Category: Woodbridgian Weekly
Congratulations are in order for individual success and our chess team this week.
Rapidplay success for Sergei
Year 12’s Sergei travelled to Oxford on Saturday and competed in a FIDE Rapidplay event – finishing in second place ahead of also taking part in the Ivan Gromov online League.
Ivan Gromov Online Chess League Record Win for Woodbridge
Following on from last week’s continued success in the National schools championships, huge congratulations to the team of Year 13’s Polina and James, Year 12’s Sergei, Christopher, Harry and Year 11’s Nikolai, who won the final match of this term’s online league last night 5-1 against Altrincham Grammar School A, to win the Ivan Gromov online league with a +5, =0, -0 100% record!
In fact, during the season including the B team, Woodbridge’s total was W10, D0, L1 in all matches. A superb achievement and congratulations to all who have taken part. We hope for even more participants next term!
“Bunting, bunting everywhere!”
Jack Absolute Flew on Stage This Week in our Seckford Theatre!
Jack Absolute Flies Again was performed by our Year 12 and 13 students on Wednesday and Thursday this week, to sell out audiences in our Seckford Theatre. It was Ms Mayes, Mr Williams and Miss Edwards 40th production as a team here at Woodbridge School, and it certainly was one to remember.
The story of Jack Absolute Flies Again was written by Richard Bean (who also wrote One Man, Two Guvnors) and Oliver Chris, and is based upon the 1775 comedy of manners, The Rivals, by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. Taking place in 1940s wartime Britain, Jack Absolute follows a group of pilots, old friends and family coming together – with their love lives clashing as a result.
Our production team – from set design, lighting, sound, props, costumes and more – alongside our cast, transported audiences with their portrayal of this period in British history. The audience couldn’t take their eyes off the stage; which was perfectly set using relevant props to transport you to different areas of the base throughout the play. Bright and colourful, the stage as well as the actors certainly had your attention from start to finish.
Across both performances audiences were initially introduced to Mrs. Malaprop (Year 13’s Lala) who welcomes us to her home in Sussex which has become a fighter pilot base for the Blue Section, ‘A’ Flight, 634 Hurricane Squadron. Known for her malapropism, Mrs. Malaprop starts as she means to go on, telling us of her excellent ‘electrocution’ (‘elocution’)…
Soon after, we are introduced to Intelligence Officer Brian Coventry (Year 12’s Finlay), followed promptly by the team of pilots who we would soon get to know for their unique differences. A fraught entrance by Hurricane Pilot, Roy Faulkland (Year 12’s James), was followed by the loveable – but clumsy – Bob Acres (Year 13’s Layo) from Australia and wannabe poet Tony Sheridan (Year 13’s Rufus). Finally, after much anticipation, we were introduced to the Blue Section’s Leader, Jack Absolute himself (Year 12’s Xander), son of wealthy aristocrat (and owner of ‘most of’ Devon) Sir Anthony Absolute (Year 13’s Oliver).
As the play progresses, Jack masquerades as Dudley Scunthorpe (Year 13’s George), the Lead Mechanic/Fitter for the Blue Section, and charming northerner. All of this in aid of winning the affection of Lydia Languish (Year 13’s Esme), an Air Transport Auxiliary and niece of Mrs. Malaprop. Lydia is fiercely independent and wishes to marry on her own terms and not on the basis of land ownership and wealth – little does she know in that moment that her aunt intends for her to marry Jack Absolute, following some low-level scheming by Sir Anthony Absolute.
Lydia becomes at odds with Mrs. Malaprop’s Lady’s Maid, Lucy (Year 12’s Rose), who is entirely smitten with Dudley Scunthorpe. We are soon introduced also to Julia Melville (Year 13’s Eleanor), Chief Volunteer of the Auxiliary Territory Service, friend to Lydia Languish and girlfriend to Roy Faulkland, whose jealousy of Julia’s actions whilst they were apart almost causes them to split up!
The cast were supported superbly by Hurricane Pilots Peter Kingsmith (Year 13’s Florence), Stuart Sampson (Year 12’s Phoebe) and Lucius O’Trigger (Year 13’s Evelyn) – who we are introduced to later in the story, but who also played key roles throughout the performance; allowing the action to unfold at pace.
What appeared to be a love quadrangle at some stages throughout the production (caused entirely as a result of letters getting into the hands of the wrong people, disguises and more!) left everyone watching hopeful that everything would ultimately work out in the end.
All of this takes place in the first act of the play – a fast paced and exciting introduction to what became an even faster paced second act; full of further laughs but also some poignant, solemn moments.
Our actors were authentic and hilarious, meeting every cue, getting a laugh out of every joke, facial expression, and malapropism. There was even a dance sequence which was fantastically energetic; keeping in pace with the rest of the performance. Every moment had the audience’s attention from start to finish – laughter rolled through the theatre, our cast genuinely entertaining our audience from start to finish, and that finish was greeted with a standing ovation both nights – as it so deserved!
It would be a disservice to all who took part to select just one moment in the entire performance that stood out, or one actor or person responsible for contributing to making the show what it was – an absolute triumph and treat for every sense possible. Many of our parents, friends and family from our School community commented that they would have gladly paid London theatre ticket prices to have seen the show, such was its success and quality.
Congratulations to absolutely everyone involved in this production, and thank you from your audience, it was such a treat! The actors involved in this production should feel incredibly proud of their performances.
Photo Credit: Mike Kwasniak.
Half term was sandwiched between two more busy weeks of girls’ hockey matches; there was lots to celebrate and learn as well as some really special team moments. Read more about the matches and players in our reports from Mrs Rix, Head of Hockey and Tennis.
Woodbridge U15A vs. Langley – Independent Schools Plate Match
The U15A started the week leading into half term off with a top performance against Langley in their Independent Schools Plate match. After a bit of a journey to Langley the girls were up for this game after falling foul to not being awake after a long journey before! We went ahead and played some great hockey with support at the far post when shooting on goal and thinking about our deflections. Year 10’s Lily and Eloise scored two good team goals. Langley were strong opposition but we managed to cut out their attack through great defending, with Freya communicating well to the players in front of her. A fab game and although there are things to work on, such as being more inventive in out attack, we are getting there. Well done girls!
Woodbridge Senior Teams vs Langley
On the last Tuesday of half term all three Senior teams took the pitch in home and away matches. What a great day having 55 senior students playing hockey for Woodbridge School!
The first team had their best performance of the season, with excellent build up play, good connections, feeding the forwards and making chances. Our defenders also had to be at their best again to not allow Langley to convert periods of pressure. Woodbridge ended up quite frustrated and unlucky not to score, being denied by the Langley GK. One such telling save came diving to the right keeping out a perfect reverse stick strike from Year 12’s Charlotte. Congratulations to player of the match, Year 11’s Lara who was an attacking threat in every position.
The second team also had a very successful day, proving too strong for their Langley opponents. After taking an early lead in the first half, there was no looking back. Goals were scored by Year 11’s Nancy and Libby, and Year 12’s Phoebe.
The third team hosted Royal Hospital School in their second match of the season, but with a crucial position missing – the curse of the missing goalkeeper! A fine display from Woodbridge but unfortunately without a goalkeeper the game was taken away from us. A first half that saw Woodbridge defending for long periods and keeping the hungry RHS attackers out, the floodgates opened and RHS scored three unanswered goals After a rousing team talk at half time a different Woodbridge team took the field with attacking prowess from Year 11’s Amandine, year 13’s Kitty and year 11’s Eliza saw RHS under threat. Woodbridge started to move the ball wide and up the line quickly gaining success and after numerous attacks managed to get the ball into the goal from Year 11’s Rose. A never say die attitude was evident, but the RHS goalkeeper was up to the task and managed to keep Woodbridge out. Players of the match as voted for by the opposing team were Year 11’s Poppy and Alice S.
Woodbridge Juniors vs Orwell Park, Woodbridge Juniors vs Langley
Wednesday saw three of our Junior teams take on our great rivals from Orwell Park. While Junior 4, 5, 6 and 7 travelled to Magpies for matches against Langley.
The Junior 1st team performed at their best and dominated large passages of play against Orwell Park. Playing flowing passing hockey they were hard to keep at bay, creating chances and pressurising the goal. 0-0 and half time and all to play for and a great opportunity. The team managed to keep the opposition play makers quiet and we continued to play as a strong team. As time crept on it was clear the Orwell goal threat would come from penalty corners, and this is how they eventually, after numerous attempts, manage to break through the Woodbridge defences. Not the win we deserved but what a game and performance from our team! Congratulations to Year 8’s Jemima B and year 7’s India sharing Player of the Match spoils.
The Junior 2’s dominated their match against Orwell Park from start to finish. The match was played in an excellent spirit with Woodbridge aiming to perfect their passing and work on decision making, with players also gaining experience in a variety of positions, with regular rolling substitutions. Congratulations to this team for a very mature performance and their first win of the season. Well done to player of the match, Year 8’s Charlie.
The Junior 3 girls continued their unbeaten start to the season with another convincing win playing fantastic team hockey. The passes flowed from defence to attack with marauding runs up both wings from Year 7’s Rebecca, Kirsty and Evie as well as Year 8’s Abigail and they in turn were providers to a host of goals from centre forward Year 7’s Imogen and Year 8’s Grace and Alice. The goals were spread across the team with Grace slotting in first, Evie following it up before half time and then Alice scoring twice and Imogen also scoring a brace. Our defence was calm and impenetrable with captain fantastic Abigail and another stellar performance from our Year 7 goalkeeper, Clem. A very happy Miss Hinton as well as nine smiling players and parents.
The four travelling Junior teams also produced the goods in well contested matches against Langley. The Junior 4 team set us off with a dominant display and win. Well done to goal scorers from Year 7, Sienna and Mariella (2) and from Year 8, Georgia (2) and Imogen. Player of the match was Year 7’s Mariella.
The Junior 5 and Junior 7 teams played well in close draws while the Junior 6 team were disappointed with a narrow loss. A good day all together scoring seven goals, conceding just one. Well done to each of the Year 7 and 8 hockey players who have now all represented the school in matches.
School Hockey Competitions
With the opposition needing to cancel the scheduled fixtures on the Thursday before half term, we were treated to some high quality house matches. The Year 9 competition was won by Seckford, while Burwell took the trophy for Year 10.
Woodbridge Senior 2 and 3 vs Ipswich High School and Framlingham College
Half term provided a breather, but we got going with a bang straight away.
The Senior 2nd and 3rd team took on Ipswich High School U16A and Fram College 4th team respectively, both away matches.
Report from Mr Pineo for the 2nd team: After a slow start in which the team conceded two goals, the girls played some lovely hockey and look threatening. IHS had some very strong players and were able to counter most of the attacks, but they stuck to their task and all players tried to do the right thing. Year 12’s Olivia was excellent throughout and should be proud of the way she played. Year 11’s Lily had another good game in defence as did Year 12’s Marina in midfield.
The 3rd team bounced back from their defeat before half term, now reinforced with Year 13’s Kitt bringing much experience and leadership to the GK position.
Report from Mr Walsh: A cold, wet and dark Tuesday evening at Framlingham saw our first match under floodlights of the year. Woodbridge were in a buoyant mood after the short minibus trip. The game started frantically with end-to-end hockey but both defences coming out on top. However, Woodbridge managed to use their endless commitment to sneak a goal towards the end of the half from Year 11’s Eliza. After the team had spotted areas for improvement at half time the second half was a feast of quick hockey and loads of attacking opportunities. Moving the ball forwards quickly and keeping forwards high paid dividends with Year 11’s Amandine scoring two well-worked goals. Framlingham still had a number of attacking play and the Woodbridge defence managed to stop them from scoring and kept a clean sheet. Well done to Kitt who was voted player of the match by the opposition.
All Woodbridge Teams
On Wednesday after half term, every hockey player again headed for our ‘second home’ to play Norwich High School for Girls. Putting seven teams out is no mean feat, so thank you very much to staff, and especially those managing two teams on one day.
Woodbridge Juniors vs Norwich High School for Girls
The weather was not very kind, with rain peppering the players all afternoon. But this could not dampen the spirits of the Junior 1 and 2 teams. The Junior 1s dominated the first half of their match, being patient and playing perfecting passing hockey – using the whole width, heigh and depth. As has come to be expected, Year 8’s Amelie leading up front and pressing set the tone for the rest of the team. Solid distribution and transfer play from Year 8’s Jemima B, Jemima D and Ella B from the back, made for entertaining hockey. Year 7’s Ella had another fantastic game outside midfield and is growing every match. Year 7’s India on the other side of the pitch also delivered her best performance of the season. Captain, Year 8’s Annabelle controlled the midfield and led from the front. Year 7’s Lottie and Jasmine kept the pressure up with good positional play, decision making on the ball and precision passing. Despite no score, Woodbridge looked in control at half time and believed in their process. Goals in quick succession by Year 7’s Ella and India, with Year 8’s Amelie at the start of the second half sealed the win for Woodbridge and they could play with freedom. Well done to each of the team who have remembered everything learned before half term! What a game. Joint players of the match were Jemima B and Ella K.
Woodbridge Junior 3, 4 and 5 Teams vs Norwich High School for Girls
The Junior 3 girls maintained their unbeaten record so far this season with a draw, but it was a goal fest. Juniors 4 to Junior 7 were on the receiving end of great goal scoring but can hold their heads high for their play and learning lots in the process, ready for the next matches.
Woodbridge U15B vs Finborough
As we neared the end of the week, the U15B team played against Finborough. Despite the goalless draw this was an entertaining end to end match, with team coach Mrs P, still smiling from ear to ear from pride for her team. Well done to each of these players who gave their all. Word is that Year 10’s Poppy was a star in goal making telling saves for the team.
Woodbridge 1st vs Ipswich High School
The 1st team played their first evening match of the year when they hosted Ipswich High School. With fantastic support on the sidelines, the players rose to the occasion. They again showed good build up play, and seemed to control the areas of the pitch between the 23m areas. In defence they had to be at their best, and goalkeeper Year 12’s Freya was at her best again. Year 10’s Charlie joined the team again and was awarded joint player of the match with Freya; but this was a match in which every member of the team played their personal best of the season. A fortunate deflection goal before half time made the difference in the end to deny Woodbridge the win for being the better team on the day. Compliments from the opposition for the way in which Woodbridge dominated the second half will be a conciliation at this stage as the team keeps pushing to turn their growing good performances into the outcomes they so deserve for the work and application they are putting in.
Woodbridge U14 Regional Hockey Event
The week ended with the U14 team representing the school immensely well at the Regional Hockey event. They did Suffolk proud, achieve 4 draws, one win and one loss on the day. Conceding only two goal in their six matches showed how well the team worked as a unit to defend well and be hard to beat, in order to set up quality attacks. Highlights from the day, amongst many, are two slick short corner goals by co-captain Year 9’s Eve, and great push back set piece seeing Year 8’s Annabelle, Ella and Amelie M combining to get a PC (and subsequent goal) within 45 seconds of the push back in the team’s second last match of the day. This was a group of players the school can be so proud of, being congratulated by umpires and organisers alike for the manner in which they conducted themselves on and off the pitch and the style of passing hockey they were playing, not relying on individuals by being a true team in every sense of the word.
Thanks for every player who represented the school in matches and thanks to parents for support on the side of the pitch (or from afar to your daughters to make it possible for them to express themselves in sport.
Following their recent workshop in School, Frantic Assembly performed their adaptation of Metamorphosis as The Mercury Theatre in Colchester recently, and some of our GCSE and A level Drama students went to the performance. You can hear more about it in our report below from Year 12’s Alice:
On 10 November, our A level and Year 11 Drama groups had the pleasure of going to the Mercury Theatre in Colchester to watch Frantic Assembly’s production of Metamorphosis. As part of our A level course, we study Berkoff’s adaptation of the play, so it was exciting to be able to explore a different interpretation and from such an incredible company.
Before half term, we had the opportunity to take part in a workshop with Frantic Assembly which gave a great introduction to the devising process and the techniques that went into what we finally saw realised on stage.
It was fascinating seeing the actors explore the nuances and individual understandings of the story and Frantic Assembly made the piece accessible by delving into detail about the story.
Overall, it was a wonderful learning experience, and with a combination of the workshop and performance we now have many new ideas and techniques to try when devising our own pieces in the coming months.
Alice, Year 12
Children from Years 5 and 6 at St Mary’s and Mellis Primary schools spent time in our Design department last Friday as part of Primary Enrichment.
Kicking off with a brand new workshop, children joined us in School where they designed and produced a set of wooden book ends, using a variety of workshop tools. Learning about different skills such as sawing, joining wood and finishing, it was a great opportunity for them to be introduced to and use different tools for the first time, as well as work through a design process from imagination to creation!
Developing their confidence of working in a practical classroom, the workshop also embedded key health and safety considerations that must be considered and addressed when working with tools and equipment, whilst providing a set of skills relevant to woodworking.
Our DT department were incredibly impressed with the level of focus and attention from the children, as well as their stunning end products; the children’s morning culminated in a lovely lunch in our Tuckwell room.
Thank you and well done to everyone who came along for the workshop.
In mid-October five of our six age group cross country teams had qualified to compete at the regional round of the English Schools Cross Country Cup. The Regionals took place last weekend, and we are extremely proud to report that three of the five teams have now qualified for the Nationals by finishing in the top three – and Woodbridge School is the only Suffolk School to qualify any teams for the Nationals!
Woodbridge School athletes have now qualified one or more teams for the National Finals every year since 2016 (Covid year excluded), a streak that will perhaps end one day, but for now we celebrate the continuity and brilliant achievements of our young athletes. There are over 6,000 secondary schools in England and only 27 will line up at the National Final in each age group race.
Teams qualifying were:
Junior Boys – Regional Champions, with our four scoring athletes in 2nd 4th, 6th and 26th (38 points to the team in second with 56 and third 57).
Junior Girls – Second at regionals, with our four scorers 14th, 15th, 16th and 19th. An incredibly tight event with the winners scoring 59, our total at 64, third were 66 and fourth 69!
Senior Boys – Second at regionals with our four scorers 1st, 8th, 9th and 15th (33 points with the winners at 22 and third at 69).
Our Inter Girls ran exceptionally well to only just miss out by finishing 4th (6th, 13th, 24th and 30th), and Inter Boys competed above expectation to finish a competitive 8th (15th,29th, 34th, 50th).
Special mention of our two individual medal winners, Year 13’s Henry winning the Senior Boys and Year 8’s Digby taking silver in the Junior Boys.
Adding to the excitement, of course, is the fact that Woodbridge School are hosting the National Final of the English Schools Cup on Saturday 2 December 2023, which you can read more about here.
A huge thank you to staff and parents who travelled to Southend in support.
Congratulations to every athlete and good luck to those teams competing at the Nationals!
Earlier this year we entered the EADT Suffolk Education Awards 2023 and were confirmed as finalists in September. Last Thursday, 9 November 2023, we attended the awards ceremony at Venue 16 in Ipswich and were absolutely thrilled and incredibly proud to be confirmed as the winner of the Secondary School of the Year Award.
The awards celebrated the very best of Suffolk education, and we attended the event alongside dozens of other schools, organisations, volunteers and teachers who were also finalists for the ten award categories. It was a privilege and inspiration listening to the award entries from fellow educators and those involved in teaching and supporting students across the county.
Shona Norman, Head of School,
“It’s superb to have been recognised with this tremendous accolade, and incredible to share the room with so many amazing organisations and individuals. The award criteria encompassed teaching and non-teaching aspects of School, emphasising the importance of everyone’s efforts in respective areas, coming together as a team, as a community at Woodbridge School. This award stands as further testament to our continued hard work and commitment to our students, their education and the environment within which they learn and grow.”
You can read more about the awards, those involved, the winners and the ten categories at https://www.suffolkeduawards.co.uk/winners-2023. You can also read the EADT article about the awards and the event at https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/23911334.eadt-education-awards-won-teacher-year/.
80 Year 11 to 13 students took part in the UKMT Senior Maths Challenge on Tuesday 3 October – and the results are in!
Year 12 results
Silver:
Iwan
Mingjiang
Henry
Georgina
Marina
Harrison
Alex
Bronze:
Mobolaji
Bruce
Abigail
Samson
Wenqian
Best in Year:
Mingjiang
Year 13 results
Bronze:
Thomas
James H
Caitlyn
Abdullah
Samuel
Jonathan
Benjamin
Silver:
Joshua
Belle
Edward
Polina
Rebecca
Zaid
Gold:
Digby
James S
Best in Year:
Digby
James S
Best in School:
Digby
James S
Digby and James S who achieved Best in School and Best in Year, have both gone through to the kangaroo round that will be sat on Wednesday 15 November 2023.
Year 11 results
Bronze:
Henry
John
Emily
Mei Hing
James M
Oser
Alice
Lucas
Best in Year:
Oser
A big shout out to our Year 11 students on receiving Bronze, this is an amazing achievement given that the challenge is designed for Years 12 and 13.
Well done to everyone that took part!
Having qualified for ten finals in total, riders from our equestrian team took part in the National Schools Equestrian Championships from Friday 20 to Monday 23 October in Addington, Bucks; each rider took part in three to five finals each.
This meant that our riders were exceptionally busy, as the Showjumping finals meant two rides due to the top ten best scoring teams having to ride again for final positions. However, it made the competition very exciting!
Our best results were as follows:
4th place in the 70cm Showjumping:
Year 6’s Tati
Year 8’s Grace
Year 9’s Harry
Year 9’s Zac
5th place in the 80cm Arena Eventing:
Year 8’s Grace
Year 9’s Edie
Year 11’s Lois
Year 13’s Katie
5th place in the 90cm Arena Eventing:
Year 9’s Zac
Year 9’s Edie
Year 11’s Lois
Year 13’s Katie
5th place in the Walk and Trot Intro C Dressage:
Year 7’s India
6th place in the Prelim 14 Dressage:
Year 7’s Jasmine
6th place in the 1.10 Arena Eventing:
Year 13’s Ada
7th place in the Regional Points League:
Year 6’s Tati
Year 8’s Grace
Year 9’s Harry
Year 9’s Zac
Year 9’s Edie
Year 11’s Lois
Year 13’s Katie
Year 13’s Ada
Congratulations to all of our students, these were absolutely amazing results particularly as they were up against the best riding schools in the UK.
Our students were all great ambassadors for Woodbridge School, working together as a team and supporting one another.
Riders will be competing again on 26 November in order to qualify for Hickstead in May next year.
It is with much anticipation, excitement and pride that we can announce that Woodbridge School will be hosting the 42nd ESAA Cross Country Cup Final on Saturday 2 December. Athletes from schools across England come through to this event, having taken part in regional rounds.
Shona Norman, Head of School commented,
“We’ve been lucky enough to have hosted a number of local sporting activities, including various cross country events in School every winter, but none have been more highly anticipated than the ESAA Cross Country Cup Final. This event epitomises Woodbridge School core values – Character, Kindness, Community and Excellence, and our entire community is absolutely thrilled and delighted to be involved.”
She continued,
“Woodbridge School has hosted rounds of the English Schools’ Cup, Suffolk Schools events and even the Anglian Schools Cross Country just last year. Our own athletes have won The English National Cross Country, UK Inter County Cross Country, as well as English schools Track and Field titles, and so cross country and endurance running is widely supported at Woodbridge School and we are proud to have been attending these finals since 2016.”
Ralph Pruden, Head of Sport, Fitness and Health shared his thoughts,
“It’s fair to say that we’re incredibly excited about the event in December – for those going through to this final, it’s an amazing achievement and something to be very proud of. We hope everyone coming to Woodbridge School on 2 December enjoys their day, and we wish everyone taking part the very best of luck!”
Woodbridge School has become synonymous with cross country, with our School teams qualifying for the regional cross country cup, our senior girls qualifying for the nationals in Leeds where they came 9th place and 22 of our runners from Year 6 to 13 having been selected for the Suffolk team for the Anglian Schools Championships. Six out of the eight Suffolk teams won with Suffolk winning the overall Anglian Championships.
Our athletes have represented the School and themselves incredibly well, and we recently celebrated one of our students becoming English Cross Country Champion, representing Shaftesbury Barnet, further demonstrating our students’ commitment to the sport.