Our Autumn magazine takes a look back on the first term in the 2024-25 academic year at Waldegrave, covering all aspects of school life from special events and trips, to visits and community fundraisers.
CONTENTS
Pankhurst House Captains
Eliot House Captains
WELCOME A message from our headteacher. 03 AUTUMN HIGHLIGHTS
04 14 16 20
A showcase of some of our most exceptional moments. EXTERNAL ACHIEVEMENTS Spotlighting our students’ accomplishments beyond the classroom. DESTINATIONS Read about some of the spectacular desitnation trips our pupils have been on this term. TRIPS Take a look at the trips across the year groups this term. AROUND THE SCHOOL Students have enjoyed a wide variety of activities in school this term. SCHOOL CLUBS & SPORTS A spotlight on some after school clubs and debrief of the sports teams achievements this term. TEACHER SPOTLIGHT This magazine features author and ghost writer, Ms Lee-Lewis, English Teacher
Franklin House Captains
24
AROUND THE SIXTH FORM Some of the Autumn Term highlights in KS5. 34
Seacole House Captains
36 41
Welcome to the Autumn Term edition of the Waldegrave magazine. I am particularly pleased with this edition as it has been put together by a fantastic team of students from Year 7 to Year 12. Many of the students are either part of the journalism club or studying Media Studies at A level. The magazine is therefore not only a fabulous insight into life at Waldegrave but a wonderful opportunity for our students to develop new skills. Looking through the magazine has reminded me what a busy term it has been. Of course one of the
most significant events was our Ofsted Inspection in October. The report is something that every member of the school community can be proud of. The ambition and commitment to ensure everyone is able to achieve their best is very clear. I echo the sentiments of all those who have spoken to me since its publication to say how lucky they feel to be part of Waldegrave. As we are now experiencing the darkest days of the year it is lovely to see all the moments that have brought joy and light into school this term, whether that be through fundraising activities, trips out of school, sporting competition or artistic performance. Today’s staff pantomime may not have been the apogee of this artistry but it is certainly a much loved part of the Waldegrave Christmas traditions. During the last two weeks it has been wonderful to see everyone getting into the festive mood whether taking part in the Christmaths quiz, rocking a fabulous Christmas jumper, enjoying their Christmas lunch or performing in the Winter Festival. However you are spending the holidays, I would like to wish you all peace, joy and happiness.
Miss E Tongue, Headteacher
Thames Young Mariners
The annual Year 7 visits to the Thames Young Mariners Outward Bounds centre took place over four days in September, as the eight classes take turns for their splash about on the river. The students have to work closely as teams and push themselves beyond their comfort zones. This out of school activity is a great way to get to know their peers a bit better while trying something new and having a lot of fun! Our Year 7 students embarked on three activities: kayaking on the lake, building and then riding rafts, and working as a team to solve a series of physical chal- lenges, including jumping off the dock into the lake. Even some of their form tutors joined in on this one. Most of the Year 7 forms were lucky to have bright weather for their day on the river but 7SON and 7SDE won the resil- ience award, impressing their teachers with their positive attitudes, smiling faces, effort and teamwork despite some wet and windy weather.
Congratulations to our A Level students who have obtained excellent results, an achievement all the more commendable when we remember that this cohort did not sit public exams at GCSE due to Covid-19 disruption. Of all grades awarded, 44% achieved A*/A and 71% A*-B. In a year when we have seen a reduction in the number of A* and A grades, it is tremendous to see that 25% of students achieved at least three A*/ A grades! Jumping off the dock was a once in a lifetime experience -Sophie “ ”
Encouraging our students to read widely and for pleasure is central to our school values of enjoy, achieve and empower. We were therefore delighted to be able to host our annual Scholastic Book Fair just before half-term. Over one week students in Years 7-9 all had an opportunity to browse the carefully curated selection of books, which included a wide range of different fictional genres alongside a number of reference books, as well as stationery items. Students had an array of choices that catered to their varied interests and reading levels. Not only did this fair offer an opportunity to discover new books, but it also highlighted the importance of fostering a lifelong love of reading. This year both Holly Jackson and Sue Wallman’s thrillers proved particularly popular with students. Overall the feedback from our students was resoundingly positive. Many found the fair enjoyable, not just as an avenue to explore the latest bestsellers and literary classics, but also as an opportunity to share their excitement for reading with peers. It was great to hear students recommending their favourite reads to friends. The Book Fair also raises vital funds that are reinvested back into our school library to ensure that all students can access books that fire their imaginations all year round.
The Year 10's Trip Kew Gardens Trip
WALDEGRAVE SCHOOL
The Year 10's set off on a luscious trip to the botanical wonders of Kew. They used a variety of skills such as: sketching, photography and much more to be able to capture the intricate designs and floral patterns of the gardens. By going on this trip, they may now have the inspiration to use these incredible prints to inspire them for their art GCSE’s.
Sasha C, 7PFO
Creative Subject TRIPS
Aisha Yilmaz 12SRG
La Boheme - Music
Year 12 and 13 had a night at the opera on the 15th of October. Arriving at the London Coliseum, the home of the English National Opera, the students were amazed by the size of the opera house, and by the sets and costumes inside - it was a real spectacle! The department recommends this opera to all, and ENO offers two free tickets to under 16s with an accompanying adult and free tickets for under 21s.
Y13 Theatre Trip
The year 13 students went to see ‘The Other Place’. This was a joint trip with English and Drama A-Level students. Drama students were watching the show for the Live Theatre section of their exam. English students went to build their knowledge of live theatre to help with their play, ‘Sweat’. There was lots to discuss and review, a student says, “We particularly liked the lighting design which created an intense atmosphere at times.”
Year 12 Music Trip to a symphony
Y11 - Drama Year 11 Drama students went to see ‘War House’ at New Wimbledon Theatre in preparation for their Component 3 written exam. They will analyse and evaluate the wonderfully creative production in their final exam. A student said, “I found this was an amazing performance and I can’t wait to do more lessons on it in the year.”
25/10/2024 LONDON
AISHA YILMAZ 12SRG
EGX MEDIA CONFERENCE
What did the media department get up to?
The Year 12 Media students along with Mr Taylor-Peace and Mrs Fordy travelled up to Excel London, the host centre of EGX x Comicon for them to learn more about the gaming industry, as this is part of their content in Media A Level. This included them interacting with developers about how games are made, distinguishing the difference between independent and franchise video games, testing independent and franchise video games, testing out developing games and more, all whilst interacting with all the fantastic cosplayers attending!
“EGX allowed us to see the extent of the video game culture and how beloved this industry is! I’m looking forward to learning more this next half term.” Aisha Yilmaz - 12SRG
Macmillan CoΛee Morning 2024
On Friday 4th of October 2024 the school held a Macmillan Coffee Morning (in the school hall) to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support. It was a huge success and we raised a whopping £994.80!!!
Many people took in this fundraiser to help save peoples lives. Around 120 students baked or donated cakes and everyone got involved, including our Sixth Form students. There were many talented bakers who created delicious cakes, cookies and much much more.
The house captains this year organised this event and sold the cakes on the day. Most cakes were colour themed for our school houses; purple for Pankhurst, green for Eliot, red for Franklin and yellow for Seacole.
By Imogen Bishop 7EEL
Year 8 unleash their creativity!
Winning book by Viola in 8SHU
A burst of creative energy swept through our Year 8 Drama students as they were set the task to transform the front cover of their workbooks into a canvas of imagination. Students were very keen to get to work on transforming their books when they were fascinated to learn that this was not just a task to ignite their artistic spirits, but also a competition to reward their talents. The stakes were high, with a £10 voucher for the winner and a handful of epraise points for the runners up, up for grabs! The judging panel for this competition consisted of our Drama prefects, who brought a discerning eye and a deep appreciation for the arts. They were impressed by all the book covers and found it difficult to pick a winner amongst all the creative designs.
In the end, it was an impressive design by Viola C, 8SHU. Her cover depicts an open stage with seats labelled with words all associated with drama, from ‘setting’, ‘scene’ to dramatic styles such as ‘comedy’, ‘suspense’ and ‘melodrama’. She also cleverly changed her book label into a named ticket! Well done Viola, we hope you enjoy your £10 voucher.
Page design by Marketing
The Music Department are thrilled to announce that they have been made a Music Mark school for this academic year. "We would like to thank you for all the hard work you and your colleagues do to ensure that pupils at your school are able to access a high-quality music education.Yourdedicationtodelivering a broad and balanced curriculum is both welcomed and celebrated." - Bridget Whyte, Music Mark Chief Executive
ENJOY, ACHIEVE, EMPOWER.
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 42www.waldegrave.richmond.sch.uk
Made with FlippingBook Digital Proposal Creator