Principals Report

Dear all, 

Term 1 has been such a positive start to the year for the Woodmans Hill community in so many different ways. If last year seemed like a re-set after the previous two interrupted years, so far, 2023 feels like a renewal of the values that make us who we are. 

As we grow in size- and as we attract more staff and students- there is always a challenge to keep hold of our identity. In my mind, the only way to do this is to ensure that our students have a voice that is heard and responded to. They have been with us throughout this journey and they continue to shape our work in every area. If it wasn’t for our students, we wouldn’t be here!

When we look back on the year, I sincerely hope that we see that Term 1 set the tone for what was to come. It has been a term powered by student influence. Our students (and especially our student leadership group) are willing to be the positive change within our school that drives our ongoing improvements because what happens at Woodmans Hill matters to them. On a daily basis, I have students knocking on my door with ideas on how we can improve our school in so many different ways. From teaching and learning to wellbeing and engagement, our students care enough to want to make things better and feel supported enough to know that they will be listened to. If we look at things through our students’ eyes, we will find the solutions to the challenges that all fully comprehensive schools face as they help their students navigate the turbulent years of adolescence into adulthood. As David Bowie observed, teenagers are ‘quite aware of what they're going through’ and all they need from us is for us to listen and support.

Our work in strengthening the role of the Home Group teacher has been incredibly important this year in ensuring each student has someone who is there for them. But this is not the only space in which we have focused our work with regards to student voice, agency and engagement. Our professional learning on the first day back of the year centered on emotional intelligence and how we can get better at managing the challenges that are part and parcel of the life of a school. Whilst we know we have come so far in such a short space of time, we recognize that we have so much to do if we are to achieve the aspirations we have for all our students. What we realise at our school is that you can’t have excellent outcomes without nurturing students so that they feel connected to their school and learn resilience to equip them with all the challenges that life will present them with. The work around wellbeing- particularly the Man Cave & Flourish programs- opened the door to a different level of empathy and connection with each other. We will continue to explore ways for students to be open and supportive of each other with all year groups in the coming months. 

Our students have risen to the challenges that we have set them and that they have set themselves. We have student leaders speaking in staff meetings, chairing groups and meetings, running assemblies, being part of forums and generating ideas about how we can become a school that we all can feel proud to belong to. What we have found along the way this term is that all the reasons that you could have to feel proud of your school already exist at Woodmans Hill. At the time of writing, I have just come out of the Junior School assembly and to see how genuinely students celebrated each other’s success was clear evidence that we are on the right track. We need to continue to foster a culture of success in which every student believes that they have achieve and that we recognize this achievement and celebrate together. 

By writing my weekly update/celebration, I’ve made the time and space to regularly focus on the massive amount of good that surrounds me at Woodmans Hill Secondary College. At Woodmans Hill, we have a lot to be thankful for and I go into the Easter break excited about the year to come and the amazing achievements, the challenges met and the mistakes learned from that our students will experience across the next three terms. 

I hope all students and families stay safe and well over the holidays and I look forward to continuing to share with you the next chapter of what I hope is an amazing year.