Category: Senior School News

Senior Teams

Tuesday last week we got our seniors off o positive starts in their first full length fixtures of the season, playing against local rivals, Royal Hospital School. As expected in these derby games, it was action packed. After a less than ideal start to the game, the 2nd team bounced back with a strong performance in the second half, but had to settle for a one goal defeat, despite a goal by Year 11’s Sam and the heroics in goal by Year 12’s Indie.

The 1st XI team achieved a convincing win thanks to a brace of goals from Year 12’s William, and one each from Year 13’s Alfie and Year 12’s Sam. Mr Pineo was pleased with this excellent first win of the season. The team passed well – with conviction and accuracy – and held their shape very well in both defence and attack. The focus for the next match will be to now maintain possession for even longer periods by avoiding conflict using available space optimally. Congratulations to Player of the Match, Year 11’s Jasper on an outstanding performance.

Junior 2 Team

The Junior teams keep improving and being rewarded for their commitment and motivation at extra-curricular practice sessions. The Junior 2nd team has made it four wins from four in their opening matches of the season. A very satisfying win over Greshams the week before, saw the team carry on their momentum and goal scoring form against Old Buckingham Hall (OBH). Another win secured! Year 8’s Michael was on the score sheet yet again, with two goals this time, while Year 8’s Frank and Arthur also scored. Year 8’s Olly provided another very entertaining and excellent performance in goal – making the win sound easier than it was. Player of the Match was awarded to Year 7’s Max, who played with maturity and control, and putting feedback into action. Well done, Max.

Junior 1 Team

The Junior 1st team followed their positive performance against Greshams the week before, with a good win against OBH. The team started excellently, scoring in the opening minute via Year 8’s Dex, but then didn’t capatalise on numerous more chances created in the first half. This encouraged OBH and when Woodbridge’s discipline waned, OBH benefited to go into half time in the lead. Woodbridge regrouped at the break and restarted the match like a different team. Year 8’s Alfie P made a real impact at right mid throughout the second half and was desperately unlucky not to score a couple of goals himself. Dex made things level early in the half, before co-captain Year 8’s Otto H, scored the winner. Woodbridge had to continue fighting and stop half chances, one excellent such effort was a match winning interception by Year 8’s Olly R. Year 8’s Goalkeeper Max had a great game. Our Player of the Match was Dex, who was influential as forward.

Junior 3 and 4 Team

The Junior 3s outplayed their OBH opponents on every level. The goals were spread around the team, with Year 7’s Arthur D and Year 8’s Tom C, Alfie R and Matthew getting on the scoresheet.

The Junior 4s had another successful afternoon of hockey with a comfortable win. The team started off slowly, however soon managed to score two goals in quick succession. After some good defensive work from OBH they made a quick break and managed to pull back a goal. Woodbridge turned up the pace and managed to get two more before half time. The second half was dominated by Woodbridge. Moving the ball quickly and accurately the J4’s created more chances and capitalised on four more occasions. Congratulations to Year 8’s Alex W for yet another haul by a Woodbridge player, and other goal scorers, Year 8’s Oliver C and George T, and Year 7’s Jesse and James E.

Junior 5 and 6 Teams

The Junior 5 and 6 teams didn’t get to play last week, due to OBH unable to field as many teams. However, both had very positive matches against Greshams the week before. The Junior 5s, filled with Year 8 players, entertained everyone watching in a match featuring seven goals, but a narrow loss. Our three goals were scored by George B and Thomas R (2) while Player of Match was awarded to Charlie W, for his performance in defence, in his first match for Woodbridge School.

The Junior 6’s, filled with Year 7 players, was our other victorious team against Greshams. All players made their hockey debut for School. William was a constant threat with some powerful shooting, and a good goal, and both Stefan and Luke worked tirelessly for the team. Miles and James E brought a touch of quality to the game, as well as a goal each, but it was Arthur in goal who was awarded Player of the Match for his clean sheet and other heroics.

Woodbridge U14 – County Cup

Last Thursday we hosted RHS and Culford for the England Hockey U14 Tier 2 County Cup, with Year 9 players in full force. Our team was definitely the underdogs but played like champions and competed with all they had. Having worked on slick passing leading up to the day, the team didn’t disappoint. The ball was moved around the back with growing confidence, players trusted each other in midfield and forward play got better and better, especially from William S. Anthony and Harry made a number of very promising and threatening carries. George and Pranav were again influential in midfield, while Alex was hard to stop once he found his full flow at right midfield. Barnaby was a hero more than once at center back, with telling tackles, interceptions and confident passing. The same is true for our two top goalkeepers, Arthur and Seth. Year 8 players, playing up a year, each made an impact too – well done to Griff, Otto H, Joseph and Otto P-S. Our team didn’t progress to the regional round, but proved we are developing and improving in the correct way and will be able to compete with everyone we face this year. Our Player of the Day was a close affair contested between Alex and Arthur, with Alex taking the honors. A big thank you to each of the players who have been a real pleasure to coach so far this term!

Woodbridge U15A vs Fram Senior XI

Our U15A Team of Year 10 players, took to the pitch for the first time this term, after a number of cancellations delayed the start of their season, against a senior team from Fram College. The opposition featured fit and fast Year 11s who came to test and challenge our team. The first half was somewhat erratic and inconsistent for both teams, but as the second half started, it was all action. Early on in the half, Oliver R put Woodbridge ahead. Woodbridge got better and better at moving the ball around and using the right side of the pitch for attacks. Rory was influential on and off the ball, in his debut hockey game for School, while Jago also shone in midfield, regularly breaking the line and advancing attacks. A great bit of build-up play up the right, and two-touch passing from Rory, Ambrose and Liam, fed the perfect ball into the D, which Elijah duly put away for our second goal. It looked like Woodbridge had done enough for the win, but the dreaded ‘2-0 curse’ struck again. Fram College came back in the last seven minutes to get two goals of their own and draw the game. A draw that feels a bit like a win, for the positive play and learning our boys delivered. The group did a lot of hard work before the game, working on their tactics and goals, and implemented it well. Injured captain, Oliver Y, must be commended for his work, coaching and encouragement on the sideline. Our Player of the Match went to captain on the day, and super center back, Seb.

Girls U13 Hockey Highlight

Last week ended with another hockey highlight and positive experience for our students – this time the girls taking the limelight. Two U13 teams, filled with players who represented our Junior 1s and Junior 2s last term, played against the touring teams from Boundary Oak during their games lessons on Friday afternoon. Both teams played ever so well, on a very cold afternoon. It was a delight to see everything remembered from last term, individual feedback put into action, and players still sharp with their skills and executing tactics well. Both teams came away with hard fought wins, scoring nice team goals, but also exhibiting positive sportsmanship, team cohesion and leadership on the pitch.

Athletics news hot off the press!! Following continued success in the Cross Country arena, we can now confirm 14 Woodbridge students have been selected to represent Suffolk on the highest stage, at the final national events of the winter calendar. It’s been another amazing Cross Country season for our young athletes, and as the season draws to a close, we’d like to congratulate them, not only on their success, but on their determination and commitment to their sport.

March will see the highlight of the Cross Country season with all of the national events in quick succession. Our Junior Girls, Junior Boys and Senior Boys teams will start the month with the National Final of the English Schools Cross Country Cup in Leeds on Saturday 1 March. This event was postponed from December due to the weather and we had previously reported on the teams in the autumn.

UK Inter Counties in Nottingham
Saturday 8 March

A Woodbridge School record-equalling thirteen athletes will represent Suffolk at this one-off event attended by every county in England, Wales and Scotland. For U20 and above the race typically serves as the Great Britain selection event for the World Cross Country Championships. The next World Cross Country event is in 2026, so this year will not be a selection year.

Racing for Suffolk County (Burgundy vest):

U13 Girls:

Chloe (Y7) India J (Y8), Ella (Y8) and Alexandra (Y8), with Imogen (Y8) as first reserve

U13 Boys:

Dexter (Y8), Alfie R (Y8) and Otis (Y8)

U15 Girls:

Romilly (Y10) and Alice (Y9)

U15 Boys:

Hamish (Y9) and Digby (Y9)

U17 Men:

Angus (Y12)

U20 Men:

Iwan (Y13)

English Schools Championship in Ardingly, West Sussex
Saturday 15 March

The largest and most competitive schools cross country event of the year for the Junior age group (Year 8 and 9) and older, where each county select their top eight athletes across two year groups to compete for individual and team honours. The top ten individuals on the day, at Junior and Inter level, are then selected to represent English Schools at the Home Nation International the following week. (England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales).

Racing for Suffolk Schools (Blue vest):

Junior Girls:

India J (Y8), Ella (Y8), Alexandra (Y8) and Alice (Y9), with India B (Y8) as fourth reserve

Junior Boys:

Hamish (Y9), Dexter (Y8) and Digby (Y9), with Oscar Wy (Y9) as third reserve

Inter Girls:

Romilly (Y10)

Senior Boys:

Iwan (Y13), with Angus Blackburn (Y12) as third reserve

We wish our athletes every success and would like to thank parents and staff for their tireless support through the winter!

Last weekend nine of our CCF cadets took part in various RAFAC progressive training syllabus-based challenges at CCF RAST. Testing teamwork, leadership, discipline, knowledge and creativity, the students were a credit to the School, so well done to Year 9’s Milo, Ella and Abigail, Year 10’s Curtis and Ishan, Year 11’s Henry, and Year 13’s Vio, Charlotte and Hugh, who shares his thoughts from the event below.

Year 13’s Hugh

After a crisp and early wake up, we made it to Shuttleworth Collection, Biggleswade, where the competition was taking place.

Following some intense and rather last-minute revision we started the day off to a thrilling test of our knowledge of space and our solar system. Next, we re-enacted a team working together to bring down enemy aircraft, with each person taking turns to identify, find and shoot down the planes, which was a definite highlight of the day.

Before we could break for lunch it was time for the main event, the drill. Despite our smaller than usual team, every member put in an incredible effort, and I was personally blown away at just how quickly our relatively new team learnt the drill sequence, especially as for some it was their first time taking part in any form of competitive drill. With high praise from the test sergeant, we walked away feeling upbeat with a definite sense of achievement. The squad was even asking to do the drill sequence again!

Before we left for the day, everybody took part in a leadership task, with the team then split up to complete a shooting and aircraft recognition stand. It was a thrilling day, jam-packed with many amazing opportunities for those who took part. It is safe to say that everyone left with a sense of pride and accomplishment.

A huge congratulations to all those cadets who took part, here’s to next year!

This week, Year 11’s Lexi shared their thoughts on the upcoming performance of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time with us, as they joined us mid-rehearsal. Playing Christopher’s mother Judy, for those of you who don’t know the play – look away now – but for those of you that do, you’ll know that she is indeed alive and not dead as Christopher was told by his father. This presents challenges in terms of audience thoughts and feelings about this character that Lexi shared,

“Obviously the audience and Christopher believed his mother to be dead, and so when she’s introduced to the play, I’m aware there may be a lack of sympathy for her, but in reality she’s only been guilty of wanting what is best for her child. Christopher’s father Ed is more easy going that she is, and he coped better with the challenges of Christopher’s neurodiversity – she chose to leave because she believed it would be better for him than if she stayed.”

Lexi continued,

“I really want the audience to understand the character, I feel like it’s my job to make sure they don’t feel angry at her, and that will hopefully come through in the character I play.”

Miss Mayes, Head of Drama agreed, sharing,

“It’s very easy for the world to stigmatise a mother who leaves a child – it can immediately be perceived as worse than if a father leaves them. I have to say, all credit to the writers of this play, Christopher’s mother is never demonised, she’s simply recognised as any human being should be in that she has flaws. It’s a great part for Lexi to play, the challenges are welcomed as part of their development in Drama, on stage and in real life too – it’s a wonderful opportunity for students to see the world around them through different eyes.”

Talking about performing next week, Lexi said,

“I’m feeling really excited. I’ve performed in the past in the School musical, as part of the ensemble in Little Shop of Horrors, and I’ve always loved performing. On a recent trip to New York I watched Romeo and Juliet and it was just insane, there is something about watching Drama, I love it – it’s a huge passion of mine. The chance to be part of the production community is just brilliant, bonding with the other students has been really special – I’m excited for all of us!”

Reflecting on the weekend’s successful rehearsal, Miss Mayes talked through the scene, discussing the importance of the back story for each character, and how this needs to be reflected in the students’ acting. Christopher’s vulnerability and the understanding the other characters have of this is an important aspect of the scene they’re rehearsing in particularly and it’s vital the audience connects with that understanding that they all have. Talking through stage setting and student positions on stage are all important parts of rehearsals – especially discussing how scenes begin and develop, using emphasis through physical actions and voice, the audience ever-front of mind. In today’s scene, three characters are talking through a door to the fourth actor; this isn’t something that will be physically and visually represented, but can be done so using tone and projection of voice, as well as positioning on stage.

Although not rehearsing in this particular scene, we were delighted to be able to meet and speak with Year 10’s Annie, who plays Mrs Alexander, an elderly lady who lives on Christopher’s street. She’s a pivotal character in the play and in Christopher’s life, since she helps him investigate the death of his dog; she’s always kind and welcoming, and in Christopher’s life this is in contrast to what he perceives to receive from many others.

Sharing her thoughts on why she’s such an important character in the play, Annie said,

“Christopher can trust Mrs Alexander, and in his life that feeling of trust is rare; she is kind and caring, and he can confide in her, and we see that building and growing throughout the play.”

She continued,

“In terms of challenges, playing an elderly person has meant I’ve had to research body language, physical movement and tone of voice – I’ve even developed an accent to channel her, which has really helped! I’ve never played an elderly character before, so it’s been really interesting, and I’m really enjoying the process of character development and rehearsals.”

Annie also has a unique role at the end of the play, when she has the opportunity to puppeteer. Miss Mayes shared,

“We won’t give away the surprise at the end of the play, because we’ve adapted it slightly, but suffice to say Annie was selected to puppeteer because she’s also brilliant physically on stage – she’ll be working with a puppet from a past production which was produced for us by one of only two companies in the UK that make puppets. But enough for now, as I say we don’t want to spoil any surprises, hopefully everyone who wanted to has managed to get tickets for the show and they’ll see our wonderful students perform for themselves!”

Tickets for Thursday 13 February are sold out, with just a few remaining for Wednesday 12 February’s performance, visit TicketSource to grab yours!

Year 9’s Tahir and Taaliah have recently competed in the Essex County Swimming Championships, while Year 7’s Jesse, Year 8’s George and Year 10’s Jack competed in the Suffolk County Swimming Championships.

Essex County Swimming Championships

Taaliah participated in two events achieving PBs in both. Tahir took part in six events, achieving four Bronze medals in four event finals, including the boys’ U14 relay. Tahir is also proud to have attained a regional time in four events, going through to represent Essex in the East Region Regional Championships which take place in May this year.

Suffolk County Swimming Championships

Following their recent qualification, Year 7’s Jesse, Year 8’s George and Year 10’s Jack took part in the Suffolk County Swimming Championships at Crown Pools.

Jesse swam in seven events, reaching the finals for all of them and achieving Gold in 50m freestyle, 100m butterfly and 100m breastroke, plus clocking PBs in the butterfly. He also achieved Silver in 100m and 200m individual medley, 50m backstroke, 200m backstroke.

George swam in five events, achieving success in 100m individual medley, with a Silver medal in his 13 years age group. Following that up with two Bronze medals in the 50m freestyle and 50m backstroke, clocking PBs in both and going under the 30 second barrier in 50m freestyle! He also reached finals for the 100m breastroke with 4th place and 200 individual medley, coming in 5th place.

Jack swam in two events, in 50m freestyle and 100m butterfly, making finals in both for the 15 years age group. Achieving a fantastic Silver medal and a super PB.

Fantastic achievements for all the swimmers, well done and good luck in the future championships.

On Saturday 1 February, 20 of our athletes represented Suffolk Schools at the annual Anglian Schools Championship, hosted this year at Woodbridge School on behalf of Suffolk Schools.

Suffolk Schools trials started back in October with over 1,800 youngsters aged from 10 to 18 competing in various races.

After a further trial in January, the County selected teams of 16 across four age groups covering Year 6 to year 13 to compete against Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire and Norfolk at this event.

A fantastic day with our athletes making a major contribution to the Suffolk Schools team that were dominant on the day, winning all age group team events (albeit a tie in the Junior Boys). This obviously meant Suffolk Schools were crowned Anglian Schools Champions, defending the title they have won for three or four years in succession!

Following this event Suffolk Schools will select 8 athletes in each of the Junior, Inter and Senior age groups to compete at English Schools in West Sussex on 15 March 2025.

Woodbridge School athletes were exceptional throughout the day and we estimate that nine of our athletes remain in contention to compete at English Schools. (Potentially nine of the 48 strong Suffolk Schools team)!

Results are now on the Suffolk Schools Athletics web site.

Full Woodbridge School results on Saturday : (One medal and seven top 10 finishers across the age groups):

Minor Girls:

• 2 Chloe (Y7) (1st Suffolk finisher and a silver medal)

Minor Boys:

• 4 Archie R (Y7) (2nd Suffolk finisher)

Junior Girls:

• 5 Alexandra (Y8) (2nd Suffolk finisher)
• 9 India J (Y8) (3rd Suffolk finisher)
• 11 Alice O (Y9) (4th Suffolk finisher)
• 15 Ella (Y8) (6th Suffolk finisher)
• 29 India B(Y8) (11th Suffolk finisher)

Junior Boys:

• 4 Digby (Y9) (1st Suffolk finisher)
• 7 Dexter (Y8) (2nd Suffolk finisher)
• 21 Hamish (Y9) (8th Suffolk finisher)
• 27 Oscar Wy (Y9) (10th Suffolk finisher)
• 39 Alfie R(Y8) (12th Suffolk finisher)
• 40 Olly R (Y8) (13th Suffolk finisher)

Inter Girls:

• 7 Romilly (Y10) (3rd Suffolk finisher)

Inter Boys:

• 52 Jago (Y10) (14th Suffolk finisher)

Senior Girls:

• 39 Paula (Y12) (10th Suffolk finisher)
• 47 Dina (Y12) (13th Suffolk finisher)

Senior Boys:

• 13 Iwan (Y13) (5th Suffolk finisher)
• 34 Bruce (Y13) (12th Suffolk Finisher)
• 53 Angus (Y12) (15th Suffolk finisher)

February is a month where the athletes can catch their breath and get back to training ahead of the major national cross country events in March – English Schools Cup Final in Leeds on 1 March, UK inter Counties in Nottingham on 8 March and English Schools in Sussex on 15 March.

An amazing day of racing, congratulations to every athlete and thank you to over 60 race organisers and helpers, as well as all of our parents supporting on the day.

Tuesday evening saw two small Junior 1 and Junior 2 squads take on the U13A and U12A teams from Ipswich High School. Missing a number of players due to injury or illness, each player had to play to their best and maximum time. And that they did – our players delivered, entertaining the generous group of parents and friends supporting from the sidelines.

The Junior 2 players continued where they left off last week. A number of quick goals, thanks to clinical attacks up the right side of the pitch, took the game away from Ipswich High School. After half-time the players had to make new plans to break through defences, as the opposition secured the route to goal which was found too easily before. The team discovered what they needed to do, and another quickfire three goals followed. Well done to the team and to our two hattrick heroes, Year 8’s Michael and Year 7’s Ollie W. A further goal was scored by Year 7’s Archie. Congratulations to Year 8’s Hexi, and Year 7’s Barney and Harry for making their Junior 2 team debut.

The Junior 1st team played to their full potential, bouncing back and responding well to lessons learned last week. Woodbridge started strong, creating a number of positive chances, narrowly missing or being denied by great saves. It was however Ipswich High that scored first, capitalising on a fast turnover. This really motivated the Woodbridge team who made things level the next minute and continued scoring at regular intervals; this also allowed players to play in various positions and gain valuable experience. Goal scorers for Woodbridge were Year 8’s Joseph (2), Griff, Theo and Alfie P. Captain, Joseph again led from the front in his play, Griff was influential, Theo showed skill and creativity, while our Player of the Match was awarded to Alfie. A shout out to the Ipswich High goalkeeper, Zak, who played an outstanding game!

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.