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.
🎉 Cambridge Success for Ben and James! 🎉
We’re really proud to share that two of our Sixth Form students, Ben Ashton and James Jenkinson, have both received conditional offers from Cambridge University this week after applying through early entry.
Ben has an offer from Trinity Hall to study Physical Natural Sciences, and James has an offer from Fitzwilliam College to study Engineering. Ben needs A* grades in Maths and Physics this summer, and James, who already achieved an A* in Maths in Year 12 now needs A* grades in Further Maths and Physics.
Both boys sat their entrance exams back in November, and once they found out they’d passed, they were invited for interviews. They described the interviews as intense and both came away feeling unsure, so getting the offers this week has been a huge relief.
Ben found out during his chemistry lesson with Mrs Lennox. There was a bit of confusion at first as he was expecting an email from a different college, but once he realised what had happened, it was a really exciting moment. He said it didn’t properly hit him until he got home later that day.
James was in a free period in the common room when his offer came through, so he was able to celebrate straight away with his friends. His family were over the moon, and after feeling in limbo for so long, he said it was great to finally get the news. Family and friends even came round that evening with cards and well wishes.
Both students say the next few months will be full of past papers and extra preparation for their courses ahead of October. Ben is hoping to get into rowing and join a few societies, in particular the debating society, while James is keen on the mountaineering society, joking that a lot of the trips are back home in Cumbria.
They both agreed that the support from staff at the academy has been amazing throughout the whole process, from Mrs Orr’s help with references to the guidance and encouragement from their teachers.
A huge well done to both boys — we’re all incredibly proud of them!
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Mrs Williamson enjoyed birthday cake celebrations with our Year 7 January birthdays this week! 🎂
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Lovely atmosphere at our Sixth Form Open Evening tonight. It was fantastic to see so many students and families exploring our Sixth Form options for September 2026.
Our brand‑new Course Guide is now available on our website: wla.education/sixth-form/
Current Year 11 students can apply via Edulink.
External applicants can request an application form by emailing: contactus.wla@changinglives.education
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We’re looking forward to welcoming you to our Sixth Form Open Evening today from 4pm to 6pm. Everyone is welcome, we hope to see you there!⭐Thinking about your next steps after GCSEs?
Join us at West Lakes Academy's Sixth Form Open Evening on Thursday 29th January, anytime between 4–6pm.
Meet our team, explore our courses, and discover your future❗👍
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📚 Revision Strategy of the Week: Flashcards! 📚
Each week, we’ll be sharing a revision strategy to support our learners in building strong, effective study habits. These strategies will be explored during tutor time and lessons, helping students understand not just what the strategy is, but how to use it confidently in preparation for future assessments.
This week’s focus is flashcards ✨
Students will be learning how flashcards can be adapted across different subjects and used in ways that suit their individual learning styles. The goal is for learners to actively explore how each strategy works best for them and how it can be applied within different disciplines.
We’d love parents and carers to join the journey too! Flashcards are a great tool to use at home, whether that’s testing key knowledge, practising definitions, or encouraging recall through quick quizzes.
Let’s work together to make revision active, effective, and confidence-building both in school and at home.
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Latest news from our PE department ⚽🏃♂️🏉
Congratulations everyone on these amazing achievements!
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Our Year 11 intervention sessions are running on the days and times shown below. Every Year 11 student is encouraged to attend and make the most of the support available.
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Fantastic paired reading session this morning with our Year 8 and 12s in the library.
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On Friday, our sixth formers had a talk from visiting psychotherapist Tanya Watson, who spoke about careers in mental health. Tanya shared her own experiences with mental health and how they led to her current role as a therapist and consultant, both locally and nationally.
She also discussed working within the NHS and the private sector, highlighting how the two compare.
Tanya finished her talk by exploring what it takes to run a successful company within the field of psychotherapy.
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