Latest We hope that students who have been sitting public examinations were able to find the right balance between rest and revision over the half-term break. For the rest of the School before the break, it was business as usual and we had some amazing music in our assemblies from the Year 9 rock band. In assemblies students were provided with some inspiring examples, both recent and from longer ago, of people who have fought for freedom from injustice. Examples…
This week This week in assemblies we have been preparing for Safer Internet Day 2023 which occurs on Tuesday, 7th February. The theme for this year is “Want to talk about it?” which encourages young people to talk about what they are doing online. In particular, we hope to foster positive conversations between children and the key adults in their lives about their online habits. Some helpful resources have been produced by the UK Safer Internet Centre to help parents…
This week Year 11 have completed their first week of mock examinations. We have been very impressed with how they have conducted themselves throughout, getting into the routines that are required for the smooth running of these examinations – remembering the equipment they need, the venues to be at on time and the rules of the exam hall/room. Arranging exams on this scale is a major operation for all schools but at Darrick Wood, we benefit from an experienced and…
Latest news On Friday there was widespread support for Christmas Jumper Day. Lots of students and staff wore a jumper or other item with a Christmas theme to raise money for Save the Children. Today students were able to wear the shoes of their choice to raise money for the LATCH homeless charity. The latter led to quite a few students initially being asked by staff (including the Head Teacher) why they were wearing trainers and not their school shoes….
In celebration of the festive season, the December Monthly molecule edition is dedicated to Christmas. We’re pleased to report that this edition has been written and collated by our Year 12 Scientists. Here we publish a taster of the new Monthly Molecule with the feature article titled, A Christmas Made of Food Waste. As we approach the festive season, everyone will be rushing around trying to buy the best gifts for their loved ones. However, now more than ever, we…
I am pleased to announce that the new edition of our in-school science magazine has now been published, and printed copies will be available from the Sixth Form Centre Foyer next week. The theme for the magazine this month is water. Thank you to our Sixth Form students for producing such an insightful and interesting edition. We include here a sample article from the November Monthly Molecule. Blue-Green Algae and DogsBlue-green alga is not actually algae, it’s the term used…
This week Attendance at extra-curricular clubs continues to be very high and we have launched a range of new clubs and societies led largely by our Sixth Form students. These include Debate Club, Art Club, Eco Group, Book Club, LGBTQ+ Society, Science Society, Mental Wellbeing Society, and many more are planned. Please encourage your child to get involved with at least one extra-curricular club or society. We are in the process of producing a timetable of what is on for…
This week Life at school continues to feel a little nearer the ‘normal’ we remember pre-2020. We have held assemblies for students in Years 7 to 11. Years 7, 12 and 13 have had team building days, which seem to have gone very well. Assemblies have focussed not just on the start of a new academic year, expectations and values but also on one of our big priorities of the year – the environment. The aim will be to reduce…
We are incredibly proud of our 2020/21 Year 11 and Year 13 students who have this week received their results for GCSE, A level and vocational qualifications. Their two year courses have been so disrupted by the COVID-19 courses, ultimately leading to the cancellation of public examinations, but they have worked really hard throughout, been rigorously assessed in school and achieved very highly. They should be proud of themselves and we wish everyone well for the next stage of their…
Our amazing Year 12 Scientists have now published the July addition of the Monthly Molecule magazine. The theme of this month’s instalment is Inequalities and Parallels in STEM. The beautiful Image accompanying this post was created by a member of our Senior Prefect team. We include here an article from this addition of the Monthly Molecule. Some copies of the magazine will be distributed to the older students, however spare copies are available in the Sixth Form Foyer. The Truth…