The Darrick Wood Way
Parent Bulletin
“If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you”
– Zig Ziglar –
Message from the Head Teacher
There have been many occasions in school recently where I have been struck by the sheer brilliance of our students. I see this in lessons around school daily, the way students look after each other around the School and how they demonstrate our values every day. The Parent Bulletin is one way we can share some of these brilliant moments with you – their parents and carers. With the public examinations coming to a close soon, we know our students in Years 11 and 13 should be proud of the efforts they have made. We look forward to results days in August and sharing those special moments with them. Results matter, we know they do, since qualifications open doors to the next stage of a young person’s life. However, what we aim to do at Darrick Wood is provide a broader educational experience for all, one where, through the opportunities we offer beyond the classroom, students are able to develop a whole range of skills that will support them to be successful in what they choose to do in their future lives. As the exams come to an end, the summer term has a major focus for our students in remaining year groups to make the most of these wider experiences – Sports Day, Year 12 work experience, the Year 8 residential trip, the Summer Concert, Sports Awards to name just a few. It may be a busy last few weeks to the academic year but we know it makes a difference to their enjoyment of school and all it has to offer. Thank you to all our parents/carers for your ongoing support of all that we aim to do for your children.
Finally from me, you should this week have received an email from Welbee, the team behind the parent survey that has been distributed by Impact MAT to all parents in the Trust’s schools. There has been a very good rate of return so far, but a small number of parents have found this email has gone directly into spam/junk folders. Please check these if you believe you did not receive the email from Welbee. If you still do not think you have received it, please get in touch with us.
Attendance Focus
93.6%
It is important to recognise the effect of punctuality to school and lessons; lateness can have a surprising impact on overall attendance and learning.
- 15 minutes late per day = over 9 days lost per school year
- 20 minutes late per day = over 12 days lost per school year
- 30 minutes late per day = over 13 days lost per school year
We hope that students will make every effort to sustain or improve their punctuality as the school year enters its final weeks.
Reading Recommendations
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Upcoming Events
Late start on Thursday, 20th June 2025
A reminder that on Thursday, 20th June 2025, the timings of the school day will be altered to facilitate Book Return for Years 11 and 13. Students in Years 7-10 and Year 12 will have a later start, and should arrive at school by 9.45am. Students should make their way to the correct playground by this time ready for registration and then start period 2 at 9.55am and then follow their usual timetabled lessons for that day.
01/07/2025 – Year 6/7 Transition Day
02/07/2025 – Sports Day
03/07/2025 – New Year 7 Parents’ Evening
10/07/2025 – Summer Concert (7.00pm)
14/07/2025 – 18/07/2025 – Year 8 Sayers Croft Trip
Useful Links
Previous Bulletins
Highlights of the fortnight
Black Forest/Freiburg 23rd to 26th May 2025
It was very nearly the witching hour (well, 4am) as an assortment of thirty seven Year 8 and Y ear 9 students gathered by the Sainsbury’s Locksbottom bus stop on Friday, 23rd May. It was bleary-eyed that we boarded but as we neared Dover, the sun had already risen and revealed a fine early morning. A calm crossing and pleasant weather marked our move from the island to the continent, and towards early evening as we approached our hostel some of our number were fuelled by service station sweeties. Once the perennial problem of making a bed was solved, the evening was free for relaxing; sitting outside in the balmy spring evening or, for the more energetic, playing football in the hostel grounds.
The next day our party was up bright and early, negotiating the buffet breakfast and constructing packed lunch for the day. We were soon on the road, pounding the cobbles of the beautiful medieval city of Freiburg, drinking in the fresh spring air and crystal-clear skies. Our Year 8s and Year 9s learnt a little of the history and put some of their language skills into practice at the daily market at the foot of Freiburg’s beautiful red sandstone cathedral. That day’s afternoon activity was to take a trip on Germany’s oldest and longest cable car to the top of the Schauinsland mountain. Sadly, our driver decided that we should first experience the descent rather than the ascent, so he deposited us at the top rather than the foot of the mountain. No matter, we still enjoyed the round-trip and even took part in a trek once at the top.
Sunday’s excursion was a trip to Germany’s number one theme park; Europapark. The fine weather of Saturday was replaced with slate grey skies and persistent rain. Fortunately, as the day wore on, the main source of soaking was the water rides rather than the rain, and it was a weary group, some inexplicably carrying Irish or Swedish flags, that made their way back to the hostel.
Because of the later crossing for Monday’s return journey, we were able to cross the Rhine at the border between Germany and France and visit the beautiful medieval city of Strasbourg. We took a leisurely wander through the cobbled streets and across bridges until we reached the ancient heart of the old town, Petite France. We also had a chance to stand in the shadows of Strasbourg’s imposing cathedral before heading back to the coach and, ultimately, home.
Thanks to all the staff that made this trip possible and also to the students of Darrick Wood who accompanied us. They really were fantastic ambassadors for our school and seemed to try to immerse themselves fully into the experience of visiting another country. I was also gratified to have been asked numerous times during the trip perhaps the greatest encapsulation of what it means to be simultaneously British and trying your best to dip into the culture of your host country; “How do you say ‘sorry’ in German, sir?”
Culturally Speaking Year Nine Visit to Imperial War Museum
30 Year 9 students visited the Imperial War Museum, London on Monday as part of the ‘Culturally Speaking’ programme which includes an oracy workshop this Friday. Students participated in the ‘Documentary Challenge’, working in groups to record mini documentaries on objects of interest in the Second World War galleries. They were issued with phones for recording video, microphones, clapper boards and their own AI manager to coach them through making these informative videos. The students particularly enjoyed going inside the Anderson shelter and then under the Morrison shelter (a table with a steel cage for sheltering in). It was great fun as well as being educational and informative.
Bromley Minors Athletics Competition
On Wednesday, our Year 7 and 8 boys and girls took part in the Bromley Minors Athletics Competition at Norman Park and delivered outstanding performances and represented the School phenomenally. The Year 7 girls secured an impressive 1st place (the relay team beating the current school record with a fantastic time of 56.7 seconds), the Year 8 girls finished 2nd, and the Year 7 boys earned a strong 3rd place, with the Year 8 boys placing an admirable 5th place with strong competition. Their hard work, team spirit, and determination truly paid off.
To top off an already fantastic day, the students had the exciting opportunity to meet and take a photo with Olympic medallist Sam Reardon — an unforgettable moment for all!
DWS Dance Company represented Darrick Wood at the Dance Championships Secondary School Competition. Darrick Wood performed two pieces, ‘The Fallen’ and ‘Words.’ Both pieces were performed beautifully by our students, and we are pleased to announce that ‘The Fallen’ was placed third in the large secondary school group category. This was a fantastic achievement as our company is largely made up of KS3 with some Year 10 students and the groups that were placed first and second were older students. What a fantastic experience and achievement for our dancers, and another trophy to add to the cabinet!
Curriculum Showcase - History
Students in Year 7 have been working on the Tudor time period. This piece of work had them create a story board outlining the events of the Wars of the Roses. They needed to identify the two houses of York and Lancaster by shading the rose either Red for Lancaster or White for York. They then needed to caption each event and add an image to illustrate it. This helped them with the understanding of how turbulent the country was at the begging of the Tudor period.
In Year 8, students have been studying the British Empire. They have been investigating the impact of the Empire on the world. This piece of work required students to examine the legacy of the Empire at the end of the unit. This requires students to examine the significance of the British Empire and the way the world and life in Britain has changed because of it.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
June is Pride Month, and at Darrick Wood School we are proud to stand in solidarity with our LGBTQ+ students, staff, families, and wider community. Pride is a time to celebrate love, identity, and the right for everyone to live authentically—free from discrimination or prejudice.
Throughout this month, students will engage with activities and discussions in assemblies, form time and other learning opportunities that explore the history of Pride, the ongoing struggles faced by LGBTQ+ communities, and the importance of allyship. We are also celebrating the contributions of LGBTQ+ individuals to society, culture, and education.
As part of our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, we are working hard to ensure that all students feel seen, respected and safe—whatever their gender identity or sexual orientation. Our pastoral teams, EDI leads and student groups continue to provide support, challenge stereotypes, and champion inclusive practices.
We encourage parents and carers to talk with their children about what they’ve learned this month, and to reinforce the message that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and kindness.
If you’d like to know more about our EDI work or how we support LGBTQ+ inclusion at the school, please do contact us directly.
Sports and PE News
On Friday, 16th May, Darrick Wood’s Junior (Year 7 & 8) Boys and Girls and Intermediate (Years 9 &10) Boys and Girls teams took part in the first round of the English Schools Athletics Cup. The competition in our event was tough, but we knew it would help us raise our game to gain as many points as possible. All the athletes had to take part in a track event plus a field event or relay, so some were taking part in an event new to them.
The best points scores of the day for the girls teams came from Izzy (40), Holly (33), Jess (36) and Rosie (35) in the JG and Alice (46), Annie (45) and Annabelle and Mojola (39). The final result was that the JG team came third with 319 points and the IG team came second with 361 points, making it through to South East England A Final.
Highlights for the Junior Boys came from Charlie (100m, 13.2s), Tommy (27.6s 200m) and Charlie (2m 35s 800m), each of which earned 18 points in those events.
Our Intermediate Boys managed to qualify for a Regional B Final with a total points tally of 376 and in the process beating both Ravenswood and Bullers Wood Boys. Highlights were from Anthony who doubled up in the 1500m (4m 32s) and Discus (32.56m), scoring 47 points in total! Luke scored well in the Discus (30.84m) and 300m (42.7s), bagging 36 points for the team. James ran 24.7s in the 200m and achieved 9.46m in the Shot Put, to score 35 individual points. Other fine performances from Alex (Javelin, 37.90m), Daniel, dipping under 5 minutes for the first time in the 1500m with 4:58, and Patrick running 12.9s in the 80m hurdles. However Elijah, our second hurdler, broke the Year 9 School Record with 12.6s and scoring 22 points for the team in the process!
We wish all athletes the best of luck in the next round.
On Tuesday, 6th May, the KS3 and 4 Dance club performed at The Step Around Event at Townley Grammar School. The Step Around Town events are regional performance opportunities for groups on the Step into Dance programme. The event allowed our students to have the chance to mix with other like-minded dancers, be exposed to new dance styles and perform to their friends and families. From this performance, we are pleased to announce that our group has been selected to perform their piece ‘Veil of Dreams’ at Step Live, the end of year celebration showcase at Cadogan Hall, London in July. This is a fantastic achievement and we would like to congratulate everyone involved. Well done!
Safety & Awareness
For information on ‘What you need to Know about Instagram’ please click here
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Wellbeing
Bromley Y are running a variety of free webinars for parents and carers for the remainder of this academic year. For more information and to book a place, click on the links.
Student Leadership
Main Assemblies
In the assembly before half term we had the Year 8 Vocal Group perform their ‘Cup Song’ from the Spring Concert. It was such a lovely way to start each morning and showed the beauty of mixing singing with percussion. Thank you to Alexia, Gabriella, Rosie, Chloe, Olivia, Georgia Mae, Isla, Jessica, Piper, Elizabeth, Lucy, and Aurelia for all their hard work and stunning performance skills, and to Mr Rees for working with this group and accompanying them all week. We look forward to hearing more from them in the Summer Concert on 10th July.
Last week in assembly we celebrated Pride Month by having members of our Student Leadership Council talk about the importance of Pride month to the LFBTQ+ community and where it originated from. They also spoke to us about the importance of difference and accepting everyone for who they are. The School has had the pride flag flying this week to show support as well.
This week in assembly we had Alice from Year 7 perform ‘Maria’ from West Side Story on her French Horn. It was a fantastic way to start the day and we thank her for having the courage to play in front of whole year groups.
The last three winners have been announced for the Jack Petchey Award this year. Names were nominated by staff and students and the winners were anonymously chosen by the Student Leadership Council. Congratulations to Lilly in Year 10, Kelsey in Year 12 and Dailah in Year 8. All worthy winners will now decide which department to give their £300 to.
This academic year we have awarded nine students and 1 staff member with a Jack Petchey Award. Congratulations once again to all winners.
Work Related Learning
Year 12 Work Experience Programme (Monday, 7th July – Friday, 11th July)
As previously shared with students and parents/carers, our Year 12 Work Experience Programme is taking place from Monday, 7th July to Friday, 11th July. During this week, all Year 12 students attend work experience placements instead of following their usual school timetable. Darrick Wood School uses the Unifrog Careers Portal to manage placements and conduct the necessary pre-placement checks. Students have received regular reminders throughout Year 12 via email, the Year 12 Pastoral Team or Mrs Collier. The original deadline of Friday, 9th May has been extended on several occasions to enable students to ensure that the necessary forms were submitted.
If all three required forms are not received on the Unifrog portal by Monday, 16th June, we cannot guarantee that we will have sufficient time to carry out pre-placement checks to approve placement requests and therefore will not be able to authorise absence to attend placements. For further information, please contact Mrs Collier, Head of Work-Related Learning.
Year 10 Work Shadowing Day (Wednesday, 2nd July)
As part of our Careers Education, Information, Advice, and Guidance Curriculum, Year 10 students are invited to take part in a Work Shadowing Day designed to provide them with an insight into the workplace and the broader world of work.
This year, Work Shadowing Day will be held on Wednesday, 2nd July. On this day, Year 10 students have the opportunity to accompany a parent/carer or other named trusted adult to their workplace, or attend an Employability Masterclass session in school. The masterclass will be led by Young Enterprise, an organisation that brings in corporate volunteers to help students develop key skills for the world of work.
Please refer to the separate letters sent to parents/carers last term and complete the form within the letter to confirm your child’s arrangements for Work Shadowing Day.
The deadline to submit the form is Friday, 20th June.
Monthly Parent and Carer Guide to Apprenticeships
Please find the link below to the June edition of the parent and carer guide to apprenticeships with lots of useful content to support your child with post-16 and post-18 pathway options.