Welcome to the second edition of Rough Notes and the last for this half-term, where has the time gone?
We have continued to build on the very positive start we had in September. Our students have worked well and have participated in a huge amount of extra-curricular learning activities over the half-term. I am very grateful for the opportunities provided to the students by our wonderful staff who really do go the extra mile.
This half-term we celebrated ‘National Teaching Assistant Day’, and I would like to recognise our colleagues who do such a wonderful job in supporting our students:
I would very much like to send my vote of thanks to you all. You do a fabulous job and make a difference to the education of our young people.
A new member of staff recently commented that ‘the TAs I’ve worked with here are better, more professional, and more skilled than those I worked with previously’. High praise indeed.
Please remember, you make a difference.
Students have worked hard in lessons, challenged, and supported by our teaching colleagues. There is a clear sense of purpose in the work undertaken and students are positively engaged. They take pride in what they are doing and are keen to share what they have done and are doing with all those who take an interest.
The same can be seen beyond the classroom. The coding club is full at lunchtimes, each week over 500 hours of additional physical activity are completed in PE, 50 regularly attend drama club, the library is always busy, the sound of the student choir fills the corridors at lunch and after school on Friday, the staff get their turn too.
There is so much to get involved with, I have mentioned but a few of the fantastic opportunities that are available to our students, there really is something for everyone.
Get involved.
One student from each year group joined me for my Headteacher’s Commendation this month in recognition of their fantastic contributions to learning and the school this half-term. I was delighted to host them for morning tea where we were able to celebrate their achievements.
We were thrilled to welcome the parents and carers of our new year 7 intake for our annual ‘Meet My Tutor’ evening just before the half-term break. The evening was packed with musical performances, drama, and a stunning performance from the whole of year 7 as they sung a few numbers to a delighted audience. What a way to end your first half-term at secondary school. I would like to thank the music, drama, and year team for all the hard work they put in over the past seven weeks, thank you all for an amazing evening.
During Black History Month, students in our 6th Form, led by Ms Brown, Head of History, delivered assemblies to all students. It was a great opportunity for those delivering to develop their presentation and leadership skills whilst delivering key messages in support of an important and ongoing cause.
We again participated in the national ‘Show Racism the Red Card’ event which took place on Thursday the 19th of October (Nationally 20/10/23 but we are closed for staff training). It was great to see our students standing in solidarity with those affected by discriminatory behaviour in all its forms.
In October, Woodroffe had a visit from Meninadanca Pink House, a charity from Brazil working to combat child exploitation. They provided an enlightening talk about their work before wowing students with music and dance and they even managed to get some participating too.
The Art department to a group of students to St Ives, Cornwall on a residential art trip to hone their skills in a world-renowned location for artists of all abilities.
The Geography and History departments went a little further afield during their visit to Naples. Whilst there, students visited Pompeii, Herculaneum, climbed Mount Vesuvius and stayed in the beautiful town of Sorrento. What an opportunity.
The year 11 rugby team reach the top again. After success earlier in their school careers, our year 11 boys were again crowned tournament champions after winning all their games. What a fantastic achievement.
Over 140 local education professionals joined us for the latest Jurassic Coast Teacher Network learning and teaching forum. The session delivered by Professor Bill Lucas (LucasLearn) covered the importance of creativity in the curriculum and the broader topic of curriculum design. We were delighted to host him for the insightful and thought-provoking session, the chip butties were good too!
It is great to be able to bring education professionals together at a collaborative event, something we are very proud to do at Woodroffe. There is so much talent in the profession and opportunities like this help to forge partnerships that can support the development of education across the locality and beyond. Thank you to all those who joined us for the event, look out for more opportunities in the future.
The 6th Form ran their annual bake sale in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support, raising over £500 in just 20 minutes. Amazing effort. Well done to all the bakers and those manning the sale.
We were visited in early October by the Community Support Dog (Ink) as part of a three-year long project with local schools. The project aims to ensure we have safe communities whilst educating about the dangers of substance abuse and the impact of ‘County Lines’. We are grateful to be able to be a part of this worthwhile and supportive project.
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:
Woodroffe can be found on Twitter & Instagram.
Сподіваюся, вам сподобається наше останнє видання “Грубих нотаток”. Якщо ви хочете дізнатися більше про нашу школу, новини чи події, відвідайте веб-сайт школи, який, я впевнений, вам буде корисний. Крім того, для регулярних оновлень, чому б не заглянути в наші соціальні мережі:
Best wishes,
Dan Watts
Headteacher