100 Years of Musical Theatre

 A Musical Theatre Showcase

This week we have been showcasing some wonderful musical theatre, through the talent of our students from both our music and drama departments.

The performances took us from Showboat, The Wizard of Oz, Guys and Dolls, Hair, Chicago, Mamma Mia and many more.  Twenty-one performance pieces in total, with a full orchestra, big band and session band.

We enjoyed some super acting, solo performances and ensembles and for the first time at Winston some great tap-dancing.

As is always the case at Winston, the students have a leading role in the choreography, the lighting, sound and technical aspects, stage management, sales and some directing. Our  students develop an understanding of the of the whole business that surrounds a musical theatre production.

It was a wonderful evening, full of joy and great audience participation for the Time Warp!!

A huge thank you to everyone involved and we wish the music department well as they leave for their tour to Paris at 3.00am on Monday.

Enjoy the images below, there will be more early next week:

 

St Johns Fete

 

St Johns Fete 2025

On Saturday 21st June, two of our fantastic student bands took to the stage at the vibrant St John’s Fete, delivering energetic performances that wowed the crowd.

Opening the show was The Rising Devils, our talented Year 7 band who recently won the Battle of the Bands 2025. They kicked off their set with confidence, showcasing their original song ‘Beginnings’, which impressed the audience with its catchy riffs and thoughtful lyrics.

Following them was Death Complex, who turned up the volume with a powerful mix of metal and rock covers. Their dynamic stage presence and musical tightness proved a hit, drawing in a crowd and earning plenty of applause. 

A huge thank you goes to Miss Wells our brilliant tech team, whose hard work behind the scenes made the performances run smoothly. Their support with sound and setup was invaluable.

Aditya was also a huge help with setting up equipment and organising the bands. He interviewed the bands for the following quotes:

Freddie (from The Rising Devils):

“It was a great opportunity for us. All of our hard work and practising paid off. The audience were supportive and enjoyed it a lot too. It was great to be playing with a more experienced band. We look forward to more gigs like this in the future.”

Milo (from Death Complex):

 “It was a great opportunity to play to the local community, and I was very excited to perform. The audience enjoyed our performance, especially being able to join in with ‘We Will Rock You’”

Spike (from Death Complex):

“The fete was amazing! Me and my band had an awesome time, performing was a really fun experience for all of us we really learnt a lot from it. The audience was amazing as they got involved in ‘We Will Rock You’ and applauded us at the beginning and end of every song. We would definitely love to do another performance just like that and will continue to learn and improve!”

It was a brilliant afternoon of live music and a fantastic opportunity for our students to perform in a real-world setting.

Well done to all involved!

-Mrs Antony and Miss Shlackman

The Rising Devils: Jack, Toby, Freddie, Albie, Jessie

Death Complex: Milo, Jacob, Spike, Dimitri and Lucas

Work Experience

 Year 10 in the Workplace

Celebrating Work Experience Week – A Glimpse into the Future

This past week has been an exciting and invaluable time for our students as they stepped out of the classroom and into the world of work for Work Experience Week.

From bustling construction sites and busy salons to welcoming schools, offices, shops, and even animal care centres, our students have been gaining first-hand insight into a wide range of industries. We’ve had students exploring roles in education, hair and beauty, construction, administration, engineering, manufacturing, retail, catering and hospitality, animal care, and many more — a true reflection of the diverse interests and talents across our school community.

While each placement has been unique, the goals have been shared: to build essential life and work skills that will help shape our students' futures. Throughout the week, they have been developing key attributes such as punctuality, teamwork, communication, following instructions, and overall professionalism — all within real-life working environments.

Some of the feedback we have received:

“really professional attitude to her work experience”

“on-time every day and has dressed extremely smartly”

“Has been working really hard”

the best work experience students the company have experienced

“has learnt how to carefully communicate with residents who struggle to communicate and to engage with them appropriately”

“Willing to try new things, getting stuck into work and very good attitude to learning. "Delight to have him".

Every student has also been keeping a work experience diary and setting personal targets for the week, helping them to reflect on what they’ve learned and how they've grown. We’re very much looking forward to hearing about everything on their return, and celebrating the achievements, challenges, and lessons they’ll carry forward.

We would like to extend a huge thank you to all the local businesses, organisations, and individuals who opened their doors and supported this vital part of our students’ education. Your generosity and encouragement are helping to inspire the next generation — and we couldn't do it without you.

Work Experience Week is more than just a placement; it’s a powerful step toward independence, confidence, and career awareness. Well done to all our students for embracing the challenge with maturity, enthusiasm, and curiosity!

Mrs Smyth

Careers Leader

Key Stage 3 District Sports

KS3 District Sports

This term there has been varied attendance at athletics club which has meant the PE Department have not seen the amount of training desired from our athletes. Despite this, Winston have fantastic athletes who have the potential to compete well. 

 

At the District Athletics only one student can be selected for each event from each year group, so the pressure was on as an individual to help contribute points for the team's overall score. Whilst having to compete with the heat too, our students put everything into their events, organising their time wisely and preparing themselves mentally. It was great to see the encouragement each student was giving during their rest periods to others in the team also. A highlight from the day was the impressive Year 9 Boys Relay team run with a faultless winning performance.

There was progress for the Year 8 & Year 9 Girls who finished two and three places better off respectively than last year. The Year 9 boys were disappointed to finish 2^nd, 2 points behind the winners for the second year in a row.  Altogether, we had 2 x team top 3 finishes and 14 x individual top 3 finishes which can be seen below.

Team Results

Yr7 Boys - 7th

Yr7 Girls - 7th 

Yr8 Boys - 3rd 

Yr8 Girls - 11th 

Yr9 Boys - 2nd

Yr9 Girls - 6th

Individual Results

1st - Matilda R (100m), Alex B (Triple Jump), Mathew H (High Jump) & Year 9 Boys Relay

2nd - Noah E (Discus), Ali H (Long Jump), Vanavasa B (Javelin), Mathew H (Discus) & Alex B (Hurdles)

3rd - Bona M (Javelin), Issam S (Javelin), Harry R (Triple Jump), Aimee L (High Jump), George P (200m) & Reuban L (800m)

As of September the PE Department will be starting winter athletics training to give our students more confidence and preparation going into the summer athletics season.

Primary Orchestra

 Winston's Primary Orchestra

On Wednesday 18^th June the Performance Space saw a performance from the Winston Primary Orchestra. This ensemble, made up of over 40 primary students and supported by our own Winston student 'music mentors', met weekly throughout May and June to prepare three pieces of music. 

The concert, performed to a packed audience of friends and family, showcased the hard work and dedication that all of the students involved have shown. For some of the primary students this was the first time they had been part of a large ensemble whilst others have attended our previous primary orchestra in the Autumn Term. The final performances of 'Castle On The Hill', 'Kids In America' and 'Just Can't Get Enough' were fantastic and enjoyed by all.

A huge thank must go to our own 'music mentors' who are all Winston students in Years 8, 9 and 10. Their patience, kindness and support allowed all of the primary students to successfully tackle the music and produce the excellent performance that they did.

We are looking forward to running the Primary Orchestra again in the Autumn Term!

Mr Chris Drake

Director of Music and Lead for Primary Liaison