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.
As our transition team begins visiting our local feeder primary schools, we thought it would be helpful to share some thoughts on the feelings that come with moving up to secondary school.
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A positive start to the summer term ☀️
Our students are back and already settling into a productive first day.
We’ve got a full, focused term ahead with plenty to work towards and look forward to.
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The April edition of our Spotlight on Safeguarding newsletter is available on our website here: wla.education/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/April-Secondary-2026-1.pdf
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Student/Parent Reminder:
➗Targeted maths revision, Thursday 9th April. Please check Google Classroom for details or email gatleyj@changinglives.education
📖GCSE English Revision session, Friday 10th April, 8.45am-11.15am.
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Well done to Mr Denham and the whole Computeam team, who have raised an incredible £24,600 for Little Lives UK through the collection and donation of old computer hardware, including laptops, iPads and desktop devices.
The donated devices are refurbished and passed on to children and families who need them most, helping to bridge the digital divide and open up new opportunities.
We’re proud that donations from West Lakes Academy contributed to Computeam reaching this fantastic milestone.
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FREE PRE-LOVED UNIFORM AVAILABLE 👟🎒
West Lakes Academy is proud to support our families through our PREFORM uniform bank. If your child needs uniform, PE kit, shoes, a school bag, warm coat, or even prom/formal wear, we have a wide range of items available completely free of charge.
To request uniform, please contact Mrs Parr at: parra@changinglives.education
🌟 We’re also welcoming donations
If your child has outgrown any school items, we’d be grateful for contributions of:
• Uniform
• PE kits
• School shoes
• School bags
• Prom/formal wear
• Warm coats
All donations can be dropped off at Academy Reception.
Please share! ♻️
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🌟 We’re Launching Our New Student Alumni Stories!
We’re excited to kick things off with our first feature: Ailsa Cowen, former WLA student and now a BBC Sport Journalist. Her journey shows just how far passion and determination can take you.
This new page will grow over time, and we’d love to hear from more former students. If you’re a former student who’d be happy to share your career journey or speak to current students about how you got where you are, we’d really like to connect.
Explore Ailsa’s story and find out how to get involved:
wla.education/student-alumni
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ART CLUB'S INCREDIBLE PROP CREATIONS 🐉👾
Since January, our Thursday after-school Art Club have been working extremely hard creating larger-than-life props for the WLA Drama Production, 'She Kills Monsters'.
They came up with the original concept sketches and designs, then used a range of materials (from cardboard boxes, chicken wire, paper mache and even pool noodles!) to build the props from scratch, problem-solving all along the way and adding inspired finishing touches that really brought their creations to life!
We had a core group from all years who worked fantastically together, plus some extra helpers who gave up their lunchtimes to help with the last minute painting touches, and they should all be incredibly proud of what they have achieved - it really enhanced what was already an amazing show, well done!
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A quick look behind the scenes of our production of She Kills Monsters.
📸A few favourite photos from the dress‑rehearsal and the epic final battle with Tiamat 🐉.
The cast absolutely smashed it.
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🌼 It’s been another busy and exciting term at West Lakes Academy!
Catch up on all the highlights, achievements and events in our Spring Newsletter:
heyzine.com/flip-book/3fcfad1b27.html
As we head into the Easter break, we’d like to wish all our students, families, staff, governors and the wider academy community a restful and enjoyable holiday.
Thank you for your continued support, we look forward to welcoming everyone back soon.
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