Our recent Chamber Concert was an absolutely superb evening, showcasing the incredible talent and dedication of our students across a diverse range of ensembles. The performances were truly a treat for all who attended. Read more about it the evening from our Director of Music, Mr Woodley.
Mr Woodley, Director of Music
“The evening featured contributions from Cellisti, who opened the concert with a vibrant rendition of Bizet’s Habanera, Bernstein’s America, and Williams’ Schindler’s List. Seckford Strings charmed with Barrera’s Russian Riddle, and the Clarinet Quintet delivered a fine performance of the Allegro from Mozart’s Quintet KV 581, with Year 13’s Abi’s clarinet playing being especially impressive.
A key highlight was the Piano Trio’s rendition of Mendelssohn’s 1st movement from No.2 in C minor, which was performed with profound beauty and emotion, captivating the audience. The Chamber Orchestra, though remarkably large for a ‘chamber’ ensemble, nonetheless delivered a magnificent performance of Britten’s Soirees Musicales, demonstrating impressive cohesion and musicality.
Year 13’s Phoebe’s flute solo, Density 21.5 by Varese, offered a fascinatingly modern contrast. Phoebe tackled this challenging piece with remarkable confidence and great sensitivity, truly making it her own. The overwhelmingly positive feedback from parents speaks volumes about the evening’s impact. As one parent so aptly put it, it was, “a smashing night…superb!” and “a real treat to come and listen to,”. It was clear to see the bursting pride of parents and grandparents alike, and rightfully so.
We were also delighted to be joined by Mavis Masters, who taught cello at the school for 27 years before retiring in 2007, who was also celebrating her 90th birthday with us. Mavis even gave a wonderful speech at the end, expressing her delight that such impressive music making was still flourishing by the students in the School.
A huge thank you to all the students for their hard work and brilliant performances, and to all the staff who generously gave their time to support everyone, making such a memorable evening possible.
Our U12 Cricket match against Wymondham saw Woodbridge walk away with a great win earlier in the week. Hear more about the team and the match in our report from our Head of Cricket, Mr Cantrell.
Mr Cantrell, Head of Cricket
“Our U12 team, comprising Year 7 players, had a great match against Wymondham earlier this week.
Woodbridge batted first, with Grace being our top scorer, putting Woodbridge in a position to defend a reasonable total. Trying to score quicker with a shot over the top, she was well caught just when really getting going.
Martha played a little gem to close to the end of the innings but Woodbridge was restricted to 107/8 from 20 overs, with few runs scored in the final overs.
Wymondham started well with two power batters hitting fours, but Emily and Georgie changed the momentum by dismissing the top order. Martha bowled fast and straight to keep the scoring low and pressure on, 15/1 from 4 overs; add two quality catches, and she was crowned Player of the Match. Ava contributed well with two wickets and economical figures.
Thanks to good bowling under pressure the game was won. Wymondham all out for 97.”
A certain indicator that it is summer time in School, Year 9’s Shakespeare on the Lawn rehearsals are now in full swing, and as usual we’ll be meeting up with students over the next few weeks, to hear how they’re feeling about their characters and the performance of Love’s Labour’s Lost on 1 and 2 July.
This week we joined rehearsals and met up with Rufus, Seth, Oscar and Albie, who play Ferdinand, Berowne, Longaville and Dumaine respectively.
Ferdinand, King of Navarre, Played by Rufus
Ferdinand, King of Navarre, prefers to hide away and study rather than taking care of his kingdom, hoping to make his realm an intellectual powerhouse. Sharing his century’s opinion of women, he bans them from the court as he thinks they will distract his courtiers from their studies – something he himself is guilty of, particularly when the Princess of France is around!
Rufus shared,
“As the leader of the group including Berowne, Longaville and Dumaine, King Ferdinand is very powerful, and quite keen on demonstrating his authority over and against others, it’s great fun to play him.”
He continued,
“I find it quite funny how, in the play, the men have sworn not to have anything to do with women, to focus on their intellectual progression – and yet that changes very soon after taking that oath!”
Talking about how he feels rehearsals are going so far he said,
“I’m really enjoying working with everyone on the play, rehearsals are great fun – we’re about to go off script soon though and that’s probably my biggest challenge, but I’m going to work hard and memorise my lines!”
Berowne, Played by Seth
A Lord of the court of Navarre, and one of the King’s best friends, Berowne is one of three who agree to the King on his scholarly retreat, although he’s not convinced it will be successful! Berowne has a well-earned international reputation for mockery, and is looked up to by most, including the King himself.
Talking about the character he’s been chosen to play, Seth explained,
“Berowne is obviously in the gang with the King and the other Lords, but he’s definitely more of his own person that the others, knows his own mind and has his own ideas. He doesn’t tend to suck up to the King as much as the others, he stands out for me because of this alone.”
He continued,
“I’m really enjoying playing this character, there’s a lot of ground to cover, lots of expression needed and I’m loving that.”
Sharing his thoughts ahead of performing in July he said,
“There are always a few nerves, especially just before the first performance, but with enough rehearsals and hard work I know it’s going to be really good, and I’m looking forward to performing.”
Longaville, Played by Oscar
Another of the three Lords who join the King of Navarre’s court on his scholarly retreat, Longaville feels that three years without good food or women won’t be so bad – or so long. Another well-regarded Lord, he is blunt in manner and can be sharp-tongued, and also infatuated with Maria to whom he shares a great deal of (terribly bad) love poetry; it seems time away from her might not be as easy as he thought.
Playing the part of Longaville, Oscar shared,
“I’m having lots of fun playing this character, along with Dumaine he’s part of a sort of double act, sucking up to the King and agreeing with almost everything he says, he just wants to be on the King’s good side – always! I was pleased to get this part and so excited to start rehearsals.”
Oscar says he’s always wanted to take part in Shakespeare on the Lawn and said,
“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and I’m so excited to be involved this year. I think my only challenge is learning all of the lines, I want to make sure I have them completely nailed so that I can give my best performances in July.”
Dumaine, Played by Albie
The third of the Lords at King of Navarre’s court, Dumaine is a terrible poet, who insists on inflicting his verses on Katherine when he falls for her. Mocking Berowne for falling in love, he’s not the brightest, and feels affected greatly by the fact that the ladies think he and his fellow Lords are merely playing at love.
Playing the character of Dumaine, Albie explained that he’s quite a cheeky chappy,
“He’s definitely one of the Lords that is trying most to please the King, he agrees with everything he says and doesn’t seem to have his own thoughts on anything. Although this play is obviously centuries old we’re playing it as though it was set in the 50s, so it’s much more modern and that makes it easier to play than traditional Shakespeare I think.”
Feeling the same challenge as our other young actors, Albie said,
“The only thing that really worries me is going off script, and I know that’s true for everyone – in this play and possibly every play ever performed – but we’ve plenty of time and I’m loving rehearsals, so hoping to have my lines memorised soon!”
Join us in School on Tuesday 1 and Wednesday 2 July for Love’s Labour’s Lost, tickets will be on sale soon so pop the date in your diary, and we’ll share the link to get those booked as soon as we can.
It has been a busy start to the athletics season, especially for Year 10, with three competitions in six days, and all in the glorious sunshine. Our reports below come from Mrs Scahill, our Head of Athletics and Other Sports.
ESAA Track and Field Cup, Bury St Edmunds
Woodbridge School got off to a winning start with three of our four teams competing in the Suffolk round of the ESAA Track and Field Cup in Bury St Edmunds on Thursday 8 May. Luckily not a wash out like last year, the teams enjoyed a day of competition in the sunshine. Each team is made up of thirteen/fifteen students and they have to cover all the events between them, doing two events each (one track one field) scoring points for their distances and times. Junior boys and junior girls are a mix of Year 7 and Year 8. Inter boys and inter girls are a mix of Year 9 and Year 10.
The junior boys, junior girls and inter girls won, and the inter boys came second. This takes the winning teams through to the regional round, which takes place after half term in Chelmsford.
We were very proud of our athletes who very early in the athletics term were able to compete confidently and gave it their all. There was lots of support from teammates as every performance meant essential points for the team. Top scorers of the day were Year 8’s Alexandra and Dex, and Year 10’s Romilly and Tom.
Suffolk Schools and Suffolk County Athletics Track and Field Championships
Three days later many of the athletes were back in Bury St Edmunds on Sunday 11 May, competing individually in the Suffolk Schools and the Suffolk County Athletics Track and Field Championships.
Athletes taking part included:
From Year 7:
Juno
From Year 8:
Imarah
Alexandra
Evie
India B
India J
Imogen
Alfie
Dex
Otis
Josh
Ella
Tom
From Year 9:
Eirann
Hamish
Oscar
Ben
From Year 10:
Georgia
Romilly
Felicity
From Year 11:
Margot
It was also lovely to see OWs like Nancy A competing there too.
It was a very successful day for the Woodbridge athletes with many personal bests and top three finishes; especially for Romilly who achieved under the entry time of 4.45, with 4.44 to qualify to run the 1500m in the English Schools Championships in July.
There were Gold medals for Margot (for the third year running) in high jump, for Georgia in triple jump, for Eirann in javelin and high jump, for Oscar in 100m and 300m, for Hamish in 800m, for Ben in long jump, for Tom in javelin, for Imarah in discus, for Alexandra in 800m, and for Dex in 1500m. There were Silver medals for Romilly in 1500m, Ella in javelin, Oscar in high jump, and for Juno in 100m, and there was a Bronze for Ben in 100m.
Well done to all the athletes competing on the hottest day of the year so far, particularly those who achieved personal bests! Also big thanks to their parents for all their support.
Good luck to those going on to represent Suffolk at the Regional Championships in Peterborough on 21 June 2025.
South Suffolk Schools, Northgate
On Tuesday 13 May, in the evening, the Year 10 boys and girls teams were competing against 14 other South Suffolk schools at Northgate.
It was another successful meet with individual wins for Romily, Georgia, Izzy, Charlie, Ollie Y, second places for Eve, Rory, Oli M, Ollie Y, Liam, Johnny and the relay team of Charlie, Tom, Seb and Rory and third places for Sukie, Abi, James, and the relay team of Izzy, Sukie, Abi and Georgia.
Well done all and thank you to the staff for running events and videoing for GCSE.
Last week, our Year 12 A level and Year 10 GCSE Drama students travelled to London to see My Neighbour Totoro at the Gillian Lynne Theatre. Year 10’s Willow shared her experience and enjoyment of the trip and the play.
Year 10’s Willow
My Neighbour Totoro was an absolute joy to watch.
Having seen the original movie it is based on, I can say the production captured the essence of childhood whimsy with ease; from the costumes to the puppets and the stage design itself.
The show was constantly moving, a massive highlight was the large house, made up of multiple set pieces so it could be pushed around to reveal the happenings inside and out.
I loved all the puppets and by extension the puppeteering, they felt like they were taken straight from the movie and there were so many of them! From fantasy creatures to a realistic goat, and of course, not to be forgotten, the nearly ten-foot-tall Totoro puppet. There was even a separate puppet for when he was asleep!
The acting was brilliant from every cast member, and they really solidified themselves as part of the fantastical world. There are a million more things I could say about how wonderful this show is but, to keep things short, it was fun, silly and I highly recommended it!
42 students from Year 10 took part in the Bronze DofE expedition training last weekend, undertaking practical navigation practice, emergency procedures, first aid and route planning.
They were then driven to their campsites, two groups staying at each location with staff. There, they received more training on camp craft, including pitching tents and how to use stoves.
After a pleasant night camping as the weekend’s weather was lovely, they cooked breakfast they then walked back to School on different routes, carrying all their expedition equipment.
Mistakes were made, being those navigational or with their kit, but hopefully the groups learnt from these and this weekend gave them the opportunity to prepare themselves and be ready for their two-day qualifying expedition in June.
Last week, Drama Scholarship and Enrichment students watched a screening of Wonder Boy, directed by Sally Cookson (who originally directed A Monster Calls), followed by a post-performance discussion. Year 9’s Phoebe took part and reports on the screening and the discussion.
Phoebe, Year 9
Wonder Boy was super funny, whilst highlighting the challenges of living with a stammer.
I really appreciated how everybody attending the screening treated it like we were in the theatre and respected the performance.
The post-performance discussion helped us understand other people’s views and ideas, it gave me an opportunity to discuss what I found enjoyable and what I took from it creatively for future projects.
I really appreciate the screenings the Drama department puts on for the Enrichment programme as it broadens our knowledge of theatre. Wonder Boy was an impactful story that taught us very valuable lessons and I really enjoyed every minute!
LAMDA students from Years 9 to 11 gave incredible performances in their annual showcase this year. This year’s title was People, and we saw dreamers and runners, fighters and fools; each carrying their own battles, their own hopes, their own wounds stitched just beneath the skin. These characters stepped into the spotlight, not because they are unbreakable but because they are unafraid to be broken! Year 7’s Nina shares her thoughts on the performances.
Year 7’s Nina
“This amazing night was hosted by the wonderful Year 11’s Samuel L and Edward who finished off the evening with their own excellent piece One Man Two Governors, which was a great and very entertaining way to end the evening.
The smallest of touches made the evening so special and intriguing, for example, the performers walking onto the stage the way they predicted their characters would have, which in itself seems such a small thing, but it actually made quite a difference, and related to the theme of the evening, ‘People’, as all the pieces and characters were so different.
As always, none of this could have happened without the amazing Head of LAMDA Ms Lockwood who organises these brilliant events, the incredibly talented students who perform, and last but never least, the audience who support the students during these wonderful showcases.
It was a truly exciting and entertaining evening, and the perfect opportunity to see students’ performances from their exams, demonstrating all of their hard work.”
Ms Lockwood would like to express her thanks to all of the Year 11s who took up their own time to come and perform at the start of a busy exam session’ Sam L, Edward, Scarlett, Lily and Eloise.
What a truly special evening at St Mary’s Church for our Festival of Voices! The concert showcased the incredible talent and dedication of all our young singers. Our Director of Music, Mr Woodley, reports on the evening.
Mr Woodley, Director of Music
“We were treated to a beautiful and gentle rendition of Whitacre’s Sing Gently and a charming Fly Me to the Moon from the Chamber Choir, followed by the delightful Panis Angelicus and the spirited Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel from the wonderful Woodbridge School Prep Chamber Choir.
Their performance was truly captivating! The Bari Tones brought a different energy with their takes on Everybody Wants to Rule the World and Human, while the combined voices of the Bari Tones and Chamber Choir soared in a powerful Nessun Dorma. Chorum’s thoughtful And So It Goes offered a moment of reflection, and The West Tones impressed with their evocative Evensong and the beautiful Autumn Leaves.
The concert built to a joyous crescendo with the Year 13 Leavers’ poignant The Road Home, followed by a moving performance of What Was I Made For? by The West Tones and Chamber Choir. The Chamber Choir’s playful Sing a Song of Sixpence added a touch of light heartedness before the entire company of performers filled the church with the infectious energy of Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat for a truly unforgettable finale!”
Our annual CCF Inspection took place in School last Friday afternoon, carried out by Lt Col Olivia McBride RAMS (OW 1997-1999).
Thank you to friends, family and all the OWs who joined us to watch the Inspection, which included a parade and various displays from all sections of our over 200-strong Combined Cadet Force including Army, RAF and Navy. With afternoon tea and cake following the final Inter Section Competition and parade, it was an excellent opportunity for students to showcase their skill and commitment to their chosen section, and a super opportunity for friends and family to see exactly what being part of the CCF involves and means to everyone.
Year 13’s Oscar W, Head of Contingent shared his report from the afternoon.
Oscar W, Year 13
“Our annual CCF Inspection, which is one of the CCF highlights of the year, took place on Friday as we welcomed back Lt Col Olivia McBride who used to be a cadet at Woodbridge School herself. It was a proud moment for everyone to showcase the amazing activities we have access to and the skills we all have as cadets.
The afternoon started with a full parade complete with Quarter Guard. Each section stood together as I took our Inspecting Officer around and introduced her to each of our Heads of Section, as well as some individual cadets. Lt Col Olivia McBride took time to talk to students about their experience in the CCF and the different things they enjoyed and hoped to go on to do. This was followed by three displays, one from the RAF Drill Team, one from the Navy Drum Corps and one from the Army Combat Cadet Team who re-enacted a section attack drill from the recent competition we attended where we took top school and second place overall.
I then proceeded to escort Lt Col Olivia McBride around the Woodbridge School grounds where groups of cadets were demonstrating a huge range of activities; from the confidence course to zip wiring, climbing, paintballing, low ropes, first aid, flight simulator, command task, fieldcraft and raft building.
Our Tower Trophy Competition has been running throughout the year and the gun run was the final exciting event. Students from all years, friends and family lined the Dome Pitch where five teams – Army 1 Platoon, Army 2 Platoon, RAF A Flight, RAF B Flight, Navy – all lined up to support their chosen team. Dismantling the mock guns, carrying them across an obstacle course and back again where we had to reassemble them, was certainly something that got the crowd going! The RAF’s B Flight won the event but Army’s 2 Platoon took the Tower Trophy overall. Congratulations to them!
The final parade rounded off the day where Lt Col Olivia McBride congratulated us all on the effort and time that goes into the planning and execution of the Inspection Day. She also spoke to us about how she had once stood in our shoes and the many paths that you can go down where the experience and lessons learned in the CCF are invaluable.
My personal thank you to the Heads of Section Oliver (Army), Hugh (RAF) and Ewan (Navy) for all of their input and congratulations to every cadet involved, we really showed Woodbridge School CCF at its best!
