West Leigh Junior School

17/08/2026

Remembering Jan

There are some people who become such a special part of a school that it is impossible to imagine it without them. Jan Walker was one of those people.

For 26 years, Jan was part of the West Leigh family. She gave so much of herself to our children, inspiring generations of pupils through her incredible musical talent, her patience, her kindness and her very special way with children.

Jan’s contribution to music at West Leigh is part of our school’s history. She started our Boys’ Choir, something that has grown into a huge and much-loved part of West Leigh life and has created memories for countless boys, their families and our wider school community.

But Jan’s influence reached far beyond our school gates. She was a hugely respected and much-loved part of the local community, sharing her love of music with so many people through the choirs, performances, services and events she was involved in. Her musical contribution to Southend, Leigh and the surrounding community was immense.

Only last month, after 26 wonderful years at West Leigh, Jan retired. It is desperately sad that she had so little time to enjoy the retirement she had been looking forward to with her husband Chris and her family.

Those who knew Jan will remember her in so many different ways. As a colleague, a teacher, a musical director, a friend, an inspiration, but most of all, as a genuinely kind and caring person who always thought of others.

She leaves behind an extraordinary legacy. Every child she inspired, every choir she led and every song she helped bring to life carries a little piece of Jan with it.

We know that many of our parents, former pupils and members of our local community will have their own wonderful memories of Jan. We would love for you to share them below, so that her family can see just how many lives she touched.

Jan was a true West Leigh legend. She will be deeply missed and will never be forgotten.

Our thoughts are with Chris, her daughters, her family, friends and all those who were lucky enough to know and love her.

Rest peacefully, Jan. 🎶

14/07/2026

As the uniform discounts are starting to appear in supermarkets, we thought a clear video explaining our uniform expectations might be useful before you go shopping for September!

14/07/2026

Congratulations to Hugo and Poppy who are Southend Sports Performers of the Year 2026! They were awarded this for their contribution to school sport and their excellent achievements across a number of different individual and team sports events. They are both truly remarkable athletes and it has been a pleasure to see them compete over the last four years!

07/07/2026

Our new principal has already made a fantastic start to his day in charge of the school. He has completed a health and safety check, greeted staff and pupils and even reported an important health and safety issue. We are all looking forward to seeing how the rest of the day unfolds!

30/06/2026

Members of the Year 6 cricket club are The Oval to watch the semi-final match between West Indies and Australia in the T20 Women’s World Cup! The children have already been on the big screen and are making West Leigh known!

17/06/2026

On Tuesday, our annual celebration of National School Sports Week took place with our Year 6 Sports Captains leading a range of activities to children from Year 1. They led activities from sports such as cricket, bowls and pickleball. Our Sports Captains demonstrated fantastic leadership and grew in confidence throughout the afternoon when delivering the activities. The Year 1 children all participated with great enthusiasm! Well done, Sports Captains!

11/06/2026

What an amazing afternoon at Borough Sports! Our squad of 57 athletes have trained so well over the past few months and have sacrificed their own time in order to achieve the best possible results. There were excellent throws, jumps, runs and relay changeovers from children in all year groups and an unbelievable collection of medals! We are so proud of each and every athlete. The standard from schools in group 1 is always exceptional and West Leigh rose to the challenge!

Here's a snapshot of our results:
Track events - 3rd
Field events - 2nd
Overall - 2nd

Total medals - 38
Track athletes qualified for Super Sports - 17
Field athletes qualified for Super Sports - 15

A huge congratulations to our athletes and we already cannot wait to do it all over again next year!

10/06/2026

05/06/2026

Before half term, West Leigh Junior School was transformed into a vibrant hub of imagination and creativity during a very special whole-school Art Day, inspired directly by feedback from the School Council. Following thoughtful discussions, children shared their desire for greater freedom of choice in their artistic experiences - and we were delighted to bring this vision to life.

Our photo gallery from the day can be found on our website at the link below;

West Leigh Junior School was transformed into a vibrant hub of imagination and creativity during a very special whole-school Art Day, inspired directly by feedback from the School Council. Following thoughtful discussions, children shared their desire for greater freedom of choice in their artistic....

19/05/2026

Thank you Echo Essex, for sharing the celebrations of our Ofsted Inspection results.

A glowing report! 🙌👏