Blog week ending 21st July - WGSB

We are no strangers to celebration!  At WGSB we have a deep-rooted and proud school culture of equality and diversity and on Thursday we came together wearing clothes, carrying flags and accessories that expressed our individual cultural identities and heritage, but collectively, celebrated the amazing riches of our shared WGSB community.  Thank you to our Equality, Diversity and Identity Student Leadership Ambassadors who conceived and promoted the day throughout the student body .. as you can see from the below photographs, it was a very special day indeed!

STEAM week (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics skills) was a fitting, and amazing culmination of our academic year!  Across our school students were utterly engaged in a programme of stimulating enrichment activities designed to enhance learning and encourage students’ natural talents and interests to flourish.  This year all activities across the week were linked by the theme, PAST, PRESENT and FUTURE.  The students’ response to each and every one of the activities has been remarkable – the level of engagement, teamwork and critical thinking has resulted in a hugely valuable and enjoyable experience for all students and staff.  Students created a WGSG ‘Great Exhibition’ of their work to share with the whole school community. 

Our Year 7s took part in workshops and activities that included; Dr Who, geocaching, model railways, puppet making. Scientific experiments, sci-fi writing and (pictured below) graphic novels!

Year 7 budding filmmakers, actors and writers worked with Media Studies teacher, Mr Robinson and Year 12 students to produce an extra-special WGSB Dr Who time travelling episode!  The group worked together to brainstorm the plot lines before allocating roles of Director, Writer, Camera Operator, Designer, Actors and Editors.  The finished blockbuster film was premiered at our WGSB ‘Great Exhibition’ to rave reviews and thunderous applause!  

Year 7 proved to be avid railway modellers!  In groups, students planned and made their own railway lines with the associated stations, station buildings, scenery and much more besides over the course of four and a half days.  It was a brilliantly immersive experience with students really considering the topography and design to create fabulously intricate and brilliantly model railways.  Dr Harris, alongside Mr Clark and Mr Dent ran the activity, with the help of members from the West Kingsdown and Orpington Modern Railway Clubs.  Thank you so much to those of you that donated railways equipment and trains to the project, including local company Rapido Trains and Bachmann – I can assure you – the students loved it .. and gained so much from the experience. 

Year 8 strategists and critical thinkers enjoyed mathematical puzzles, board games, computer games and VR sessions.  Students challenged each other .. and teachers from the Maths department to a range of games including chess, which was played 1,500 years ago(!) to bang up-to-date virtual reality games ..

Congratulations to each and every one of our 150 Year 9 intrepid Duke of Edinburgh participants – ALL of whom passed their qualifying expedition.  This is a magnificent achievement for the students (and staff!) involved.  The DofE assessors were impressed with the confident and capable manner in which our students approached the expedition, each thoroughly prepared and excited to get started!  Well done everyone!  Pictured, groups making final preparations prior to heading off!

Year 7 fired up their imagination and creative talents to make sci-fi puppets.  Using flexible willow sticks and tissue paper students made sculptural creations, each to their own unique design.  One student commented “through this process we built new relationships and learned to overcoming each other’s creative differences which made it challenging but a fun experience.”

Year 7 have been leaving a treasure trail of hidden caches at secret locations for other Geocachers to find!  Geocaching is a location-based activity where ‘players’ seek out other players caches using GPS (global positioning system).  Mr Palmer and his team had a brilliant time creating special caches to hide around Wilmington and up on the Heath.  Each cache contains a log book for other players to add an entry to prove they found it! 

Year 8 produced some dazzling cultural masks using papier-mâché for the base then decorating them using bold colours and designs for maximum dramatic impact!  Students learned about the rich history of mask-wearing (dating back to before we developed written language!) before creating one that either reflected them personally in terms of culture or interests or represented a specific era or fashion.

Year 8 Geographer's focussed on the Past, Present & Future of WGSB by researching, investigating and creating evidence of where WGSB came from and where it is going. We looked at our roots in the centre of Dartford as Dartford Technical College in the early 1900's, through to our move to Wilmington in 1949 and then to the present day. We looked at the changes in uniform, subjects, discipline and food amongst many other areas. We compared our school with a namesake in the United States and then looked to how we thought the school of the future would operate in terms of subjects, the use of AI, food and transport. The week culminated in a wonderfully diverse range or resources that informed and extended everyone's knowledge and an appreciation of how great a school was, is and will be.

Our Year 10 students have been undertaking Work Experience from the 10^th to 15^th July.  The scheme forms part of our Careers programme to provide practical workplace experience in sectors that interest them as they refine their choices for potential further education and career options.  Students secured placements in a wide range of industries and organisations including;

Office of the Rt Hon Jeremy Corbyn MP

Three-day Southampton University Learn with US Residential

Architecture, Property and Planning

Business and Finance sector

Hospitality and Tourism sector

Law firms

Medical/Pharmaceutical industry

Construction/Building engineering

Local primary schools

Additionally, 18 students attended Discovery Day projects with Ravensbourne University such as a TV & Film Production Workshop, 2-day Graphic Design Workshop and a 2-day Photography Workshop.  

Pictured, students’ photos from the stop-motion film and TV Production workshop

Picture of Beau W and Simi F, WGSB Year 10 students, with their groups whilst at ‘Learn with Us’ Residential at Southampton University.

A further nine of our Year 10 students joined a joint project with Ebbsfleet Corporation and Countryside – contributing their ideas and drawing draft plans to be considered for the new urban park in Ebbsfleet Garden City in Greenhithe.  Some of their work, and more details on the project were reported on Kent Online, the feature can be read by clicking here

Major Urban Park planned for Whitecliffe development at Ebbsfleet Garden City opposite Bluewater Shopping Centre (kentonline.co.uk)

Mrs Cast, Student Manager, Year 10 & 11 has been impressed by the professional and pro-active manner in which students approached their work experience.  Consequently, Mrs Cast has received lots of positive and hugely complementary comments from the workshops and employers including;

Diasorin – “Respectful and eager to engage with everything. It was a first for the company taking students as young as Year 10 but Alex and Mason left a great impression on all at the company, we will continue to offer Year 10 placements in the future.”

Hextable Primary – “Sol, Ronnie and Simmy worked well within their individual classrooms, engaged well with the children during social times, coordinating football matches etc, showing great leadership potential and communication skills. We were particularly pleased to have three young men who proved themselves to be excellent role models as primary schools are often more heavily female based.” 

“I just wanted to let you know what a pleasure it was to have Michael A K in the office this week. He picks up tasks very easily, has a great social manner and engaged with all members of staff well. He has a bright future ahead of him and our door will always remain open for any advice or assistance we can offer.”

Crockenhill Primary School – “Monty R – Led by example, behaviour management of his class was fantastic, he really shone”

Special mentions go to Lara Pool at Ebbsfleet Development Corporation and Tom Morrissey at Countryside, Sue Airlie at Diasorin, Preeti Uppal at Calfordseaden.  These companies went above and beyond putting together a bespoke Year 10 WEX programme – thank you!

WG6 Year 12 students have also been out on work experience undertaking a two-week placement to support their further pathway decisions highlights are:

• 2 students going to the Houses of Parliament
• 2 students attending university summer schools with Imperial College London (biomed) and York university (medicine) 
• Groups of students going to local companies who we are building a strong relationship with  
• Students on placement with 2 employers who came and spoke at our Careers Day.
• 23 students in construction / architecture companies
• 30 in finance and business companies
• 15 in hospitals / NHS
• 6 in law firms or with barristers

A number of our Year 12 students undertook their work experience in Wilmington Primary School, part of Endeavour MAT.  The students have been working with each year group teacher to support the lessons and provide one-to-one sessions where needed.  Our primary pupils really enjoyed having them in class and they made a positive impact on lessons.  In the below images the students were supporting Year 1 with mask making and Year 3 with ‘Golden Time’ activities.

Thank you to students and families who joined us for our Summer Fair.  It was lovely to see so many of you enjoying the day, and supporting our school.  Thank you to our incredible PFA who as always, dedicate so much time and effort to stage fun and entertaining events and schemes that add to our WGSB experience … and raise monies to fund new learning equipment and opportunities for our students.  Not entirely surprisingly Mr Powell’s army assault course proved incredibly popular, congratulations to our winners;

I am pleased to inform you that the WINNERS of the WGSB Army Assault Course for 2023 are; Noah Q of 7T, Nikita J of 7D, Macauley J of 7B and Corey of 8B

They won with a time of 9 mins 20 secs.  (They won by three seconds)

Jake L of 10S undertook an engineering project in addition to his school studies, working on it after school.  Jake tells us “ This is a 3d printed cupholder for the polestar 2 electric car. These were printed on the Prusa MINI+ in DT1. The cupholder is for my uncle who came to me saying that he could not hold his drink in the car and so he asked me if there was anything I could do for him. I told him that I would have a look and see what I could do. I looked around on the internet and found one which would work. I made a few alterations to the design using Fusion 360 CAD software and then got it ready to 3d print. I sliced them all up in the Prusa slicer which makes the files into a G-code which the printer can then read. I printed all the various parts very easily and the quality of the parts was incredible. Everything then got sent off to the client in Manchester. I got conformation of delivery and a photo of it being used and the client was incredibly happy with the cupholder.”  Well done Jake, very enterprising and an extremely competent engineering commission.

Please join me in congratulating Frankie C for his highly successful haul of trophies in the NATD Grand Finals.  Frankie tells us “over the weekend of the 8^th and 9^th of July, I participated in the NATD Ballroom and Latin Grand Finals which is a prestigious competition against the whole country and some from abroad too. I placed in ballroom 2^nd and 2^nd and in Latin placing 3^rd and 4^th with all my other events I reached the semi-finals where we were against the best of the best nationwide.”

Mr Baker and Mr Riches attended the CRY Event at Baldwyns Park on Saturday night. The event was hosted by Llara, Jack Thompson’s mum. Many of you will remember Jack who passed away whilst he was in Year 12 in 2014 following a sudden cardiac arrest. In the immediate years that followed, Mr Baker and Llara hosted numerous events alongside CRY such as cardiac screening days and charity football matches against Jack’s old club Hayden.

Mr Baker and Mr Riches were delighted to see so many of class of 2016. They are all doing well in a variety of careers with many of them working in finance in the city and some in leadership roles at the age of 25. They said a collective ‘hello’ to you all and were keen to visit at our next alumni event.

The PTA are indeed grateful for all your generous donations and numerous ways you have supported us since the beginning of the 2022/23 academic year. We are grateful for your responses to our various appeals and fundraising initiatives, which have been fantastic and really encouraging - thank you everyone!

For more information on how you can support the PTA, please contact pta@wgsb.co.uk .

PTA Summer Fair and Barbecue - Update

The PTA will like to say a HUGE thank you to all parents, carers, students, staff and friends of WGSB who supported our Summer Fair! Through your generosity, we raised £2,260 for our school which will be put into good use for the students.

Summer Fair Raffle Tickets - Update

Thank you to Everyone who purchased our Summer Fair raffle tickets. Congratulations to all our Summer Fair Raffle winners.

Joshua M 7T; Ethan A 7D; Xander P 9T; Ryan O 7B ; Shrutik G 9D; Jonathan W 7H; Noah P 8H; Inioluwa L 11S; Ethan A 7D; Conor McG 7N; Ishaan R 8N; Dylan F 9N; Luke H 8D; Guneet U 7S; Liam H 9T; Milan M 7B; Raphael S 9B; Charlotte G12B; Libby J 12B; Lucas D 7S; Jake L 10S; Kevin F 7D; Cameron W 10T; Joshua W 8T; Aayan T; Rosanna.

Please liaise with the school office to collect your prizes.

Pre-Loved Uniform - As we round up another successful academic year, please consider donating your unwanted/outgrown good quality clean school uniform (blazers, jumpers, PE kit) to the PTA pre-loved uniform shop. Just put them in a bag and drop off at the school office. A BIG thank you to all those who have kindly donated to our uniform shop this year.  Prices of pre-loved sportswear (PE/Rugby kits) for Years 7 - 9 have been reduced even further for a period of time - £1 per item. Please contact the pta@wgsb.co.uk for more information. This offer does not include boot bag*. You can’t afford to miss this great deal!

Forthcoming dates;

• First day of term – NEW Year 7 & 12 Monday 4^th September, ALL OTHER YEARS Tuesday 5^th September
• Next PTA AGM Meeting - Monday, 25^th September 6-7.30pm @ the School Hall (tbc)

Wishing you all the most relaxing and enjoyable summer break with friends and family.  Let’s hope the weather perks up a little in the UK for us all!

Best wishes,

Stuart Harrington

Head Teacher