Category: Senior School News

On Wednesday Woodbridge School had two Girls teams compete at the 51st Annual Cross Country Relays at King Henry School in Coventry. The relays are a national event, the largest schools cross country relays in England, with strong cross country schools competing from around the country. The format is teams of four, with each athlete running 2.3 miles; pur Running Coach Mark Goddard reported on the event.

Mark Goddard’s Report

For the fifth year in succession our Girls A Team (Year 13’s Amy, Year 8’s Romilly, Year 9’s Charlie and Year 10’s Phoebe) finished in the top ten, coming home in 9th place.

For Amy this will be her last ever cross country in a Woodbridge School vest and fittingly she recorded our fastest school leg of the day. Such is the consistency amongst our top athletes that all four in the team competed their legs within half a minute of each other.

Our second team (Year 10’s Rose and Poppy, along with Year 8’s Sophie and Felicity) went one better to record the best ever finish for our seconds, coming home in 19th place. Again consistency across the team with a blistering last lap from Felicity.

Whilst this is the final race for Woodbridge School teams this winter, there are still a number of regional and national events to follow, the first of which is this Saturday 4 February, where 24 of our athletes will race for Suffolk Schools at the Anglian Schools Championship in Northampton. A five county event with 80 athletes in each race and for Juniors (Year 8) and above the final selection race to compete for Suffolk at English Schools in Nottingham in March.

Congratulations to our relay runners and good luck to everyone competing on Saturday.

Our U14 and U16 netball teams travelled to Stanborough School last Friday, ahead of the East Regional round of the National Schools Championships. One of only two schools representing Suffolk in both age groups, the teams did incredibly well.

Our U14s won three out of their six matches, their losses only by a tiny margin, one game by only one goal! They took joint 4th place out of their pool of seven, going on to take joint 9th place overall in the final placings.

Our U16s followed suit by winning three out of their six matches too, again with losses by a very small margin. Taking joint 4th place in their pool of seven, the final placings saw them in joint 7th place overall.

The girls should be incredibly proud of themselves and their performances, as well as how they conducted themselves; they faced some very tough and at times very physical opposition, but rose to the occasion and played very well indeed, it was a real team effort (we even had four pairs of siblings playing) and the girls thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Special thanks to everyone who helped organise and take the teams away overnight as well as getting them ready for the matches.

Last weekend will definitely be etched in the memory of our young athletes for some time to come.  On Saturday, Woodbridge School was proud to host the National IAPS Cross Country Championship with some incredible results for our Prep School athletes. 

Our U11 boys were National Champions for the second year in succession, with Year 6’s Dexter taking individual Gold and Year 6’s Otis winning the silver medal.  Not to be outdone, our U11 Girls, who took third place last year, went one better to take a well-deserved team Silver this year.  

The day was an amazing community event, with over 100 entrants in each of the U11 races and our own Year 12’s Henry handing out medals and trophies at the presentation. 

And just as the dust began to settle, on Sunday morning Suffolk Schools Athletics announced their team to compete at Anglian Schools in Northampton on Saturday 4 February. 

Woodbridge School had a previous school record of 18 athletes selected across the age groups, but this year our young athletes surpassed that with ease, with 24 earning County selection and a further two on short reserve lists.  With almost 80 schools having entered the first trial, 41 schools make up the team of 128 athletes selected across the age groups, and the next highest contingent selected from a single school is 9 compared to our 24. 

Congratulations to every athlete and good luck for the regional and national events remaining this season. 

Students selected to represent Suffolk Schools:  

Minor Girls:  
India (Year 6) 
Ella (Year 6)  
Alexandra (Year 6) 
Marina (Year 7) 
Grace (Year 7) 
Alice (Year 7) 

Minor Boys:  

Dex (Year 6)  
Alfie (Year 6) 
Ollie (Year 6) 
Otis (Year 6) 
Charlie (Year 6) 
Digby (Year 7) 

Reserve:  
Oscar (Year 7) 

Junior Girls:  
Romilly (Year 8) 
Felicity (Year 8) 
Charlie (Year 9) 

Junior Boys:  
Jasper (Year 9) 

Inter Girls:  
Phoebe (Year 10) 
Poppy (Year 10)  
Ellen (Year 11) 

Reserve:  
Rose (Year 10) 

Inter Boys:  
Angus (Year 10) 
Bruce (Year 11) 

Senior Girls:  
Isobel (Year 12) 
Amy (Year 13) 

Senior Boys:  
Henry (Year 12)

Mrs Brown, Assistant Head (Pastoral) at Woodbridge School has been working hard introducing proactive, positive measures to support students’ mental health. 

Mindful of students’ experiences throughout Covid, lockdowns and the lasting impact this has had on many of our students, Mrs Brown has put various measures in place to support the promotion of positive well-being throughout the School.  Covid added to the usual stresses and strains of being teenagers and our young people are often surrounded by the pressures from and, the impact of, social media.  Equipping students to navigate these waters is a key aim. 

Alongside an open-door policy allowing students to drop in to see her for support, she has also introduced specific support through tutor sessions.  Students from every year group are encouraged and given the opportunity to spend time focusing on a number of proposed topics when they meet with tutors during the week, and during January those topics have included:  

• Understanding anxiety and why it’s not a bad thing
• Guide to stressful situations for young people
• Guide to managing social media for young people
• Playing sports benefits your body and benefits to mental well being

Outcomes from these tutor sessions can be shared with Mrs Brown by teachers and/or students, or students can approach her individually, to put in place action plans for those who want and need additional support.  

Future plans include podcasts focusing on different areas associated with well-being, broadening the buddy system and a well-being check-in platform that is currently being trialed by Year 10 students.    

Through increased accessibility and visibility of support, further planned activities and those that will be developed throughout the year, Mrs Brown will support students as they navigate life in and outside of School. We look forwarded to reporting on further developments throughout the year.  

Ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day students from Year 9 watched a live webcast from the Holocaust Educational Trust, hearing from Ruth Posner, a Holocaust survivor.  Broadcast to tens of thousands of students in schools all across the UK and lasting an hour, Ruth shared her frank, harrowing yet intriguing testimony of her life during the second World War, explaining how she survived and came to live in the UK, going onto become a famous actress and dancer, and to meet and marry her husband of 73 years. 

Ruth spoke passionately and painfully about her life before, during and after the Nazi invasion of her home country Poland on 1 September 1939.  Students were captivated and yet saddened and horrified to hear her remember how she came to escape the Nazis, a fate that sadly her parents were unable to avoid, both killed in Treblinka extermination camp by Hitler’s soldiers. 

Hearing of the bravery shown by her and the Aunt who chose to help save her life after both of her own very young children were shot and killed by Nazis, of their journey living undercover and hiding their Jewish identities in order to save their own lives, our students were clearly moved by her account.  She recalled many moments that she had experienced that no child should ever have to endure in their lives, until finally she told of the moment of liberation and her life living with a German family ahead of allies discovering and rescuing them.  

Students were reminded that in a few years’ time, live interviews like this will become a thing of the past, and that today offered them a truly unique opportunity to see and hear from someone who has lived through and survived the horrors that many came to suffer during the second World War. 

Describing the holocaust at “The greatest human stain in history”, Ruth’s testimony was truly moving and captivating, yet educational and something that undoubtedly will stay with these young minds for their whole lives.  Ruth shared her hope that the holocaust and those that died as well as those who survived will be remembered, that lessons will be learned. She finished by explaining that she wanted everyone to know, to understand, to remain inquisitive and to remember.  Despite everything she’s been through she explained, “Hate has not stayed in my heart. Talking to you about my life gives me hope – the only hope I have.” 

Ruth Posner BEM (Source: The Holocaust Educational Trust) 

Ruth Posner BEM was born in Warsaw in 1930 and lived with her parents Anna and Marian. Ruth’s family saw themselves as Poles first and foremost and she attended a Catholic school. By the end of the Holocaust, Ruth’s parents, uncles, aunts and cousins were all killed. After the Germans invaded, Ruth remembers being thrown out of her home and being sent to the Warsaw Ghetto. Ruth’s father arranged for her and an aunt to work in a factory making leather goods. It was hard, slave labour. The factory was located outside of town and helped keep Ruth away from the deportations from the ghetto for a time. Once a week the workers were marched to the town baths and on one of these occasions Ruth and her aunt escaped to the non-Jewish side. Ruth hid with a Catholic family but during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943, she was taken prisoner and sent to Germany. She was imprisoned as a Polish Catholic as opposed to being imprisoned for being Jewish. Towards the end of the war, the Germans put Ruth on a train which ended up in the large town of Essen. The Allies were bombing the town and many around Ruth were killed. She hid on a local farm until the end of the war. After the war, Ruth came to the UK at the age of 16. She did not speak the language and for a while she lived in a hostel with other refugees. Despite her experiences, Ruth was determined to start a new life, learn English and go back to school. She was helped by the two German Jewish refugees who ran the hostel. Ruth eventually went to a good school and later to a college. After three years at the college she continued her training with the London Contemporary Dance Theatre. She became a member and stayed with them for 18 years, performing and teaching. Ruth married her husband Michael, who worked for UNICEF, and they moved to New York. Ruth first went to Hunter College (part of New York University) and after 2 years obtained an MA in Theatre Arts. She then changed profession and studied acting, forging a successful career which has lasted until the present. Miss Emily Tattoo Head of Philosophy, Religion and Ethics 

Our U12, U13, U14, U15 and U16 netball teams have played various matches recently, more details on each match can be found in our reports below from Mrs Richardson. 

U13 and U12 netball 

Last Wednesday the U12 and U13 netball teams had their first block fixture of the season against RHS.  Unfortunately, due to some unplayable courts a couple of matches had to be cancelled, but will hopefully be re-arranged; however, the remaining matches and teams produced some very positive results.  Our U12A, U12B, U13A and U13B teams all won their matches, playing some great netball around the courts in extremely cold conditions.  The U13C lost their match unfortunately but there were a lot of encouraging moments. A  promising start to the season for all the girls! 

This Monday, the U12A and B teams were back in action in a league tournament at St Jo’s. Again, the girls played really well in tough conditions and against some very tall opposition, with the U12A only losing one match (by one goal!).  The U12Bs worked incredibly hard and learnt a lot playing against mainly A teams.  They showed bundles of determination to be rewarded with a deserved win in their final match of the tournament.  All the girls were supportive of one another and were great ambassadors for the School. 

The U12A and B teams returned to St Jo’s on Wednesday and both teams improved on their previous matches against the hosts.  The U12B team defended amazingly well, preventing the opposition from scoring, whilst tight defensive work meant the U12A team only conceded two goals. 

The U12C team played their first match of the season on Wednesday against Framlingham Prep, winning in style and proving the depth of talent across our Year 7 netballers.  

Meanwhile, the U13A, B and C teams played in triangulars with Fram Prep and Orwell Park – the U13B winning both their matches.  The U13C secured their first win of the season against Orwell Park and lost a close match against Fram Prep.  Our U13A convincingly won against Fram before losing a nervy, shortened game against Orwell Park.   

U15, U16 and Senior netball

Off the back of a tough but tight loss last week to Greshams in the second round of the National Cup, the U15A team travelled to East Bergholt for their first league match of the season, determined to get back to winning form.  The girls played some lovely netball to secure an impressive win.  Also playing their first match of the season, the U16A team had good win against Kesgrave  – a very positive result considering the girls have just finished their mocks and haven’t been able to train together for a while. 

On Tuesday, the U16A, B and C teams all played at home against Finborough; the U16A winning in an exciting and very physical match.  U16B team had a close match against Finborough winning two quarters, unlucky not to draw .  The U16C also lost but played some brilliant netball and showed great team spirit in their first match of the season, especially considering this was the first time some of the team had ever played netball. 

The Senior team had a friendly against Farlingaye on Tuesday, Miss Sanders had a large squad which she rotated to ensure all the girls had time on court.  Everyone played extremely well, giving Miss Sanders some tough decisions about future selections. 

U14 Netball 

The U14A and B teams travel to Finborough for their first matches on Thursday and we will report next week on how they got on. 

The coaches are incredibly proud of all of the girls and excited about the season ahead. 

Our Junior Boys hockey teams (Year 7 and 8) started their season with a bang against Royal Hospital School this week, and although conditions were extremely cold the play was anything but! Seven matches, every boy in lower School playing!

Junior 1 Team

The Junior 1s had a confident start and dominant display. Although they were disappointed to not have scored more goals after creating many opportunities, especially in the first half, they were very pleased with an impressive and well-earned clean sheet.

Highlights from the match included a good and disciplined press and defensive structure, excellent one-on-one defence at the back, multiple chances created by good passing and circle play, and a debut goal for Year 8’s Toby in his first match for Woodbridge School! Top performers were Year 8’s Harry, Oliver, Barney and Arthur in goal, with player of the match going to Year 8’s Elijah.

Junior 2 Team

The Junior 2s boys started their season with an exciting draw. An excellent opening half, saw Year 8’s Charlie score twice after some superb team hockey, with assists from Year 8’s Ambrose and Toby. After missing a few chances to put the game to bed before the half, RHS scored twice in quick succession halfway into the second (against the run of play). The quick pace of the game continued up to the final whistle with both sides missing chances to win the game. An enthralling and very promising start to the season!

Junior 3 Team

What a cracking first game of the season for the Junior 3s with a great mixture of Year 7 and 8 students representing the team. For some students it meant their first opportunity to represent the School in hockey and show their ability. Year 8’s Jago and Zac held their position at the back, allowing Year 8’s Lade, Tom, Isaac and Jack K to exploit the spaces in front of them. It was an excellent start to the match, with the ball regularly making its way to the right hand side of the pitch where we were able to take advantage of our strong side and make an early lead with Year 8’s Jack sliding the ball into the corner. The subs came on and continued the impressive display with Year 7’s Oscar W moving especially quickly up and down the right hand side of the field, showing great effort in attack and defence. The only negative to the first half was that we didn’t score more goals.

Into the second half and a few changes in position meant that RHS were then able to attack a little more, however a few alterations and a little more composure saw Year 8’s Tom strike the ball into the goal for a two goal lead. With some more great defence we secured a solid win with Year 7’s Oscar W being voted man of the match.

Junior 4 Team

The Junior 4s had to settle for a low scoring draw in their first match. Both sides put their hearts and souls into this combative and close first fixture, but the match was crying out for a bit of composure. The frenzied activity on the pitch never ceased with plenty of goalmouth action and robust challenges in midfield. Players were trying out different positions and testing out their teamwork in the crucible of competition. The goal went to Year 8’s Oscar R, and Year 7’s Tahir was voted player of the match. There is a lot of promise looking ahead at future matches for this team.

Junior 5, 6 and 7 Teams

The Junior 5, 6 and 7 teams played their first matches together against an equally inexperienced RHS teams. Huge credit must go to the boys for approaching the matches with such spirit and enthusiasm, especially in the freezing conditions.

The Junior 5s were very impressive, taking ownership of their own positions and substitutions, they were dominant throughout and recorded a comfortable win, scoring plenty of goals whilst also keeping a clean sheet. Excellent work all round! Special mention to Year 7’s Jacob for a double hattrick and Year 8’s Noah for his all-round performance.

The Junior 6s were quick off the mark to get the ball from the opposition and some great link up play meant they scored very early in the first half. From then on in Woodbridge had the upper hand over RHS for most of the first half. RHS got a score early in the second half however their attack was soon stopped with some great defending. Woodbridge responded quickly with some good play getting the ball wide, with a good cross into the box for an easy tap in. They went on to win comfortably without conceding again.

The Junior 7s scored first in their game after converting a quick counter-attack. More good play saw them score a second and third not long after. RHS put together some good attacking play forcing multiple saves from Year 7’s Kaell in goal, however they did eventually manage to score in the corner. Woodbridge got the final goal of the game to round off an excellent afternoon for our teams.

Seven matches, five wins and two draws – a pretty great way to start the season. Hopefully the experience and knowledge gained will stand all our players in good stead for the matches ahead. Well done to all and big thank you for the fantastic parent support on a very cold afternoon.

30 Woodbridge School athletes took part in the third and final round of the Suffolk Schools Cross Country trials, which was hosted in School last week. Read more about the event, the runners and the full results in our report from running coach Mark Goddard.

Mark Goddard’s Report

On Thursday 12 January Woodbridge School were proud hosts of the final Suffolk Schools Cross Country trial for this winter. Following this third and final trial, Suffolk Schools will announce teams of 16 in each age group to compete at Anglian Schools in Northamptonshire on Saturday 4 February.

After the February race, and including those race results, Suffolk Schools will announce reduced teams of eight (only for Juniors, Inters and Seniors – Year 8 and above) to compete at English Schools in Nottingham in March.

A very successful day for Woodbridge School athletes with around 30 having qualified to compete on their home course, with four winning individual medals and hopefully some 20 in contention for selection to be announced later this week.

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

Medal winners:

• Gold – Henry (Year 12)
• Silver – Amy (Year 13)
• Silver – Dexter (Year 6)
• Bronze – Otis (Year 6)

Minor Girls (Year 6 and 7)

• 4th India J (Year 6)
• 5th Ella (Year 6)
• 9th Grace (Year 7)
• 10th Marina (Year 7)
• 11th Alexandra (Year 6)
• 21st Eirann (Year 7)
• 45th India B (Year 6)
• 47th Charlie (Year 7)

Minor Boys (Year 6 and 7)

• 2nd Dexter (Year 6)
• 3rd Otis (Year 6)
• 4th Alfie (Year 6)
• 5th Charlie (Year 6)
• 6th Ollie (Year 6)
• 7th Digby (Year 7)
• 19th Oscar (Year 7)
• 21st Alfie (Year 6)
• 44th Jacob (Year 7)

Junior Girls (Year 8 and 9)

• 4th Romilly (Year 8)
• 20th Felicity (Year 8)
• 31st Eloise (Year 9)

Junior Boys (Year 8 and 9)

• 12th Jasper (Year 9)

Inter Girls (Year 10 and 11)

• 4th Phoebe (Year 10)
• 14th Poppy (Year 10)
• 15th Ellen (Year 11)
• 21st Rose (Year 10)
• 28th Georgia (Year 10)

Inter Boys (Year 10 and 11)

• 18th Bruce (Year 11)

Senior Girls (Year 12 and 13)

• 2nd Amy (Year 13)
• 7th Isobel (Year 12)

Senior Boys (Year 12 and 13)

• 1st Henry (Year 12)

Last Saturday, 14 January, Woodbridge School hosted the Lego Fun Morning, supported by Brickologists, Young Engineers. Children and adults from the local community poured into School Hall, which was filled with millions of Lego bricks. There were various activities including a Lego mini figure hunt, build under construction model stations, timed challenge competitions, a racing car station, Duplo area and Lego Bionicles.

Children who took part in the various competitions walked away with prizes provided by the Brickologists. Congratulations go to Cameron and Harry for winning first prize with their bridge build – well done! Adults were also put to the test and only had ten minutes to build a wind turbine; the competition was fierce, but a huge amount of fun was had by all.

The Lego Fun Morning event is part of the Primary Enrichment programme provided by Woodbridge School to local primary schools and the community. The programme provides an exciting and dynamic mix of topics and skills which appeals to so many areas of interest, and is intended to bring genuine joy and enjoyment to all within its learning.

Gecko is an internationally acclaimed physical theatre company, founded in 2001. This week Year 12 drama students took part in a workshop managed and delivered by the award-winning company, exploring techniques, processes and performance. Ellie took part in the workshop and reported on not only the activities but the importance in relation to the year group’s A level studies.

Ellie’s report:

On Tuesday afternoon, Year 12 drama students left the ordinary behind in a workshop with Helen from Gecko theatre company. In a three-hour blur of movement and music, we explored devised theatre through combining playfulness with creativity to make performances which pushed the boundaries of ‘pedestrian’ expectations.

We intertwined games and exercises with periodic group reflection, something which created an atmosphere of inclusivity and freedom. Being midway through our own A Level devised pieces, this workshop came at a perfect time, both in expanding our technical skills, and personally inspiring and motivating us to create extraordinary work.