A message from Mrs Marchant

As our first term draws to a close I would like to thank every member of our school community who has worked so hard to give the full TWGGS experience to our pupils. We are so proud of our staff who not only give everything to their lessons but also to the wider part of school life, and the generosity of our stakeholders including our governors, parents and volunteers. It feels like a lifetime ago that we welcomed your children into the doors as new Year 7/Lower Sixth or returning pupils. Over the last term we have seen them grow in confidence, ability and knowledge. The last few weeks have been particularly testing in terms of our water situation and I know that many of you have experienced the same in your homes. Our pupils have shown outstanding resilience, community spirit and above all, humour during this time.  

Despite having to make changes to our usual Christmas calendar we have been in the Christmas spirit over the last month; the Bring and Buy Sale was excellent and the PTA yet again demonstrated their remarkable ability to raise valuable and much needed funds for the school at the same time as giving the pupils a fantastic experience. Ms Ives, Mr Bicknell, Mrs Waddington and Mr Corse have been determined that the ‘show must go on’ and they have treated us to some beautiful assemblies where pupils have showcased their performances from the Carol Service which has been recorded as an audio track to share with the school community. We have been enthralled by the Festive Bake Off that Mrs Callaway has been running (which did get incredibly competitive among the staff!) and the Lower Sixth have worked very hard on the panto (Nativity!) that we are being treated to tomorrow. All of these events help make us what we are and I am both grateful and humbled by the efforts of the school community.

This term we have seen exchanges and field trips, residentials and cultural visits, lectures and action days. Duke of Edinburgh are gearing up for their practice expedition and Young Enterprise are honing their products ready to launch. We have seen continued success within the PE department too. Nine of our trampolining squad have progressed to the Zonal Competition. Our U16 netball squad has made it to the regional finals. Both our U13 and U16 gymnastics squads have made it to the national finals and our U16 hockey team has reached the semi-final of the National Schools Championships in January, the only state school to do so and the highest level we have ever entered as a school. There is something for everyone here and we are incredibly proud of our offer. This, coupled with our fantastic exam results last year, has seen us placed at 82nd nationally in the Sunday Times Parent Power Schools Guide which is further validation.

Mrs Rogers, Mrs Taphouse, Mrs Brown, Mrs Coleman-Smith, Mrs Pashley and Mrs Barclay have worked so hard to ensure that all of our pupils have a positive experience at school through our Wellbeing offer. They have met with hundreds of pupils under the careful direction of Mrs Waddington, Ms Neave and Mrs Miller and have signposted pupils to support through the Wellbeing Classrooms over the Christmas period.   

January 2026 will bring with it some staffing changes. Mr Speller is taking a period of absence to recover from surgery, we wish him a speedy recovery and his lessons will be taken by the Science department. We welcome back Miss Jacquin from her period of absence, she will slowly begin to take her classes back from Mrs Maimi who has been outstanding in her work with the Spanish department. Mrs Bello will continue to be Head of Year 9 until further notice whilst Miss Jacquin rehabilitates and I would like to thank both Mrs Maimi and Mrs Bello for all their work. We welcome Mr Fan as Physics Technician, Mrs Hargreaves as Cover Supervisor and Miss Abraham as Receptionist in the new year and are very pleased that they are joining our team. Miss Johnson and Mr Humphrey welcomed their new son George into the world last weekend and we wish them every happiness during their maternity and paternity leaves.

Sadly we are saying goodbye to a number of staff this week who have been integral to the team at TWGGS. Mrs Braithwaite has been with us since March 2025 as a Cover Supervisor and leaves us to take up a new role, we thank her for her time with us. Mrs Gilbert will leave us as Receptionist in early January.  Since joining us in September 2023 she has been utterly outstanding in welcoming visitors in, helping pupils who are ill, injured or lost and keeping track of the many calls, parcels, deliveries and emails that come into reception. She leaves us to take up a new role as a legal secretary and we wish her every happiness in her new role. Miss Wallis joined us in September 2022 having previously been a trainee teacher with us and quickly found her niche as an Economics and Maths teacher, moving to Economics part-time on her return from maternity leave in the summer. She leaves us to take up a Curriculum Lead position at another school, a role we are sure that she will excel in. Mrs Moody has been Data Manager and Attendance Officer, a role that she has honed and made her own since starting with us in October 2019. She has not only shown her forensic eye for detail when it comes to reporting and data but also her amazing team spirit, being fully involved in all aspects of school life and we are very sorry to see her leave; she is taking a career change and moving into the travel industry – we wish her all the best with this. Finally, Mrs Barclay has been a staple with us since November 2012, starting as a cover supervisor before moving into the role that she has held as Wellbeing Support. She has helped guide, mentor, support and assist hundreds of pupils over her time with us and is going to be missed tremendously. We wish her a very happy early retirement and look forward to hearing her travelling tales! All of these people have given so much to the school and we thank them for their efforts.  

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy, peaceful and joyful Christmas. School will dismiss at 1:40pm on Friday and will be entirely closed next week apart from Monday, 22nd December. We look forward to seeing your children return to us on 5th January refreshed and ready for 2026. 

Mrs Katie Marchant, Headteacher

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Please see below for some key dates upon our return:

Date	Year Group	Event
Week beginning Monday, 5th January	Year 11	Year 11 Mock Examinations
Friday, 16th January	Year 11	Sixth Form Taster Day
Friday, 16th January to Tuesday, 20th January	Upper Sixth	Upper Sixth Mock Examinations *Please click here for the timetable
Tuesday, 27th January	Year 9	Year 9 Options Due
Friday, 30th January	Year 7	PTA Disco
Friday, 6th February	Year 8	PTA Disco
Friday, 6th February	Whole School	Own Clothes Day

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Latest News

As ever, this week’s newsletter is packed with news and information. Links and buttons will take you outside of this document, such as the ‘View All News’ button which links to News items hosted on our website. Please don’t forget to return to the newsletter to scroll all the way through.

This edition of the newsletter contains:

• Key Dates for your Calendar
• TWGGS Policy Spotlight
• National College Bulletin
• TWBC Budget Survey
• TWGGS Futures
• Staff Star Nominations
• Link to school calendar
• Attendance

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TWGGS Policy Spotlight

Our featured policy this week is our Wellbeing and Pastoral Care Policy. Pastoral care and the wellbeing of pupils at TWGGS is a priority, and it is acknowledged as playing a crucial role in the development of the ethos of the school. The Wellbeing and Pastoral Care Policy supports the school in promoting a caring, supportive environment in which staff and pupils can work in an atmosphere of mutual respect. TWGGS promotes positive moral values in a climate of high expectations and achievement among all the individuals and groups, and pupils learn, grow and succeed in an atmosphere of praise and encouragement which promotes a sense of belonging and enjoyment for everyone. To read the full policy, please click on the button below.

All of our policies and key information documents can be found on our website.

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Online Safety Bulletins

What parents and educators need to know about AI Toys

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Tunbridge Wells Borough Council Budget Survey

The UK Government has announced its intention to give the vote to people aged 16+. Until that happens, they can tell their Councillors what they would like in Tunbridge Wells. Our young people are being encouraged to take part in a survey to inform TWBC how they feel about a range of issues, including:

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TWGGS Careers Fair 2026

The next TWGGS Careers Fair will be taking place during National Careers Week on Thursday, 5th March 2026. We are looking for help from any parents, carers, extended family members or family friends who are able to offer to talk about their personal career field in any area, such as:

• STEM-based careers: Science/Technology/Engineering/IT/Cybersecurity/AI/Finance/Banking
• Law/Legal
• Education: All stages
• Armed Forces
• Marketing/Advertising/HR
• TV/Media/Film/Literature
• Art/Design/Music/Fashion
• Food
• Healthcare: Private or NHS
• Entrepreneurs/small business owners

If your career falls outside of these areas, but you know that your experience would be interesting to our pupils, then please don’t hesitate to contact us, as we are always looking for new, interesting and niche career opportunities and pathways for our pupils to hear about!

We would ideally require two sessions to allow pupils, parents and carers to attend at least two talks. These will consist of a 20-minute presentation, followed by 10 minutes’ Q&A. Sessions will run as follows:

• Session One: 5:30pm to 6:00pm
• Session Two: 6:15pm to 6:45pm

Please complete this form if you are able to offer a talk at the fair. If you have any careers-related questions, please email Miss Smith, Careers Lead, on careerslead@twggs.kent.sch.uk

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We congratulate the following staff who have been nominated by their colleagues for the Staff Star Awards for having truly given their best:

Mrs L Moody – for always being so helpful and friendly
Mr M Breeze – for being a great Curriculum Lead, recognising and responding to the additional responsibilities of his team
Mrs K Churcher – for being warm, friendly and super-organised
Mrs R Bowler – for being so friendly and thoughtful and bringing positive ideas and contributions
Miss A Sharpington – for an excellent start to her ECT including the minibus! Miss Sharpington is the winner of the Costa Coffee voucher this term. Well done everyone!

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Upcoming Events

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Attendance