The start of term is always an exciting time and this year has been no different. There is a real buzz about the place and a strong sense of continuing success which makes everyone, staff and students alike …[Read More]

Schools, as politicians frequently point out, are at the heart of the community. When a school closes, or is put into Special Measures by Ofsted, the impact on the community can be profound …[Read More]

Still to come we have Junior Awards Evening; a Year 9 Maths Live day; a History Department visit to Chalke Valley; CCF Army camp; the Year 7 Maiden Castle Trip; the Year 11 and Year 13 Proms …[Read More]

I often wonder why so many parents have so little trust in the work we do at Woodroffe nowadays but then I look around at what’s going on in schools both nationally and locally and I begin to see …[Read More]

Woodroffe looks wonderful in the snow. Less so when the snow begins to melt. Much less so when we are trying to decide whether to close the school or not. This year, fortunately, the snow fell thick …[Read More]

This is the fiftieth edition of Rough Notes since it moved to its current format and clearly something worth shouting about. I am delighted to say that as an online publication it has more than …[Read More]

‘April is the cruellest month,’ said TS Eliot but January surely runs a close second. Relentless rain, gusts of freezing wind and seemingly constant darkness do little to inspire. Damp students huddle…[Read More]

The Year 7 Panto trip to see Cinderella offers a tempting metaphor for the current state of the education system. Kept in thrall by the ugly sisters of the Department for Education and the government’s …[Read More]

In my introduction to last month’s edition of Rough Notes, I was proudly able to proclaim that Woodroffe was the highest attaining secondary school in Dorset with 84% of students achieving the …[Read More]

In a recent news article, I described Woodroffe as something of a hidden gem and, as we start a new academic year, this is an idea worth reflecting upon. It cannot be denied that, in the eyes of …[Read More]