Category: Senior School News

Our year 7, Girls U12A cricket season came to a close last week, the team having completed their season unbeaten, winning all five of their matches. The last couple of weeks have seen the team accelerate their development and put experience gained so far to good use. Below are reports from some of their matches.

Woodbridge U12A Girls vs. RHS Cricket Report

Playing on a beautifully sunny afternoon away against RHS, the team experienced batting first, setting a target for the first time this season; there were a few butterflies preceding the innings and this new challenge, however Woodbridge set their highest score of the term (at that point), leaving RHS a target of 118 to win the game.

Abigail (15 runs) and Eirann (29 runs) coming in early at number three and four respectively, set the team up nicely, pacing their innings so well and upping the run rate expertly in the latter part of the innings. Georgia (12 runs) came in to bat with a few overs to left, batting at almost a run a ball to keep the momentum going. Very good running between the wickets and mature calling was a highlight of this innings.

Woodbridge bowled and fielded with composure and determination, showing again what a good fielding unit they are. RHS was restricted to 84 runs from their 20 overs; Woodbridge winning by 33 runs. All the bowlers played their part and conceded very few runs from the bat. Taaliah bowled two overs for three runs, while Georgia was once again very accurate and got a wicket while captain Jemima bowled with pace and was unlucky not to be amongst the wickets. Ella was the pick of the bowlers with only two extras conceded from her two overs while getting one wicket. Good catches were taken by Tabitha (off Charlie’s bowling) and Jemima. Jemima did a superb job captaining the team.

Woodbridge U12A Girls vs. Gosfield U13 Cricket Report

The last U12 match of the season was against Gosfield U13 (Year 8) last Friday, 16 June. Woodbridge again batted first and, despite losing wickets at regular intervals, set their new highest total of the season (126/9).

The openers Freya and Jemima batted well against fast bowling and were unlucky to get quality deliveries to dismiss them. Ella batting at number three, scored the season’s top score of 36 and anchored the innings very well. Excellently supported by Alice, the pair took the score from 22/2 to 76/3 at a quick tempo before Alice lost her wicket in the twelfth over. Ella continued to keep the good scoring rate going while batters came and went around her; five fours were hit in her innings, which is also a record for the season. Abigail came in at number 11 in the final over, supported by a runner, Amelie, and batted a perfect last over, taking 11 from it, including two fours through square leg.

Woodbridge’s bowling again proved too strong for the opposition. It was great to see the pace being generated, following a nets session with this focus the practice before the match. Tabitha, Jemima, Taaliah and Georgia were impressive to watch in this regard. Woodbridge took the final Gosfield wicket in the 20th over, all out for 86, giving Woodbridge a 40 run victory.

No less than six Gosfield players were bowled out (bowled by Freya (2), Ella, Tabitha, Taaliah, Jemima). Sharp run outs by Amelie, Charlie and Jemima kept the pressure on Gosfield and Georgia took another fine catch at midwicket from Taaliah’s bowling. Top bowling figures belonged to Taaliah (11/2 from three overs), Georgia (5/0 from three overs) and Jemima (1/1 from three overs)!

Congratulations to all 13 players who have represented the U12A team during the course of the season. You have been a tight unit and represented the school fantastically well.

The Art Department Summer Exhibition coincided with the Design Show last week, a wonderful combination of creativity, perception and exceptional skill.

Exhibiting Year 11, 12 and 13 artwork which encompassed fashion, film, animation, photography, sculpture, painting, print, collage, installation, book art and more, our artists’ work was displayed beautifully for all to see, explore and appreciate. Coupled with the Design Show it was a fantastic display of the importance creativity plays in the life and success of Woodbridge School.

Our Design Show exhibited work produced by our Year 11 GCSE students, Year 12 students, KS3 Design Club work and the department’s Seckford Scheme Woodworking side tables were on display too. Displays ranged from product design, furniture, architecture, lighting, advertising and branding, moving image, illustration, and animation. We also displayed the year 12 leatherwork enterprise products which will be on sale next year – watch this space!

Both the Art Exhibition and the Design Show had open invitations for people to come along and see for themselves the impressive work and creations of our students; both departments were filled with impressed visitors, from School and our local community.

Huge thanks to all who came, our talented students, and also to Year 12’s Faith and Kira who designed the show catalogues and promotion for the Design show, which every visitor received, alongside a bespoke fridge magnet.

Our Bronze Award DofE students were walking and camping along the Suffolk coast last weekend, 17 and 18 June 2023, an assessed expedition that took place over two days.

Carrying full kit, 37 Year 10 students were split into six groups who camped in three different locations – two groups at each. The groups had different routes and walked to their respective campsites starting from Iken, Tunstall, Snape or Walberswick. Completing a full six hours of planned activities each day of the two day expedition, as part of their assessment, although there were a few navigational errors they all did exceptionally well and all passed.

They coped extremely well in the exceptionally warm weather we experienced over the weekend, carrying full kit in the blazing sun all day is quite something, but they supported themselves and each other amazingly. Congratulations and well done to all of them.

With a less than two weeks until As You Like It is performed by our Year 9 students, we met up with Touchstone, otherwise known as Ed to talk about his preparation for the auditions and excitement for his performance.

Rehearsing with Miss Mayes under the shade of the trees on an exceptionally warm and humid Monday, Ed explained first how he prepared for the auditions, “It’s always a scary and anxious process auditioning, so I made sure I did everything I could to be prepared and do my very, very best!” He continued,

“I took the script home, learned the lines and facetimed the student I was working alongside in my audition, to make sure we planned how we were going to play the parts, discuss the stage direction and ensure we showed our best capability in the audition.”

His preparation certainly paid off and was rewarded with him confirmed as playing the part of Touchstone in the play. He commented,

“I was extremely happy to get the part of Touchstone, it was actually the role I wanted most.”

Previously performed by the likes of David Tenant who made his debut as the character at the RSC, Touchstone is the court jester in As You Like It, his character offering commentary throughout so supporting the audience’s understanding of the play. Recognising the importance of this character Ed added,

“He’s a really unusual and challenging character, and very important in the scheme of things – as are all the characters – but I’m aware he’s quite a coveted part to play which just added to the excitement of it all for me.”

Having chosen Drama as one of his GCSEs, Ed hopes to progress and study the subject at A level too, and his performance in this year’s Shakespeare On The Lawn is something he’s looking forward to very much.

“I’m hoping to bring some comedy to the production, using previous experience of acting and performing. I’m also going to put my own spin on things, on how I say and perform the lines, using different elements of body language, gestures and props to make sure the audience connects with the character and enjoys him too!”

Under the firm direction of Miss Mayes, who provides feedback, suggestions and encouragement throughout, rehearsals are taking place daily, throughout the School day, afterwards and on weekends. The commitment and dedication of our School community for this performance is immense and certainly to be admired – great practice for our young actors as they begin their journey in performing, which quite possibly will extend into their Sixth Form studies and possibly beyond.

Taking place on our Chapel lawn on 4 and 5 July, tickets can be found via the Seckford Theatre.

Huge congratulations to Year 12’s Hannah and Ollie, who are celebrating their double success in the Fitzwilliam College Classics Essay Competition. Competing against 100 other entries, this is an amazing achievement.

Hannah, who is studying Latin, History and English, wrote about the realities of women’s lives in the Ancient World – available to read here, while Ollie, who is studying Latin, Classical Greek, Spanish and English, was commended for his essay on the Spartan Mirage, which can be read here.

It is highly unusual for two students from the same school to be commended in the same year, but Woodbridge School has racked up an outstanding eight successes in essay competitions this year (with Ollie winning three prizes, as well as a Gold in the UK Linguistics Olympiad).

Miss Wright, Head of Classics, said, “I am exceptionally proud of Hannah and Ollie, who produced extremely thorough, rigorous essays. Both of them have shown academic hunger and a love of learning throughout their time at Woodbridge, and it is wonderful to see their dedication rewarded in this way.”

Students returned from their Spanish trip to Salamanca at the weekend, having spent time learning about and experiencing Spanish life, culture and language. Year 9 Intensive Spanish students and Year 12 A level students enjoyed all the city had to offer, including museums, galleries, shops, food and scenery, as well as spending time at language school and staying with host families – and even some salsa dancing and tapas tasting.

All the students had a great time, and really made the most of the trip and the opportunities it offered to immerse themselves in the city. Year 12’s Isla and Year 9’s Henry shared their first-hand experience of the trip.

Report from Year 12’s Isla

The Salamanca trip was a brilliant opportunity to fully immerse yourself in the culture and the language; I didn’t realise quite how much an experience like that can improve your Spanish.

We ate with our host families so had the opportunity to get to know them as well as learn more about the Spanish lifestyle – we also got to enjoy the Spanish daily routine (the siestas were a real treat!).

The Spanish lessons at the Colegio Delibes were eye opening. The teachers only spoke to us in Spanish, which was initially a bit daunting, but it massively improved our understanding of the language. The combination of Spanish speaking in the lessons and with the people we encountered outside of lessons was insanely beneficial.

We also really got to know the city which was perfect as everything was in walking distance. We had a tour of the beautiful old buildings and got to spend time relaxing in the Plaza Mayor.

Over the week we quickly found the best places for a snack or a coffee. We were also treated to a bit of salsa dancing and a tapas tour while we were in the city.

Overall, it was a really worthwhile experience; our Spanish improved exponentially and we all became a lot more confident in speaking the language.

Report from Year 9’s Henry

The Salamanca trip was an amazing experience! When we arrived in the city, we were split into groups of twos and threes and were hosted by local Spanish families who were very welcoming and keen to help us embrace Salamanca.

Our activities in the evening ranged from tortilla making to salsa dancing. Our lessons each morning at the Colegio Delibes helped us to improve our grammar and communication skills.

For me, personally, the best part of the Salamanca trip was the freedom we had; each day we had plenty of free time to spend roaming the city and putting into practise the Spanish we had learned in lessons, and to fully appreciate Spanish culture.

Thank you to Mr Morton and all the teachers for making it an amazing trip, although the weather at times wasn’t quite what we were expecting!

Our Prep and Senior School athletes were at the East Area Prep School Athletics Championships last weekend, 9 June, with some exceptional results!

It was an early start for our athletes, who, after having achieved the qualifying times and distances for their events, set off to Bedford; travelling to The International Stadium to compete.

Year 7 and 8 Woodbridge students were competing against athletes from 50 other schools in the East region, hoping to gain a place to compete for the East team at the National finals due to take place in Nuneaton on Monday 3 July.

Team spirits were high, our athletes supporting one another, particularly as many of them achieved their personal bests.

A very successful day for our athletes, with Year 8’s Romilly the first to qualify with a 2nd place finish in the 1500m, followed up beautifully by Year 8’s Felicity taking 1st place in the 800m race, and our Year 7 javelin qualifiers Eirann and Frank took 2nd and 1st place respectively.

Top ten finishers included Year 8’s Amelia who took 3rd place in discuss, alongside our Year 8’s boys’ relay team consisting of Charlie, Tom, Lade and Ollie who also took 3rd place. Year 7’s Annabel took 4th place in shot, Year 8’s Frankie 6th place in hurdles, Year 7’s Jamie 7th place in shot, Year 8’s Marina 8th place in 1500m and Year 7’s Grace 8th place in 1500m. Year 8’s Georgia took 8th place in long jump, Year 8’s Cleo 8th place in 300m, Year 8’s Ollie 8th place in shot and Year 7’s Oscar 9th place in 1500m.

From our Prep School (all Year 6 students), Ella won the 1500m race, Alexandra won the 800m race, Thomas won the javelin and took 2nd place in the 200m and our girls’ relay team consisting of India J, India B, Ella and Alexandra came in as runners up taking 2nd place; all qualifying for the National Prep Schools Athletics Finals.

Thank you to all the staff and parents that helped and supported the students, and a very big well done to all the athletes who took part, giving maximum effort throughout and who were all an incredible credit to Woodbridge School.

With tickets now on sale for this year’s Shakespeare On The Lawn, As You Like It, we recently met up with Orlando – Year 9’s Sam, to talk about how he feels rehearsals are going and what his hopes and aspirations are for the character.

Sam was rehearsing with his friends and fellow actors, with Miss Mayes’ expert direction; she spent time explaining and exploring the use of body language and voice projection to convey the scenes, how to engage and entice the audience.

With one or two props in place under the trees on the Chapel lawn where the production will take place in July, the young actors also talked through how to help their audience interpret what is happening in each scene, particularly what is being suggested but not spoken on stage.

Talking about how he felt to be given the part of Orlando Sam said,

“I was so pleased to get Orlando – but to be honest, I didn’t really mind which part I got, so long as I had a speaking role.”

He continued,

“I’ve had Shakespeare On The Lawn in my sights since Year 7 when I saw it for the first time, it’s something I’ve always wanted to do, so to have such a great character to play is brilliant!”

Talking about ongoing rehearsals he said,

“I love the rehearsals, I’m always excited to come along, it’s great fun and it’s making the prospect of performing even more exciting. If you asked me what was the perfect way to spend my lunchbreak I’d say doing this!”

Sam is taking Drama GCSE and hopes to go on to study at A level, something he recognises is a few years away, but none the less something he feels certain about – as he does the playwright,

“Shakespeare wrote such great stories and characters – all the lines and every bit of every play is important and interesting. I learn so much studying and performing Shakespeare – about him, about the plays and about myself.”

When asked what his main hope was for the performance, like any other young actor he said of course that he hoped he didn’t forget any of his lines! But watching the rehearsals today and seeing the preparation taking place, this year’s Shakespeare On The Lawn looks set to be as special as the many we have already seen here in School.

As You Like It will be performed on our Chapel lawn on 4 and 5 July and tickets can be found via the Seckford Theatre.

Earlier this week on Monday, Woodbridge hosted cricket in School versus RHS. With some excellent conditions and close play resulting in a win for our Year 10 players, by just one run, our report holds more details.

Woodbridge U15B vs. RHS, Cricket report
With the cricket pitch gleaming in the sunshine, Woodbridge U15B Girls cricket team hosted RHS in what was to become an extremely well and closely played match.

The team worked hard, really bringing tension to the match in the last two overs where RHS had to score 19 to win. With this in their sights, Nancy and Issy bowled brilliantly, with Issy taking a catch off her own bowling to take five runs of the RHS total – saving Woodbridge and giving us the match by just one run!

Great bowling also by Tilly and Eliza – with Eliza bowling one of the RHS players out, and Jassy taking two wickets also.

Phoebe D took a great caught and bowled, as well as a stumping, and Phoebe R and Lucy took a wicket each from a stumping. There was some good batting and running from Georgia and Eliza when they got into their stride, and Alice and Lyrah. Poppy fielded brilliantly and Rose bowled much better than she thought she would!

Well done to all and a great close game!

Sisters, Year 12’s Ada and Year 10’s Eve, competed at the British National Eventing Junior and Pony (U16) Championships last week, for Junior and Pony riders respectively taking place in Northumberland at Belsay International; it was Eve’s first attempt at the Pony Championships which is a three-day event. To get to these Championships, the combination of horse and rider have to compete at a number of events at increasingly higher levels, with a level of results to qualify to enter.

Ada and Eve have both represented Woodbridge at multiple equestrian team events and National Finals including Eve taking the National Pony 110cms Jumping with Style Title at the end of last season and being a team member that secured the Regional Points League National Title for the School.

With Horse & Country TV filming on the Friday of the Championships, the cross country in particular, it was an exciting event for everyone taking part.

Ada celebrated success with 7th place, and was one of only six to finish on her dressage score which is an amazing achievement! Ada represented the Eastern Region in the National Youth Eventing Champs last year where the team took 3rd place, and she has also just been asked to join the training squad for the GB Junior European Eventing Team which is an incredible achievement!

Eve also did brilliantly, lying 16th out of 38, with only 18 completing, after Cross Country, but sadly her pony wasn’t comfortable in the final Showjumping phase as so she stopped. One of only 18 out of 38 starters that completed the Cross Country, which was at the highest level in the country for U16s, Eve has just one more year in the U16s so this will have been an excellent experience for her.

Well done to both girls, who represented our School and themselves exceptionally and good luck with everything that lies ahead!

Image credit: Athalens Photography