Evie: Duke of Edinburgh’s Award UK Youth Ambassador After spending Year 12 volunteering as a DofE Young Leader within school, helping the Bronze participants with their award, I applied to become a UK Youth Ambassador in April 2025. This involved answering questions about my own award journey and how I would use this opportunity if […]

Vandyke Sixth Form students celebrate National Apprenticeship Week (9-15 February 2026) Our Sixth Form students had a busy week before half term to mark National Apprenticeship Week; meeting employers, hearing from our alumni and attending workshops to kick-start their search for apprenticeships. The last decade has seen a significant rise in professional apprenticeships; with employers […]

A Day in the Life of the Modern Foreign Languages Department The day starts early, with some of our French teachers arriving at 7.20am to prepare for GCSE early morning French sessions. The sessions run from 8am – 8.40am and allow Y10 and Y11 students to take an additional GCSE. The course is more intensive […]

Ski Trip: Sestriere 2026 In February, a group of Y10 and Y11 students ventured to the Italian alps to the ski resort of Sestriere. The students were primarily beginners, with a small handful that had some previous skiing experience. All students were extremely excited following five hours of indoor ski lessons at the MK Snozone. […]

Vandyke is turning 50 – and you can be involved in the celebrations! It’s hard to believe but this September, Vandyke will be celebrating 50 years since it first opened its doors. Our first pupils crossed the threshold in September 1976, and the school has grown and changed significantly since then. To mark our 50th […]

Footballing success Our Y9 and Y10 boys’ football teams have recently turned in excellent performances in cup competitions. The Year 10 boys’ football ‘A’ team recently played Queen Elizabeth School in the quarter finals of the county cup. Vandyke dominated this game very early on and scored four goals within the first 20 minutes. It […]

A Day In The Life of… the Science Technicians The day begins with a quick team catch-up, after which the technicians check their emails and diaries, and plan the day ahead.  As the bell signals the start of the school day, the team ensure that the day’s practicals are ready and also begin to prepare […]

Future Opportunities event a great success Last week, we were delighted to welcome hundreds of students, parents and carers to our Future Opportunities Careers event. The sports hall was packed with people, as visitors met with representatives from a host of education, training and employment providers to discuss college/university applications, apprenticeships and employment opportunities. Organisations […]

Smile Week 2025 a resounding success! Between the 17th and 22nd November, Smile Week returned for 2025, and was a huge success! Organised by the Sixth Form Senior Student Team, the week of fundraising included daily events ranging from fashion shows to Teacher Taskmaster – with our headteacher Mrs Ferguson-Moore taking on the role of […]

Students learn about German Christmas traditions In the last week before the Christmas break, every Y9 German class learnt about how Christmas is celebrated in Germany and the differences between English and German cultures. One of the main highlights was sampling German Christmas food, which included Spekulatius (spiced German biscuits), Lebkuchen Herzchen (gingerbread hearts covered […]