The Darrick Wood Way
Parent Bulletin

Thank you for taking the time to read this first Parent Bulletin of the summer term. We are at the time of year where assessments and examinations start to dominate life in school. Year 12 have recently completed their first formal assessments for their post-16 courses and Year 10 are about to complete theirs. We then enter the May/June public examinations period, and of course we wish all in Years 11 and 13 the best best of luck with these. They all looked amazing for their Leavers’ photographs on Thursday.  This can be a time where the pressure is building and so it was nice to do something all together for a short while in the sunshine.

In assemblies this week I was delighted to attend and award certificates at our Achievement Assemblies for Years 11-13. I have also had the pleasure of interviewing six candidates from Year 12 to become Head Prefect. Congratulations to Jasmine Hooles and Jasveer Thind who succeeded in achieving this prestigious role. The Senior Prefect team they will lead will also consist of Deputy Head Prefects (Chloe Ancaja, Tayiba Choudhury, Ruby Clare and Aidan Coles). Candidates each presented their idea for a legacy project to the interview panel consisting of the Head Teacher, Deputy Head Teacher, Assistant Head Teacher, Head of Sixth Form and their Achievement Coordinator). We were very impressed by their ideas and by their their responses to our challenging questions. Whilst only two could be selected for Head Prefect, they have all taken a big step forward with their leadership skills and we are sure the whole team will have a really positive impact over the year ahead. Our thanks also to Niamh Christie, Toby Witherspoon and the rest of the outgoing Year 13 team for their dedication over the past year.

As promised before Easter we are now able to share what the future Darrick Wood uniform will look like. We listened carefully to feedback from parents, students and staff and I think the new look does what we set out to achieve. The gold reflects the fact we have always had honey gold shirts/blouses. The black replaces the brown. We continue to proudly display our logo and motto. Finally, the new uniform will match well with our PE kit. For PE kit, students will all have to wear the t-shirt with logo and then have a choice of shorts with logo or leggings with logo. For more details see the link to the policy provided below. 

For clarity, only new Year 7 students must wear this uniform from September 2026. Current Years 7-10 (Years 8-11 in September) may do so if they wish from September also. The old uniform may be worn whilst it fits, or whilst stocks last (in the shops or second hand from PSFA). If supplies of particular items or sizes run low, speak to the School. If the item required cannot be found, the option will be there to buy the new uniform, or replace say the brown trousers with black trousers. 

Our uniform shops have made their orders and we will let you know when the new uniform items are available. New Year 7 students will be prioritised. The uniform policy has been updated accordingly and can be found on our website here. Our website itself is being re-designed to incorporate the new colours and as a result of feedback. We are just entering the final testing period and updating photos. Hopefully we will be in a position to launch it very soon.

You may have noticed that we have an unprecedented number of teams reaching football finals this year and have played more games than ever. I am so proud of all those who have taken part and extend my best wishes to all who are playing in cup finals.

Finally from me, you will see within this bulletin a reminder of what items of equipment students should have with them daily in their school bags. Please ensure your child has all the items so they are set up well for success at school.