West Lakes Academy is a vibrant 11-18 secondary school nestled in the western edge of the picturesque Lake District of Cumbria, serving a dynamic community of 1,200 students. Since opening in September 2008 and moving into our state-of-the-art £26m building in 2012, we have been committed to delivering the highest quality education in an environment that inspires success.
Our vision is to succeed in ‘Changing Lives through Learning’ by providing the very best possible educational opportunities for young people in West Cumbria. We have extremely high hopes for all of our students and our highly skilled and enthusiastic members of staff encourage children to have high ambitions and to work hard to achieve these.
Mr Stephen Grant
West Lakes Academy is committed to the creation of a fully inclusive, aspirational, high achieving Centre of Excellence, firmly rooted in the local community. Our vision is to succeed in ‘Changing Lives through Learning’ by providing the very best possible educational opportunities for young people in West Cumbria.
Changing Lives Learning Trust is a Multi-Academy Trust with Sponsor Status and is a not for profit charity which sponsors primary and secondary academies.
📣 Calling all learners in years 10-13 who are interested in exploring careers in engineering and technology!
Join us at our Engineering and Technology Showcase hosted by our Women in Engineering, Science and Technology Group:
🗓 Thursday 20th November 2025
⏰ 17:00 – 20:00
📍National College for Nuclear, Lillyhall, CA14 4JN
Expect hands-on exhibits, live demonstrations, and talks from industry professionals working here at Sellafield and in our supply chain.
It’ll be a great opportunity to see some of our latest innovations that we are deploying on the Sellafield site.
There will also be the opportunity to learn more about potential career paths in engineering and technology ahead of our apprenticeship applications opening.
To find out more about the event and register, click here: talent.sellafieldsites.com/portal/page/engineering-technology-showcase-rbzen02cfd
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Inspira Post-16 Careers Fair - Tuesday 4th November
This is a fantastic opportunity for our Year 11 students and their families to speak directly to providers who offer opportunities to young people beyond school.
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Just before half term, 7KSS came together at lunchtime to decorate cupcakes in celebration of everyone in the tutor group achieving over 150 points since September.
Miss Sanders couldn’t be prouder of the effort, resilience, and positivity shown in lessons, and how brilliantly everyone handled their first half term. It was such a joy to spend time together as a group… and who doesn’t love cake?!
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🎉✨ New Exhibition Alert! ✨🎉
We’re thrilled to showcase a stunning selection of GCSE Photography from last year’s Year 11 students, now on display in the main entrance area! 📸🖼️
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🎥 Life in Year 7 🎒✨
Our fantastic sixth form social media team — Fliss, Eden & Coco, have created a thoughtful video exploring what it’s really like to start life in Year 7.
They spoke with a group of Year 7 students to get a real, honest perspective on the transition from primary to secondary school.
From the excitement (and challenge!) of navigating a bigger school, to discovering new clubs, activities, and routines — this video captures settling into secondary life.
A must-watch for anyone curious about the Year 7 journey!
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Mrs Bennett & Miss Cresswell are so proud of our Year 10s this term, your perseverance, improved attendance, and positive behaviour have truly stood out. You've all shown what can be achieved with determination and teamwork. 🌟
Today’s celebration assembly was the perfect way to honour your efforts — from the inspiring achievements to the more creative accolades that gave us all a good laugh! 😄 We were thrilled to recognise some standout students:
🏆 Best Attitude to School – Ava Humphreys
📚 Best Attitude to Learning – Georgia Goulding
💖 Caring Classmate Award – Ellie Savage
🎓 Learning Mentor Award – Emmie Horn
📈 Most Improved – Benji R
🧠 Pastoral Manager Award – Luca Garratt & Eve Young
💪 Perseverance Award – Emily N
📖 Reading Award – Olivia Carruthers
⚽ Sporting Award – Charlie S & Sophie Crooks
🎯 Year Lead Award – Demi Gorman & Harry Nicholls
🙄 Biggest Eye-Roll from Miss Cresswell – Abigail Hawthorn
😱 Most Likely to Cause Mrs Bennett a Heart Attack – Marcie Tomlinson
Let’s carry this momentum into next term — we believe in you!
Enjoy a well-deserved break, and we’ll see you in November! 💪🍂
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Mrs Williamson enjoyed birthday cake with the Yr7s with October birthdays 🎂 Happy Birthday!
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