![Three smiling people hold up their drawings at a table in a classroom filled with art and supplies.]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1783965786/whitgiftcouk/fcrimpfmmumsjsl9lxqd/BlogThumbnailISS.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1783965786/whitgiftcouk/fcrimpfmmumsjsl9lxqd/BlogThumbnailISS.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1783965786/whitgiftcouk/fcrimpfmmumsjsl9lxqd/BlogThumbnailISS.png","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1783965786/whitgiftcouk/fcrimpfmmumsjsl9lxqd/BlogThumbnailISS.png","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1783965786/whitgiftcouk/fcrimpfmmumsjsl9lxqd/BlogThumbnailISS.png","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1783965786/whitgiftcouk/fcrimpfmmumsjsl9lxqd/BlogThumbnailISS.png","width":1894}])
Week One of Whitgift Summer School is over! Let's have some updates from our three departments:
Welfare:
Founder's House has been full of excitement this week. The students have settled in well and have greatly enjoyed watching the World Cup. New friendships have been made this week and has lots of badminton has been played. A highlight for many of the students was coming back in the afternoon to a beautiful display of Victoria sponge cupcakes as an afternoon treat!
Activities:
What a brilliant start to the summer! We enjoyed a week of beautiful sunshine, which was perfect for our outdoor sessions. Our Academy students worked hard with professional coaches in Tennis, Golf, Street Dance, and Football. At the same time, our amazing Activity Leaders kept the energy high in our Multi-Activity programme, leading everything from art, badminton, and gym fitness to swimming and water polo. Participation was fantastic, and it was wonderful to see so many happy, motivated students pushing themselves to learn new skills.
The evening fun started with a surprise dance from our Activity Leader team before we sorted the students into their houses for the Krispy Kreme Cup: Austen, Dickens, Orwell, Pankhurst, Turing, and Seacole. After some great icebreakers and team games, new friendships were made and the competition began! The houses immediately showed their team spirit by designing their own unique chants, flags, crests, and mascots—creating a legacy that will be passed down to new students arriving in the coming weeks.
The excitement kept going all week. Tuesday featured an epic dodgeball tournament and a lively quiz night, followed by sports and crafts on Wednesday. Thursday was a massive highlight: our first-ever Whitgift Carnival Night, complete with huge inflatables and fun games. "Pin the Bow Tie on Robbie" (our Course Director) was an absolute crowd favourite! We then wrapped up the Friday session by watching our weekly highlights video together and dancing the night away at the disco.
We also enjoyed a fantastic midweek trip to London, taking in the major landmarks, riding the London Eye, and relaxing on a River Thames boat cruise. With a thrilling weekend ahead at Thorpe Park and Bluewater Shopping Centre in the summer sun, we cannot wait for the fun to continue. A huge thank you to all our incredible students for making Week 1 such a success!
Academic:
What an incredible start to Whitgift Summer School! As Director of Studies, I am immensely proud of our academic department of 10 exceptional teachers who have hit the ground running. This week kicked off our six-week journey, and our students dived straight into general English classes alongside our immersive, task-based project modules. The energy on campus was electric as students tackled two massive creative challenges: launching innovative products in a thrilling 'Dragon's Den' simulation and designing their very own sovereign nations from scratch. Seeing their language skills flourish through real-world teamwork and problem-solving has been the ultimate highlight. Week one is officially in the books, and we cannot wait to see what our global learners achieve over the next five weeks!
