Download a PDF file of Rough Notes HERE - The Woodroffe School

notes
January 2013
NEWS FROM WOODROFFE

F O L L O W U S O N
@woodroffeschool
January’s edition of Rough Notes always
looks back at December and forward
to the new year, giving us a chance
to highlight the remarkable range of
activities which take place in the run
up to Christmas, as well as outlining
exciting events coming up in the Spring
term.
The Autumn term ended well, with an
excellent Carol Concert, a really busy
Taste of Christmas Evening and a whole
series of events involving students from
right across the school. Coming up
we have the Cabaret, Bugsy Malone,
the ski trip, the geography field trip,
and a huge range of other activities
involving students from all year groups.
As always, our aim at Woodroffe is
to make sure students get involved
and enjoy themselves; once that
happens, academic success is virtually
guaranteed because they are then able
to approach their studies with the same
degree of commitment and enthusiasm
given to other aspects of their school
life.
Woodroffe staff tend to take the
same approach, getting involved
with educational and extra-curricular
opportunities whenever they arise, and
as a school we are good at seeking
out and responding to both local and
national initiatives. Our designation as
a National Teaching School is a good
example. Although we began work only
in September, we are already beginning
to see significant benefits for students
and staff alike. We are working well with
our Teaching School Alliance partners
and are already beginning to share good
practice. Staff are now working in Trios
across both secondary and primary
schools in the area to explore and refine
classroom practice, and there are all
sorts of collaborative activities planned.
Our relationship with The University
of Exeter has been considerably
strengthened this year and we are now
planning to offer shared teacher training
courses here at Woodroffe both, as we
have always done, as part of the Exeter
Postgraduate Certificate in Education,
and now as part of the Government’s
new School Direct programme. We
are also engaged in a research project
funded by the National College for
School Leadership, working with one
of the country’s leading research
organisations, ISOS, with the aim of
exploring how good teaching can be
spread across teaching alliances to raise
standards both locally and nationally.
In addition, two recent developments
highlight the potential impact of
Teaching School status on our work.
Following two separate and successful
bids to the National College, I am
delighted to announce that our Alliance
has secured £35k to developed Special
Educational Needs provision, and £50k
to act as a National Lead school in the
development of Cultural Education.
With the withdrawal of Specialist School
Funding, we have been concerned
that our outstanding provision of arts
education may be affected; now we
have the opportunity to continue to
develop and expand our work, thus
allowing us to offer even more exciting
Arts related activities to our students,
and those in the local area. We will have
the support not only of the DfE but also
the Arts Council, who have received a
significant grant to ensure that they are
able to support us fully. Exciting times!
For more information, take a look at our
teaching school website: www.jctsa.org.
uk
Finally, I would like to spend a few
moments commenting on the issues
surrounding parking outside the
school and the bus bay in particular
as I am sure you will have seen some
of the coverage in the local press.
With over a thousand students, 130
staff and streams of visitors, access
to the school site was never going
to be straightforward, particularly as
the school was built in the thirties to
accommodate around 300 pupils. We
are also a very rural school, with nearly
half of our students travelling by bus
and many more needing to be picked
up by parents at the end of the day.
We are sited on a narrow, congested
road and our bus bay is far too small to
accommodate the twelve buses needed
to bring our students to school and carry
them home in the evenings.
There are some things which would
make the situation better. Parental
parking is often, frankly, dangerous,
with many ignoring yellow lines, some
blocking the access to bus bay, and a
few driving across the entrance to the
school far too fast. The recent road
works haven’t helped but in order for
us to manage the buses effectively we
really need support from parents and
a bit more thought from some when it
comes to parking sensibly.
We have tried to elicit support for
changes to the bus bay, further traffic
restrictions, help from the local police
and traffic wardens, but we are caught
in a constant loop as Highways pass
us on to the Local Authority, who refer
us to the District Council, who tell us
to contact the Police, who suggest
Highways, and on and on. Our MP,
Oliver Letwin, has been to school to see
the problem for himself and has stood
in the bus bay as the buses battle their
way through the cars and attempt to
board around 500 students as safely
and efficiently as possible. As a result,
he has agreed to look into the matter
and assemble a group of people who
may actually be able to make some
positive changes.
In the meantime, please park carefully
and be mindful of the potential dangers
of careless driving both at the start of
the day and the end of the day. Staff at
the school will continue to be as vigilant
as possible to ensure that accidents are
avoided but we do need your support in
this.
And finally I would like to wish you all a
very happy New Year.

Arts College News
Make Money From Your Art!
An opportunity for students to sell
their art work was offered by the
Marle Gallery in Axminster this month.
Photographs of work were emailed
across to the Gallery for their selection
programme and the works chosen will
be on display in February. We look
forward to reporting on this in the next
edition.
Deck Chairs and Bathing Machine
We have two new Art Projects
happening in March called Deck Chairs
and Bathing Machine. This exciting
opportunity is open to all ages, from
across all year groups. If any student
enjoys art and would like to be involved
in taking part in two Saturday art
workshops in the Hub in Lyme Regis
please see the link on the main school
website from Sarah Thomas and
complete the online application form.
You need to identify if you would like
to take part in the Deckchairs or the
Bathing machines project - or if you’re
really keen and want to do both (spaces
permitting) please indicate on form.
Thursday 7 Feb Friday 8 Feb Friday 9 Feb
Sold Out
Sold Out
Forms when completed need to be
passed to Mrs Wood, Director of Art

Christmas Festivities in St Michael’s Church
The School’s carol concert took place on the evening of Tuesday 18 December in St Michael’s Church in Lyme Regis. The
concert, which involved the Chamber Choir, Senior Choir, Junior Choir and Brass Musicians, was once again extremely well
attended.
The expectant audience were treated to a range of pieces including ‘Walking in the Air’ and ‘In the Bleak Mid Winter’.
Everyone who attended the evening had a wonderful night and many comments suggesting that this concert had been the
best to date were heard amongst the crowd as they left the church.
Katie Pike, Year 8, said “The Junior Choir, which I am part of, had so many members that it took us a while to file in and out
of our pews when it was our turn to sing! My favourite song that we sung was ‘The Carol of the Russian Children’ and from
the Senior Choir it was ‘Gaudete’. Trumpets accompanied us as we sang. They added a great sound and made it feel like the
start of Christmas. All in all, it was a really joyful night.”
Year 8 Music – Exploring Music for
the Moving Image
This year has seen an exciting
development to the Year 8 Music
Curriculum. Over the last few weeks
each Year 8 class has been working
with Garageband software on our new
suite of iMacs, creating atmospheric
backing tracks for a film clip. As a result,
a very simple video of a couple riding
down the beach has been transformed
into an alien invasion, a tension filled
chase scene, and a romantic liason,
all through the power of music! The
standard of work created has been
extremely high, and it has been great
to see how innovative and creative all
students can be without any practical
limitations. Well done Year 8, here’s to
Cartoon Music after half term!
The Junior Jazz Band
The Junior Jazz Band continues to
develop from strength to strength.
Following a very successful performance
at Christmas, we are now prearing
for the Spring Concert. Our numbers
also continue to grow – with a fully
formed percussion and rhythm section,
extensive brass and woodwinds, we
now number over forty and often run
out of space! It has been great to see
studwents from Year 7 to Year 13
playing together each week, and tackling
some pretty tricky repertoire.
Senior Choir
Senior choir also has been growing
steadily, with no little thanks due to
number of staff who are now attending.
Hot on the heels of a very successful
Christmas concert, we are now
rehearsing a medley from Joseph and
his Technicolour Dreamcoat, all in
preparation for the Spring Concert. Any
singers Year 9 to Year 13, and staff, we
would love to see you there too!
Congratulations
Following on from Sarah Nicholson’s
success with her grade 8 tuba exam
last term I am delighted to be able to
congratulate Dom Kirtley on gaining a
distinction for his grade 8 saxophone
and Jake Perrett for obtaining a merit for
grade 8 drum kit.

Early Years Music Orchestra Take Part in the Annual Mummers Play
Members of the School’s Early Music Orchestra took part in the 2013 annual Mummers Play which took place in the town on
Saturday 12 January.
The Mummers Play is a revival of an old Lyme tradition in which performers, dressed in beautiful masks and costumes from
pre Shakespearian times, parade through the town by torchlight performing rhyming couplets and playing music from the
period whilst following a hero on horseback.
The group, which included Mr Dawson, the School’s Data Manager, on the Bassoon and which was led by Mr Morgan,
awaited the arrival of the procession at their final destination – St Michael’s Church. Hundreds of spectators that had braved
the wind, rain and cold temperature also congregated at St Michael’s to witness the final scene before celebrating with period
cakes and fine ale.
Mr Morgan, Early Music Orchestra Leader, said “Very well done to everyone who took part in this event. It was a wonderful
occasion and we are very much looking forward to being invited back next year”.
Spring
Concert
Junior Jazz Band
Junior Choir
Brass Group
Saxophone Choir
Thursday March 21 2013
7pm School Hall
Senior Choir
Wind Band
Senior Jazz Band
Early Music Orchestra
Chamber Choir

6th Form News
Core Sessions to Aid Lower Sixth Form
Lower Sixth form students have benefitted from two interesting Core sessions recently as part of their preparation for
university applications next year. Craig Evans, an outreach adviser from the University of East Anglia outlined the benefits
and drawbacks of university education. He gave some interesting perspectives on his experience in three different Higher
Education establishments. He advised on course choice, type of degree study, assessment methods, university locations and
facilities as well as outlining the application process. Open Day visits were regarded as essential to get a feel for the place and
to make an informed choice.
Craig delivered an additional session at lunchtime for those likely to apply for high demand courses at selective universities.
This included advice on personal statement writing and interview techniques.
In another afternoon session Mark Huntingdon from astarfuture.co.uk talked about the increasing interest in studying abroad.
He outlined the opportunities available in Europe, particularly The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Scandinavia, as well
as those in Canada, USA, Australia and New Zealand. Tuition and living costs were illustrated and he explained the types
of degree available, teaching methods, facilities and the application process. There are some excellent opportunities but
unfortunately none qualify for English student finance support.
Both sessions gave plenty of food for thought before students attend the UCAS convention in Exeter on 13 March.
Sixth Form Leavers Presentation
Father Christmas And His Brother
Visit The Sixth Form
The Head Prefects (James Dunford,
Scarlett Down, Michael Bond and
Sophie Keyworth), helped by friends
organised a Christmas Party for the
Upper Sixth during their General
Studies lesson on the last day of
term. James and Michael arrived
appropriately dressed to organise the
games, including pass the parcel and
a Christmas quiz. Scarlett and Sophie
organised the catering with mince pies
and hot chocolate for all! The well
decorated tree, adorned with a paper
fairy looking remarkably like Mr Thomas,
added to the festive atmosphere. A
rather raucous hour was enjoyed by all
and a good start to the festive season.
Mr Thomas, Head of Sixth Form
On Tuesday 18 December it was a pleasure to welcome back over half of last year’s U6th for an informal gathering and
presentation of certificates. Some of this year’s senior prefect team were there to host the event and serve mulled wine
and mince pies. It was a great opportunity for the students to catch up with old friends and for many of them to share their
experiences of their first term at University, in work or about their gap year plans. Many of the sixth form teachers also
attended and were delighted to receive compliments about how well prepared the students felt.
If you decide on photos I can add some comments about the people in them!

Dorset County Cross Country Championships
The annual Dorset County Cross Country Championships took place at Kings Park Bournemouth on Thursday 17 January.
14 students, from Woodroffe took part. Numbers had been restricted by the size of the minibus only. Selection had proved
difficult as so many more deserved to go.
Over 1,000 students from both state and private schools were in attendance with approximately 200 in each of the junior
races and 100 in senior races. On a bitterly cold day competition was fierce and warming up properly proved quite difficult.
However, having watched a full training session being led by the Bournemouth football manager for his squad adjacent to our
course, the Woodroffe team were fired up and ready to go.
In the Year 7 races Niamh Mcleish and Sam Taylor came in 21st and 62nd respectively, although Sam was really struggling
with stomach cramps for much of the race. To win a county place for Dorset you had to finish in the top 20 which meant
unfortunately Niamh narrowly missed out. As there were some invited Year 6 guest runners taking part she may well yet win a
place in the Dorset team.
In the junior Years 8 and 9 races Tamsin Edge came in 9th easily achieving a county place, Flo Swan came in 24th, Hope
Horsfield 31st and Abi O`leary 35th. We wait to hear if Woodroffe will win the team event here.
The equivalent boys race saw Iain Ross win a county place by coming in 15th whilst Oliver Caute still just Year 8 ran into a
creditable 29th place.
We were hopeful of a team victory in the Inter boys race but one runner was unable to take part because he became injured
on the day. This left us potentially one short in the team of four, but not to be outdone Iain Ross having run in his own
category earlier, offered to make up the fourth man in this older age category. It was in this race where all three runners
eligible, won their county places. Josh Coates in Year 11 came in a brilliant 6th place. Kingsley Wellman was the first Year 10
home in the same race in 9th position. Kingsley was closely followed by Henry Riddle in 15th. Iain Ross, finished a creditable
71st in his second race of the day.
In the equivalent girls event Mollie Hansford easily won her county place finishing 8th in a punishingly long race.
The final race of the day was the senior girls event. This race was longer again in terms of miles on a now churned up course.
The girls ran with the senior boys and our two competitors, Ellie Stone and Alex Morgan finished brilliantly in 3rd and 5th
places respectively catapulting them straight into the Dorset team.
Those selected will now go on to represent Dorset at Bristol in the South West England Championships. We wish them every
success.
Mr Brown, Head of Year 8, and Miss Harahan, Teacher of Art and Design

Who Ate All The Pies?
A number of Year 12 students spent Tuesday 15 January working with and researching Ginsters of Cornwall as part of their
Business Study Coursework. The objective of the day was to think about developing a new product idea for the pasty giants
who are committed to ‘read honest food’.
The day started with an introduction and history to the organisation. The group were then shown some example TV adverts
followed by a video tour of the bakery where they were shown how pasties are made in a factory environment.
Then came the highlight of the day – the taste testing (Mr Holding’s Favourite). There were eight varieties of pasties including
Cornish, Spicy Chicken, Spicy Lamb and Cheese and Onion. Each student had to rate the pasties and scores were collected.
Students were then sent out around the school to allow members of staff and the sixth form to also taste and rate the
products. Mr Sweetland in particular enjoyed the experience and was happy to try all of the pasties on offer!
The students also took part in an hour’s Video Conferencing session with a Ginsters employee (Bob McIntyre) where he
described his role within the business. The group also had the opportunity to do further research by asking him questions
directly.
The day finished with the students writing up the taste testing results whilst beginning to think about their coursework ideas.
Chris Bowditch said “It was a really good day, and it will come in really useful for my coursework. My favourite parts were
sampling the pasties and the video talk with Bob.”
Meg Wood said “I really enjoyed the day because I thought it was very useful learning information about Ginsters from a real
employee.”
Harry Foster said “It was a very useful day as we found out many things about a large organisation that we hadn’t really
thought about.”
Mr Holding, Teacher of ICT and Business Studies, said “The group now have a lot to think about and are buzzing with ideas
for their coursework. It will be interesting to see how they use the experience during the remainder of the year.”

Cooking Made Easy
In Home Economics recently a group
of Year 11 students were treated to a
pasta making session by Miss Kabia.
Below, Izzy Street and Polly Gambier
explain how and what they cooked and
most importantly how it tasted in a step
by step account:
Izzy “I was quite surprised about how
simple it was to make.”
Polly “Yes it was. There were only two
ingredients – Flour and Eggs. There
were actually two types of flour – Plain
and Pasta Flour (Drum Wheat).”
Izzy “Once we mixed the dough, we had
to knead it for a really long time.”
Polly “Molly Hansford did that because
she works in a Bakery in Lyme and
knew what to do. She was really good
at it.
We had to put the dough in the freezer
for a few minutes because Miss Kabia
said it had to cool and we didn’t have
time to put it in the fridge for an hour.”
Izzy laughs at this point, “Yes we buried
it under freezer packs to make sure it
was really chilled.
Then we had to put the dough through
the pasta machine. I’ve never used one
of those before.”
Polly “No me neither. We had to make
sure the dough didn’t touch the sides
and then wind the handle really quickly.
I thought it would have been slowly but
Miss Kabia told us that it had to be quite
fast.”
Izzy “It came out much longer than
I imagined. Once we had the long
strands we added an additional bit to
the machine so that we could put the
strands back through and cut them into
tagliatelle strips.
We cooked the tagliatelle for a few
minutes in water and then added a pesto
sauce”.
Polly “We had to go back after lunch
because we were a bit slow and ran out
of time, but it tasted really good”.
Izzy “Yes it really did. One boy from the
lesson borrowed one of the machines to
try and make it at home.”
Polly added, “I think everyone should try
it. It is so simple to do.”
Both girls admitted that this was the first
time they have made pasta from scratch
but both agreed it was a really good
experience and are defiantly going to try
and make it again.
Watch the pasta making on film

FEED THE NEED TO
Library News
The Library is Open for you to borrow
resources that will help you to formulate
the questions you want answered or
answer the questions you have already
generated. Questioning leads to
thinking, thinking leads to learning.
Come and visit Mrs Cropp and her
Library team any day (Monday – Friday)
break and/or lunchtime to borrow a
fiction/non-fiction book or two or three or
four or even five (maximum).
Have you visited the Library recently?
500 words is back!
Are you aged 13 or under? Could you
write an amazing story in no more than
500 words? Enter now!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/
radio2/500words/2013/
BBC Radio 2 is officially ready to receive
your super-duper, simply spectacular
short stories. You have until 7:00pm on
22 February to submit your entry.
There are fabulous prizes to be won:
First Prize – Chris Evans height in books
plus 500 books for your school Library
(BBC Radio 2’s Breakfast Show Host
and very tall).
Second Prize – Alex Jones height in
books (Presenter of the BBC’s The One
Show).
Third Prize – Your height in books.
Get inspired by watching their brand
new 500 words film, which includes
top tips from Dame Jacqueline Wilson,
Tulisa, Daniel Radcliffe (AKA Harry
Potter), Conor Maynard, Helen Skelton,
Richard Hammond and Harry Judd!
Get writing!
We Are Having a Book Fair
This year not only will Year 10 COPE
students be running the Book Fair
for the school Library as part of their
course, but ultimately they will be
entered into the Scholastic Business
School of the Year Award.
The Book Fair will be open every break
and lunch time in the Library between 26
February and 04 March.
There are big benefits for the school too
- your purchases at the Fair will allow us
to get even more books for our Library -
for free!
You might even like to help us by
donating a book to the school Library. If
you buy a book from the Fair a sticker
will be placed inside the front cover so
everyone will know it is a lasting gift
from you.
Books at the Book Fair can be
purchased using:
1. WisePay (school’s preferred
option). If a student finds a book they
wish to purchase while browsing the
Book Fair then they need to order it
through Mrs Cropp. They then need to
tell their parent/guardian the amount
due. Once the amount has been paid on
WisePay (general payments) Mrs Cropp
will release the order.
2. Cheques or cash will be
accepted at your own risk.
Thank you for your support.
It is a great way to get the students
reading!
Coming soon……….
Book Fair + visitor
Year 9 creative writing workshop:
Professor Philip Gross (author and
poet).
“A capacity,
and taste, for
reading gives
access to
whatever has
already been
discovered by
others. It is the
key, or one of
the keys, to the
already solved
problems.”
Abraham
Lincoln 1859

Year 8 Author Visit
Report by Rosie Harwood, Year 8
On Monday 14 January 2013, Year 8 students had the privilege of meeting the award winning author of teenage literature,
Tim Bowler. Mr Bowler has written some of the best thrillers that I have ever read and his talk included a reading from Buried
Thunder. He also spoke about Sea of Whispers (just published); Storm Catchers, which some of Year 8 have been reading in
English, and the award winning River Boy.
Mr Bowler was a very engaging speaker and on his visit, he came bearing stories from his previous talks at other schools and
places he had visited. My favourite story was when Mr Bowler said that he visited a school up north to open a Library. Soon
after the ceremony had finished, when the Headteacher was beginning to speak, he made the decision to pour himself some
sparkling water. However, there was a small hitch. To his embarrassment when Mr Bowler attempted to open the bottle of cold
fizzy water it sprayed from the container covering him, a few children sitting nearby and the headteacher!
This humorous story was followed by a question and answer session on writing and ideas on how to improve our own writing
skills. For instance one of our keen writers in Year 8 asked, “I’m finding it hard to finish the book that I’m writing. Have you any
advice?” He replied with reassuring words, “it’s always hard finishing a book. The best thing to do is to just persevere.” These
comments gave us confidence as writers and reassured us that even the most successful authors can face problems too.
Mr Bowler then read us a small passage from his book Buried Thunder. I can’t give out too much information as it would spoil
the book, but I can say that it is teeming with suspense and you must read it for yourself!
His relaxed manner makes him very easy to talk to and ask questions, so the hour we had with him past quite quickly.
After the talk I asked some of the teachers present for their comments. Here are a selection:
Miss Harley (English Department) said “Really engaging speaker, very pleased that his favourite writer was Shakespeare.”
Mrs Ballam (Science Department) said “Enjoyable hour, inspirational and enthusiastic speaker.”
Mr Mould (Maths Department) said “Fabulously descriptive passages about nature and I loved the way his reading of the book
excerpt was so expressive.”
Mr Wells (Maths Department) said “Very enjoyable, he engaged well with the students and I liked it very much!”
Thank you to Mrs Cropp (Coordinator of Learning Resources and School Librarian) for organising such an inspirational and
enjoyable author visit.
Phoebe interviews Tim on camera

A Warm Woodroffe Welcome
To...
Mrs Jane Coles, Clerical Officer
Jane was already a familiar face to the
students at Woodroffe as she had been
working as a lunchtime supervisor for
twelve months prior to her appointment.
Jane joined us as a full time member
of staff in November 2012 working
alongside Mr Wells and the Heads of
Years 10 and 12 on the School’s Work
Experience Programme.
Knowing many of the Year 10 and 12
students has made the transition for
Jane, from lunchtime supervisor to
Clerical Officer, an easy one and she
has already become an invaluable
member of the Administration team.
Miss Gemma Keeping, Head’s PA and
Personnel Manager
Gemma is a local girl who has spent
the last ten years living and working in
London. As part of her role working for
a busy events company in Earls Court,
Gemma was a HR Assistant and PA to
five Directors.
Gemma Keeping said “I am really
enjoying the new challenge and working
with such a lovely team. It is also lovely
to be living and working back in my
home county”.
Mrs Sarah Way, Admin/Finance
Officer
Sarah joined the very busy Finance
Department at the end of October last
year. Her previous role was with Lloyds
Bank in their motor finance division
which involved a lot of travelling around
the south west.
Mrs Lyn Evans, Science Technician
Lyn joined the Science team in
December following Alison Brightwell’s
retirement. She has worked as a
Technician for a variety of schools over
20 years.
Originally from the Midlands Lyn is now
enjoying living in Dorset.
Lyn Evans said “The staff have been
really warm and welcoming. I am really
enjoying the surroundings and the work.”
Mr Ian Lockhart, Science Technician
PE News
If you haven’t already, check out the PE Blog through the main school website for all the up to date activities and events
taking place.
Mr Jones, teacher of PE, will welcome you to the Blog where you will be able to read about all sorts of things happening in the
department as well as being able to access reports or watch videos of fixtures shortly after they have happened.
You will also be able to check out the PE Calendar to keep up-to-date with all of our upcoming sporting fixtures and Match
Reports where you can find out about all of the recent results. Mr Jones will be adding more and more content over the
coming weeks.
Gemma joined us in December 2012
and spent her first two weeks shadowing
Gilly Warr, former Head’s PA and
Administration Manager, before she
retired at the end of term.
Sarah will be supporting the Finance
Manager in all areas of school finance
and also assisting with Health and
Safety administration.
Sarah is enjoying her new role and
looking forward to the challenges ahead.
Ian has been a familiar face around
the Science block for last 18 months
working as a part time Technician.
Due to the changes within the team we
are pleased to announce that as from
January Ian is now working as a full time
member of staff.

PTA
NOTICES
PTA - Fundraising Success
Following the success of Taste of
Christmas last term, we’ve now
had chance to do all the necessary
accounting of monies in and out and
are delighted to announce we raised an
amazing £4,348.42 for the school.
The event was as vibrant as ever and
the fabulous music from Mr Cullimore
and his talented young artists created
a perfect ambiance for the hustle and
bustle of the Christmas shoppers.
Here’s what some of the stallholders
thoughts:
Tracey West at Simple Organic
Savouries said “Simon and I made
fresh organic rolls, sweet and savoury
nibbles and there wasn’t a crumb left
at the end of the evening! Thanks to
all the organisers for making it such
a remarkable event in the hectic
December schedule!”
Karl at Barnie’s Forge said “Just to say
another good fair, nice staff and kids
and a good turnout of shoppers, and a
big thanks to all the helpers. My spot
was a good one as always. Hope you do
a summer event would love an invite.”
Marie McLeish of My Garden Coach
said “I had a successful and festive time
on my stand. I really enjoyed talking to
the visitors and telling them about my
work. Many generously bought jars of
my Avoca Autumn Apple chutney. Lots
of interest expressed too for gardening
in the spring.”
Planning for the 2013 Taste of
Christmas event will begin soon,
so please save the date - Friday 06
December 2013. As stalls were sold out
for 2012 please get in touch with the
PTA if you’d like a stall, we’re happy
to take early bookings. We hope the
September 2013 Year 7 intake will have
as much entrepreneurial spirit as Mr
Brown’s current year group displayed!
Thank you to everyone for helping make
this a fantastic event especially the
current Year 7 tutor groups.
200 Club January Winners
Congratulations to the 200 Club winners
for January 2013
1st Prize of £20 - No. 50 Graham
Jenkins
2nd Prize of £15 - No. 16 Margaret
Trafford
3rd Prize of £10 - No. 58 Claire Speake
The three lucky prize winners will
receive their cheques shortly! For
everyone else it’s not too late to join the
PTA 200 Club. For details on how to join
please email pta@woodroffe.dorset.sch.
uk
Ragnhild Steps Up The Training
Ragnhild Richards is entering the most
intense four weeks of her training
regime as she prepares for the North
Face Transgrancanaria Marathon on 02
March 2013.
She ran two races recently, the 10K
Christmas Cracker in Weston-Super-
Mare in December where she finished
in 48 min 20 sec (ok for a 52 year old
says Ragnhild!); and the very heavy and
muddy Herepath Half, on the Blackdown
Hills near Taunton.
Ragnhild is fundraising for the
Woodroffe PTA, to sponsor her please
visit www.justgiving.com/Ragnhildrichards
Good luck from all of us!
Dates For Your Diary
Next PTA meeting: Wednesday 13
March
Bags2School: Thursday 21 March
Duck Race: Easter Monday 01 April
Cashless Catering
Please would parents remember to use
Wisepay to top up your child’s school
meal account regularly. The school will
accept, for the time being, cheques
which we can manually top up your
child’s account. Please note we do not
accept cash payments for cashless
catering.
Mrs Sleigh, Health and Safety Officer
Year 12 Parents Evening Postponed
Due to the recent weather conditions
the Year 12 Parents Evening due to be
held on Wednesday 23 January had to
be cancelled. It will now take place on
Wednesday 06 February between 3.45
– 6.15pm in the Hall.
School Policies
Just a reminder that the following
Policies are available on the school
website:
Safeguarding Policy
Child Protection Procedures
Anti-bullying
Single Equality Policy
Attendance
Behaviour
Inclusion
SEN
Admissions
Due to the recent Government changes
to the benefits system the Admissions
Policy has been amended to state that
‘Where a student lives with parents
with shared responsibility, either home
can be eligible under the catchment
criterion. This applies if the child lives in
the Woodroffe catchment 50% or more
of the time. Otherwise the catchment
offering does not apply’.
The full version is available on the
school website.
Year 10 Work Experience Programme
Less than a third of Year 10 students
have organised suitable placements for
their two week Work Experience that is
due to take place this summer.
A large number of those that have are
now losing their chosen placements
because although advised at the launch
evening that the Devon EBP Database
is used by schools across Devon, Dorset
and Somerset and that their placement
is not secure until all of the paperwork
has been received and completed,
they are still not retuning the relevant
forms to Mrs Coles (Work Experience
Administrator).
It is vital that Mrs Coles receives the
Section Form, signed Health Form, CV
employers acceptance confirmation and
signed Parent Agreement Form as soon
as possible.
The students are expected to undertake
Work Experience as part of their Year
10 curricular and if a suitable placement
is not secured they will be assigned
to a department at school. This option
however will not be a holiday for them.
They will be expected to work the
appropriate hours of the team in which
they are assigned. For example the
Maintenance Department are contracted
between 7.30am and 6pm and the
Administration Team between 8am and
4.30pm and the students will also be
expected to dress/act appropriately for
the role they will be undertaking. It is
also important to note that the school
buses do not cater for the working hours
of staff and parents will need to arrange
for suitable transport for them.
Can we please ask all Year 10 parents
to give a gentle reminder to their
children about organising their Work
Experience before the end of February.
This will ensure they secure their
preferred choice.
Mrs Coles is available on Tuesday and
Wednesday lunchtimes in B8 if any
student would like assistance with this
or they can visit her in the Admin Office
(along B corridor) Monday to Friday.
NB: This programme is a two week
placement at one organisation and
employers need to be advised of any
exams that may be scheduled between
03 – 14 June.

notes
January 2013
NEWS FROM WOODROFFE