Parent Guide - Joining The Willink
Parent Guide - Joining The Willink
Welcome to New Parents
We would like to extend a very warm welcome to The Willink school community. Our prime aim at The Willink is to provide the highest standard of education for all of our students so that every student achieves their maximum potential.
With a blend of personal care and attention to detail, we continue to build a school community where students, parents, staff and governors work together in partnership to forge a creative and healthy environment for learning and personal development.
Our ethos is encapsulated in the phrase “Village School, Global Outlook”: to develop mature and responsible citizens who, as members of society, will go on to make a positive contribution to Britain in a global context. Our mission is for our students to become ‘future global changemakers.’
There is a very happy atmosphere at The Willink. It is genuinely a place where young people of every talent and aptitude can thrive and blossom. At The Willink we all "Engage, Respect and Achieve". As such, we do aim to build on, and recognise, every child’s strengths; to encourage our students to be well-disciplined, polite and considerate, well-motivated and compassionate. We are very proud of the confident, skilled and ambitious students who leave us and look forward to supporting your child during this next phase of their learning journey with us.
Ms N Browning , Headteacher
Parent Guide - Joining The Willink
We are delighted to share our Information for New Parents/Carers 2025/26 booklet. This guide contains key information for parents of children who are joining us at The Willink in September 2025. Topics covered include:
- A welcome from our headteacher, Ms Browning
- Term dates for 2025/26
- Information about the curriculum, including Modern Foreign Languages and how tutor groups are formed
- Extra-curricular activity opportunities for students
- Attendance and punctuality
- Payments and online ordering
- Smart device policy
- School catering and free school meals
- Communication between The Willink, parents/carers and students
- Trips and visits
- School Uniform
- School Transport
- Key members of staff
- A roadmap guiding the journey from March to September 2025 as we prepare for your child to join The Willink!
Please do download, save or print a copy of this booklet:
Term Dates
Our term dates for 2025/26 can be found here.
Inset Days:
- Monday 1st September 2025
- Tuesday 2nd September 2025
- Friday 19th September 2025
Learning Review Days: Tbc
Please note: School will close at 12:40pm on Thursday 18th September 2025 in preparation for Open Evening.
The School Day
The school opens every week day, during term time, at 8:40am. The school day finishes at 3:05pm. To learn more about the structure of the school day, click here.
Curriculum
Our curriculum is designed to promote our vision, philosophy and aims encapsulated by our motto “village school, global outlook”. The school’s paramount concern is the development of the individual: their personal character development, their achievements, their cultural capital and their career needs.
Click here to learn more about Curriculum, please click here.
Full details of what your child will study within each curricular area, and at what stage, can be found on our school website: Curriculum - Faculties.
Modern Languages
The Willink is a specialist languages school. Year 7 students will be taught modern foreign languages (MFL) using full immersion. This means that they will be taught to operate entirely in the foreign language in the classroom.
In Year 7, students will learn the same foreign languages as peers in their form tutor groups. We carefully design these groups to foster a positive dynamic that encourages effective learning and varied relationships. In Years 8 and 9, all students will also study Spanish as their second foreign language.
By the end of Year 9, students will have covered the same topics and skills in both languages studied, making it possible to continue both first and second MFL in Key Stage 4 (Year 10 and 11) and the Sixth Form.
Access to relevant foreign language dictionaries will support progress and learning in these subjects . Regularly using a free language-learning app such as Duolingo can also consolidate and develop students' vocabulary.
A language is a compulsory element of our curriculum until the end of Key Stage 4.
Extra-Curricular Activities
At The Willink there are lots of different clubs students can join. Whatever your child’s interests, there is likely to be a club to suit them. There are many sports clubs (such as netball, badminton, football, basketball and swimming) as well as clubs in Art, Science, Dance, Drama and Design Technology. Not long after students start in September, there will be a Clubs Fair held one lunchtime where they can find out about the different clubs on offer and sign up to any that interest them. Some of these are during lunchtime and some are after school. If by any chance the thing they are interested in is not a club at the moment, they can discuss setting one up with their Form Tutor.
In addition to the weekly clubs, there are other activities to get involved in throughout the year. For example, school drama and music performances, competitions (both inter-house and against other schools) and helping at fundraising events for our school’s KIVA charity work happen routinely.
A list of extra-curricular activities running each term can be found on our website.
Attendance and Punctuality
Further information can be found here.
School Canteen and Free School Meals
Further information can be found here.
School Uniform
Wearing The Willink School Uniform with pride is integral to a sense of identity, standards and community belonging.
To find out more about The Willink Uniform and where to purchase, please click here.
Oliver Signs & Embroidery is our supplier for uniform and PE Kit. Please visit www.oliverembroidery.co.uk and select ‘School Shops’ to order any PE kit item. Please note, all shirts, girls’ sweatshirts and boys rugby shirts should have surnames printed on the back.
If you would like to try on Uniform before ordering, we are holding drop in sessions between 3:15pm and 5pm Monday 16th June - Thursday 19th June 2025 (just turn up).
To guarantee your order from Oliver Signs & Embroidery is ready for the first day of term, orders must be placed by Friday 27th June 2025.
A Facebook Group has been set up for the sale and purchase of second-hand school uniform. If you would like to donate uniform, or are looking for second-hand uniform, please get in touch: https://www.facebook.com/groups/773852673302355/.
School Transport
School transport is managed by the Local Authorities. To check if you are eligible for free school transport, applications can be made via West Berkshire Council or Hampshire County Council (dependent on home address). Please see the links below:
Fare paying seats may be available on these routes for students who are not entitled to free transport. The relevant local authority will be able to advise you whether you are eligible.
To find out more about transport to and from The Willink, click here.
Communication
Our success is based on meaningful collaboration with parents and students and good communication is at the heart of this. There are several platforms for communication. Click here to learn more about how we communicate with parents/carers.
Last updated March 2025
