Our Autumn magazine takes a look back on the first half term here at Waldegrave, covering all aspects of Waldegrave life from around the school to trips and visits and our community fundraisers.
2 0 2 5 - 2 0 2 6 AU T UMN T E RM
WALDEGRAVE SCHOOL MAGAZINE
ENJOY ACHIEVE EMPOWER
CONTENTS Pankhurst House Captains
03 04
WELCOME STUDENT
DRAMA ROUND UP AROUND THE SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENTS AUTUMN TERM HIGHLIGHTS TRIPS Exciting school trips for pupils this term
10
Eliot House Captains
19
40
Franklin House Captains
47
52
CLUB ACTIVITIES
54
MINIBUS UPDATE
Seacole House Captains
This lengthy Autumn Term has been packed full of trips, performances, sports matches, charity fundraising and exciting opportunities for all our pupils - I can’t quite believe how we have managed to fit it all in over the past 13 weeks! We kicked off the new school year with inductions for both our new Year 7 and Year 12 pupils, this was swiftly followed by some kayaking fun on the River Thames for our Year 7 HEADTEACHER’S MESSAGE
pupils to get to know each other better outside of the classroom. The pupils had a lot of fun and their smiles didn’t fade even on the days when the weather was less than perfect for water activities. Sport was a also a big feature of this term (see pages 45-46 for a round up), with our Year 8s celebrating the Women’s Rugby World Cup with an interhouse rugby tournament. The talent on display was very impressive. We also welcomed into school a workshop for Year 10 students from the Arts Council on Building Female Resilience with speakers Alison Kervin OBE (the first woman to referee a rugby match at Twickenham) and Kate Howe (artist) from RuptureXIBIT in Hampton Wick. Our Year 8/9 Basketball Team have also had some success, participating in professional training at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre and a winning streak! Our Year 7/8 football team is also doing extremely well, qualifying for the Richmond Schools Sports Partnership league final this term, despite many of its players having debuted for the sport this term. In addition Waldegrave has taken part in over 20 netball matches and competed in the Richmond Cross Country Championships. Our stand out events this term were undoubtedly the first Drop Down Day of the year (pages 16-21), our School Production of My Fair Lady and setting up the seasonal spirit, our Carol Service and Winter Festival (pages 41-42). Our talented performers treated us to another talent filled production, ‘My Fair Lady’ (pages 39-40). Thanks must go to our hard working Performing Arts Department who took students through over 80 hours of rehearsals to present another spectacular musical for us all to enjoy. We end the term today with a much loved school tradition with staff performing the School Pantomime. The staff’s creativity always brings much laughter to the pupil filled audiences! Thank you for your generosity and support this term, with your help we have raised nearly £7,000 for charities this term and certainly put the fun into fundraising! I wish you all a joyful and peace filled Christmas break, celebrating the season with your families and friends.
Student Achievements LOUISE R, 7EHA
Congratulations to Lou Lou for her outstanding result in the recent London Youth Games cross- country event - she came third out of the 12 Richmond Borough under 13s competitors (Year 7 & Year 8 runners) and 65 overall out of 227 participants across London. th Thank you to everyone who came along to cheer her on, Lou was so happy and a little surprised to see such wonderful support from classmates & teachers. A remarkable achievement, Well Done Lou Lou!
CARINA L, 10POR
Carina recently received a distinction in the Grade 7 piano exam and shared her skills at the Kingston Festival of Performing Arts, where she was awarded second place. The judge praised her musical interpretation and dramatic expression. Fantastic job!
AYLIN G, 8PFO
As a part of transforming workbooks into canvas of imaginations, Aylin brought this vision to life through a striking poster inspired by the world of theatre. A perfect reflection of the spirit and the emotion at the heart of Drama.
Great work Aylin, we loved your design!
OLIVIA, MOLLY, ISABEL & JEMIMA,YR7 Student Achievements The European Day of Languages is celebrated each year on September 26 to highlight Europe’s rich linguistic diversity and the importance of lifelong language learning. Our Languages Department marked the occasion with a poster competition sparking much creativity in our Year 7 students. Congratulations to Constance our overall winner (see poster to right), and our House winners: Olivia (Franklin), Molly (Eliot), Isabel (Pankhurst) and Jemima (Seacole) for their imaginative posters celebrating the joy of learning languages. Well done to everyone who created a design.
Students from Years 7 to 13 have taken on the challenge of boosting reading across the school by introducing competitions, recommending their favourite books and even hosting a popular book swap event for our Year 7s! Since our half-term break our Book Champions have been busy collecting the total number of books read by our brilliant forms and students. We can report that it has been a brilliantly bookish Autumn term with pupils in the main school having read over 3,000 books between them!!! Emily F, 7EVA was our top reader in the school and managed to fit in reading 123 books this term! Other top readers in the school were: Elise C (9EDA), Cecilia B (10SSR) and Ava S 11EJO while the winning forms are pictured below. Student Achievements Book Champions
Thank you to our Book Champions, Emilia B (8ESU) who designed the award certificates and Greta A (7EVA) who designed The House Assembly slides.
Student Achievements Library bookmark competition
This term the School Library ran their annual bookmark competition where students were asked to design a bookmark. Submissions this year ranged from favourite characters to the joy of reading. The standard of entries was extremely high and there were winners and runners up in every year group that participated.
The fantastic winning entries are above, from left to right: Hannah W, 7FSM
Ava S, 8PCO Zoe N, 9SHU
Hadia H, 10SAN Sofiya A, 12ESA
The top designs will be made into free laminated book marks for everyone using the school library and the winners each received a £10 high street voucher to spend as they choose! Runners up included: Charlotte Z (7SRI), Scarlett N (7FBO), Siri G (8FLY), Dila D (9SHU), Harrison D (12KNO)
Student Achievements Music Exams This term our students taking music, dance and drama exams have seen extraordinary results! Well done to you all for the dedication you have shown for your passions.
Evelyn B, 10EMU - Clarinet Grade 6 DISTINCTION Arianna S - Piano Grade 6 DISTINCTION Serra s, 11FGR - Vocal Grade 2 DISTINCTION Aisha Y, 13SRG - Vocal Grade 6 DISTINCTION Carina L, 10POR - Piano Grade 7 DISTINCTION Siri G, 8FLY - Piano Grade 1 DISTINCTION Lizzie H, 13MBK - Vocal Grade 8 DISTINCTION Annabel L, - Vocal Grade 2 DISTINCTION Sophie B, 8PFO - Cello Grade 2 MERIT Niina M, 9PIR - Vocal Grade 2 MERIT Connie A, 11PGO - Vocal Grade 3 MERIT Savannah R, 11FGR - Vocal Grade 3 MERIT Alanna P, 11ERU - Vocal Grade 3 MERIT
Yi L, 12ESA - Piano Grade 8 MERIT Caitlin R, 9STR - Cello Grade 2 PASS
Student Achievements Jack Petchey Awards We have seen a number of students granted Jack Petchey Achievement Awards. The winners are all young people who have been nominated for going above and beyond to achieve - perhaps where others might fail. We are incredibly proud of you all.
Annie B, 8SON (nominated by Waldegrave) Man Kiu NG (9EBH (nominated by Girl guiding) Robyn ZB, 11FGR (nominated by Waldegrave) Luciana B, 11ERU (nominated by Waldegrave)
If you would like to include your achievements in next term’s School Magazine please send the details to Mrs Coleman via marketing@waldegravesch.org and copy in the relevant subject teacher. We would love to receive your photos too!
River Thames
Just a few days into their first term at Waldegrave we sent our brave Year 7s to take on the river, kayaking and raft building with Thames Young Mariners. They enjoyed (mostly) sunny weather and threw themselves into every activity! They loved the dock jump and said they had the “best fun ever”!
The students made the trips in groups of two classes at a time between 16-24 September. The activities offered an opportunity to get to know their classmates better in an out-of-school environment and encouraged the pupils to push themselves outside of their comfort zones. They had great fun working in teams to build and race a raft, have a go at kayaking and even jump off the dock into the lake - some of the form tutors even joined in, making a splash!
It taught me you should always take a chance ! - Bobbie W
Terrifying cold but fun! - Lucy
Many showed their knot tying skills and made really efficient rafts in their teams. They then took these onto the water and paddled those around the river, once used to their ‘ship’ they braved the instructor’s waves attempting to stay afloat! When this challenge was completed they lined up for the highly competitive ‘pack-down’ race, speeding along the Thames to the sound of the ‘six-seven, six- seven...’ rowing chant and cheers!
It was so fun and exciting doing the dock jump... we made Mr Sanders jump off and he looked like Spiderman! - Jemima, Poppy and Mary
The teaching staff accompanying the pupils were all very impressed by how quickly so many of them developed their
paddling skills and water confidence
Well done to them all!
One of the best trips I’ve ever had! - Poppy
Duke of Edinburgh Expedition - Silver
On Friday 19 September, after months of volunteering, physical and skillful activities, 60 of my classmates and I trekked out of our busy, urban, Twickenham lives and into the beautiful rural landscape of the - very hilly - Ashdown Forest. For the next 3 days, we would be tasked with planning routes, navigating 60km of merciless terrain, putting up and taking down tents, cooking (exquisite) meals, and not losing our wits to this East Sussex countryside. This expedition would act as our practice, whereby we would learn the ways of the great compass and map, and be supported throughout our lengthy walk, before our assessed trip which would take place the following fortnight. The assessed trip was completed in the New Forest, a gorgeous heathland terrain that was kinder in altitude than its predecessor. We were split into 10 groups, and each allocated a highly skilled assessor that would teach us all the basics of survival in the countryside - they accompanied us on the first day’s walk, where we got to know the landscape, and could ease ourselves into the subsequent 7 hour day of walking that followed on Saturday and then Sunday. My group delegated a role for each person on the first day. We agreed that it was important for all of us to have a chance as lead navigator, pace-setter, safety officer, snack provider, morale- booster, and, most importantly, comedic relief/ lead singer. Once these were all decided, we were ready to walk on!
Suffice to say, a 60km walk over 3 days, twice over, doesn’t sound like the most hellish pursuit, and it wouldn’t have been, if it weren’t for our rucksacks! It is in unanimous agreement that the hardest part of our expeditions, minus the horse, cow, and bull attacks on rucksacks, falling into bogs and having to be pulled out, and going 4km off track, was that of carrying our weight in supplies, plus our tents… It was truly grueling. If it weren’t for our (attempted) channeling of Chappell Roan, Charli XCX, and the likes, through our heavily tone-deaf screeching, that may be subjectively described as ‘singing’, our blisters may have gotten the best of us - fortunately, we didn’t submit ourselves to the wilderness and made it through,
however tired and distraught we ended up. Once we had made it to the campsites, and set up our tents, sleeping bags, roll mats, cooked our food (which was more often
than not, easy-cook pasta) and freshened up, we entertained ourselves by putting on talent shows, and telling ghost stories by an imagined fire. Through everyone’s shared hysteria, we witnessed a slightly vulgar, modern-day adaptation of An Inspector Calls, and many dance routines, the most memorable being Miss Guy, Miss Wood, and Mr Reynold’s collection of, erm, moves..? Overall, this memorable experience offered something we wouldn’t find anywhere else: from the constant rain, and
the hearty laughs, to the screaming and running from the undomesticated creatures of Surrey, our Silver expedition was one that we may all look back on, fondly.
THE YEAR 7 DROP DOWN DAY On the recent Drop Down Day, Year 7 went to see Lion King the musical and learn about the qualifications and skills required to put on a major West End show. They spent their morning learning about all of the behind the scene jobs, from wardrobe to carpenters, choreographer to stage manager and how each role impacts the show. Pupils travelled from a variety of stations (Twickenham, Fulwell and Strawberry Hill) to travel to Waterloo and then walked on to the Lyceum theatre in London’s West End, where they then watched the performance.
“I really enjoyed The Lion King. I didn’t like the animated version so I surprised myself when I loved the musical. Going to see the show was really fun and we all can't wait for the next drop- down day.” Elena
The experience was one of a kind & truly spectacular. Everyone was watching the musical from the royal circle. The show was a miraculous mixture of puppets, wonderful acting, notorious songs & unique characters.
They got back home at around 6:10pm and brought back unforgettable memories with them.
INTERVIEWS We spoke to two Year 7 form tutors about their experiences of the Year 7 Drop Down Day.
MRS SMITH Q: How would you describe The Lion King Musical? A: It was exciting, inspiring and fun Q: What did you enjoy most about the day?
A: Two things I really enjoyed was the show and also spending time with my tutor class outside of the school environment. Q: Who's your favourite character? A:Rafiki MR SANDERS Q: How would you describe The Lion King Musical? A: I think it was awe- inspiring , marvellous and memorable. Q: What did you enjoy most about the day?
A: I enjoyed the show. I was also very impressed by how the girls managed to organise themselves especially as it
was quite steep and high up. Q: Who's your favourite character? A:Rafiki Article by Sophia S 7FSM, Harper P 7FSM and Grace e 7FSM
Year 8 Drop Down Day
Year 8 students participated in a vibrant drop-down day. The day was structured around a variety of engaging workshops including music, drama, jewellery making, fabric printing, dance,general knowledge quiz about the continent. In music, we were taught traditional African methods of playing the instruments and what they were. Nethra Gopu from 8EHO described the drumming as "a really fun way to experience another culture."
The jewellery making workshop taught us how to make beads from triangular strips of newspaper using toothpicks and PVA glue. We created unique, homemade beads and threaded them to make jewelry. In the dance workshop, students were introduced to afro dancing styles.
Kate Chiu from 8EHO enjoyed learning about different African dance styles and loved the helpful instructor saying the session "went far too quickly!" Another activity of the day was African storytelling, where we learned both traditional and contemporary techniques.
We practiced a collective story about fishing and heard about his acting life. Additionally, we created African-style prints which were applied to a large cloth to be displayed around the school.
The day ended with a quiz covering topics like music, food, geography, and wildlife, questioning our knowledge of African cultures.
Imogen B, 8EHO
Year 9 Drop Down Day Year 9 students participated in a drop-down day focused on their GCSE Options. Pupils had the opportunity to try out subjects at GCSE level for the day to see if they would like to select these for further study, subjects inclued Music, Food Technology, Drama, Geography, Art, History, PE, Computing, Textiles and Languages. As well as the subject tasters, pupils were taught about the GCSE qualifications and how to manage their studies in the lead up to the exams in Year 11. We were very fortunate to welcome our visitors who shared insights and pathways into their careers during the Speed Networking Sessions. We heard inspiring talks from a Director of Marketing, Head of Engineering, Architect, Paramedic and Executive Administer of a Charity - each shared experiences and answered questions. Eva E, 9EDA “The Director of Marketing we listened to was really interesting, she had travelled around the world with her job and worked across many different sectors. What was most striking to me was how she had not allowed herself to be tied to one career, following her
passions and retraining to do what would make her happy.”
Year 10 Drop Down Day
The day started off with all Year 10 English classes in their designated classroom with their teacher and a workshop leader from the Jack Petchey Foundation.
We listened to an introduction about Jack Petchey and learnt ground rules about respect. We discussed our speech ideas and learnt about the common structure of a speech and tips, for example the usefulness of anecdotes to catch the attention of the audience.
Despite the focus being on public speaking, we came to appreciate the importance of non-verbal aspects of public speaking, such as maintaining eye contact, hesitating and pausing and even hand gestures in getting our points across.
In small groups we practised making speeches about the most random topics, stressing to us that the day was more about speech structure and performance rather than content. We all enjoyed this freedom and opportunity to be creative.
Whilst some of our more confident public speakers enjoyed being put forward into the next round of the Jack Petchey award, we all benefited from the opportunity to build confidence but also practise our public speaking skills in preparation
for our GCSE English language speech.
Olivia P, 10POR & Zoja B 10FSO
Year 11 Drop Down Day
The drop down day for Year 11 was a great success. The day
MATHS
included a workshop which was led by an external educational consultant, Michelle Miller, who
delivered a workshop to all of our Year 11 students. There were also workshops led by subject staff in the core subjects English, Maths and Science. The aim was to exemplify one or two revision strategies using subject content that may be examined in the upcoming mock exams. To also recognise the importance of building in time for wellbeing we also arranged workshops in Yoga and Kickboxing led by specialist providers, which students greatly enjoyed. After all the workshops had finished, the final part of the day was a big game of Bench ball involving the whole school community. It was a fantastic day and hopefully the Year 11s came away with some good revision tips to support their upcoming mocks.
Pink Day, Friday 24 October, was unlike any other school day: it was loud, bright, and full of laughter. As soon as I walked into school, I saw an ocean of pink: pink hats, pink socks, pink tutus, even someone in a giant pink onesie! Form time felt completely different too. Usually, we’re in uniform and things feel a bit more serious, but on pink day everyone looked so energetic and relaxed. It was like the pink clothes gave us permission to be a little bit silly and have fun, which we definitely did! Before Pink Day, not a lot of us knew much about Breast Cancer Awareness or the charities that support it. But during the day, we learned how wearing pink helps raise awareness and support people affected by breast cancer. We also learned some really important facts, - like men can have breast cancer as well as women. Personally, it made me realise that even small things, like wearing a colour, can make a big difference. Overall, Pink day was memorable, marvellous and meaningful! Pink Day
Divina N, 7EHA
This term Waldegrave school raised funds for multiple charities, including our reading sponsorship drive, Pink Day, The Poppy Appeal, Macmillan Coffee Morning - thank you to everyone for their baking, dressing up and most importantly having fun while fundraising! TOTAL: £6,435!!!!
ROTARY YOUNG CHEF COMPETITION WALDEGRAVE SCHOOL PRESENTS : On Wednesday 12 November, fourteen students kindly hosted President Grace, th
Yvonne and Gordon at the 17 local round of Rotary Young Chef competition. th The competitors were tasked with preparing and cooking a two- course meal at a cost of £18, within two- hours considering being judged by planning, presentation, hygiene and taste.
Pan seared salmon, served with mashed potatoes, asparagus and a lemon butter sauce, followed by a desert of a chocolate brownie with a raspberry coulis
At the end of a great contest, Mariya Al-D won the 1 place with st a delicious and healthy meal on the left side and Ava H. taking 2 place with her meal on the right side. nd
Poulet a la crème de
champignons with a side of silky potato puree, followed by warm and puffy cinnamon rolls
Eva H, 10PWA shared her experience: On Wednesday I took part in the rotary young chef competition where I had 2 hours to make 2 dishes. It was a competition where the main premise was focused on healthy cooking
and making connections with new people through making food.
It was a very good experience to cook for the Mayor under timed conditions where we had to make all our food from scratch. It was quite nerve-racking at first but having other friends there who were also feeling the same as me was reassuring.
Whilst there were some challenges with making sure all the timings were accurate, and some mistakes along the way, the practice I had done in the weeks leading up paid off, and I am proud of the two dishes I made and presented. In the end everyone's meals turned out looking and tasting amazing! I really enjoyed the day, it was a very exciting and unique experience to participate in at school.
Thanks to lead judge, Thomas Rownlandson, Ms. Elizabeth Tongue and her supporting staff team, Ms. Jenna Hopping & Ms. Saba Ahmed
Wildlife Through Our Lens
Cormorant Elle J
Bat in Bushy Park Maisy F
Mute Swans Maya F
Oak Leaf Gall Poppy K
Fallow Deer Nika D
Mute Swan Leo S
Male Stag Beetle Molly C
Grey Squirrel Ruzgar C
Red Deer Stag Valerie L
Garden Snail Olivia D
Little Erget Mia L
Red Deer Stag Selin Y
Wild Flower Meadow Erica S
Lacky Moth Gabriella H
Honey Bee Sansia B
River Frog Annabelle H
Ladybird Matilda R
Red Fox Yovela H
Grey Heron Nicole W
Black-headed Gull Peony L
Following the success of last year’s Waldegrave wildlife photography competition we ran this again, attracting entries from students across all year groups. The standard of entries was high and as such we selected 20 photographs as winners. The winning images appear in the Waldegrave Wildlife Calendar 2026, which is available to purchase now via ParentPay! The photographers will enjoy a special reward: a visit to the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition at the National History Museum next spring. Well done to them all!
C hristmas at W aldegrave
C hristmas tree sale
On Saturday 6th of December at Waldegrave, Mr Greaves, Duncan and Paddy came together to hold a festive Christmas tree sale of fresh Christmas trees, in partnership with Nordmann Firs to help the community prepare for the holiday season. A wide range of trees were available from 4 to 9 feet tall - we admire the effort of the helpers trying to fit such trees through the tree netting machine. From 30 presales and additional general sales topping it up to over £700, 25% has now gone towards a good cause - enriching the educational opportunities for all pupils at Waldegrave. Although shivering in the UK’s winter morning weather, many local families attended which created a cheerful, welcoming atmosphere. The additional Christmas music in the background helped keep the festive spirit alive as well. From earlier years they stated of having “experienced ongoing rain while trying to sell these trees”; however, this year, there was no sight of rain, which may have pitched into their cheers! Overall, this Christmas tree sale was a great success because it not only helped to bring the community together but also turned out to be a great charitable triumph. T’was a brilliant way to start the Christmas season.
C hristmas at W aldegrave
In the last week of the Autumn term, Waldegrave organised the annually infamous Christmas jumper day. Students proudly showed off their colourful jumpers and celebrated Christmas with joy. As cheer filled the school corridors and classrooms, friends and staff complimented one another, highlighting what the true essence of celebrating Christmas is: to spread love and kindness. Thanks to the generosity given on Christmas Jumper Day, Waldegrave raised over £650 for charity, Save The Children. Waldegrave students also were treated to Christmas lunch in the last week of term. We sat together popping crackers, chatting, celebrating and most importantly laughing together as part of the Waldegrave school community.
Joyful music set the mood, while the hard-working canteen staff welcomed students with a menu of traditional Christmas dishes - flavourful roast turkey breast stuffed with sage & onion with a side of seasonal vegetables coated in gravy or a vegetarian option of sage onion & cranberry Wellington. To finish off this feast, there were some delicious desserts, mince pies or festive white chocolate confetti cookies. What a mouthful!
This event brought students, staff and teachers closer together, helping to spread the Christmas spirit as the term ends and the Christmas countdown begins!
Maths Quiz christmas On the 9th and 10th of December, the Year 8s took part in a crazy Christmas quiz. It consisted of puzzling maths questions, fun festive questions, and some not-so-fun Christmas themed math questions! Eliot and Pankhurst forms all gathered in the hall on Tuesday 9th at the start of second period. With Christmas music in the background the teams went through three rounds, accompanied by singing from everyone and Mr Reynolds. This was all repeated on the 10th, with the Franklin and Seacole forms. Everyone had a blast, and we even managed to get some Sixth Formers to come speed up the marking process! On Tuesday 9th there was a three way tie between ‘The Kristmas Kiwis’ (Eliot), ‘Christmas Eve’ and ‘The Gingerbread Geniuses’ (both Pankhurst) with all teams on 29 points. This was decided by the tiebreaker question: How much was the most expensive Christmas tree ever sold? The answer was…. £6,975,880. That’s a very expensive tree! The winners on Wednesday 10th were ‘Very Christmassy Name’, with 36 points and the close runner up was ‘Thirty’, on 34 points. Both teams were Franklin.
Quiz scoreboard: 1st - Franklin: 352 2nd - Seacole: 299 3rd - Pankhurst: 290 4th - Eliot: 274
Trips this term
We were delighted to host a visiting school from Jordan for a day filled with music, singing and fun. Students from both schools worked together on musical pieces and enjoyed sharing their talents and cultures.
Year 13 English Literature students visited the Bush Theatre in Shepherd’s Bush to see “Not Your Superwoman” which explores the complex relationship between a mother and daughter following the loss of their family matriarch, connecting closely to the themes of identity and belonging studied in the A Level coursework.
Year 10 students attended Kew Gardens to support their Art GCSE. The natural surroundings and artworks on display throughout the gardens acted as inspiration to help enrich the Batik Project they are working on.
Our Year 12 Geography students have been doing fieldwork this term both in Bushy Park and also urban environments, Battersea Power Station and in Brixton. They investigated a carbon sequestration project in Bushy Park.
The incredible Globe Players troupe came to perform for our Year 10s and 11s. The performances not only brought their GCSE texts, ‘An Inspector calls’, ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and ‘Macbeth’ to life but also pointed out key points in the plays important for exam work.
Year 11 students were treated to a visit to Richmond Theatre this term to take in a classic spooky ghost tale, ‘The Woman in Black’. Students took notes during the play looking at the different roles the actors, lighting and settings took in portraying the play. This is in support for their preparation for the ‘texts in practice’ part of their Drama exam.
Sixth Form visit gaming conference The Waldegrave A Level
Media students enjoyed an exciting visit to EGX London. This conference is one of the UK’s biggest celebrations of gaming, internet culture, and media in general. The trip offered students the chance to immerse
themselves in the vibrant world of modern entertainment, gaining hands-on experience with the creative industries they study in the classroom.
From the moment they entered EGX, the students were surrounded by the energy and atmosphere that makes EGX London so great. People cosplaying various media characters, interactive exhibits, and the constant sound of conversation created the perfect place for students to explore and learn about how media is produced, marketed, and experienced by their audiences. One of the highlights of the trip was the opportunity to interact with both indie games and mainstream titles. Students were able to test new and upcoming indie releases, speak with developers, and learn about the challenges and the liberty that come with independent game development. This direct connection helped students appreciate the thought process, creativity, risk-taking and passion that drive this development community. In contrast, the major gaming studio games offered a section where students could play games of popular franchises and AAA games. These polished, high-budget experiences gave students valuable insight into how mainstream media companies operate, highlighting
the role of the budget and how it shapes the outcome of the over all game. Across the day, students were able to meet and connect to a wide variety of media operators such as developers, content creators, cosplayers, and industry professionals. They also got the chance to partake in specific events like the One Man Punch punch challenge. These encounters showed the myriad of employment choices in the media sector, the impact that media can have on people and how it works behind the scenes. Students left EGX London with a deeper understanding of the media industry and the people within it. The experience not only broadened their knowledge but also opened their minds to new ways of engaging with and enjoying media.
Efe S, 12KNO
Parliament Trip
On a very wet Monday, 1 December, members of the Student Council got the opportunity to visit the houses of Parliament! Over 30 pupils from our Student Parliament met at Twickenham station at the early hour of 7.45am and headed on a train straight to Waterloo Station. From Waterloo the group walked along the river to The Houses Of Parliament and while it was a rainy walk, the children saw some famous landmarks including: The London Eye and Elizabeth Tower. Once inside the pupils went on a comprehensive tour of the buildings, learning about its history and the differences between the House of Commons, House of Lords and the role of the monarchy. They visited the Sovereign’s entrance which is where the King enters for his annual trip to Parliament. They went to the King’s robing room (where he makes sure he looks nice and sophisticated!), following this visited the House of Lords and found
out what bills were in Parliament and how these were different to the bills that adults have to pay!
Next they passed through Central Lobby, a key public area known for its mosaics: each of the four walls had a depiction of one of the patron saints of the British Isles, St George for England, St Patrick for (Northern) Ireland, St Andrew for Scotland and St David for Wales. The tour continued to the House of Commons and after a length question and answer session they all headed to Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the Houses of Parliament. This large, dark and fairly cold hall is where King Charles I was tried and condemned to death by Oliver Cromwell in 1649. It is now used for
major state ceremonies and was where Queen Elizabeth II lay in state for mourners to show their respects after her death in 2002. The tour guides then showed everyone back to the Parliamentary Education Centre , where the group participated in a workshop about petitions. They were split into four groups of mixed ages and had to solve a puzzle! The puzzles were linked to ideas and laws in Parliament, looking at the different areas of society that Parliament looks at, for example education, transport, health and medicine. The groups then had to create a petition on a cause related to one of these sectors and perform a presentation about their petition to the whole party. The petitions were all very interesting as students had to come up with a problem and then write a petition with a suggested law to solve this issue. One group’s petition was to recommend the law was changed so that there would be no school on Fridays! Sophia S, 7FSM
WALDEGRAVE SCHOOL PRESENTS: My Fair Lady The Waldegrave Performing Arts Department proudly staged their latest production with six shows from Monday 24 to Wednesday 26 November in the school hall and what an incredible few nights it was!
Students brought this much-loved classic to life with passion, creativity, and teamwork, delivering an unforgettable experience to over 1000 audience members!
Despite the busy term and demanding studies, each performer and crew member worked tirelessly putting in over 80 hours of rehearsals to make every scene shine; from the acting and choreography to the lighting and set design.
Well done everyone! We've never been more proud !
I enjoyed everything - the songs the rehearsals, everything! My favourite part though was the costumes, It was really fun!
Every evening saw an enthusiastic crowd filling the hall with applause and excitement, while local primary schools, Trafalgar Rrimary School and Stanley Primary School were welcomed as special guests for the matinee performances.
The production was not only a showcase of artistic skill but also a true celebration of dedication, collaboration, and creativity; a reflection of the vibrant performing arts spirit that thrives here at Waldegrave. It was wonderful to see younger pupils inspired by the energy and talent of our students.
More than 80 pupils from across the School and Sixth Form
were involved in the production. They all worked incredibly hard
both on stage and behind the scenes.
The Performing Arts Department gave us another spectacular event on Thursday 11 December, with the annual Winter Festival showcasing the incredible talents of our pupils. After intensive rehearsals this term the show was ready for an audience. Our Chamber Choir started proceedings, singing ‘Believe’ and was followed by Vivaldi’s ‘Winter’ by the strings section of our Orchestra. We had dancing from performers across the school and an excerpt from our fantastic production, ‘My Fair Lady’, as well as songs from our Sixth Form music students who covered Michael Jackson’s ‘Man in The Mirror’ and ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’. We had plenty of Christmas Classics throughout the show with our choirs signing ‘Sleighride’, ‘Holly Jolly Christmas’ and ‘Winter Carol’. These were complimented by our Orchestra playing Prokofiev’s very festive ‘Troika’. Our Ukelele players should also be congratulated for sharing with us a performance of ‘Love to Keep me Warm’ by Laufey. Thank you to everyone who worked hard to make this event happen, from the students performing to the teachers making this event happen. WINTER FESTIVAL
WALDEGRAVE REVIEW OF BOOKS
The Waldegrave Review of Books is a collection of book recommendations created by people in Year 9 for students who are looking for a new book, genre or author to explore. Last year, Nikki and I helped edit this so it was ready to be published for pupils in our year to read. The project was a trial and hopefully we create one for the whole school in 2026. To create WRB, we both put together an introduction covering what it’s aim was, an insight on what reading means to us, along with eight book reviews chosen by Miss Lynes to go into the collection. We made this because we wanted to encourage our friends and other students to read more and try new genres. Whether you read all the time or not at all, WRB was a chance to learn about new
books and encourage everyone to read. The best part was that each review was written by our classmates with their opinions on why they loved each book so much.
My experience of working on this project as an editor was really fun and interesting because through this role I helped to create something for everyone’s enjoyment and I was able to do it with one of my close friends. I got to read each of the reviews and learned about new genres that I had never thought about reading myself. From this experience, I learnt how to take on the role of an editor and how to present a piece like this so that it was eye- catching and could hook you in with the mini summaries we wrote. Overall this was a great experience that I think other people would enjoy if they have the opportunity to edit a future edition.
Ameera FH, 9PAH
French & Drama Club present:
After taking part in several enrichment sessions this Autumn, a group of Year 8 and Year 9 students spent a morning at St James’ Primary School leading a French Storytelling Workshop for more than 90 KS1 pupils. They told Eric Carle’s famous story The Very Hungry Caterpillar (La chenille qui fait des trous) entirely in French. The group introduced new vocabulary with actions and props, encouraged audience participation, and supported children with reading and writing. Some students even joined in with spontaneous drama! Throughout the
workshop, the group used their leadership skills confidently and kept the children fully
engaged. It was a brilliant morning enjoyed by all!
SPORTS AT WALDEGRAVE
The Autumn Term has been filled with sporting opportunities for our teams, whether it was the Richmond Schools Netball Tournament, Sixth Form Football matches, a rugby tournament for our Year 8 pupils to celebrate the women’s Rugby World Cup, our athletes taking on the Borough Championships or our Basketball Squad participating in professional training there has been a lot going on! We are incredibly proud of all the students who have had a go, with many students making their debut performances! We are looking forward to seeing what all our teams can achieve this year by
working together, putting on a positive mindset and challenging themselves.
WALDEGRAVE SCHOOL MAGAZINE
Waldegrave School, Fifth Cross Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW2 5LS
020 8894 3244 | www.waldegrave.richmond.sch.uk
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48www.waldegrave.richmond.sch.uk
Made with FlippingBook Digital Proposal Creator