Dear Parents, Carers, and friends of The Woodroffe School,
Thank you for taking the time to read our latest edition of ‘Rough Notes’, I can’t quite believe we have made it to Easter already.
We have had a positive half term. Our examination students have only a short time before the exam season is upon them. We continue to support their preparation and will help them every step of the way. We wish them all the very best.
Our students have continued to do great things. On Wednesday 23rd of March, our year 11 students had a visit from Xtreme Falconry. They were treated to some live action and got to hear about conservation and the birds themselves. We are very grateful to Martin Ballam for supporting our school with this activity.
Year 12 Geography students took part in their fieldwork residential visit, experiencing all the seasons across their time on the Dorset coast. It was a glorious day for the field sketch and beach profile activities.
Will Birchall in year 8 competed in the English Schools Cross-Country event in Kent. Will did incredibly well and came 5th in the year 8 - 9 race. This means he will be representing England (and Woodroffe!), at the international race in Wales on the 26th of March. Congratulations Will.
Henry Birchall also competed in the English Schools Cross-Country event coming in 3rd out of the Dorset boys, a huge achievement when he is in the younger of the two-year age bracket. Well done Henry.
Several budding writers from Woodroffe took part in a recent competition with Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage. The competition winners were:
- Gold - Ethel Short - Walking with the Architect
- Silver - Beatrice Montagu La Placa - The Silence of the People
- Silver - Iris Chapman - Our Future, Our Planet
One of the judges said, “Reading these poems was an absolute delight”. Congratulations to you all.
Sixty-three Woodroffe students participated in the Intermediate Maths Challenge organised by the University of Leeds. This is a national competition for students to enjoy and challenge their mathematical thinking.
Harvey Cook in Year 10 gained the highest score in the school and, in total Woodroffe students achieved:
- 6 Gold
- 11 Silver
- 22 Bronze
The 6th Form Ten Tors team continued their preparation for the event, covering many miles both locally and across Dartmoor. Having had an enforced break of two years, it is great to have this up and running again.
Students from Woodroffe did us proud earlier this month, donating supplies to help families displaced in Ukraine. Student donations were delivered to Sidbury Village Hall on Friday 4th of March and will be shipped to the Romanian and Polish borders. Our thoughts are with those in Ukraine at this difficult time.
Finally, the Local Authority asked a small number of schools if they would be willing to participate and produce a two/three-minute clip on how we, as a school, are working to promote diversity and inclusion, so that all students can thrive. Dorset Council will then produce one media presentation that can be shared across the county and beyond.
As a guide, they asked us to focus on how:
Diversity recognises difference and how schools empower and educate young people to respect and appreciate what makes them unique and different, so that, through an inclusive environment everyone feels they belong.
Such a lot packed into such a small amount of time!
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
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support and encouragement.
Best wishes,
Dan Watts
Headteacher