Better Never Stops
Welcome Welcome to Waingels where we aim to be an exceptional school, striving for excellence, at the heart of our community where Better Never Stops. Waingels is a Comprehensive Community School, which has been serving Woodley since 1970. In 2011 it was completely re-built as part of a Building Schools for the Future project to give us an award winning, eco-friendly design with outstanding spacious, light and technology-rich learning environments, which we have adapted and moulded to suit an ever-changing curriculum. Waingels is a high performing school with results that regularly put us in the top 25% of schools nationally. Students make above average rates of progress, but more importantly, they leave as well rounded confident individuals, ready to take on the challenges of higher education or employment. When Ofsted last visited in February 2018, they confirmed Waingels as a good school where “standards are rising rapidly”. They also commented that leaders “stop at nothing to make things better”. Our ethos and culture are values based. We set high standards and expect all our students and staff to be respectful, kind, resilient and proud of our school, our achievements and our community. And it is a busy and thriving community. We hope you like what you read and what you see. If you have not yet had the opportunity to visit, our staff and students are proud of our school and we would be happy to welcome you for a closer look. Mr Tom Bartlett Principal
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Culture & Values Waingels is a very successful 11 to 18 Comprehensive school serving its local community. Our successes and achievements can be attributed to our commitment to establish and grow a Better Never Stops culture, providing a safe, inclusive and rich learning environment where students feel valued, founded on respectful relationships for all. Learning at Waingels takes place in a climate of mutual RESPECT where diversity and difference are celebrated. Students strive for excellence in everything that they do and take PRIDE in their achievements, effort and conduct. We challenge our students to be independent, RESILIENT and responsible learners; to embrace challenge, to learn from disappointment and failure, and to accept the challenge that getting better never stops. We are proud of our students’ progress and effort and set high standards and expectations. We value kindness and expect all members of our community to be KIND, courteous and considerate. We all belong to a community and work together as a team in a spirit of cooperation, collaboration and support. Our values underpin our “Waingels Ready” expectations that we have for everyone within the Waingels community. These expectations form the basis of everything we do, and everything we believe in as a school and as a community.
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Waingels Ready Expectations • I am prepared to learn. • I am proud of my achievements, efforts, and successes. • I am a positive member of the Waingels community. • I will respect myself, others, and our drive to learn and grow. • I will build resilience, remaining focused and on task. • I will be responsible for speaking and acting towards others in a kind way.
Quality First Learning “Teachers plan engaging lessons that promote interest and challenge pupils to think deeply.� – Ofsted 2018 Students tell us they enjoy learning; lessons encourage students to explore and question, to be curious and independent. Learning in well-resourced classrooms, full of natural light, our students are resilient and responsible learners who embrace challenge and work together to develop their skills and understanding. Our staff nurture and support students to ensure they reach their full potential and are prepared for learning. We support our students to continue their learning beyond the classroom. Homework is used to give students the opportunities to consolidate and extend their classroom learning and practise skills and techniques. A mixture of short and extended tasks are used to enrich and enhance the class based learning, helping students to develop as independent learners who can manage their time effectively. We value the positive relationships between staff and students. We aim to motivate and enable our students to be learners who are ambitious and committed to excellence in the pursuit of academic achievement and personal development.
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Curriculum Our curriculum provides a rich learning experience for our students across all years. We see our curriculum as being broad and balanced, with our resources carefully planned to flow seamlessly from the moment students join us in Year 7 until the point they leave us at the end of Year 11 or 13. In Year 7 and 8 students are taught Mathematics, Computing, English, Science, Religious Studies, Physical Education, History, Geography, a Modern Foreign Language, Art & Design Technology, Drama and Music. These classes are taught by subject specialists to enhance the learning experience. What makes Waingels different from other schools is that by Year 9, students have been able to tailor their Arts, Design & Technology and Performing Arts curriculum. This means that they are able to spend more time on the areas they enjoy the most, which allows their talents to flourish. In Year 9 students formally begin the GCSE curriculum in Mathematics, English and Science and they choose their GCSE options. We do not ask them to make these choices in Year 8 as we feel this narrows choices too early. These GCSE subject choices mark the transition towards the all-important final assessments in Year 11. We are very proud of the extra-curricular activities that we have on offer within our school. Every year our Performing Arts school productions are of the highest quality, and the excellence of our Art & Design department is evident throughout the school. Our students’ talents also extend to sport, with many representative honours at county, regional, national and international level. Our varied after-school clubs are welcomed by all abilities, ranging from football, rugby, netball and hockey to basketball, cricket, trampolining and tennis. There is also the opportunity to go on ski trips and expeditions around the world.
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“Pupils experience a broad curriculum that includes opportunities for many extracurricular activities, such as participating in national science competitions.” – Ofsted 2018
Achievement for All Staff at Waingels are committed to supporting an inclusive education, built around mutual respect and kindness for every member of our school community. Staff at Waingels are always prepared to give additional help and guidance for those who need that little bit extra in order to succeed. We provide enhanced support for those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, and for those who have particular gifts and talents. We run a “Triple A” programme for our most able students who are on track to achieve 3 Grade A – A Levels. Our Inclusion and Intervention Team work closely with students, parents, staff and specialist agencies to ensure that all students are able to fully participate and make the most of every opportunity that is presented to them. The Inclusion and Intervention Team’s vision is that every student should be a responsible and positive learner who is resilient to change.
“Pupils behave well in lessons and have a good attitude towards learning.”
Waingels is proud to offer students ‘The Den’ which hosts a range of specifically designed and specialist provisions including spaces and zones to support learning and prioritise student well-being, which also includes a dedicated sensory space. The Well-being Zone is home to our full time School Counsellor who is always available to support and guide our students. We strongly believe that alongside educational excellence, it is necessary to equip every student with the skills needed to achieve the most in life and to thrive academically, socially and emotionally.
– Ofsted 2018
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Creative Arts & Sporting Excellence All students learn a wide range of practical, performance, creative and physical skills across Years 7 to 9 to broaden horizons and nurture talent. We encourage all students to take at least one of these subjects at GCSE: Art
3D Design
Drama
Food
Textiles
Photography
Music
Physical Education
Graphic Design
Media Studies
These subjects give students an opportunity to be creative, to express themselves, build confidence and be practical and active. Through the curriculum or in after school or lunchtime clubs and activities, we want all students to get involved and take part. The Performing Arts department puts on an annual production involving 150 students – a rich and polished mixture of drama, music and film, while the choir, orchestra and drama club put on shows throughout the year. Art and Design offer a rich and varied curriculum and a wide range of extra curricular opportunities. Our Gallery is used to display students’ work on a rolling programme. Many of our students go on to study A Level Art courses where they produce some outstanding results, experimenting with ceramics, oil paint, stitching, photography, printmaking, 2D and 3D Design. Recent A Level graduates have gone on to study Architecture, Textiles and Fine Art, won national competitions, and had exhibitions in London. Our well-equipped sports facilities including a Fitness Suite enable all students to experience an expansive curriculum, which inspires them to be creative and challenges them to compete and excel in a wide range of sports throughout the year. We pride ourselves on the array of enrichment opportunities that we offer with professional sportspeople, Olympians, extracurricular fitness clubs and residential trips.
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We want our students to be active citizens, to be creative and to stretch and challenge their abilities at all levels.
Sixth Form “The Sixth Form provision is strong, and students’ progress in academic subjects places the school significantly above average.” – Ofsted 2018 Our students regularly achieve excellent results, that open the door to the courses they want to study at university and apprenticeship opportunities with employers. We offer both A levels and vocational qualifications and are proud of our students’ achievement in both. We provide young people with an exceptional academic platform, which gives them a strong start in life and a launch pad for the future, wherever it may take them. Most choose to go to University. Last year this included Mathematics at Cambridge, History and Politics at East Anglia, Economics at Exeter, English at Reading, Dentistry at Sheffield, Physics and Computing at Southampton, Law at Surrey, Film Studies at UWE Bristol and Sports Science at Winchester. Other students have taken up apprenticeships with companies such as Microsoft, Forterra and Thorpe Park. The Sixth Form Centre is a hub of activity and opportunity, with extensive ICT facilities, a large library for silent study, a Common Room and a coffee bar. We have a fantastic team of dedicated and highly skilled teachers and Sixth Form tutors, ably led by a Director of Sixth Form Studies and Heads of Year 12 and 13, supported by a full time Sixth Form Learning Manager.
“Sixth Form students are rightly proud of their achievements and their school.” – Ofsted 2018
We are great believers in the maxim “you reap what you sow”. The more you put into Sixth Form life, the more you will get out of it. There is an abundance of opportunity whether it is to develop leadership skills on the school council or through the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme; to travel the world with Venture Force, who have, in recent years visited Southern Africa, the Amazon basin and Mongolia; or giving back to the school through Community Service.
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Student Voice We have an active school council with elected representatives in each year group led by the Head Team – a group of elected Sixth Form students with whole school leadership responsibilities. The School Council has been influential on many decisions including designing our new school uniform, suggesting and making improvements to school buildings, the canteen and social spaces, and supporting our commitment to antibullying. Joining the school council is a great opportunity for individuals to build confidence and develop leadership potential and to make sure that everyone’s voice is heard. We regularly seek and use feedback from students to influence our training for staff and value the input of students’ ideas in our quest for continual improvement. The student body elects the School Council under the leadership of our Head Team who hold an annual residential conference to establish priorities and develop action plans, which are then shared with and monitored by the Principal and Governors.
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Waingels Road, Woodley, Berkshire RG5 4RF Tel: 0118 969 0336 ï‚™ @WaingelsCollege
www.waingels.wokingham.sch.uk