Category: Sixth Form News
Last Saturday, athletes from Woodbridge School represented Suffolk schools at the English Schools in Sussex, the final Cross Country fixture of the winter. This being the third race for some of the runners in three consecutive weekends due to the rescheduled nationals cup date from last December; a real test for the best especially for those who would be competing in their first ever English schools.
The ESAA National Cross-Country championship is the most eagerly anticipated event of the winter for young athletes. It brings together the best athletes in each of the 46 counties in England to compete for the honour of being the best in the country. It is often hard to put into context but a top 100 finish can be the equivalent to significantly higher up in other national events. The starts are super-fast and the competition is the best there is for their age groups in England.
Four students recorded top 100 finishes and were amongst the first home for their county. Year 9’s Alice was 63rd and Year 8’s India J 100th in the junior girls race, Year 10’s Romilly 71st in the inter girls category and Year 8’s Dexter 23rd in the junior boys race.
Special mentions go to the first two home for Suffolk in their age groups. Alice and Dexter. Alice had the absolute race of her season! She has had a brilliant shift in mindset in her training to marry up to her talents and has committed to the cause week in week out. A well-deserved breakthrough race!
Dexter who brought it home for Suffolk once again, put the icing on the cake for a phenomenal winter of racing, national titles and a top 23 in his first ever English Schools Cross Country. Huge congratulations to them both.
We cannot forget to acknowledge all of the individual athletes who qualified for this high calibre race (please see mentioned below). Every single one of them has worked incredibly hard and should be extremely proud of unparalleled achievements both as individuals and more importantly as a team this winter. They will all now enjoy a well-earned rest and recovery as they take a mid-season break before they enter their track season. A final round of applause for them all as it is now over and out for another brilliant cross country season by Woodbridge School.
Here is a full summary of the Woodbridge School athletes results (context being up to 340 athletes in each race, once again, as we mentioned last week all good enough to be representing their county):
Junior Girls:
- 63rd – Year 9’s Alice
- 100th – Year 8’s India J
- 141st – Year 8’s Alexandra
Junior Boys:
- 23rd – Year 8’s Dexter
- 222nd – Year 9’s Hamish
Inter Girls:
- 71st – Year 10’s Romilly
Senior Boys: Suffolk Team :
- 138th – Year 13’s Iwan
Once again a massive thank you to all of you who follow and support their journey at these events and to all parents travelling up for the weekend to help.
Year 13 students Eloise and Ronnie have delivered an outstanding presentation on the geography of COVID-19. Drawing on the most recent epidemiological and social science research, they have critically examined the complex interplay between social, economic, and political determinants of health that have contributed to spatial disparities in COVID-19 morbidity and mortality at both global and UK scales.
Their analysis has underscored the role of pre-existing health inequities in shaping the disproportionate burden of mortality among socioeconomically deprived populations and ethnic minorities, as well as the long-term exacerbation of these disparities due to the pandemic’s syndemic nature and its socioeconomic consequences.
Their presentation exemplified the ‘power of geography’ in uncovering the social determinants of health and the intersectionality of social, economic, and political factors in shaping health outcomes at multiple spatial scales.
Equally commendable were the contributions of Hugh and Ollie, whose data visualisations and spatial analysis provided further empirical depth, strengthening the quantitative dimension of their own exceptional presentations.
Last week, eight students from our MUN Club, spanning Years 9 to 13, participated in the annual Felsted Model United Nations Conference. Representing the United States of America, they engaged in two days of rigorous debate across multiple committees, tackling a diverse range of global issues from environmental sustainability to international security.
On the first day, each delegate was assigned to a separate committee, where they engaged in deliberations over pre-submitted draft resolutions, advocating for or contesting clauses in accordance with US foreign policy. Notably, in the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) committee, one of our students had the distinction of drafting and submitting a resolution for debate.
The second day saw the merging of committees for broader plenary sessions, providing even greater scope for diplomatic engagement and strategic negotiation. In the afternoon, the entire Woodbridge delegation convened to represent the USA in a high-stakes crisis simulation. The scenario unfolded with the revelation that an unidentified force had seized control of the Panama Canal, sparking intense emergency negotiations.
As the crisis escalated, the US delegation was thrust into high-pressure diplomatic exchanges, formulating responses and forging alliances in real time. The situation took a dramatic turn when intelligence reports implicated US military elements in the takeover, prompting a wave of scrutiny and questioning from the international community. Despite facing a diplomatic onslaught, the Woodbridge delegation maintained composure, skillfully navigating the inquiries and articulating a compelling defense on the world stage.
The conference was a significant milestone, with two students attending their first-ever MUN and others further honing their diplomatic acumen. Several delegates received special recognition for their outstanding contributions: Year 11’s Jack and Year 10’s Maxim were highly commended, while Year 13’s Bruce earned a commendation for his performance.
Overall, the experience was both intellectually stimulating and immensely rewarding, reinforcing our students’ abilities in negotiation, public speaking, and international diplomacy.
On Saturday 8 March, 12 Woodbridge School athletes were included in the Suffolk team to compete at the UK Inter County Cross Country at Wollaton Park in Nottingham. The UK Inter County event is one of the most competitive in the country, with Area teams from Scotland and Wales competing against 45 County teams from England, almost giving the day a Home Nation International flavour.
At Senior and U20 level, the event also serves as a selection race for the World Cross Country Championships. Worlds are only held every two years and there is no championship in 2025.
Our athletes had a phenomenal day with three outstanding results to highlight.
Suffolk U20 Men won team silver against the very best the UK had to offer. The Suffolk scoring team included our own Year 13’s Iwan providing a very special reward for Iwan’s final cross country season at Woodbridge School. Just as special and worthy of a mention is the fact that all four of the Suffolk scoring team train together at Woodbridge School most Saturday mornings for exactly this reason – to raise the standard to compete with the very best.
The best individual result of the day came in the U13 Boys where Year 8’s Dexter finished an amazing 5th place, just nine seconds behind the winner over 3km – That’s 5th fastest in all of the UK! As far as we are aware only two Woodbridge School athletes have ever finished higher and both of those athletes went on to represent either English Schools or Great Britain.
Suffolk’s second best team result on the day was in the U13 Girls with a 9th place finish. What is unique with this result is that all four Suffolk scorers were Woodbridge School athletes. Our top two athletes had identical times in 28th and 30th, but such is the level of competition that they were only four seconds from 20th!
Here is a full summary of the Woodbridge School athletes (context being up to 350 athletes in each race, all good enough to be representing their county):
U13 Girls: Suffolk Team 9th:
28th – India J (Year 8)
30th – Chloe (year 7) – a brilliant run as a lower year!
39th – Alexandra (Year 8)
86th – Ella (Year 8)
222nd – Imogen (Year 8)
U13 Boys: Suffolk Team 14th:
5th Dexter (Year 8)
U15 Girls: Suffolk Team 21st:
73rd – Romilly (Year 10)
201st – Alice (Year 9)
U15 Boys: Suffolk Team 35th:
112th Digby (Year 9)
261st Hamish (Year 9)
U17 Men: Suffolk Team 15th:
97th – Angus Blackburn (Year 12)
U20 Men – Suffolk Team 2nd – Silver Medal:
53rd – Iwan (Year 13)
Congratulations to every athlete earning the right to compete at this event and a massive thank you to all the parents travelling up for the weekend in support.
Good luck to those athletes representing Suffolk Schools at English Schools in Sussex this coming weekend. The final race of the winter!
CCF RAF students from Years 9, 10 and 12 spend a full day at RAF Coningsby on Monday, organised by one of the School’s parents, Mr Winchester, who was stationed there as a flying instructor. Cadets visited the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, looked around a Typhoon jet and ‘flew’ on the simulator. Year 10’s Ishan shares his thoughts from the day.
Year 10’s Ishan
On Monday 3 March, ten cadets from the RAF section were given the once in a lifetime opportunity to have a very detailed tour of RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire.
Upon arrival we were escorted around the Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) hanger, which was filled with old fighters including, Hurricanes, Spitfires and my personal favourite – The Lancaster Bomber. The tour guide was amazing, giving us access beyond what you would get as a museum visitor. My favourite thing about this hangar was a Spitfire that was painted as a memorial for Sqd Ldr Mark Long.
After we visited the BBMF hangar we were then joined by Fighter Pilot called Phil McQuade who already that morning had flown to Wales for some low level flying through Snowdonia and then some touch and goes at RAF Valley. He took us to the 29 Squadron hangar where we saw Flt Lt David ‘Turbo’ Turnball who was last year’s display pilot, ahead of a tour of the hangar, it was incredible to see all the jets parked up! Our guide showed us around and told us about the different parts of the jet including the pylons for the A/A missiles and A/G bombs/missiles, the external fuel tanks which were much bigger than I previously thought and the coolest part of the jet tour was where the flares and chaffs came out from and the engines themselves.
After that, we were all given the once in a lifetime opportunity to sit in the jet which I didn’t think twice about, even the teachers got involved! Being in the cockpit was surreal, its much bigger than it looks and there aren’t many buttons to memorise which is very handy.
The next activity we had was the chance to have a go on the flight simulator, but not before being taken to where pilots were kitted up for their missions. We saw and learned lots about the pilot’s helmet from our guide; there was a day helmet and a night helmet which had the ability to put night vision goggles on. We also saw a G-suit which forces the blood up to the head to stay conscious. While we waited for the flight simulator we went to the crew room where we were able to get refreshments and food. The crazy thing was that everyone who walked in there was a pilot!!
The flight simulator was housed in a massive building for training pilots, we learned that most pilots in 29 squadron have a 70/30 spilt between simulator and flying. Following a thorough brief, we went into the simulator room – I was amazed! The throttle and flight stick were exactly the same as the one in the cockpit. We were ‘loaded up’ at Coningsby and told where we had to go and what our mission was – we had to fly under a bridge inverted, something I partly achieved; I managed to go under the bridge but I tried to roll out and I crashed!
This was most definitely one of the best trips I have been on, and we are all so very grateful to Mr Rob Winchester for organising the visit.
We are delighted to announce significant success in the Advanced section of the UK Linguistics Olympiad. With around 1,800 candidates taking part nationally, Woodbridge gained what the organiser described as “a remarkably distinguished set of results”.
In particular, of the 89 Golds which were awarded across Britain, two went to Woodbridge – a very impressive success-rate. Moreover, five of our winners were competing a year up (the Advanced section is for Sixth Form).
This is the third year in a row that Woodbridge has won a Gold in the Advanced section, and the second year in a row that Year 11’s Alexander has won Gold. He and Abigail qualify for Round two, from which the GB Olympiad squad is picked.
Results for the Breakthrough, Foundation and Intermediate levels will be announced in April.
Gold (in the top 5% in the country) (pictured above)
- Alexander C (Year 11)
- Abigail D (Year 13)
Silver (top 10%)
- Sam L (Year 11, and narrowly missing Gold)
- Jack C (Year 11)
- Aurelia H (Year 11)
Bronze
- Mika Q (Year 11)
Many congratulations to all.
Classics, Geography and History students from Year 10 and 12 travelled to the Bay of Naples, Italy last week, staying at the Hotel Ascot in the centre of the beautiful town of Sorrento, which overlooks the bay.
With an exciting and busy itinerary that included visiting and spending time exploring the vast ruins of Pompeii and learning about the people who lived in this ancient Roman city, students also visited the Baiae Archaeological Museum and Park, climbed up the Vesuvius volcano, and visited the mysterious site of the ancient prophetess, Sybil. They also visited the Herculaneum, the LAPIS underground Naples Museum and enjoyed some free time each day exploring for themselves.
Spending five days in Italy, our students have shared that they had a wonderful time and that the trip offered them the opportunity to find out much more about the history behind this beautiful part of the world, and that it supported their studies brilliantly.
Sharing their thoughts on the trip, reviews from Year 12′ Sofiia and Year 10’s Ted are below:
Year 12’s Sofiia
“I really enjoyed the trip! I thought that there was a nice balance between educational talks and free time for exploration. I also really liked the accommodation and organisation in general, and I appreciated the fact that we visited a wide range of places (not just the historical sites). And I can certainly say that the trip encouraged me to learn more about the history of the Roman Empire!”
Year 10’s Ted
“Our trip to Naples over last week was excellent! We covered all bases, I really enjoyed our trips to Pompeii and Herculaneum to find out about what life was like for the Romans, and in the evenings I had a great tine exploring Sorrento – eating lots of Pizza was a highlight! Overall it was great fun, and we learnt so much.”
Woodbridge school equestrian team have competed in three National qualifying competitions this term already. With details from Forest Edge, Poplar Park and Brook Farm, our reports below include details of the competitions, riders and their performances.
Forest Edge, Show Jumping
Travelling to the Forest Edge Arena in Norfolk for Show Jumping, our riders were there to qualify for the NSEA Championships, which take place in Addington in October. It was a successful day for the Woodbridge riders, with Year 8’s Jasmine starting off with a win in the 60cm warm up, followed by all four teams qualifying. It was also a win for the 70cm team, comprised of Year 8’s Jasmine, along with Year 7’s Daisy, Kirsty and Tati. The 80cm teams of Year 7’s Daisy and Tati, Year 9’s Grace, with Year 10’s Harry and Daisy, saw Harry and Year 10’s Edie qualify in first and second places. The 80cms teams of Daisy, Grace, Tati and Harry (team 1) and Daisy, Harry and Edie (team 2) qualified in first and second places respectively. Edie, Harry and Grace also went on to win the 90cm jumping. Well done everyone!
Poplar Park, Eventers Challenge
The next qualifier was a local one at Poplar Park on Saturday 15 February. This was an Eventers Challenge which is a mix of show jumping and cross country. Both 80cm teams qualified, with our team of Year 10’s Edi, Year 9’s Grace and Year 7’s Daisy taking the win; while our team of Grace, Year 10’s Zac Y10 and Daisy came in second place. We also had individual qualifiers with Year 8’s Kirsty taking second place in the 70cm, while Year 9’s Grace not only won the 80cm but also came second in the 90cm to qualify for the NSEA Championships at Hickstead in May. It certainly was a good day for Woodbridge, especially Grace, congratulations to all of them.
Brook Farm, Eventers Challenge
An Eventers Challenge at Brook Farm in Essex on Sunday 23 February saw our team of Year 7’s Daisy and Tati, with Year 9’s Grace go on to win the 70cm. The 80 team of Year 7’s Daisy, Year 9’s Grace and Year 10’s Harry also won, as did the 90cm team of Year 10’s Harry, Zac and Edie, with Year 9’s Grace. Individual qualifiers saw Daisy come in first place, while Grace came in third in the 70cm, while Harry took first, Daisy took second, and Grace took third place in the 80cm. Grace also took first place in the 90cm, while Harry took fourth. Another wonderful day for Woodbridge at Brook Farm, well done everyone.
Recognising academic excellence, dedication, and commitment, alongside exceptional performance throughout a rigorous admission application process, an offer from Oxbridge is certainly something to celebrate – and this year three of our Sixth Form students are doing just that! Georgie, Charlotte and Bee have each received offers from the University of Oxford, to study Biology, Medicine and English Language and Literature respectively.
Miss Norman, Head of School, shared,
“This prestigious university provides a world-class education, and an offer is something many aspire to achieve. Therefore, as a community, we are absolutely thrilled and delighted to celebrate with Georgie, Charlotte and Bee, and personally I am also incredibly proud of them. This is an incredible accomplishment;, they have each worked exceptionally hard in order to secure these offers. Their approach, conduct and attitude throughout their time at Woodbridge School has been commendable – they’ve each been a pleasure to know and teach.”
Talking about the application process, her offer and her hopes and aspirations for the future, Georgie shared,
“I was absolutely delighted to receive an offer from Magdalen College to read Biology. The process was admittedly time consuming and stressful but has been very much worth it. The School has been extremely supportive throughout this process with many teachers giving up their time to conduct mock interviews, which were essential in helping me to manage the interview process which was a very new concept to me. Miss Wright, who manages Oxbridge applications, has been a vital source of expertise and support throughout this process, spending countless hours helping me with my personal statement, reference and interview skills. Without her and other teachers’ support, this process would have been far more challenging and arduous. I am so very grateful for all the time and effort that was put into supporting me. I am not yet sure where this degree will take me, I love Biology and hope that by choosing a degree which I feel passionate about, I will discover a career path that suits me.”
Sharing her thoughts on the support received and the process of applying to Oxford University, Charlotte shared,
“I was super excited to be offered a place to study Medicine at Wadham College. The application was a long process, starting in the summer of Year 12 preparing for my UCAT entrance exam and entering essay competitions. Miss Wright has been incredibly supportive, helping me edit the many drafts of my personal statement, offering interview advice and guiding me through the whole process. My other teachers have also been really kind, offering to do mock interviews with me, helping me with my personal statements and writing my references. I’m really excited to have the opportunity to be taught by professors at the cutting edge of their field and take the next step towards becoming a Doctor.”
Describing the challenges of the application process as well as her hopes and aspirations for the future, Bee said,
“I was overjoyed to receive an offer for English Language and Literature at St Catherine’s College. The process for me was really interesting, despite being challenging at times and admittedly quite long, for English it was a chance to explore aspects of Literature that really interested me, where I was stretched to think about genres, writers and time periods beyond what we study at school. Miss Wright has been a huge support; suggesting books or essay competitions as well as arranging mock interviews. She also encouraged me to start my personal statement in Year 12 which, since I am studying four A levels, was a huge lifesaver. Similarly teachers from the English department provided mock interviews as well as an abundant knowledge on Literature which I could access in just a conversation. My tutor was also essential in navigating my confusion when it came to all things like applications, where to apply and what for – not just for Oxbridge applications but also other universities and opportunities for the future. I’m not sure where English Literature and Language will take me, but I very excited to be studying it in the future, and now am focusing on achieving my grades. I appreciate all the support the School has given me to pursue my passion.”
Miss Wright, Head of Academic Scholars and Oxbridge, said,
“Applying for Oxford and Cambridge universities is incredibly challenging and time-consuming, and getting into either of these universities is becoming more and more competitive. Hence, I am delighted for our offer-holders; they each completely deserve to have their hard work, focus and commitment to their education recognised in this way. They have each taken full advantage of every opportunity offered by Woodbridge School’s FitzGerald Programme for academic high-fliers, which includes successful entries into essay competitions, while also contributing enormously to the School, in Netball, Music, Debating and Art. I am immensely proud of them all.”
On Saturday, three Woodbridge School Cross Country Teams travelled to Leeds to compete in the National Final of the English Schools Cross Country Cup.
Schools need to navigate a County round and a Regional round to earn the right to line up at the start of the Nationals; the event is open to all schools across the Country. With over 6,000 secondary schools in England, only 27 were at the start of each race. Woodbridge School had teams in three of the six age group races, an achievement which in itself matches a best ever for the school.
Woodbridge School has now qualified one or more teams for the Nationals every year since 2016. And wow, what a day it turned out to be!
Saturday saw the National Final of the English Schools Cross Country Cup in Leeds, in the centenary year of English Schools Athletics.
Turns out a school so often celebrated for its academic and arts achievements can also compete with the very best athletic schools in England, with team Gold for our Junior Girls, team Gold for our Junior Boys and an Individual Gold for Dexter. A brilliant run by Year 8’s Dexter to take the win at a national event. Senior Boys were 27th last year, and a much improved 16th this year.
It was announced at prizegiving that the double Junior victory is unprecedented at this national event. They mentioned that they were so pleased it went to a school that had twice hosted the national final in recent years on behalf of English Schools, which is obviously great PR for Woodbridge School on the national stage.
There were so many happy athletes and parents, and well-deserved, after training tirelessly through all weather, weekends and holidays.
Full results:
Junior Girls – Team Gold – National Champions:
India J (Year 8) 9th
Alexandra (Year 8) 13th
Chloe (Year 7) 16th
Ella (Year 8) 22nd
India B (Year 8) 55th
Imogen (Year 8) 76th
(Woodbridge win with 60 points, second was 92 points and third 94 points)
Junior Boys – Team Gold – National Champions:
Dexter (Year 8) 1st
Olly (Year 8) 18th
Josh (Year 8) 24th
Alfie (Year 8) 26th
Otis (Year 8) 35th
Archie (Year 7) 56th
(Woodbridge win with 69 points, second was 97 points and third 108 points)
Senior Boys – 16th:
Iwan (Year 13) 28th
Angus (Year 12) 47th
Bruce (Year 13) 68th
Jasper (Year 11) 97th
Sam (Year 12) 119th
Congratulations to every single athlete, out there competing with the very best in the country!
A special day for the profile of Woodbridge School on a national athletic stage, and a huge thank you to all staff and parents supporting the team in Leeds.
Looking ahead, this coming weekend, 13 of our athletes will compete for Suffolk County at the UK Inter County Cross Country Championship in Nottingham and we wish them every success!
