This Week at Winston

Welcome to Winston

New members of both the teaching team and support staff joined us on Wednesday for an induction day.  It is great to welcome them to Winston and to share with them our vision for the future.

We are looking forward to working with them in September and the contribution that they will make to the experience for our students.

Winston at Twickenham

On Thursday 4^th July, 30 students from across Year 7 & 8 had the opportunity to visit Twickenham Stadium. To begin the day, students were taken on a stadium tour by a very knowledgeable tour guide. The group were shown areas such as the Presidents suite, The Royal Box, pitch side and the changing rooms. Before lunch the students took part in a fitness and technology workshop. This looked at GPS data as well as fitness components used by rugby players depending on position (a good introduction to a GCSE topic). The group then got to go around the World Rugby Museum, which had many interactive activities where students could link and test their fitness components learnt previously from the workshop.

The group were a credit to Winston as the Twickenham staff said they had been one of the best school groups to have visited. Hopefully this has inspired the group to get more involved with rugby next academic year and also consider PE for GCSE.

Assembly this Week

The PE Department have held special celebration assemblies this week, to recognise the achievements of our students throughout this academic year.  Participation rates are very high in the full range of sports on offer.  Students also enjoy a number of visits including skiing and water sports.  The message throughout each assembly has been to encourage even more children to get involved and to find an activity that they can enjoy with their friends.

Team Leaders presenting their reports.

Winston Tour Belgium

MUSIC TOUR 2019  🎶

Between Monday 1st and Friday 5th July the Music Department took 50 students from Years 7-11 away on our annual music tour. This year we went to Belgium, where we played 3 concerts and enjoyed a number of excursions.

Day 1 -

Music Tour 2019 started early with us all meeting at Winston for 6.30am. After a 7 hour journey we arrived in the coastal city of Oostende which would be our base for the week. Students had time to settle into rooms before enjoying dinner and then some time on the beach, which was a short walk from where we were staying.

Day 2 -

After breakfast at our hostel we travelled to the coastal town of De Hann for our first concert. The hours performance took place on the beach-front with a large audience gathering to watch us play. The concert started with the Orchestra, which was followed by the Big Band and Choir. There were then performances from the Junior and Senior Session Bands who were backed up by the choir. After the concert we made our way to Bruges where we visited a chocolate museum and then enjoyed a river cruise through the old town. In the evening we enjoyed some more down-time on the beach.

Day 3 -

We had a short walk in the morning to our second concert of the tour, which was in Oostende. The concert took place on a bandstand right in the centre of the town and as we played a huge audience gathered to hear us, dancing along to the music we played! Again the audience were able to enjoy performances from our Orchestra, Big Band, Choir and Session Bands. After the concert we travelled to Gent where we visited the Castle of the Counts and enjoyed some time looking round the city. In the evening we enjoyed our last visit to Oostende's beautiful beach.

Day 4 -

Music tour wouldn't be complete without a trip to a theme park so in the morning we travelled to the Bellewaerde Theme Park, which both students and staff enjoyed! We then travelled to Nieuwpoort where we played our last concert of the tour on the promenade. Another large audience gathered to hear us play and again heard from our Orchestra, Big Band, Choir and Session Bands.

Day 5 - 

Our final day of the tour started with a relaxing visit to the centre of Oostende, where students spent time visiting the numerous chocolate shops! We then climbed on the coach and travelled back to Winston.

The Music Tour 2019 was an absolutely fantastic week, which all the students and staff involved thoroughly enjoyed. The standard of each performance was excellent and we received so many compliments from those that came to watch us play. 

We're now looking forward to our Young Musician of the Year competition, Tuesday 16th July, and our Summer Concert, Thursday 18th July, which will give more students the opportunity to perform and enjoy making music together.

Our Work

Celebrating Diversity

Last week The Winston Churchill School held a series of celebrations, fundraising events and activities to raise awareness of all aspects of diversity within our very own diverse school community. 

As part of the celebrations, the Senior Prefects held a diversity-themed cake sale and Fairtrade Chocolate raffle in the MFL Department, to raise money for a series of diversity-related charities.

Students and staff were also able to take part in a ‘guess the number of sweets in the jar’ activity and many students bought and wore stickers in celebration of diversity.

Members of the newly established Senior Prefect Team, as well as the new Deputies, Head Boy, Mateo Cave, and, Head Girl, Lucy Bower - with the help of Miss Finney, willingly and actively organised, participated in, and - to be quite frank, “aced” - the successful delivery of the fundraising event - with almost all cakes selling out.

The event marks a fantastic start to the new Senior Team’s accession to the principle student authority of the school - and beckons even greater successes in the academic year to come... 

By Lucy Bower - Head Girl and Jack Hilton - Deputy Head Boy

Art on Display

It is always great to see the work of our students displayed around the school.  It often reflects the diversity within Winston and in the world beyond.  I hope that you enjoy the images below, of some of the art on display in our corridors and in display cases.
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 Year 9 Self Portraits Inspired by the Portuguese Street Artist Vhils

Welcome Year 6!

Our New Students

Three hundred very keen students arrived at Winston on Tuesday 2nd July, eager to have their first experience of a day at secondary school.

The students spent each day with the members of their new tutor group and experienced an assembly, lessons and school lunch, as well as taking some tests in preparation for September.

 Sitting together as a Year group for the first time.

 Two different History lessons.

 Experiments during science.

 Lunchtime on the patio.

 Coming together at the end of two very busy days.

Our local primary schools should be incredibly proud of their students, as they transitioned into Winston.  At Winston we are anticipating that these young people will develop into an outstanding Year Group.

Winston welcomes The Class of 2019!