Akeley Wood School

Akeley Wood School's Year 11 Fairy-Tale Prom!

Our 2024 Leavers celebrated the end of their GCSEs in true fairy-tale fashion with an elegant prom. The event was a resounding success, filled with fun, excitement and unforgettable memories.

The resilience our students have shown over the past five years, especially during the intense examination period, has been truly remarkable. We are so proud of every Akeley Wood student and have full confidence that they will ‘Be You. Brilliantly’ in everything they set their minds to.

A big thank you to friends and family for their unwavering support. Wishing everyone a wonderful summer break... See you on Results Day!

🇬🇧 🗳️Today, students at Akeley Wood School are actively voting, showcasing an important expression of their rights in a democracy. This experience helps them understand and appreciate the value of their voices and the impact they can have on their community. We’re proud to support and encourage our students in this vital civic engagement.

After a fantastic outcome at the ISA National Athletics last month, 13 of our students represented the region at the ISA National Finals!

We are incredibly proud of our students that took part. Through their hard word, dedication and courageousness, they made the school very proud. We are so impressed by the way that they handled themselves, showing impeccable sportsmanship, kindness and respect towards everybody that competed. They represented Akeley Wood School tremendously well and embraced our School Values with pride.

In total we had 13 students that won medals, with an impressive 15 medals brought home. Our students won 5 gold medals, 5 silver medals and 2 bronze medals.

With or without a medal, we could not be prouder of our students that participated and demonstrated true resilience throughout their training up until their final performance.

We were delighted to see how well supported our students were by their friends and family members. Here at Akeley Wood School, we are very fortunate to be able to give our students the platform to develop and showcase their talent.

Congratulations everybody! Thank you very much to the sports department for making this possible.

AW6's Year 13 Prom: Casino Night Extravaganza!

Our 2024 Leavers had a fantastic time celebrating the end of their A Levels with a thrilling Casino Night-themed prom on Friday. The event was a resounding success, filled with laughter, glamour, and unforgettable memories.

The dedication and resilience our students have shown over the past two years, especially during the intense examination period, have been truly remarkable. We are incredibly proud of every Akeley Wood student and have full confidence that they will ‘Be You. Brilliantly’ in everything they set their minds to.

Our Year 13 cohort has been inspiring, serving as role models for our current Year 12 students. We eagerly await news of their future adventures and accomplishments in this exciting new chapter of their lives post-AW6.

Wishing everyone a wonderful summer break... See you on Results Day!

We have our first Swimmer Spotlight! 🏊🏻

Beth, Year 9, is a talented swimmer and an incredibly dedicated one too. She swims twice a day 6 days a week, practicing both before and after school. We were delighted to see that Beth's unwavering determination and resilience truly paid off at the ESSA (English Schools Swimming Association) competition in Crawley at the weekend.

⭐️Beth won 3 Gold medals, 1 Silver medal and 1 Bronze medal. She won the 200m backstroke, won 100m backstroke with a PB, won 50m backstroke, and she came third in the 100m freestyle and second in the 50m freestyle. 🏆🥇

Mr Ben Rolfe, Head of Faculty for Sport, said that Beth 'was outstanding and an excellent ambassador for the school. We wish Beth the best of luck at her next competition at Nationals in 6 weeks time.'
Congratulations, Beth! Keep Being You. Brilliantly.

🍓 Continuing our Farmer's Market Club journey! 🍓

In our previous post, we shared how our Junior school students were busy building wooden flowerpots and creating advertising posters for the big event.

Yesterday, Mrs Sandiford and Mrs Burdett took the club to Lillingstone Pick Your Own to pick strawberries for our jam-making project. The children had a fantastic time, enjoying the fresh strawberries right off the vine and treating themselves to a well-deserved lolly afterward. It was a wonderful experience seeing them so engaged and excited about our small enterprise project.

A huge thank you to Faye Philipps, the owner of Lillingstone Pick Your Own, for being so accommodating and generously donating some strawberries to support our club. Your kindness and support mean the world to us!

Stay tuned for our delicious homemade jam at the next sale on 4th July! 🌻🍓🥄

Our Junior school students transformed into mini athletes for Sports Day!

All of our students showed incredible sportsmanship, teamwork skills and resilience throughout the day. Everybody took part and cheered each other on throughout each race. Many of our students are very competitive and love to show off their hard work and dedication to their sport. However, here at Akeley, our students understand the importance of remaining respectful, supportive and kind towards others, especially in a competitive environment.

We are so proud of everyone that took part! ⭐️🌍

Feeling the pressure during exam season? 📚 Don't worry, Mr. Gavin Moffat, head of AW6 Sixth Form, has got your back! Here are some helpful tips he shared with parents at the beginning of the term to help you stay on track. We know exams can be stressful for students and parents, but remember, we're all in this together! Keep up the hard work, Akeley students - we're proud of you! 💪

🏅 Introducing Sophia Chapman, a track and field superstar from Akeley Wood School! 🏃‍♀️✨

Earlier this month, Sophia competed in the Buckinghamshire County Track and Field Championships and delivered an outstanding performance, emerging as the County Champion in both the 1500m (with a time of 4:43) and the 800m (with a time of 2:17). Her remarkable achievements don't stop there – she is also a qualifier for the 1600m and 300m U16 ISA Nationals.

Sophia embodies our school’s learner habits of aspiration and resilience in every stride she takes. Her unwavering determination and high aspirations have driven her to excel in her events, setting new personal bests and aiming for even greater heights. Sophia's resilience shines through as she trains tirelessly, overcoming challenges and continuously pushing her limits to achieve her goals.

We are thrilled that Sophia will be one of 13 students representing Akeley Wood School at the ISA National Finals on June 17th. Her dedication and hard work have truly paid off, and we couldn’t be prouder!

Let’s all cheer for Sophia as she prepares to compete at the national level. Go Sophia! 🌟👏

Last week, students from all three of our sites took part in the ISA National Athletics Regional Championships. ⭐️

Akeley Wood School is incredibly proud of everybody that took part. Our pupils showed unwavering determination and resilience throughout, aiding them in achieving their successes. Everybody, both staff and students, have been working towards this day for a long time, practicing inside and outside of school hours.

We were thrilled that the event was such a triumph for all, especially since there were more individual finalists for Akeley Wood School than ever before. We were delighted to hear that a number of students made the ISA North London Relay teams on top of this. 13 of our students will be representing the region at the National Finals.

Our pupils showed impeccable sportsmanship, competing with respect, kindness and grace, embracing the true Akeley spirit!

Congratulations to everybody, what a fantastic result!

Wood School encourages children to embrace their creativity and use their bright imaginations to their full potential.

In Ms. Sandiford’s Farmer’s Market Club, the children used their woodwork skills to build wooden flowerpots and decorate them in readiness for the Farmer’s Market Sale on the 4th of July.

The children had lots of fun painting and perfecting their projects as well as creating posters to promote the Farmer’s Market Sale.

This week’s Student Spotlight is Akeley Wood’s incredible dancer, Maicie!

Maicie has been an avid dancer since she was 5 years old. The combination of her determination and passion for the sport means she trains over 6 hours a week after school in Modern, Tap, Lyrical, Street, Acrobatics and Elite. 🪩 💃 🩰

Being part of the Elite team means she gets to represent the Dance School at external performances. In December she performed at the Milton Keynes Christmas light Switch On and performed in a Pantomime for 2 weeks during the Christmas break. It was a wonderful chance for Maicie and her team to work alongside the adult actors and experienced dancers. Maicie had the opportunity to learn from incredible talent, whilst providing her with an insight into what her dance career could flourish into. Akeley Wood encourages the importance of aspiration and we are thrilled to see how Maicie’s fierce ambition and drive has taken her so far at such a young age.

Over the Easter Break Maicie has been embracing the sense of community we promote at Akeley Wood by working hard alongside her dance school to put on their Annual Showcase. We are very proud to hear how dedicated Maicie is to her flair for dance and we are excited to see where this wonderful talent takes her!

Here at Akeley Wood, we love to hear about our students utilising the vital Akeley values outside of school. Please email or send us a private message on our social media to share something you are proud of, either about yourself or someone you know. ⭐️🎶

Akeley Wood Juniors had a fabulous time embracing the outdoors in Holdenby last week. Reception, Year 1 and 2 students spent the day with Muddy Education, a company that encourages children to explore the natural world.

Understanding and discovering more about the natural world is a fundamental aspect of a child’s development. The students enjoyed getting a little bit muddy and spending the day outdoors! They made the most of the large woodland on the scavenger hunts, as well as experimenting with their creativity and vast imaginations during the crafty activities.

The three year groups mixed and worked together throughout the trip, encouraging the strong sense of community that Akeley Wood School promotes. They shared a relaxing end to the day gathered around the fire pit, toasting marshmallows and sipping hot chocolate.

Thank you very much to Nicola Curtis and Helen Burch for organising this excellent trip.

‘This year, here at Akeley we have witnessed a remarkable milestone with 100% of our 2023 cohort of participants successfully completing the Gold Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) Award. On a splendid spring day five of our former students (now at university) were invited to Buckingham Palace for the Gold Duke of Edinburgh's (DofE) Awards ceremony, honouring young individuals who have demonstrated remarkable commitment, resilience and skill across a wide range of activities.

For many attendees, stepping into the historic and resplendent gardens of Buckingham Palace is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The ceremony was graced by the presence of His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh. His Royal Highness expressed admiration and pride in the awardees, acknowledging their hard work and perseverance. Alongside His Royal Highness the event was attended by a number of guest speakers including Vick Hope, a television and radio presenter who shared how her Silver DofE award experience shaped her resilience and career, and racing driver Billy Monger, who spoke about overcoming challenges . �
We are incredibly proud of their achievements - Congratulations to all the Gold Awardees! Your achievements are a beacon of what can be accomplished with dedication and hard work. Here’s to your bright futures and the many successes yet to come.’ - Hannah Fraser

We have a number of year 12 & 13 students who are in the process of completing awards. They have all successfully completed the expedition section and are working hard on the volunteering, physical and skills section as well as organising their residentials for this summer.

Across the award we have 80 participants across the 3 levels. (Bronze, Silver and Gold). We are excited to see our students embark on their DofE challenges with courage and integrity.

Congratulations to this year’s awardees! We are looking forward to doing it all again next year with our wonderful current participants! ⭐️

Akeley Wood’s Year 3’s had an incredible time at the Caldecotte Xperience where they fully embraced the outdoors and engaged in a myriad of fun physical activities. Despite the jam-packed day, we were truly impressed by the perseverance and resilience of our students throughout the day.

Our students strengthened their appreciation for teamwork and community as they were put in groups for the activities, demonstrating their understanding of showing kindness and respect inside and outside of school. They were actively encouraged to try new things, such as caving, canoeing, rock climbing and zorbing.

The versatility of the activities ensured that every pupil enjoyed themselves whilst learning how to be confident and courageous when going outside their comfort zone.

Thank you to the wonderful teachers that organised this excellent trip.

Introducing Mark Lambert, the University, Careers & Futures Lead at Akeley Wood School! ​

Mark is not just a leader in education; he's a guide for our students as they navigate their paths towards higher education and future careers. With nearly 15 years of dedication to the Young Enterprise organization, Mark brings a wealth of experience and insight to our school community.​
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At Akeley Wood, Mark wears many hats - from leading Young Enterprise initiatives to coordinating weekly visits to a local Care Home. His commitment to community engagement shines through as he encourages our students to volunteer, brightening the days of residents with conversations and games.​
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You'll often find Mark in AW6, where he's always ready to lend a helping hand and offer invaluable advice on university choices and career pathways. His passion for guiding students towards their dreams is truly inspiring.​
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Akeley Wood’s 2024 Leavers!

We want to wish everybody the best of luck in their approaching examinations. We encourage our students to continue to show the same level of determination and resilience in the final push of this academic year.

Keep believing in yourself, you’re going to smash it! ⭐️

Our pupils at Akeley Wood Junior school went all out for the Star Wars celebration!

Wicken saw some incredible costumes and many lightsabers…

Akeley Wood’s wonderful rugby player, Tom! 🏉⭐️

Tom has a true passion for rugby and has thoroughly enjoyed playing at the Senior School and wanted to carry on playing outside of school, leading him to join the Buckingham Rugby Club. He has been quickly welcomed into the team and was asked to play for the Buckingham Bulldogs U12 team at the Aylesbury RUFC Festival of Rugby a couple of weeks ago. This was an event featuring 10 teams from across the region, split into two pools of 5. The Bulldogs had some very tough matches in the pool stages but managed to top the group with 3 wins and 1 draw. Tom scored one try himself and contributed to a number of others.

Tom’s dad said ‘He defended his heart out and has the bruises to prove it!!’

They faced a very strong and well drilled team from High Wycombe in the final. Despite being runners up, the whole Team were very proud of their achievement. Tom embraced our Akeley ethos through showing his resilience and determination throughout. Tom is looking forward to the rugby season starting again in the Autumn and is already planning on how he is going to train for it over the summer!

Our excellent Head of Sport, Mr Ben Rolfe, said that Tom is a ‘ pleasure to teach’ and was ‘very proud to see him being rewarded for his impressive efforts at the Akeley Awards Evening’. It is very important to us here at Akeley Wood School that our students’ skills are celebrated. 🌍🌈

Keep up the brilliant work, Tom! 🚀🏆