Category: Senior School News

Earlier this week we joined students rehearsing for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, ahead of performances taking place in our Seckford Theatre on Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 February. With the show just over three weeks away at the time of writing this, it was great to see how things were progressing.

Mr Williams, Assistant Head of Drama, was taking students through a particular scene, one during which we see our main character Christopher in the classroom at school. Lead by an enthusiastic teacher, Year 11’s Eloise who plays Siobhan, and with Year 11’s Patrick who plays Rev Peters, the school’s churchman, we joined students as they talked through their lines, acting and physical movement on stage.

Siobhan is trying to talk Christopher into sharing his book with the class so they can make a play of it; the book in which he writes all his thoughts and investigative information (in relation to who may have killed the dog in the neighbour’s garden). Christopher is reluctant to say the least. The scene moves on and we meet Rev Peters who is somewhat of a comedic character enthusiastically attempting to encourage Christopher to share his writing. Sure to encourage a few rumbles of laughter from the audience, Rev Peters is quite a character, light and silly, and eager to please and make people happy.

But creating comedy, funny moments, is something that requires work and planning on behalf of all of the actors on stage at the time, and that was part of the focus of today’s rehearsal.

Mr Williams spoke to the students about what is said in the silence in scenes, when characters do not answer questions, when they don’t offer a reply – and what that suggests to the audience – and how it can suggest humour and allow time for an audience to react, to laugh hopefully. He also spoke about the importance of allowing those moments the space they need on stage, and about avoiding the urge to jump into silence as we might naturally do so in real life.

He also discussed the chorus of the production being on stage at the beginning of this scene, with scene transitions in mind – and spent time explaining to the students where they will need to be physically by the time their scene begins, and how the lighting will aid that transition. Mr Williams shared,

“At this point in rehearsals, when we don’t have the stage set built and we’re not yet working with props or furniture, we have to imagine everything.” He continued, “Remembering what will be on stage, what sounds will be playing and what lighting effects will be being used is vital – it’s a huge part of rehearsing.”

After the rehearsal we had the chance to speak to Eloise about her character Siobhan, she shared,

“Siobhan is Christopher’s teacher, he talks to her about his problems and she’s actually read the note book that she’s trying to persuade him to share so that the class can perform a play based on it. She’s a special educational needs teacher, trained to teach and support neurodiverse children like Christopher, so I’ve spent a lot of time researching her role and thinking about how to play this part.”

She also shared,

“It’s a lot of responsibility I realise, to play this character, someone, a person, a role within a school, that people will perhaps recognise or relate to – so it’s important I play her right. Miss Mayes and my mum, who is a therapist, have helped enormously, working to help me personify someone that Christopher can trust, and a character that I can manage on stage.”

Talking about the upcoming performances she said,

“I can’t wait to perform – mostly because the best thing about being involved in productions is the community you get to work with – the cast. There’s such camaraderie, especially on show nights, it’s brilliant to be a part of it.”

Speaking about the challenges she faces she shared,

“My biggest issue is volume – I’m playing quite a gentle person, who has a soft approach to Christopher in order to nurture and encourage him, I need to be able to be that way but also make sure the whole audience hears every word! I’m working with Miss Mayes to improve that.”

Meeting Patrick who plays Rev Peters, the Churchman at school, we spoke about the Reverend’s role in Christopher’s life. He said,

“Rev Peters teaches Christopher, and invigilates his A level exams, he likes him, but mostly he’s intrigued by him.”

Talking about the challenges of playing the Reverend he shared,

“I’ve taken time to think about and consider the characteristics of a man of God, ordinarily a Reverend is a nice person, someone you can approach, trust, rely on and confide in – so I want to make sure that all comes across in the production – that the audience recognises that.”

He continued,

“The best part about this character though is that he is responsible for much of the comedy when on stage, it’s almost like a little relief because the play deals with such serious topics, thoughts and feelings.”

Talking about what he feels is the greatest challenge for him, Patrick also shared,

“I think it’s going to be the nerves on performance nights.”

He continued,

“The transitions are challenging too, it has to be seamless, so we’re all working hard to make sure they go smoothly.”

Despite the nerves though, Patrick is really looking forward to performing, and said,

“I love being part of this team, as Eloise said, it’s such a great community – that feeling we all get in the interval, when the show is half way through, the nerves have gone, and you’re just feeling happy and enjoying performing – that’s what I’m looking forward to most!”

You can look forward to seeing both Eloise and Patrick on stage, alongside their fellow students, on Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 February, when performances of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is performed in our Seckford Theatre.

At the time of writing this, a few seats remained, so do visit Woodbridge School Drama event tickets from TicketSource to book yours now!

Susan Lockwood, Head of LAMDA at Woodbridge School, recently invited us into the classroom to join Year 9’s Lola and Year 8’s Imogen for their LAMDA lessons; learning about what they do and how they spend their time. It was the perfect time to visit them as the results of our recent LAMDA examinations were in – and they were superb once again!

Following the news that 100% of our students achieved a Distinction in their recent LAMDA exams, from Grade 1 to 6, Mrs Lockwood shared,

“I’m of course absolutely thrilled at the recent exam success, this is the tenth time in a row that Woodbridge School students have achieved one hundred per cent Distinctions in these exams, and I couldn’t be happier or prouder of them. I know that what they are learning and achieving will support them not only at School, but in life now and beyond their studies.”

LAMDA stands for the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, and is the oldest specialist Drama school in Britain. Offering training to actors as well as examinations to the general public since it began, a LAMDA exam is the speech and Drama equivalent of a music grade, which begins at basic levels and culminates at Grade 8.

Year 9’s Lola and Year 8’s Imogen are both taking LAMDA lessons with Mrs Lockwood. During their tutoring, they each worked on specific scenes, reading through their lines and focusing on voice and expressions, body language and physical presence on stage, taking direction and encouragement from Mrs Lockwood. Ensuring that by the end of the lesson they had improved their delivery, and felt confident going forwards, they both shared that they enjoyed their LAMDA lessons thoroughly and they’d certainly helped them improve their acting skills, as well as boosted their confidence.

Lola said,

“To prepare for my LAMDA exams, Mrs Lockwood always makes sure to ask me what I want to work on, as well as offering me her opinion too. We work together to find something to improve every lesson, whether it’s voice or movement. Talking through pieces we stop and discuss points, if I have questions Mrs Lockwood answers honestly and encouragingly, making the whole learning process smoother, and so I always feel prepared for my exams.”

Imogen shared,

“We’re given two pieces when we’re prepping for LAMDA exams, either monologues or duologues, depending on if you’re performing solo or in a duo. We have to consider the pieces we’re given, and Mrs Lockwood asks us questions about our understanding of them, such as when we think they’re happening, where they’re happening etc. Providing lots of encouragement, direction and guidance, during our lessons Mrs Lockwood focuses on going through the pieces, and working on areas that need improvement. We also rehearse at home ahead of being ready for, and taking our exams.”

LAMDA lessons can begin from Year 7 in School, with Mrs Lockwood delivering personal tutelage, alongside her colleague Mrs Robinson.

Designed to support the development of communication skills, deliver dramatic text to an audience and generally encourage confidence and belief, LAMDA also provides the opportunity for students to prepare themselves appropriately to develop interpretive, technical and performance skills as Mrs Lockwood, explained,

“These lessons help students to build confidence and learn how to manage themselves, their voices and their body language in different situations – both creative and day-to-day life.”

She continued,

“Self-expression, control and the ability to work with others are key skills we can help students to develop, skills are completely transferrable.”

Thank you to Imogen and Lola for inviting us along to experience LAMDA lessons, and huge well done to all those students who achieved 100% Distinctions in their exams:

For further information about LAMDA at Woodbridge School visit woodbridgeschool.org.uk/the-arts/lamda/.

Our Boys Hockey season is well and truly underway, beginning with a big bang!   

After a couple of weeks  of preparation and team selections, it was time to play this week.  Luckily the very cold snap also passed and there was no way frozen pitches could interfere.  Sadly, a very late cancelation by the opposition left us with only one U15 team rather than two taking the field this week, but they made it count.  More about this later.  First, let’s celebrate our Junior Boys teams, with many players playing their first Hockey match for Woodbridge School. 

Goals Galore for Junior 1 – 4 Teams 

Our Junior 1 to 4 teams travelled to Framlingham College for their first matches of the season on Wednesday.  It was a goal fest on the blue pitch, with 35 goals score across the four games – and of course we’re very happy to report, most by Woodbridge School!   

Sadly, the Junior 1 boys didn’t get off to the flying start they’d hoped for, but after a few early goals took the wind out of our sails, the boys showed resilience and grit and came back strong in the second half.  Improved ball speed and faster decision making saw the team create chances but unable to convert.  Another plus to take into the next meeting with Fram College was good execution of a specific half-time tactic, to try nullifying a power player.  A good first experience for our players to learn what level of intensity and skill will be required for the rest of the season.  Our joint Players of the Match were Year 8’s Joseph and Griff for influential performances in their area of the pitch. 

In contrast, the Junior 2 team were the ones to take the game away from Fram in the opening exchanges, with well converted goals.  The team scored well-worked team goals, from build-up play or counter-attacks at regular intervals, achieving a very convincing win in their opening game.  Year 8 goalkeeper Oliver B must be commended for a very good performance in goal, making stunning saves and ensuring his team can run away with it.  Goals for the team were scored by Year 7’s Oliver W and Jack F (2), and our Player of the Match, Year 8’s Michael, scored four!  Fun fact – four goals scored by one player is called a haul. 

The Junior 3 and Junior 4 teams completely dominated their opponents from Fram College in high scoring games.  For the  

Junior 3 team, goals were scored by Year 7’s Barney while a brace (2), hattrick (3) and a haul (4) was scored by Year 8’s Giles, George L and Otis respectively!  Superb play from these boys. 

Year 8’s Oliver C was another ‘hattrick hero’ on the day, supported by fellow goal scorers for the Junior 4 team, Year 8’s Alex W (2) and George T, as well as Year 7’s Jess and James C. 

Well done to all the boys who gave their all on a chilly afternoon.  

1^st Team U18 County Cup 

Thursday was a busy day which saw our 1st, U14 and U15 teams in action.  The Senior 1st team were finally together after some disruption due to mock exams for the Year 11 and Year 13 players.  It was to be a day of success, learning and progress and some frustration and disappointment at the U18 County Cup.  A good start to the tournament saw the team achieve a win and a draw, setting things up nicely.  However, a loss in the third match thanks to some clinical short corners from the opposition, put pressure on the final match against Ipswich School.   

The team pushed hard and played some excellent Hockey but could not penetrate the final line of defence regularly enough to create enough clear chances to open a gap.  When everything was done pretty much right, the luck just didn’t go our way, but that’s sport!   

The goal that separated the sides came early on, against the run of play on a counter-attack.  The team didn’t succeed in their target of progressing but put down a strong statement to opponents they will face again; there is more to come which is very exciting.  

Well done to this group who learned lots on the day and played very hard for each other.  Congratulations to players who made their first team debut, Year 12’s Alisdair, Ethan and Harry and Year 11’s Theo.  Thanks also to Year 13’s Alfie and Luca who led the team well to set us off on the season ahead. 

Woodbridge U14 vs Fram College 

A motivated U14 team, consisting predominantly of Year 9 players, travelled to Fram College yesterday, eager to get their first match played. 

Plans were nearly scuppered by a flooded pitch, but the heavens cleared, and we could get underway.  A nervous and inexperienced start from Woodbridge saw Fram dominate the first ten minutes and Arthur had to be on top form in goal.  Frank  gave us our first attack and all of a sudden there was a lot more confidence to take on the fierce opponent.  An end-to-end game ensued with Woodbridge probably playing the better hockey; transferring round the back, passing between midfielders and playing balls through to forwards.  

A good press meant lots of ball was won in mid-field and when Fram did get through, Barnaby, Henri, Milo and Year 8’s Joseph got in the way to intercept or tackle.  In centre mid-field Pranav and George C-O started to build a good understanding, moving the ball well between them. Alex H at right mid was influential and powerful.  Both teams had shots, Fram more than us, but super goalkeeping by Arthur and Seth kept us in the game.  

A goal conceded in each half meant it was a loss, but so much gained in experience and now belief that the team will test anyone they play.  A number of players were in contention for Player of the Match but in the end it was Year 8’s Joseph who took the honors.  

Well done to Harry who played his first ever hockey match and Sam C who played his first game on pitch, having been a goalkeeper before.  

Thanks to parents who braved the cold, wet evening to support the team.  We are looking forward to the season ahead. 

 Woodbridge U15 vs RHS 

The U15B team took on the A team from RHS and came away with the winning honors . It’s always a tough match playing away at RHS, but our team stood strong to came out victorious!  Well done to Year 10’s Liam and Ted for scoring our goals. 

We recently visited Year 9 during their Design class where students were at various different stages of making their very own intricately designed wooden tables.

The brief given by Mrs Cracknell, Head of Design, was for students to base their design on Parquet-style and Art Deco patterns and designs, using contrasting coloured wood, ahead of creating paper, then cardboard templates to use to cut out pieces of wood to create their chosen pattern. She explained,

“Students were encouraged to research designs, taking inspiration from those that they liked; they also looked at pieces of furniture and woodwork they had seen and liked.”

She continued,

“It’s a challenging project, as working with wood you have to be precise and exact to avoid gaps in the design, and that can mean that cuts can be too lean and cause issues with the pattern. It’s all part of the learning process, in terms of appreciating the work and skill that goes into pieces of design we see every day, as well as the skills and techniques students need to develop and hone in order to create precise pieces.”

The classroom was filled with very different but equally creative and challenging pieces of woodwork. Some of the students are a little further along and now creating the legs for the table which are to be made from aluminum. All in all the design project has been challenging yet somewhat pleasing as the symmetrical designs have come to life! We took time to meet some of the students, talking to them about what stage of the design and production process they were at, and what their hopes and aspirations are for their final finished piece of furniture.

Meet Erin

Erin was busy building the pattern of her woodwork piece, laying the final pieces carefully, making sure the fit was snug and secure. Talking firstly about the design she’d chosen she shared,

“I researched lots of different designs online before I began, but once I’d decided on what I wanted to create I set about creating my template for the individual pieces of wood, cutting them out first on paper then on cardboard ahead of cutting the wood”

She also added,

“I like working with wood as a design material as I like the way it looks, and how each piece can be completely unique. The biggest challenge for this project so far has been making sure the carpentry cuts are precise – avoiding gaps in where the edges of the wood meet within the pattern; lots of trial and error! I like carpentry though, and I love making practical things, so I’m really enjoying this project.”

Meet Albie

We met Albie sanding his finished woodwork element of the table; he’d already finished cutting and gluing the pieces of wood into the pattern he’d chosen and he was really pleased with how it looked so far.

“I’m just sanding the table top now, to make sure it’s all smooth as well as remove any marks that the pieces have picked up during the cutting and placement part of creating the pattern. Once I’ve finished this I’m going to varnish it for a really nice finish, which I’m hoping will bring out the different textures and colours and bring the pattern to life – like it’s three dimensional even though its flat in the table top piece. I think, like everyone else, the biggest challenge has been making sure there are no gaps between the pieces of wood in the pattern, it’s been tough though as you have to be so precise, but it’s a custom made piece of woodwork, so precision is the challenge really!”

He continued,

“I’m definitely choosing Design for my GCSE options, I really enjoy it and I love making practical things. I think I’m going to use this as a bedside table to display things on.”

Meet Emilia

Busy waxing her finished table top, Emilia shared her thoughts on the hard work it has taken to get to this stage of the design,

“It’s been quite tricky, making sure all the pieces fit and there aren’t any gaps, but I’m now at the stage where every part of the design is in place and secure, so now I have to wax the wood – it’s hard work as you have to go over the wood several times and ensure it all gets an even coating.”

Speaking about her chosen design she shared,

“I’ve combined two different elements in terms of my design, I wanted a centre and an edging and I’m really pleased with what I’ve achieved, it’s really aesthetically pleasing which is exactly what I wanted. I think I’m going to give this to my Granny as a gift!”

Meet Henri

Having finished his table top, Henri was busy securing two metal legs to complete his project, but it wasn’t as easy as it (might have) looked (to some)! He shared,

“I’ve used a cardboard template to cut out two pieces of metal, which I’ve then bent using specialised machinery, to ensure I get the perfect, and same angle on both legs. I love using the machinery in Design, it’s great fun and really interesting to find out how it works – then watch it work as you create your projects. I find metal quite easy to work with, well this metal anyway, it’s quite easy to bend and it behaves! It’s going to be a challenge to secure both legs to the table top in the correct place, making sure they’re both exactly where they should be, but I’m almost there!”

Mrs Cracknell, Head of Design spoke about the Year 9 project saying,

“The students have the opportunity to think creatively, experiment with designs and use the machinery which is a great experience for them. Learning and honing new skills, they experience the reward of seeing their projects take shape and come to life – it reinforces all the reasons Design is such a fun and interesting subject to study. Being able to visualise their creations, see others’ work, both their fellow students as well as designers they might have researched, is all part of the learning and inspiration process. I’m looking forward to seeing their tables completed – and so are they!”

Last week, Brave Mirror Theatre Company visited School delivering a workshop to students from our Year 7 to 9 Scholars and Enrichment programme. Co-founder of Brave Mirror and OW Jamie Saul, created a fantastic session where participants were given the prompt ‘a surprise’, and tasked with writing, rehearsing, and performing short scripts.

Working together, it was a thoroughly enjoyable workshop during which they collaborated and supported each other, being creative and having great fun!

Reviewing the workshop, Year 9’s Rufus shared the following:

I think I speak for everyone that was lucky enough to attend the workshop with Brave Mirror Theatre Company, when I say we absolutely loved it!

It was interesting how Jamie made us warm up our voices with certain games and exercises; this was useful and enjoyable at the same time. I also really enjoyed how he let us split off into smaller groups to devise our own performance, inspired by the theme ‘a surprise’.

He split this devising exercise into different parts. The first part, coming up with the storyline, the second, writing our script and the third, bringing in physicality. At the end of the session, we all shared our performances, enjoying everybody’s creative flare and celebrating what they had come up with.

As a Drama student, I think it is so helpful to have opportunities like this to learn about different techniques and ways to help pursue your Drama ability to a higher level.

We recently joined Year 11’s Ed and Year 11’s Sam in rehearsals for this year’s Year 10 and 11 production The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. For those of you who may not know the play, it was originally performed at the National Theatre, and tells the intricate story of Christopher Boone, a 15 year old, exceptionally gifted at Maths, but who finds people confusing. The discovery of a dead dog in his neighbour’s garden leads him to investigate – against his Father’s wishes. It’s not long before this investigation leads to revelations about Christopher’s mother’s death (no spoilers!) and the discovery that his Father was the dog killer.

This play is fundamentally a tale of family and bravery, as Christopher realises he can achieve more than he ever thought, somewhat against the odds. But his character is tinged with the sadness of the frustration and rage his father feels and shows, and the impact that those feelings and emotions have on their already fragile relationship; as his father has been struggling to raise a child who is neurodiverse.

We joined rehearsals as Miss Mayes and Mr Williams talked Ed and Sam through their lines in a particularly challenging scene, in which there is a physical altercation. But this violence doesn’t just happen, it’s the result of a building and peaking tension between the two characters, between a father and son and this was the focus of the teaching.

With lots of opportunities to express a myriad of emotions, this scene could easily gather pace quickly, so the young actors spent time understanding how to build tension, to create a situation that the audience could see and feel – that they could work together on to share with the audience. Taking time to understand that there is a need for balance, and for keeping control of the scene, they also discussed and agreed proposed physical positions on stage, body language and the use and power of suggestion. One technique they practiced was pausing; learning the power of the pause, using punctuation in the script to allow the tension to build; they also discussed interruption, as this scene calls for each of them to cut into the others’ lines as part of their delivery. With all this talk of energy, Sam and Ed then rehearsed the scene physically having read through their lines.

Year 11’s Ed plays Christopher’s father, also called Ed, and after this scene rehearsal he spoke to us about his character sharing,

“It’s all about learning to know when and how to build tension, but at the same time understanding the importance of control. The father son relationship on stage is extremely complex, as are both of the characters; my character is challenged by his son’s neurodiversity and the way it presents itself and affects his behaviour, combine this with the fact that he’s also lying and holding in a huge secret and it’s the perfect storm! That combination is challenging, to say the least – but he’s also great fun to play.”

Talking about the audition process he said,

“Sam and I actually auditioned together, so we had a chance to explore these characters before we were given the roles – I knew straight away that Ed was the character I wanted to play. Sam and I experimented with fight scenes, because a lot of this play has physical arguments, it was great to imagine how we might play these parts, and we talked a lot about how we’d work together – so being given the roles was brilliant.” He added, “It’s so great when you work hard during rehearsals and finally it comes together and you get to perform – I’m so passionate about Drama that often when people feel I’m missing out on other social events when I’m rehearsing at weekends for example, I honestly feel happy to give up my time, because I love it so much.”

Gemma Mayes, Head of Drama added,

“Ed is portraying this character brilliantly already, and it’s quite a challenge and a lot of responsibility really because the play covers highly sensitive issues. There aren’t many plays where the central protagonist is neurodiverse, even in 2025, we rarely see or hear this narrative. It’s so important we remember there are those who may be watching and relating, and for that reason we’re working hard to ensure we’re not delivering a stereotypical father of a child with these challenges, we’re working hard to make sure we’re sensitive about delivering a character who’s having to cope with a child that doesn’t see the world through the eyes of others – and likewise when it comes to Sam’s role, that he’s not only showing one dimension to Christopher.”

Meeting Year 11’s Sam and talking to him about his character Christopher he shared,

“I’ve spent a lot of time researching, on my own and with the support of Mr Williams and Miss Mayes, to make sure I understand how to perform the character of Christopher. For me the challenge is that I’m not portraying one part of neurodiversity in Christopher’s character, we want to avoid that stereotyping as Ed explained, so in each scene I have to think about what the audience is seeing and understanding about this character.”

He continued,

“This isn’t just a story about a neurodiverse child, it’s the story of his personal challenges growing up and his relationship with his father – and how he learns to manage himself to achieve the most out of his life.”

Miss Mayes added,

“This is the story of a journey, of the underdog and growing up – it’s universal and relatable, and these young actors are working hard to portray these characters in the best way possible – they’re not only working hard in rehearsals but as Sam said, researching their characters and the situations they find themselves in, making sure they’re considering every detail – it’s brilliant to see them immersing themselves in the play.”

Talking about his focus in terms of performing to an audience, Sam continued,

“In this scene in particular it would be very easy to jump straight in, to go to the argument they’re having and to start screaming and shouting from the beginning – but what Ed and I are trying to do, is build the tension, communicate the atmosphere with silence, pauses and emphasis. Control is so important, because if we blow up into the row they’re going to have too soon we hit the ceiling of that interaction too soon, and the energy will blow out of it – and the audience will see. There’s so much to consider, it’s a brilliantly challenging play and I think on the face of it people might not see that straight away. I really hope that our audiences see everything we’re trying to share, through voice and body language.”

Tickets are now on sale for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, we hope you can join us on either Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 February. Please visit TicketSource. to book your tickets.

On Thursday 16 January Woodbridge School were proud hosts of the final Suffolk Schools Cross Country trial for this winter. The top 100 athletes in Suffolk in each age group had qualified to compete at this trial, and with the weather playing its part we were treated to a spectacular day of racing.

We congratulate every athlete and offer a massive thank you to marshals, officials, staff and parents that assisted in the hosting of the event.

Following the trial, Suffolk Schools will announce teams of 16 in each age group to compete at Anglian Schools which is to be hosted by Woodbridge School, on behalf of Suffolk Schools, on Saturday 1 February. After the February race, and including those race results, Suffolk Schools will announce reduced teams of eight (only for Juniors, Inters and Seniors – so Year 8 and above) to compete at English Schools in Sussex in March.

Thursday was a very successful day for Woodbridge School athletes with well over 30 competing across the age groups.

Our athletes won five individual medals, and with the Suffolk team to be announced this week we expect around 20 athletes to be in contention for selection, with another five or so expected to be on short reserve lists.

Well done to every athlete and good luck to those racing at Anglian Schools.

Full results:

Medal winners:

• Gold – Chloe Berry (Year 7)
• Gold – Dexter Marshall (Year 8)
• Silver – Hamish (Year 9)
• Bronze – Romilly (Year 10)
• Bronze – Archie (Year 7)

Minor Girls (Year 6 and 7):

• 1 Chloe (Year 7)
• 17 Florence (Year 6)
• 40 Juno (Year 7)
• 52 Vivenne (Year 7)
• 77 Tati (Year 7)

Unfortunately Year 6’s Sofia had to pull out mid race, but after finishing 11th in the combined first trial she may yet be considered for selection.

Minor Boys (Year 6 and 7):

• 3 Archie (Year 7)
• 28 Arthur(Year 7)

Junior Girls (Year 8 and 9):

• 4 India J (Year 8)
• 5 Alexandra (Year 8)
• 6 Ella (Year 8)
• 7 Alice (Year 9)
• 12 India B (Year 8)
• 17 Grace (Year 9)
• 19 Imogen (Year 8)
• 22 Marina (Year 9)
• 33 Evie (Year 8)
• 45 Eirann (Year 9)
• 65 Millie (Year 9)
• 71 Cecily (Year 9)

Junior Boys (Year 8 and 9):

• 1 Dexter (Year 8)
• 2 Hamish (Year 9)
• 9 Otis (Year 8)
• 10 Olly R (Year8)
• 12 Alfie R (Year 8)
• 14 Oscar Wy (Year 9)

Unfortunately Year 9’s Digby had to pull out mid race, but after winning the combined first trial he should still be considered for selection.

Inter Girls (Year 10 and 11):

• 3 Romilly (Year 10)

Inter Boys (Year 10 and 11):

• 14 Jago (Year 10)
• 30 Jack (Year 10)

Unfortunately year 11’s Jasper had to pull out mid race, but after finishing 9th in the combined first trial he may yet be considered for selection.

Senior Girls (Year 12 and 13):

• 13 Paula (Year 12)
• 15 Dina (Year 12)

Senior Boys (Year 12 and 13):

• 4 Iwan (Year 13)
• 7 Angus (Year 12)
• 12 Bruce (Year 13)
• 19 Sam (Year 12)

24 January 2025

BREAKING NEWS!

News just in! Suffolk Schools Athletics has just announced their team to compete at Anglian Schools on 1 February (being hosted at Woodbridge School) and we’re absolutely delighted to confirm that 20 of our students have been selected to represent Suffolk.

Well done to everyone who took part, and huge congratulations to those selected:

• Minor Girls, Year 7’s Chloe (with Year 6’s Sofia as first reserve).
• Minor Boys, Year 7’s Archie
• Junior Girls: Year 8’s India J, Alexandra, Ella and India B, with Year 9’s Alice (with Year 9’s Grace as first reserve and Year 8’s Imogen as third reserve).
• Junior Boys: Year 8’s Dexter, Otis, Alfie R and Olly R, with Year 9’s Digby, Hamish and Oscar Wy.
• Inter Girls: Year 10’s Romilly
• Inter Boys: Year 10’s Jago (with Year 11’s Jasper as third reserve)
• Senior Girls: Year 12’s Paula (with Year 12’s Dina as first reserve)
• Senior Boys: Year 12’s Angus, with Year 13’s Iwan and Bruce.

Woodbridge School will have runners in every race at the event, hosted in School next Saturday, 1 February.

While many of us were enjoying the last Sunday of the Christmas break, 22 of our Cross Country athletes opened their 2025 campaign in style, at the Suffolk County Cross Country Championships; albeit in freezing conditions!

The first of four races in less than a month, and just ahead of our hosting the Suffolk Schools Finals Trials next week in School, our athletes were rewarded with four individual medals, contributions to five team Gold medals for clubs, and 11 athletes guaranteed Suffolk selection to compete at UK Inter Counties which take place in March.

The County Championship is a one off event leading to selection for UK Inter Counties in March, which in turn at U20 and Senior level, leads to selection for the World Cross Country Championships held every two years. The next World Cross Country is due to take place in 2026. County Championships also includes an introduction to cross country at U11, even though they do not progress to the UK event.

Across the races Woodbridge School athletes won four individual medals, contributed to five team Golds and at least 11 athletes are guaranteed selection to represent Suffolk at UK Inter Counties by finishing in the top six in their races. The UK Inter County Championship takes place in Nottingham on Saturday 8 March 2025.

Full Suffolk results for our athletes:

There were some incredible performances, and although most of our athletes represent their clubs at this event, our U13 Boys took team Gold in Woodbridge School colours, beating all of the clubs on the day.

Our individual medal winners:

• U13G – Silver – India (Year 8)
• U13G – Bronze – Alexandra (Year 8)
• U13B – Gold – Dexter (Year 8)
• U15B – Silver – Digby (Year 9)

Equally excellent results from:

• U11G – Sofia (Year 6) – 5th
• U11B – Sam (Year 5)- 5th
• U11B – Archie (Year 5) – 8th

• U13G – Ella (Year 8) – 4th
• U13G – Chloe (Year 7) – 5th
• U13G – Imogen (Year 8) – 9th
• U13G – India (Year 8) – 12th
• U13G – Evie (Year 8) – 15th
  • India J and Alexandra were part of the Saint Edmund Pacers team taking team gold!

• U13B – Otis (Year 8) – 4th
• U13B – Alfie (Year 8) – 5th
• U13B – Olly B (Year 8) – 16th
  • Dexter, Otis and Alfie won team gold for Woodbridge School!

• U15G – Alice (Year 9) – 7th (7th and 8th place finishers may yet gain selection for Inter Counties)
• U15G – Grace (Year 9) – 10th
• U15G – Marina (Year 9) -14th
• Romilly sadly withdrew mid race with illness, but as the current Suffolk number 2 in this age group, she may still be considered for selection.

• U15B Digby (Year 9) – 2nd
• U15B – Hamish (Year 9) – 6th
  • Digby and Hamish were part of the Saint Edmund Pacers team taking team Gold!

• U17M – Angus (Year 12) – 4th
  • Angus was part of the Saint Edmund Pacers team taking team Gold!

• U20M – Iwan (Year 13) – 5th
  • Iwan was part of the Ipswich Harriers team taking team Gold!

Congratulations to every athlete!

Although the major National events are all in March, next stop for our athletes will be the Final Suffolk Schools XC Trial, hosted by Woodbridge School, on Thursday 16 January.

December is indoor Hockey time in the UK, unlike the rest of Europe where a few months are dedicated to this highly skillful, fast-moving and high scoring version of the game.

A number of our junior indoor Hockey players have been in action, playing for their respective clubs at the UK Indoor Tournament in Nottingham over the New Year’s weekend. Apart from improving skills, gaining knowledge and experiencing the excellent facilities at the university, our players also tasted success! This is a national event with top clubs from across the country as well as ‘all star’ teams taking part in various age groups.

A massive congratulations to Year 7’s Max who was part of the Harleston Magpies U12 team, and who won the U12 National title! A superb achievement with Max playing a big part. More local success came via the Ipswich U14 girls team, featuring Year 8’s India J and Lottie S, unbeaten in the plate section on the last day of the competition.

Year 8’s Joseph and Otto represented Ipswich U14 boys, learning lots, playing a year up in a challenging tournament. Well done to each of these players.

And last Friday, on a bright and fresh afternoon, a committed group of senior boys took on the elements for their pre-season training. The focus of the day was all about ‘first touch’, earning the right to score, angles, height and avoiding contact – so much progress and fun. Thanks to each of the players who made the effort to attend and good luck for the season ahead. It’s going to be a busy one as ever, which will see us field two senior teams again.

Students from Years 11, 12 and 13 travelled to the ESFNET Careers Fair at Trinity Park earlier this week, to learn more about the NHS in terms of potential career paths.

Year 13’s Ronnie shares his experience of the event.

Year 13’s Ronnie

On the 11 December, 23 lucky students had the incredible opportunity to visit Trinity Park for the ESNEFT Careers Fair. This trip provided valuable insights into potential career paths, sparking inspiration for many students as they consider their futures.

Among those attending were members of MEDSOC, alongside other students curious about pursuing careers in the NHS or exploring apprenticeship opportunities. The event offered the chance to interact with NHS professionals from a wide range of departments, including Radiology, Pathology, Orthopaedics, and even the Finance team that keeps the NHS running smoothly.

One of the highlights of the day was the interactive experiences on offer. Students could try a VR simulator to practice assessing and treating a virtual patient, providing a hands-on glimpse into healthcare scenarios. Another memorable activity was the baby simulator, which gave participants (including Mr Richardson) a unique experience of what it feels like to carry a baby in the womb.

The trip was an enormous success, leaving students inspired and better informed about the diverse opportunities available within the NHS.