What a wonderful day we have had celebrating our Sponsored Walk!

The students were so excited and did an absolutely fantastic job. They walked beautifully, showed great enthusiasm and determination and, most importantly, enjoyed being together as a school community.

There was such a lovely community feel throughout the day, and it was wonderful to see everyone getting involved and supporting one another. We are incredibly fortunate to have such beautiful surroundings here in the South Downs. Our students are so lucky to have this wonderful setting as part of their school experience, with opportunities to enjoy the outdoors and the landscape around us. Days like today really remind us what a special place our school is.

Our Drama students had a brilliant evening at Eastbourne Bandstand on Wednesday, watching an alternative production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The performance was hugely entertaining and offered a fresh and engaging take on Shakespeare’s play. It was wonderful to see the students enjoying live theatre, and they represented the school superbly, being a credit to themselves and to Willingdon.

A reminder to parents and carers that our Year 6 Open Evening takes place next Thursday. Please also note it will be an early closure for students on the day to allow preparations for the evening. We look forward to welcoming families and sharing more about life at our school.

We also wanted to share that a number of us recently had the opportunity to hear Stephen Graham speak about his book, Letters to Our Sons, at Westminster this week. It was a thought-provoking evening and one that connected strongly with our commitment to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of our boys.

We are looking forward to continuing this important work with White Ribbon, creating opportunities for meaningful conversations around positive masculinity, respectful relationships and the qualities that help our young men to thrive. These conversations are an important part of helping our students grow into confident, compassionate and respectful young people.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and for being such an important part of our school community.

Best wishes,

Mrs May

Executive Headteacher

Please visit our website to see the new enrichment list for Term 1

https://willingdonschool.org.uk/learning/enrichment-programme

Dear Parents/Carers,

Attendance & Punctuality

It has been wonderful to see so many students in school this week, ready to learn and make the most of every opportunity. A special mention goes to our Year 7 students, who continue to demonstrate excellent attendance, and to our Year 11 students, who are showing great resilience and determination as they embark on this important year.

We have noticed an increase in the number of students arriving late to school. Just a few minutes each day can soon add up to significant lost learning time. We would appreciate your support in helping students arrive on time and be in coaching time ready for the start of the school day.

A reminder that all student absences should be reported by 8:30am. Absences can be logged quickly and easily via Edulink or Arbor.

If you need to request a leave of absence, please email studentabsence@willingdonschool.org.uk.

If you would like to discuss your child's attendance or would like any support, please do not hesitate to contact me at nholden@willingdonschool.org.uk.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support in helping our students achieve their very best.

Mrs Holden

Please use this form to share details and photos of your child’s success. These may include sporting achievements, competitions, personal milestones, or other accomplishments they have achieved outside of school.

As we will be showcasing these on a display board in the PE Department, we would appreciate it if photos could be provided in the highest possible resolution and quality.

If you experience any issues attaching photos to the form, please send them as email attachments to JBarlow@willingdonschool.org.uk.

Thank you for helping us celebrate and recognise the fantastic achievements of our students!

https://forms.gle/riUcdCQw5jxfn2eC8

gstables@willingdonschool.org.uk

pastoral-11@willingdonschool.org.uk

Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

Well done to Year 11 for an excellent Week 3 of Term 1 at Willingdon. It has been a busy start to the term this week, with inter‑house competitions, extra‑curricular fixtures, after‑school interventions, and of course the annual Sponsored Walk.

A huge congratulations to all students who took part in the Sponsored Walk on Friday. The wide range of fancy‑dress outfits brought colour and energy to the South Downs, and it was wonderful to see students enjoying their final sponsored walk at Willingdon.

This week we have also been impressed by the number of students extending their school day and staying until 4pm to work with subject teachers. Well done to everyone who attended interventions, we will be releasing a full after‑school intervention timetable next week for all Year 11 students.

dscowen@willingdonschool.org.uk

pastoral-10@willingdonschool.org.uk

Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

As we end week 3 of Term 1, Year 10 have continued to demonstrate all our school values.

Ambition is evident in the number of reward points awarded and we are particularly impressed with the completion of homework across the core subjects. With this level of commitment to studies, they give themselves a fantastic chance of outstanding outcomes at the end of Year 11.

We would also like to wish Mr Keast well as he recovers from surgery on his knee, we will undoubtedly miss his presence around the year team so hopefully his recovery will be speedy!

It has been a pleasure to walk with the year group this morning on the sponsored walk across the South Downs. They are a credit to the school and themselves and we wish them a restful weekend!

Year 10 Team

pastoral-9@willingdonschool.org.uk

Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

A big thank you to all our Year 9 parents and carers for another fantastic week. Overall, the year group continues to make really positive progress. Our students are working exceptionally well and demonstrating our Personal Excellence values of Ambition, Respect, Compassion, Courtesy and Honesty. It has been fantastic to see this as we prepare for the year ahead.

Attendance

Attendance has unfortunately dipped slightly this week, falling below 95%. While the vast majority of students continue to attend school regularly, we would encourage all parents and carers to support us in ensuring attendance remains as high as possible. Year 9 is an important year as students begin to look ahead towards their future options, and regular attendance is essential to their progress and success.

Options – Student Survey

As discussed in assembly, students have received a link to a short survey asking about their initial thoughts and interests regarding GCSE options.

Please can we ask that every student logs into their school email, follows the link and completes the form.

We would like to stress that this is not a commitment to any particular option. It is simply a research exercise to help us understand the subjects students are interested in, allowing us to plan and provide a suitable range of options for the Year 9 cohort.

Meet the Coach Evening

Thank you to everyone who attended our Meet the Coach evening last week. We had an excellent turnout of over 85%, and it was fantastic to see so many familiar faces. It was a very worthwhile evening, providing parents and carers with the opportunity to meet their child’s coach and discuss any immediate questions or concerns. Thank you for your continued support.

Celebrating Success

We would like to congratulate some of our high-achieving students this week:

Leighton S, Isabella P, Freya L, Tom L, Jade K, Ruby G,

Theo T

All have achieved 35 or more achievement points this week, which is a fantastic accomplishment and sets an excellent standard for the rest of the year group. Well done! We would also like to say a huge congratulations to an amazing group of Year 9 students who represented the school this week in a language competition with Mr Crelin.

Well done to:

Bethany N, Myla C, Sofia V, Max C, Daniel S, Grace W,

Emily B

Representing the school so brilliantly. We are incredibly proud of you all.

Prizes are on their way! 🏆

Year 6 Open Evening

Next week we have our important Year 6 Open Evening. Many Year 9 students have already volunteered to support the evening as guides and by working alongside different departments. If your child would like to help, please ensure they complete the online form that has been shared. Alternatively, they can come and speak to us directly and we will add them to the list. Please remember that school will finish early on the day of the Open Evening.

Sponsored Walk

Today, we are heading out for our annual sponsored walk. It has been fantastic to see so many students arriving excited and ready to take part. The weather is looking excellent, so fingers crossed for an enjoyable afternoon and a great walk!

Thank you, as always, for your continued support of the Year 9 team. We hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Kind regards,

The Year 9 Team

mdupont@willingdonschool.org.uk

pastoral-8@willingdonschool.org.uk

Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

Well done to all Year 8 students who completed the sponsored walk on Friday! Students showed excellent ambition and conducted themselves brilliantly out in public spaces. It was a huge effort in the heat, well done Year 8! 

A great effort was made by Year 8 students in their lessons this week, with a huge number of reward points earnt this week across all lessons! We've seen a number of green learning walks, where students are demonstrating exceptional work in their lessons and earning additional achievement points which is so lovely to see! We'd love for Year 8 to keep up the great work throughout the term! 

We know so many of our students participate in additional activities outside school and have some really impressive achievements, we would absolutely love to hear about these and celebrate them! Please contact Pastoral 8 if you are happy to share any news with us! 

The Year 8 Team

pmuller@willingdonschool.org.uk

pastoral-7@willingdonschool.org.uk

Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

Today, we headed out for our annual sponsored walk, the first for our Year 7s. It has been fantastic to see so many students arriving excited and ready to take part. The weather was excellent. We hope all our Year 7s had an enjoyable day a great walk!

Well done everyone!

The Year 7 Team

We do pass on information about community events/ organisations that may send in flyers to the school but please note these are separate from the school and we do not run checks on the organisations involved.

Dear Parents / Carers,

The MFL department are delighted to offer your child the fantastic opportunity to take part in an exciting trip to Lille, France, to experience the famous Lille Christmas Market.

This will be a wonderful opportunity for students to experience French culture and the festive atmosphere of Lille, while also having the opportunity to use and develop their French language skills.

There are 30 places available on the trip, and it will be open to students in Years 8 to 11 on a first come, first served basis.

Dates: Friday 4th December – Saturday 5th December 2026

The below is a provisional itinerary arranged and agreed with Diverse School Travel. Confirmed detailed itineraries and all final details will be given in due course.

The trip will include:

• Private coach transport for the duration of the trip

• Return Eurotunnel Le Shuttle crossings

• 1 night accommodation at Auberge de Jeunesse Lille

• Accommodation on a half-board basis

• Breakfast and dinner at the accommodation

• Visit to the Lille Christmas Market

• Visit to Le Village de Noël

• Visit to the Palais des Beaux-Arts

• Visit to Lille Cathedral

• Explore the Old Town of Lille

• Free time to explore the Christmas Market and enjoy the festive atmosphere

• Opportunity to experience French culture, food and the Christmas traditions of Lille

  
  

Cost and payment

The total cost of the trip will be £309 per student.

This will be paid in two instalments:

• £159 non-refundable deposit – by Wednesday 30th September 2026

• £150 final balance – by 30^th October 2026

A non-refundable deposit of £159 will be required to secure your child’s place and must be paid via ParentPay by Wednesday 30th September 2026. The remaining balance of £150 will then be payable by 30th October 2026. The payment schedule will also be visible on ParentPay. The trip will be open for deposits from Monday 28^th September at approximately 3pm.

We appreciate that the cost of school trips can sometimes be a concern for families. If your child is eligible for Pupil Premium (PP) and you have concerns about meeting the cost of this trip, please do get in touch to see if we may be able to offer financial support to help ensure that your child can take part.

This trip is designed to be both personally and academically enriching. However, the school reserves the right to cancel a student’s participation in a trip if behaviour/attendance does not reach our expected high standards.

Students are unable to travel without the GHIC card. Please click on the Government link below for further information https://www.gov.uk/global-health-insurance-card. Students also need a minimum of 6 months left on their passports from the date of travel.

We are very much looking forward to giving students the opportunity to experience Lille and its wonderful Christmas markets, while developing their cultural awareness and enjoying a memorable trip together.

Best Wishes,

Miss Gammage
MFL Teacher

We are pleased to share details of upcoming college and sixth form open events. These visits are excellent opportunities to explore campuses, meet staff and students, and learn more about the courses and facilities available.

East Sussex College Group 

(3:45 pm – 6:45 pm)

Please register your interest here:                  ESCG Open Events

Eastbourne

•      Wednesday 14^th October 2026

•      Thursday 19^th November 2026

•      Thursday 18^th March 2027

Lewes

•      Thursday 15^th October 2026

•      Thursday 19^th November 2026

•      Thursday 18^th March 2027

Hastings

•      Tuesday 13^th October 2026

•      Thursday 19^th November 2026

•      Thursday 18^th March 2027

 ______________________________________

Bexhill College 

No registration required

•      Wednesday 21^st October 2026

       (6:00 pm – 8:30 pm)

•      Thursday 22^nd October 2026

(4:00 pm – 6:30 pm)

 ______________________________________

Plumpton College 

(9:00 am – 2:00 pm)

Booking required – please book here: 

Plumpton Open Events

•      Saturday 10^th October 2026

•      Saturday 21^st November 2026

•      Saturday 16^th January 2027

•      Saturday 13^th March 2027

•      Saturday 16^th June 2027

______________________________________

BHASVIC (Brighton, Hove & Sussex Sixth

Form) (4:00 pm – 8:00 pm)

•      Wednesday 11^th November 2026

•      Thursday 12^th November 2026

•      4:00 – 5:00 pm: Quiet slot allocated only for    

those with SEND

•      5:00 – 8:00 pm: all other students

•      A registration of interest form, and additional information, will be provided on the following page in the weeks leading up to the evenings: BHASVIC Open Events

 ______________________________________

Seaford Head Sixth Form

•      Thursday 8^th October 2026, 6:00 – 8:00 pm

(All Sixth Form staff & subject leaders attending)

•      Saturday 10^th October 2026, 10:00am–12:00 pm

(Head of Sixth Form & Headteacher in attendance - no subject leaders attending)

Talks, tours, and the chance to meet subject teachers and students.

For more information and to book, please contact Clare Callard on:

clarecallard@seafordhead.org or 01323 872723 

______________________________________  

Contact

For any questions about these or other open events, please contact Mrs Rooney on:

01323 485254 ext 281 or srooney@willingdonschool.org.uk

It has  been brought to our attention that there is a large Year 7 WhatsApp group containing over 70 students.

Unfortunately, there have been instances of unkind and inappropriate comments being made within the group, including students insulting one another. Some of these issues have then carried over into school and have affected relationships between students.

We would like to remind parents that the minimum age requirement for using WhatsApp is 13 years old. If you feel that your child is mature enough to use WhatsApp, please could you regularly check their activity and discuss with them the importance of communicating respectfully online. We also encourage you to remind your child that comments made online can have a real impact on others and may lead to consequences both online and in school.

We are continuing to address any issues that arise within school and appreciate your support in helping us promote positive and respectful relationships amongst our students.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Yours sincerely,

Lesley Naylor
Head of Year 7

Mrs Muller

Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

House update

9SMI enjoyed a free ice cream from the ice cream van last Friday as a reward for winning the first house competition of the year, well done again! We had some excellent participation and it's lovely to see house pride around the school! 

Lesson walk‑throughs continue to show excellent focus and ambition across subjects. Year 11 students are challenging themselves and demonstrating a mature approach to their learning. A particular well done to the GCSE PE students, who pushed themselves during their fitness testing lesson and achieved some impressive results.

Lesson walk‑throughs continue to show excellent focus and ambition across subjects. Year 11 students are challenging themselves and demonstrating a mature approach to their learning. A particular well done to the GCSE PE students, who pushed themselves during their fitness testing lesson and achieved some impressive results.

The Year 11 Team

8SPA are currently reading ‘Jane Eyre’ and the concentration and engagement in the class is tangible. Well done! They have just reached this part: “Jane experiences the rigid, gloomy routine of the school and is observing the solemn, uniform life of the other orphaned girls under the watchful eye of Miss Temple.” Tune in every coaching day to find out what happens next.

This week’s Year 7 Literacy in Coaching Time focus was on why we need to build a healthy reading habit. One of the many benefits of reading widely, is to build our empathy skills. When we empathise, we put ourselves in someone else’s shoes and feel what they feel. We build understanding.  Well done to the Year 7 coaching groups who were focused during their literacy session.

This week’s Year 8 Literacy in Coaching Time session was on how reading strategies build our understanding. Students were identifying which reading strategies they use in different subjects and why. It was fantastic to see students using these strategies in their lessons. For example, skimming and scanning in a History lesson.

The deadline for Sparx Reader completion to 100% SRP is always Monday by 8:30am.

Students who have not completed previous pieces to 100% SRP should click ‘catch up previous’ to ensure all careful reading is up-to-date. Studies show that regular careful reading helps to improve reading ages and builds resilience in all subjects.

We are now in week 3 and are so pleased to see the number of KS3 students who are achieving their gold stars! Remember to earn one, you need 100 SRP extra before the Monday 8:30am deadline. Gold Reader Club is up and running for our first two groups of Year 7 and Year 8 students. More students will have the opportunity next term.

Year 7 are building up their regularly coaching time reading and adding to their Padlet reading journeys. Lovely to see 7CCH reading a book by Nathanael Lessore, who recently visited us.

Year 8 are continuing with their weekly reading in coaching time. Well done to 8JBA who have made great progress with ‘Once’ set in World War Two.

The first Eastbourne Literary Festival is taking place this month! What a fantastic opportunity to meet a range of authors and take part right in our town. There is something for everyone. We are also fortunate to be taking part in Eastbourne Literary Festival Offer for Schools. Selected students from various year groups have the opportunity to be involved in a prestigious film screening at the Towner Gallery, Eastbourne Poetry by Heart competition and the Literary Children’s Parade. Don’t miss

out. We will share more about these trips next week. Visit eastbournelitfest.org for more information.

The session was led by a member of the Rambert Dance Company and looked at the repertoire. 'A Linha Curva', choreographed by Itzik Galili, is a blend of contemporary dance, samba, and capoeira, designed to celebrate the Brazilian way of life.

The students were a credit to our school and fully engaged with the different rehearsal and choreographic activities. The students learnt three of the dance phrases from the repertoire and after rehearsing these then used different choreographic devices and structures to develop each phrase.

The four students; Isabelle, Casey, Sadie and Ellie will then be supporting the delivery of this workshop.