The Willink School & Sixth Form

30/09/2026

👕 REMINDER: NON-UNIFORM DAY – THURSDAY, 1 OCTOBER 2026

Don’t forget that we’ll be holding our non-uniform day this Thursday, with funds raised split between supporting The Willink School and The Cowshed, a local charity supporting people across Berkshire experiencing hardship or crisis.

💙 Students can donate up to £2:
£1 towards The Cowshed
£1 towards The Willink School

Donations can be made to tutors or via SCOPAY.

As one school, our fabulous Sixth Formers don’t wear uniform, so they’ve planned to wear their PJs to show their support for our whole-school fundraising efforts! 💤💙

For other students, clothing should still be suitable for school – please see the letter for guidance.
https://zurl.co/EYj27

The Cowshed provides free clothing, bedding and essential household items to individuals and families across Berkshire experiencing hardship or crisis. To find out more about The Cowshed, the work they do and support that may be available to families, please visit their website.

💙 Thank you for getting involved and helping us support our local community.

29/09/2026

📢 Year 8 & Year 9 Parent Information Evenings Tonight

We look forward to welcoming our Year 8 and Year 9 parents and carers to school this evening for our Parent Information Evenings.

As highlighted in Parent Digest, the sessions will provide valuable information about the year ahead and the support available to help your child thrive. There will also be opportunities to speak with members of staff and ask any questions you may have.

Please note that students are not expected to attend this event.

Working in partnership with our families is incredibly important to us, and these evenings are a great opportunity to strengthen that collaboration. We look forward to seeing you and sharing how we can work together to support your child's success throughout the year.

28/09/2026

🎓 YEAR 11: YOUR NEXT CHAPTER STARTS HERE!

Thinking about what comes after GCSEs? Come and see what life could look like at The Willink Sixth Form.

Join us for our Sixth Form Open Evening and get a feel for the people, opportunities and courses that could shape your next two years.

📅 Wednesday 21 October 2026
⏰ 6:00–8:00pm
📍 The Willink Sixth Form
🎟️ No booking needed – just turn up!

🔎 Explore 29 courses
👋 Meet our teachers and Sixth Form students
🏫 See our facilities
🌟 Discover enrichment, leadership and community opportunities
🎯 Find out about our Futures support and Early Bird programme for applications to top universities
💬 Ask questions and find out what makes The Willink Sixth Form different

Whether you already know what you want to study or you’re still deciding, come along, explore your options and start planning what comes next.

We’d love to see you there!

25/09/2026

📢 We’re recruiting! Headteacher’s Personal Assistant

We’re looking for a highly organised, proactive and personable Personal Assistant to our Headteacher to join the team at The Willink School.

This is a key role providing administrative and organisational support to the Headteacher and wider Senior Leadership Team. You’ll need to be confident managing competing priorities, communicating with a wide range of people and working with discretion and professionalism in a busy school environment.

📍 Burghfield Common
🕐 37 hours per week, term time only + 5 training days and flexi-working
💷 £29,071–£33,119 FTE (£24,641–£28,073 pro rata)
📅 Start date: 30 November 2026
📌 Closing date: 12pm, Friday 16 October 2026

Interviews will take place during the week commencing 19 October 2026.

Early application is advised as we reserve the right to close the recruitment process early if a suitable candidate is appointed.

🔗 Find out more and apply via our school website:https://zurl.co/wpiBd

24/09/2026

📢 We’re recruiting! Cover Manager

We’re looking for an organised and experienced Cover Manager to join our team at The Willink School.

This is a key role supporting the smooth running of the school day, including leading our team of Cover Supervisors and coordinating daily cover arrangements and supply teachers.

You’ll also supervise classes of students aged 11–16, ensuring students remain focused and productive during teacher absence, with opportunities to support small-group interventions too.

It’s a great opportunity to develop your experience in a school environment, including for anyone considering a future career in teaching.

📍 The Willink School, Burghfield Common
🕐 37 hours per week, term time only + 5 training days
💷 £29,070–£33,119 FTE (£24,641–£28,073 pro rata)
📅 Start date: 19 October 2026
📌 Closing date: Thursday 1 October 2026

Early application is advised as we reserve the right to close the recruitment process early if a suitable candidate is appointed.

🔗 Find out more and apply via our website: https://zurl.co/pcEnP

22/09/2026

📣 Reminder: Year 10 & Year 11 Parent Information Evenings Tonight

A reminder that our Year 10 and Year 11 Parent Information Evenings take place this evening.

Full details were shared in the latest Parent Digest. These events provide valuable information to help support your child through the important year ahead, and we encourage students to attend alongside their parent/carer where possible.

🍴 Year 11 Food & Nutrition students and parents/carers: please also join us for a dedicated meeting from 5.30pm to 6.15pm in C14.

We look forward to seeing you this evening!

21/09/2026

🎬⚽ From The Willink to Ted Lasso!

How brilliant to see former Willink student Robyn Cullen featured on BBC News this morning, following her appearance in the latest series of Apple TV’s Ted Lasso!

Robyn, 19, is currently a goalkeeper for Oxford City and originally auditioned to be a background footballer on the show. After an actor was injured, Robyn’s opportunity grew and she went on to feature in every episode apart from the first, appearing alongside stars including Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham and Brett Goldstein.

Speaking to the BBC, Robyn said: “Ted Lasso has literally changed my life.”

It’s fantastic to see a former Willink student combining her passion for football with such an exciting opportunity on screen. We’ll be following Robyn’s journey with interest! 💙

We love hearing what our WeLink Alumni are doing now – from exciting careers and further study to adventures, achievements and everything in between. If you’re a former Willink student, we’d love to hear your story!

👉 Share your alumni story with us: https://zurl.co/cnuc2

Read Robyn’s full story on BBC News: https://zurl.co/UPd6U

Oxford City goalkeeper Robyn Cullen plays a recurring character in the fourth series of the TV show.

17/09/2026

🚶‍♀️ THEY DID IT! 10K COMPLETE! 🚶‍♂️

Our amazing students have completed their 10K Walk for Talk today, taking on the challenge to raise funds for specialist audio equipment for our Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) Department.

A huge well done to everyone who took part! The walk has been a brilliant opportunity for our students to show resilience, teamwork and a commitment to supporting others.

We’re incredibly proud of every student and member of staff who took part, and a special thank you to all the staff and Sixth Form students who helped make the event possible – from planning and coordinating to marshalling and accompanying our students safely throughout the walk.

🎯 Our fundraising target is £5,000.

Have you donated yet? It’s not too late! The students have done the walking - now we’d love your help to turn their 10K into £5,000.

The specialist audio equipment will help our students develop their listening and language skills and build confidence.

You don’t need to be connected to The Willink to support our students. Every donation makes a difference.

👉 Donate here: https://zurl.co/NxWyi

Support Walk for Talk 2026
Thank you for supporting our students and helping them go the extra mile! 💙

17/09/2026

It’s Open Evening day! 🎉

We’re looking forward to welcoming prospective Year 5 and Year 6 students and their families to The Willink School this evening.

5.30–8pm | No booking required

Come and:
🏫 Explore The Willink and our facilities
👩‍🏫 Meet our teachers
👫 Talk to our students
📚 Discover our curriculum and opportunities
🎙️ Hear from Headteacher Ms Browning at 6pm or 7pm

Discover what makes The Willink a great place to learn. We can't wait to meet you!

See you this evening!

16/09/2026

✨ 1 day to go until The Willink School's Open Evening!

There’s lots to explore at The Willink School and Sixth Form.

From our specialist classrooms and creative spaces to science, technology, sport, music, drama and more, come and see our facilities in action at our Open Evening.

Our staff and students will be on hand to show you around and answer your questions.

📅 Thursday 17 September
⏰ 5.30–8pm
🎟️ No booking required

Year 5 & Year 6 students and their families are very welcome.

The Willink, School Lane, Burghfield Common, Reading.