Queen Elizabeth II Students and staff arriving at school today (Friday) were greeted by the Union flag flying at half-mast as the nation enters a period of mourning and reflection on the life of Queen Elizabeth II. Whilst reactions to the news that broke on Thursday evening will vary from person to person, for many in our school community, this time may feel upsetting and strange and we will do our best to come together as a community to support…
Empowerment Conference On Tuesday 12th July, Mrs Keaney and Mr Read accompanied Darrick Wood students from Years 7-12 to the first annual Empowerment Conference hosted by Langley Park School for Girls. The Empowerment Conference was a celebration of strong female leaders and pioneers across a range of different industries, who delivered keynote speeches. The guest speakers included Melissa Cummings-Quarry and Natalie A. Carter – authors of “Grown: The Black Girls’ Guide to Glowing Up” and founders of Black Girls’ Book…
This week In assemblies this week the topic was Right Speech. The assembly started with the familiar phrase, “Is it true, is it necessary, is it kind?” Students were asked to reflect on whether, when they speak or post online, they follow this simple rule. From the looks on many faces, it would seem they do not always do this. This is no surprise – we know when we are still growing and developing, finding our way in the world,…
This week and next The first week back from the half term break has seen the continuation of the public examinations and we are immensely proud of how our students have conducted themselves throughout this period. For the wider school, having the examinations take place for the first time in three years is a somewhat welcome and re-assuring step back to ‘normal’ school life, including staying quiet close to examination venues in order to give those taking the examinations the…
Parents’ Evenings Following on from Options Evening, last week we held an online parents’ evening which we hope will have provided further information to help parents/carers support Year 9 students through the sometimes difficult choices they have to make. They should also now have access to our online resource with videos to supplement the booklet that has been distributed. Dates of remaining parents’ evenings are provided below. Pre-Public Examinations Well done to all of Year 11 for completing these assessments….
School production of Grease There were moments in the last few months where we really did not know if this year’s production of Grease could go ahead. On three nights this week, however, students and staff achieved something that will surely last in their memories for ever. Despite all the setbacks due to COVID, it all came together in the end thanks to the perseverance of students and staff alike. Those lucky enough to watch on any of the evenings…
This week Attendance at extra-curricular clubs continues to be very high and we have launched a range of new clubs and societies led largely by our Sixth Form students. These include Debate Club, Art Club, Eco Group, Book Club, LGBTQ+ Society, Science Society, Mental Wellbeing Society, and many more are planned. Please encourage your child to get involved with at least one extra-curricular club or society. We are in the process of producing a timetable of what is on for…
We’re very excited to announce a new feature called World Kitchen. In celebration of cultural diversity, we will be publishing recipes for iconic international dishes, which have been recommended by staff, parents and students. Our ambition is for as many members of the Darrick Wood community to recreate these dishes at home and enjoy them with their family. We would love for you to take part and send in photos of your dishes. We would also love more suggestions of…
Achievement Assemblies All week in assemblies we have been recognising the achievements of our students. Awards were given for subjects and for House Points. These ceremonies close with a final presentation of Head Teacher’s Awards for those who have excelled in one way or another over the past term. Senior Prefects This week was also the week where we interviewed candidates for the role of Head Boy and Head Girl. Candidates need to first be elected as Prefects. They then…
Latest news In this bulletin last week we reported on the success of DWSAudio. Here you will find an increasing range of interesting podcasts created by our students with help from Mr Chappell (Head of Media) and our Media Technician, Mr Utton. This week, we are proud to announce that two of our plays were entered for the 2019 International Radio Drama Festival and One of our exercise books is missing was placed first by the jury for the short…