Half Term Developments

The Hall Floor

Our insurance company have provided industrial dehumidifiers to help to remove moisture from the wood block floor in the hall.  There is a total of five, which will run every day in an attempt to prevent further damage.

 

New Carpet

Again following the flood damage, new carpet is being laid in the main foyer.  The old hand rails have been removed, providing a more open look.

Before!

Unfortunately the new carpet failed to arrive and we will now have to wait for it to be fitted during a weekend. 

The Churchill Suite

Before!



Again, the supplier let us down and we will have to wait for the new carpet!

Cleaning the Tennis Courts!

More White Walls

  

These white walls are being put into maths classrooms to support collaborative working, problem solving and the sharing of ideas. The special white board paint has to be applied in sequence and takes days to dry.  This is proving to be more effective than buying white boards.

Other Works

New lighting has been fitted in the Food Technology rooms and in the English block.  All the clocks had to be re-set, the fire extinguishers tested and windows have been coated in a new glazing film.

 

 

 

 

Radio Woking Academy

Introducing ‘The Radio Woking Academy’

 The Academy is designed for anyone, of any age, who wants to come and learn about music production, Radio Presenting, Music Software, and professional recording. There are separate courses for both children and adults.  It is our brand new learning platform, aimed to provide workshops and tuition, whether in small groups or individually. We have had great success with our Radio Skills workshops in the past, and have developed these new workshops to give people the required skills to be able to take these into the workplace environment and career opportunities.  Take a look at our academy website. www.radiowoking.co.uk/academy to see what we currently have on offer.

 Current programmes include:

Singer Song Writer Package

Logic Pro X Workshops

Radio Skills Workshops

1-to-1 Studio Tuition

 

If you are interested in booking a place, please feel free to email info@radiowoking.co.uk or if it’s easier pick up the phone and dial 01483 485265 (Option 2, to speak to our Technician Alex).

 

Winston's Careers Fair

 

Winston's First Careers Day

This proved to be an amazing event for all our students.  Mrs Sigrist was very keen that we organise our own event so that as many students as possible would benefit.  Together Mrs Sigrist and Mrs Mellor developed a plan and were delighted that so many of the companies and colleges were able to attend.

It was an great experience, providing inspiration for Year 7 through to Year 11.  The atmosphere was buzzing and students were praised by the exhibitors for their interesting questions and the mature way in which they conducted themselves.  Students are beginning to realise the number of pathways open to them and that each company or organisation is made up of a wide range of roles and requires people with different skills.

Thank you to everyone involved in making this a great day at Winston, in particular Mr Bartholomew, a member of our Site Team, for organising the halls and the services. We are now looking forward to next year!

A huge thank you to all the exhibitors, you have made such a difference to our students.

Enjoy the images below:

 

 

Gemma Sanderson: Food Innovation

Engineering Opportunities

Opportunities at local Colleges

McLaren generated huge interest!

Training Opportunities and Apprenticeships

 

Learning at Winston

Science Club

The first project for science club this year was a classic test of design, combined with a knowledge of air resistance and who can pack the most bubble wrap into the container. The brief was to 'Protect the Egg'.  Ideas were sketched, planned and meticulously designed over two successful sessions, with the final testing taking place the last Monday of October half term. There were some early fatalities, as eggs were dropped on the way to the testing sites, but the 1 egg rule had to stand. 

Mr Cooper (Science Technician), played a key role in the eggs being dropped from the scary heights of the patio wall, followed by the first floor of drama. Still 2 eggs survived. Those protected by Adi & Chloe. New heights had to be found, the stairway from the second floor science block was no match for either design, so new eggstremes had to be located. S12 was the place. This is the highest point in the school and with 2 eggs left, the moment was tense. Adi's design was dropped first, and although initial eggsamination was positive, the egg had ultimately met it's fate. Could Chloe's simple design survive the 3 floor descent? 

Yes! The drop had to be perfect, to ensure the parachute opened as soon as possible, and it was. Maximum air resistance was needed to slow the descent, and keep it steady in order for the egg to stay within it's container. After 3 weeks of meticulous design, production and testing, Chloe Richardson (DSN) took the victory! 

 

 

8CG History

This week 8CG have been preparing to put Charles I on trial.  The students were asked to organise the trial, with minimal input from the teacher.  Initially they discussed what make a good trial and what roles are needed.  They then split off into smaller groups to brainstorm how best to run the trial of Charles.  Some groups named individuals that would be really good judges or lawyers.  Ethan planned out the timings of the trials so that it would fit into a one hour lesson.  Isabel planned out how the classroom would be laid out so that it looked like a courtroom.  The students decided that it would be best to vote in the judges, and despite some concerns about people voting for their friends they elected a judging panel that everyone was happy with. 

In the next lesson the students divided into three groups: the judges, the prosecution and the defence.  They spent the lesson building a case around the 4 crimes that Charles was charged with.  These were: ruling the country against the will of parliament & the people, declaring war on his own people, causing all the damage, death and desolation during the war & restarting the Civil War.  The judges decided that they wanted to review all the evidence before the trial so asked for an opening speech from each team.  They also decided to do some investigating of their own and explored the textbooks for new historical evidence to present.

Friday Period 1 - Trial day! The room was arranged and the teams were prepared.  With a bit of help to get the trial started the students spent the lesson debating whether Charles was guilty or not guilty of each charge.  Both sides called witnesses and the class also decided to have a jury in case the judges couldn't agree.  Ellis led the prosecution team with some excellent input from Alexandra, Sam, George and Liam.  Toby did a great job as a witness who suffered at the hands of Prince Rupert.  The defending team was led by Poppy, she was supported very well by both Ethan's, Cara, Ilana, Abi and Holly.  Kayleigh and Hannah were their witnesses.  The judges presented some new evidence and asked some pressing questions - well done to Isabel, Josh, Arooj and Neve.

The judges and jury decided:

Ruling the country against the will of parliament & the people - Not Guilty
Declaring war on his own people - Guilty
Causing all the damage, death and desolation during the war - Not Guilty
Restarting the Civil War - Guilty

The class was asked to follow up the lesson with some homework about Charles' sentence.