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Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

What an extraordinary week at Willingdon.

Our Year 10 team triumphed in the Digital Futures competition, winning the school final with their outstanding pitch for a revision app. Their prize includes £500 of I.T. equipment for the school and an incredible day of work experience with a CEO. Their professionalism, creativity and confidence were sensational. I could not have been a prouder Headteacher watching them shine.

Our Lower School Prize Evening was equally inspiring. The musical and poetry performances were breathtaking, showcasing the depth of talent we are so fortunate to have at Willingdon. Every performer brought energy, courage and heart to the stage.

We also celebrated our Year 11 leavers’ assembly this week. They were incredible in the hall and such a credit to our school. Their maturity, humour and togetherness made it a truly memorable occasion. A heartfelt thank you to Mr Cain and Ms Taylor for their exceptional leadership of this year group.

We were delighted to welcome Eddie the Eagle Edwards, the British ski jumper who became a global symbol of resilience and determination after competing in the 1988 Winter Olympics. His story of perseverance, pursuing his dream despite setbacks and long odds, makes him an inspiring figure for young people. Eddie spoke to Year 10 in the afternoon, sharing honest, humorous and motivating reflections on what it means to keep going when things get tough.

Finally, we are excited to announce the launch of our Willingdon Community Photography Competition, open to parents, carers and the wider community. Full details on how to enter can be found on our school website and in the Community Bulletin.

Wishing everyone a lovely weekend.

Kind regards,

Mrs May
Headteacher

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Polite Reminder

Second instalments for the trips below should now have been paid. If you have a Merlin/Membership Pass, please ensure you have entered the details onto ParentPay.

Thorpe Park

Chessington

Sealife Centre

Bushy Wood

Knockhatch

Drusillas

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Dear Parents/Carers,

Parent Forum

We are writing to invite you to our sixth Parent Forum this academic year.  These forums are a fantastic way to keep you updated with our school improvement plan and national educational policy.

Monday, 29th June 2026

6pm – 7pm - By Zoom

1.       SEND Changes

2.       AI

Please be reminded that these forums are not an occasion to discuss individual students. Please refer any individual issues to your child’s Coach or Head of Year.

If you would like to attend the above Zoom Parent Forum, please complete the below google form and a zoom code will be emailed to you.

Parent Forum - Monday 29th June 2026 at 6pm - SEND Changes and AI

If you are unable to attend this forum, we will place any relevant powerpoint slides on the school website for you to view.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs E May
Headteacher

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Dear Parents and Carers,

As we approach the end of the academic year, all Key Stage 3 students will be completing English and Maths assessments in the sports hall.

The purpose of these assessments is to give students experience of working in a formal exam environment, helping them become familiar with the expectations of sitting assessments in a large exam space. This is an important step in preparing them for their GCSEs in the coming years.

These assessments are a key part of the learning process. They allow us to assess students’ current understanding and to identify any support or adaptations that may be beneficial as they progress through the school.

Students will receive guidance from their teachers in advance, including information about what will be assessed and how best to prepare. Staff will also ensure that students understand the expectations and procedures for sitting assessments in the sports hall.

These assessments are designed to support learning rather than place pressure on students, and staff will guide them carefully through the process.

Teachers will provide feedback after the assessments so students can reflect on their strengths and next steps.

Any additional support for individual students will be considered carefully and communicated where appropriate.

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Changes to free school meal eligibility from September 2026

The government has announced that the eligibility criteria for free school meals, will change from 1 September 2026.

From that date students will be entitled to free school meals if their parents or carers receive any form of universal credit. However not all students who qualify for free school meals will be entitled to other associated school-related benefits (known as Pupil Premium funding).

Please apply now via the link to the East Sussex County Council portal if you believe you qualify. Free School Meals

Please note that if you are currently in receipt of free school meals, East Sussex County Council will be re-checking for eligibility under the new criteria, and you do not need to re-apply.

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Dear Parents and Carers,

It is now your turn! Please submit your entries by 5th July 2026.

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Students in Years 7 - 11

Are you interested in performing in Phoenix Festival this year, taking place on Monday 20th July. If the answer is yes, please complete the simple form below.

Phoenix Festival Google Form

Please note, this is a gauge of interest only form

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What an incredible evening at the Digital Futures Showcase!

Our talented Year 10 Digital Futures team, Charlie, Noah, Finn and Albin, have achieved an outstanding success, taking 1st place with their AI-powered GCSE revision app and earning a special Teamwork Commendation along the way!

The students developed an innovative app that creates personalised quizzes to support Year 11 students with their GCSE revision. Throughout the project, they researched, designed, tested and refined their product, showing resilience, creativity and professionalism at every stage.

We couldn't be prouder of the way they worked together, embracing each other's strengths, overcoming challenges and ensuring every voice was heard.

A huge thank you to ESCC Careers Team for providing this fantastic opportunity, to Mrs Harrison for her dedication and leadership throughout the project, and to Russ Miles for his invaluable mentorship and support. https://www.russmiles.com/

Most importantly, congratulations to our amazing students. Watching them present with such confidence and achieve this well-deserved success was truly inspiring.

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Chamber of Commerce

Another fantastic Breakfast took place yesterday at Hydro Hotel, Eastbourne , with our members enjoying lots of networking, a delicious breakfast and engaging guest speakers.

Mrs May & Mr Cain from Willingdon Community School delivered an insightful and important updates surrounding influences that the online world has on young people.

Discover more about the school by visiting https://willingdonschool.org.uk/

The next chamber breakfast will be our BIG Summer Breakfast, taking place at Bistrot Pierre - Eastbourne , Tuesday 30th June 2026 @ 08:00 - 10:00.

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I would like to recognise and celebrate the dedication of all our Year 11 students who have attended each GCSE exam. You have shown resilience, determination and you are setting yourselves up for a successful life beyond Willingdon.

At the same time, I am seeing an increase in students arriving late to school. Punctuality is a key expectation and plays an important role in setting students up for a successful day of learning.

As we transition into the next academic year, it is essential that we continue to maintain high standards of attendance. Research consistently shows that strong attendance is closely linked to positive academic outcomes, progress, and wellbeing.

Finally, we are pleased to share that over 370 students achieved 100% attendance last term. Congratulations to all these students and thank you to our parents and carers for your continued support in helping us maintain high expectations around attendance and punctuality.

Mrs Holden

Attendance Manager

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Year 7 Literacy in Coaching Time

This Wednesday’s session focused on assigning lines and annotating them. Students drew an arrow to remind them to look up and underlined words to emphasise. All students were allocated parts on Wednesday that they need to rehearse ready for their presentation. A copy of the text is on Edulink for students to rehearse outside of lessons.

Top tip: Try saying your lines out loud at home in different ways to help you to remember them. Try a loud voice, a whisper voice, slow pace, fast pace. Check your voice is clear.

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Year 7 students in Gold Reader Club are working really hard. Some students have already earnt their first gold stars by completing extra reading and on Thursday our first student reached two gold stars. Excellent work.

The students involved need to earn their Gold Reader pass on or before 9am on Monday 29 June.

Top tip: Support students to complete a few minutes of Sparx Reader every day to earn points regularly. Follow their Gold Reader pass progress by checking the home screen on Sparx Reader when students log in.

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Sparx Reader Deadline is Monday

Parents receive email updates from Sparx Reader on Saturdays. Please use these to check if careful reading has been completed.

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KS3 Reading Comprehension Assessment

This assessment will take place at the end of June. Regular careful reading will help students to be confident and resilient when completing this assessment. Sparx Reader work will help students to prepare for this assessment.

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Coming up Author Visit by Anthony McGowan

In July, students in Years 7, 8, and 9 will take part in an author visit by Anthony McGowan, Head down to the library to borrow one of his books before the event. Great to see students reading and borrowing these books.

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Reading in Year 7 Coaching Time

Well done to 7CFA, 7EGA, and 7SPA who all logged their class reading on the year group library this week.

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Poetry by Heart Grande Finale

Well done to the Year 9 students who are going to the Grande Finale at the Globe Theatre in London to either perform or support. It is fantastic to see the students rehearsing with dedication and empathy. Further opportunities are available, for students who will be in KS4 in September, to take part in the Eastbourne Literary Festival Poetry by Heart Competition. More details to come.

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15/6/26

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REMINDER FOR OUR YEAR 7 - 9s - Thailand opportunity - March 2028

Representatives from the company will be attending an information evening for parents, carers, and students on Wednesday 17th June at 5:30pm at the school, where further details about the trip, itinerary, costs, and expectations will be shared.

If your child is interested in attending, and you have not already completed the the Google Form, link below, please do so at your earliest convenience.

Thailand - Google Form

Please also see rough guide above, outlining some of the activities and experiences included within the trip. Click on the image to open the PDF.

Kind regards,

Mr Roche

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tcain@willingdonschool.org.uk

pastoral-11@willingdonschool.org.uk

Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

WHAT A DAY! We had a great time on Friday morning, giving students a great send off for their Leavers Assembly. We hope they loved the awards, the staff video and the trip down memory lane as we looked back fondly on memories of their time in the school. This, for some, was a real tear jerker as we showed images from their Primary School transition days, all the way through to their final few weeks in Year 11.

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We now have the final few exams for next week, taking place on the following days:

Monday, 15th June 8.45am – Physics Paper 2

Monday, 15th June 1pm – Further Maths Paper 2

Tuesday, 16th June 8.45am – Spanish Reading

Wednesday, 17th June 8.45am – Spanish Writing

Once the exams are completed, we then turn our attention to the Year 11 Prom. As a reminder, this is due to take place at the Cavendish Hotel on Friday, 3rd July.

Please keep an eye out for your emails, as Mr Cain will be sending our final arrangements for the evening as/when they are made.

The Year 11 Team

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Dear Student/Parent/Carer,

On Thursday 20th August 2026, GCSE results are released and we will be distributing our student results in the School Hall between 10.00am and 12 noon.

A small number of staff will be on hand to give out the envelopes with the results and also answer, as best as we can, any queries you may have.  If you have purchased a Yearbook, these will also be available to collect on the day.

If students are unable to collect the results personally, they may nominate someone else to collect on their behalf. They will need to send an email to exams@willingdonschool.org.uk from their personal school email address, or send in a signed letter of authority by 17th August 2026, with the name of their nominated person. The nominated person will also need to bring photo ID with them on results day in order to pick up the students’ results.

All exam boards have a system of post-results services. This can take the form of a clerical check, a review of marking of an examination script or the review of moderation of coursework. These are the various processes by which students can verify that their examination work has been marked accurately. Willingdon Community School follows all procedures identified in the latest version of the JCQ publication Post-Results Services. Please refer to the information that will be made available on the school website, it will detail key dates and fees associated with the different post-result services available.

You will find all of our exam’s information and procedures on the school website https://willingdonschool.org.uk/our-school/gcse-exam-results

Should you have any queries regarding any of the above please contact us on:

Exams@willingdonschool.org.uk

Yours faithfully,

Gina Foulkes Halbard and Mr Dubas-Fisher

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Year 11 Yearbook 2026 - Google Forms

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lgordon@willingdonschool.org.uk

pastoral-10@willingdonschool.org.uk

Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

Well done to Year 10 for another successful week at school.

Our focus this week during assembly and coaching time has been the development of Artificial Intelligence. Students expanded their understanding of AI and its role in education through an informative assembly delivered by Mr Dubas-Fisher. During coaching sessions, students participated in further discussions and explored how AI may be used in schools and future careers. It has been fantastic to see students engaging thoughtfully with a topic that is becoming increasingly important in modern society.

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On Thursday, we were extremely fortunate to welcome former British ski jumper Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards to our school. Eddie delivered a motivational talk to the entire Year 10 cohort, sharing his remarkable journey and the ambition, resilience, and determination that enabled him to achieve his goals. His presentation was both inspirational and captivating, holding the attention of the whole year group throughout. We hope that students will take inspiration from his message and continue to demonstrate ambition and determination in their learning as they work towards their own long term goals.

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We would also like to congratulate our Year 10 students who have been participating in the Digital Futures Project. A team of six students have dedicated both lesson time and lunchtimes to developing a GCSE revision app, an outstanding achievement in itself. On Wednesday, the team attended an event where they pitched their project against entries from a number of other schools. The standard of competition was exceptionally high, making it even more impressive that Willingdon progressed to the final two schools and ultimately secured first place. This is a fantastic accomplishment, and we are incredibly proud of all the students involved.

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Looking ahead, we have arranged for Oliver Marlow from Eastbourne College to visit Willingdon on Friday, 19th June at 8:30am. Oliver will be sharing information about the scholarships and bursaries available at Eastbourne College and the application process for interested students. If your child would like to attend, please encourage them to speak to Mr Gordon.

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It has been a pleasure to visit Year 10 lessons this week and observe the excellent work taking place across the year group. Students have been focused, engaged, and working hard in their lessons. In particular, I would like to commend our Design Technology and Music students, who have shown great ambition and commitment while working on their coursework projects.

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Well done to 10PHI coaching group for winning this week’s Sparx Maths homework competition this week with 10AME and 10GEL close behind in 2nd and 10ARA in 3rd place! 77% of the 10PHI coaching group achieving 100% with their Maths homework and were enjoying this week’s biscuits when I visited their coaching group on Wednesday.

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A reminder that Year 10 students need to book on to an activity for our Activity Day on Tuesday 21st July if they haven’t already. If your child hasn’t booked on to an activity, please access ParentPay to book which include free activities. The Activity Day booklet can be accessed on the school website.

Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to another positive and productive week ahead.

The Year 10 Team

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Mr Keast & Mr Scowen - Joint Head of Year 9

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lkeast@willingdonschool.org.uk

dscwowen@willingdonschool.org.uk

pastoral-9@willingdonschool.org.uk

Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and Mrs Taylor as members of the Year Team, as we form what we believe is a very strong team with Mr Keast. We are very much looking forward to working closely with you, building a strong partnership to support your child as they transition into Key Stage 4. This is an important stage in their education, and by working together we can ensure they feel confident, supported, and prepared for the challenges ahead.

We have been incredibly impressed with the attitude of our students this week. They have approached their learning with positivity and maturity, which is a fantastic foundation as they begin this next phase of their school journey. You should have received their option choices for next year last week so if there are any questions regarding these, please do contact us. Our focus as a year group is on encouraging every student to always be the best version of themselves, both in their academic work and in their conduct around the school. A key part of achieving success at KS4 is strong attendance. Consistent attendance maximises learning opportunities and has a direct impact on outcomes. We will continue to emphasise this with students and appreciate your support in ensuring your child attends school regularly and punctually.

Finally, I would like to thank you for your ongoing support. It makes a real difference, and we value the role you play in your child’s education.

Mr Scowen

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aroche@willingdonschool.org.uk

pastoral-8@willingdonschool.org.uk

Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

As we approach our third week, I would like to once again thank you for your continued support. Year 8 students are making great progress in lessons and are consistently demonstrating our Personal Excellence values across the school.

Attendance has improved slightly from last week, which is fantastic news, reaching 95% overall. A huge congratulations goes to 8NWE, who achieved an outstanding attendance figure of 97.3% last week. This is an excellent achievement and sets a fantastic standard for the year group. As promised, biscuits will be making their way to the tutor group!

I would also like to recognise those students who achieved the highest number of positive points last week. Congratulations to:

Leighton P

Evelynn G

Georgina K

Suki L

All four students achieved in excess of 35 positive points during the week. This is a tremendous achievement and a reflection of their hard work and positive attitude. Well done, your chocolates will be on their way to you shortly!

A special mention must go to Jade K for her fundraising efforts in support of St Wilfrid’s Hospice. Last week, Jade took part in the Rainbow Run, raising much needed funds for this wonderful local charity. An amazing achievement and, judging by the photographs, it looked like great fun too!

This leads me to a small request. If your child participates in any activities, competitions, performances, fundraising events, sporting achievements, or other successes outside of school, please do send me photographs and information. We love celebrating our students’ achievements both inside and outside the classroom and sharing these successes with our wider school community.

Looking ahead, we have a busy week planned. On Tuesday, 50 of our students will be visiting Brighton University to take part in a taster session, exploring future educational opportunities and pathways. I am sure they will have a fantastic and inspiring experience.

A reminder regarding Activities Day, which will take place on Tuesday 21st July. We still have a number of students who have not yet made their activity selections. It is important that all students sign up as soon as possible. There are still spaces available on a number of activities, including:

Film Club

School Sports Activities

Carousel Activities

Dover Castle Visit

Students who have not made a selection by the end of the week will be allocated an activity.

Finally, I would like to remind families about the Thailand trip 2028 Information Evening. At 5:30pm on Wednesday 17th June, we will be welcoming a representative from Projects Abroad, the organisation supporting our trip. They will provide information about the opportunities available to students, while I will discuss participation requirements and projected costs. We are very excited about this opportunity and look forward to sharing more details with you.

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend. Enjoy the sunshine and make the most of the fine weather forecast.

Kind regards,

The Year 8 Team

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Please be aware that the upcoming end of year assessment for Year 8 on the 23rd June requires students to have a calculator. Please ensure Year 8 students bring a calculator to school for that date.

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Mrs Naylor & Mrs Muller - Joint Head of Year 7

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lnaylor@willingdonschool.org.uk

pmuller@willingdonschool.org.uk

pastoral-7@willingdonschool.org.uk

Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

Well done to Sophia B for completing the rainbow run for St Wilfrid's hospice! She did a fantastic job despite the cold and wet conditions!

A huge well done too to Louie and James T who played in the District Schools final last week for South East Sussex, winning 2-1!

We love to hear about any activities the students get up to outside school, so please keep letting us know!

Activity Day is fast approaching, so please can you ensure you have booked your child onto an activity, even the free ones in school need places to be secured! If you have any issues please contact your child's coach in the first instance.

Have a lovely weekend.

The Year 7 Team