Blog week ending 23rd April
Culture Day is one of those times in the school year where two things shine equally brightly: the individual and the collective. It is a day that honours personal stories, heritage and identity, while at the same time offering a vivid reminder of just how connected, cohesive and joyful our school community really is.
This year’s celebration captured that spirit perfectly. Across the school, students and staff expressed who they are through a dazzling mix of traditional dress, meaningful symbols and joyful, celebratory creativity. Each outfit told its own story, yet together they created something even more powerful .. a shared sense of pride, belonging and togetherness. What you’ll see below is only a snapshot of the comments and photos, but it offers a glimpse of a day that truly reflected the heart of our school.
Leon 7K: “I think it’s nice to see all the world’s colours and see where everyone else is from”
Ankit, Y12: Everybody’s connected together and enjoying time with one another”
Jaydon, Y12 “It’s interesting to see the variety of cultures and having conversations about them”
Juan Y11: ” I really enjoy rugby and sports so feel very connected to South African culture. I think this school in particular is really good at embracing diversity and including everyone”
Safwan and Arnob, Y11: We like how unique and distinct everyone is”
Praise, Y10: “Culture Day allows other people from different cultures to express themselves freely”
80 students and staff travelled to Sestriere in Italy for an unforgettable ski trip in the Italian Alps. Sestriere, a former host of the 2006 Winter Olympic Games, provided stunning scenery, excellent snow conditions and a fantastic setting for the week.
For many students, this was a brand‑new experience, 63 of the group had never skied before (barring ski lessons with WGSB prior to the trip!), yet they embraced the challenge with enthusiasm. Supported by superb weather and sunshine throughout the week, students made outstanding progress, with many confidently tackling the famous Olympic ski run by the end of the trip.
A large number of the group also had the opportunity to ski over to the neighbouring resort of Sauze d’Oulx, further developing their skills and confidence. Throughout the week, students were excellent ambassadors for the school, demonstrating maturity, teamwork and positivity, as well as being terrific company. It was a truly memorable trip!
Please join me in congratulating our Year 7 rugby team on their fantastic performance at the recent tournament. It’s not often we get the opportunity to compete against private schools and even rarer that we come away with the wins! The boys were outstanding throughout the day, securing three wins out of four, with their only loss coming against Eltham College in the final moments of the match, despite some interesting and rather controversial decisions going against us. Regardless, their determination, teamwork, and attitude were superb from start to finish.
1st XI Football Team. We are pleased to announce that our 1st XI finished in 1st place this year in the North Kent Premier Division. The side has worked exceptionally hard and 21 different players have been used this year. Mr Lynch and Mr Sage (team managers) would like to congratulate all members of the side and thank them for their hard work and efforts throughout the season. For the students in Year 13, it is the end of an incredible seven-year football journey at WGSB and it’s a really fantastic way for them to finish their time together.
Our WG6 students travelled to Poland as part of the Lesson from Auschwitz Project, organised by the Holocaust Education Trust, alongside around 130 sixth form students from across Kent. The visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau gave students a powerful and sobering opportunity to deepen their understanding of the Holocaust beyond the classroom. They approached the experience with maturity, sensitivity and respect, reflecting thoughtfully on the lessons learned. We are proud of how our students represented the school and of the important values this experience helps to reinforce.
We recently took part in the Dartford Litter Pick, with students from Years 7 to 10 getting involved. Armed with pickers and bags, they enthusiastically cleared litter from the school site, local roads and across the Heath. It was fantastic to see our students taking pride in their local environment and playing a small part in making our corner of Dartford a cleaner, brighter place for everyone.
Congratulations to the below Year 10 students who all earned a place on the Term 4 Rewards Breakfast hosted by SLT in recognition of their dedication to studies and school life, illustrated by the huge number of merits accrued for the period.
Samarth S, Juan R, Bisesh S, Vidit G, Conor M, Anvit T, Michael B, Alexander W-S, Joshua H, William C, David M, Korley A
Please join me in congratulating the exceptionally talented sportsman Bukkan A of 8K who recently won the Kent Junior Futures Apr 2026 – U14 Doubles Gold Medal in Badminton, which was a proud moment for him and his family and for us too (especially Mr Lynch, Head of PE!) In the below photo, Bukkan is pictured with his doubles partner, who is from Dartford Grammar School. It was great to see them work so well together and achieve this result.
Mr Lynch is Bukkan’s PE teacher and had this to say “Bukkan is a wonderful student. He takes great pride in everything he does inside and outside of school. As a department and school, we are really pleased and proud of his progress. Not only is he an outstanding badminton player, but he is also a competitive club swimmer, and his main love is the game of cricket. He is a key member of the school cricket team and was part of the side that went to St Lucia on tour in December. Whilst Bukkan’s sporting talents are obvious to see, his desire to constantly improve is his main strength. He is a joy to teach.”
Date for your diaries from our PTA! Raffle Tickets are available for purchase on iPay now!
The Kent Family Hub have asked us to share details of their forthcoming courses.
Forthcoming Dates:
Year 12 Progress Exams commence – 20 April
Y10 Parents’ Evening – Thursday 7 May 16:00 – 19:30
GCSE Exams commence (Art) – 23rd April (all others commence 7 May)
Year 9 Vaccinations – 24 April
Kent Schools Golf Day – 28 April
Y7 Cricket V Cleve Park – 28 April
Y7 & 8 Junior Maths Challenge – 29 April
Y8 Cricket v Bexley Grammar – 29 April
Duke of Edinburgh practice expedition – 30 April-1 May
Y11 Rewards breakfast assembly – 5 May
Y7 Harry Potter Trip (7B & T) – 5 May
Y7 Harry Potter Trip (7A & K) – 6 May
Y7-9 Virtual Progress Exam Briefing – 6 May 5-5.30pm
Y10 Subject Parents’ Evening – 7 May 4-7.30pm
Y7 Harry Potter Trip (7J & M) – 11 May
Y12 Geography Residential – 11-14 May
Y7 & 9 Form Tutor Parents’ Evening (Virtual) – 12 May 4-7.30pm
Y10 Cricket v Bexley Grammar – 14 May
Y8 Mathsworld Trip (8M & T) – 21 May
PTA Doughnut & Samosa sale – 22 May – Break Times
Last Day of Term 4 – 22 May
First Day of Term 6 – 1 June
Best wishes,
Stuart Harrington
Head Teacher
