Headmaster’s Welcome – Simon Hawkes, Headmaster
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Today’s Non-Uniform Day, to raise money for Action For Pulmonary Fibrosis, has helped generate a pleasant end-of-term buzz around school. It was nice to see some pupils having a little fun with the instruction to ‘dress down’ – I’m not sure who was wearing the inflatable cow outfit at breakfast this morning, but whoever it was certainly brought a smile to the face of everyone in the Hawkes family! The generous contributions to such a worthy cause have been gratefully received.
The fact that today marks the end of a busy and productive half term hasn’t stopped our wonderful teachers from making the most of their time in the classroom – the atmosphere during lessons has been as studious as ever. The half-term break is a time for rest and reflection, but for many of our pupils (Year 11 in particular) the two-week pause also offers the ideal opportunity to consolidate learning and build confidence in preparation for academic challenges to come.
Looking ahead to the start of November, I wanted to draw your attention to one of the big sporting events of the year – Friday Night Lights on 7th November. I’m told this is a must-do for everyone in the school community, so please do come along and enjoy a true Wellingborough community event as we cheer on the 1st XI Hockey and 1st XV Rugby teams as they take on King’s Ely and Princethorpe, respectively.
SLT Update – Katie Ryder, Designated Safeguarding Lead
As we approach the half-term break, it is a good time to reflect on the term so far. I hope you’ve had an opportunity to read our new monthly Safeguarding newsletter, which is produced by The Enlightened Parent.
This term has covered:
- September: Building positive routines and deepfakes.
- October: Information about vapes and child criminal exploitation.
I hope that you have found these newsletters informative and a helpful resource to keep in your ‘toolbox’.
As shared in previous newsletters, the government guidance called “Working together to improve school attendance” highlights the importance of punctual, daily attendance. At Wellingborough School, we believe that consistent attendance allows students to fully immerse themselves in all the opportunities that are available. We do understand that at times students are too poor to attend school, and we ask that these absences be reported to absence@ by 8:30. Often young people can wake up and not feel themselves, but we do often find that once they are in school, they do perk up and are able to complete their day. We would, of course, notify a parent if a student was too unwell to be in school. We do encourage that appointments are scheduled outside of school hours or during school holidays where possible. Morning registration is vitally important for all our pupils, as this is a time where their tutor and house team can deliver messages. It is also an important time for the team to check in with students. We ask that all students be with their tutor no later than 8.30am.
Cripps’ House Update – Jonathan Dean, Housemaster of Cripps’
At the beginning of this term, I used my first assembly with the boys this term to pose the question, “What impresses Mr Dean?” I used this as a link to talk about how impressed I was with the 12 Cripps’ pupils who travelled on the Sports Tour to South Africa during the summer holidays. The way the boys conducted themselves both on and off the sports field was truly magnificent. Our visit to the Winnie Mabasso Foundation at the end of the first week exemplified this. (I must add, I was also pretty impressed with the pupils from the other 6 houses too).
Since returning to school, the boys have also impressed me and their tutors during our House trip to Thorpe Park in September. A great day with pupils from Years 7-13 fully integrated and having fun together. Furthermore, I know Ms Selby (13 Cripps’ tutor and Head of History) was impressed with the Year 9 boys on the recent Battlefields trip.
My key message to the boys during my assembly was that you don’t need to travel halfway around the world to impress me. The following that occur on a much more regular basis are equally impressive:
- Merits for a good piece of homework
- Saying good morning to me or your form tutor
- 100% attendance at school & punctuality
- Wearing your school uniform with pride
- Saying thank you
- Engaging with House activities
- Doing the right thing day in, day out!
So, it was lovely this week to email a number of parents and congratulate their sons on a fantastic first half term and also some excellent effort grades in their reports.
I wish everyone a fantastic half-term break, hopefully including some rest and relaxation for all (and perhaps a bit of revision for Year 11).
European Day of Languages Follow Up – Matthew Watson, Head of Foreign Languages
A few weeks ago, we held our annual European Day of Languages Bake Off. The winners have now been chosen, and they are:
1. Elise and Scarlett
2. Max
3. Isabelle
Special mention: Thomas
By now, students will hopefully have been celebrated, receiving their prizes and certificates in house assemblies.
Congratulations to Elise and Scarlett, but also to all our wonderful entries! We found it incredibly hard to judge, such was the high standard of every single entry.
Finally, we also held a vote in school with Years 7-9 casting their votes on their favourite songs from this year’s Eurovision, out of the three songs they were shown in an assembly to celebrate linguistic diversity.
The voting was close, but the winner was Baller, from Germany, with 44% of the vote. Followed closely behind by C’est la vie, from the Netherlands, with 40%. Spain’s entry, Esa diva, was less popular with a mere 16%. We hope the students enjoyed hearing some music in different languages and that the seed has been planted to go and find more that they could listen to in the future!
Have a great half-term, everyone!
Careers weekly
This week we are spotlighting “Green Careers” with our first Careers House Competition of the year where pupils will take part in a Green Careers personality quiz.
Coming up:
- Years 11-13 International Universities Roadshow
Read this week’s Careers newsletter here.
Rugby Results – Lester Williams, Head of Rugby
Saturday 11th October V Wisbech Grammar School
- 1st xv won 56-7
- U15A lost 24-48
- U12A lost 15-25
The 1st XV rugby team finished the half term with a strong performance against Wisbech Grammar School. The team attacked at a high tempo which prevented the opposition from being able to fill the spaces on the pitch. There were some excellent scores from across the team, which gives us all confidence going forward to the more challenging part of the season after the half term break.
Hockey Results – George Houghton, Teacher of PE and Games
Last weekend we played our traditional block of hockey fixtures against Bloxham School, a weekend that always produces some excellent match-ups! This year was no exception, and our juniors got the day underway in style with excellent victories for both U12 teams and a draw for the U13A’s. In the afternoon the U15As played out a thrilling 1-1 away draw, whilst our seniors came off second best in all three matches. Despite the scorelines, all three matches were actually very even contests, with Wellingborough having multiple goal-scoring chances in all three games that, on another day, could have seen at least one of the results turn in our favour!
On Monday of this week all four of our junior teams were in action again, this time away at Northampton High School. All four teams produced some of their best hockey of the half term to return with four excellent results (see below). On Tuesday our U14As & U15As also played against Northampton High School, and they too rose to the challenge, returning excellent 1-0 and 4-0 wins under the lights at home!
Hockey Results v Bloxham School
- 1st XI lost 1-5
- 2nd XI lost 2-0
- 3rd XI lost 0-4
- U15A drew 1-1
- U13A drew 1-1
- U13B lost 1-3
- U12A won 5-1
- U12B won 4-1
Hockey Results v Northampton High School
- U15A won 4-0
- U14A won 1-0
- U13A won 0-4
- U13B won 2-3
- U12A won 0-1
- U12B drew 1-1
This week has also seen House Hockey matches take place for both the seniors (years 11-13) and the inters (years 9 & 10). As always, these matches have been fiercely competitive but great fun too, and the girls have demonstrated excellent team spirit and camaraderie throughout. In both competitions there has been an A & B tournament with the combined results being added together to calculate the overall winner in each age category. This has allowed every girl to contribute to their House’s success, and it has actually been several of the B team matches that have resulted in overall success for the winning House; inclusivity and maximum participation at its finest! The juniors (years 7 & 8) will play their House matches on the first Monday back after half-term, where Nevill will be hoping to make it a clean sweep…!!
Senior House Hockey Results
- 1st = Nevill
- 2nd = Marsh
- 3rd = Weymouth
Inters House Hockey Results
- 1st = Nevill
- 2nd = Marsh
- 3rd = Weymouth
This concludes a very busy first half of term on the AstroTurfs. Congratulations to every pupil who has represented the school so well this term. There have already been many individual and team highlights, and we can look forward to the second half of term with great confidence that all players and teams will continue to make even more progress!
Strong Start for Senior Girls’ Netball Team in County Cup – Jessica Costello, Head of Netball
On Thursday 16th October, nine girls from Years 11 to 13 took part in the County Cup Netball Tournament and delivered a fantastic performance, finishing 3rd overall!
The team displayed great resilience, skill, and teamwork throughout the day. Their effort, focus, and positive spirit stood out in every game.
The girls should be extremely proud of themselves, and with such a strong start to the season, we’re looking forward to what promises to be an exciting and successful year ahead!
Working Together to Keep Our Young People Safe
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.
Creative Voices Against Racism
As part of our upcoming assemblies on racism, we invite all staff and students to contribute by writing a spoken word poem or narrative that explores the topic of ‘Racism’.
Please send your entries to Mrs Pehlay at skp@wellingboroughschool.org by Wednesday, 5th November 2025.
Prizes will be awarded for the most creative submissions!
Selected pieces may be featured in our assembly on Monday, 17th November 2025.
Let your voice be heard. We look forward to reading your powerful words.
Sixth Form Open Evening – Discuss Ambitions and Options with Our Subject Experts
Starting at 6pm on Thursday, November 20th, we are hosting our annual 6th Form Open Evening. We strongly encourage all Year 11 pupils to come along and explore the opportunities open to them at A level with our subject experts
Please arrive at 5.45 for a 6pm start.
Booking is required for any pupil not already at Wellingborough School. To secure your place, click here.
WSSPA Christmas Wreath Making Evening – Last Chance to Book!
Our Christmas wreath-making evening is coming up on Thursday, 27th November, at 7pm. Join us for getting in the Christmas spirit while making a wreath for your door.
For more information on our Wreath Making Evening, click here.
See below for examples of previous years:
Friday Night Lights – 7th November 2025
Our first teams in hockey and rugby would love your support at Friday Night Lights on Friday, 7th November, at 6:30pm.
Join us for an exciting evening of sport with refreshments and hot food as we cheer on our teams under the lights. A bar will be open throughout the evening and music will be playing, so come along and enjoy a fantastic night.
Introducing the Young Artist Show
One of our Year 12 pupils, Olivia, has organised an exciting art exhibition and competition for pupils in Years 7 to 13 from local schools. The event invites young artists to showcase their creativity across a variety of mediums, including painting, sculpture, photography and digital design.
To enter, pupils should submit a photograph of their artwork by Sunday, 16th November to exhibition@wellingboroughschool.org.
Click here to more about our Young Artist Show.
England vs Australia Mixed & U23 Netball in Oundle!
On Wednesday 22 October, Oundle School will be hosting two international netball matches: England U23 Trailblazers & England Mixed Netball will take on Australia at Oundle School Sports Centre, with matches at 4:30pm and 7:00pm.
This is a rare opportunity to see top‑level men’s & mixed netball up close — a fantastic event for students to experience top-level netball live and be inspired by international athletes.
Not only is it set to be an exciting evening of netball, but our very own Project Manager, Stacey Howell, is the England Mixed Team Manager for the series. We can’t wait to cheer her on!
Click here to book your tickets.
Sporty Scholars Camp at Wellingborough School – Book Now for Half-Term!
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
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/
