To some it head teachers it might have seemed an extraordinary act of insensitivity for a team of Her Majesty’s Inspectors to visit Wyndham School early in July a few week’s before it had to close to make way for West Lakes Academy. Not to Janet Simpson. "Schools should not be afraid of inspections," she insists. "They help us to take a hard look at ourselves." Wouldn’t it wonderful if we had a political system which allowed governments to be as honest with themselves and with the people?
And in fact nothing better could have happened to Wyndham in the last month of its life. The inspectors were powerfully impressed by the "fiercely loyal" pupils and with the robust accuracy of the self evaluation forms and rigorous monitoring of pupils' progress which the school and all its staff and all its staff had been routinely completing on the road to to the school's strong recovery since it was placed in special measures. Rather than causing more grief, the inspection gave Wyndham cause to hold its head up high and set a challenging benchmark for West Lakes Academy which will come into being on 1st September under its new Principal, Barrie Cooper.
There is no hiding her disappointment that after coming to Wyndham as Head Teacher in January 2006 and then serving as Executive Head of Ehenside too, from May 2007, she was not given the opportunity of leading West Lakes Academy. She had played a vital role in bringing both schools , out of special measures and by aligning policy and practice had drawn both schools closer together in preparation for that Academy’s establishment. However she is without bitterness and speaks with respect of Barrie Cooper’s plans which she will be supporting as Associate Principal. There is also no hiding the love she has grown to feel for the school and its people, and her sensitivity to the grief which many staff and pupils are feeling. At the request of the pupils, the Wyndham flag will be flying throughout the last day of term, on July 18th, and at the end of the day it will be lowered. It will be an emotional moment.
Wyndham has seen many changes since it was established as the first purpose built comprehensive school in 1964, but it has never wavered from its purpose as a community school dedicated to including everyone. Though its perimeter fence makes a brutal comment on the original head teacher, John Sharp’s vision of a physically Open School, it has remained open in a subtler sense, making it possible for staff and pupils to relate to one another honestly and without excessive formality.

A large number of former teachers and governors gathered at a coffee morning arranged, in the words of former Chair of Governors, Dr Harry Lawton, "to pay tribute to all who have helped make it a happy and successful school", with displays in adjacent rooms and a wonderful slide show arranged by Tony Terry. Harry found it an enjoyable occasion to see old friends and colleagues again but admitted "a little apprehension of what academy status will provide for tomorrow’s students." Among those present was the school's original Head of Science, Ruth Schofield. She acknowledges "a sense of déja vu" as she matches the plans for the new Academy with the heady enthusiasm of Wyndham's early days. She recalls the passionate dedication of he original staff, working together till late in the evening in planning the next day’s activities, and of the bonding there was between them as this planning continued on the beaches and the lakes on warm summer evenings.
In some ways the wheel has come full circle. Family grouping in a house system that will encourage friendly rivalry is much a part of the vision of the Academy as of the early Wyndham, and the new school will remain strictly comprehensive, guaranteeing a place to every child living within the existing catchment area of Ehenside and Wyndham.

"Wyndham has always aimed to be an inclusive school," says Deputy Head Pat Farrell, "and the school’s special needs provision has aimed to enable students with a wide range of difficulties or disabilities to develop into confident, successful young people who believe in themselves, are aware of their own particular talents and positive characteristics and understand how to manage and, where possible, overcome their own difficulties." The foundation of this approach has been "a whole school approach that accepts and values all students as individuals."
Pupils who struggled with basic subjects in the classroom and even found it daunting to get to school had a chance to shine in dance, music and drama productions that amazed the community. A memorable production of "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" featured a troupe of Fairies, boys as well as girls, recruited entirely from a class whose behaviour had been so disturbed that for one year it needed two teachers at a time to keep control. Shakespeare understands such people, and miraculously, they understood Shakespeare. One, the terror of her teachers, later gave what the late Michael Croft described as a "masterclass in speaking Shakespeare" to the best young actors in the north of England at an audition for the National Youth Theatre.

They could come into their own, too, on visits to Bakerstead Barn in Miterdale, which the schools had acquired on a lease with the Forestry Commission and with the invaluable support of the Steele family of Low Place Farm. Relying for maintenance over 35 years on work parties made up by teacher, pupil and parent volunteers, it provided residential experiences, outdoor pursuits, and recreational facilities for Wyndham and students from schools, colleges and Universities country wide. Drawing its water from the fresh streams, its heat from a wood burning stove, and with toilets feeding into a cess pit protected by a bed of nettles, it gave a different perspective on the things we take for granted.
It was also used as a selection and training centre for students engaged in the the Copeland Rungwe Link, which has played such an important part in widening their view of the world - see our article on page 22. That is the way in which the school translated the jargon term "inclusiveness" into experiences that mean something.

Drawing its water from the fresh streams, its heat from a wood burning stove, and with toilets feeding into a cess pit protected by a bed of nettles, it gave a different perspective on the things we take for granted.
It was also used as a selection and training centre for students engaged in the the Copeland Rungwe Link, which has played such an important part in widening their view of the world - see our article on page 22. That is the way in which the school translated the jargon term "inclusiveness" into experiences that mean something.

No-one better understood the power of music to inspire students with a sense of their own worth and power to do worthwhile things with their lives than John Wilson. He has commented on how often their mathematical understanding is sparked into life by the discipline of learning an instrument. Many times he has sat and played with the orchestra and wind band. Let us hope that the Music Centre will find a new lease of life in the Academy!
Perhaps the loveliest event that paid tribute to the Wyndham community was a concert by Egremont Town Band and Wyndham Wind Band. We have never heard either play so well or with such feeling, the Wind Band including music by the Eagles and ABBA, and then they combined to ‘Hootenany’ together.