Welcome to this week’s Wildern Weekly. We are all privileged to work in the Wildern Student Hub. Since its opening in Spring 2025, the Student Hub has evolved into a central, dynamic space dedicated entirely to supporting our students' health, well-being and academic journey. It is designed to be a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment for everyone.

 

The Student Hub houses several key services all under one roof, making support easily accessible:

• First Aid: For immediate medical assistance.
• Student Services: Our dedicated team, including our Attendance Officer and Wellbeing Advisor, providing administrative and pastoral support.
• ASCEND: Our dedicated academic and pastoral support program.
• Multi-Faith Space: A quiet place for reflection and prayer.
• Breakout Rooms: Spaces for small group work or private meetings. 

Whole School

Monday 1 December - Week A

Tuesday 2 & Wednesday 3 December - Flu Vacinations 

Thursday 4 December - Christmas Concert

Monday 8 December - Week B

Monday 8 December - Christmas Celebration of Dance

Friday 12 December - Christmas Jumper Day 

Monday 15 December - Week A

Friday 19 December - Last day of term - School closes at 12.30pm for students

Monday 5 January 2026 - Week B - Students return to School

 

Year 7 

Wednesday 10 December - Christmas Shop

Thursday 11 December - Christmas Disco

Year 8

           No Key Dates

Year 9 

            Thursday 11 December - Dance Workshops

Year 10 

            No Key Dates

Year 11

Thursday 18 December - Practice Exam Results 8am

As we approach the festive season, we are keen to give our students an enjoyable end to what has been another eventful year!

 

The site is already decorated for Christmas as we embrace the festive spirit, we have already launched our Christmas card competition and our winning entry has been selected to accompany messages from Children's Services. A huge thank you to B&Q for their Christmas tree donations. 

 

Throughout the last two weeks of term, there will be a whole host of events and celebrations where students and staff can join in the festivities.  

There is a big focus in the media about the impact of mobile phones and social media on children, and we observe many school behaviours influenced by their use.

 

We will not be introducing phone pouches or docking stations at this time, we will continue to trust our students to turn off their devices and store them in their bags at the start of each day.

 

Teachers may allow phone use for specific lessons, after which devices must be switched off and returned to bags.

 

Our new motto for electronic devices is 'See It, Hear It, Lose It'. Our process for dealing with devices seen during the school day has been refined and streamlined to ensure consistency and reduce distractions.

 

If a student's phone, headphones, or any other electronic device is seen at any time (unless a teacher has explicitly instructed its use in a lesson), it will be confiscated immediately. Devices should be in bags, switched off, and not in pockets, hands, or anywhere else.

 

If a device is confiscated:

• Parents/Carers will be contacted and asked to collect the device from school. It will not be returned unless collected by a parent or carer.
• The student will spend a day in Inclusion.
• The phone will be handed in for a period of 2 weeks.

Living Rainforest - Monday 26 January 2026

In order to enrich the Geography curriculum and support the teaching of ecosystems, Africa and the tropical rainforest, the  Geography Department has organised a trip to the Living Rainforest in Newbury. Please sign deadline Monday 8 December. 

No letter or reminders

Year 11 - English

A reminder to parents that all English self-study tasks this year are past paper practice questions. This means that every time a student completes self study, they are producing effective revision: applying their knowledge to a past paper question, be that in English Language or in English Literature. We encourage you to ask your child what their self study in English is this week.

 

If you would also like to support with some extra English revision - why not have a go at the short, 30 minute revision task with your child here: (English 30 minute revision task)

This week, we were delighted to host the Eastleigh School Nursing Team, who delivered an essential 30-minute session to all girls in Years 7 to 10.

The session focused on two critical areas:

• Self-Care and Resilience: Empowering students with practical strategies for managing emotional wellbeing.
• Period Health: Providing clear, practical information and advice for confidently managing their menstrual cycle.

We encourage you to use this session as a conversation starter at home. Talking openly about periods is vital for promoting health and confidence.

 

We would like to take this opportunity to remind all families that period products are available free of charge for all students in the Student Hub. Please encourage your child to use this resource whenever they need it.

Please find the following links/resources to help you open up a positive dialogue with your child about managing their periods:

Following this taster, many of these students progressed to compete in the Girls Rugby Festival hosted by Trojans RFC on Friday. Competing against eight other schools in challenging, muddy conditions, our teams showcased remarkable resilience and teamwork. We are extremely proud to announce that both the Year 7 & Year 8 teams came away with well-deserved victories!

 

We extend our sincere gratitude to Trojans RFC for providing our students with the opportunity to experience rugby in such a fun, inclusive, and rewarding environment. The commitment of the club has been instrumental in inspiring our girls and achieving these fantastic results.

We have been made aware of a pop-up that is appearing on Roblox, encouraging children to download an app called pollybuzz (or pollyfuzz in some spelling cases).

 

The app seems quite simple where children are asked questions, and it generates an Artificial Intelligence ‘friend’ – this starts off quite innocently but then begins to show extreme content (including suicide, self-harm and pornography). It may be helpful to remind children about not clicking on pop-ups in games and to report anything that is worrying or inappropriate to a trusted adult.

 

It may also be helpful to communicate with parents about this. Roblox has parental controls and instructions of how to put these on can be accessed via this link here

Please remember that parental controls will stop some pop-ups, but not all, so appropriate supervision is still required. 

 

Parentsafe is a brilliant website that gives parents advice and guidance on staying safe online.

This week, all boys in Years 7 to 10 participated in a powerful session linked to Men’s Mental Health Month. The session was titled 'Removing The Mask,' and its core aim was to empower students to talk openly about their feelings and challenge the stigma surrounding mental health.

 

The session covered:

• Addressing Stigma: Discussing why many young men feel pressured to hide their emotions.
• Practical Tips: Providing simple, actionable strategies for looking after their mental health.
• Encouraging Dialogue: Creating a safe space to encourage boys to talk and seek support.

As part of the session, students watched a poignant video where Roman Kemp discusses his own experience with depression. This clip was used to prompt a vital discussion, encouraging the boys to consider:

• How does it make you feel that young male celebrities like Roman are speaking so honestly about mental health?
• How might this influence other young boys and men?

We strongly encourage all parents and carers to take the opportunity this week to speak openly regarding mental health with your child.

 

Role models, whether they are celebrities, friends, or family members, play a crucial role in validating these conversations. Your support in normalising these discussions is invaluable.

 

If you would like additional resources or guidance on starting this dialogue, please look at the wellbeing area of the Wildern website.

National Grief Awareness Week is a compassionate and important observance dedicated to raising awareness about grief, providing support to those who are grieving, and fostering a better understanding of the grieving process.

• Children may not have words for how they feel. Instead, they might show their emotions through their behaviour. Their emotions might change quickly. 
• Clinginess. Children may refuse to be left and try to cling to you. It can be a sign that they need reassurance
• Distance. Some children can put up a barrier with people close to them because they’re scared of getting hurt again. 
• Lack of concentration. A child may find it hard to concentrate at school and have trouble with their work.
• Sleep problems. Children may find it hard to sleep and become afraid of the dark. Or they might feel like they need to sleep all of the time.
• Trying very hard to be good. Young children might believe that their behaviour can influence events. This is called magical thinking. It might mean that they try hard to be good or feel guilty about bad behaviour.
• Masking their emotions. Children may hide their feelings to protect people around them.

It is important to remember:

It can be difficult to know what to say to someone who's been bereaved.

Grief is different for everyone and you cannot always know how someone is feeling. So, it's best to avoid saying things like 'they've gone to a better place', or 'it's a good age' as they can make someone who is grieving think that their feelings of loss are being dismissed.

 

If you knew the person who has passed away, it can mean a lot if you can share any happy stories or tell them about kind things you remember the person saying.

 

Continue to call, or check in with them, after the funeral too. People often say that it was at this time that they would really like to have heard from people as it's when a person who has been bereaved, can feel most alone.

 

You may find that they repeat details about the person's illness or death. Or perhaps they repeat the same stories from their past together. This is normal, and it can be part of the grieving process, so let them talk.

If you feel comfortable, suggest to the person that they may wish to make a memory box, write a letter or poem to the bereaved person or set aside a special place in the home to commemorate with important items e.g candles and photos

 

Signposting support for children who have experienced grief, loss and bereavement: 

At present, only a small number of students have yet to upload or confirm their placement details, we are keen to support these final students in securing suitable opportunities.

In order to provide additional time and ensure everyone has the best possible chance to take part, we will be extending the placement deadline until the 31st December.

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

Tuesday 2 December - Senior Boys Basketball Vs Weston School

Monday 8 December - Yr 7 Rugby Development Game Vs Deer Park

Tuesday 9 December - Senior Boys Basketball Vs Bitterne Park School

Tuesday 9 December - U14 Girls Netball Tournament 

Yr 11 Boys Football Vs Ringwood School - Lost 4-3

Yr 7 Girls Football Vs Horndean School - Won 2-0

Senior Girls Football Vs Hamble School - Won 3-2

Yr 9 Boys Football V Admiral Lord Nelson School - Lost 4-1

Please see the menu for our hot food options for next week.

 

The main school meal deals are £3.40 which is in line with all Hampshire schools. In a meal deal, students can get one of the meal choices below with a bottle of plain water and a cookie or piece of fruit.

• Either of the hot meal options,
• A jacket potato,
• A pasta pot,
• A chicken or beef burger,
• A salad pot (from the salad bar)

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. 

 

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.

 

* correct at time of sending, but may be subject to change

This will be served as part of our Christmas Festival, taking place for all year groups in the last week of term.

What Parents & Educators Need to Know about Generative AI Safety

 

The remarkable growth of generative AI tools like ChatGPT has opened up exciting new opportunities for young learners. Used wisely, AI can be a powerful ally in boosting creativity, learning and problem-solving skills. However, without proper guidance, young people may stumble into challenges including inaccurate information, data security risks, and a growing reliance on AI over their own critical thinking.

 

From setting clear usage boundaries to teaching digital hygiene and promoting independent thought, this guide offers parents and educators practical advice on the safe, positive use of AI. With the right understanding and guidance, you can ensure that generative AI becomes a positive influence, rather than a potential pitfall in young people’s digital lives.

Every Student Matters, Every Moment Counts

 

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Wildern School

Wildern Lane

Hedge End

Southampton

Hampshire

SO30 4EJ

 

01489 783473

 

#WeAreWildern