Headmaster’s Welcome – Mr Hawkes, Headmaster
Dear Parents and Guardians,
This week started with a lovely (and very well attended) Sunday Chapel for Weymouth and Platt’s. Being a Harvest-themed service, we sang some pleasingly traditional hymns, whilst also enjoying the jaw-dropping vocal talents of Ivory during a musical interlude and hearing senior pupils expertly deliver first-hand accounts of the past year in the Houses. The standard of public speaking at Wellingborough is notably good. It was also a pleasure to spend time after the service chatting to families over a hot drink and slice of cake; please do note the dates of future chapel events and come along if you are able.
The week ends with tomorrow’s hotly anticipated Senior School Open Morning. Thank you to those of you supporting the school by bringing your children in to act as hosts and guides – I know they will do a super job of making our guests feel welcome. Thank you also to our intrepid WSSPA representatives who are really going above and beyond by making themselves available for conversations with visiting families during the morning.
I also want to use this week’s letter to mention the exploits of our 1st XI Hockey team in their last two matches. Their collective demonstration of resilience to come back from a goal down to win against Tudor Hall last weekend was something to behold. And then again last night they fought back from 2-5 down and ultimately drew against a skilful Northampton High School side. What a great example for all our pupils representing the school, whether that be in sports teams, for the CCF, or in academic challenges such as the upcoming House Debating or inter-school Team Maths Challenges – never give up!
Back in the Saddle at Blenheim Palace – Pupil Lucy Tackles the 100cm Eventing Course
Last year I took the day off school and went to compete at Blenheim Palace Pony Club Arena Eventing 90cm. I placed 5th out of 162 people in the class.
After the success of last year, I was very grateful to have the chance to compete at Blenheim Horse Trials again in the Pony Club 100cm Arena Eventing.
It was held at Blenheim Palace on Friday, 19th September, and this year I competed as part of the 100cm Arena Eventing team. The event was an eventer challenge, meaning the winner wasn’t the fastest rider but the one who came closest to the optimum time. This added to the challenge, as riders had to complete their round without wearing a watch to track their time. It was all about judging the right pace while navigating a course of jumps.
The day was enjoyable, and I got the great opportunity to watch some of the Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials that were taking place at the same time.
Business Update – Gemma Scott, Head of Business & Economics
We are proud to celebrate the success of our 2025 Business leavers. Students achieved excellent results and are now pursuing a wide range of exciting destinations, from top universities to professional pathways.
Some highlights include:
- A student achieving A, A, A and going on to study Economics and Management at Loughborough University
- A student achieving A*, A, A and pursuing Accounting and Finance at the University of Liverpool
- A student achieving A*, A, A and beginning a degree in International Management at University College London (UCL)
Their achievements and ambition are an inspiration to younger students, proving that dedication can open doors to outstanding opportunities in business and beyond.
Business and Economics Students Share Their Experiences
Students in the Sixth Form have been reflecting on what they enjoy about studying Business and Economics at A level, and how the two subjects work hand in hand.
- Edward: “Moving from boarding at Oundle School to Wellingborough Sixth Form was a big change, but I’m really glad I made the move. Economics and Business link well together. The department teachers, Mrs Baxby, Mrs Scott and Mr Woodward, support us brilliantly.”
- Coco: “Studying Business and Economics at A level is rewarding because the two subjects complement each other. They allow me to connect theory with real-world situations. This overlap broadens my knowledge and deepens my understanding, giving me new perspectives on how businesses and economies function together.”
- Jude: “Economics shows the bigger picture, like how inflation or interest rates affect people and companies. Business focuses on how firms respond through pricing, investment and strategy. Together, they help us understand not just how businesses work, but why they succeed or struggle.”
These students’ reflections highlight how the combination of Business and Economics not only enriches their academic studies but also equips them with insights into the world beyond the classroom.
The new Year 12 students are off to a great start:
History Department News – Jane Selby, Head of History
We were delighted that all the folder organisation, attendance at clinics and sheer hard work and tenacity by our 2025 GCSE and A Level pupils resulted in such super results. At GCSE our results of 85% Grade 5+, 54% Grade 7+ and 18% Grade 9, compared to the national average of 66%, 28% and 6%, respectively, were very pleasing. At A Level, results of 50% A-A*, with the national average being 26%, were also very gratifying. We are all a little bit envious of Kitty T-H, Henry W, Luke N and Tom F, as they begin their degrees in History, and hope that the love of History will last a lifetime for all those whom we taught.
A huge thank you must go to the departmental staff of Miss Amos, Mr Grady, Miss Patyn and Mr Spiby. They are incredibly dedicated, energetic and hard-working and drive attainment and achievement every single lesson. We have welcomed Mr Barker to the department this year, and he has already proved to be a superb addition.
Current Year 13 continue to be delightfully ambitious. They have had assessments this week on Stuart England and Russia 1917-1953. In Stuarts they have mostly evaluated that the Rump Parliament 1649-1653 was doomed from the start and supported it with contextual knowledge or ‘juicy deets’, as we call them. In Russia assessments, they have analysed the failure of Stalin’s Five-Year Plans. The momentum of the NEA (coursework) is building to ensure that it is completed in good time, to allow headspace in Lent Term for their two sets of mock examinations.
Year 12 are intellectually curious and have settled very well into their new History A Level. Many last week were saying that the reality of the step-up and increased workload of A Level had bitten. They too have had assessments and have written their first A Level History essay this week. We’ve had to have a few chats to make sure that pupils who have high expectations of their attainment are kind to themselves by accepting that these first essays will demand a lot of them and may prove, as yet, too great a challenge in the time allowed; all totally normal on the journey to final success.
Year 11 have dug deep this week and completed their last assessment on Elizabeth I and the significance of The Globe Theatre in enabling ‘Gloriana’ to be reinforced via propaganda. They have now moved on to their fourth and final GCSE topic of ‘Power and the People’ c1170-present day. This is a very interesting course, which jumps between major events in English History where power began to trickle down the social hierarchy. With mock exams just after October half term, there is a greater sense of urgency and seriousness within the classes, and Mr Spiby and Miss Patyn have been rather overwhelmed by the numbers attending clinics, which is a delight to see (always room for more, however).
Year 10 have adapted really nicely to their new GCSE classes, and an ambitious dynamic is evident in all classes as they continue with the Cold War, which they started in Trinity of Year 9. Their trip to the National Cold War Museum, RAF Cosford, on Monday this week was a success by combining independent learning, a workbook and a little bit of fun in flight simulators and with VR headsets. Mr Spiby drew quite a crowd of the general public as he brought the Cold War to life for our pupils with his experience of exiting the huge personnel carriers during his career in the Army.
Ben: I liked seeing the planes and weapons from the Cold War, as it showed what was used and what caused the tension to grow. It was also interesting to see how big these planes and weapons were.
Olivia: I really enjoyed the trip, as it is always interesting to learn about the past and that the planes and vehicles were intact and protected for viewing. My favourites were sitting in one of the cockpits of a plane and learning about the conditions that soldiers experienced whilst being transported by aircraft.
Carwyn: I learnt about just how close the US and USSR came to nuclear war during the Cuban missile crisis and how scared the people must have been. My favourite part was the rooms that demonstrated the missile crisis and MAD.
Arjan: One thing I learnt was that the Polaris missile was developed to be launched from a submarine, and my favourite part was the moving plane and the VR headset activity.
Excitement is growing in Year 9 with their WW1 Battlefields trip next week. We are very much looking forward to sharing and explaining the moving British and Commonwealth Cemeteries, as well as the preserved trenches of Ypres and the Somme. We have 4 pupils taking part in the Menin Gate Last-Post ceremony again, which we will all watch, and the memory may well last a lifetime. We also pause to remember, by reading out, the names of the OWs lost in the Somme area and lay a wreath in their memory, this is very moving indeed. The trip supports their Michaelmas topic of World War One, and they have written their assessment this week on its most significant cause.
Year 8 are enthusiastic and entertaining historians, as they finish their study of the Stuarts with the Glorious Revolution. We then move on to the causes of the Industrial Revolution, and they will have an assessment to assess the most significant cause. We teach them the skills of essay structure, supported judgement and relative importance that they will need for GCSE and A Level so that when their time comes, they can answer these questions with ease.
Year 7 have got off to a storming start in their new senior school History lessons. We are explicitly teaching them revision skills and how to structure extended answers so that they can bravely sit their first assessment next week, on the most significant reason why William the Conqueror won the Battle of Hastings. Their enthusiasm and questioning is a delight.
Marsh House Update – Millie Patyn, Housemistress of Marsh
What a fantastic start to the year we have had in Marsh House. All the girls have made me feel so welcome as their new Housemistress and Years 8 and 9 have settled easily into their space and have already benefited from the guidance and support of the older students. This is something we are really looking forward to nourishing as the year goes on, through peer mentoring but also just the support and a different ear that a student in a different year group can provide.
Becoming champions of House Singing was a wonderful way to start the term. The Year 13 girls have been absolutely amazing over the past weeks; their hard work and positivity in preparing the girls was admirable. It was clear from the feedback that the singing was impressive, but what made the girls stand out was the energy and joy they showed whilst performing. This is a real testament to the joy that Year 13 also brought to the rehearsals. I’m hoping this is the momentum we need to go on and win further House events this year!
It was great to also invite our Year 7 Marsh girls to join us for House Rounders following House Singing so they could take part in the celebrations. A good time was had by all, though perhaps the focus was on the snacks rather than the sport. Nevertheless, this was a fun and relaxed bonding activity. Thank you to those of you who also attended our Sunday Chapel Service alongside Parker Steyne’s and Cripps’. It was lovely to see and speak to so many of you, and special thanks to our readers too.
Looking ahead, we have our Marsh Parent Charity Dinner scheduled for 14 November. Look out for an expression of interest form, this looks to be a wonderful event and will allow us to raise lots of money for our House charity: the Bone Cancer Research Trust. We hope to see as many of you there as possible!
Nevill House Macmillan Breakfast: A Heartfelt Thank You! – Carlie Woodard, Housemistress of Nevill
I would like to extend a huge thank you to all the parents, students, and staff who joined us for our annual Macmillan Breakfast. The dining hall was buzzing with energy as everyone came together to enjoy a hearty breakfast and support a wonderful cause.
This event wouldn’t have been possible without the generous donation from Booker Cash and Carry, the incredible efforts of the Lodestone House staff, our enthusiastic student volunteers, and the dedicated Nevill House tutors. Your contributions helped make the morning a true celebration of community spirit.
Thanks to your support, we raised an amazing £758.85 for Macmillan Cancer Support. Nevill House is proud to host this event each year, and we’re so grateful to everyone who helped make this one such a success.
I’m already looking forward to next year’s breakfast!
Careers Weekly
This week celebrates World Space Week, featuring a look into the career of an astronaut, a ‘Mission to Mars’ interactive activity, and an employer focus on science and technology.
Read this week’s Careers newsletter HERE.
Hockey Results – George Houghton, Teacher of PE and Games
It has been another busy week of hockey fixtures across a variety of age groups. Last weekend saw a block fixture against Tudor Hall School, and the results were absolutely superb! From the six matches played, we recorded five wins and a draw!
Congratulations to the 1st XI, 3rd XI, U15A, U14A and U14/U15B teams for their outstanding victories, scoring fourteen goals and conceding just three across the afternoon!
Earlier this week our U13A and U13B squads travelled to Bedford Modern School for a triangular with the hosts and Bedford Greenacre Independent School. The A team recorded a win and a loss, and whilst the B team may have lost both matches, the significant improvement in gameplay and tactical awareness from the beginning of term has been excellent to see.
Finally, our 1st XI played against a strong Northampton High School side yesterday evening after school and under the lights. Despite playing some of their best attacking hockey of the term, they found themselves 4-2 behind at the break, despite having several other good chances to score. A further setback midway through the second half could have resulted in dropped heads, but this group showed superb resilience to come from behind for the second time in the space of a week, scoring three goals in the last 10 minutes to end a breathless encounter as a 5-5 thriller!
With Open Morning this weekend there are no fixtures scheduled, but next week sees almost all teams take on Leicester Grammar School during the week before near enough a full block of fixtures against Bloxham School on Saturday 11th October. A full round-up of results from this week can be found below:
Saturday 27th September v Tudor Hall School
- 1st XI won 2-1
- 2nd XI drew 1-1
- 3rd XI won 4-0
- U15A won 0-1
- U14A won 4-0
- U14/U15B won 2-1
Monday 29th September v Bedford Modern School & Bedford Greenacre Independent School
- U13A v BMS lost 4-0
- U13B v BMS lost 4-1
- U13A v BGI won 0-6
- U13B v BGI lost 1-2
Thursday 2nd October v Northampton High School
- 1st XI drew 5-5
Another positive week of progress in both training and matches for all squads; thank you!
A personal thanks to all of those who came and supported the 1st XI v a good NHS side this evening after school; the partisan home support gave us the 12th-person advantage in the last 10 minutes!! An epic 5-5 thriller, coming from 5-2 down with less than 10 minutes to play. We actually played 30 minutes in the first half and 25 minutes in the second half (due to them needing to get back for a parents’ evening), and had we played the remaining 5 minutes, I genuinely think we might have gone on to win 6-5…! Great character and resilience were shown by the whole squad, with year 10 Katie scoring on her 1st XI debut and year 11 Amelia (POM) with two goals too.
Rugby Results – Lester Williams, Head of Rugby
Saturday 27th September V Loughborough Grammar School
- 1st xv – lost 53-12
- 2nd xv – lost 29-10
- U14A – won 48-5
- U13A – lost 15-45
- U13B – lost 5-60
- U12A – won 45-20
Working Together to Keep Our Young People Safe – Safeguarding Update
Vaping has become increasingly common among teenagers, and many parents are understandably concerned. The rise in brightly packaged, sweet-flavoured disposable vapes has made them particularly appealing to young people, despite the health risks.
View more about how to keep young people safe in our safeguarding newsletter here.
Read the full safeguarding newsletter for this month HERE.
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 Connected
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/
