Woodbridge School and Sixth Form
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Woodbridge School Prep
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Running Success for Henry, Iwan, Romily and Felicity
There was success for a number of our students at different events last weekend, with Year 13’s Henry making his senior debut for Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers in the South of England Road Relays’, Year 12’s Iwan running his debut half marathon while Year 9’s Romily and Felicity also took part in the Southern Relays.

Henry’s South of England Road Relay Record
At the age of just 17, Year 13’s Henry made his senior debut for Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers at the South of England 6 Stage Road Relays in Aldershot on Saturday 23 September. Surrounded by a team of senior national level talent, Henry ran the second 6km leg in 18:25 (3:04/km) and Shaftesbury won the South of England title in 1:47:23 (36km in under 3 min/km) to break the South of England record that had stood since 1997. An incredible debut experience!

Year 13’s Henry second from the right

Shaftesbury have just announced their squad to compete at the National Road Relays in Birmingham this Saturday 7 October, and we are super excited to announce that Henry is once again included in the senior men’s team.

We wish Henry and Shaftesbury the very best of luck on the National stage.

Romily and Felicity’s Southern Relay Success
At the Southern relays, two of our Junior athletes competed for the very first time for their new club St Edmund Pacers. Year 9’s Romilly ran an exceptional 11:16 for her 3km leg, with the team finishing a very strong 8th, and also in Year 9, Felicity ran a brilliant 11:29 in her 3km, for a very strong first leg for her team that finished 38th .

A great day of competitive relays.

Iwan’s Cardiff Half Marathon
On Sunday 1 October Year 12’s Iwan ran his debut half marathon in Cardiff. England Athletics rules only allow entry after the age of 17 at this distance, so this was very much a first opportunity for Iwan.

Cardiff Half Marathon is a popular fixture on the road racing circuit attracting entries from around the globe – won again this year by a Kenyan athlete!

Iwan had a phenomenal debut finishing 237th in a race with 19,915 finishers – quite something!

His time at 1:21:32 is just over 6 min/ mile pace or 3:51/km. Well done Iwan, who was also raising money for charity through this challenge.

Our U14 team played their first round fixture in the Sisters n Sport Cup against a strong Norwich side at home on Monday lunchtime. Taking a while to settle into the game, when they did find their feet they played very well – and were successful in the first quarter.

Unfortunately, Norwich were on the back foot so were driven to close the three-goal gap in the second quarter, which they fought hard to do. We let them go ahead by six goals, which meant we had to play hard to ensure we closed the gap.

Luckily, the team worked together to connect their passes and convert the shots into goals and managed to close the gap by four goals. With a couple of injuries going into the final quarter, it resulted in positional changes, which unfortunately disrupted our flow as we had found a rhythm in the previous quarter. However, the girls did not give up playing with determination, although their heads dropped as Norwich pulled ahead, which they took advantage of.

Despite losing the match, the team enjoyed the challenge of an indoor cup fixture against a strong and physical team, and look forward to the South Suffolk Tournament which takes place next week. A good effort, well done!

This week saw a number of our teams take part in a variety of Cup competitions. Below you can read our cup match reports from Mrs Rix, Head of Hockey.

Woodbridge U15 vs Greshams
On Monday 25 September a new-look U15 team travelled to Greshams for our first ever match in the Independent Schools Cup. The team also featured four Year 9 players (Issy H, Eve, Georgia and Amelie) who did very well playing a year up. The team had a somewhat slow start and went a couple of goals down before firing on all cylinders. Each player grew in confidence, speed and creativity and we started to create chances as half time approached. With momentum on their side, there was further promising play, using positive through balls to the forwards and being structured in defence. Greshams held strong though and progress to the next round. Well done to player of the match, team captain, Year 10’s Charlie.

Woodbridge U15A vs RHS
The lessons learned from their first match were put to good use later in the week, when the U15A team travelled to Royal Hospital School. Woodbridge started with a real spring in their step with Bea scoring an early goal. If Woodbridge wanted to relax after the good start, this was not to be, as RHS came straight back. The hockey was great to watch with it being end-to-end but our team looked more in tune with each other and we were awarded a penalty corner that Charlie put away. Some sterling penalty corner defence saw the team going into half time in the lead. Excellent work done in defence by Lyrah , Millie, Lexi and Liya – and Freya in goal! Lyrah stepped up in the first five minutes of the second half to score a screamer of a penalty corner which extended our lead. With some great play up the line, Eloise running the baseline and us having plenty of chances, RHS broke away to score a scrappy goal down our end. Nevertheless, we kept fighting and Bea put a beautiful goal away after a penalty corner first shot. Excellent running from Scarlett, Lily F, Ellie and Meda was matched by inventive midfield play from Lily M, Margot, and Aurelia. Well done girls!

Woodbridge 1st team England Hockey U18 T4 Cup
The 1st team played in a very competitive first County Round of the England Hockey T4 Cup on Tuesday 26 September. Congratulations to debutants: Year 12’s Charlotte H and Sophia, year 11’s Eve, Georgia P, Lara and Bonnie, and year 10’s Bea and Charlie. Tightly contested matches were played against Culford, Ipswich High School, Ipswich School 2nd team, Finborough and RHS. The team showed massive resilience and leadership dealing with various difficulties during the day, changing positions and stepping in everywhere needed on the pitch, and running until there was nothing left. A day filled with learning in executing creative attacking play and defending as a unit set the team up nicely for the season ahead.

Woodbridge 2nd team and 3rd team vs Norwich High School
The 2nd team and 3rd senior team played against Norwich High School and both came away with good performances and wins. We are blessed with a large number of senior (Year 11 to 13) players playing hockey this season, and showing the depth of talent at Woodbridge School. It was an excellent first outing for the 2nd XI, passing the ball well, tackling well and creating some good chances. Every player got good pitch time and played in their favoured position, and a position they hadn’t played before. The opposition GK was very good and thwarted many of the attacks, however, a quick strike by year 12’s Eloise resulted in a weak save and Year 11’s Nancy was there to tap in the rebound. After that, Woodbridge dominated and looked like they would score lots more. Year 12’s Olivia worked tirelessly up front and got her reward with a well worked goal from the left, and Year 12’s Rosie also impressed throughout and got her reward with a tap in at the far post, after lots of good inter play in midfield. Year 12’s Marina held the midfield together and Year 13’s Ada was a rock in defence. Well done all!

The 3rd team started with a superb match. A tight game to start with both sides showing some strong play down the middle of the pitch but Woodbridge managed to capitalise first through a cracking quick shot from Year 11’s Eliza. What ended up being a to-and-fro half, Woodbridge managed to make the attacking play count and score more goals by Year 11’s Lilianna, Rose and Martha. The second half was nervy with both sides having chances but again Woodbridge made them count with Year 13’s Kitty scoring a well-worked goal. Well done to all who played in an eventful and thrilling first game of the term and well done to Lilianna who was chosen as Player of the Match by the opposition.

Woodbridge U14 England Hockey T2 Cup
On Thursday 28 September Woodbridge School hosted RHS and Finborough to compete for the County Cup, and to see who will go on to represent the County at the Regional Event. Woodbridge had a great afternoon, growing in confidence and skill; the team moving the ball like they have been playing together for a long time. Year 9’s Eve and Georgia controlled the midfield while Year 9’s Issy and Amelie were threatening up front. From the back, GK Eva from Year 9 was incredibly vocal, and together with defensive team of Year 9’s Sophie P, Felicity, Annie and Year 8’s Ella, they made sure that Woodbridge didn’t concede a single goal in their two matches, while scoring five goals for themselves. Woodbridge became Suffolk Champions with two wins from two, and go on to the Regional Rounds which take place in early November. Well done to Year 8’s Amelie, Annabelle, Ella and Jemima who played a year up and were superb. Player of the tournament for Woodbridge was co-captain, Year 9’s Eve.

This week we spoke to Year 12’s Rose, and Year 13’s Esme who play Lucy, the maid and Lydia the aircraft delivery pilot in Jack Absolute Flies Again, our Sixth Form Production which will take place on Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 November – tickets will be on sale soon!

Joining them in the theatre as they rehearse a scene together, it was clear that the actors were comfortable and in character, as they moved around the stage and interacted with one another – and the audience. Working together on a comedy, both agreed it was an exciting new project given that the most recent productions in School were of a more serious nature; but they also agreed it was just as challenging, if not more so, and that it wasn’t a case of “just playing characters ‘over the top’ and being silly, but working out how to get the best reaction and interact with the audience”.

Year 12’s Rose, who is no stranger to the stage having recently played Connor’s mother in the School’s production of A Monster Calls explained how she felt about playing the part of Lucy, a lively, down to earth and rather colourful young maid, “I hadn’t had the privilege of seeing the play when it was streamed recently as part of the enrichment programme, so I didn’t realise what an important and brilliant character Lucy is until I read the play. Knowing what her character is and the role she plays in almost everything! She inhabits all the worlds of the play, and as this is a modern adaptation, she also has a love interest and her own story which is lovely to play.” She continued, “The biggest challenge is timing, in terms of making sure the lines land at the right time and in the correct way, but it’s an enjoyable challenge as the last role I had was incredibly serious – and although also fun to play, Lucy is something quite different.”

Year 13’s Esme echoed Rose’s sentiments having also been in a more serious production, Romeo and Juliet, where she played the part of love-struck Juliet most recently. Sharing her thoughts on playing the part of Lydia she said, “I’d been fortunate enough to have seen the screening of the play last year, so Lydia was a character I was super keen to play – and so was the part of Lucy actually! Lydia goes on quite a journey throughout the play and there’s a balance to be found between going serious while at the same time making that funny – pauses in the right place, expression and suggestion are what’s needed, and I’m really having fun getting to know how I’m going to play the character as we rehearse more and more.”

We look forward to seeing both Rose and Esme perform, as well as meeting other characters from the play in the next few weeks as we join rehearsals and interview other cast members.

Our U16 team of Year 11 players travelled to Norwich on Monday to play their first round match in the Sisters n Sport National Competition against Norwich High School.

From the starting whistle, we played some superb netball; defending every ball, making some excellent interceptions and converting our shots. After leading for most of the game, unfortunately in the third quarter, tiredness kicked in and we allowed the opposition to take control and lead by one goal.

Disappointed, the girls knew they had to work extra hard in the final quarter to ensure we came away with a win. Superb teamwork and determination in the final quarter (not to mention it being nail biting for us the spectators!), enabled the team to dominate the opposition and come away with a well-deserved win. Well done, girls! Final score 24-22.

Year 8 students returned from their trip to France earlier this week, having spent a long weekend in and around Normandy. Immersing themselves in the culture and language throughout their stay, with every activity involving French speaking instruction and communications, students visited local markets, milked goats on a farm, visited D-Day landing beaches, took part in archery, climbing and so much more. You can hear more about their trip from Freya and Ella in their reports.

Freya, Year 8
Friday
It was an early start for everyone on Friday morning as we loaded ourselves on to the bus and set off for Portsmouth. We took part in a quiz, listened to music, played bingo and did a treasure hunt as well as exploring the ferry on our journey to Caen, followed by a short bus trip to Chateau Baudonnière in Normandy.

The Chateau was in a remote but beautiful spot, surrounded by lush green fields, home to hundreds of tame rabbits. After a Soirée française to familiarise ourselves with our schedule for the next three nights, we slept like logs in our spacious dorms.

Saturday
The next morning we were treated to delicious French pastries and hot chocolate before being taken to the town of Avranches for their market day, where there was an interesting selection of stalls selling fruit, vegetables, meats, cheeses and jewellery – and Some of us bought crepes which were amazing! We then had a picnic lunch in a park where we could see Mont St Michel.

The afternoon was spent at a local goat farm, where we fed, groomed and milked the goats – straight into the lucky volunteers’ mouths!! Miss Hinton will be able to tell you her experience of that!
We left with many parcels of cheese, goats milk, chocolate and apple juice which I’m sure our lucky relatives were thrilled to receive on our return.

Saturday evening was spent doing a scavenger hunt in groups with photo clues to reveal the next search location. After a supper of mince and pasta, it was off to bed again to refresh for another day of activities based at the Chateau.

I so enjoyed the trip and loved the opportunity to spend time in Normandy practising our French. Thank you to Mrs Pilkington and all the other staff for taking us and looking after us so well.

Ella, Year 8
Sunday
On Sunday morning we woke up and went down to the dining hall for breakfast which was a selection of cereals, pastries, fruit and bread; my favourite pastry was the croissant because it was really soft and buttery.

We then started our rotation of the days’ activities which included; orienteering where we got into groups and competed to see who could collect the most stamps on our sheets by following a map, rock climbing where we had to climb a wall and try to ring the bell at the top, aeroball where we had to try and score in a hoop while jumping on a trampoline, and archery where we took it in turns to see how many points we could get. I found archery really challenging because the bow was almost the same size as me!

We stopped after two of these activities, had a break for a lunch of spaghetti pasta, and continued with the remaining activities in the afternoon. Each activity had a French lesson first to introduce the key vocabulary and then we filled in our workbooks.

We then had some free time where we could see the rabbits that were kept at the chateau, play football and other ball games or hang out in the games room with our friends.

It was then our last dinner at the chateau, which began with salami salad, followed by a main course of couscous, roast vegetables and meatballs, with a delicious crème caramel for dessert.
After dinner we took part in the last activity of the day, the talent show! Lots of people performed songs and dances, and there was even a speech and a Rubik’s cube solving. At the end everybody stayed and there was a dance party which we all enjoyed.

It was then time for bed, so back to our dormitories to get a good night’s sleep ahead of the journey home the following day.

Monday
On Monday morning we took all of our luggage down to the coach and then went to eat our last French breakfast. Our first stop on the journey back was the D-Day Arromanches Museum in Normandy where we watched a film about the landings in a 360 degree cinema. It was a reflective experience and I learnt a lot.

Next stop – Le Supermarché! It was enormous, and we all had fun looking at the different French sweets and deciding what to buy for the journey home.

The ferry back was a bumpy ride and we were all very happy to get off on the other side! The coach journey was very peaceful where most of us slept and we arrived back at school at 2.00am.

I really enjoyed my French trip and I’m sure the next year to go will enjoy it just as much. The staff at the chateau were amazing and encouraged us to speak French as often as possible because they only spoke to us in French.

I’d like to say a big thank you to Mrs Pilkington for organizing the trip and to all the teachers who spent their weekend with us.

The inaugural meeting of the Model United Nations (MUN) club was held on Tuesday. The debate commenced with a notably ambitious resolution proposed by Year 13’s Kitt, representing the delegation of the Czech Republic.

The delegates engaged in a spirited discussion surrounding the resolution, which focused on utilising the United Nations infrastructure to provide financial support in the form of scholarships and bursaries for women residing in rural communities within Low-Income Developing Countries.

Furthermore, the resolution included a clause advocating for the prohibition of marriage for girls under the age of 16, taking into consideration various factors, including its adverse effects on women’s ability to pursue education over the long term.

The delegates from China, Afghanistan, the United Kingdom, and the United States all made substantial contributions to this sophisticated debate, enabling everyone present to delve into the crucial topics of gender equality and the right to education.

Model United Nations meetings take place every term-time Tuesday at 1.45pm in room T21. All students are encouraged and welcome to participate! For further information regarding MUN at Woodbridge School, please visit: woodbridgeschool.org.uk/co-curricular/model-united-nations/

We’re absolutely thrilled and delighted to share news of three wonderful achievements for our Prep School; we recently achieved the Primary Science Quality Mark (PQSM), were shortlisted for The Independent Schools Awards Prep School of The Year, and most recently have received the Silver award for Learning Outside The Classroom (LOTC) Initiative.

Primary Science Quality Mark (PQSM)
The only national award scheme to develop and celebrate the quality of science teaching and learning in primary schools, we were thrilled to announce achievement of the PQSM recently, confirming and recognising the importance of continued development of science teaching and learning, and our commitment to constantly developing and reflecting on practices and continued progression of science in our School. Since its launch in 2010, only 5,000 schools across the UK have achieved this prestigious award, led by the University of Hertfordshire, in collaboration with the Primary Science Teaching Trust.

Independent Schools Awards shortlist
We submitted our entry into the Prep School of the Year Award category, earlier in the year, and just before the summer break we received confirmation that our entry had been shortlisted. Providing detailed information about our School, demonstrating the all-round provision provided, vision and values, the entry highlighted aspects of the School in line with the criteria set by the Award organisers and judges. The awards receive entries from hundreds of schools across the country each year, so we are incredibly pleased and proud to have been shortlisted.

Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) Initiative
We have most recently received a Silver LOTC award in recognition of our commitment to offering well-planned, engaging and impactful learning beyond the classroom at our Prep School. The award is presented by the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom and also recognises the wonderful and continued work in School, particularly from Miss Sara Cox-Oliff who has worked tirelessly to achieve this award. Our School’s outdoor classroom development and activities further emphasise the importance we place and recognise in outdoor learning, something that is shared throughout the School and our community; it also recognises our continued work and relationship with Suffolk Wildlife Trust on the Wilder Schools programme.

Congratulations to everyone involved in all three of these achievements, including our teachers, non-teaching staff and of course our students.

We’re delighted to be able to share this year’s GCSE results from the class of 2023. 77 students in total took GCSEs in School this year, performing extremely well and improving on last year’s results at every level.

  • Over a quarter of grades at Woodbridge School were grade 9
  • Grade 9 was our most common grade, followed by 8 
  • 22% of students have grade 9 as their most common grade 
  • 27% students achieved only grades 9–7 (‘straight A grades’)  

The breakdown below represents GCSE grades achieved in terms of percentages:

  • 25.2% of grades were grade 9  
  • 45.3% of grades were grade 9 – 8 
  • 61.4% of grades were grade 9 – 7 
  • 78.9% of grades were 9 – 6  
  • 91.8% of grades were 9 – 5 

“I am delighted with the superb achievements of our Year 11 students. They have demonstrated unwavering determination, energy and tenacity and I am so pleased that their hard work has paid off.  As ever, I remain extremely grateful to our teachers who maintain an exceptional standard of education alongside the considerable pastoral support that they provide to bring out the very best in each individual student.”  

Shona Norman, Head

“This inspiring group of students have managed to surpass previous cohorts even without the grade support of earlier years. Their support for each other throughout their time at Woodbridge really shines through, and they can all feel very proud as they look forward to their Sixth Form studies.”   

Karl Hayward-Bradley, Deputy Head Academic 

Our traditional Field Day took place last Friday, with students taking part in various activities including Year 7’s swinging through the trees at Go Ape, and Year 8 visiting and learning about the animals at Colchester Zoo. Sports Leaders were at our Prep School supporting children and staff during their Sports Day last Friday, while Year 9, 10 and 12 CCF Army, Navy and RAF cadets went out for various field day and night activities last Thursday evening.

CCF Navy Field Day and Overnight
Our Summer Field Day saw our CCF Navy cadets take part in an overnight expedition and various activities the following day. Staying at Hawkstead and Alton Water, students managed to squeeze in an evening paddling on the Stour estuary as the sun set as well as an escape and invasion night exercise which included outwitting enemy forces! Sleeping to recharge their batteries ahead of a full on day of activities the next day, they rotated mountain biking, paddle boarding, sailing and canoeing, learning and honing skills, and having a fabulous time.

CCF Army Field Day and Overnight
Deploying to RAF Barnham training area for their field day exercise and overnight, our CCF army cadets arrived and set up the bashas to sleep under before cooking their evening meals from their ration packs. They then took part in an evening patrolling exercise ahead of settling down for the night ahead of Friday’s activities. Going through a rota of stands, our Year 9 cadets took part in pairs fire and movement, navigation and stalk and patrol observation skills, while our Year 10s also carried out section attacks, defeating the notorious Black Hand Gang!

CCF RAF Field Day and Overnight
Also deploying to RAF Barnham, our CCF RAF cadets completed a full night escape and evasion task on Thursday evening, making the absolute most of the opportunity and doing so well they even managed to outwit and avoid the actual RAF regiment gun fire! Celebrations were in order for Team 2, lead by Year 12’s Lala. The following day after a warm night under canopy, cadets completed a full day of Laser Tag and Airsoft.