This week Assemblies this week have focused on how we can be good neighbours, not just to those who live closest to us, but also wider afield. We reflected on why some people decide to work as volunteers on community projects and considered in particular the volunteer firefighters in Australia who have risked their lives trying to save lives, property and wildlife over the last few weeks. As mentioned last week, we have changed how lessons start and how the…
This week Our Mission Statement as a school was established many years ago. It is to provide the best teaching and learning that we can. We have more recently referred to this as ‘world class’ or ‘exceptional’. It is an aspiration, a journey that raises standards and expectations. It is meant to be aspirational and ambitious and rightly so. It means continually evaluating what is working well and what could be changed or improved. One such change was introduced this…
This week All week we have been recognising the outstanding efforts of our students in Achievement Assemblies. Whilst there will only be one lucky winner in each subject in each year group, I know from having visited thousands of lessons this term and from tracking House Points in Class Charts, how hard the vast majority of Darrick Wood students have worked over the last term. We wish them and all our staff a very enjoyable and restful Christmas break. On…
This week The highlight this week must have been our Year 7 folk singing festival. Pupils from across all the Forms sang their hearts out and entertained us with traditional folk songs. Their singing was accompanied by professional melodeon and fiddle player, Will Allen. After the interval, Will spoke about his love of the folk tradition in the UK and provided us with some amazing examples of his own music. There were many memorable moments, but in particular the whole…
This week In assemblies this week we considered why we should seize every opportunity in life. The amazing story of 80 year old Julia Albu and her 9000 mile journey from South Africa to London in her 20 year old Toyota was used to illustrate this point perfectly. Her one year journey made the news at the time and those wanting to know more can find lots of information about it by searching for Julia Albu on the internet (e.g….
This week Year 11 are half way through their mocks and are no doubt feeling tired after a tough week in school. They have approached these important examinations with maturity and we are very proud of them. Their results will be distributed in a mock result ceremony on the afternoon of Monday, 6th January. We wish them a restful weekend and look forward to supporting them through next week and indeed the rest of the year. Planners/homework The new planners…
This week Our production of Beauty and the Beast took place over three nights this week. There were high hopes it would match last year’s Les Miserables and despite having just nine weeks to prepare, the show more than lived up to expectations. A large cast of students from Years 7 to Year 13 gave brilliant performances on stage, accompanied by a very strong orchestra. It was a real team effort with everyone working together to give their best. All…
This week We welcomed everyone back, hopefully refreshed from the two week half-term break. Over the break we had a burst water main to contend with at the top of our drive. We had no water at all in school and it took a long time to be fixed but thankfully all was well by Monday morning. Our assemblies this week have been Remembrance Assemblies. We will also hold a minute’s silence on Monday, 11th November. On Thursday, Year 11…
This week Assemblies this week were taken by student members of the School’s Environmental Green Group (EGG for short). They reminded students and staff of the progress the School has made in trying to create a more sustainable school, the changes we can still make as individuals and the importance of continuing to do better when it comes to looking after our planet. They spoke with clarity and passion about this and we are very grateful to them for the…
This week Thank you to all the students who helped make Open Evening another big success. It is their enthusiasm as guides and in Departments that demonstrates to prospective parents and their children the values we hold dear and the opportunities we provide as a school. There were two exceptional speeches from a Year 8 pupil (Thomas) and a Year 13 student (Olivia) that also made a significant contribution to the evening along with of course our fantastic staff. Judging…