I am incredibly proud to be the Headteacher of such an amazing school.

The Winstanley School is a small school of 640 students at the heart of the Braunstone Town community. We are part of the LiFE MAT Academy Trust and work closely with the schools in the trust. We have especially close links with Kingsway Primary School who are also located on Kingsway North. We are very proud that the SHINE Centre (a 15 place SEMH Specialist Provision) is part of our school. We have become the school of choice in the area and are now oversubscribed and have had to expand our intake to ensure that students are able to join our thriving community. Nearly all of our students live close enough to walk or cycle to school. Our school is a big family where everyone is known personally. We see ourselves as a ‘gateway of hope’ where every member of our school community can achieve, develop and excel irrespective of their starting point.

Students at Winstanley experience inspirational teaching, dedicated personalised support, learn clear values and become fantastic citizens who will make a positive difference in the world. Our SHINE values (Supporting others, Hard work, Independence, Never giving up and Excellence), underpin all that we do: from Duke of Edinburgh Expeditions to additional small group tuition in maths; from charity fundraising to academic university visits; from our Aspire Programme of clubs after school to holiday revision sessions. Our school is a beacon of inclusion, aspiration and social justice. Student leadership is at the heart of our work and students have the opportunity to lead in a wide variety of ways including as Prefects, House Leaders, Stephen Lawrence Ambassador and Leicestershire Citizens. The whole community makes sure that we challenge each other to be the best that we can be and to be kind, support each other and make sure everyone is included.

Our vision is that every member of our community is able to: ‘shine brighter than you thought you could.’

Life at Winstanley is driven by our SHINE values (Supporting others, Hard work, Independence, Never giving up and Excellence). Our overall aim is to promote wellbeing and widen horizons and SHINE is pivotal in creating the climate in which every student can succeed. We aim to inspire our learners to prepare for a future that is ever changing and demands high levels of flexibility and imagination. We unashamedly have high expectations of our students, as well as ourselves, and expect them to have similar expectations of themselves and others too.

Supporting Others

We will:

Be kind to all members of our community

Respect, value and celebrate the diversity of our community no matter our race, religion, sexuality or gender

Work well together: listen to each other, support each other and help those who find things difficult

Hard Work

We will:

Remind ourselves why we come to school everyday and strive to work harder today than yesterday

Work hard until we are finished, not until we are tired

Challenge ourselves to succeed and not take the easy path

Independence

We will:

Learn to work by ourselves at school and at home

Take advantage of all the opportunities that are given to us

Choose our own path and be prepared to be unique

Never Giving up

We will:

Be positive, believe in ourselves and always have a go

Stay focused and determined whatever the task

Take risks: be prepared to make mistakes and learn from them

Excellence

We will:

Be proud of Winstanley and ourselves

Take pride in our work and celebrate our successes

Always aim to be the best version of ourselves

Our vision is that everyone in our school will ‘Shine Brighter than they thought they could’. This means that every student and every member of staff is given the opportunity to improve, develop and excel. We have high expectations for our students and want each one to achieve the best they possibly can. We are a small school where every student is known personally and lessons and learning are adapted according to their needs. To reflect this, we have been awarded the Inclusion Quality Mark; one of only two secondary schools in Leicestershire to hold this prestigious award. Working closely with Bosworth Academy as part of the LiFE Multi Academy Trust we are on a journey of improvement.

Our SHINE values (Supporting others, Hard work, Independence, Never giving up and Excellence), underpin all that we do: from residential trips to additional small group tuition in maths; from charity fundraising to academic university visits; from lunchtime enrichment clubs to holiday revision sessions. Staff, students and parents are united in working together to ensure success for every student. 

Dave Bennett

Headteacher

"The LiFE Multi-Academy Trust offers an exciting environment that has a range of development opportunities to take on roles across the trust, to help develop your career. We are always looking for people who are enthusiastic and committed to support our ‘Life long learning’ ethos. If you like the sound of our Vision, Values and Ethos and would like a visit to one of our schools, please get in contact."

To find out more about the trust, please click here