Dean of Waterford | Mr Luke Gribble

Next week marks the halfway mark of the term. The Year 10 cohort have well and truly settled into the Waterford Place routine. The boys appear to be enjoying their new home away from home and I am pleased to say that so far, they are looking after this wonderful facility.

The boys will most likely be starting to notice the intentional increase in academic rigour at Waterford Place. Your son should be focused in class and making the most of the opportunity to access the information, expertise and advice offered by his teachers. We are encouraging the boys to be active learners and engage in lessons rather than being passive and waiting to be spoon fed. A great way for students to be engaged is to ask questions to seek clarity as well as challenging themselves to answer questions posed by their teachers. If the boys have a mindset where they are engaged and looking to work with their teachers, the outcomes at the end of term tend to be very positive. At Waterford, due to the generosity of the teaching faculty, there are multiple opportunities for extra tutoring and assistance before and after school. Please encourage your son to make the most of these opportunities. 

Waterford provides a great platform to deliver age appropriate Formation opportunities and next Wednesday the boys will enjoy a presentation by the Shake and Stir theatre company. The entertaining, live performance will focus on issues such as peer pressure, cyber bullying, online addiction as well as consequences for actions. 

This week the Waterford Place Council will assist in the organisation and running of our first ‘Inter’ Pastoral Care Group competitions. With plenty of keen basketballers in the cohort and a great facility, a three on three basketball competition is being held with great enthusiasm. Each PC Group will be represented with teams winning through to the finals, which will be hotly contested, in the coming weeks.