Month: September 2017
On Commemoration Day we were encouraged by the Chaplain to consider a pirate asking us, ‘Where will ye be in 500 years time, me beauty?’ Making the service fun and memorable, Padre Cook then explained to us how Thomas Seckford’s enduring legacy and example is something we can all aspire to – and how, if we’re ever asked by a pirate, ‘Where will ye be in 500 years time, me beauty?’ we might hope to say, ‘Remembered in the hearts and lives of the young.’ On Monday our aim was to honour our benefactors, whose generosity has ensured our flourishing.
The U11A team give three cheers after a hard fought match
Well played to the U11 boys’ rugby teams who both opened the season with wins over Holmwood House. The A team won 2 tries to 1 with Luca and Fred both scoring tries. Jonjo and Jack P both made huge contributions in defence and attack. The B team played some great rugby in their 5 try to 4 victory. A special mention must go to Justin, Tolly and Oscar who all played their first rugby match for the Abbey.
In Science the Year One children have been learning about senses. As part of the topic Splish! Splash! Splosh! they tried a variety of different seafood from tuna fish to samphire. The children were very adventurous!
The recent legal case by parents of children at St Olave’s school has highlighted a long-running scandal in many schools that wish to artificially boost their A Level grades. Raising standards with approximately the same ability of pupils year-on-year is difficult – it requires investment in excellent teaching and learning, tracking of progress and meaningful interventions.
By far the simplest way of appearing to raise standards is to remove the weakest pupils at the end of Year 12, which is something we fundamentally disagree with at Woodbridge School. This happens in many schools who are driven by statistics and where pupils are useful as long as they serve the purposes of these schools, if not then they are discarded. Looking at the statistics only gives part of the information – what dirty tricks have been employed to manipulate those statistics?
Hopefully this court case will prevent other schools from getting rid of pupils when they have become an inconvenience but, in the league table culture in which we live, these schools will find other ways to manipulate results. Pupils and their parents must look carefully before deciding on a school!
Almost déjà vu, but I have been a president once before but that was of the University of St Andrews French Society in 1977: a mere four decades ago. As the new President of the Old Woodbridgians, to follow luminaries such as Mike Weaver, Mark Mitchels and Huw Turbervill, all legends albeit in different ways, is a quite unexpected honour. I have kept in touch with only a few friends and acquaintances from school and university days but it is always fun to see them again. They knew me before I became responsible and sensible and it’s good to hear their memories of events and people; surprisingly often they are from a different angle from mine, and therefore really interesting.
Some people dread the word ‘reunion’. “I was terrible at school”, “I don’t want to see the majority of my year!” have occasionally been extreme reactions. The OW events I have attended have been joyous occasions despite the misgivings the attenders may have had, with people rekindling friendships, discovering that their peers aren’t quite who they thought they were and above all, having a laugh; you can do that about your teenage years some decades on. In my case I can laugh about the young teacher I was when I discovered Woodbridge School in 1985.
To have an organisation such as the Old Woodbridgians to bring you together with people you shared the school with is an amazing asset. I look forward to seeing you at some of the events this year.