Category: Woodbridgian Weekly
Woodbridge Cricket Club is excited to announce it will be returning to Woodbridge School, and partnering with the School’s Old Woodbridgian (OW) Cricket Club for the 2026 season.
Based in the School’s magnificent grounds, the club will take up its place in the heart of the School and town. This decision means all home matches and fixtures will take place on the School’s beautiful Cricket pitch, and the club and its players, members and visitors will also be able to make full use of the recently refurbished Cricket Pavillion.
Commenting on the club’s decision, Scott Button, Director of Cricket shared,
“Cricket is such a special sport, and certainly one I’m passionate about having joined Woodbridge Cricket Club just over five years ago. This decision to base our club at Woodbridge School, alongside our partnership with the OW Cricketers, means we can make the most of the splendid grounds at the School, as well as the beautiful pavilion. I’ve travelled far and wide playing Cricket for this club and others, and I have to say Woodbridge School Cricket pitch is one of the best I’ve played on. Not only that, but it’s so central in terms of appealing to and being part of the community – not only for players, but for spectators who will be able to wander up through the town to join us in the School for our matches and fixtures.”
He continued,
“Cricket is a game anyone and everyone can play – no matter whether you’re a seasoned player or someone who’s never picked up a bat before, everyone is welcome at Woodbridge Cricket Club.”
Commenting on the partnership and the decision, Ralph Pruden, Head of Sport, Fitness and Health at Woodbridge School said,
“We have been looking at the Cricket Club returning to use Woodbridge School as its home ground over the last couple of years and I am delighted that this has now been confirmed. We are absolutely committed to providing an outstanding Cricket programme at the School and this is another positive step forward. Woodbridge CC are an ambitious club with a desire to develop strong youth pathways into high level Cricket, we are excited to support this, including the introduction of girls and women’s teams into the club. Sharing our wonderful facilities with the community is really important and I know that this move will provide a strong focal point for Cricket in our town for many years to come“.
For more information about Woodbridge Cricket Club, past and future fixtures, visit woodbridge.play-cricket.com/home.
Spending four days taking part in a programme of activities and events, six Woodbridge School CCF students have been competing individually and as a team, in the National Inter-Schools Target Rifle Competition 2025 in Bisley; a key event in the CCF shooting calendar. The core of the meeting involves competitions for the L81A2 Cadet Target Rifle (CTR).
An opportunity to showcase their target rifle expertise and skill, our cadets took part in a range of shooting competitions – and even had the chance to spend time amongst serving personnel, which was a real highlight of the week. Year 9’s Seth shared his experience.
Seth, Year 9
Last week, six of us travelled to Bisley, the home of the NRA (National Rifle Association), for the inter-schools rifling competition.
Staying on a camp nearby called Brunswick, we all had the opportunity to feel like soldier, as we were sleeping in our barracks and eating in the mess hall, sometimes alongside active personnel themselves!
The shooting competition took place over four days. Monday through to Wednesday were used as practice to get accustomed with our rifles and the distances. The days had to be spent well as competition day was coming up on Thursday! We shot distances of 300, 500 and 600 yards away and were graciously helped by Austin, the Rifle Team Coach.
The team also got to score other team’s performances by looking at the target with a telescope and calling numbers. There were schools from as far as Northern Ireland to Edinburgh taking part, it was a huge scale event.
On the final day, we were able to truly put every effort into our shoots, rewarded by coming in 8th place out of 10 Cadet 4s.
While there we were also able to attempt our qualification in the 7.62 Target Rifle, which will be decommissioned next year. Both Year 11’s Ernie and I managed to qualify for trained shot.
Bisley was an excellent and fun opportunity to try larger rifles and truly get a grasp of rifling in the UK.
We are thrilled to share the highlights from Woodbridge School’s Young Musicians of the Year competition, shared in our report from our Director of Music, Mr Woodley. A massive congratulations to all our finalists who performed with such poise and passion, making it a truly spectacular event!
Mr Woodley, Director of Music
“The evening was a true celebration of the exceptional musical talent within our School, with every performance demonstrating remarkable skill and dedication.
The standard was incredibly high, making it a difficult task for our respected adjudicators, Rob Rogers and Hattie Voelcker. Rob Rogers is an ex-ABRSM examiner and prominent local musician, while Hattie Voelcker is a leading performance coach. Their insightful feedback was invaluable, and we extend our sincerest gratitude to them, as well as to Andrew Leech for his wonderful piano accompaniment throughout the evening.
A massive congratulations to all our finalists who performed with such poise and passion, making it a truly spectacular event!
We are delighted to announce the results:
In the Grades 1-4 category, the winner was Year 8s Henry for his captivating vocal performance of What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye. The runner-up in this category was Year 7’s Miles, who impressed with his violin rendition of Rebecca by Neil Mackay.
For Grades 5-6, Year 8s Hexi was awarded the winner’s medal for an outstanding piano performance of Forest Gump by Alan Silvestri. Year 8’s George was the runner-up, delivering a compelling vocal performance of Radiohead’s Creep, accompanying himself on guitar.
In the Grades 7-8 category, Year’s 9’s Erin was the winner with her piano performance of Lowside Blues by Joanna MacGregor. Year 10’s Laurynas was the runner-up, impressing with their flute rendition of Monody for a Lost Faun by Adrian Connell.
The evening culminated with the overall cups being awarded to Year 11’s Lily, our Senior Young Musician, who demonstrated incredible versatility on both piano and violin with Nigun Baal Shem by Bloch and Sonetto 123 del Petrarcha by Liszt. Year 8’s George, also the runner-up in Grades 5-6, was deservedly named our Junior Young Musician for his memorable vocal and self-accompanied guitar performance of Creep by Radiohead.
Thank you to everyone who supported this wonderful event.
Having qualified for the East region team, representing them at the National Prep Schools Championships on Wednesday 2 July at the impressive Alexander Stadium in Birmingham, twelve Woodbridge School athletes competed, all having an absolutely fantastic day – of the ten events, they medalled in five, which is a superb achievement.
Congratulations to the following students on their achievements and medals:
- Year 7’s Chloe – 1500m – 1st place
- Year 7 4 x 100m girls team – Juno, Matilda, Katherine and Chloe – 1st place
- Year 8’s Dex – 1500m – 2nd place
- Year 8’s Alexandra – 800m – 2nd place
- Year 8’s Tom – 300m – 2nd place
Other results from the day included:
- Year 8’s India J – 1500m – 7th place
- Year 8’s George – Triple Jump – 9th place
- Year 6’s Sofia – 800m – 10th place
- Year 8’s Imogen M – 300m – 12th place
- Year 7’s Ollie – 800m – 12th place
A big thank you to the staff and parents who ensured that the students could attend and compete at these events, and for their vocal support!
Also, a very well done to all the athletes who gave maximum effort and were a great credit to Woodbridge School.
Last Friday, our traditional Field Day took place, students taking part in various activities including a trip to Colchester Zoo, Felixstowe beach, and our CCF cadets at various locations enjoying different activities.
Visit to Colchester Zoo and to Felixstowe Beach
Year 8 students made the trip to visit Colchester’s magnificent zoo! They had a fantastic time and enjoyed wandering around in groups looking at the elephants, lions, Amur leopard, monkeys, meerkats and much, much more! Lucky enough to have a talk from one of the zoo keepers about sustainability and conservation, students were able to hear about and consider the impact that we as individuals have on the world. Meanwhile, Year 7 visited Felixstowe beach, where they enjoyed playing on the sand, visited Martello Park and got themselves very wet running in and out of the sprinklers! Returning to School in the afternoon, they played a superb rounders tournament, finishing the day with a quiz. Year 7 and 8 were impeccably behaved, and they represented the School perfectly.
CCF RAF Field Day and Overnight
Our RAF cadets had a brilliant time on their Field Day and overnight stay at RAF Barnham training area, enjoying a full-scale overnight complete with an escape and evasion exercise aptly named ‘Operation Nightfall’. During the day they took part in a range of different and exciting activities, from finding the NCO in the ghillie suit, to fire and move paintballing! It was a great experience for everyone who took part, with lots of fun had by all, and many new skills acquired!
CCF Army Field Day and Overnight
The Army section also deployed to RAF Barnham for their field day exercise. On arrival cadets set up the bashas to sleep under and cooked their evening meal from their ration packs, ahead of Year 9 taking part in a night noises exercise while the Year 10 cadets carried out a patrol involving conducting a Close Target Recce (CTR), meeting an agent, contact drill & setting a snap ambush. Friday saw the Year 9 cadets go through a rota of stands; pairs fire and movement, navigation, a stalk and patrol observation skills. The Year 10s carried out section attacks. Despite the heavy rain through the night everyone stayed dry and had a great time. A special thanks for our Year 11 cadets, Ben and Huw along with Year 13’s Jack for taking part as well.
CCF NAVY Field Day and Overnight
Navy cadets travelled to Rendlesham forest on Thursday after School, where Lt Cmdr. Smith instructed them in some Bushcraft, as well as directing a night exercise. Cadets picked, stripped, bashed, dried and then wove nettles into cord, which most made into bracelets, before beginning to build two shelters and set up camp, cooking and eating ration pack food. The night exercise was held late into the evening, in a specified area of the forest, with a hide and seek enemy premise. The cadets tucked themselves into tents whilst Lt Cmdr. Smith Lt Saagi slept in the cadet prepared shelters. The drier of the two being the one prepared by the girls, which Lt Saagi slept in and thanked them for in the morning! Friday saw cadets enjoy breakfast together before returning to School for sessions of archery and canoeing on the River Deben, with lunch provided by the Schools amazing catering staff. The day finished with a session of Field Gun Run.
It’s fair to say that everyone enjoyed all of the activities; it was another great Field Day for our cadets. Thank you to our students for getting stuck in and making the most of the activities, and to all of our staff who went along with their respective sections.
Following weeks (and weekends!) of preparation and rehearsing, this year’s Shakespeare on the Lawn was performed in School on Tuesday and Wednesday evening this week; those of you who gathered on the Chapel lawn with picnics, blankets and chairs will undoubtedly agree that the performances were nothing short of superb – and a real and absolute delight.
The glorious set, props, costumes, hair and make-up transported our audiences back to the 1950s, for Year 9’s performances of Love’s Labour’s Lost. The jolly and frivolous music and dancing that introduced the play and the characters, had everyone tapping their toes, nodding their heads and smiling from ear to ear (including everyone on stage!) – as we met our characters and the comedy unfolded.
For those of you unfamiliar with this particular play from Shakespeare, we followed four young men – one of them being the King of Navarre – as they embarked on a three year oath of study, abstaining from all distractions, particularly those of the female kind. However, those plans slowly but surely begin to unravel as the Princess of France and her ladies make their way to Navarre’s court.
The ladies arrive and suffice to say, the men fall in love with them – and what follows is (not so) secret admiration and a lot of confusion over correspondence sent by each of the characters to the other – which would be all well and good had the letters been received by the intended recipient. However, the gentlemen agree to tear up the oath and woo the women, but this is easier said than done as the women play games on them to confuse and muddle, and that they do!
This game of love continues, until the Princess of France receives news of her father’s death, this in turn sees her decide she must return to France. Panicked at the thought of the ladies leaving, the men declare their love – the ladies declare that they will return after a year and if their love is still true – and if they have completed certain tasks for them in that time – they shall marry.
This simple tale of love and foolishness, was performed under the trees on the Chapel Lawn, and as the warmth of the day receded and the breeze increased to everyone’s delight (for it had been an incredibly hot last few days), the ‘stage’ came alive on opening night, as carefully placed props and lighting, along with the undoubted talent and enthusiasm of our young actors, came to life, as did the story.
It was clear how much hard work and commitment had gone into the performances, our Year 9 students were word perfect, nothing missed, in fact everything was incredibly well performed and delighted the audiences throughout. Ripples of laughter were sprinkled throughout the performances, exactly where they were intended to be, and it really felt like a partnership rather than a performance – our audience engaged and intrigued as to what might happen next.
No matter where they might be sat on the lawn, there was something to watch from every angle, as our students used the entire lawn to perform whether that be on the main stage under the trees, or behind our audience as they prepared to enter stage left or right; if felt rather like Shakespeare in the round at times, which just added to the delight of the performances.
Every student, no matter what part they played, on or off the stage, gave their absolute all – and they certainly looked like they thoroughly enjoyed themselves too; they were confident, calm, happy and looked as though they loved every second as much as those watching.
With bicycles, boats, dart boards and even beards, the stage came to life from start to finish, encapsulating not just everything about the play, but about those taking part.
From the choreographed dance scenes and perfect lighting enhancing different parts of the play and stage, to the comedy and brilliant sarcasm, Year 9 portrayed Shakespeare’s story to captive audiences, and they did so perfectly – they didn’t put a foot wrong, an admirable achievement given the complexities of not only the language but the intricate plot of the play. They did themselves and our School incredibly proud, and the roaring applause were testament to that.
We’d like to thank everyone for coming along to see Love’s Labour’s Lost, as well as our talented and supportive Drama department; alongside the work the students had clearly invested in every second of their performances, it’s clear how much time, hard work and support has gone into helping Year 9 to bring this play to life in the way that they did.
We hope everyone who came along enjoyed themselves, and that you also had the chance to pick up unique merchandise for this year’s show, produced by our Design students; as well as creating the beautiful and unique programme, they also conceived, designed and produced mugs, magnets and coasters – keepsakes from a really super evening. Selling almost £700 worth of merchandise, Design students (pictured below) were able to donate almost £200 to East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices charity, after costs for materials were covered; an impressive and healthy profit happily donated to EACH, which supports families and cares for children with life-threatening conditions across East Anglia.
We’re always incredibly proud of our students, and this week has been no exception. Our audience was filled with the delighted faces of family, friends, staff and OWs, and it was wonderful to share Year 9’s performance together.
Miss Norman recently announced, confirmed and congratulated our new Heads of School for the academic year of 2025/2026. Congratulations to Year 12’s Emily and Isaac on their appointment. We recently met with Emily and Isaac to ask them how they’re feeling about their appointment, and the academic year ahead.
Emily
“I am absolutely delighted to be taking on the role of Head Girl for the upcoming academic year. The warmth of the community, supportive nature of all the teachers and countless opportunities on offer have been an important part of what has made my years here so enjoyable.
It will be a privilege to be able to act as a representative of such a wonderful school that has done so much for me.
The sheer amount of activities available to all students is incredible – there really is something for everyone. For me, though, what really makes Woodbridge stand out is the people – the sense of kindness, generosity and genuine care can be seen around the school every day.
Personally, the instances when an older student has taken the time to help me have always stayed in my mind, I hope to be able to do the same in whatever capacity I can for others; being there for students who are struggling or simply being a friendly face who is always around for a chat.
Forming connections with students in all year groups is crucial for me – my biggest goal is to be approachable to everyone as I know what a difference it can make.
I’m so excited to be working alongside Isaac as we share many common interests and I think we will make a great team. Georgie and James have been such brilliant role models to us both and have been so supportive as we step into our new roles.
Woodbridge really is such a special place with so much to offer and it means a lot to me to have the opportunity to advocate for it. The community has helped me to grow so much as a person so I hope through this role I will be able to give something back.”
Isaac
“I am so thrilled to be the next Head Boy at Woodbridge School, and can’t wait to see what the next academic year will bring.
From when I first started School here in Year 7, I knew that Woodbridge was the best place for me, the nurturing environment and caring community has helped make so many fond memories throughout my time here.
Through the many different opportunities available to you at Woodbridge from superb concerts at an incredibly high standard to our various productions in the theatre with equally great opportunities in all other academic and non-academic areas of Woodbridge.
There is so much space for development at every level of experience here and that is what makes me proud to be a student at Woodbridge.
I hope that Emily and I will take on the roles that James and Georgie had last year with the same enthusiasm and genuine care that was reflected in everything they did; I am excited to build upon what they started with the Student Council and I can’t wait to see what can be done so that as many pupils have their voices heard as possible.
Being at Woodbridge has shaped who I am today, I have learnt so much from so many different people inside and outside the classroom, helping me build essential skills that I will use more and more as I gain more independence. I have enjoyed so much about being at School here and would love to get more people involved with all of the extra-curricular activities that Woodbridge offer.”
Trinity Term has seen a huge number of primary school children take part in our Primary Enrichment workshops and experiences, which encourage children to develop new skills and gain hands-on experience across various curriculum subjects.
The perfect way for children to learn and develop, our programme strengthens and broadens not only children’s learning and knowledge, but supports teachers in the delivery of key factors on the primary curriculum. Our workshops complement and support what teachers already deliver in school and are free of charge. Transport can also be provided and our workshops can also be hosted in schools, to ensure maximum opportunity and participation.
From Robotics and Inventions, Maths Workshops, Crime Scene Investigation, Computational Thinking and Drama Workshops, to Music and Design, Geography Field Studies, as well as playing with LEGO at our LEGO Fun Day, and shows such as A Journey into Space and Kitchen Chemistry, our workshops are tailored to suit age/year groups, offering an engaging and dynamic mix of topics and skills accordingly. This has been proven to boost interest and learning in STEAM subjects, and with over 25 different workshops covering a variety of different subjects and activities there really is something for everyone, every child, every primary school.
Taking children out of their classrooms and own school also allows them to experience and become confident in new environments; another aspect of growth and development that is just as important as learning.
Our entire School community is involved in supporting the programme and the workshops; from teachers sharing their experience, passion and enthusiasm and taking their own time to plan and contribute to the workshops, to students chaperoning, participating and contributing; in turn supports development of their confidence, leadership and teamwork skills.
Since our last Primary Enrichment roundup in April, the School has been brimming with children attending for various workshops. We’ve shared details of some of those workshops below, as a taste of what you can expect from Primary Enrichment at Woodbridge School.
Multiskills Tournament
A multiskills festival for children in Year 1, our tournament saw over 200 children from different primary schools around the area in School, where they were invited to attend and participate in a variety of different sporting activities, helping develop coordination. Organised and run by our own Sports Leader students, this is always a popular event in our programme, which encourages children to try something new, take themselves out of their comfort zones and really enjoy learning and developing new sports skills. It was incredible to see the children having so much fun, and a great opportunity for them to meet new people and experience new challenges and achievements.
Maths Workshop
Our Maths workshop visited children from Years 5 and 6 at Birchwood, and then Nacton Primary schools recently, a lively session that combines some fantastic mathematical games with some super puzzles! From flying planes, hopping across lily pads and making mind-bending shapes, children had the chance to learn, explore and develop new skills, working to achieve prizes individually and as teams. A great opportunity to learn more Maths as well as about the importance of working collaboratively – while having lots of fun.
Combined Cadet Force
A superb opportunity for children to develop powers of leadership by means of training that promotes responsibility, self-reliance, resourcefulness, endurance, perseverance and a sense of service, our Combined Cadet Force workshop saw children from Melton and Eyke primary schools taking part. With a variety of outdoors activities, led by our qualified instructors, they spent time taking instruction and practicing on our confidence course, with some paintball target shooting at the end of the workshop.
Geography Field Studies
Melton and Easton primary schools attended our Geography Field Studies workshops, where Year 5 and 6 children got to ask questions about their world before gathering information and data then learning to present it visually to help them find answers. Introducing children to setting a good question and hypothesis, they also learned how to use basic equipment to measure variables accurately, as well as drawing up findings and making conclusions using computers. Our mini-Geographers had a great day, it was a super opportunity to encourage curiosity and analytical skills.
Murder Mystery (English)
Children from Waldringfield and St Jonh’s primary schools took part in our workshop, where they created a file of evidence before laying a trail of clues to help others solve a murder mystery. Taking roles and writing in a wide range of text styles, from police crime scene notes, newspaper cuttings and bank final demands, to love letters, diary entries and forged notes – it was the perfect way to read, learn and understand more about English language and text. By the end of the workshop children were able to work through the evidence to solve another group’s crime – budding detectives in the making!
Drama Workshop – Macbeth
Grundisburgh primary school children attended our Drama Workshop, focusing on Macbeth, where they had the chance to take part in a range of games and exercises to explore Shakespear’s test in an active way. Exploring the language as well as central themes of Macbeth, it was an interesting and informative workshop, as well as lots of fun, with plenty of movement and expression encouraged and seen.
Robotics and Inventions
Our Prep School children came into School for our Robotics and Inventions workshop, a session during which they got to use robotics kits to address a design problem. They built their own contraptions according to the brief they were given, and conducted a test run ahead of working to improve or modify their invention, adapting for best performance. Integrating their knowledge of physics concepts involving forces, they also looked at and learned about materials and electricity within design, all essential parts of their STEM skills development and learning.
Kitchen Chemistry
Year 5 and 6 children from St Mary’s CofE, Kyson, St Mary’s Catholic primary schools came along to our wonderful Kitchen Chemistry show, for an engaging and exciting science show delivered on stage by Professor Stephen Ashworth from UEA. Using readily available materials, he demonstrated the principles of chemistry, including ions, detergents, batteries, conductivity, oxidations and reduction. An exploration of chemicals and chemical processes that are all around us, it was a mind-boggling but super interesting and informative workshop which had the children captivated from start to finish.
LEGO Workshop
An ever-popular workshop, children from Langer and Worlingworth primary schools came in for our LEGO workshop, supported by the Brickologists. Chidlren from Years 3 to 6 had the opportunity to not only play and build with LEGO, but were challenged and inspired to create and build a motorised car. Becoming engineers for the day, they also built windmills, robots as well as vehicles, inspired to explore using their imagination, creativity and ingenuity – all using LEGO!
With 43 different workshops/events delivered this academic year, and 19 primary schools engaged, our Primary Enrichment Programme continues to develop and evolve, in the hands of Ambra Caretta, Head of Primary Enrichment, who was recently Highly Commended in the 2025 Pearson National Teaching Awards for the programme which she introduced and oversees. She shared,
“We’re thrilled that so many schools and children continue to participate in our programme, this year we’ve also introduced transportation which has been of real benefit and meant so many more schools can take part – and we offer lunch for some workshops too, that’s always a huge hit as you can imagine!”
She continued,
“We’re extremely grateful to all the schools, teachers, children, our own staff and children for supporting the programme and we look forward to a fun-packed Primary Enrichment programme of activities beginning again in September 2025.”
Last week, a Drama Scholarship and Enrichment workshop took place, hosted by Annie Eddington, a familiar face in School. Year 8’s Rebecca shared her experience of the workshop, during which Annie looked at language, interpretation, movement and many other aspects of Shakespeare’s work, focusing on this year’s Shakespeare on the Lawn, Love’s Labour’s Lost.
Year 8’s Rebecca
“It was an extraordinary experience to be selected to participate. Annie was an amazing leader; she guided us through the complex, colourful and captivating world of Shakespeare, where we delved deeper into scripts and scenes, broadening our vocabulary as well as our understanding of Shakespeare’s themes and language.
Not only is the play itself sensational, but the way we investigated the language and deeper meaning beneath a myriad of metaphors, alliteration, oxymorons, hyperbole, and countless other techniques, was fascinating.
We explored different aspects and perspectives, discussing character traits, whilst creating our own portrayals of different characters.
Overall, the workshop was wonderful, enhancing our understanding of Shakespeare, as well as our Drama and English skills.
Our Year 10 historians enjoyed a busy day in Norfolk on Tuesday, exploring some of England’s finest Norman castles and cathedrals.
The earthworks and flint ruins of Castle Acre were a wonderful backdrop to learn all about these impressive structures of military and administrative dominance, and provided an interesting contrast to the robust limestone keep seen later at Norwich.
Here the students were also given a tour of the enormous cathedral. Like the priory at Castle Acre this was home to a large community of Benedictine monks, and Year 10 were left better able to appreciate the importance of piety and spiritual power to the Anglo-Normans.
A great day out, the historians went home with minds brimming with thoughts of the earls, monks, bishops, and kings of this truly transformative period in our history.
