Welcome to this weeks Wildern Weekly!

 

Hello everyone, My name is Mr Brookes and I’m delighted to introduce myself as the Year 7 DOPA and a Maths teacher here at Wildern. Before taking on this role, I was the aDOPA for Year 9, and I’m excited to start this new journey with our fantastic Year 7s—my very first year group!

 

I’ve already loved seeing the students’ enthusiasm, especially during the team-building days, and I’m looking forward to meeting more of you at the Meet the Tutor Evening on Thursday 9 October.

 

Together, we can make this a brilliant and successful 5 years for your children.

Whole School

Monday 22 September - Week B

Monday 22 September - School Clubs Start

Wednesday 24 September - Individual School Photos

Wednesday 24 September - Race for Life

Thursday 25 September - School Open Evening 

Friday 26 September - Late opening 10am & Non Uniform Day

Monday 29 September - Week A

Friday 3 October - Open Morning

Monday 6 October - Week B

Monday 6 October - CPD day - School closed to students

Wedneday 8 October - Preloved Sale 3pm - 3.45pm

Year 7 

Thursday 9 October - Tutor Evening (Face to Face)

Year 8 + Year 9 

No Key Dates

Year 10 

Wednesday 30 September - Careers Fair

Friday 3 - Monday 6 October - History Battlefields Trip

Year 11

Monday 22 September - College Assemblies 

Wednesday 30 September - Careers Fair

A friendly reminder to please register and sign up for Edulink...

 

We have a number of parents who are yet to sign up and missing out on important information regarding your child and their school life.

 

Edulink One is a web and app-based system that will greatly enhance how we share information and communicate with students and parents. The system will provide one-stop access to your child's timetable, attendance information, achievement (positive erefs) and behaviour points (negative erefs), as well as other important academic information. 

 

This site includes a noticeboard and calendar to ensure you can stay informed about any upcoming events or important announcements should you not wish to follow us on social media.

 

A friendly reminder that our department websites are a great resource for your child's learning. You can find lesson materials, revision guides, and other helpful resources by visiting the Wildern lesson resources page.

 

We encourage you to bookmark the site and explore the valuable content available to support your child's academic success.

We have been alerted to a fraudulent app in the Apple App Store that mimics ParentPay branding.

 

Security and safeguarding are top priorities at ParentPay Group, and we took swift action to report the app and are working closely with Apple to have it removed. 

 

To date, we have recorded only 2 cases of affected parents.

Please be aware: 

• ParentPay does not have an app available for download from any app stores 
• To use ParentPay, parents should visit https://www.parentpay.com/ from a mobile phone or computer 
• After logging in, parents can save a shortcut onto their phone’s home screen 

This message is for awareness only, so you can confidently and quickly respond to any parent queries. 

 

Yours sincerely,

ParentPay Group Customer Service Team

Thursday 25 September - Open Evening

5.30pm - 7.30pm

For information & to book your space click here

Friday 3 October - Open Morning

9.45am - 10.45am

For information & to book your space click here

Monday 13 October - Open Morning

9.45am - 10.45am

For information & to book your space click here

Design & Technology Trip 

We are excited to invite your child to participate in the Jamie Oliver Ministry of Food Programme, which will be offered to Year 7 and 8 students at our school

Year 7 & 8 - Geography 

Book competition house competition has been launched! Encourage your child to take part and get some early points for their house! 

Science

Year 9 will be sitting their first assessment point of their GCSE journey. The assessment is the w/c 6 October. The content is everything that they have covered so far this year since September. To aid with revision, students are advised to use the science website as well as the Precise Learning Points that have been put together for B1 - Cell Biology & C1 - atomic Structure

Year 9 & 10 - Residential Trip 

Residential trip to the Earth Summit 2026 & Alton Towers Trip: 22 -23 June 2026

Year 9 & 10 - GCSE Science Live Trip

An opportunity to attend GCSE Science Live at the Apollo Victoria Theatre. Friday 5 Dec 2025

Year 9 & 10 - Geography 

Your child will be set self study using our self study booklets this year which they have been given.  You will find this on their google classroom linked to our google site. Students will need to bring this booklet in when their self study is due and they will need to have access to a Geography CGP Revision Guide for AQA these are available from the finance department.

Year 9 & 10 English KS4 Book Club: We are really pleased to launch our new KS4 book club for students in Y9-Y11. The club will meet every Week A Friday at breaktime to discuss all things literature. We have a fabulous selection of books planned - please encourage your son/daughter to sign up via Edulink. Reading widely and for pleasure is one of the best and easiest ways to ensure exam success.

Year 10 - Work Experience 

A letter for all Parents with regards to the Work Experience taking place in June 2026

Year 11 - Extra Support Programmes (ESP's)

This will provide dedicated after-school time for
additional work, revision, and catch-up sessions.

Year 11 Parent Information Evening

It was lovely to see so many parents at our welcome to Year 11 and Careers info evening this week. The slides are available here and here.

Geography

Your child will be set self study using our self study booklets this year which they have been given. You will find this on their google classroom linked to our google site. Students will need to bring this booklet in when their self study is due and they will need to have access to a Geography CGP Revision Guide for AQA these are available from the finance department. 

English KS4 Book Club: We are really pleased to launch our new KS4 book club for students in Y9-Y11. The club will meet every Week A Friday at breaktime to discuss all things literature. We have a fabulous selection of books planned - please encourage your son/daughter to sign up via Edulink. Reading widely and for pleasure is one of the best and easiest ways to ensure exam success.

Our Year 7 students enjoyed two incredible Team Building Days last week, filled with energy, laughter, and plenty of memorable challenges. From the fast-paced thrill of laser tag and the competitive spirit of tug of war, to problem-solving activities like Minesweepers, Tower of Hanoi, Human Knot, and Puzzle Sort, there was something for everyone to get stuck into. Students also tested their teamwork and resilience through activities such as Obstacle Course Remix, the Resilience Wall, Catapult Launchers, and Blindfolded Tent Building.

 

These activities were designed to strengthen communication, collaboration, decision-making, and resilience, all vital skills as our Year 7’s settle into life at Wildern. The determination, kindness, respect, and teamwork shown across the two days made us immensely proud.

 

Of course, no team building event would be complete without a little competition! The scores from each activity will be collated, and we look forward to welcoming PBed back in a few weeks to announce the winning tutor group and house in a special assembly.

Reflecting on the event, Mrs Thomas, Assistant Head and Head of Sovereign House, said: It has been wonderful to see our Year 7s throw themselves into every challenge with such enthusiasm. They have already shown resilience, kindness, and respect in abundance, and I know they will carry these qualities with them throughout their time at Wildern. These days have not only built skills, but also friendships and memories that will last a lifetime.”

 

We are delighted with how our Year 7 students embraced the opportunity and look forward to seeing them continue to grow and flourish in their first year at Wildern.

 

Work Experience Deadline Day

 

Students are strongly encouraged to contact a wide range of employers, ideally a large list across various sectors as statistically, the more companies approached, the greater the likelihood of securing a placement.

 

We also advise not limiting the search to just the sector the student hopes to work in long term, as all work experience provides valuable skills.

 

Casting a wider net increases the chances of securing multiple options, rather than being left with limited or no choices.

As part of our ongoing careers education programme, we have recently shared a range of useful resources with students via Unifrog, which have also been highlighted to the cohorts via their Google Classroom. 

 

Year 10 

To support them in securing meaningful Work Experience placements (deadline 30 November), students have been given access to the following resource guides:

• A Guide to Work Placements 
• How to use the Placements Tool 

Year 11 

To help them begin preparing for future applications, we have shared:

• How to write a Brilliant CV 
• CV/Resume Tool 
• Apprenticeship Tool 

These resources are designed to help students explore a wide range of career pathways, develop key employability skills, and take ownership of their own career Planning, 

 

We encourage parents and carers to ask their child to log in to Unifrog (www.unifrog.org) and explore the materials together. All shared items can be found by clicking the envelope icon in the top right hand corner of the students Unifrog dashboard. 

 

If students need any additional support, they are welcome to visit the Careers Hub, located opposite the Library. 

See the huge variety of clubs that are on offer this half term! Sign up for these using the Clubs tab on Edulink.

Monday 22 October - Year 7 Football vs Upper Shirley

Monday 29 October - Senior Girls Football V Deer Park

Tuesday 30 October - Senior Girls Football V Brune Park (Hampshire Cup)

Tuesday 30 October - Year 7 Football vs St Marks 

Following our letter at the end of last term, work has started to improve our school kitchen. Over the past 18 months, we've been fortunate to secure Condition Improvement Funding, allowing us to update all electrics, water, and lighting across the site. This work is nearing completion and should be finished by the end of 2025.

 

The next crucial phase involves a complete renovation of our school kitchen. This work is scheduled to begin in mid-August and will continue until the October half-term. As a result, we'll have a very limited catering offer during this period.

 

We are able to offer:

• Sausage rolls
• Chicken burgers
• Beef burgers
• Warm paninis
• Jacket potatoes
• Cold baguettes
• Cold wraps
• Bottled drinks
• Biscuits
• Flapjacks

Please remember, we can adapt the majority of meals to any dietary needs if we know in advance (your child can speak to kitchen staff by visiting the kitchen before 8:30am that day). Main A/B vegetarian options are always available - just ask Dan and his team.

 

We encourage all families to use the free school meals eligibility checker, which can be found here, to determine if they qualify for this entitlement. 

What Parents & Educators Need to Know about Supporting Children to Deal with Upsetting Content

 

They might not be able to pinpoint a location on a map, and they might not fully grasp the historical and political drivers behind certain conflicts – but in this age where news, images and video can cross continents in seconds, many children are able to access distressing news at the touch of a button. This could, of course, cause youngsters extreme distress and worry.

 

Our #WakeUpWednesday guide contains some valuable pointers for supporting children to deal with upsetting content they’ve encountered online, whether it involves conflicts, ongoing worries over the environment, or something else entirely. Our tips will assist trusted adults in helping young people to process any negative emotions that they may be feeling.

Every Student Matters, Every Moment Counts

 

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Wildern School

Wildern Lane

Hedge End

Southampton

Hampshire

SO30 4EJ

 

01489 783473

 

#WeAreWildern