I would like to thank you for your interest in Astrea Academy Woodfields, and would like to welcome you to our school.
My Grandfather grew up down the road from here and knew a thing or two about duty, scholarship, and community. He taught me that manners cost nothing and that hard work and being kind get you places. I say what I do and do what I say. I grew up in Teesside under the shadow of the steelworks, but by committing myself to my studies I was top in my year at school and went to the University of Cambridge. This gave me opportunity and choices that others who chose easier paths did not have. Every moment of my life has been about getting young people to university or a real alternative and living a great life.
Achievement and results matter. They are the passport to a better life and there is no shortcut in getting them, no matter what anyone else might tell you. We will celebrate successes, no matter how small, and provide many ways for everyone to earn recognition for real achievements. I expect every scholar that joins us to work hard in school and study for at least an hour at home every day. Every contribution should be their best and they should give their full attention and commitment each second of every lesson. Our lesson time is so valuable that we go to extraordinary lengths to ensure that scholars do this. It can seem like we make mountains out of molehills, and sometimes we do just that because excellence is a habit. While we understand that there are trials and tribulations in the present, our eyes are set firmly on the long-term success and happiness of young people. Parents and carers who choose Woodfields also commit wholeheartedly to our ethos, policies, and practices by acceptance of their place here.
The scholars of Woodfields are the hardest working and most courteous young people in Doncaster. We have a traditional, and some would say, old-fashioned approach to discipline. The finest minds and top performers in art, sports, science, academia, and business all have the capacity to apply themselves to their respective fields. We expect hard work, courtesy, and rigour from our scholars. I have these expectations because of my fundamental belief in the ability of every young person to make the best of themselves. To hold back from this would be to their detriment and would not demonstrate my heartfelt devotion to them realising their potential. Some have told me that the school and my approach is like Marmite; you love it, or you hate it. I would say you either choose success and choose us or you reject both.
Since my appointment in March 2023, I have taken strident and decisive action to improve the school forever and for the better. We are now a centre of excellence for the arts thanks to our partnership with MISST and Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber. Our passionate and committed staff now provide a unique enrichment offer which includes chances to perform in world-famous venues and take part in ensembles, bands, shows and life-changing trips and visits. We have enviable sports facilities which include a 4G pitch, BMX track, basketball courts and a gym; we have enrichment opportunities for most interests.
Coming to Woodfields means that you gain a life-changing set of opportunities from our highly effective teaching, ambitious curriculum, unique enrichment, strict routines, and supportive staff. By choosing us you commit to getting to university or a real alternative. As Rudyard Kipling once wrote, “If you can fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds’ worth of distance run, yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, and—which is more— your best is yet to come!”
Yours faithfully,
Principal Mr David Scales MSCi, MA (Cantab), MA (Teach First), NPQH