Weekly Bulletin – Week 7

Last Friday saw the Y7 Family Bingo Night take place in the school hall. It was ‘eyes down for a full house’ for three nail biting games as parents and students used their bingo dabbers to mark numbers off their grid in the quest for a line or that all elusive ‘Bingo!’ It was a hugely enjoyable evening and the event raised around £2,000 for the Friends of Waldegrave charity – all funds will go to support and enhance the educational opportunities available to all students. Thank you everybody for your kind donations and for making it such a fun evening.

This week saw the launch of the ‘Blackout’ app for those students wishing to bring smartphones to school. This app turns the smartphone into a ‘brick phone’ during school hours. Mr Greaves, Mr Goulbourne and the Blackout team hosted a webinar on Tuesday evening to explain how the Blackout app works.

If you were unable to join the webinar, you will be able to access information from the presentation slides that have been made available to parents/carers. If your child is experiencing issues setting up the app, please ask them to report to the KS3 hub where assistance will be provided. Remember we offer students a choice between using a smartphone with the Blackout app installed, using a ‘brick phone’ or not bringing a phone to school. Phones are not allowed to be used during the school day.

Year 7 students continue to excel in the pursuit of house points. This week, Riley T and Lily C (both 7SDE) have been our top scorers and they have been rewarded with an invitation to join the top performers from other year groups for biscuits and a hot chocolate with Mr Gerald. This must surely be the hottest ticket in town!

Next week we have a few exciting opportunities for Year 7 students. Firstly, on Thursday we have our first ever Waldegrave Pumpkin Carving Competition and on Friday we have a non-uniform ‘Pink day’ just for Year 7 as well as a Book Swap event for Year 7&8 students. We hope to see them getting involved!

Our non-uniform day for Year 7’s is on Friday 23 October as they are encouraged to wear something pink for our annual ‘Pink Day’. This charity event is to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer charities Coppafeel and Cancer Research UK. Please make a donation via ParentPay if you can.

Our Book Champions have their first event of the year next Friday as they host a Year 7 & 8 book swap in the hall at lunchtime. They are invited to bring in one or two books they would like to swap for a fresh read. This is a lovely event and usually gets the students talking about the books they are passing on, we would encourage everyone to take part!

As we approach the last week of what has been a long but exciting half-term, we would like to congratulate Year 7 on how they have tackled the often challenging transition from primary school to secondary school. It is a process that requires time, patience, positivity and kindness and we have been delighted to welcome you and your children into the Waldegrave community. It is to be expected that there will be ‘bumps in the road’ from time to time so if your child needs support, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Mrs Bashford-Hynes, Head of Year 7

Students had a wonderful day last week celebrating African Culture Day on Drop Down Day. The feedback from staff and facilitators was that students were really engaged in the sessions. Students participated in a variety of workshops including dancing, jewellery making and African drumming.

Well done to the Year 8 football team who won 4-2 to Christ’s School on Tuesday. Well done to Luna B, Chloe B and Tabitha T who all scored.

The two top ePraise scorers this week are Ruzgar C in 8SRI and Edalene L in 8PCL. These students have been rewarded with biscuits and hot chocolate with Mr Gerald today, well done!

Our congratulations to Scarlett C, 8FKI, who has been selected as an ABRSM Youth Voice Ambassador (Junior category) after a three-stage shortlisting process. This exciting opportunity will give Scarlett an up-close, behind-the-scenes look at a global music education organisation and she will attend a monthly session with the ABRSM UK Youth Advisory Board to discuss different music-related topics.

Well done also to Tahlia D, 8SPI for passing her Violin Grade 1 exam with a Distinction!

As we enter the last week of term, I want to encourage students to keep up the great work in lessons, and continue being kind to one another. There have been some fantastic examples of our school values of Enjoy, Achieve and Empower so far this term.

Have a great week!

Ms N Ansell, Head of Year 8

Year 9 has had another fantastic week. I have enjoyed popping into lessons and seeing the engagement and participation from the year group. Students have really been throwing themselves into the life of the school by working hard in lessons and attending lots of clubs.

This week we had a timely assembly in line with world homelessness day. An educational assembly for the year group which they engaged with really well.

It is also great to see the year group getting stuck into tutor time and enjoying the daily activities set as a tutor group.

An upcoming event to look forwards to is the live lounge where year 9s will be presenting musical pieces.

Congratulations to Lia S in 9PFO for achieving a grade 9 in her AQA GCSE in modern Hebrew 226/240 marks an amazing achievement.

Top ePraise winners of the week Hannah L & Anabia S, both 9SGU, a fabulous achievement highlighting your hard work.

Well done to the year 9 A & B team that attended the borough netball tournament at LEH for a fantastic morning of netball. The students really worked hard as a team and did themselves proud representing Waldegrave.

Next week is our last week before the October half term holidays. Students are reminded of the need to continue to bring in all of their equipment to lessons, including fully charged chromebooks. There should also be no painted nails, students should save this until the holidays have officially begun.

Thank you and have a lovely weekend.

Ms G Wood, Heads of Year 9

It has been another wonderful and busy week here at Waldegrave. I have enjoyed visiting Year 10 students in some of their lessons. I was able to visit Food Tech where students were proudly making their own pizza, sauces and topping – they all looked delicious! I know Mrs Ahmed was super impressed with the class.

In GCSE PE practical this week the students have been working hard to master their skills and match play for their Netball assessment. It was great to see them working hard and engaging so well. It is always so lovely to see the students enjoying their subjects and the standard of work produced is very impressive.

Our individual ePraise leader board was topped this week by Mathilda G, 10EDA, and Kate H, 10FLE. Well done to everyone and keep up the good work!

We are very proud to share that Ela U, 10SHU has been chosen as a finalist in the Scottish Wildlife Trust – words of the changing season competition 2026. Her outstanding piece, ‘My year has no months’, is one of 18 finalists chosen from over 670 entries from which six winners will be chosen. You can read Ela’s piece and see how to vote for your favourite of the finalists in our news piece here.

She also participated in another competition by Hen Harrier Action named Young Wild Writers. In her category Senior 13- 16 she achieved a remarkable 2nd place. A fabulous achievement – very well done!

We would love to hear about and celebrate our students’ achievements outside of school. Please be sure to let us know of anything your child has been involved with that deserves recognition.

A reminder that students have been asked to ensure that they are wearing lanyards at all times whilst on school premises. If any have been mislaid new ones can be purchased via Parent Pay. Year 9 have been reminded that our uniform standards are expected to remain high and this includes keeping their lanyard neat and tidy and legible.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Mrs N Lyddon, Head of Year 10

It has been an incredibly busy half-term, and I am immensely proud of how maturely the year group is handling the increasing academic demands. This upcoming mock exam series is a crucial milestone—not only does it provide students with a realistic experience of the GCSE environment, but it also gives teachers the vital data they need to target support effectively in the remaining months.

I want to take this opportunity to share some key updates, celebrate recent successes, and offer guidance on how we can work together to ensure your child feels confident, prepared, and fully supported over the coming weeks.

Thank you to all the families who attended our Sixth Form Open Evening this week. It was wonderful to see such a fantastic turnout of Year 11 students, parents, and carers. During the evening, students had the opportunity to experience the building and get a genuine feel for the senior facilities. They enjoyed interactive subject tasters to help them visualise their academic pathways and spoke directly with staff about the exciting opportunities available in the next stage of their education.

Following the open evening, the next steps for internal and external applications are officially underway:

• Applications Open: This Wednesday
• Application Deadline: Monday, January 18, 2027, at 9:00 AM

Please ensure you review the options with your child and submit the forms before the deadline to secure their choices.

Even with the pressure of the upcoming mocks, our students continue to demonstrate exceptional focus and dedication. I would like to give a special mention to our top ePraise point earners this week. Huge congratulations to:

• Anastasiia M
• Viktoriia M
• Anaya T
• Anna M
• Nell H-G

Thank you all for modeling such an outstanding work ethic and attitude for the rest of the year group!

As we look ahead to the final week before half term and the official start of the mock exam season, maintaining good healthy habits and routines is more important than ever. High-stress periods require a strong foundation of physical and mental well-being. Please encourage your child to get consistent sleep by aiming for 8 to 9 hours a night, keeping devices outside the bedroom to avoid late-night distractions. Ensuring they have nutritious meals and stay hydrated—especially on exam mornings—will keep their energy levels up. Finally, help them structure their revision into manageable 25–30 minute blocks with short, active breaks in between to prevent burnout.

It is also vital to help them keep perspective; remind them that while mock exams are important markers for progress, they are ultimately a diagnostic tool to help them learn, not a final judgment. Please watch closely for signs of stress, encourage regular breaks, and ensure they still make time for a little bit of downtime or physical activity to decompress.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Mrs O Mortimer, Head of Year 11