It has been an incredibly busy and exciting week at school!

🌟 Highlights from This Week

Year 10: Fitness and Future Careers

On Wednesday, we were delighted to welcome the British Army to work with some of our Year 10 students. The day began with an informative assembly exploring career pathways, followed by high-energy, fitness-based sessions on the playground. It was fantastic to see the students engaging so positively and pushing themselves physically.

Dare to Dream Celebration

On Thursday, I had the pleasure of attending the Dare to Dream Programme Celebration Event at the Yacht Club with a group of our Year 7 and 10 students. I was amazed and humbled by the growth, confidence, and maturity our students have shown throughout this programme and the inspirational stories our Year 10s shared throughout the afternoon.  It was a wonderful way to mark their hard work.

Poetry by Heart Final

Our Year 9 students travelled to Gildredge House on Thursday for the Poetry by Heart Final. Our Chair of Governors was in attendance and was a judge and she had to work hard taking her Willingdon Chair of Governors hat off, so that she could be an impartial competition judge! Fortunately, Mike Dixon (the other judge) was there to help and they were both very impressed by our students' performances. Mrs Branson was absolutely "bowled over" by the beauty and poise of their performances.  Well done to everyone who participated!  Huge congratulations goes to two of our students who came away with 2 awards in the KS3 category, 1^st place went to Aaryan W and 3^rd place to Amy B!  Well done we are so proud of you!

Year 7 Parents’ Evening

Thank you to all the families who joined us on Thursday. It was great to discuss the fantastic progress our youngest students are making.  If you were unable to make the evening, or any teacher was absent, please do email the Year 7 pastoral team and relevant teachers for an update on your child's progress.

Comic Relief

On Friday, the school was a sea of colour as we held a non-uniform day in support of Comic Relief. Thank you for your donations to this important cause.

🗓️ Looking Ahead to next week

Tuesday, 24th March

• Valencia Trip Departs: We wish our students and staff a safe and exciting journey as they head off for their Spanish adventure!

• Year 6 Parent Welcome Evening (5:30pm): We look forward to welcoming our new Year 6 parents to the school for this introductory session to Willingdon.

Thursday, 26th March

• Parent Focus Group: AI in Education (9:00 am): We are hosting a discussion on our AI strategy and new policy. While our students are already eager to get involved, we are looking for more parent voices to join the conversation. We currently have two parents signed up and would love to increase that number.  If you are interested, please sign up via this google link; 

Parent Focus Group - AI - Thursday, 26th March 9-10am

On a final note, this year is the 70th birthday of the school, and we are in the midst of planning a number of celebrations, and we will be in touch after Easter with a series of events we are offering for our alumni, our current students and other stakeholders that have supported the school over the last 70 years! If you have any ideas of how we can celebrate this amazing event, please do email in. More information to follow.

Wishing you all a lovely sunny weekend, and we look forward to our last week of Term 4 before we break up for the Easter holidays on Friday, 27th March.    We do have an early finish on the Friday, with Year 7 finishing at 12.10pm, Year 8 at 12.15pm, Year 9 at 12.20pm and Year 10 and 11 at 12.25pm.

Best wishes,

Mrs May

Headteacher

Golden Nugget Tool:  Pin Power Thesaurus to your Chrome tab and use to help you find definitions, synonyms and antonyms. Great for when you are studying a new text including figurative imagery in poetry.

Year 7 Literacy in Coaching Time: Developing the Reading Strategy of Summarising

This Wednesday’s session was on the developing the reading strategy of summarising, a key skill used across the curriculum.

Year 9 Poetry By Heart Eastbourne Final at Gildredge House

Six talented students from Year 9 made it through to the Eastbourne Final on Thursday. The team came back with two medals and a great boost to confidence and oracy skills. On Friday, the students filmed their Globe Theatre competition entries for the summer competition.

We are very proud of these students. It takes courage to perform in front of an audience in a new venue. They have inspired many other students.

Sparx Reader

The deadline for Sparx Reader homework completion is always Monday. Please ensure work is completed. Year 7 students average 82% completion rates by Monday morning and increase to 95% with catch up sessions. Setting aside a regular time to complete careful reading each week builds resilience and stamina. Email letters went home to all KS3 parents of students who regularly complete their work on time every week.

pastoral-11@willingdonschool.org.uk

Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

A huge well done to our Year 11 students again, who have embraced another full-on week as we continue to head towards the final exams. The dancers performed exceptionally well on Thursday in part of their final performances for their final grades, whilst a large number of students have prioritised their DT coursework this week, spending break times and lunch times, as well as after school sessions finalising their practical projects. We also wants to praise the IT students who received their January exam results this week, with largely positive outcomes with some even achieving a Distinction or Distinction* level outcome.

We continue to commit to the Year 11 students and their studies as we move through the Easter holidays. Please see below for the current planned Easter Revision timetable for Year 11 students to access:

pastoral-10@willingdonschool.org.uk

Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

Well done to Year 10 for a successful and busy week at school, filled with events and sports fixtures.

On Thursday, the Dare to Dream/Love Local Jobs team hosted a fantastic celebration event at Sovereign Harbour Yacht Club for our Year 10 students. After two years of growth within the programme, it was brilliant to see how far they have come. Our students worked alongside some of our Year 7s, leading team-building and mentoring activities with real maturity and confidence. To conclude the event, they spoke eloquently about their journey and shared what they appreciate about themselves, creating a truly powerful and memorable moment. We are incredibly proud of them.

cjohnson@willingdonschool.org.uk

pastoral-9@willingdonschool.org.uk

Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

It has been another positive week in Year 9, and I wanted to take this opportunity to share a brief update as we approach the end of term.

As always, we continue to celebrate the effort and commitment shown by so many of our students. For your reference, the current average per student in Year 9 stands at 448.91 reward points and -41.03 behaviour points. We hope this provides a helpful context when you are discussing progress and conduct with your child. We remain committed to recognising positive achievements while maintaining clear and consistent expectations for behaviour across the school.

I would also like to make parents and carers aware that Mrs Johnson is currently absent and is expected to return after the Easter break. In the meantime, Mr Keast will be stepping back into the day-to-day Head of Year role to ensure continuity of support for students and families.

Following Miss Killey’s departure from the school, we are pleased to welcome Mr Schuler to the Year 9 pastoral team. He has already settled in extremely well, and students have made him feel very welcome. Mr Schuler is very much looking forward to getting to know the year group and working with the fantastic young people we have in Year 9.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support. We look forward to welcoming students back next week for the final week of term before the Easter holidays.

Wishing you all a lovely and restful weekend.

The Year 9 Team

pastoral-8@willingdonschool.org.uk

Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

I am delighted to share that this week has been another fantastic one for Year 8.

Miss Turner and I have conducted a number of learning walks, particularly during our coaching sessions, and it has been a pleasure to see the thoughtful and caring commitment shown by our Year 8 coaches towards their students. Each session has a clear focus linked to the topic of the week, and coaches are working hard to support all students. This is clearly having a positive impact, with students making strong progress in these sessions, which is then reflected in lessons. During our visits, students have been focused, on task, and consistently meeting expectations.

It is wonderful to see such a positive and committed year group, and I am incredibly proud to be their head of year.

Last week, Year 8 students achieved just over 5,000 achievement points, an excellent milestone that reflects their continued hard work and commitment in lessons. This is helping us maintain the high standards we expect at Willingdon School.

Attendance also remains very strong, with last week reaching 95.5%, which is above the national average and in line with our high expectations. As I have mentioned previously, if students are not in school, they are not learning. Strong attendance is vital in preparing students for Year 9, particularly as options will begin to approach in the early part of Year 9.

A special congratulations goes to 8EMC, who achieved an outstanding 99.33% attendance last week, an incredible effort. Well done! Biscuits will be coming your way.

We have also celebrated a number of students this week who received chocolate bars for outstanding behaviour and high achievement:

Stella Ray L

Riley C

Mia L

Oscar W

Ella M

Well done to all of you.

In addition, Stella Ray L, Riley C, and Mia L have been recognised further and will be enjoying Hot Chocolate with the Head, an excellent achievement.

Looking ahead to next week, I would like to inform you that from Tuesday, Miss Turner will be leading the year group while I am away supporting the Valencia trip. I am very much looking forward to accompanying 40 Year 8 students on what promises to be a fantastic four day experience. The trip will include a range of educational enriching activities, alongside visits to zoos, aquariums, and museums in the vibrant city of Valencia.

To continue recognising high standards, students who demonstrate excellent attendance, behaviour, and attainment will be selected for our “Good Egg Challenge” reward. These students will be invited to watch a film in the hall on Thursday as a reward for their efforts. Those who meet the criteria will be informed in advance.

As we move into our final week before the Easter break, I would like to emphasise the importance of maintaining strong attendance and finishing the term positively.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support. We look forward to ending the term on a high note.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.

The Year 8 Team

pmuller@willingdonschool.org.uk

pastoral-7@willingdonschool.org.uk

Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

This week we would like to highlight some achievements that a couple of our students have been making outside of school. Millie Mae has recently competed in a gymnastics competition in Philadelphia USA. Along with 5,000 other gymnasts she performed superbly for her local club. The whole competition has helped raise over $300,000 for breast and ovarian cancer. 

A bit closer to home, Grace has been out and about in her local community picking up litter with her Guide Company.  She has also been out training for her local park run, come rain or shine. Well done to both girls. 

As always please do email us with any achievements your child has made in their spare time. 

Congratulations this week to Natasha M, Scarlett M, Mila K, Florence L and Logan L who all achieved the 'Treats with the Team ' this week! 

Finally there are 4 more school days left of the Easter Attendance and Behaviour challenge, so please encourage your child to keep working towards this.

Many thanks

The Year 7 Team

Following student, parent and staff voice, we have worked with Stagecoach to review the bus timetable for taking children home.

As a result, the timetable has been adjusted so that it now aligns more closely with the end of our school day. We hope this will make pick up more efficient for the many students who travel home by bus.

With buses arriving closer to the end of the school day, students should spend less time waiting on site. This will also reduce the need for staff to organise and supervise long queues while children wait for their buses, helping the process run more smoothly and safely for everyone.

See the updated bus timetable below for your reference.

Thank you for your continued support.

Mrs E May
Headteacher

There is just one month to go until our SOLD OUT grand fundraising dinner at La Locanda Del Duca at Eastbourne - but we need your help!

Last year the event was a huge success and raised in excess of £12,000, which made a huge difference to our small charity and allowed us to put on extra events for families, send more families on respite breaks, grant wishes and extra random acts of kindness to help bring a few more smiles to the faces of our families.

Much of this this fantastic total was down to our auction and raffle and we hope to bring in a similar amount in 2026. However, the more prizes we have on offer, the more money we are likely to raise! If anyone can help us out with prizes for the raffle or auction, we would love to hear from you - community@childrenwithcancerfund.org.uk

Thank you for all your support!

Laura Cooke

Community and Challenge Events Fundraiser

Across our RSHE programme, our students learn about drugs, alcohol, vaping, exploitation, and substance misuse as part of our statutory health education requirements.

Our students explore:

Gangs and exploitation – Y8

Substance misuse and vaping – Y9

Alcohol and knife crime – Y10

We are also delighted to be working with Sussex police to support our curriculum in this area. As part of a collaborative project, the local police visit our school throughout the year, meeting students, conducting assemblies, and running question and answer sessions for students as well as attending with a trained drugs dog to undertake an exercise.   The trained drugs dogs will visit in Term 5.  This provides the dogs with a valuable training exercise in a school environment and helps to reinforce the safety and wellbeing of our students by establishing a safe environment for everyone. The presence of the police and drugs dog is an educational opportunity for the students and a preventative measure to discourage any involvement with drugs within our school community.

On the day, the police handlers and the dogs will be greeting students on the gate and provide information on how Police dogs work when carrying out their duties. We assure you that this will be carried out with the utmost professionalism and sensitivity, and should any concerns arise, it will be dealt with according to the behaviour policy.

We encourage you to discuss this with your child to reinforce the importance of understanding risks and keeping ourselves safe and thank you for your continued support.

Dear Parents and Carers,

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued guidance regarding cases of invasive meningococcal disease identified in Kent.

We kindly ask families and young people to check the following official guidance if they have concerns:

Cases of invasive meningococcal disease notified in Kent - GOV.UK

Primary Influenza Vaccination Programme Coordinator

Sussex Immunisation Service

Congratulations also to the Year 10 boys’ football team for reaching the semi-final of the County Cup this week. Their impressive run came to an end following a narrow defeat to Ardingly College, but they performed exceptionally well and should be proud to reach this stage of the competition.

Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to another successful week ahead for Year 10.

Year 10 Team

Year 10 work experience / 18^th – 22^nd May 2026

During today’s coaching session, Year 10 students were reminded that they will need to contact their work experience employer ahead of their May placement to confirm their working hours and dress code.

They have been given the employer’s contact information and asked to contact them by Friday 17^th April. Along with this, they received a short guide with example wording to help them feel confident when phoning or emailing (examples below). They were also advised to use a personal email address, as employers cannot reply to school email accounts for safeguarding reasons.

Please encourage your child to contact their work experience placement to confirm their arrangements. If your child is placed in a school, college or nursery, please be aware that these settings may be closed for the Easter holidays, from Monday 30^th March to Friday 10^th April, so responses may take a little longer.

There may still be agreement forms that need to be completed by you or your child. If you haven’t yet signed these, please check your email inbox, and ask your child to check their school email, for any messages from noreply@eprospectus.co.uk. All forms can be signed electronically.

If your child needs help contacting their placement, or if you have any questions about the information above, please feel free to get in touch using the contact details below.

Kindest regards,

Sarah Rooney
Careers Adviser

Tel: 01323 485254 ext 281

Next week, we will be finalising the plans for the Prom and a letter with all of the details for the event will be sent out. This will be sent alongside the proposed payment plan so that students can begin making arrangements for the evening. To add the date to your diary, it is due to take place at The Cavendish Hotel on Friday 3^rd July 2026.

We hope all students have a restful weekend and are motivated on their return for the final week of Term 4 ahead.

The Year 11 Team