Category: Senior School News
National Cup Match – Woodbridge vs Kesgrave High School
Our Year 9s kicked off the week with a National Cup match against the two-time county champions, Kesgrave High School. This was a great test our U14 team and although we lost the game 4-0, we were really impressed by how competitive we were throughout the fixture. Both parents and coaches from the opposition were incredibly impressed with the way we played Football and conducted ourselves on the pitch.
East Anglian Independent Schools League – Woodbridge vs Culford
Tuesday after School saw our Year 10s take on Culford, in the East Anglian Independent Schools Football League (EAISFL).
Both teams competed at a high standard and showed quality throughout the game. After a slow start our U15s grew into the game and showed great resilience to make sure that the game didn’t run away from them. Despite goals from Digby and Jacob, Culford went on to win the match 4-2 with four well-worked goals with quick build up play.
Woodbridge vs St Felix and St Jo’s
Wednesday was a busy day for our Year 7 and 8 teams, with games against St Felix and St Josephs. Our Year 7s played against a mixed team of Year 7 and 8s at home against St Felix. Despite 2 goals from Kaydon alongside multiple chance for others, the physicality of the older boys from St Felix saw us lose the game 3-2.
Our Year 8 team then played away against St Jo’s after School. This was always going to be a tough game against a team full of academy players that St Jo’s hope to reach national finals this year. Although the boys were up against it, they performed really well and managed to compete all over the pitch. Barney R, Oliver W and Arthur R were stand-out performers showing both fantastic game understanding and desire to compete throughout. In the end, the quality of St Jo’s on the ball was just too much for our boys, and the game ended 7-0.
It has been a tough week of fixtures for our students, with games against schools with well-established football programmes. We are delighted with the individual performances of our players and incredibly impressed with how competitive we have been in these games. Well done to all involved!
Last week we hosted the County Round of the English Schools Cross Country Cup, we shared a snippet in last week’s newsletter sharing our success with all four teams going through to the next round, but we are now sharing our full report from Elisa Bostock, our Endurance Running Coach.
Woodbridge School entered four teams for the event and not only did all of them manage to qualify for the regional round but each team won their age group. There were 10 schools in total competing on the day; the top three go through to the next round.
The Junior Girls kicked off the day with Year 8’s Chloe and her team devouring their home course, resulting in a comfortable win against the other schools. With the top four scorers inside the top 10, this newly formed team of six can look forward to going from strength to strength this season!
Junior Girls Team:
- Year 8’s Chloe – 1st place overall
- Year 7’s Sofia – 3rd
- Year 7’s Florence – 5th
- Year 7’s Sophia – 8th
- Year 8’s Juno – 12th
- Year 8’s Tati – 15th
The Junior Boys also had a great win, both Year 8’s Ollie and Archie coming in 1st and 2nd position to seal the deal with two of our newly appointed Year 7’s Kaydon and Max, storming in 11th and 12th positions. Year 8’s Miles and Harry anchored this team superbly and should be extremely proud of their efforts. This team have put in the hours in training, and it all came together brilliantly on the day.
Junior Boys Team:
- Year 8’s Ollie – 1st place
- Year 8’s Archie – 2nd place
- Year 7’s Kaydon -11th
- Year 7’s Max – 12th
- Year 8’s Miles – 18th
- Year 8’s Harry – 24th
The Inter Girls flew round with the top three; Year 9’s India J, Alexandra and Ella cruising as a pack, much like they train and coming home in 2nd, 3rd and 4th place while Year 9’s India B cemented a great 8th place as well as Year 9’s Imogen a strong 15th to help their team sail into the regionals.
Inter Girls Team:
- Year 9’s India J – 2nd
- Year 9’s Alexandra M – 3rd
- Year 9’s Ella – 4th
- Year 9’s India B – 8th
- Year 8’s Imogen – 15th
The Inter Boys, although in the end it was just the four finishers out of a team of six, maxed out on just 12 points ahead of the next school who finished on 48 points – so quite the gap! With the runners coming home in 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 6th positions this has put the boys in a great position for the regionals.
Inter Boys Team:
- Year 9’s Dex – 1st
- Year 10’s Hamish – 2nd
- Year 9’s Josh – 3rd
- Year 9’s Olly – 6th
Full results can be found on the ESAA website esaa.org.uk/cross-country-cup-results-2025.
Huge congratulations to all the runners and thank you to all who assisted with hosting this event. The next round of regionals will be in Essex on Thursday 6 November; all four teams will run with the aim being to qualify for the National Final in Warwickshire during December.
Moving straight into County rounds for the National Schools’ Netball competition was a new format this year for Suffolk Schools. All three age groups played schools from North, South and West Suffolk to compete for the top two places to represent the County at the East Region tournament in February. Our reports are from Mrs Johnson and Miss Sanders.
Woodbridge U14s
The U14s put on an excellent display on Monday afternoon at Rushmere. The sun was shining, and it was like a summer’s day – some would say, it was too hot for Netball! As there were 13 schools competing, teams were split into two pools, so the girls knew we had to give everything if we were in with a chance of getting to Regionals.
We started the competition positively and put up a strong performance against locals, Farlingaye and came away with an 11–4 win in our first match. After a short break, we then played five games in a row, which was tiring and didn’t give us much breathing space between each one.
Next were Finborough – a tough team, who we had to try and beat. It was all even until the last few seconds of the game, when we managed to turn their centre pass over and score, going ahead by one goal. Luckily the final whistle went, and we came away 10–9 winners.
Ipswich High were next, and we had not beaten this team yet this year, so knew they were strong. The girls fought so hard and didn’t give up. Our shooting was consistent, along with our court play and defending out of our skins, to try and turn the ball over. Again, another match where it was all even and we managed to score off our centre and come away with the win. We were ecstatic at the 8-7 score! The girls were on a high and even more up for getting through as they were proving to themselves, they could do it!
Our next two matches were a lot easier, so less pressure, although we needed to score as many goals as we could as every goal mattered, in case there was a draw. We put up good performances against both County Upper and Hartismere, resulting in 13-2 and 10-0 wins.
It was all to play for in our last match against Fram. It was another match where the play was even, both teams scoring off their centre passes, which is tournament play as any missed goal can result in a team going behind by two goals. Just as the half time whistle went, we scored a penalty to take us one ahead, but the umpire disallowed it (not sure why!), so we went into the second half with a fight on our hands. F ram took the lead and unfortunately, the final whistle went, resulting in 8-7 loss. Our heads dropped a little, but the team were so proud of what they had achieved and were looking forward to seeing where we can in our pool.
Coming 2nd in our pool, we faced a super slick and amazing RHS team, who played faultlessly. Tiredness was kicking in and we couldn’t prevent them from their super play. After losing, we knew that we could not be in the top two teams, but we had a 3rd/ 4th match to play, so found that last bit of energy in our match against Ipswich School.
Unfortunately, we did not have enough energy in our tanks as we had used it during the afternoon, but we still continued to play our hearts out and with determination and were drawing at half time. We struggled to make it to the last hurdle and Ipswich went ahead by four goals, so out of our reach in the last seven minutes of the match.
A superb effort by all and coming 4th overall is an excellent achievement! Woodbridge played exceptionally well and should be proud of what they achieved together, as myself and Mrs Johnson were so proud of you all! Well done to our team, Year 9’s India J (Captain), Alexandra, Imogen M, Imarah, Sienna, Mariella, India B and Year 8’s Martha, Grace and Matilda.
Woodbridge U16s
An excellent afternoon of netball was had by the U16s where every single player worked their socks off and gave 100%.
Drawn in two pools with 11 other schools competing we started with a close game versus Farlingaye and edged ahead to win 16-13 with some amazing shooting from Izzy, Amelie and Georgia. The defensive team of Eve, Pip and Cleo performed really well in our game versus Stowmarket for us to take our second victory 8-3.
Next up was RHS and our dominance in the centre court from Eva, Georgia, Frankie, Annie and Felicity enabled us to win a tight game 11-9. We then had Culford, another pool favourite, but after going behind we came back to win 9-7 with some cool, calm and collected play from the whole squad.
We then took on Hartismere after a long break but dominated and were able to up our goal difference winning 20-3.
Having won our pool, we then faced Ipswich High in the semi-finals. Having narrowly beaten them in a recent friendly match, we knew they were going to be tough opposition but took to the court with everything to play for – a place at the Regional Finals!
It was so close, going from end to end with every centre pass and each team scoring. In a seven minute each way game every goal and turnover counts; unfortunately, IHS gained a turnover and capitalised. They pulled two ahead and although we never gave up that advantage was never lost, and we went down 8-10.
Disappointed doesn’t even explain it as the girls had given everything – we just didn’t have that last bit of luck on our side which is always needed in tournament play.
The girls were an absolute credit to the School and went on to beat Culford 14-8 in the 3rd/4th place playoff. They played for pride and were fantastic, each and every one of them and we couldn’t be prouder of the way they played or conducted themselves. Well done to our team, Year 11’s Georgia C, Frankie, Annie, Izzy H, Felicity, Amelie, Eva P, Cleo, Eve S, and Phillipa.
Woodbridge U19s
With a slightly different format to the U16s, the U19s found themselves in a pool of eight teams, therefore the afternoon was a round-robin competition with again, the top two going to Regionals.
The team were up for it, (even though our warming up was a little lacklustre!) but not looking forward to facing Ipswich in our first match. The girls knew this would be a tough match, although we did beat them in a full game at the end of last season, so had an idea of their tactics and specific players’ strengths and weaknesses.
We unfortunately were slow to get out of the blocks, so allowed the opposition to take control and win 10-3. With new combinations too, it took us a while to get regrouped and play as a team who meant business, but we were ready for our next match against Farlingaye.
Drawing at half time, we were in it, until we unfortunately missed a goal, therefore enabling Farlingaye to go ahead by two goals. With only a minute to go, we couldn’t fight back, so narrowly lost by two.
With two matches down and five to go with Finborough next, the team knew this would not be an easy match. Again, we had beaten them in a full game last season, but we feel the pressure more in tournament play. Another match where it was all even at half time, but let the pressure get to us, plus the on court noise from the opposition and our heads went down, therefore enabling them to take control and the lead. A 16-7 loss. Although we knew we were no longer in contention for 1st or 2nd place, we still wanted to prove to ourselves that we could come 3rd or even 4th, so kept on fighting in the last four games.
What a difference these matches were! Various combinations of shooters, defenders and centre court players proved we were a versatile team and everyone gave their all. We dominated St Jo’s resulting in an 11-6 win, Fram were next and again, we played brilliantly and came away with a 14-5 win.
With a positive attitude and a drive to win the last two games, we put 100% in and played with tenacity and determination. Culford were next up and from the starting whistle, we played some super Netball and defended out of our skins. This performance resulted in a 12–7 win.
Last up, it was RHS. Although we felt a little physically and mentally drained, a win was what the team were after. Dominating from the starting whistle and not giving up until the final whistle, we were again successful and won 13-3.
Well done to all the girls – a superb squad effort, even though we took a lot longer to warm up than other teams. Coming 4th overall was another positive result and one we were super pleased with! Our team comprised Year 13’s Lara (Captain), Georgia P, Georgia G, Issy C, Phoebe D, Yr 12’s Lyrah, Millie, Scarlett, Aurelia and Bea.
Thank you to Mrs Johnson, Mrs Pilkington and Mrs Pineo for all their help and support, but especially giving up their time to be with the tournament teams. It was much appreciated by Miss Sanders (who was stepping in for Mrs Gray).
Last week Year 10 players in the U15A and U15B teams took on the strong teams from Norwich High School for Girls.
The U15A team dominated the start of the match with Tabby scoring early to give us the lead. This gave Woodbridge confidence to move the ball around with creativity and flare. Just before half time, an improvised penalty corner was scored by Eirann to double the lead.
The second half saw a goal for each team, with Tabby scoring her second to secure the win for Woodbridge. Ella B was awarded Player of the Match for her outstanding performance in defence.
The U15B team fought out a gutsy draw, especially fighting hard to defend a penalty corner against them close to the end of the game. Well done to Year 9’s Imarah, Kirsty and Imogen M who played up, Imogen also helping to set up the goal for Year 10’s Imogen S. Imogen S was also awarded joint Player of the Match, alongside Imogen M.
Woodbridge Senior 3rd vs Norwich High
Earlier this week the Senior 3rd team also played against Norwich High School for Girls. This match was end-to-end with both goalkeepers playing outstanding to keep their teams in the game. The first half ended goalless with good performances being put in for Woodbridge by Year 11’s Honor and Year 12’s Valentina.
Ten minutes into the second half the opposition scored, somewhat against the run of play. Not to be deterred, Woodbridge pushed forward and was duly rewarded with a penalty corner which Year 11, Sophie K struck well from the top of the D to convert this chance. The game ended in a well-battled draw. Year 12’s India E was given Player of the Match alongside GK super star Year 12’s Poppy H-B.
Our Senior Hockey players are making us very proud in how they are playing, representing the School and attending extra-curricular practices in huge numbers. An excellent example is being set to the younger years who are following suit with excellent attitude, play and using every opportunity to practise and hone their skills and team play. Well done to all!
Focusing on work with breath, the body and projection, last week’s Vocal Masterclass held by our Head of LAMDA, Mrs Lockwood, provided Scholars and Enrichment students with the opportunity to learn and practice techniques aimed at improving confidence and performance. Sharing his thoughts from the day, Year 10’s Seth tells us more in his report.
Year 10’s Seth
“As always with Mrs Lockwood, who is incredible as a teacher and instructor, this workshop made no exceptions and was wonderful from start to finish!
We focused on work with breath, the body and projection; exploring voice going into different cavities, of which we learned there were five, we spent a lot of time looking at and discussing how this would be used to our advantage on stage.
After this, Mrs Lockwood gave us some exercises to ‘ground us’ which most definitely will help us all, roughly 20 of us, feel connected to our bodies, the space below us and, of course, the space in front of us.
As well as this, we also learnt to convey certain emotions, motives and leads; of course, we will be carrying this all into our drama department work in the future from this first excellent workshop!”
Another week of fantastic Hockey! Our match reports below hold details of teams, matches and players.
Woodbridge 1st XI vs IHS
The 1st XI continued their good run of form with a convincing win against Ipswich High School. The team was determined not to let the home ground advantage count by making sure their ball pace was good and they kept the ball moving fast through the midfield. The focus for the game was to get the press exactly right and improve ball winning skills. This the team did brilliantly, and Ipswich High struggled to break through the zonal press. Woodbridge went ahead courtesy of a goal by Year 12’s Charlie after relentless pressure in the opening ten minutes. In the closing minutes of the first half a burst of speed on the ball by Charlie left the opposition stranded followed by a good ball into the D to Year 12’s Bea, who showed real strength on the ball to get a flick away and double the lead.
Woodbridge scored at regular intervals in the second half, being rewarded for their good defensive work and then focus to try maintain the ball by moving it around comfortably, also practising deep and midfield transfers. Year 11’s Rosa was influential up the right flank, being available to continue an attack time after time and feeding the forwards. Year 13’s Nancy worked tirelessly in the press and was duly rewarded with a brace of goals, one finishing off the best counterattack which started in front of our own goal. Year 11’s Eve and Year 13’s Georgia scored a goal each, before Bea and Charlie each got a second. Rosa was voted as Team Player of the Match.
A great match to play and win, before a small break in matches, as a number of players in the team embark on the County Netball Tournament.
Woodbridge 3rd XI vs Fram College
The 3rd XI played their first match of the season, against a big squad of Fram College. With the advantage of bringing on lots of fresh legs, Fram just pipped us by one goal but it was a good, tough match, in front of a rowdy Fram College crowd. Well done to our girls for their resilience in tough conditions. Year 11’s Felicity and Romilly were our goal scorers on the day.
Midweek it was our Junior teams taking to the pitch for matches against Fram College and Ipswich High School.
Woodbridge Junior 1st vs Fram U13A
The Junior 1st team started in style in their match against Fram U13A, stunning the home side in the opening minute. The perfect press, and pressure from vice-captain Martha (Year 8) saw her win the ball off a doubtful defender, get herself into the D and calmly push the ball past the goalie. A great start!
Woodbridge continued to dominate the first half but just could not get the finishing touch in the attacking D. At the other end Year 8 GK Najma and defenders, Year 8’s Juno and Year 7’s Lily dealt with long ball counterattack Hockey. But the hard work had to be done to keep Fram at bay and not let them build confidence. Finally, Year 7’s Sophia played a classy reverse sweep into the goal, on the rebound, to give Woodbridge a cushion going into half time. The team knew they would need to kill the game by getting another goal, or Fram would keep believing they can get back into the game.
A stronger, faster, and slicker Fram team came out in the second half, but Woodbridge kept putting on the physical and mental effort to not concede! Year 8’s Matilda and Chloe and Year 7’s Issy and Darcey ran their socks off in midfield to not give an inch! When Fram did break through the trusty trio at the back did their job again! Year 8’s Juno was awarded Player of the Match for her great game tackling, intercepting and finding the gaps with passes to her midfield and forwards. Well done to the team who are playing some very nice hockey and are very entertaining to watch!
Woodbridge Junior 2 vs Fram College U13B
The Junior 2s had an equally great start in their match against Fram College’s U13Bs. Year 8 Captain, Grace, scored in the opening minutes and nearly had a second soon after. This time she was denied but it did not stop Grace from becoming the day’s ‘Hattrick Hero’, scoring twice more in the half.
In the second half, Woodridge peppered the opposition goal, but were denied by good goalkeeping, or good aiming by us to hit the GK. Year 7’s Coco put an end to this with a fantastic deflection in front of the goalie’s pads, to seal the big win for the Junior 2s. Year 7’s Chloe Y was voted Player of the Match.
Woodbridge Junior 5 vs IHS
The Junior 5s started their season with a win against Ipswich High School. A goal in each half by Year 7’s Sophie M and Year 8’s Ellie D secured the win, while Year 8’s GK Kitty stepped in well to keep the clean sheet. Well done to this team and especially players who played their first match for the School.
Woodbridge Junior 6 vs IHS
The Junior 6s came close but had to settle for a draw in their opening match. Each team deserved their goal and to share the honours, Year 7’s Lola D scoring for Woodbridge. Year 8’s Iyla was player of the match.
Both these team look forward to testing themselves against strong team of Norwich School next week.
Smiles, scoring, spirit, saves, support for each other and 100% effort have been seen again this week it’s clearly helping our teams deliver their best. Keep it up, girls. Well done so far.
Year 10 travelled to London on Wednesday to watch The Merry Wives of Windsor at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre as part of their English studies. Enjoying the full cultural experience, the students stood in the Yard, immersed in the raucous comedy of the play. Ahead of their study of Shakespeare at GCSE, they explored the stagecraft, different versions of love and Shakespeare’s joyous presentation of strong and clever women. Read Year 10’s Bay’s review below.
Year 10’s Bay
Visiting the Globe Theatre was a unique and immersive experience.
The open-air design and historical setting made me feel like I had stepped back in time to Shakespeare’s era. The atmosphere was lively, with the audience standing close to the stage, which created an intimate connection between the actors and the crowd.
The Merry Wives of Windsor was entertaining and full of humour; the actors brought the characters to life with great energy and comedic timing, making the story of love and mischief easy to follow and enjoy. The costumes and props were authentic and added to the overall charm of the play.
Overall, watching a Shakespeare play at the Globe was a memorable experience that combined history, culture, and entertainment perfectly. The whole year group had a great time!
The Careers Department has certainly hit the ground running since our return on 4 September, with a range of activities, information shared and speakers visiting the School. Read more about all of this below – and don’t forget our Futures and Careers Fair next year on 7 March, we’d love to hear from anyone interested in exhibiting, please contact SJStafford@woodbridgeschool.org.uk for more details.
1:1 Sessions
All Year 11 students are currently having their 1:1 careers information sessions with Mrs Stafford. These are progressing well, and the feedback has been incredibly positive. These sessions are designed to help students begin thinking about their options after GCSEs, and to ensure that, whatever path they choose, they are able to make an informed decision.
UCAS Preparation
Year 13 are in the midst of preparing their University applications through UCAS; and Mr Pilkington is becoming busier as the weeks progress.
Speakers in School
On 10 September, Dale Willis from My Great First Job visited to deliver two inspiring talks to both Year 12 and Year 13. The first focused on LinkedIn—the benefits of having a profile and how building connections can support students’ future pathways, whether university or apprenticeships. The second talk explored Degree Apprenticeships, including what organisations look for and how students can stand out from other applicants. Both sessions left students energised and motivated to explore their futures.
This week, EDF Energy Sizewell B visited to speak with Year 12 and Year 13 about their apprenticeship schemes and about Sizewell itself. We were delighted to welcome Steve Day, along with two EDF apprentices, Matt and Sam, who shared their personal experiences and explained how the programme works. Students left with valuable insights into opportunities available right on our doorstep.
We’d like to thank Dale, Steve, Matt, and Sam for their engaging and informative talks.
Coming Up
With a host of events coming up in School for students over the next few months, as ever we offer a range of support and direction from a careers point of view. With an NHS webinar on diagnostic radiotherapy, our Tech entrepreneurship, cybersecurity and law events scheduled for November, and a look into working for Apple in December, our students will find there’s something for everyone to come along to and find out more about.
Our students can save the following dates:
- Wednesday 1 October – NHS webinar: Diagnostic Radiography
- Monday 10 November – Tech Entrepreneurship
- Wednesday 12 November – Cybersecurity
- Thursday 27 November – Law
- Monday 1 December – A Journey into Working for Apple
Last week our Drama Scholarship and Enrichment students watched a recording of the production House of Bernarda Alba. Rebecca Frecknall made her directorial debut at the National Theatre with Alice Birch’s radical version of Federico García Lorca’s modern masterpiece, and our students got to enjoy this enriching experience, with a post-performance discussion. Year 10’s Annabelle shares here experience in her review.
Annabelle, Year 10 – Review of ‘House of Bernarda Alba’
The performance of House of Bernarda Alba was so powerful, it filled us a variety of different emotions.
The set onstage was so clever, at the beginning there is a beautiful light that casts the shadows of each character in their separate rooms. The technical elements really immersed us in the production. The costumes played an impressive part in showing us how the characters change throughout their journey, using contrasting colours.
The whole story takes place in just one house, which made everything feel claustrophobic, symbolising how the daughters of Bernarda Alba must feel. This was an amazing technique to bring us into their lives.
The absence of any other colour than a light teal in the house made it feel clinical and cold which reflects the story perfectly. Even the little moments we shared with each character felt so big.
It was a gift to experience such a beautiful and stunning performance.
Woodbridge U19 and U14A Netball teams have been busy, with a friendly match and the first of four school tournaments. Our reports below hold details of the matches and our players.
Woodbridge U19s vs Ipswich Ladies Netball Club (Friendly)
Our U19 Netballers enjoyed a friendly match against an invitational side from Ipswich Ladies Netball Club last Friday evening. Ipswich Ladies is the club our Head of Netball, Mrs Gray, chairs and some of our students play for.
It was a tough but friendly fixture for Year 13’s Lara and Georgie, Year 12’s Lyrah, Millie B, Aurelia, Charlie and Scarlett, and Year 11’s Georgia C playing, while year 11’s Izzy H played for Ipswich Ladies.
Leading up to and in line with preparations for the upcoming School County Competitions, it was a great experience for everyone who played, and a really enjoyable evening – with some impressive Netball played by all.
Thank you to Ipswich Ladies Club for the opportunity to play, and well done to our U19 players.
Woodbridge U14A Schools’ Netball League Tournament
Our U14A team competed in the first of four schools’ tournaments at Kesgrave High School earlier this week and were lucky to be able to play in the sunshine, albeit slightly cooler than of late!
Playing superbly, making the most of the opportunity to learn, develop individually and as part of a team, our players fought hard and did incredibly well finishing in 2nd place.
Well done to Year 8’s Martha, Matilda and Grace, Year 9’s India J, Imogen M, Alexandra, Sienna, Imrah, India B and Mariella.
