Welcome from the Headteacher

Welcome to Waingels. Every day, we foster a positive environment where students can thrive and feel a very real sense of belonging to our exceptional school.

Exceptional Waingels students epitomise our school values. They are being Kind and show Respect to themselves and others, show Pride in what they and others achieve and take Responsibility for their learning, behaviour, personal development and wellbeing with support from the school, their peers, parent/carers and other stakeholders.  

We have high expectations and standards for all our students. We expect all students to try their best and to achieve their full potential by working hard, being resilient, seeking out opportunities and accepting support if needed. Exceptional Waingels students are confident, responsible, well-rounded young people who reach their full academic potential and are ready for their next steps.  

Waingels is an inclusive school where everyone is welcome as part of our vibrant, diverse community. We will always strive to help students achieve with both their academic and personal development. We create a sense of belonging where students can seek support for their learning as well as their own concerns, worries or challenges. We aim to understand and remove barriers to help students achieve their full potential. Over the past few years we have invested in a large provision of support including a Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub, introduction of our Therapy Dog Winnie and multiple quiet/sensory/mindfulness break out spaces in our Den to name just a few. We also have specialist colleagues supporting students including a Mental Health and Wellbeing Coordinator, a Health Adviser and a Careers Adviser.

Waingels is a comprehensive school offering a broad and balanced curriculum, effectively adapted, personalised and enriched to meet the needs of all students regardless of their background, advantage and ability. Our curriculum evolves and is agile to respond to the needs of our students. We are constantly focused on ensuring we create the best possible learning climate that nurtures our young people and allows their natural talents and curiosity to ignite, grow and flourish. There is a long tradition of academic excellence at Waingels with many of our students achieving outstanding well above national average examination results and attending top universities and prestigious apprenticeships. However, we define the outcomes for our students using much more than just examination grades. We provide a broad range of wider and extra-curricular, personal development and careers opportunities to enable them to develop their team work, leadership, problem solving, communication and creative skills. Our students leave us with a well-equipped toolkit of skills and qualifications, ready to grasp the opportunities and embrace the challenges that the world will inevitably present them with.

Waingels works in partnership with and fosters positive and purposeful relationships with all stakeholders. The social contract between school and home is a priority as we recognise that when this relationship is strong, students thrive. Staff well-being and workload matters and is deeply engrained in all decision-making and policies. We care about our school environment – recognising the exceptional building and facilities we have which enhances student and staff experience. We value our relationship with the local community and seek out ways to share our facilities with others. We work collaboratively with other outside agencies/organisations to continuously enhance our provision and support for stakeholders.

We also care about our wider-environment and being sustainable to ensure our school can be enjoyed by generations to come. Governors play an effective part in our school not only providing support and challenge but also monitoring and direction to ensure Waingels strives for the best for all stakeholders. We are proud to be a founding school of the Orchard Learning Alliance Multi-Academy Trust and are committed to living out the values and ethos that was co-constructed by our family of schools.  

The students, staff and governors at Waingels are proud of our school and we would be happy to welcome you if you would like to come and have a closer look.

Mrs Lindsey Humber, Headteacher