Weekly Bulletin – Week 11

This week Year 7 students were issued their progress report sheet. In Monday’s tutor time, form tutors explained how these are created and what the data means to ensure the pupils understood their reports. Can I congratulate the year group for the excellent start they have made to their Waldegrave school career, they are applying themselves to each subject really well and are engaging in lots of extra-curricular activities. Well done to them all!

On Thursday’s in tutor time Year 7 are doing “Show & Tell” and the range of activities they have been discussing with their form has been incredible. Last week Scarlett W in 7PCL did a presentation on wrestling and Ms Clarke thought she deserved a particular well done for this.

Congratulations to Mia L and Erica S who are the Year 10 winners of the Waldegrave Wildlife Photography Competition. They win a trip to the National History Museum to see the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, which will take place next term. We hope this inspires them further! The calendar makes a great Christmas gift but with only 100 copies of the calendar available you need to get your orders in quick! Order now from ParentPay to collect in school via the Hubs from Dec 1.

Today the Cross Country squad are taking part in the RSSP event at Bushy Park, we have six Year 7 pupils taking part – Olivia S, Louisa R, Jemima P, Alice J, Maisy F and Rose. Good luck to them all, we look forward to sharing how they got on in next week’s newsletter!

Well done to 7EHA who have rocketed up the tutor group leaderboard and have gone from 8th place to 4th in a week. 7PRE are still top of the table, with 7FSM in 2nd & 7SSN in 3rd place.

In the individual totals here are the standings: equal 3rd place goes to Sophia S 7FSM, Annabelle H 7PRE & Alice J 7FBO. In second place it’s Clarissa L 7PRE and new to the top of the leaderboard it’s Jemima P 7SSN, well done indeed!

Good luck to everyone who is performing in “My Fair Lady” next week. A particular good luck to the year 7 students who will be performing in their first school production, we hope it goes well and “break a leg” as the saying goes! I am very much looking forward to watching the show – you can join us by booking your tickets now!

Please be aware the school car park will be closed on the evenings of the school production, ‘My Fair Lady’. We encourage you to walk or use public transport when coming to and from the school.

Have a lovely weekend!

Mrs Bashford-Hynes, Head of Year 7

This week, we were fortunate to host two meaningful and thought-provoking assemblies. The first, on Tuesday, featured an external speaker from Our Action Our Air, an organisation based in the Richmond borough that is currently leading an environmental initiative in partnership with 11 local schools. Throughout this academic year, they have engaged with our students on a range of sustainability-focused topics, including environmentally friendly travel, the consequences of greenhouse gas emissions, and—most recently—the impact of engine idling.

Later that day, our Eco Committee of students took part in a hands-on workshop exploring the prevalence and effects of engine idling within our local community. By drawing greater attention to this issue, we hope to empower our students with the knowledge and awareness needed to contribute meaningfully to a healthier planet.

On Thursday our assembly centred around anti-bullying and was thoughtfully led by our Year 10 Mental Health Ambassadors. They highlighted the harmful impact of unkind peer-to-peer behaviour and encouraged all students to embrace daily acts of kindness. Their message emphasised the power each individual holds to improve the wellbeing and everyday experiences of those around them.

This week our top three ePraise point winners are Grace A FGC, Emily W FGC, and Kayra U PCO. The top form is 8PCO.

Next week, we are delighted to present our school production of My Fair Lady. Our Year 8 students have been working with tremendous energy and enthusiasm throughout rehearsals, embracing their supporting roles with professionalism and joy. Support them and our school – book your tickets now!

We hope that this experience will inspire many of them to audition for leading roles at the end of the academic year as we begin preparations for our 2026 production. Their commitment has added depth and vibrancy to the performance, and it has been wonderful to see their confidence and teamwork flourish. It is always exciting to witness emerging talent, and we look forward to seeing how their participation this year encourages them to take on new challenges in the future.

Please be aware the school car park will be closed on the evenings of the school production, ‘My Fair Lady’. We encourage you to walk or use public transport when coming to and from the school.

Have a great weekend!

Ms M Rook, Head of Year 8

We are well and truly back into the swing of things as the half term break feels like quite the distant memory. It is not long now until the Waldegrave production of My Fair Lady hits the stage, with performances next week Monday – Wednesday. We know that the Music, Art and Drama department have been working tirelessly with the students involved, clocking many hours of rehearsals so far, holding frequent after school sessions and creating scenes and props. A big well done to all students that are involved with this show – get your tickets now!

Please be aware the school car park will be closed on the evenings of the school production, ‘My Fair Lady’. We encourage you to walk or use public transport when coming to and from the school.

In this week’s assembly we had a speaker from Our Air Our Action – the focus of the talk was pollution and how unnecessary idling in cars pollutes our air with nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter, which is harmful to health and the environment. It is also a waste of fuel and money.

We also had some fundraising activity this week when 9EDA decided they wanted to raise money for Children in Need. Mrs Davies made some wonderful Children in Need themed cupcakes and each of the students donated money in exchange for a cupcake. Mrs Davies also pledges to match the money they raised which was fantastic! The charity helps improve the lives of disadvantaged children and young people around the UK.

This afternoon the Richmond Schools Cross Country Championships which are taking place in Bushy Park. We are incredibly proud of the Year 9 pupils who have been training hard and will be representing the school, they will be running in a 3.3km race against their peers from all of the schools across Richmond Borough. We look forward to finding out how they got on next week.

Top Epraise forms for Year 9 this week are: 9PIR, 9PAH and 9EDA
Year 9 total this half term is 4,508 – which is fantastic – well done everyone!

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.

Looking forward to another great week!

Mrs N Lyddon

As we creep towards Christmas the half term break feels like a distant memory. It is not long now until the Waldegrave production of ‘My Fair Lady’ hits the stage, with performances next week Monday to Wednesday. Our students have been working tirelessly alongside the Performing Arts Department, clocking up many hours of rehearsals, holding frequent after school sessions and creating scenes and props. A big well done to all the Year 10 students that are involved with this show! You can support them and the school by coming to the show next week – get your tickets now!

Please be aware the school car park will be closed on the evenings of the school production, ‘My Fair Lady’. We encourage you to walk or use public transport when coming to and from the school.

Congratulations to Mia L, Olivia D and Erica S who are the Year 10 winners of the Waldegrave Wildlife Photography Competition. They win a trip to the National History Museum to see the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, which will take place next term. We hope this inspires them further! The calendar makes a great Christmas gift but with only 100 copies of the calendar available you need to get your orders in quick! Order now from ParentPay to collect in school via the Hubs from Dec 1.

Top Epraise forms for Year 10 this week are: 10POR, 10FCO and 10EMU

Year 10 total this so far this year is 3,825 – which is marvellous – keep it up everyone!

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.

This afternoon the Richmond Schools Cross Country Championships which are taking place in Bushy Park. We are incredibly proud of Dakshina AP who has been selected to represent the school as part of the Cross Country Team. She will be running in a 3.3km race against peers from all of the schools across Richmond Borough. We look forward to finding out how the team got on next week.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Mrs O Mortimer

Well done to all the Year 11s for finishing their mock exams. It has been great to see students returning to their lessons with excellent focus and determination to do well, even after the mock exam period has ended. Let’s keep up this motivation as they start to get feedback from their teachers.

Please can we remind pupils that these mock exams were early in the year and therefore we do not expect students to be achieving their target grades immediately. These mocks are a good way for students to understand what they are doing well and where they need to improve, so that they can focus their revision for their next mocks in February.

This afternoon the Richmond Schools Cross Country Championships are taking place in Bushy Park, good luck to Matilda T, Mabel M, Jasmine G and Elise B who are taking part! They will be running in a 3.3km race against their peers from all of the schools across Richmond Borough and we look forward to finding out how they got on next week.

Next week the Waldegrave production of My Fair Lady hits the stage, with students from all across the school taking part. Performances will run Monday to Wednesday and tickets can be booked now! A big well done to all of Year 11 who are taking part, juggling rehearsals and backstage duties alongside their studies – we can’t wait to see you perform.

Please be aware the school car park will be closed on the evenings of the school production, ‘My Fair Lady’. We encourage you to walk or use public transport when coming to and from the school.

In December we have a Year 11 Parent and Carer Meeting where teachers will be giving feedback based on the mocks and lessons that have taken place so far this year.

The next round of mocks for Year 11 will be after the February half term.

Mrs H Porteous