Category: Senior School News
Last Thursday 15 January, we were once again the proud hosts of the final Suffolk Schools Cross Country Trial; this is the county round of the English Schools’ Championships which is the national schools’ event, governed by the English Schools Athletic Association (ESAA). The major event, which will be run in March, was founded in 1925 and incorporates the whole of England providing the platform for all school athletes to compete within their own counties from grass roots to elite levels. Athletes represent their schools, progress through a system of county and regional qualifiers to reach the national championships.
From the trials run last week, sixteen athletes across the competing schools in each race, are then selected to run for their county at the regional race, in our case of course Suffolk, at the Anglian in Northamptonshire on 31 January. For our minors age group their journey will end here, however for our Junior, Inters and Senior categories (Year 8 and above) runners are then chosen in each age group (plus four reserves) to run for Suffolk. This happens across the country where each area develops their strongest county team to compete at the All-England schools where they fight it out for team medals and individual England Vests! This event will take place this year in Sefton Park, Liverpool on 14 of March.
For our Suffolk trials held at Woodbridge School, the rain came down and never left us for the entire day and with the freezing conditions in the lead up the weeks before it led to some testing cross country. Even without the use of our infamous ‘kill hill’ there were muddy ups and downs, long hilly drags and some twists and turns towards the end, enabling a great display of sprint finishes where athletes battled it out against the odds, and one another, to get in their top 16.
Woodbridge School’s Cross Country teams, staff, parents and grounds team proudly welcomed their guests, and everyone came together as the brilliant team that they are. Students were even helping each other when needed no matter what age group, even with all the individual pre-race nerves, it was great to see. We even had our OW and Inter Counties team medallist, Iwan Fothergill join us in his university holidays, to help all our Woodbridge runners get through their warmups and to the start lines.
We congratulate every athlete and offer a massive thank you to marshals, officials, staff and parents that assisted in the hosting of the event. It was a successful day for Woodbridge School athletes with 50 competing across the age groups.
Our athletes won five individual medals and celebrated 13 top 10 finishes!
Suffolk team announced
The Suffolk teams were announced for the Anglians yesterday and we are proud to say that 20 of our athletes have been selected to run for Suffolk on 31 January, with another three on the short reserve lists.
Well done to every athlete and good luck to those racing at the regional round!
Full results
Gold medal winners:
- Year 9’s Dex
- Year 8’s Chloe
Silver medal winners:
- Year 10’s Digby
- Year 9’s Alexandra
- Year 7’s Sofia
Minor Girls:
- 2nd – Year 7’s Sofia
- 4th – Year 6’s Ava
- 8th – Year 7’s Florence
- 12th – Year 7’s Sophia
- 20th – Year 7’s Issy
- 36th – Year 6’s Ziyu
Minor Boys:
- 18th – Year 7’s Max
- 21st – Year 7’s Kaydon
- 24th – Year 6’s Charlie
- 28th – Year 6’s Archie
- 35th – Year 6’s Sam
- 39th – Year 7’s Aiden
- 61st – Year 7’s Fletcher
- 76th – Year 7’s Millar
Junior Girls:
- 1st – Year 8’s Chloe
- 2nd – Year 9’s Alexandra
- 4th – Year 9’s Ella K
- 5th – Year 9’s India J
- 12th – Year 9’s India B
- 35th -Year 9’s Imogen M
- 48th – Year 8’s Tati H
- 56th – Year 9’s Honor
- 66th – Year 8’s Juno
Junior Boys:
- 1st – Year 9’s Dex
- 9th – Year 9’s Josh
- 13th – Year 8’s Oliver
- 15th – Year 9’s Olly R
- 16th – Year 8’s Archie
- 41st – Year 9’s Oliver B
- 63rd – Year 9’s Theo
- 64th – Year 8’s Harry
- 65th – Year 8’s Miles
Inter Girls:
- 4th – Year 11’s Romilly
- 7th – Year 10’s Alice
- 22nd – Year 10’s Grace
- 29th – Year 10’s Marina
- 30th – Year 10’s Millie
Inter Boys:
- 2nd – Year 10’s Digby
- 4th – Year 10’s Hamish
- 13th – Year 11’s Jago
- 19th – Year 10’s Oscar
- 34th – Year 10’s Harry
Senior Boys:
- 6th – Year 13’s Angus
Last week, Drama scholarship and enrichment students enjoyed a live production screening of The Importance of Being Earnest in Seckford Theatre, complete with the usual cookies and hot chocolate!
Being sensible can be excessively boring – at least Jack thinks so! While assuming the role of dutiful guardian in the country, he lets loose in town under a false identity. Meanwhile, his friend Algy takes on a similar facade.
Unfortunately, living a double life has its drawbacks, especially when it comes to love. Hoping to impress two eligible ladies, the gentlemen find themselves caught in a web of lies they must carefully navigate.
Max Webster (Donmar’s Macbeth; Life of Pi) directs a joyful and flamboyant reimagining of Oscar Wilde’s most celebrated comedy. Olivier Award-winner Sharon D Clarke (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom; Doctor Who) is joined by Ncuti Gatwa (Doctor Who; Sex Education) and Hugh Skinner (W1A; Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again) in this hilarious story of identity, impersonation and romance.
Year 9’s Clem shares her thoughts on the screening and discussion that took place the next day.
“The Importance of Being Earnest is a brilliant and satirical comedy that plays with the ideas of society and identity.
It is set in the traditional late Victorian period, but the National Theatre production added modern twists to make it more interesting and relatable for a modern audience.
The set design was mostly traditional at the start, but it was cleverly changed into a countryside setting; this helped to show the contrast and juxtaposition between the characters and their different lifestyles.
I think this play was particularly enjoyable because of its unusual use of humour to mock society and its ridiculous rules on marriage. I also found it especially interesting how the play presented the different attitudes of the characters depending on where they lived. Overall, the performance effectively used humour and creative staging to highlight how silly and exaggerated social rules were at the time.”
It’s been a busy week for Netball, as the first fixtures and tournaments of the term have taken place. With some of our players new to Senior School, they were taking to the court on behalf of Woodbridge for the first time – it was exciting and intense! But whether a single match or tournament, the players all gave their all in somewhat chilly conditions at times, and enjoyed their experiences.
On Monday, our U12A team, made up of Year 7’s Issy, Florence, Lily, Darcey, Bronte, Chloe, Lucy, Chloe, Sofia and Sophie, played away to Farlingaye. It was an impressive first match for our U12s, they played a super game which ended with a win for Woodbridge 20-2, well done to all of our players, Issy was chosen as the opposition’s Player-of-the-match with Darcey and Sophie voted Players-of the-match by their teammates.
On Wednesday, our U13B team of Year 8’s Katherine, Daisy, Nina, Emily, Hollie, Kitty, Iris, Georgie, Tati, Bella, Abigail, and our U12B team of Year 7’s Chloe, Bronte, Coco, Emilia, Vivienne, Sophia, Lola and Emma, headed to Framlingham to play against their U13A and B sides respectively. The U13Bs started a little slowly but came into their own more in the second half of the match showing great character. A loss of 27-3 but lots of progress made. A well-deserved Player-of-the-Match went to Katherine.
Our U12B team played against Framlingham’s U13B side tremendously well, coming out as winners with a score of 16-2. Congratulations to our opposition Player-of-the-Match, Sophia, and Player’s Player of the match – Chloe.
And lastly, but by no means least, our U14B team of Year 9’s Elle, Pip, Ella, Clem, Kirsty, Lilia, Isabella, Jemima, Honor, Imogen and Maizie played in the local league tournament together. Unfortunately, they came away with a loss, losing 1 and drawing 2 matches, but against mainly A team opposition they fought incredibly hard.
Well done to all of our teams and players, it’s been a great week of Netball, and we look forward to future matches as the term progresses!
Surrounded by over 225km of ski slopes, some of our Year 11 and 12 students spent six brilliant days in La Plagne, France just before Christmas – not only enjoying the stunning scenery, but taking daily tuition at the local ESF ski school.
As well as developing their ski skills, they also had a film night, a quiz, went bowling and attended the opening night of the ski season.
Everyone enjoyed a jam-packed few days, and Year 12’s Freya shares her experience and thoughts on the trip below.
“Each day, we skied for three hours in the morning, stopped for lunch, and then returned to the slopes for a further two hours in the afternoon.
We were supported by excellent instructors who helped everyone build confidence and improve their technique, with access to a wide range of blue, red and black runs suitable for all abilities.
The weather was cold and wintry, and the snow conditions were very good, making skiing enjoyable throughout the week.
In the evenings, we took part in a variety of activities, including bowling, a quiz night, a film night (watching Cool Runnings), visiting a pizza restaurant, and spending free time in the town centre.
On the final day, awards were presented: Year 12’s Bea received Most Improved, Year 12’s Ed won Best Crash, Year 11’s Harry was awarded Best Skier, and I received Happiest on the Slopes.
Overall, the trip was an unforgettable and a really funny, enjoyable experience. Thank you to all of the teachers who made the trip possible.”
In the freezing conditions of Sunday just gone, our athletes (having long trained for this event, and through the Christmas holidays too!) took to the start line in their various age groups at the Suffolk Cross Country County Championships at Holbecks Park in Hadleigh – one of the first main races of the 2026 calendar.
Runners across the country in the same week, would be competing in their local county race, and those U13 upwards compete for the top 6-8 finishes in their age group, hoping for county selection to run at the prestigious UK Inter Counties Cross Country, which is once again at the infamous course at Wollaton Park in Nottingham on 7 March.
U11s
TheU11 Girls and Boys kicked off the day, attacking the frozen conditions with their usual resilience. Woodbridge School had one girl and three boys competing – and all four came home in the top 10 with a Gold medal in tow for Ava! Huge congratulations to this young, tenacious team of Year 6 students:
U11 Girls:
- Ava – 1st place
U11 Boys:
- Charlie – 4th place
- Archie – 7th place
- Sam – 9th place
U13s
Running for her club, Year 8’s Chloe Berry achieved another gold for her club in the U13 category with a whopping lead of just under a minute clear of second place. Year 7’s Florence was also an impressive 7th girl in the same age group!
Year 8’s Oliver L came home in a superb second place achieving a Silver medal, four seconds shy of the leader. This is such a significant improvement and testament to his relentless hunger to do well and training in the last four months.
U15 Girls
The U15 Girls kicked off the longer of the courses run on the day and in the face of much adversity they prevailed once again in the true Kenyan style formation:
- Year 9’s India J – 3rd place
- Year 9’s Ella – 4th place
- Year 8’s Alexandra – 6th place
All securing qualification for their Suffolk county team in March.
U15 Boys
Our U15 Boys followed promptly afterwards and powered home:
- Year 9’s Dex – 1st place
- Year 10’s Hamish – 3rd place
- Year 10’s Digby –6th place
- Year 9’s Josh – 10th place
Again, the top six from this race will all qualify to run for Suffolk.
U17s Women
The U17 Women’s category is another strong one and Year 11’s Romilly powered home in 3rd place securing a Bronze medal for her club Bury Pacers. She also goes through to the Inter Counties.
U20s Men
Our final athlete, Year 13’s Angus had the absolute race of his season so far and showing no signs of letting up, crossed the finish line in a brilliant 2nd place. His true grit was obvious from early on and through gritted teeth, to fend off a competitor attempting to close in on his hard earned position, he managed to cover the last 100m in a super speedy 13 seconds! Well done Angus for such a great achievement!
Finally, huge congratulations for all our runners who got out there on Sunday – the terrain was tough, the conditions were brutal but once again Woodbridge School students’ running tenacity prevailed.
Good luck to all our qualifiers representing Suffolk in March. Such a proud moment to be able to run for your county!
Free of charge and offered to schools in our local community and beyond, our Primary Enrichment Programme workshops are tailored to suit the age of those attending, boosting interest and learning in STEAM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths). They encourage children to develop new skills and gain hands-on experience across various curriculum subjects, strengthening and broadening knowledge – through fun and engagement.
Intended to bring genuine joy and enjoyment to children as they learn, and to support teachers to deliver key factors on the primary curriculum; complimenting and supporting what they are already delivering in school. Attending workshops takes children out of their classrooms and own school and allows them to experience and become confident in new environments; another aspect of growth and development that is just as important as learning.
Providing an exciting and dynamic mix of topics and skills our workshops support local primary school children in exploring a variety of topics and experiences, from Science, to construction and engineering, as well as History.
LEGO Workshop with Martlesham Primary Academy
Supported by The Brickologists, ‘We Build, We Play, We Learn with LEGO’ workshop, hosted at Martlesham Primary, invited children from Years 3 to 6 to get creative, while learning and having lots of fun with LEGO building system! Children became engineers as they built windmills, robots and various different vehicles; The Brickologists providing an engaging, hands-on learning platform for them to achieve educational goals while enjoying the LEGO.
Crusade/History Workshop with Grundisburgh Primary School and South Lee School
Year 5 and 6 children from both Schools went on a historical Crusade, while at Woodbridge School on two different days in December. Travelling back almost 1,000 years in time, children went on a historical journey to discover more about the Crusaders and the challenges they faced. Working in small groups, children used team work and creativity to take part in several highly interactive sessions, working against the clock to solve a series of challenges – the ultimate goal, to successfully conquer the city of Jerusalem! Travelling to and from the School on a minibus, the entire day was one of excitement and discovery!
Science CSI Workshop with Birchwood Primary School
Travelling to Woodbridge School by minibus, as if that wasn’t exciting enough, 31 children from Year 6 were thrilled to be learning in our science labs together, where they donned their lab coats and protective goggles! Tasked with discovering and investigating what our cells look like, they used microscopes which offered an entirely new perspective on everyday objects, as well as some from nature. Learning how to make their own samples to view under intense magnification, they also experimented by taking samples of their own cheek cells!
This is just a selection of the Primary Enrichment workshops on offer through our programme, and the learning and fun had by children attending. Recognising the value of these workshops, not only to local primary school children and teachers who attend, but to our own students who participate and assist with the workshops, we’re delighted to continue offering these workshops. If you’d like to find out more, or enquire about your school attending in future, please email primary_enrichment@woodbridgeschool.org.uk.
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.
Over the weekend two Woodbridge School cross country teams travelled to Princethorpe College to compete in the ESAA Cross Country Cup Finals. The schools need to navigate a County round and a Regional round to earn the right to line up at the start of the Nationals. With over 6000 secondary schools in England, only 28 were at the start of each race. Woodbridge School had two teams both in the Inter age group (Year 9 and 10). Woodbridge School has now qualified one or more teams for the Nationals every year since 2016.
This is the ninth time our students have made the final, and fifth medal so far! In 2016 we won the Gold, 2018 Bronze, 2024 Double Gold and now 2025 our first Silver medal which last weekend was gained by our girls team. This in an outstanding achievement. For the boys it was not to be this year, and they finished in a very commendable 8th place with two of our athletes, Dex and Digby in the top 13 home overall. Both teams showed great determination to run so well on a tough very, very muddy course, a proper cross-country course!
Huge congratulations to our Inter Girls team of Year 10’s Alice, Year 9’s Alexandra, India J, Ella, India B and Imogen.
Congratulations also to our Inter Boys team of Year 10’s Digby, Hamish and Harry, along with Year 9’s Dex, Josh and Ollie.
With top ten finishes from both teams for Alexandra and Dex, individual results were:
Inter Girls – Alexandra 9th, India J 16th, Ella 17th, Alice 38th, India B 52nd and Imogen 104th.
Inter Boys – Dex 6th, Digby 13th, Hamish 79th, Josh 80th, Ollie 102nd, Harry 137th.
These results are incredible, and demonstrate the hard work, passion and commitment of our young athletes – well done to all of them!