November 2011 Issue - The Woodroffe School

notes
November 2011
NEWS FROM WOODROFFE

Wisepay
More and more parents/guardians are using our on-line payment system,
Wisepay, to pay for trips, uniform, school meals etc. and we strongly recommend
all parents use this system. The system is a web-based application, managed
and maintained in a secure data centre. All users are able to access the service
on-line using a standard internet connection. There is a link from the school’s
website. Parents are able to pay by debit or credit card. The system is accessible
24/7 allowing parents flexibility to pay at a time and place that suits them. We
also have a computer available in school which can be used by parents who do
not have access to the internet at home. Please contact the school for details. We
recommend that students do not bring cash into school and the school will not be
held liable for any lost cash.
Cashless Catering
The new cashless catering system has been up and running for just over a month.
There have been a few teething problems but these are being sorted out gradually.
Parents can see what their children are eating on a daily basis via Wisepay.
There is a set daily spend limit of £4 on the system which parents can increase or
decrease as they wish but the school needs to have this instruction in writing or
via email. Please note we do not allow students to ‘overdraw’ on their accounts so
parents/carers need to ensure that they ‘top’ up their child’s account regularly to
ensure they have enough money to purchase food.
We have been made aware that some parents are sending in small amounts of
cash for the school to put this money onto their child’s Wisepay account. We will
be unable to accept cash payments for school meals from now on.
Be the First to Get the News
Sign up to Parentmail and be the first to receive Rough Notes plus any information
concerning the School such as bad weather arrangements. It’s so easy, all you
have to do is send your email address to Alix Smith (asmith@woodroffe.dorset.sch.
uk) to set up your Parentmail account.
Health & Safety
Please would parents/guardians NOT
pick up or drop off students outside the
school buildings before and at the end
of the day. This causes problems with
traffic as the school drive is only single
lane. There is no reason why students
cannot be dropped off in bus bay or
along by the zebra crossing so they walk
up to school.
Bus Bay
Please would parents/guardians not
park in bus bay either at the end of
school or when you are waiting for a
school trip to return. It makes it very
difficult for coaches to park and students
to alight safely if there are cars blocking
the bus bay. Also please do not park
where you might cause an obstruction or
reduce visibility for other car users and
the buses – especially at the right hand
side of the school drive.
Stay Warm this Winter
If there’s one place in School that’s
really exposed to the elements, it’s got
to be Top Pitch. So what better way
to wrap up than with a pair of tracksuit
bottoms and a named hoodie. Available
from the School Shop or online via
Wisepay, students are guaranteed a
little warmth as the weather gets colder!
You’ll also find Navy V-neck jumpers
stocked in the Shop, perfect for wearing
under the School blazer!
There has been some confusion with
the Wisepay system and the shop. The
Biometric System (finger recognition)
cannot be used in the shop. Uniform
items costing more than £10.00 can be
purchased online using Wisepay and for
convenience, ties can also be bought at
a cost of £6.00.
All proceeds from the Shop are returned
to the School to support the students’
education. Many thanks for all the
support you continue to give.
Gillian Butcher, Shop Manager.
01297 445435
gbutcher@woodroffe.dorset.sch.uk
Students on Site Early
We are seeing a number of students
arriving early in the morning, some
before 8.00am. The school is not open
to students until 8.30am and accepts no
responsibility for them if they are on the
school site before this time.
Harvey Werb
Now that the sudden visit of the
Ofsted team is fading into the
distance, it is worth taking a
moment to reflect upon the reality of
what goes on in class at Woodroffe and
the experiences of students as they
pursue their day-to-day studies. Two
recent incidents illustrate what I mean.
First, as part of the last staff training
day, we asked three students to
show us some of the things they had
been working on recently. Harvey
Werb took us on a journey through
his ICT experiences at Woodroffe,
demonstrating astonishingly
sophisticated website design skills;
Dominic Kirtley entertained us with
an enthusiastic introduction to the
complexities of the music industry,
demonstrating each stage in the
production of a cover version of a
song he and his friends had recorded
and then transformed using the music
program Logic Pro; and Moss Hayman
left us all thinking about how limited
our own ICT skills were as he showed
us a series of fascinating videos
created using sophisticated animation
techniques. Usually it is members of
staff who lead our training sessions but
this was much more powerful. Teachers
were really excited by what they saw
and inspired by the skills and maturity of
the students. It is sobering to think that
there are, in fact, many students working
at the level of the three described above
all over the school and it is always a
pleasure to pause for a moment to
celebrate their achievements.
The second incident relates to a reading
class I took part in recently. A group
of students was asked to read Chinua
Achebe’s Things Fall Apart and be
prepared to join in a discussion of
the novel for two hour-long sessions.
Though not particularly well known, the
novel is a classic of African and, indeed,
world literature, and was undoubtedly
new to the students. Any doubts I may
have had regarding the class’s ability
to appreciate the complexities of the
story were quickly dispelled by both the
intensity and the depth of the discussion.
Given the right stimuli, it is clear that
students of this age can take part in
complex and intellectually challenging
discussions, which would not be out of
place among groups of undergraduates.
Both events serve to remind us what
we are here for. It was very heartening
to learn that we were successful in
jumping through the Ofsted hoops but
an appreciation of the depth of learning
going on all over the school is a much
more profound experience.
Ofsted were right, this is an outstanding
school but it is the quality of the
students’ involvement in their day-to-day
learning which makes it so.
Dr R P Steward
Headteacher

Sculpture Inspiration for Sixth Form
Early October saw 16 Sixth Form Art students visiting the beautiful grounds of the Roche Court Sculpture Park near
Salisbury. Hosted by fantastic teacher in residence, Briony Biles, the group were provided with a tour of the park with
expert commentary, viewing some genuinely thought provoking and internationally renowned artwork.
“The work supports students’ 3D projects on the Art and Applied Art courses,” said Mr Vine, who organised the visit. “Being
able to get so close to these sculptures in such fabulous surroundings is a great advantage to their studies.”
The group also paid a visit to Salisbury Cathedral in the afternoon where Sean Henry’s numerous figurative sculptures are on
display. Many students also took the opportunity to look at the Magna Carta.
Life Drawing Success
Twenty students attended a series
of evening life drawing sessions in
the Thornton Pearn Studio organised
by Head of Art and Digital Technology,
Mr Vine. Aimed at honing their skills the
sessions provided particular support for
their AS and A2 Level Art and Design
studies.
Students started each session with
a series of short warm up drawing
exercises before developing their
observational skills on a long pose.
“We firmly believe that providing this sort
of additional opportunity for students is
crucial to their growth and development
as an artist, building confidence in their
own abilities and a better understanding
and appreciation of Art,” commented Mr
Vine.
The work will contribute towards the
students’ A2 Level portfolio which will
also help in preparing for their Higher
Education interviews.
The sessions will run again in the spring
term.
Dia de los Muertos
Year Nine students on the new Graphics course celebrated the 2nd November
Dia de los Muertos festival by putting the finishing touches on their ‘practical
graphics’ group project: a bench adorned with personal stamps based on Mexican
Iconography. The students looked at the mix of Aztec belief systems and Spanish
Catholicism that merged to create characters like La Calavera Catrina, the
celebration’s key figurehead immortalised in the artwork of Jose Posada Nad
Manuel Manila. Ideas and envelopes complete with their designs were developed
using adobe illustrator.
Love Art? Join Art Club!
Art Club has proved to be a real success with a large number of Year 7 students
attending each week. If you enjoy art, would like to improve your skills and
learn new ones, then Art Club is the place for you. You’ll find the club every Monday
lunchtime in C14. See Mrs Bowskill.
Taking Art to the Next Level
There are already 25 Year 8 students
who are keen to take their Arts
Award. They have been inspired by the
ten Year 11 and Year 12 students who all
passed their Silver Level and received
their certificates at the beginning of term.
Through Silver Arts Award, students
have the opportunity to develop their
arts skills and understanding, lead
activities in the art form of their choice,
and achieve a Level 2 qualification.
Here are some of their comments
about the award: “The leadership part
has helped me feel more confident
about working with young people”. “It
was useful finding out about careers
and opportunities and meeting people
involved in the Arts”. “I enjoyed the
‘Challenge’ part where I learnt a new
skill”.
If you’d like more information about the
Arts Award scheme, please see Mrs
Bowskill.

London Inspires Sixth Form Textiles
Big Ben, the London Eye and
Westminster Abbey set the scene
for what proved to be a truly inspiring
Textiles visit to London! Travelling up on
the Friday before half term, we kicked
off our weekend with a trip to the theatre
to see Billy Elliot, which was absolutely
amazing!
Saturday morning saw all ten of
us up early and off to the National
Theatre where we had a tour with Miss
Barnes’ uncle who showed us all the
sets being made for upcoming shows.
He also took us to other fascinating
departments including the Wig
Department which we all loved. The
wigs were so realistic!
Then we went to the Tommy Nutter
exhibition, a renowned tailor who was
responsible for reinventing the Savile
Row suit in the 1960s. Berwick Street
provided the source for many of the
fabrics we needed for the Textiles
course – the main priority for the trip!
We also saw a number of designer
shops on our travels including Browns,
Vivienne Westwood where we saw Pete
Burns and from there we came across a
selection of vintage fabric shops!
Savile Row was awesome, Miss Barnes
introduced us to Oswald Boatang,
Louis Vuitton, Jimmy Choo and the
Mulberry shops - the customers were
as fascinating as the products - no
purchases were made, but it was a treat
to be able to see these designers first
hand. To finish off a great, but tiring, day
we went to Convent Garden and had a
meal in an Italian restaurant which was
by the Royal Opera House, keeping our
eyes open for famous people!
Sunday involved a stroll down Sloane
Street. Starting at an early hour meant
there was no-one around but that
was great as we studied each window
display and saw all the amazing
buildings especially Harvey Nichols
which had the best window displays we
have ever seen!
After gazing at what we could never
afford we went over to The Victoria and
Albert Museum focusing on the costume
area. There were many costumes
including some from the Lion King which
inspired some great drawings! To finish
off our trip we went to some more fabric
shops including Peter Jones where the
last of us managed to find the materials
for our course projects - finally!
A truly great trip which was very inspiring
for all of us! Thanks Miss Barnes and
Mrs Humphreys!
By Hannah Gait, Alex Morgan and Joy
Hayman, Year 12
Year 9 Foodies Visit Local Hotel
Last week Year 9 food students from
the Woodroffe School visited the
Mariners Hotel for afternoon tea. As
part of their choice of pathway including
business and design the pupils were
taken to the Mariners Hotel Restaurant
for an afternoon tea. They enjoyed a
very thoughtful menu designed to give
them a good understanding of what
afternoon tea is. The menu consisted
of sandwiches with a variety of fillings,
scones with jam and cream, a lovely
spread of cakes and coffee and tea.
The students were treated to brilliant
hospitality and all recommend the
services of the Hotel for anyone looking
for a traditional afternoon tea. The pupils
from Woodroffe will now continue with
their topic of afternoon tea. At the end
of term the students intend to impress
a teacher with their cooking and social
etiquette skills.
Alfie Bellworthy, Year 9
River Cottage Sets the Scene for Sustainability
The Year 11 GCSE Food & Nutrition groups spent a very informative and
enjoyable two hours at Park Farm. We accessed the farm in a covered trailer
pulled by a tractor and immediately felt we had left our busy lives in the car park as
we descended the bumpy track.
We were welcomed by our guide, Steve, the Farm and Events Manager, who
explained the principles behind River Cottage HQ. Their aim is to be less
dependent on the outside world and produce food with integrity. In the dining room
the food that guests enjoy is home grown, local and seasonal produce prepared
by a team of chefs which included Neil Matthews an ex–Woodroffe student (he
seemed pleased to see Miss Kabia!).
The chefs took the time to explain the processes behind the recipes they were
preparing and we watched fish being, skinned, boned and stuffed with great skill.
Ingredients included food that had been foraged and grown by the staff. We saw
the butchery area, bacons being cured and bread making.
Park Farm has developed a holistic approach that ensures nothing goes to waste,
from the materials sourced to the systems used. They try to have minimal impact
on the environment. There are numerous systems like a bio-mass boiler that is
fuelled with clearings from local forests, to the reed beds used to process effluent
from the site; sustainability has been the overriding focus of the projects on the
farm.
We were lucky enough to meet the Home Economist who works on the new
television series of River Cottage who explained the making of a ‘segment’ for the
programme and saw the preparation that takes place before filming.
We had a lovely morning despite being fed edible flowers and look forward to the
visit to Woodroffe by Neil who has promised to do some demonstrations for us.
Year 11

Drugs and Ethics @ Bristol
In October the A2 Biology students
travelled to @Bristol to take part in
a health workshop. Their first task
was to isolate, then combine certain
chemicals to produce a drug for the
potential treatment of Parkinson’s
disease. During the practical session,
they were able to gain hands on
access to a range of techniques used
in scientific laboratory. After lunch they
were able to measure the success
of their experiments using thin layer
chromatography.
In addition to the practical workshop, the
students had the opportunity to discuss
the ethics behind the development of
drugs and the treatment of patients with
a range of diseases. They also spent
time exploring the interactive exhibitions,
enjoying the DNA/heredity displays and
the under 8s dinosaur play area!
Maths Students Take First Place
On Friday 7 th October a small team
of Maths students (Chris De Bank,
Ben Sivier-Voller, Duncan Love, and
Ed Firman) attended a practice Senior
Maths Challenge Team competition in
Blandford Forum.
They were asked to solve challenging
Maths problems working effectively as
a team. In two out of three of the tasks
they had to use the other pair’s answers
to solve their own problems, which
required a high degree of cooperation.
The four boys worked together really
well, trying out different pairs in the
practice session.
In the mini competition they came equal
first out of nine other teams from all over
Dorset and Wiltshire.
Dr C Kelly
Creating Your Future
5.30pm, Tuesday 29 th November
If you’re a Year 11 student or parent
thinking about the next step, then
come and discover what The Woodroffe
School Sixth Form can do for you.
Starting at 5.30pm on Tuesday 29 th
November, The Sixth Form Launch
Evening promises to be packed with
information about each subject area and
the range of extra-curricular activities on
offer.
Meet the team of tutors and teachers
and take the opportunity to discuss the
right course choice for you.
Rated as “Outstanding” by Ofsted, the
Sixth Form offers a comprehensive
choice of subjects and extra-curricular
opportunities guaranteed to give you the
right start in creating your future.
“We are committed to delivering
academic excellence,” says Jim
Thomas, Head of Sixth Form. “But we
also focus on the students as individuals
providing pastoral care to help them
grow and mature. We are extremely
fortunate to have an experienced and
highly skilled team of tutors, teachers
and support staff who all encourage
passion and motivation in each subject
and school life in general.”
“The dedicated and
passionate leadership by
the head of sixth form and
the wider school team has
ensured a highly effective
sixth form.”
OFSTED 2011
The new Sixth Form prospectus and
application form will be available at the
event and from the Sixth Form office
(email:6formadmin@woodroffe.dorset.
sch.uk), and on the School website from
30 th November.
Students at The Woodroffe
School achieved excellent
results at A2 Level in 2011.
• 25% achieved A*/A grades
• 99% pass rate (gaining
grades A* - E)
• 6 students achieved 3 or
more A*/A grades
• 49% gained A*, A or a B
• 90% of the 2011 Year 13s
progressed onto a Higher
Education course

Students Star in CBBC Show!
Very early in the morning on 8 th
October, six star-struck Woodroffe
students and their parents went on set
in Lyme Regis to film an episode of
the forthcoming CBBC show, The Big
Adventure. The programme was all
set on the Jurassic Coast and involved
the students and their parents carrying
out several crazy challenges with five
celebrities. The production company
kept us all in suspense right up until the
last minute, but we had already guessed
that Jedward would be two of them, as
they had already been seen in Lyme.
You will have to watch the programme
to find out more about the crazy stuff
we did, but let’s just say it involved
crushing a car, gunge and dinosaur poo!
We travelled all over the Jurassic Coast
area to film the programme, right down
to Portland, and were very tired by the
end! You can see the programme on 5 th
December on CBBC.
George Chantler, Year 8
Oliver Brown, Year 7: “My favourite
part of the day was when we crushed
the car with Edward!”
Max Bowskill, Year 7: “The Big
Adventure was awesome, especially
as we met some great celebs and did
some awesome activities.”
Harry Eastwood, Year 9: “The Big
Adventure was a fantastic experience
and I really enjoyed gunging John!”
Isla Lorenzo, Year 7: “Today was
an adventure and very interesting. I
loved it!”
Jack Ratcliff, Year 8: “It was weird
being with Jedward all day but I
got used to it and they weren’t as
annoying as I expected!”
Under a Foreign Sky
The Theatre Centre recently came
into school to perform ‘Under a
Foreign Sky’. The story follows three
immigrants who have travelled to
England to escape their previous lives,
to start afresh.
Drina is a 14 year-old, who wishes to
reunite with her mother after ten years
apart. Bojan is a young, exciting chef
who wants to make it big in Britain
at the age of just 19. Also, Ibi is a
12 year-old boy who, as soon as he
arrives in the airport, gets lost in the
busy environment and mysteriously
disappears. Throughout the play we
learn about the different relationships,
fears and ambitions immigrants have
when they want a new start in a foreign
country. However, the experience can be
very different to the way they originally
thought their lives would change.
The use of sound effects and music in
the performance added a lot by helping
to set the scene and let the audience
imagine the place, for example, at
the very beginning when the actors
were at the airport. The music during
the performance was also very good
for creating suspense and tension,
underneath the actor’s dialogue and
actions. Without the music, the play
would not have been as gripping.
The actors used many different skills to
perform and deliver the play very well.
They engaged the audience by walking
around and talking openly to us. They
did this to particularly great effect when
Elma, the Serbian investigator, showed
the audience a poster of Ibi by walking
around the edge of the stage, holding it
up for us to see. This made us feel as if
we were part of the performance.
The actors also changed their accents,
so that it was more convincing. By doing
this, you could easily distinguish who
was who and it absorbed you into the
overall foreign feel to the play.
I think the message that was being
portrayed in the play was that
thousands of immigrants try to go to
foreign countries to have a new start.
However, because they are vulnerable
in a new, strange country, people
like to take advantage of them. They
especially like to use children, as they
are inexperienced. We can see this has
happened with Ibi in the play and so I
can see how this relates to the issue of
child trafficking. The playwright is trying
to bring attention to the fact that this is
wrong and immigrants should be given
chances to succeed with their ambitions,
like the people that live in that country.
I felt a bit sad at the end of the play, as
I realised how immigrants can be taken
advantage of so easily. I feel that they
should get the same opportunities as
everyone else. Overall, I thought the
story of the play was intriguing and the
actors made everything fit together for
the audience.
Rosa Sawer, Year 9

The Dark Lady of DNA
Her ideas stolen by male colleagues,
Rosalind Franklin is a scientist we
should all have heard of, but few of us
ever have. Her work was instrumental
in the discovery of DNA. This 30 minute
play, performed by our talented A2
Drama students and starting at 6pm on
1 st and 2 nd of December, is a devised
piece exploring the life and work of this
eminent, but unrecognised, scientist
bringing her story to a wider audience.
B# Hit the High Notes
2 0th October saw the culmination of
the B# Project with a very successful
performance in the Thornton Pearn
Studio.
Panto Hiigh Jinks for Year 7
Please don’t forget to return the
consent form and payment for the
Year 7 pantomime visit. All Year 7 with
their tutors and co-tutors will be going
to watch ‘Cinderella’ at the Octagon
Theatre in Yeovil on Wednesday 14 th
December. Leaving at 11.30am, we will
return at approximately 4.30pm. It will be
great fun!
Ms A Cruwys-Finnigan
Sixth Form Explore the History of
Britpop
On Friday 4th November the Sixth
form Music and Music Technology
students went on a trip to the O2
British Music Experience in London.
The exhibition combines cutting edge
audio-visual technology with some of
the most coveted memorabilia of all
time taking you through the history of
British pop music. The displays were
interactive meaning the visitors had
the opportunity to swipe their electronic
ticket, retaining the chosen content
and media recordings which could be
accessed later.
For the Year 12s it was extremely
relevant and useful as their topic of
study for this year - Brit-Pop - looks at
recordings from the 1960s up to the
present day and the cultural changes
which affected British music. The
Technology students could concentrate
on the history of music technology and
everyone had great fun playing the
instruments in the Gibson Interactive
Studio. The day then finished with a
festive visit to Covent Garden, and the
long train journey home!
Celia Cruwys-Finnigan, Year 13

BP Trading Challenge
Year 11 spent a morning learning
about trading on world markets,
evaluating media accounts of world
events and using that information to
‘trade oil’ competitively, working in
teams. The event was run by BP, and
included discussion of environmental
issues as well as our global dependency
on oil. Students expanded their
knowledge of world affairs as well as
their team-working skills, facilitated
by some very lively and personable
presenters (with a wild sense of
humour…). The urge to win resulted in
some rather reckless trading at times, as
well as some idiosyncratic accounting,
but ‘soft skills’ and understanding of
trading developed very noticeably during
the morning. The visiting presenters
were very complimentary about the
behaviour and attitude of the whole of
Year 11.
Mrs J Golding
Cricketing Sensation Gets
Recognition
Dorset Cricketer, Sam Farrow
(10SMC), was named player of
the year at the recent county awards
ceremony in Sturminster Newton. Sam,
completing his fifth year as a county
player, played in all 14 games last
season and was the leading bowler in
the Dorset U14 team taking a total of
17 wickets. Sam also achieved the best
bowling performance in all county age
groups when he took six wickets for 18
runs against Derbyshire at the Taunton
Cricket Festival last July. Sam is also
the captain of the U14 West Dorset
side who enjoyed their most successful
season in recent years winning the
Dorset district league. Sam has recently
been selected for trials to join the Dorset
ECB Emerging Players Programme.
Students Win Training Day with Top
Equestrians
Woodroffe students, Layla Felgate and
Sophie Benger, plus former Woodroffe
student, Olivia Benger, formed the
majority of the successful Cotley Hunt
Pony Club Intermediate Event Team
that won at the Pony Club National
Championships held at Draycott House
in Derbyshire. Teams from all over
the country and Ireland were there
representing their regions at the event.
Both Layla and Sophie did particularly
well to each produce double clears.
Their team wins a training day (16 th
November) with three of the country’s
top riders: William Fox Pitt, Olympian,
Mary King and Harry Meade. The
Cotley team also received silver salvers,
sashes and saddle cloths.
Royal Society Recognition
The Woodroffe School Science
Department has become an
Associate School member of the Royal
Society. This makes us one of fewer
than 50 secondary schools accepted
into the scheme.
Being a part of the Associate Schools
and Colleges scheme gives the school
the opportunity to have our say and to
feed our views into the work of the Royal
Society and engage with their projects
and activities. It recognises us as a
school that is committed to promoting
excellence in science.
In return, the Royal Society benefits
from working closely with us when they
conduct research, ask us to respond to
policy consultations and create teaching
resources which we can trial.
We look forward to a long and close
relationship with the Royal Society which
will enhance the sciences for students
and staff alike.
Mr S Ransome-Williams

The second Inter-schools Cross
Country Championships took
place at Budmouth in torrential rain
on 9 th November. Woodroffe results
were outstanding with the Junior
Boys and Senior Girls both winning
the team events. There were some
superb individual performances as
shown above. These were even an
improvement on the excellent results
last week at Colfox.
Top Places Secured in Cross-Country
Year 7 Girls Junior Girls (Year 8/9) Senior Girls (Year 10/11)
Tamsin Edge 1 st Abi O’Leary 9 th Layla Felgate 1 st
Somer Horsfield 9 th Florence Swan 12 th Abi Dare 3 rd
Hope Horsfield 16 th
Mollie Hansford 5 th
Abi Speake 6 th
Lydia Clapp 7 th
Georgia Down 11 th
Mr A R Brown
Year 7 Boys Junior Boys (Year 8/9) Senior Boys (Year 10/11)
Oliver Caute 2 nd Henry Riddle 2 nd Jack Videan 4 th
Lewis Pearson 3 rd Ross Scadding 3 rd Joshua Caute 5 th
Devon Wellman 6 th Kieran Yorke 4 th Reuben Heeler-Frood 13 th
Ollie Achieves Gold!
The School is very proud of the
achievements of our 2009-10
Head Boy. Ollie Rice, has achieved his
ultimate goal, a Duke of Edinburgh Gold
Award. He started his journey at The
Woodroffe School and completed his
final award earlier this year. In an email
to Mrs Vincent, Ollie said: “I have done
it! I went to St. James Palace today to
Oliver Browne 11 th
Angus Staples 15 th
Henry Bartlett 25 th
Iain Ross 6 th
Henry Felgate 12 th
Jack Ratcliff 28 th
Oli Pennington 31 st
Bryn Davis 41 st
collect my Gold Award Certificate. It was
a brilliant day and getting to meet and
speak to HRH the Duke of Edinburgh
really was the icing on the cake,
although it feels so strange to have
completed the Award after it was part of
my life for quite a long time.
“I just wanted to send you this email to
say a massive thank you for all of the
hard work that you and Mr Vincent put
into helping complete the D of E’s at all
levels but especially at Gold with there
being a lot of happy memories. I also
wanted to thank you for the constructive
criticism you gave on the expeditions
and I have definitely taken the things
you said on board.
“I feel like I have come in full circle in
terms of D of E as with the ACF I will
soon be going on a course to manage
the Award within the Platoon here in
Bath, I have to say I’m looking forward
to others enjoying the award as much as
I did.”
New Parent Governor Announced
We are delighted to announce that
Mr Jon Oates was recently elected
in the Parent Governor Ballot. Jon is a
Chartered Structural Engineer working
from his own practice near Hawkchurch
and has four years’ previous experience
working as a Parent Governor at his
daughter’s primary school on the
building and finance committees.
Jon commented on his election,
saying, “I am looking forward to the
interaction with the school and hope
that my contribution over the next four
years will be instrumental in helping to
maintain the extremely high standards of
the body I am about to join.”
We would also like to extend our thanks
to all the other candidates for their
participation and continued support.
Mock Bar Trial, 12th November
smartly attired group of sixth
A formers participated in the regional
heats of the Bar National Mock Trial
Competition at Plymouth Crown Court
on 12 November. They defended cases
against Queen Elizabeth Academy
Trust (Credition) and Truro College and
prosecuted against Devonport High
School for Girls. The event is organised
by the Citizenship Foundation.
In preparation for the event the group of
15 had spent two months studying the
cases and preparing for their parts.
Jack Keenan made a very convincing
defendant – charged with the robbery
of a building society and driving the
getaway car in the first case and a
student accused of assault in the
second. His defence lawyers, a terrier
like Tasmin Fowler and calm calculated
Tom Clarke did an excellent job.
Tasmin’s confident summing up
speeches to the jury were remarkable
considering she had celebrated her 18 th
birthday the evening before, with many
of the other participating members!
James Dunford and Jo Hillier
thoughtfully questioned their witnesses
asking some difficult questions as
prosecuting barristers. Jo in particular
had the defendant’s father squirming in
the witness box.
Charlie Taylor carried out her duties
as court usher most efficiently and Ed
Firman made an excellent court clerk.
Finlay Prescot, Duncan Love and
Lucy Caton expertly played the part of
witnesses. Lucy’s portrayal of a junior
clerk who had witnessed the robbery
was firm and she responded resolutely
to some challenging questions.
Duncan’s knowledge of and interest in
fashion clothing was a revelation. It was
Finlay’s dodgy past, in his role as Jack’s
father that resulted in Jack being found
guilty. We hope Jack’s sentence won’t
be too severe.
Harvey Werb, Megan Vincent-Pearsall,
Holly Dascombe, Jenny Baker and
Nichola Williams concentrated well in
their roles as jury members gaining
much from the experience.
The judges commented favourably on
the performances of all participants.
Each of the cases was presided over
by a practising barrister. They are most
professional and provide some excellent
feedback on their role, the expectations
of the jury and the operation of the legal
system and courts.
The team is grateful to Mrs Cropp who
spent many hours helping them prepare,
understanding the workings of the crown
court and instilling some confidence in
them whenever they had self doubt.
Also a big thank you to Mr John Riley
(a district judge from Bridport) who
kindly gave his time to help the team
prepare and also provided great support
attending the event itself. Also to his
wife Christine for bringing some tasty
treats so no one got hungry.
Mr J R Thomas

PTA Initiatives Fund Improvements
Raising a staggering £12,000 a
year, the Parents and Teachers
Association is an essential ingredient
in Woodroffe’s success. “This is a
significant sum of money that directly
benefits students and their learning by
providing vital equipment,” says Deputy
Head, Jo Culham. “We are indebted to
the PTA for their endless energy and
enthusiasm in raising funds for School.
Over the last few years PTA funds have
contributed to significant improvements
in the Hall, purchasing of computers,
digital projectors and whiteboards plus a
trampoline for the PE Department. Many
thanks go to Chrissie Williams and her
dedicated team.”
Please come and support forthcoming
PTA events including A Taste of
Christmas (2 December 2011) and the
Glam Rock night.
PTA News
We’ve been really delighted to meet all
of the new folk who have been coming
along to our informal PTA meetings and
over the coming months hope to meet
even more. Just turn up at the meetings
when you can, or failing that, if you can
offer to help at any of our events we’d
love to hear from you.
A little time to spare?
Please contact Julie for our forthcoming
coming Taste of Christmas event:
jcthomas@btinternet, or our new
chairperson Chrissie Williams 01297
444495. For information about where
and when meetings are held please
contact our secretary, Nickylevan@aol.
com or check out the school website.
A Taste of Christmas is coming and
it is one of the school’s biggest annual
fund raisers, a great community event,
which involves everyone, please bring
your friends and family along, support
us by buying the draw tickets or selling
them to others and if you don’t wish to
shop, then your help on the day, would
be greatly appreciated. We really need
your help with prizes for the Tombola.
Any donations would be very welcome.
Please drop them in at Reception.
The Giving Machine: for those of
you about to embark on an internet
Christmas shopping expedition, please,
please sign up to this great fund-raising
scheme beforehand, if we all do it, the
school coffers will be overflowing! There
are over 300 major retailers involved in
this scheme. Go to
www.thegivingmachine.co.uk, it’s easy.
The Woodroffe 70s
GLAM ROCK EVE
Dust off your stacks,
don your wig & frock
&
Prepare to ROCK!!
Friday 24 th Feb 2012 @ Woodroffe,
7.30pm ‘til late.
Nibbles, Cocktail Bar & three course
70’s supper with fab, live band,
loads of singing and dancing.
Prizes for most promising rockers in
dress, dance, song & air guitar solo!
There will be a licensed bar.
Please book tickets/tables, well in
advance from Wendy on
01404 881207 or wvdp3@talktalk.net
Tickets £12.50
Please note: tickets will be for sale at
‘A Taste of Christmas’: what a brilliant
present!
Mo-Bros Storm School
Fund-raising for Testicular and Prostate
Cancer, ten Woodroffe staff members
are participating in Movember – a
month long moustache-growing
extravaganza. Starting on 1 st November
the ten volunteers including Mr Vine, Mr
Goodrick, Mr Greenhough, Mr Sloan, Mr
Weaver, Mr Cullimore, Mr Harrison, Mr
Wickins, Mr Mould and Mr Holding have
become Woodroffe’s resident Mo-Bros.
The funds raised in the UK are
directed to programmes run directly
by Movember including The Prostate
Cancer Charity and the Institute of
Cancer Research. The Mo-Bros would
greatly appreciate your support, please
donate at https://www.movember.com/
uk/donate/your-details/team_id/210910
Look out for the final Mo-Bro
Moustaches in the next edition of Rough
Notes.
School dates for your diary:
News
from
the
PTA
The Woodroffe School is a hive of
activity this term; here are just some
of the things coming up in the next
month or so:
25 th November
Year 9 Blitz Roadshow
25 th November
PTA Disco for Years 7, 8, 9
29 th November
Sixth Form Launch Evening
1-2 nd December
A2 Drama Performances
2 nd December
PTA Taste of Christmas
14 th December
Year 7 Pantomime Trip
14 th December
UCAS Applications Deadline
15 th December
School Carol Concert

notes
November 2011
NEWS FROM WOODROFFE
Printed locally by Creeds - 01308 423 411