Headmaster’s Welcome – Mr Hawkes, Headmaster
Dear Parents and Guardians,
It was a great pleasure to join some of our Prep School colleagues in welcoming Prep parents to our first coffee morning earlier this week. Meeting parents and hearing their views is key to helping us form our vision for the future of our Prep School, and events like these also help parents make those all-important connections that bind together our wider school community. With that in mind, please keep your eye out for invitations to similar events at the Senior School in the future.
On the theme of parents in School, it was wonderful to see so many of you in attendance at the Macmillan Breakfast this morning. It was a lot of fun being served my bacon roll by pupils and staff, and the breakfast treats tasted extra special because of the knowledge that it was all for a good cause. I can now report that £758.85 has been raised for Macmillan Cancer Care – superb.
Those of you planning to be on site for tomorrow’s sports fixtures should also note that hot drinks (there’s a theme developing here somewhere) will now be available for parents in the dining room whilst the pupils are served their match teas. As the Autumnal weather creeps in, I’m sure you’ll all be pleased to have access to a warm dry space in which to mix and mingle whilst the pupils re-fuel.
Finally, today we hosted our first Prep School Open Morning of the year, and it was a great success. Thank you to those Senior School pupils who helped in one capacity or another. Next Saturday it’s the turn of the Senior School, and it looks set to be a busy day for us all. Open Mornings are important for the School, but they also offer our pupils a valuable opportunity to develop those all-important social skills and confidence – I know they will be our best possible ambassadors in every way.
Cripps’ Thorpe Park Trip – Jonathan Dean, Housemaster of Cripps’
On Sunday 21st September 43 boys from Cripps’ House and 4 staff travelled to Thorpe Park for the day. It was a great opportunity for the pupils ranging from year 7 to year 13 to integrate with each other and forge long lasting friendships, at the same time as going on some of the biggest and fastest rollercoasters in the world. Many thanks to all involved for a cracking day.
Sixth Form, Welcome! – Sarah Baxby, Head of Sixth Form
Welcome back to a new academic year! The summer break seems to have flown by, and the two exam result days already feel like a distant memory. We’re delighted to welcome back our Year 13 students and to get to know our new Year 12 cohort.
We hope last year’s students are enjoying their Post-18 journeys, with many now settling into university life and making the most of Fresher’s Week! As they begin exciting new chapters, our current Year 13 students are actively preparing for their own futures—whether through university applications, apprenticeship opportunities, or exploring other pathways.
Looking Ahead: Opportunities for Year 12 & 13
While Year 13 students are deep into university visits and applications, our Year 12s are just beginning to explore their options. This journey kicks off in November with two key events:
- 5th November – International University Roadshow
- 6th November – University, Apprenticeship and Careers Fair at Northampton University
These events are part of a wider programme designed to help students make informed decisions about their futures. We encourage all students to keep an open mind and explore every opportunity available.
Careers Support
Our weekly Careers Newsletter has been revamped and now includes a code for parents to access Unifrog, a fantastic resource for exploring career and education pathways. The newsletter is tailored to each year group and is a valuable tool for both students and parents. We strongly encourage you to take a look!
Year 12 Welcome Evening
This Wednesday’s Year 12 Welcome Evening was a wonderful opportunity to showcase the many opportunities available to our students. It was a pleasure to meet both familiar and new families, and we extend a warm welcome to all.
Key Dates to Remember
Year 13
- 27th September – Internal deadline for early entry and Music Conservatoire applications
- 2nd October – Final submission deadline for Music Conservatoire applications
- 15th October – UCAS early entry submission deadline
- 17th October – Wellingborough School UCAS deadline for personal statements
Year 12
- 5th November – International University Roadshow – 9.15 – 10.15 Sixth Form Centre
- 6th November – University, Apprenticeship and Careers Fair at Northampton University
- 6th February – Gala Dinner
Garne’s House News – Lester Williams, Housemaster of Garne’s
The Michaelmas term has started in Garne’s, and the boys are excited to be back and are looking forward to another busy year. We have welcomed our new Year 8 and Year 9 pupils into house for the first time, and they are settling into their new surroundings and adapting to the demands of moving up in the school.
We have already taken part in our annual charity football tournament, where we all mix together, have some fun, play some reasonable football and raise some money for our house charity, the Cransley Hospice. We have supported this charity for many years and will never be able to repay them for all the love and care they gave to Mr Ramsden senior, a tutor of Garne’s for over 20 years. Well done and Congratulations to team Malton / Docker, and a special mention to Tom for winning the Golden Boot with three incredible goals.
‘I love our house footy competition. It is such a great way to get all the younger boys mixed in with the seniors. The play isn’t always that good, but we run about and have a great time… and we try to win.’ – Tom, Golden Boot winner 2025.
House singing has also already come. Initial rehearsals were problematic, but as time went by the quality definitely increased and our final performance of ‘Use somebody’ by Kings of Leon was fantastic.
I wish good luck to our Year 11s for their upcoming trial exams and am looking forward to another positive and productive year together.
Blues Band Auditions – Liz Burleigh, Music School Administrator
On Thursday, we held our first round of auditions for this year’s Blues Band. For anyone who wasn’t able to come along, there is one more audition session on Thursday 2nd Oct in the Elgar Room.
Anyone interested should come along anytime between 1.00pm and 1.50pm, with a piece ready to perform on any of the following instruments:
- Singers
- Trumpet
- Trombone
- Saxophone
- Piano/keyboard
- Drums/percussion
- Bass guitar
- Electric guitar
Band members from last year must reaudition for their place. The line-up for the band will be announced shortly after the second set of auditions. Good luck!
Year 13 Biology Trip to Kew Gardens – Carol Whittaker, Biology Technician
This week Year 13 Biologists have been to Kew Gardens – a chance to immerse themselves in the world of plants. Exploring the beautiful glasshouses, they discovered a whole range of interesting specimens. From economically important plants such as Enset, a close relative of the banana providing food security in Ethiopia, to the Madagascan periwinkle, a source of cancer busting drugs. A lecture on conservation and biodiversity provoked some lively debate in support of a range of conservation projects. A great day out!
European Day of Languages 2025 – Matthew Watson, Head of Modern Foreign Languages
Across Europe on the 26th September, millions of people celebrated the European Day of Languages, now in its 25th year, such is the success of the. Event that began in 2001, organised by the Council of Europe and European Union. The day is a celebration of plurilingualism and linguistic diversity across Europe, recognising not just native languages but also any language that is now spoken in the continent.
In assembly this week I talked about the event but also shared part of my story and the reasons why I fell in love with studying languages.
Growing up, my family didn’t have many holidays abroad, but I was always curious about foreign travel. In fact, I was 7 before we travelled abroad for the first time, when we went to France. I was in awe of how everything looked similar but different at the same time. Normal things like street signs or the supermarket intrigued me – that and the fact that everyone spoke a different language and not everyone spoke English.
The trip piqued my curiosity, but it would be a few more years before we went abroad again, on that occasion to France and Spain. In an era where there was no Duolingo and the teachers still used chalk on the board, there were few opportunities to explore a language and its culture the way we do now.
This is where the Eurovision Song Contest came in. At the time, countries almost always sang in their mother tongue, and I loved it. I’m not saying the music was always to my taste, but there is something about someone putting themselves on stage, in front a tv audience of millions and sharing their language and their culture that really intrigued me. As such, it has been a regular fixture in my life for the past 30 years. Friends come and go, but the Eurovision Song Contest remains a constant.
In the assembly, I shared a few of my favourite songs from this year’s contest in Basel, Switzerland. We watched the German entry, called “Baller”, which I believe translates as “to shoot”, in this case “for the stars”. Next, we had the Spanish entry, with “Esa diva”, meaning “That diva”. Finally, I showed the Netherlands entry which uses a clever mix of French and English in the song “C’est la vie”, meaning “That’s life”.
I have now handed the power over to the students to play the part of judges and to decide which of the three songs they would vote for as their winner in this mini Eurovision Song Contest. A task has been set on Firefly with links to videos and a poll.
We await their decision! I shall be sure to communicate the winner once the voting closes. I’m sure everyone simply can’t wait to find out.
Wishing everyone all the best and a very happy European Day of Languages!
Careers Weekly
Today is the European Day of Languages. To celebrate, our first Spotlight feature hosts links and ideas about careers you could pursue using your language skills.
Read this week’s Careers newsletter HERE.
Hockey Results – George Houghton, Teacher of PE and Games
Last Saturday saw our first block of hockey fixtures for the term against Spratton Hall (years 7 & 8) and King’s School, Ely (year’s 9-13). All three of our junior teams battled hard against good opposition from Spratton Hall and gave an excellent account of themselves in their first fixtures of the season. Despite losing all three matches, there were lots of positives to take into this next week. Special mention to all those who played in the U12A match, representing the senior school in a competitive sports fixture for the very first time.
Our U14, U15 and senior teams played matches home and away against King’s School, Ely and once again all matches were very even contests where, unfortunately, on this occasion we just came out on the ‘wrong’ side of most results where on another day the final scorelines could have easily been reversed. Congratulations to the 1st XI squad who began their 2025 campaign with a hard earned 1-1 draw away from home.
Earlier this week a few of our B teams played matches against Quinton House’s A teams. These matches have provided an excellent opportunity to maximise the number of girls representing the school in competitive fixtures, meaning that more than 100 girls have already represented the school this term.
Yesterday afternoon our U14’s played matches at home against Leicester Grammar School. I had the pleasure of umpiring the U14A match and it was fantastic to see a coordinated team effort, with all players working hard to put this week’s training sessions into practice; a superb team goal midway through the second half sealing a deserved 1-0 victory! Whilst the combined U14/U15B team didn’t experience success with their end result, Miss Costello and Mrs Ferguson were delighted with the progress of this group, putting in their best performance of the season against strong opposition.
Good luck to all teams playing matches this weekend against Tudor Hall School, where we are looking to register our first wins of the season!
Hockey Results v Spratton Hall
- U12A lost 1-3
- U13A lost 1-4
- U13B lost 1-4
Hockey Results v King’s School, Ely
- 1st XI drew 1-1
- 2nd XI lost 2-1
- U15A lost 0-3
- U14/U15B lost 1-5
- U14A lost 0-3
Hockey Results v Quinton House
- U13B v QHS U13A lost 5-0
- U12B v QHS U12A lost 4-1
- U14/U15B v QHS U15A lost 1-5
Hockey Results v Leicester Grammar School
- U14A won 1-0
- U14/U15B lost 1-4
Rugby Results – Lester Williams, Head of Rugby
An excellent block of rugby fixtures this weekend, with more excellent performances from our teams. Dominate wins for our 1st XV, 2nd XV and both U14 teams. Well done to all our players, thanks to the grounds team for preparing some excellent pitches, and thank you for all the support.
Saturday 20th September V King Edward’s Stratford
- 1st XV won 43-10
- 2nd XV won 29-7
- U15A lost 0-43
- U14A won 0-34
- U14B won 25-45
- U13A lost 45-5
- U13B lost 70-40
Safeguarding Update
As the new school year gets underway, many families find it helpful to re-establish routines around sleep, screen time, curfews and home life. While the summer holidays are a chance to relax, the return to structure can be a welcome reset – not just for learning, but for your child’s overall wellbeing and safety.
Why routines matter for well-being
Routines offer young people a sense of stability, predictability and control, all of which are important for good mental health, particularly during the teenage years. Adolescence is a time of rapid change, emotionally and physically. Having regular daily habits can help reduce anxiety, improve focus and create a stronger sense of security.
Read the full safeguarding newsletter for this month HERE.
Senior Open Day – Next Weekend
There’s still time for you to book your space for our Autumn Senior Open Day!
You’ll have the chance to meet our Headmaster, tour the school, chat with staff over refreshments, and speak with our Admissions team.
Sporty Scholars Camp at Wellingborough School – Book Now!
Sporty Scholars will be running a multi-activity and sport camp here at Wellingborough School from Monday 27th October until Friday 31st October. This camp is for children aged 4-14.
For more information, click HERE.
To book your place please visit: Sporty Scholars at Wellingborough School
October Tech Camps Are On – Join the Adventure – Book Now!
Next Thing Education’s Tech Camps are bursting with creativity, hands-on learning, and fun — plus children take home a STEM invention every day!
The October half term Tech & STEM Camp will run from Monday 27th to Friday 31st October at Wellingborough School and is open to children aged 5–11.
For more information, click HERE.
To book your place, please visit: Wellingborough School Tech & STEM Camp.
Stay Conected
To see more of what’s happening at Wellingborough School, follow us on social media HERE.
You can also explore upcoming events and activities on our Events Page HERE.
Wellingborough School Business Directory
Please find the Business Directory at the following link: https://wellingboroughschool.org/community/business-directory/
