Year 8 and 9 students had an action-packed day exploring the historic Chatham Dockyards, moving through centuries of maritime history across several different exhibits.
Maritime Explorations
A major highlight of the trip involved going aboard the legendary ships docked at the yard. The children stepped back into the Cold War era by exploring HMS Ocelot, a sleek submarine that gave them a sense of life under the waves.
They also toured the Victorian-era sloop HMS Gannet and the Second World War destroyer HMS Cavalier, allowing them to compare how naval technology and living conditions evolved over different eras of seafaring.
Industrial Heritage and Cinema
The students also explored the massive industrial scale of the dockyards. They visited Hemp House 2, where they learned about the work of rope-making that was once the lifeblood of the Royal Navy.
They experienced the "Empire" exhibit, which provided a broader look at the dockyard's global impact and historical significance. This was linked directly to their curriculum.
Hidden Histories and the Namur
One of the most poignant moments of the day occurred near the cafe, where the students learned about the HMS Namur. For centuries, the timbers of this 18th-century ship lay hidden beneath the floorboards, only recently discovered.
This discovery provided a direct link to the story of Olaudah Equiano, the famous abolitionist and writer who was once enslaved on board that very ship. Learning about Equiano’s life while standing above the remains of the Namur offered the students a powerful perspective on the dockyard's connection to the transatlantic slave trade and the struggle for freedom.
First Place at the Wellington College STEM Competition
Mr Falleiro arranged for a group of our computer scientists to attend a STEM Day at Wellington College. They were challenged with tasks related to science, maths and coding.
Congratulations to our team, as they won the competition, producing a faultless journey for a robot they had programmed!
Our day at Wellington College started off with an engineering session where we constructed windmills using Lego. Once we had assembled the windmill using instructions, we changed components of the Lego structure to make it work differently. We changed the size of the cogs in the gear to increase and decrease the speed of the windmill. Next, we had a Maths session where we calculated Pi using different polygons.
We learnt about how Pi can be found in anything cyclic and is needed in most professions. Our penultimate session was DT where we created marble runs out of cardboard, paper straws, hot glue and tape. We analysed other well-performing marble runs first to see what makes a good, long lasting marble run before making our own. Our last (and my favourite) session was Computer Science where we had to code a robot to move from one room to another down a corridor without crashing into any walls.
Once we had done the base code that ensured the robot could get from point A to B, we added special; effects like spins, flashing lights and noises. I really enjoyed the STEM day at Wellington College and felt like I learnt a lot.
Lorna Bogue (Winners Of CS Robot challenge)
I really enjoyed the experience at Wellington College and found it very immersive and a creative way of giving a taster to the STEM subjects. It started with Lego, where we built interactive windmills and it helped me understand how gears impact speed and energy usage. Next, was break, followed by maths, where we learnt about pi and how it is all around us constantly, and made me consider how it may also explain pieces of the universe. Afterwards, we made marble runs in DT and finally, programmed robots in Computer Science, me and my partner, programmed a perfect route with additional pizazz to impress.
I would absolutely consider attending and in general was an amazing experience.
Selana Pandey (Winners Of CS Robot challenge)
It was a great opportunity to learn new things, and I enjoyed the different activities. My favourite part was computer science where we controlled the robots. I feel if we had more time, we would have scored more points. D.T was fun too, but we needed more time. We had a chance to explore further and learn things that we normally wouldn't do in school. I would like to go again if I can.
Mahnoor Hussain
It was a great experience; it was a fun time to spend with friends who also went the activities were fun and creative. the food was nice and we had a chance to try lots of different things we won’t do in school normally.
Lucas Kuroczycki
The day at Wellington College was filled with lessons of engineering, maths, computer science and D.T. Starting off with engineering, we built a windmill out of Lego blocks. Increasing the speed without disrupting its structure. I almost completed the windmill, and it was exciting to see the windmill work. In maths, we looked at Pythagoras theorem and all the different equations. In D.T we designed a marble obstacle course on a peg board. Lastly, we worked with robots and designed them to move to a certain distance. The computer science class was my favourite. Programming the robot was fun. Overall, I enjoyed my experience a lot. The school was huge and beautifully neat.
Abeera Syed
I really enjoyed the day out at Wellington. We had 4 periods of very interesting subjects and fun unique takes on them to make them enjoyable like using special sets of Lego to design a functioning wind turbine, learning all about Pi, making a Marble Run in DT and programming Rover Bots in Computer Science. The food there was also quite good, and everyone was helpful and nice. Overall, it was an amazing experience, and I would do it again any day.
The ovens have cooled, the mixing bowls are washed, and the first round of The Great Winston Bake Off is officially complete! Our talented students rose to the challenge with creativity, skill, and some seriously impressive bakes.
A huge well done to all our participants. The judging was incredibly tough because every entry was fantastic!
The semi-finals are on 23rd April 2026.
Stay tuned for the next round as the competition heats up! 🔥👩🍳👨🍳
Well, what a wet and chilly start to the year! But it didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits or desire to keep working hard and enjoying the outdoors.
Groups took part in one of the most important citizen science opportunities of the year: the RSPB big school bird count. Winston has a few bird enthusiasts in its community and we hope we have inspired a few more to get pleasure from and care about our birds. Between us we have now seen over 46 different species of birds on our school grounds in the past few years which we think makes us really quite special and incredibly lucky. Students have really got into the habit now of feeding our birds each week to support them as we now head into nesting season.
We fed, we watched and we also played some fun games. Students really surprised themselves at how many bird names they knew and how good they were at identifying their calls and songs!
The daffodils that were planted in the autumn have made the most incredible display by the sports entrance and students were so proud. We hope you've managed to catch a glimpse as you were passing. Photos don’t really do it justice; it’s breath-taking.
Our Wednesday after school Allotment Club recommenced after February half term and luckily the weather has been beautiful. I'm so grateful to the club for building this living willow dome - which will make a lovely shady den for students next year. We just have a little more weeding and tying to do. They also painted this raised bed that students also built with scrap wood and hand tools only - so impressive!
Perhaps the highlight of the term has been finding this Smooth newt in our pond (we think there are at least three)! There is still work to be done to make the pond the best habitat it can be so that is our focus for the summer term before the newts breed later in the spring. Seeing the students joy, wonder and care for these creatures has been especially moving. No student has failed to think they are undeniably cool.
Seeds are being sown now as the growing season really takes off. We look forward to keeping you updated.
Last half term the Music Department held three recital events in the Performance Space, giving some of our outstanding musicians the opportunity to showcase their skills as soloists. First up were the Year 8 and 9 recitals, which featured a combined total of 40 students, whilst later in the half term the KS4 recital had performances from an incredible 38 students. The audiences for each event were given a real treat, as the standard of performance from all of the students was exceptional. Here is some of the amazing feedback we have received:
"Many thanks for a super Year 8 recital evening. There most certainly are some very talented young students at Winston."
"What an incredible group of Year 10 and 11 musicians. They were all fantastic!"
"A wonderful evening."
"I was struck by how supportive and encouraging the whole Year 9 group of musicians were towards each other. It really made the event feel even more special."
"We were very impressed with all of tonight's performances. Thanks and congratulations to all involved."
Coming up this half term will be our final recital evening of the academic year, this time showcasing our fantastic Year 7 musicians. This will take place in the Performance Space on Thursday 21st May at 5pm.
Winston had a fantastic three days at the Rosslyn Park 7s Festival, where all of our students demonstrated impressive determination, passion, and resilience. The scale and pace of the tournament created a brilliant learning environment, helping players build confidence and develop their understanding of what it takes to compete at a high level.
Our U14 Boys were tested early on, facing strong and well‑organised teams such as Stowe, yet they rose to the challenge with grit and teamwork, showing real growth throughout the day. In their final game they gave local rivals St George’ Weybridge a very competitive game, made even better as some of the students played at the same club.
Our U16 Boys faced an entirely different challenge: the weather. Competing through relentless rain, sudden snow showers, and even hail, they showed remarkable resilience and focus. Their determination to play through difficult conditions reflected their character and commitment, and they continued to represent the school with pride on and off the pitch. With a smaller squad, the boys showed determination and pushed through with some injuries to see out their final game of the day.
Thursday was especially memorable as our U16 girls’ team made their debut — an incredible achievement given that most of the girls had only started playing rugby just four weeks earlier. Despite their limited experience, they played with enthusiasm, bravery, and a fantastic team spirit. Students had an opportunity to have a picture with the Women's Rugby World Cup trophy, won by England just a few months earlier. Their day became even more special when they met former England World Cup winner Nolli Waterman, who shared encouraging words and inspired them with her journey in the sport. Her presence left a lasting impression and added an unforgettable highlight to their first tournament.
Across all teams and all three days, our students learned valuable lessons about teamwork and pressure. Rugby continues to grow at Winston, and we are excited to see how it will continue to develop next year.
