Blog week ending 4th December
Enriched learning through trips and activities not only supports classroom study but also extends its value into the wider world, thanks to the dedication of our staff. The commitment of our staff ensures that students have the chance to experience education in its richest form, through activities that build curiosity and confidence, as well as creating lifelong memories. During this term, students will embark upon a range of exciting academic and cultural opportunities including; sixty-three Year 8 students travelling with the MFL department to Lille, our Formula 1 Engineers representing our school in a national competition, one hundred and seventy-eight Year 7 students at a festive Pantomime, twenty-two Year 7 and 8 cricket students travelling to St Lucia and sixty-three Year 9 students visited the war graves in Ypres connecting classroom studies to lived history.
These experiences are not just trips, they are investments in enriched learning, made possible only through the tireless energy, planning, and passion of our staff. Their commitment transforms opportunities into reality, ensuring our students grow not just academically, but personally and socially too.
A heartfelt thank you to all families who have generously supported our food bank initiative, your contributions will be greatly appreciated by Dartford Food Bank and the many local families that rely upon their support. (a small selection of the cupboard staples and treats kindly donated are pictured below). This year we will taking part in the Save the Children Christmas Jumper Day with all the donations from the day going to help make things better for children and families in need.
Years 7, 8 & 9 Christmas Dinner & Jumper Day is the 9th Dec and Years 10, 11, 12 & 13 on 10th Dec (for £1.20 donation to Save the Children on iPay)
Mrs Lasoye’s Year 7 Religion, Philosophy and Ethics students are exploring Christianity in their current topic. With Christmas approaching, they’ve been exploring what Christians believe and how those beliefs influence life today, encouraging curiosity and respect for different perspectives, in line with our shared school ‘PRIDE’ values.
UK Maths Challenge. Congratulations to all WG6 students (some of which are pictured below) who earned certificates in the recent Senior Mathematical Challenge. The UKMT Senior Challenge is a 90‑minute multiple‑choice competition designed to stretch sixth form students with creative problem‑solving questions. It’s not about routine exam practice but about thinking outside the box, making it both challenging and rewarding. The project encourages logical reasoning and creative approaches beyond the curriculum – and success in the challenge is valued by university admissions teams.
Mrs Cross’ Year 10 GCSE Food Preparation & Nutrition students have been developing their technical skills in the preparation of (very!) delicious puff pastry sausage rolls. Students used shortening and the process of lamination to give their pastry light crispy layers .. and as you can see, from the photos – delivered a masterclass in a favourite festive treat!
The Year 10 Food Technology House Competition as yielded some incredible edible sculptures!! Students were challenges to create show-stopping fruit sculpture centre pieces – and they did not disappoint! The finalists from each House are pictured below – staff vote for their favourite – and the results are in, congratulations to all finalists.
A – Harrison B (Keller)
B – Will C (Mandela)
C – Macauley J (Brunel)
D – Adam E (Johnson)
E – Zac A (Attenborough)
F – Jason O (Turing)
Extra special congratulations to our joint winners Will C & Macauley J who scoop the top points for their Houses!
Staff Speed-Painting House Competition. It’s not just the students that are keen to earn merits for their Houses! This week staff took part in a speed-painting competition, hosted by Mrs Wisdom, and as you can see from the below … staff certainly embraced their inner Monet! Over two rounds 12 staff ‘artists’ competed in front of a wildly enthusiastic student audience during both lunches. Students cheered on their House representatives with thunderous applause! The competition winners will be announced in next Blog.
Congratulations to the below Top Merit Achievers in KS4!
Luwen G of Turing – 57 Points
Nathan B of Johnson – 56 points
Jaydon A of Brunel – 53 points
Jack G of Keller – 51 points
Dexter J-S of Mandela – 51 points
Year 12 Politics A Level students were joined virtually via a team’s call, with Claire Deller-Rust a Senior Public Affairs Officer from CIPD. Claire spoke about her education and career in politics.
Claire began by speaking about on her studies at Canterbury Christ Church University and the University of Leeds, Claire told of the opportunities this created to work in politics, before she went to work as an MP’s PA for several years. Now working for CIPD, Claire explained the projects which she has been working on, in particular, alongside the current government and the Employment Rights Bill, which links to the A Level Politics course through its focus on lobbying and Pressure groups.
This was a really interesting an insightful conversation, which helped to develop the students’ knowledge and understanding of how politics works and also the steps required to undertake a career working within politics. Thank you to Claire for giving up her time to speak to us.
Please join me in congratulating Jenson V of 7B who has been picked to represent Kent in the Korfball U13 County Squads (and amongst other competitions), will be taking part in a national tournament in January. Korfball is a mixed-gender sport that combines elements of basketball, netball and ringball. In the featured photos Jenson is representing England in the U13 Korfball Squad during a tournament in Belgium. Additionally, Jenson has been training with the U15 Regional Squad including competing with them in a recent tournament in Norwich. Clearly Jenson is an incredibly skilled and committed athlete, and we wish him and his team every success in the forthcoming tournament – please do keep us posted Jenson.
Jenson is a member of KV Korfball – to find out more or to join, click here KV Korfball Club | Facebook or Instagram
On Sunday 23rd November, members of the WGSB Model Railway Club attended the National Festival of Railway Modelling at the NEC, where the club’s diorama ‘Wilmington Grammar School for Trains’ was on display after being selected as a finalist for the ‘PECO 200 Competition’. Where modellers from across the country built a model railway on a wooden board, measuring 75 cm x 30 cm.
After leaving Dartford at 6.50am, the students made their way by train to the NEC near Birmingham. At the exhibition, the students had the chance to see their display on display, see the 60 layouts on display and meet some model railway celebrities in youtuber ‘Sam’s trains’ and Pete Waterman, who judged the competition. One of the highlights of the day was the time spent with Andy Hardy, Managing Director of Kent based, Rapido trains. Andy spent time with our students talking about his career and his route into working in the model railway industry, the work and projects that Rapido undertakes, then showing us around the steam locomotive which Rapido had on display, which they are making in miniature form for a forthcoming release. Andy was kind enough to explain how an engine works, allowing all the students onto the footplate and blow the engines whistle!
Ultimately, the schools’ entry wasn’t selected as a winner in the under 16 category – however, the students involved should be very proud of what they have achieved, as everything on the diorama was built from scratch, using the skills which they have been taught in Design and technology lessons at school. It was fantastic to see their layout on display and think that thousands of people saw their work at the UK’s biggest model railway exhibition.
Final Reminder for Year 7-11 parents/carers. The school immunisation team will be on site on Friday 12th December to deliver the Flu Vaccination to Y7-11 students. If you have not already done so, it is important that you complete the seasonal flu form at www.kentimmunisations.co.uk to either consent or decline the vaccine before 4pm on 9th December. The school code is KT137227
PTA Update. We were delighted to host our Christmas Fair on Saturday 29th November and are thrilled to share that we raised approximately £2,000. A huge thank you from the PTA to all staff who supported us both on the day and in the run-up to the event, as well as to the students who helped organise and run the stalls. We are also extremely grateful for the generous donations for our tombolas, and to everyone who purchased raffle tickets, Christmas puddings, and Christmas trees.
We were honoured to welcome the Deputy Mayor, who enjoyed meeting our students, guests, and members of the community.
Doughnut and Samosa sale Friday 12th December (break times). Doughnuts and samosas will be available to buy during breaktimes. You can also pre-order now via iPay.
Preloved School Uniform. We are always happy to receive donations of preloved school uniform. If you have any items to contribute, please drop them off at Reception clearly marked for the PTA. If you would like to request any preloved uniform items, please email us at pta@wgsb.co.uk.
Forthcoming Dates;
New York Trip Information Evening – 8 Dec 5.30-6.15pm
Years 7, 8 & 9 Christmas Dinner & Jumper Day (for £1.20 donation to Save the Children on iPay) – 9 Dec please pay on iPay by 9am Friday 28 Nov
Year 7 Sports Fixture, Rugby – 9 Dec
Year 10 Form Tutor Parents’ Evening – 9 Dec 6-7.30pm (virtual)
Years 10, 11, 12 & 13 Christmas Lunch – 10 Dec Please pay on iPay by Friday 28 Nov (Year7-9 must bring packed lunch this day)
WG6 Sports Fixture – 10 Dec
Christmas Concert (St Michael’s Church) – 11 Dec 6-8pm
PTA Doughnut & Samosa Sale at morning break – 12 Dec
Years 7-11 Flu Vaccinations – 12 Dec
St Lucia Cricket Tour – 14 Dec – 21 Dec
F1 Regional Competition – 16 Dec
Year 8 Sports Fixture, Rugby – 16 Dec
Year 7 Drama trip Aladdin Panto – 16 Dec
Year 7 Drama trip Aladdin Panto – 16 Dec
A Level Certificate Presentation & Drinks Reception at WGSG – 17 Dec 4-6pm
Last Day of Term 2 – 19 Dec 12pm (no break or lunch service)
First Day of Term 3 – Monday 5 Jan
Year 13 Mocks commence – 5 Jan
Best wishes,
Stuart Harrington
Headteacher
