The Darrick Wood Way
Parent Bulletin
“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing”
– Albert Einstein –
Message from the Head Teacher
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, as the song goes. With only three weeks until the end of this very busy term I note there are at least two mentions of Christmas in this week’s Bulletin, and we are not yet in December! The highlight of the past fortnight for me was watching the School Production of We Will Rock You. Our students were simply amazing and I am so grateful to our staff for giving so much of their time. Thank you also to the many parents and other guests who came to watch and especially to those who took the time to write to us to say what a positive experience this was. I will leave you to enjoy reading news updates below but before I finish, just a few basic reminders from me:
Uniform
Socks may not be worn with tights. It is a choice between one or the other.
Coats must be plain dark brown or black, scarfs also – no bright colours or patterns. For details on uniform please see this page on our website.
There is a Pre-Loved Uniform Sale at the School being held by the PSFA Saturday morning (10-11am), 29th November.
Phones
Our stance on phones is simple. They are not required in school. If a parent/carer chooses to allow their child to bring a phone of any kind to school, it must be “Off and Away All Day”. This means from the moment a student enters through the front gates to the moment they exit the gates, the phone must be fully off and in their bag. If it is seen or heard by any staff it will be confiscated. This includes if it is seen in a trouser pocket etc. We ask that parents/carers do not contact their children via their mobiles whilst they are in school.
Thank you for your support with these and on our behaviour policy more generally.
Attendance Focus
93.6%
Form Group 11XF have outstanding attendance so far at 96.96%.
Congratulations to students who are managing to achieve 100% attendance each week. We understand that absence for illness might sometimes be necessary but strongly encourage all students to strive for a full week in school whenever possible.
Reading Recommendations
Click below for details
Upcoming Events
10th December – Year 12 Parents’ Evening
18th December – Christmas Concert
19th December – Last day of Autumn Term, early finish, details to follow.
Useful Links
Updates and Reminders
Christmas Fun Run
Students in Years 7 and 8 will be bringing home sponsorship forms for our annual Christmas Fun Run. This exciting event raises valuable funds for the PE Department, helping us provide high-quality opportunities for all students through extracurricular clubs and PE lessons. Money raised will go towards coaches, equipment, kits, sports awards, and travel for fixtures.
Event Dates (both during their PE lessons):
- Year 7: Tuesday, 16th December
- Year 8: Thursday, 18th December
During the Christmas Fun Run, students will complete laps of our 3G pitch while enjoying festive Christmas music. They will aim to see how many laps they can complete in the time given.
Students are encouraged to dress in festive clothing such as Christmas jumpers, pyjamas, headbands, onesies, or Santa outfits. Please note: For health and safety reasons, no items may be worn around the neck. Students do not need to bring in any sponsorship money until the day of their run.
There will also be prizes to be won on the day to add to the festive fun!
Thank you for supporting this event and helping us continue to provide fantastic sporting opportunities for our students.
Kind Regards,
The PE Department
Highlights of the Fortnight
On Friday, 14th October, the Politics Department welcomed our local MP, Gareth Bacon, into Darrick Wood School. A Level Politics students had the opportunity to learn about the role of an MP as well as an extended session of Q&A. The students asked some fantastic questions that not only helped with their understanding of the A Level Politics course, but also about wider politics. The students were exemplary on the day and were a real credit to the school. We are hoping to invite further political figures into Darrick Wood School to expose students to a range of political perspectives.
A huge congratulations to Mrs Bothick who has been awarded the Jack Petchey Leadership award for this year. Nominations for the award were made by staff for those who go above and beyond their jobs to help the students and the school as a whole. We had 15 staff nominated this year which is amazing. The Student Leadership Council then made their decision on who from those 15 should win. Mrs Bothick will now a £1000 grant to spend on the school in for student development.
Children in Need
Throughout the week the SLC sold Pudsey ears, pens, teddies, bracelets and pin badges and were soon out of stock! Year 7 then held a bake sale to raise some money. It was so nice to see the school coming together as a community to celebrate this charity event and thank you to everyone involved. Once the total has been added up we will et you know how much we raised.
Bromley Schools Cross Country 2025
On Wednesday 12th November the Bromley schools’ cross country was held at Darrick Wood Schools. With the help of our year 12 marshals and A level PE runners the event was very successful.
The Darrick wood results consisted of;-
Junior girls: Izzy 3rd, Holly 5th , Mila 20th from year 9. Jess 6th, from year 8 making up the winning team in Bromley. Alana and Elise from year 8 also participated.
Junior Boys: Best result came from Thomas in year 8 and the other runners were William, Zach, Daniel, Sam and Joe. Team place 5th.
Inter girls: Poppy 9th and Ida 15th.
Inter Boys: Anthony 4th competing in his last Darrick Wood race since starting his running back in year 7.
The following week the 7’s participated in the Bromley schools at Farrington’s. In the girl’s race Louisa came 4th, Liza 8th, Fleur 9th and Verity 14. They made up the girls team who came 1st overall in Bromley, yet another amazing result. Matilda and Sofia also participated. In the year 7 boys’ race, Fletcher came 4th and Ollie came 17th with Noah, Adrian, Louis and Ben participating, they came 4th overall.
The following will be competing at the Kent Schools in January representing Bromley. We wish them all the best.
Izzy, Holly, Jess, Poppy, Anthony, Louisa, Liza, Fleur and Fletcher.
Curriculum Showcase
Super Lesson Sixes in English!
In the run-up to their December Mocks, our hard-working Year 11 students are making sure they know all the key skills for the Language exam ! Lesson sixes have covered the reading skills of analysis, and evaluation, where you have to prove to the examiner that you are making a judgement on a story extract. Some of the stories in the past have included creepy Edgar Allan Poe tales, and an extract from Bram Stoker’s legendary Dracula. Lots for learners to get their teeth into there ! We have also covered Creative Writing, where students have to write a story with an ace plot and super descriptions. An opportunity for our youngsters to show they could be the next Stephen King or Shirley Jackson ! Mrs Millar, Mrs Chappell and Mr Tuck are running the sessions, supporting what our Year 11s are doing in class, every Wednesday up until the exams, and Miss Smith is doing sessions on Fridays, and we have all been hugely impressed by the dedication , skills, and good humour of a year group we think are totally brilliant. For those of you reading closely, that last sentence was an evaluation!
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Sports and PE News
Recent Football results:
Year 7 Boys:
2-0 WIN vs Charles Darwin in Bromley Leagues
1-2 LOSS vs Coopers in Bromley Leagues
Year 8 Boys:
2-5 LOSS vs Charles Darwin in Bromley Leagues
Year 9 Boys:
4-2 WIN vs Charles Darwin in Bromley Leagues
1Xi boys:
2-0 win vs Claremont in Kent Cup
Year 7 Girls:
9-4 WIN v Rainham in National Cup
3-1 WIN vs Bonus Pastor in Kent Cup
Year 8 Girls:
UTILITA CUP CHAMPIONS (SEE BELOW)
2-0 WIN vs Bromley High in Kent Cup
Year 9 Girls:
2-0 WIN vs Cobham in National Cup
Year 10 Girls:
1-2 LOSS vs Bullers Wood in Kent Cup
2-0 WIN vs Bexleyheath Academy in National Cup
Year 11 Girls:
2-4 LOSS vs Bullers Wood in Kent Cup
U18 Girls:
We are so proud to have now played our first ever U18 girls game in Darrick Wood’s recent history. This important addition to our Football provision gives our year 11, 12 and 13 students a chance to play higher up in the school and most importantly continue to enjoy and compete for the school. We played our first game last week and beat North Kent College 8-0. This group of girls could go on to achieve something special!
U13 Girls are Utilita Cup champions!
The U13 girls travelled to Bromley FC for the annual English Football League Utilita cup 6@side competition. After losing our first game of the day the girls dug deep to go on and win every other game. We will now represent Bromley in the next round which is a regional Competition.
So far this year we have now played 50 games and by Christmas we will have played 67.
Year 7 Girls:
9-4 WIN v Rainham in National Cup
3-1 WIN vs Bonus Pastor in Kent Cup
Year 8 Girls:
UTILITA CUP CHAMPIONS (SEE BELOW)
2-0 WIN vs Bromley High in Kent Cup
Year 9 Girls:
2-0 WIN vs Cobham in National Cup
Year 10 Girls:
1-2 LOSS vs Bullers Wood in Kent Cup
2-0 WIN vs Bexleyheath Academy in National Cup
Year 11 Girls:
2-4 LOSS vs Bullers Wood in Kent Cup
U18 Girls:
We are so proud to have now played our first ever U18 girls game in Darrick Wood’s recent history. This important addition to our Football provision gives our year 11, 12 and 13 students a chance to play higher up in the school and most importantly continue to enjoy and compete for the school. We played our first game last week and beat North Kent College 8-0. This group of girls could go on to achieve something special!
U13 Girls are Utilita Cup champions!
The U13 girls travelled to Bromley FC for the annual English Football League Utilita cup 6@side competition. After losing our first game of the day the girls dug deep to go on and win every other game. We will now represent Bromley in the next round which is a regional Competition.
So far this year we have now played 50 games and by Christmas we will have played 67.
Wellbeing
Keeping Safe when out and about – advice from Bromley Police
Last week at the ‘Educate to Prevent Youth Harm’ workshop, Bromley Police asked us to share some important information with students and their parents/carers to help keep them safe in the local area:
- Stay in populated areas within town centres. Lone individuals in parks and back roads are more likely to be targeted
- Keep valuables out of sight
- Enable tracking on your phone
- Register all mobile phones on the national mobile phone register
- Record your IMEI in a safe place (*#06#)
- Consider placing a tracker in pockets of expensive coats/clothing
- Use a zip card on buses so CCTV from the exact bus can be identified if an incident occurs
Student Leadership
Main Assembly
This week in Main Assembly we celebrated our Year 12 students being awarded their Ambassador badges. Congratulations to all of those who received a subject badge and became part of the Student Leadership Council. We also had an amazing piano performance from Aviral in Year 9. Thank you to him for sharing with us his talent and such a beautiful piece.
Main Assembly
Last week in assembly we had Adam, Ella, Iris and Chloe from Year 11 who are all Charity Ambassadors speaking to us about the work we do for Charity as a school. They looked at Jeans for Genes, Pink for Breast Cancer, The Poppy Appeal and The Bromley Food Bank work we have already done since September. They also talked about our upcoming ‘Festive Week’ and Christmas Jumper Day to raise money for Save the Children. Thank you to them for delivering this important information to the whole school.
Work Related Learning
Skills London Apprenticeship Fair – Kia Oval
On Thursday 15th November, students from Years 11 to 13 had the fantastic opportunity to attend the Skills London Apprenticeship Fair at the iconic Kia Oval. The event brought together leading employers, training providers, and industry experts, giving our students a chance to explore a wide range of career pathways and apprenticeship opportunities. They engaged in interactive workshops, spoke directly with recruiters, and gained valuable insights into the skills and qualifications needed for future success. It was lovely to see students engaging enthusiastically and taking notes throughout the day, making the most of this inspiring experience to shape their future ambitions.
Year 13 Careers Insight Visit to Bank of America
Our Year 13 students recently had the exciting opportunity to visit Bank of America for a careers insight event. The purpose of the trip was to gain a deeper understanding of the Bank’s operations and explore the wide range of roles available within the organisation and the broader finance industry. This experience provided valuable insight into how financial institutions operate, the role they play in global markets, and the career pathways open to those interested in finance.
During the event, students engaged with professionals from different departments, learning about areas such as investment banking, risk management, compliance, and technology. They also discovered the skills and qualifications sought by employers in the sector, giving them a clearer picture of the opportunities available after school and university.
This visit not only broadened students’ understanding of the finance industry but also inspired many to consider careers in banking and related fields. It was an excellent example of how real-world experiences can enrich academic learning and help students make informed decisions about their future.
Freddie Wall In Year 9 – Driving in the Karting London cup Freddie managed to go from 19th to 3rd place.
