Welcome to the latest edition of Rough Notes, thank you for taking the time to read our monthly publication.
As we head towards the end of the first half-term, I want to thank our community for your ongoing support, it is very much appreciated.
Our students continue to amaze us with their resilience and confidence, and it has been great to see them enjoying some of the wider curricular opportunities on offer. Students have enjoyed success in rugby, netball and cross-country running and continue to engage in the choir and orchestra opportunities on offer. The school production, Annie, has been cast and students have again been able to enjoy time off site with visits to Carey Camp, Dartmoor, London and the beach!
It is important that we are able to offer these wider experiences. During the last two pandemic hit years, students have missed out on some of the opportunities that help to make the educational experience special. We are working hard to address this where we can.
We have managed to have a relatively quiet half-term in terms of DfE changes and updates but, it is possible things might change in the coming months as we head towards the dark nights and winter months.
On Thursday 21st October, we again participated in the national ‘Show Racism the Red Card’ event, helping to raise awareness about discrimination and racism. It was great to see a sea of red as students entered the school on the Thursday morning demonstrating their support for a key societal issue.
Students in our 6th Form, supported by our excellent history department, prepared materials, and assemblies for ‘Proud to Be’, this year’s theme for Black History Month. I would like to thank all those involved, especially our students who delivered with compassion and were inspirational.
I would like to congratulate Ellyn in year 13 for her success in the national ‘Poetry by Heart’ competition supported by Mrs Millman Jones. As a category winner, Ellyn was invited to a presentation at 10 Downing Street where she met the Secretary of State for Education, MP Nadhim Zahawi. What an amazing opportunity!
In addition, we have had some excellent sporting success in recent weeks. Our year 11 netball team became area champions and Izzy successfully gained a place in the Team Bath Netball Academy, whilst Will in year 8, came 5th out of 250 competitors at the London Mini-Marathon and backed this up with an impressive win in the Dorset Cross-country Cup regional qualifier. Finally, our rugby teams have enjoyed wins both at home and on the road in recent weeks across many age groups.
On Friday 15th October, our 6th Form team held a cake sale in support of Macmillan Cancer, raising almost £400 in the process. The cakes were incredibly tasty too!
The newly formed Jurassic Coast Teacher Network (previously known as the Teaching School) will be holding their first event next month. On the 25th of November, former headteacher turned author, Gary Toward will be joining us for our first ‘TeachMeet’ event entitled, ‘leading learning with confidence and creativity’. We look forward to welcoming, FREE of charge, those interested in attending from the education profession, across all key stages.
I hope you enjoy our latest edition of ‘Rough Notes’. Should you wish to find out more about our school, news, or events, please visit the school website which I am sure you will find useful. In addition, for regular updates, why not look at our social media outlets:
The Woodroffe School Headteacher can be found on Twitter - @HeadteacherTws
The Woodroffe School can be found on Twitter - @WoodroffeSchool
The Woodroffe School on Instagram – woodroffeschooldorset
Best wishes,
Dan Watts
Headteacher