Category: Senior School News
We were delighted to celebrate awards for a number of pupils as we came together for the first time since March 2020, in our whole school assembly this week.
The following pupils were congratulated and applauded for awards as detailed:
British Biology Olympiad
Thomas, Year 13 – Commended
Isabelle, Year 13 – Commended
Oliver, Year 13 – Commended
Hugo, Year 13 – Highly Commended
Lara, Year 13 – Highly Commended
George, Year 13 – Gold
Crest Awards (STEM)
Alex, Year 8
Oscar, Year 8
Valentina, Year 8
Margot, Year 8
Ben, Year 8
Henry, Year 8
Arlo, Year 8
LAMDA
Acting Grade 6 – Bronze
Oliver, Year 11 – Distinction
James, Year 10 – Distinction
Alice, Year 11 – Distinction
Sasha, Year 12 – Distinction
Jack, Year 11 – Distinction
Esme, Year 11 – Distinction
Charlotte, Year 10 – Distinction
Acting Grade 7 – Silver
Lakisha, Year 13 – Distinction
Reuben, Year 13 – Distinction
Speaking in Public – Grade 8 – Gold
Sophie (Ex pupil) – Distinction
Julia, Year 13 – Distinction
Katie, Year 12 – Distinction
Speaking Verse and Prose – Grade 8 – Gold
Etiane, Year 13 – Distinction
Acting Grade 8 – Gold
Alexander, Year 13 – Distinction Phoebe, Year 13 – Distinction
We were finally (finally!) able to come together and celebrate our 2020 leavers last Saturday evening; a combination of some 50 leavers and a dozen staff coming together for fine dining, dancing and celebrating.
Having tried several times to hold the event, we were delighted to finally have the opportunity to not only work together to bring the event to life, but to give the pupils and staff the chance to catch up on the year since leaving the school while sipping prosecco and dancing into the afternoon in the school hall. With the sun streaming through as George Barker’s disco belted out and as we danced, it felt like Year 7 all over again.
Our chefs certainly pulled out all the stops, gracing our afternoon with a truly sumptuous and plentiful feast that even allowed for seconds! Sat dining together amongst bunting and balloons, flowers, fairy lights and origami creations kindly crafted by our front of house staff, it was a truly wonderful celebration and the perfect way to say goodbye to our Year 15 leavers. There were smiles as far as the eye could see and in whichever direction one’s gaze should fall, and the sound of laughter and excitement could be heard all around.
We were enjoying ourselves far too much to take any photographs, which is testament to what a joy the event was for everyone.
Our thanks fall to all those who helped organise the event, as well as all in Year 15 for joining us to share this moment together with the school. As Miss Norman put so beautifully in her welcome to the pupils, you have been a wonderful generation and you deserved it!
Having qualified in 2020, the Woodbridge School Equestrian Team and coach Gill Daniels travelled to Hickstead All England Jumping Course in August. Taking part in the National and County Dressage Championships, the team comprised three dedicated members who had trained exceptionally hard in the lead up to the championships, including Phia Y10, Sasha Y9 and Lily Y12.
On one of the warmest and driest days of the year, the girls and the ponies worked extremely hard and represented the school wonderfully achieving several awards:
County Team preliminary 12
Phia, Sasha and Lily – 4th place
Pop Up Mixed Dressage
Phia and Jasmine – 10th place
National Individual Novice 27
Lily – 14th place
National Individual Preliminary 14
Sasha – 6th place
National Team Mixed Dressage
Phia, Sasha and Lily – 8th place
The day was a great success and a real chance to see all that hard work from training pay off. There was tremendous team spirit and comments received from bystanders on the behaviour and demeanour of our girls, one in particular commenting on how happy and smiley they were.
We were incredibly proud of all of the girls’ achievements, and particularly delighted to recognise Jasmine from Woodbridge Prep, one of our youngest competitors on the day with all the attributes of a future shining star.
Pupils receiving their bronze DofE award have completed a physical, skills and volunteering section of the award scheme; undertaking number of activities ranging from cookery, cycling, horse riding and assisting elderly neighbours to playing musical instruments, working in charity shops and cafes.
Our DofE Coordinator Mr Garvie shared a number of successes this week, with the following pupils having achieved their bronze DofE awards:
Zaid, Year 11
Jonny, Year 11
Eleanor, Year 11
Ruiying, Year 10
Pupils also undertook a practice and assessed expedition in the local area. Ordinarily pupils would camp out, but due to Covid this wasn’t possible. However, each expedition was over two days, during which time they had to spend six hours out on the ground, walking anywhere between 16 to 19Km.
Next week Kia and Benjamin from Year 11 are also due to receive their bronze award.
Encouraging confidence and resilience is all part of participating in DofE, challenging pupils physically as well as mentally. The awards are testament to the hard work and achievement of all those taking part.
We were extremely excited to host a hockey goalkeeping coaching camp, held by Maddie Hinch MBE, Olympian gold and bronze medallist field hockey goalkeeper.
Having recently returned from Tokyo, Maddie and her team of expert goalkeeping coaches offered a hockey masterclass, the last in their road trip tour of 2021 – offering children from the region, including pupils from the school, the chance to not only learn key goalkeeping skills, but to collaborate with other goalkeeping enthusiasts, learn more about the position and really hone their skills.
The masterclass took place throughout the day and into the evening, taking over 50 goalkeepers through their paces, focussing on different aspects of goalkeeping and taking pupils through various stations and drills. At lunchtime we were treated to a demonstration from Maddie of her own training drills – a chance to see an Olympic medallist in her element, and witness her passion and absolute skill, it was an absolute thrill.
The afternoon’s training began with the camp’s trademark ‘Coaches’ Cauldron’ which provided much entertainment for onlooking parents. For our own amazing goalies, Sam (Y8) and Bash (Y10) the day offered a very special experience, they thoroughly enjoyed the day, worked very hard, and learned so much. The day was topped off with an adult masterclass under the lights on the Astro pitch. A wonderful finale to not only the day, but to Maddie and her team’s road trip of MH1 coaches who gave their all to inspire not only the next generation of top goalkeepers but also the current one.
The School – in their own words
As we start this new academic year, we turn to our Head Girl and Boy to introduce themselves and the school to you, from their very own perspective. Appointed to represent the school and work with their peers and teachers, Lakisha and Mak embody the values and beliefs, and are certainly a credit to Woodbridge School as well as themselves. Their letters will give you an insight into what the School has to offer in their own words and what it means to them to be part of it.
Lakisha’s letter:
Hello Everyone
I trust you enjoyed the much-deserved summer holiday and break, and are ready to start this new academic year! My name is Lakisha and I have the honour of being Head Girl here at Woodbridge School. I joined the school in Year 7 and am now excitedly but sadly facing my last year at the school.
My A-level subjects are English Literature, Business Studies and Drama, and outside of the classroom I find myself involved in Drama as it’s one of my favourite hobbies; I’m currently preparing for my Grade 8 LAMDA exam and am excited to audition for the Sixth Form Play and Whole School Musical. I am forever grateful for how encouraging, welcoming, and talented the Drama department is and know that once my final year is up, it will be one of the aspects I will miss the most.
Nonetheless, pinpointing my favourite part of being at Woodbridge School is a challenge, but I would have to say that the number and range of extracurricular options available is top of my list. When I joined, I found myself playing chess, participating in both hockey and netball, taking part in the school musical and performing in choir – having never done any of these things before. It simply goes to show that regardless of prior experience you really can do take part in all and any activities you choose.
As cliché as it may sound, something that has always been important to me is making a difference in any way I can, and I believe that starts with being a role model; that being one of many reasons I applied to become Head Girl. Whether it’s something as small as being a friendly and trustworthy face for other students or forming a society which champions equality, diversity, and inclusivity, making any kind of change is important to me, and something I’ve been able to achieve through my appointment.
I truly believe that after facing the beast that was, and still is, Covid, this academic year will be a brilliant one, and I am excited to watch normal school activities taking place again; elements of school which brought together will enable our community to resume.
Have a wonderful year!
Lakisha
Mak’s letter:
Dear All
I hope that you have had a great summer, and are ready for the new academic year! My name is Mak and I am lucky enough to have been appointed the exciting role of Head Boy. I joined Woodbridge in Year 5 in the Prep School, and haven’t looked back since.
At the moment I am studying Economics, Mathematics and Geography. I have also been able to pursue interests outside of the classroom such as rugby, playing for the first XV and coaching younger years. Alongside this I’ve been involved in data science, including two internships over the summer, one with an OW, the other with the Army section in the nationally recognised Combined Cadet Force. Woodbridge School has truly allowed me to find great balance between my studies and ambitions, and certainly shown me that I can continue to pursue both in my future.
My favourite part about being at Woodbridge is the sense of community, and how easy it is to communicate between students and staff respectively. Regardless of the situation, I have always been able to approach members of staff for advice – and not just for help with homework. This mutual respect encourages us to take responsibility for ourselves, which in turn encourages our development as an individual.
I applied to become Head Boy at Woodbridge because I believe that I can help to shape the school in line with the ever-changing world, and also because having a senior role in a school like ours is a huge honour, certainly something that I will always look back on in later life.
My goal over the next year is not only to help support the recovery of the school to where we were pre-Covid, but also to ensure that we are in an even better place for all students and members of the Woodbridge community.
Have a great year.
Mak
Woodbridge School GCSE results 2021
- 35% of grades were grade 9
- 50% of grades were grade 9-8
- 69% of grades were grade 9-7
- 85% of grades were grade 9-6
- 7 pupils scored straight grade 9s
- 11 pupils scored only grades 9-8
- 33% pupils scored only grades 9-7 (formerly ‘straight A grades’)
- 39% of pupils have a grade average of grade 8 or higher
- 62% of pupils have a grade average of grade 7 or higher
- More than two thirds of the pupils scored at least one grade 9
Many congratulations to Etiane on her wonderful “Mention honorable” laureate in the 2021 edition of the French Pop Video Competition organised by The Institut français du Royaume-Uni. Hers was a beautiful and beguiling song, and she fully deserves this significant recognition. If you missed our link to her performance last time, here it is again:
We are truly delighted that Asmee has been invited to participate in the UK Mathematics Trust Summer School in June. She is one of only 120 students (drawn from Years 10 and 11 across the nation) invited to participate at this high level; we are thrilled that Asmee’s hard work and tremendous talent has been recognised. Congratulations!
We are celebrating a fantastic success in the 2021 London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art (LAMDA) examinations this year. With its talented cohort of 17 pupils – from Years 8-13 – achieving a total of 17 Distinctions. This is an amazing result for the school and is a fantastic reward for hard work of the students.
Susan Lockwood, LAMDA teacher at Woodbridge School, said: “Congratulations to our LAMDA students, who have achieved amazing results! Despite the lockdown, and the disruption that it has caused, we have still managed to achieve exceptional results, in exceptional circumstances.”
LAMDA has become firmly embedded into life at Woodbridge School. LAMDA teaching encompasses a wide range of subjects, including acting, verse and prose, public speaking, spoken English, and musical theatre. LAMDA is about process and learning through fun, and acquiring new skills that will benefit every pupil.
At Woodbridge School, LAMDA pupils also get the experience of performing at the award-winning Seckford Theatre, showcasing their talents, with a different theme for every Show.