Writing Competition

Throughout September and October 2007 we ran a writing competition. We asked students to submit poems and stories about the Willingdon Community School, describing their feelings about the school or giving us a particular memory such as their first day.

The overall effort was very high. The winners particularly impressed the judges with their unusual style and their use of imagery and metaphor. Congratulations to Emily Falkner, Chun Lee, Milly Jones, Amy Webb and Emily Lansdale, Each will be received a £10 book .

Here are the winning entries

It’s big
It’s scary
It’s older students
It’s organisation
It’s getting up early
It’s HOMEWORK
It’s more equipment
It’s subject teachers
It’s Secondary school

Milly Jones



My First Day at Willingdon Community School
My first day at school was pretty scary,
With so may people I was wary,
With all the big kids,
I was the smallest on the grid,
Some of the teachers were nice,
But others were fiercer and bite,
The traffic jam was so busy,
At the end my hair was so frizzy,
THE SCHOOL WAS JUST TOO BIG!!!!

My first day at school was pretty scary,
With so many people I was wary,
Break time now,
Survived the first lessons WOW!!
I felt so small amiss,
The buildings and playground the size of a football pitch,
So happy to meet my friends,
I thought I would never see them again,
THE SCHOOL WAS JUST TOO BIG!!!!

My first day at school was pretty scary,
With so many people I was wary,
The lesson before lunch,
I was looking forward to my brunch,
The last lesson is nearly over,
The day felt like I just travelled to Dover,
The bell has rand
All I could hear was the door bang
But I still think,
THE SCHOOL IS JUST TOO BIG

Now I have been here four weeks,
I learnt the classes in the school are so neat,
Even tough they are old,
And have bubble gum underneath!,
But still,
THE SCHOOL IS TOO BIG!!!!

Amy Webb



Feeling Nervous,
Teenagers shouting,
I was nervous and bit afraid,
Everyone was much bigger than me,
I was inside a mammoth box,
It doesn’t feel quite as big now; but it is still pretty big!
I felt like a tiny ant in a massive place,
I did nearly get lost on my first day but I made it in the end,
It felt very strange for me to be in another school.
At least I made it through the day!

Emily Falkner



When I woke up on September the 4th it was 7am, I thought I was early and the clock alarm was broken, but I just realise it’s school. I was packing my bag and eating my breakfast when suddenly my brother said it is time to go.

We went to the bus stop and then the bus arrived. Me and my brother got into the bus, I feel very exciting and very nervous. When I got to school I was lost but my friend took me to my tutor class, then I went to 6 lessons and the school was over. I got back to my house and there were many homeworks for me to do, after I’ve done it I went to play football and after that, I went to shower and straight to bed.

Chun Lee



Untold Rumours

Sandra was very nervous about starting secondary school;

She knew all about the older children leading you the wrong way just so you get into loads of trouble.

She also knew about bog washing, where people shove your head down a toilet and flush it, making you smelly and wet.
She’d heard about how mean and awful the teachers were, how you got given a detention if you so much as sneezed

She dreaded the enormous piles of homework she was expected to do every night and have ready to hand in every morning.

She was already scared of all fifty-something rooms although she had only been in one or two of them.

She had found it difficult when she was warned by another student that you are automatically excluded for a day if you are even a minute late for morning registration.

But what Sandra had forgotten to find out was what people really knew about secondary school;

About how most older children show you the right way to your classroom if you ask.

About how there have actually been zero cases of bog washing since when the school opened in nineteen-something.

About how most of the teachers are fairly lenient in the first few terms as you settle in.

About how not all homework was due in the day after it was set and you didn’t get that much to start with anyway.

About how you only had to find your way to six classrooms a day, less if you had a double lesson and tutor was always the same room.

About how you have a few late chances before you get any detention at all.

Emily Lansdale 9SSW

All entries have been added to the Willingdon Community School digital memory bank click here to read further entries.