Winston in the Surrey Hills

 Assessed Expedition

Our staff team took 116 Year 9 students through the Surrey Hills for their DofE Bronze Assessed Expedition.  Having experienced the challenge several weeks ago, the students used what they had learnt to ensure that their team was working together to be successful.

We are incredibly proud of the resilience and commitment that every student demonstrated throughout the weekend and this was the result of their thorough preparation leading up to the challenge.

From navigating their route on hot, sunny days, to making sure their tents were pitched perfectly and cooking themselves a good meal in the evening,  to make sure they had the energy to go again the next day. Luckily for them, they had the morale support of Miss Fletcher and Mr Fisher's dogs along the way!

The behaviour and maturity of our students shone through at each stage of the challenge. It is something to be applauded as they did our school proud.

Congratulations to all 116 students that took part!

Mr Harding & Mr Johnson

Leadership

 Student Leaders Finding Voices

As our newly elected student leadership team prepare to take on their roles of responsibility, we were invited to Royal Holloway to participate in a Myth and Voice workshop developing understanding of communication and leadership.

Students unpacked the myth of Phaethon and Helios, where an insecure yet boastful young man ignores the pleas and advice of his father with calamitous consequences. Students explored the many perspectives of the story, including those not mentioned in the text, to consider the role of effective communication (or lack of) on the outcome of the story.

This, and a walk around campus, including their student union and library spaces, have given the Head Student team food for thought as they develop their plan for student voice for the coming year. 

Mr D Fisher

Head of Latin & Teacher of English 

Sporting Success

 Handball Success

At the turn of the year, 4 Handball teams were formed and trained for the 1^st Round of the English Handball Cup. This included a boys and girls team from both Year 8 & 10. With mixed results it was the U13 Boys that showed the greatest promise and success, going undefeated in their tournament. This meant that they qualified for Round 2, the South East Regionals hosted in central London.

After a competitive friendly win vs. Salesians the week before, the team went to the tournament fully prepared. Despite a slow start, the team eased into their games, eventually making it into the semi-finals where they faced Dover Boys Grammar School. After a tight 1st half it was Dover who progressed and came out on top as eventual overall winners. The team learnt from their mistakes and then put in a much better performance in their 3rd/4th play off to finish 3^rd overall. There were some great individual performances over the day, especially from Jacob D & Jan S.

5 months ago the boys had limited knowledge & experience of Handball but their desire to learn & improve is a credit to them. They are a great example of what rewards dedication and hard work can achieve. The boys were able to pick up a bronze medal but they will be looking to go one step further next time!

Athletics Success

Athletics season is well and truly underway with lots of training and athletics meets already under the belt.

Before exam season started our KS4 team competed at the KS4 District Champs at Hoe Valley. Despite minimal training both the boys and girls teams put in some great individual performances. We had top3 finishes from Amalie B (Shot Put), Hallie C (Javelin), Pippa K (High Jump), Ayaan A (200m), Nicolas C (400m), Archie W (Javelin), Aayush G (Long Jump), Seb K (High Jump) & Boys Relay. As a team the boys finished 2^nd and the girls finished 5th.

A week later our high performing athletes were chosen to attend the North West Surrey Trials. From these trials 5 Winston students have been selected as the best in their athletics events across the District. These are Ali H (Triple Jump), Mathew H (High Jump), Dapo O (100m), Jorge M-R (100m) & Hallie C (Javelin). We wish them good luck on Saturday 14^th June where they will represent North West Surrey at the County Championships at the Wei Archer Athletics Track, Kingston.

Most recently the PE Department took 56 students to Guildford Spectrum to compete in the 1^st Round of the English Athletics Cup. In this competition, each student must take part in 2 events (1 x track & 1 x field). Despite being a logistical nightmare for PE teachers to organise we were extremely proud of the determination of everyone, especially having to compete against a number of independent schools. Overall it was a great day for the Junior and Inter Boys teams, both finishing 2^nd and progressing to the South East Regionals on 12^th June.

Podium positions went to:

🥇James A (High Jump), Harry R (Triple Jump) & Mathew H (High Jump)

🥈George L-B (Hurdles), Hayden R (200m), Noah E (Discus), Jorge M-R (100m), Ryan T (1500m) & Logan F (Javelin)

🥉Harry G (Javelin), Dapo O (100m), Alex B (Triple Jump) & Ollie M (100m)

There were a number of injuries/drop outs in the morning for the girls which meant it was difficult to arrange a full squad and therefore did not place as high as we'd hoped. 

The PE Department wish to see an increase in student numbers across all year groups ready to develop and improve for the KS3 District also on the horizon at the end of June.

Mr Martin

Deputy Head PE Department

Coming Soon

 100 Years of Musicals

"Our Music and Drama departments are buzzing with excitement as they prepare for this summer’s spectacular collaborative production, 100 Years of Musicals. Join us for an unforgettable celebration of musical theatre, taking place on July 9th and 10th at The Winston Churchill School.

Here’s a sneak peek from last week’s impromptu sitzprobe, featuring Music’s Big Band and the cast of High School Musical – a lively glimpse of what’s to come!"

Miss G Fletcher

Drama Department

Winston in Five Finals!

 Woking Finals Day

The 2024/2025 season closed with Woking district finals day at Woking FC, 28^th and 29^th April. A big end of season finale for Winston, with 5 teams making the penultimate matches. Three from the girls side and two the boys, with three of the five coming out victorious (see below for the match reports). A special mention to all the schools who acted professional and Winston's Year 7 ball boys & Year 9 sports mentors who worked tirelessly both day to ensure the event ran smoothly. 

Year 7 Girls:

The Year 7 girls put in a fantastic performance against a strong Salesians team, who had beaten them 9-0 in the league this year. This time, the girls were much improved — defending crosses well, with Lily Hill making some brilliant saves and the defence staying strong under pressure. However, just before half time the opposition played some lovely football to gain a goal. Despite the disappointment, the girls showed a lot of resilience and fight to get the game back level with the midfield working tirelessly, and strikers creating several chances. With five minutes to go, Cristabelle scored a well-placed equaliser after a great through ball from Lilly. The game ended 1-1, leading to penalties, where the girls narrowly lost 3-1. A proud and resilient performance for the year 7 Girls Football Team against tough opposition!

Year 10/11 Girls: 

The year10/11 Girls delivered a brilliant team performance in their final against Woking High. From start to finish, they stuck to their game plan with standout moments from Amelie in goal, Parissa  implementing her role perfectly, resilient defensive displays and creative attacking play from all. Despite going 1-0 down to a well-taken goal, the girls showed great resilience. A flowing move through midfield led to a wide pass and a perfectly weighted ball over the top for Ava Price to slot home the equaliser. Just before half-time, an identical move, assisted by Chloe Fish, saw Ava score again to make it 2-1. The second half was all about grit, determination and teamwork. Under pressure late on, the defence and Amelie stood firm to protect the goal and lead. 

The final whistle sealed a 2-1 win and a thoroughly deserved victory for the Winston Girls! Congratulations to all involved and best wishes to the year 11 girls who move on! 

Year 8/9 Girls: 

After two previous years of penalty heartbreak, the Year 8/9 girls football side won 4-1 on penalties after the score remained 0-0 at full-time. 

 

In a team also supported by two Year 7 players, the side as they had done the previous year, turned in their best performance of the season.  They  fashioned numerous scoring opportunities but couldn’t quite force the ball int the net.

The game then went to penalties to settle the tie and after our goalkeeper Jess has saved the first penalty, our players went on to convert all their spot kicks with laser like precision.  The group not only fully deserved the win but had also prepared meticulously for the fixture and went out with a fixed game plan, which they executed perfectly.

Year 8 Boys:

The Year 8 boys faced Salesians in the final, a repeat from last year. Knowing the Salesian team was strong this year Winston started strong, proving difficult to defend down the channels. Sam L took one of these chances superbly, slotting in a short across the keeper. Shortly later, a goal line scramble from Salesians led to the balling falling at Sam's feet again. Bundling it over the line, Winston went 2 nil up. After half time Winston slowed down from their energetic first half display, letting their guard slip and Salesians brought one back. However the resilience, determination and sheer hard work from all the players ensured the game remained 2-1. Congratulations to Salesians for fighting till the end and 

even more of an applause to Winston who became back to back Woking District Champions. 

Year 9 Boys: 

The Year 9 boys had made it to another final, two years on the trot. Facing an opponent who had previously beaten them in the final the previous year, Woking High. The year 9 boys who had played some fantastic football over the season started well, pressuring Woking High's backline and provide some half chances for the Winston strike force. However that potential soon fizzled out with Woking High getting into gear and imposing themselves on a wobbly Winston side. The high temperature didn't help Winston as they were without the ball for the majority of the game, tiring throughout. They played to the final whistle but unfortunately came out as runners up. 

Mr Fuller

Event Organiser

The Battlefields Trip

 Winston Remembers

From the 2nd May to the 4th May, 79 Year 9 pupils attended the History Battlefields trip to Belgium and France. Pupils have studied various aspects of WWI during Year 9 and the trip provided pupils with context and a first-hand experience on what it was like to serve and live through the war.

Pupils had a packed three-day itinerary combining visits to the Ypres Salient and Somme Region. Day One, included a  visit to Passchendaele New British Cemetery and Tyne Cot, the largest Commonwealth war graves cemetery. Followed by an afternoon visit to Flanders Field Museum and a highlight for both staff and pupils a quick stop at a Belgian chocolate shop.

Saturday was spent visiting various sites and memorials in the Somme region of France. Including a network of underground tunnels at Wellington Quarry, tunnelled by British and New Zealand forces in 1917. This was followed by a tour of two Canadian memorial parks, Newfoundland and Vimy Ridge. Then a visit to the largest manmade crater of WWI, Lochnager. The day ended with a return to Ypres town centre, where three Winston pupils, Amelie, Jairaj and Charlie participated in the Last Post ceremony; laying a wreath at the Menin Gate, an act of remembrance that has taken place since 1928. 

The final day students returned to sites associated with the Ypres Salient. Including a tour of a preserved German trench at Bayernwald, the German cemetery Langemark and Essex Farm Cemetery, which is the site Canadian soldier John McCrae wrote the famous ‘In Flanders Field’ poem. The trip ended with Lijssenthoek Cemetery a site which highlights the scale of the war, containing the graves of French, German, US and Commonwealth soldiers. Along with Chinese Labour Corps and Staff Nurse Nellie Spindler.

Throughout the trip students conducted themselves brilliantly. Showing respect, responsibility and engaging with each activity. We were very proud of them and hope they enjoyed the trip! 

Below are some comments from students who attended the trip: 

'It was such a  good experience…thank you for the amazing opportunity and allowing me to thank the soldiers who fought’ – Jairaj

‘I loved the trip so much. I thought it was very interesting and exciting. I enjoyed being able to see all the significant places from WWI, and it has really helped me understand more about the war. Thank you for such an amazing trip I am very grateful’ – Madison

‘It was the best way for me to reflect on the impact of the war and how many soldiers were in the war’ – Max

'I really enjoyed the trip; I have to say that my favourite part of the trip was probably when we went to Wellington Quarry. I liked seeing the daily life of the tunnellers’ – Ariana

‘Thank you so much for the trip. I really enjoyed it and it will be a once in a lifetime experience’ – Mahd

‘The trip was amazing. I enjoyed looking at the memorials of the soldiers, trenches and what it was like for the soldiers. It was very influential and made me think about the war in more detail’ – Jasmine

Miss Robinson

Deputy Head History

Warhorse

 Year 9 Drama

Our Year 9 students have been working on bringing an extract from Michale Morpurgo's 'Warhorse' to life. They were split into groups to not only act out the scene to visually illustrate the story but they also had to design soundscapes, costume and lighting for a section of the production. 

Our students were very creative, producing some impressive shadow puppets and reimagining a scene which takes place in no man's land. 

Miss. L Watson

Drama