street Blues was a particular highlight.
The evening was flawlessly wrapped up by the Swing Band, their final, seasonal arrangement of All I Want For Christmas was the perfect way to end this menage of music.
I think it’s safe to say that the concert was a resounding success, affirming the vibrant, enthusiastic state of music and performance at Woodbridge School!
The ESAA Regionals Round of the Cup took place at Felsted School on Thursday 6 November, and as many will know, this is one of the most important races of the calendar for our cross-country runners as the teams all work hard to try and qualify for the Nationals’ Final in December. Our Junior Boys and Junior Girls teams competed, alongside our Inter Boys and Inter Girls. Our report from Elisa Bostock, our Endurance Running Coach, shares all the details below.
“All of our qualifying teams headed to the Regionals Round of the English Schools Cross Country Cup earlier this month. For the last nine years we have had at least one team qualify and this year we are proud to say two of our teams will race in the final in Rugby on the 6 December 2025.
Our Junior Girls kicked off the day and gave a sterling effort with Year 8’s Chloe coming second to the UK’s top ranked U13 girl Madison. Year 7’s Sofia was an impressive 8th, a year young in this age group. The rest of the team worked hard and came in as shared below:
- Year 8’s Chloe – 2nd
- Year 7’s Sofia – 8th
- Year 7’s Florence – 34th
- Year 8’s Tati – 62nd
- Year 7’s Sophia – 63rd
- Year 8’s Juno – 65th
Overall, the team finished in 7th place which was incredible, well done girls.
Our Junior Boys then followed, chasing a fast pack of runners from the strong county of Essex. Year 8’s Ollie finished first for Woodbridge in 9th place, followed closely by his training partner Year 8’s Archie, who came in 11th. A top eleven finish for the two, also a great result. The rest also gave it their all for their team gaining another 7th place overall.
- Year 8’s Ollie – 9th
- Year 8’s Archie – 11th
- Year 7’s Kaydon – 44th
- Year 7’s Max – 50th
- Year 7’s Aiden – 56th
- Year 8’s Miles – 59th
Our Inter Girls headed off in their usual Kenyan-style pack, again chasing the incredibly strong Essex teams. They chased and held on brilliantly coming home in 7th, 8th, 11th, 16th , 49th and 62nd place. This result not only qualified them for the Nationals’ Final, but won the age category as the first school to have four athletes cross the line in the race.
- Year 9’s Alexandra – 7th
- Year 9’s India J – 8th
- Year 9’s Ella – 11th
- Year 9’s India B – 16th
- Year 9’s Imogen M – 49th
- Year 10’s Grace – 62nd
Final race of the day for Woodbridge School was the Inter Boys. Our boys lead this race the whole way alongside the Essex schools. Year 10’s Hamish bravely took the race on in the first of this three-lap course. Year 9’s Dex, a year young in this age category, chased our English Schools 800m finalist and moved into the lead and encroached, leaving just one runner to get in front. Year 10’s Digby paced his race superbly cruising up well to join his training trio. Dex moved into the lead towards the end of the second lap winning the whole race by a 17 second margin! Year 9’s Josh stormed in in 22nd place off the back of very limited training, while Year 10’s Oscar and Year 9’s Ollie R put in a superb effort, coming home in 31st and 34th. Another team win and well-deserved final around corner for our Inter Boys.
- Year 9’s Dex – 1st
- Year 10’s Digby – 4th
- Year 10’s Hamish – 5th
- Year 9’s Josh – 22nd
- Year 10’s Oscar – 31st
- Year 9’s Ollie R – 34th
Huge congratulations to these two teams for qualifying and a massive well done to all teams and athletes for putting in their maximum effort on the day.
The Sixth Form production of Steven Berkoff’s The Trial at Seckford Theatre this week, captured audiences from the very start with a striking opening scene to a well-known Faithless anthem. It was a sign of what was to come as our audience members were taken on a suffocating journey through the dark humour and absurdity of Kafka’s world.
As Joseph K’s (Year 13’s Fergus) day starts, one fine morning, he discovers that he is being arrested. But for what? For this respectable bank clerk, this is truly alarming and he immediately seeks to understand the reason for his arrest through interactions with numerous characters embroiled in an utterly incomprehensible legal system.
A minimalist but bold staging, dark and colourless, with simple door frames used to construct the changing scenes of the legal maze that Jospeh K moves through as his desperation to know the cause of his arrest mounts. Scenes of precise rhythmic and repetitious group movement create a claustrophobic atmosphere which heightened the increasing torment Joseph K was feeling.
From Huld (Year 12’s Edward) the sickly but overbearing lawyer, to Titorelli (Year 12’s Samuel) the effusive court painter, and the seductive Laundress (Year 13’s Georgia), no-one was making sense to him. Joseph K dies none the wiser.
In this highly physical, confident and focussed performance, by this wonderfully talented Sixth Form cast, the audience were certainly left with much to think about bureaucracy, power and justice.
Congratulations to cast and crew on a truly thought provoking performance, it was clear to see the hard work and dedication that had gone into every part of the performance, on and off the stage.
