Willingdon Community School

Our Vision Statement:

We are Willingdon

We are a united, vibrant community which demonstrates personal excellence in all that we do. Learning at Willingdon transforms lives by igniting curiosity and expecting the very best from staff and students alike. We value opportunities, aiming for success today to prepare for challenges and opportunities tomorrow. We are respectful, honest and courteous to empower each other on our unique learning journeys. We look after ourselves and each other, and show empathy, respect and compassion to all people and our environment along the way. We encourage tolerance, resilience and reflection, which in turn allows everyone to make progress every lesson. We work together as a harmonious community to be the very best versions of ourselves.

This makes us Willingdon

Willingdon Community School is a high-achieving and over-subscribed (NOR 1040), 11-16, comprehensive school serving largely, the Eastbourne and Polegate area. We are committed to talent management and ensuring that all support and teaching staff are given the opportunity to develop and progress their careers. The school prides itself on putting staff and student wellbeing as a top priority and there are many initiatives which have been established to support this e.g. subsidising Benenden healthcare by 50% for all staff members to creating staff working parties to focus on key areas for example; marking workload. Our leadership team are receptive to constructive feedback and hold regular parent, staff and student voice sessions as well as google form entries to submit feedback.

The recent Ofsted report was very positive about the journey of our school and we sustained our 'Good judgement'. Our report details: 'The school has high expectations of pupils and a strong focus on celebration and praise' It also says 'External examination outcomes are extremely strong. Pupils’ progress is significantly above national averages in most subjects, and in the highest 20% in English and mathematics.' This is largely due to teachers being 'subject experts' and also provided with the best support, CPD and leadership. Despite the recent impact of covid, our attendance was significantly above national average and we have enjoyed sharing our good practice with other colleagues in the south east region to support other children.

The school is a leading member of a number of local educational groups and partnerships, such as the Eastbourne Schools Partnership (ESP) which brings many and varied learning opportunities to both teachers and students, particularly via our links with Eastbourne College. We are a member of the SSAT, the Key and PIXL and have excellent links with outstanding schools up and down the country. These links bring cultural and intellectual capital to the school and enrich our CPD provision for staff at all levels.

The CPD and talent management of our staff is given a very high priority as we believe this is a vitally important part of improving outcomes for young people as well as invigorating teachers` passion for their areas. Willingdon is proud of its record in developing new teachers and on the quality of CPD more widely. We look forward to hosting Bill Rogers this year to talk to schools across the South East region about effective behaviour management.

The school has an outstanding record for the quality and range of professional development opportunities it offers and takes pride in developing its staff as outstanding teachers and preparing them for the next steps in their careers. We have an internal coaching team made up of excellent teachers who specify in supporting staff with the development of certain key skills. From delivering literacy within lessons to having good presence and effective engagement, our staff work positively with each other without fear of judgment. As well as being supported through in-house middle and senior leadership programmes, aspiring leaders have access to: funded NPQ and Masters Qualifications; extended programmes in Durrington Research School and leadership opportunities provided by the SSAT and ASCL.