Category: Pre-Prep News
As part of their topic “All About Me” the children are learning about caring for their pets. This week they have had the responsibility of looking after the Queen’s House pet chickens. They have been feeding them, collecting the eggs and cleaning them out.
Announcement from Mrs Nicola Mitchell, Head of Queen’s House & The Abbey:
I am delighted to write with positive news regarding the plans for Queen’s House and The Abbey.
As you are aware I was in the fortunate position of being able to review the plans when I arrived last September. We have been able to ensure that the revised plans provide optimum teaching facilities, which improve on the current provision we have at the Pre-Prep, and ensure that the upgrade of the current Abbey site is thorough and ensures key areas are developed.
Pivotal to the decision making has always been what is right for the children’s education and what will be of maximum benefit to their well-being and the experience they have at School.
The approved plans will involve:
- A purpose built classroom block for Reception and Year 1, replacing the current music practice rooms
- A new Pre-Prep play area
- New Music practice rooms
- A new Astro Turf
- Refurbished changing rooms
- A multi-purpose assembly room
- Upgraded Library
- Renovated ICT provision
- Refurbished Food Technology room
By creating new classrooms we have enabled free-flow access for the Early Years Foundation Stage pupils to the new Pre-Prep play area and appropriate sections of our wonderful outdoor areas. This will be a significant improvement on the current Queen’s House provision, which does not allow for this key requirement, and will enable us to structure the curriculum for the youngest pupils in an entirely child-centred way.
Moving the Music practice rooms means we are able to refurbish these and continue to ensure that the Music and performance opportunities are of the highest standard.
We looked carefully at provision for PE and Games and are delighted to say that we will be installing our own Astro-turf which means that lessons and skills development will be able to be continuously provided for throughout the year with space both indoors and outdoors.
It is important to monitor all areas of the School and it has been shown that the changing and toilet facilities can make a great deal of difference to a pupil’s experience. We will be upgrading and expanding these facilities to ensure they are safe spaces and easy to supervise; maximising pupil well-being.
There will be a second music, movement, Drama and assembly space incorporated within the Dewar Building to allow for House Meetings, lessons and year group work.
The Library will be modernised and upgraded as the important heart of the School and a vital point of inspiration for all the children. I.C.T. provision will be upgraded with an improved I.C.T. room. The main teaching buildings will receive a redecoration and upgrade which will also continue over the coming years.
Within the new plans there is the ability to keep specialist teaching zones for Spanish, Science, Art, Engineering, Music and Drama whilst developing and modernising the Food Technology area.
The majority of the upgrades for the existing buildings will take place during the holidays. The planned work for the Early Years classrooms will take six months and will be confined to the peripatetic music classroom block which is easy to isolate from the children on a day to day basis.
We are thrilled that we have been granted permission for the new plans and are confident that they will allow the teachers to ensure the curriculum is delivered and developed in exciting ways now and into the future.
We have carefully considered the impact of these changes on the immediate environment and are confident that they will impact in a minimal way and preserve the special outdoor space from which we are so fortunate to benefit.
With the plans approved we are now on track to ensure a successful completion of the development in time for a September 2019 start for the Pre-Prep at The Abbey.
Detailed plans will be available on 11 October at Queen’s House to coincide with Parents’ Evening. The following week there will be an information evening at The Abbey and displays set to highlight the changes.
We are very much looking forward to upgrading the Abbey site and welcoming the Pre-Prep pupils. The move will enhance the community feel that Woodbridge School has and improve the morning and afternoon routine for families. As always I am happy to answer any queries you may have and look forward to sharing the detailed plans with you.
It was our great privilege to welcome The Right Reverend Tim Stevens, erstwhile Bishop of Dunwich and more recently of Leicester, to help us celebrate and commemorate our founders and benefactors at our annual Commemoration Service. He embraced the opportunity to talk to the whole School community, from four to sixty-four (I’m guessing!), and took as his theme the importance of giving in all its guises: from the Sermon on the Mount and reflections on what brings true happiness, to Stephen Hawking (where the sermon started), to Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai whom we may not have remembered by name, but could not possibly have forgotten for her story – recovering from her attempted assassination by the Taliban as a child only to petition even more strongly and globally, on her recovery, in the struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education. Bishop Tim’s was a simple and passionate message for us to be the best we can, and to do the best for, and by, others and for our fragile world. It was what our founders hoped for us, all those generations ago. Now to rise to the challenge.
Speech Day was, as ever, a wonderful day of celebration – made all the more special for the opportunity it afforded the School Community to welcome our new headmaster, Dr Robson. The Swing Band has made a tradition of turning out exceptional performances, and the half-hour of fantastically upbeat music set the scene perfectly. Thereafter Mr Finbow formalised the welcome with an introduction that both encapsulated what we stand for and gave Dr Robson the platform to see where we might go from here. That Dr Robson did so with such enthusiasm and passion, and with heartfelt appreciation of his predecessors Mr Tetley and Mr Cole, was extremely well received – as were his five top tips for our leavers bound for university! Amongst them: do not fear failure, but embrace instead the opportunities that the risk of failure opens up. It’s a great message, and one all of our prize winners clearly hold dear given the wealth of achievements they have secured and range of endeavours they have undertaken. Indeed, once the presentations were at an end and their praises sung, Dr Robson felt compelled to honour them once more with words that were touchingly delivered with just a hint of a lump in the throat… not that he’s the first to find the achievements of our children (young adults!), when laid out so strikingly, pretty emotionally overwhelming.
It fell to Head Girl Lily and Head Boy Harry to close proceedings with their beautifully judged votes of thanks intermingled with reflections on their own experiences here. Not a dry eye in the house… Perfect
This year has surpassed all expectations and the results are simply wonderful! Congratulations must go to every one of our hard-working pupils for their outstanding GCSE achievements. 41% of all grades were at 9-8, and 59% of all grades achieved were 9-7, making this year our best GCSE results year ever! Woodbridge prides itself on providing a unique, balanced and holistic educational experience; this recipe clearly brings out the best in every child when you see such outstanding academic success. We would like to thank all the dedicated staff and supportive parents. Well done to all.”
The children in Year 1 have been taking part in a maths investigation based on the story “One hundred hungry ants”. They have been finding all the different ways to put a set number of ants into rows of equal lengths. They have worked collaboratively to solve the problem!
The children worked in small groups researching facts about planet Earth. They used laptops, books and watched video clips and recorded their findings on a poster.
The children were curious, independent and focused and found out some fascinating facts to share with the class.
This week we emptied our potato grow-bags and revealed masses of large white new potatoes. Like discovering buried treasure, the children were extremely excited with each potato they unearthed. They then took them to the kitchens where John very kindly cooked them for lunch the next day. It has been so exciting to plant, nurture and eat our own produce this term. So far we have harvested radishes, potatoes, rocket and red mustard. Fingers crossed we will have carrots and strawberries by the end of term.
On Tuesday 5 June, Year 2 visited Southwold as part of their topic on the Victorians. They were all dressed the part and were very excited to learn more about Victorian seaside holidays. The day started with a tour of Southwold museum where the children looked at Victorian artefacts. This was followed by a Victorian picnic, complete with jam sandwiches wrapped up in brown paper and tied up with string, a sausage roll and a miniature Victorian sponge cake. After lunch the children enjoyed playing games on the beach and sketching the beach huts. The day ended with a well-deserved ice cream and a walk along the pier.
Year 2 thoroughly enjoyed their transition afternoon to the Abbey. They were excited to see their new classrooms and meet their new teachers. They had a tour of the school and afterwards had great fun making spinners and circuits.