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Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

As we approach the final week of this half term, I wanted to share a brief update on what’s been happening in school and what’s ahead.

Staffing & September Planning This is a busy period for leadership as we finalise our staffing structure and timetable for September. We’re pleased that staff movement is minimal, which reflects the strong culture at Willingdon. We will update you soon on any changes and new colleagues joining us.

GCSEs & Year 11 Attendance GCSE exams have stepped up significantly this week across a wide range of subjects. It is essential that Year 11 students attend all remaining lessons. These final sessions can make a real difference to grades, and we appreciate your support in ensuring students are in school.

Year 6 Home Visits Our transition visits for Year 6 families are well underway, with over 170 home visits requested. We are enjoying meeting our new cohort and beginning those important early relationships.

Rewards Afternoon Tea Over 70 parents and students joined us on Monday for our Rewards Afternoon Tea. Thank you for your positive feedback and constructive suggestions. We look forward to sharing how your comments will shape our next steps.

Attendance Attendance dipped slightly this week. With a holiday approaching, we ask for full attendance next week, including the full day on Friday. Every lesson counts, both academically and socially, and we appreciate your continued partnership.

Wellbeing & Attendance Coffee Morning Thank you to those who attended. These conversations help us support families without judgement. If you’re finding attendance a challenge, please reach out, we’re here to help.

Year 10 Trips & Work Experience Year 10 students visited Oxford University and Williams F1 this week and I hope they all had a fantastic time.

Next week, they begin their work experience, and myself, Mr Cain and Mr Gordon will be the core team visiting as many placements as possible.  Mr Osborne, Mrs Barber and Mrs Rooney will also be visiting students.  Seeing students in these environments helps us understand their aspirations as they move toward Year 11.

Parent Focus Group – Behaviour Our next Parent Focus Group is on Thursday, 21st May 3:30–4:30pm, focusing on behaviour. Your views directly inform our policy development, so we encourage you to attend if you can.

Inset Days 2026–27 We are proposing two Inset days immediately before the October half term to support families seeking more affordable travel options. We have also put in a provisional sixth day in the summer which we are requesting to the County Council to support staff training, linked to the new White Paper and SEND expectations.  We will release the proposed dates next week.

Wishing you a lovely weekend, just one more week until the half term break!

Warm regards,

Mrs May
Headteacher

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Online Safety Update – Omoggle

We have recently been made aware of a website called Omoggle, an anonymous video chat platform where users are paired with strangers and rated on their appearance using AI technology. The site has become popular through social media platforms such as TikTok and Twitch.

The anonymous and unmoderated nature of the platform raises significant safeguarding concerns. Young people may be exposed to harmful content, negative comments about appearance, bullying, and unhealthy body image pressures. There are also concerns about links between “mogging” culture and harmful online communities.

The site has now been added to our school filtering system, but we encourage parents and carers to remain aware of the platform and to speak with their children about safe and respectful online behaviour.

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Sparx Reader Deadline is Monday

A reminder to KS3 students that the Sparx Reader deadline is always on Monday. Parents receive an email update on Saturdays from Sparx Reader. Check this to see if homework has been completed. Students have a whole week to complete their careful reading. Students should click ‘catch up on previous’ if they have missed a session. Remember: careful reading builds resilience and understanding.

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KS3 Students #inmyshoesWCS Deadline Tuesday 19 May

This term’s #inmyshoesWCS reading challenge is focusing on the theme of moments of sadness. Students are supported by termly reading conversations in their weekly reading for pleasure lessons. See Edulink for further details.

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Year 7 Literacy in Coaching Time

This Wednesday’s session focused finding evidence to support our ideas.

Challenge yourself: Look out for moments to find evidence in your science lesson this week.

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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.

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Reading in Year 7 Coaching Time

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

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Year 9 Macbeth on Sparx Reader

Looking for ways to revise for your Macbeth assessment? Try reading Macbeth on Sparx Reader. It will help you to find useful quotations. 125 students have already begun this challenge.

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Our Year 9 Duke of Edinburgh group met again this week to find a fantastic surprise delivery from one of our local businesses keen to support our students on their upcoming expedition.  They were given free products to keep their kit, and clothes waterproof as well as dry bags and they were delighted to get them.  Thank you so much to Nikwax for their support and their generosity.  It's wonderful when the community recognised the effort of our young people and they are most grateful.

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All students aged 11-14 are welcome to apply.  Please contact lcollins@willingdonschool.org.uk if you would like to put your name forward for election to the East Sussex Youth Voice Group.

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School in a Bag

Year 7 have been studying ‘The Playground’ by Beverley Naidoo focussing on South Africa through the transition from Apartheid. Discussions have taken place regarding the differences in education around the world. As part of this unit of study, we would like to support the charity School in a Bag, who are a UK based charity providing essential resources to disadvantaged children around the world. For full details, please visit their website: https://www.schoolinabag.org/

How can you help?

If you are able to make a donation, however big or small, ParentPay is open until Friday 22nd May.

Thank you for your generosity.

The English Department

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Invitation to join our Parent Focus Group on Thursday, 21st May at 3.30pm-4.30pm

Dear Parents and Carers,

We would like to invite you to join our upcoming Parent Focus Group on Thursday, 21st May, from 3.30pm to 4.30pm.

The session will focus on behaviour and the ongoing update of our Behaviour for Learning policy. Your insights and experiences are incredibly valuable, and your participation will help us shape a policy that supports all students effectively.

The meeting will take place at the school with Mr Cain and Mr Scowen, Assistant Headteachers who lead behaviour, and we hope you will be able to attend and contribute to this important discussion.

If you would like to attend, please email my PA Mrs Tomalin at stomalin@willingdonschool.org.uk

Thank you for your continued support and partnership.

Warm regards,

Mrs May

Headteacher

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Parent Tours during the school day 2026

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tcain@willingdonschool.org.uk

pastoral-11@willingdonschool.org.uk

Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

Wow, what a week!

Our Year 11 students have really applied themselves brilliantly to their GCSE exams and have worked incredibly hard throughout the week and the exam process so far. It has been lovely to see students largely leaving exams in good spirits and, hopefully, taking confidence day by day as they move from one exam to the next.

Since the start of the exam series, students have now completed a wide range of subjects and 17 exams in total.

They should feel incredibly proud of what they have achieved so far. The Invigilators and Exams Team have also passed on their praise regarding students’ maturity and conduct throughout the exam period, and we are hopeful to see this continue over the coming weeks.

Please see below for the exams taking place next week, including the dates and start times.

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We would also like to remind parents, carers and students that the Year 11 Prom letter was emailed out last week. Please refer to that email for all of the details regarding the event. Once payment has been made on ParentPay, please ensure that the accompanying Google Form is completed so that we have a record of any allergies, dietary requirements, menu choices and seating arrangements for the evening:

https://forms.gle/mAsdkX3UsM9jAiu36

We are continuing to make plans for both the Student Leavers’ Assembly on Friday 12th June and the Year 11 Prom. As a result, we are really asking students to continue making the right choices in school and to attend all lessons when they are not in an exam, allowing staff the time to fully support with this process.

Although some students may prefer to revise independently for upcoming exams, staff are extremely keen to continue working with students and are on hand to provide valuable support, resources and revision materials that students can use both in school and at home. Therefore, it is really important that, if students are not in an exam, they are attending their timetabled lessons and making the most of the support available from subject specialists during these final days and weeks.

Over the weekend, we hope students are able to find a healthy balance between revision, work and rest. As always, if you have any concerns at all, please do get in touch so that we can support and address them.

Enjoy your weekend when it arrives.

The Year 11 Team

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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,

It has been a very busy and successful week for Year 10, with a wide range of exciting opportunities and events taking place across the year group.

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A group of 40 students attended a two day trip to the Williams F1 STEM Experience alongside a visit to Oxford. Students represented the school brilliantly throughout the trip and gained valuable insight into careers in STEM, engineering, and innovation.

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We have also had students competing in the Eastbourne Young Chef competition, showcasing their creativity, skill, and determination. In addition, our Year 10 Student Leaders have been confidently delivering assemblies to students in Years 7–9, demonstrating excellent leadership and communication skills.

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This week’s coaching time and assembly programme has focused on Mental Health Awareness and Work Experience. Students explored a range of strategies to support positive mental health and wellbeing, while also reflecting on the importance of considering and supporting the mental health of others within our school community.

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We are very much looking forward to the year group beginning their work experience placements next week and are excited to visit students in their workplaces throughout the week. We hope this experience will provide valuable insight into the world of work and help students continue to develop their confidence, independence, and future aspirations.

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Many congratulations to Mia L and Amie C from Year 10, who will be representing Willingdon Community School in June at the Eastbourne Young Chef Competition Final. Executive Head Chef from The Grand Hotel Eastbourne, Hrvoje Loncarevic, and his Sous Chef, Catalin-Ana, were greatly impressed by the overall standard and range of dishes produced by our students.

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We would like to invite you to our Year 10 positive progress evening on Thursday 4th June, from 3:15pm to 6:15pm. This evening provides an important opportunity to discuss your child’s progress, wellbeing, and experiences so far this year. It is also a valuable chance to strengthen the partnership between home and school in supporting your child’s personal and academic development.

Appointments will be available to book via Edulink One from Monday 18th May at 6:00pm. A short guide on how to make a booking can be found here: https://youtu.be/d99kiS3BLWw?si=CNtu7xAZRtHRpmFM

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A reminder for Year 10 students to book on to an activity for our Activity Day on Tuesday 21st July. 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 https://willingdonschool.org.uk/key-information/our-letters.

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Well done to the students that were awarded with “Treats with the Team” this week. As always, it was an absolute pleasure to spend time with the students and give them well deserved recognition for the hard work and ambition they continually demonstrate at school.

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Well done to 10AME coaching group for winning this week’s Sparx Maths homework competition this week with 10PHI close behind in 2nd and 10DLE in 3rd place! 65% of the 10AME coaching group achieving 100% with their Maths homework and were enjoying this week’s biscuits when I visited their coaching group on Wednesday.

Thank you to all parents and carers for your continued support.

The Year 10 Team

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Dear Parents/Carers,

Year 10 Taster Days - REMINDER

Please see the details regarding the upcoming Year 10 college and sixth form taster days taking place in June and July. These visits allow students to spend a day at a post‑16 provider and explore potential subjects that they may be interested in studying after Year 11.

Students may select one taster day and book using the links below:

East Sussex College Group - Deadline Friday 5th June

Year 10 Taster Days - ESCG

Seaford Head Sixth Form

clarecallard@seafordhead.org

Plumpton College - Deadline Monday 22nd June

Y10 Plumpton College Taster Day - 29th June

Y10 Plumpton College Taster Day - 6th July

DV8 Sussex - Brighton & Bexhill

Y10 Taster Event - DV8 Sussex

Bexhill College - Deadline Friday 5th June

Y10 Taster Day - Bexhill College

BACA (Brighton Aldridge Community Academy - Deadline Friday 3rd July

Y10 Taster Day - BACA

Once you have selected a taster day, please register via Edulink to confirm that your child will be attending and therefore absent from school on that date.

There will be further opportunities later in the year to attend college open evenings with your child. We will share details in the community bulletin and on our social media channels once they are available.

Please note that Willingdon Community School does not provide transport for taster days and students will need to make their own way to and from the college.

If you have any questions, or would like information about a college not listed above, please contact me on 01323 485254 ext 281 or email.

srooney@willingdonschool.org.uk.

Best wishes,

Sarah Rooney

Careers Adviser

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Mr Keast and Ms Johnson - Joint Head of Year 9

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lkeast@willingdonschool.org.uk

cjohnson@willingdonschool.org.uk

pastoral-9@willingdonschool.org.uk

Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

A huge congratulations to 9BMA for achieving the highest attendance in Year 9 this week, a fantastic effort and a great example of commitment and consistency.

Well done also to 9CFR for continuing to lead the year group in Sparx Maths. Your hard work and dedication are really paying off, keep it up!

This week, our coach time and assembly focus has been on mental health as part of Mental Health Awareness Week.

This is a very important subject, especially as we begin to look ahead towards KS4. Looking after your mental wellbeing is just as important as looking after your physical health, and knowing how to manage stress, talk to others, and maintain balance will help you both in and out of school.

As part of this week’s focus, during Friday’s coaching session students will be taking part in a wellbeing walk, an opportunity to get outside into the fresh air, spend time away from screens and classrooms, and enjoy chatting with friends.

A number of learning walks have been carried out this week and it has been fantastic to see the commitment that the year group are continuing to show and their on-going engagement in learning, well done Year 9.

As we head to the summer half term we are very aware that students are beginning to tire but could we ask for a huge push in attendance for the final week. It  is concerning  to see attendance dropping below 93% on consecutive days this week.

Finally,  congratulations to Aeryn N, who is currently rehearsing for an upcoming production at the beginning of June called Eastbourne Soup, with four performances taking place at the Winter Gardens.

This is an incredible community-based play written by local writer Suzi Hopkins, inspired by the stories and history of Eastbourne.

Aeryn successfully secured a lead role, playing Jo, and has been rehearsing up to three times a week since February. It would be lovely if some of the year group wanted to attend and support her.

Have a lovely weekend.

The Year 9 Team

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Superb Stretch & Challenge work from Year 9 student Faye who has been researching the costs of fast fashion and whether consumers or companies bear the greatest responsibility for change.

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aroche@willingdonschool.org.uk

pastoral-8@willingdonschool.org.uk

Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

As we approach our final week before a well deserved half term break, I would like to take this opportunity, on behalf of myself and Miss Turner, to thank you for the continued support you provide to our current Year 8 students.

Behaviour in lessons and around the school continues to be excellent and this is regularly demonstrated through our Personal Excellence Values whenever we visit classrooms and learning spaces. We are also very pleased that Year 8 attendance currently stands at a strong 95%. Whilst this is very positive, there is always room for improvement, and we would greatly appreciate your continued support as we move into Term 6 in ensuring students attend school as consistently as possible.

This week, students have taken part in a variety of excellent opportunities beyond the classroom. I was especially pleased to see a group of Year 8 students attend a workplace visit through the Future Ready programme at Vincent Dance Theatre in Brighton. During the visit, students participated in Q&A sessions, hands on craft activities and a movement workshop. Staff at the venue were full of praise for our students, commenting on how polite, engaged and enthusiastic they were throughout the morning. It was fantastic to see them represent themselves, their famlies and the school so positively. Please see the attached photographs from the visit.

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We also have an exciting opportunity for students to visit Brighton University on the 16th June. There are currently 45 places available, so if your child would like to attend, please ensure you sign up as soon as possible.

Congratulations also go to our top attendance coaching group this week, 9SMI, who achieved an outstanding 97% attendance. Well done, biscuits will be coming your way!

In addition, students receiving rewards for the highest achievement points this week are:

Isabella P

Freddie D

Joshua B

Georgina K

Well done to all of you. Your hard work and positive contributions do not go unnoticed, and some chocolate treats will be coming your way shortly.

A reminder to all parents and carers that we have currently only had around 150 students sign up for Activities Day during the final week of the summer term. Please remember that this remains a normal school day and students are expected to attend school. We would therefore ask all families to ensure an activity has been selected.

I appreciate there has been some disappointment that places for Chessington have now been filled. I am currently exploring the possibility of hiring an additional coach, which may allow us to offer a small number of extra spaces.

Nevertheless, these activity days can only run successfully when students are in attendance and engaged with the opportunities available.

I would also like to remind all families that we are a nut free school. We have students with severe nut allergies and therefore no nut products should be brought onto the school site. Exposure could lead to extremely serious allergic reactions for some students, and we greatly appreciate your cooperation and understanding with this important matter.

As the weather becomes warmer moving into the final summer term, please can we also ensure students are wearing the correct uniform. We have recently noticed an increase in students wearing black trainers. Please remember that black trainers are not part of the school uniform on non PE days. Students should instead wear black leather style school shoes. Examples of suitable footwear can be found on the school website.

Additionally, as temperatures rise, students should no longer be wearing school jumpers and should attend in their shirt and blazer only.

Finally, we will be introducing the new phone pouches from next term. Please can I encourage all parents to ensure these have been purchased ready for the start of Term 6 so that the transition can run smoothly. Students who do not have a pouch will still be required to hand their phones in to Student Support at the beginning of the day and collect them at the end of school, which may result in delays when leaving site.

Thank you once again for your continued support. We wish all families a fantastic weekend and look forward to celebrating students further during our final week of term with achievement and attendance rewards.

Kind regards,

The Year 8 Team

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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,

As part of mental health awareness week this week the Year 7s took part in a wellbeing walk around the fields during coaching time on Tuesday morning. Staff and students have commented on how much they enjoyed the walk and that they would like to make it a regular part of coaching time! We had lovely weather for the walk and students had the opportunity to catch up with their coaches and one another while making their way around the fields.

The Chef of the Year competition has been taking place over the last few weeks and two of our Year 7 students won!  The winners were Josephine P and Indira T, producing an excellent final dish of Salmon Teriyaki en Papillote with stir fry vegetables followed by a chocolate brownie with cream and a matcha side. A huge well done to both of you!

Have a lovely weekend.

The Year 7 Team

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Chef of the Year                               Wellbeing Walk

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Careers Posts

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Dear Parents and Carers,

We are pleased to share that Willingdon Community School will be hosting a Careers Event on Tuesday, 2nd June. This is an exciting opportunity for students to explore a wide range of post‑16 pathways and speak directly with further and higher education providers, as well as local employers.

Although the event is mainly aimed at Years 9 and 10, there will be an opportunity for all other year groups to visit the event during lunch time or after school.

We would also like to welcome parents and carers to attend, from 3.00 – 5.00 p.m., to explore the event with their child and speak with providers in more detail.

A fantastic range of further and higher education providers will be joining us, including:

Bexhill College

Brighton Aldridge Community Academy College (BACA)

Brighton, Hove & Sussex Sixth Form College (BHASVIC)

BN1 Arts

East Sussex College Group

Military Preparation College for Training (MPCT)

Plumpton College

Seaford Head Sixth Form

University of Brighton

In addition, we will be joined by representatives from:

The British Army

The NHS

Sussex Police

Hospitality and Construction sectors (to be confirmed)

This event forms an important part of our commitment to ensuring all students feel informed, confident, and inspired as they begin to consider their future pathways.

We look forward to welcoming you.

Kind regards,

Sarah Rooney

Careers Adviser

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Community Posts

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Volunteer with CWCF

Fundraising Events

Eastbourne Beacon M and S

Bag packing

Saturday 13th June - 10:00am to 2:00pm

We need more volunteers at the M and S checkouts in Eastbourne Town centre to help customers pack their shopping, and take donations using our buckets.

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Midsummer Magic Festival - East Hoathly

Stall

Saturday 13th June - 2:00pm onwards

We are looking for volunteers and at least 1 van driver to run our stall at the music and beer festival in East Hoathly.

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Knockhatch Adventure Park

Teddy Bear Tombola Stall

Sunday 21st June - 9:30am to 4:00pm

We are looking for  additional volunteers to set up the stall and help run the tombola.

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Flaming Fun Day at Western Road Rec. Ground

Hook a duck - games stall

Sunday 28th June - 10:00am to 5:00pm

We need volunteers and a van driver to set up, take down and run the hook a duck stall.

Sovereign Lodge Summer Fete

Table sale

Saturday 4th July - 10:00am to 4:00pm

We need another volunteer to support the smooth running of our table sale and greet residents.

East Dean Village Green summer fete

Games stall

Saturday 13th June - 11:30am to 5:00pm

We would like two additional volunteers to engage with passers by at our games stall in East Dean.

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Sponsor a wish.

Could you raise £300 for Children with Cancer Fund?

We are looking for fundraising hosts to represent our charity at their own event.

We are here to support you with your event, and as a thank you, you will receive a ‘sponsor a wish’ pack upon completion.

https://www.childrenwithcancerfund.org.uk/sponsor-a-wish-form

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Running for CWCF.

Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th October.

Would you like to participate in the Beachy Head running weekend?

A selection of races take place, including the marathon, half marathon and 10k.

You can sign up for your place

https://beachyheadmarathon.eventrac.co.uk/e/beachy-head-marathon-weekend-12370.

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This online workshop takes place on Thursday 28th May from 8pm - 9pm (on Zoom). This workshop is free of charge. If you attend the workshop, you will also be invited to a free online Q&A session on Tuesday evening 2nd June from 7 - 8.30pm.

You are invited to bring your questions, thoughts or feelings and we look forward to helping you.

We have 100 places on this workshop. To book a place you send an email to team@youarenotalone.community to request the Zoom link.

You will receive the Zoom link the night before the workshop takes place.

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28th MAY - MAY HALF-TERM NETBALL CAMP CONFIRMED

Camps are designed for players who want more than just a regular session.... with the extended time on course, we get into the detail through fun and engaging practices. Focused skill breakdowns and tactical understanding are built into every practice throughout the session. It's a great opportunity for players to have more contact time with coaches to support them in their netball development. Players will have the opportunity to refine technique, improve decision-making, and grow their confidence in game situations.

The focus is on individual player development, which then weave in to team tactics and set plays.

Led by experienced, qualified coaching team, camps offer a structured, high-quality environment where coaching teams strike the right balance of player development, along with having fun and enjoying playing the game.

BOOK ON USING THIS LINK:
https://forms.office.com/r/8P0F8YLC3R