Category: Prep News

On Wednesday 17 September, The Abbey Under 11 A rugby team beat Holmwood House 38-19. Tries from Tom Turner(x2), Tom Martin(x2) Mauricio Corfe and Thomas Bradley.

Congratulations to everyone on an exciting game!

A new headmaster and a recently-appointed charity chief shared a first experience in their roles at a school’s annual speech day. Both embarking on their first year in the job, Neil Tetley, new head at Woodbridge School, and Roger Wright, who became chief executive of Aldeburgh Music in March, addressed pupils for the traditional ceremony. On his first public engagement in Suffolk, Mr Wright said he had heard much about the school’s musical reputation and explained how it could bring people together and bridge divides. He also applauded the range of international initiatives available to pupils. Mr Tetley commended the warmth and community of the school, as well as recent exam success. National achievements in sports and music were also included, as well  as charity work across the school, which had raised more than £50,000 for 50 organisations.

On Friday 5 September, Abbey pupils enjoyed a morning of special outdoor learning activities within the School’s beautiful and diverse grounds. The aim of the morning’s activities is to provide pupils with the opportunity for learning in the outdoor environment, using a variety of natural materials. The pupils enjoyed a number of activities including den building, leaf rainbows and whittling sticks which they then used to cook marshmallows on the camp fire.

The Abbey offers a weekly outdoor activity club each week, during which pupils can enjoy activities similar to those offered by Forest Schools. This means pupils are able to experience the wealth of natural learning that The Abbey’s grounds can offer, enjoying its extensive streams, woods and wildlife.

At Woodbridge School, today is the first day of term for our pupils and for our new Headmaster Neil Tetley. On taking his place in the Headmaster’s Office on the first day of term, Neil Tetley said “I am very much looking forward to welcoming new and existing pupils back to school. Woodbridge is an outstanding school and I am very excited about getting to know the pupils and staff that make up this exceptional community.”

Neil was educated at Epsom College and the Selwyn College, Cambridge where he read History. He joins us from Sevenoaks School where he was Deputy Head. Before that he taught at King’s College School, Wimbledon, and at the International School of Brussels.

Neil is married to Laura and they have two sons, Charles and Henry, who both also start at Woodbridge School today.

Many, many congratulations to our athletes who ended their Abbey sporting careers on a high at the Nationals at Birmingham on 2 July. Well done to Ianthe Hill who came 7th in Long Jump, Annabel Yates 3rd in Discus, Daniel Norman who became the Boys’ National Champion at Javelin and Sophie Graham who became the Girls’ National Champion at Javelin, setting a new national record.

To say ‘Congratulations’ to our superb cast, directors, costume organizers, make-up and hair artists, musicians, theatre technicians, back stage helpers and everyone else involved, just doesn’t seem enough to express what a fantastic production ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ was. For three nights we laughed and gasped and sang along with our magnificent performers as they transported us into a magical wood within the Seckford Theatre.

This was yet another production our team can be very, very proud of and one none of us is ever likely to forget. Parents and staff alike described the performance as astounding, whilst theatre photographer Mike Kwasniak who came to photograph the event described it as one of the best pieces of school theatre he had seen in 25 years of school theatrical photography.

Not only have we enjoyed hearing the strains of music from ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ floating through The Abbey corridors, but we have also become aware of the amazing musical talent our pupils have as they practise for lunchtime recitals, end of term service, music exams and just for pure enjoyment. More and more pupils are taking up their instruments and discovering all that music has to offer. This term alone 26 children entered the Trinity and the Associated Board music exams and the Trinity results came in with all Merits and Distinctions. We are still waiting in anticipation for the Associated Board results, but well done to everyone who entered and passed with great results. We were also lucky to welcome Ms Susan Collier from the Strings Department of the Royal Academy of Music to be our adjudicator for the wonderful Stringtastic day, ending with a fantastic Showcase provided by the soloists and ensembles. Many congratulations also to our younger players who have enjoyed the Year 3 string curriculum year which ended with a lovely orchestral performance to celebrate the end of a very successful year. I am very hopeful that many of the children will continue with their lessons next year.

Mrs Parker

Our Year 3 pupils have kept up The Abbey’s ESB tradition with yet another year of a 100 % pass rate with all Merits and Distinctions. For our pupils to achieve this level of success year in, year out, is a remarkable feat. These exams are also a very worthwhile exercise; whilst performing poems and excerpts from favourite books and giving such a varied range of interesting talks, the pupils are learning skills for life, building their confidence and boosting their natural curiosity for life and all that surrounds them.

Twenty-one Abbey pupils entered the LAMDA exams in May and for a relatively new after school activity, it has proved immensely popular and successful. The exam results were phenomenal: four Merits and fifteen Distinctions. Well done to all our entrants. Our Year 6 pupils will be able to continue with their LAMDA success next year when they move on to Year 7, as the Senior School runs a large and very successful LAMDA programme throughout the School.

The younger boys have also had a great end to their cricket season with the U9A beating Holwood House by 33 runs 151 v 184 and the U9B beating Holmwood House by 32 runs 148 v 180. Well done teams.