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NEWSLETTER – 16 October 2025
Dear Parents and Guardians,
As we reach the half way point of the Autumn term it has been great to hear that the fresh energy about the school has been picked up by parents too. There’s a lot going on and new ideas are flowing. We are very proud of our school councils who are really getting stuck in to making the school a happier environment and to take responsibility for seeing projects started and finished. Our cultural life continues to blossom too. The informal concert at Jesus Church in Troutbeck gave us a fun taster of the School of Rock production to come and we were very proud to see our Prep pupils singing for our local community at Lakeland as part of the celebration of 200 years of the railways.
Monday night saw some of our Sixth Formers showing families their Theory of Knowledge (TOK) projects at parents’ evening. TOK on first look seems an unnecessary extra burden for busy Sixth Formers to do, despite it being a lot of fun. However, when you stop to consider that they are learning about thinking, the reliability of reported facts and the meaning of words it becomes apparent this is an increasingly vital set of skills all young people need to have to navigate the modern world.
At a time when the government has pulled funding for IB in the state sector we should reflect upon what a precious qualification it is. The IB has provided a steady stream of undergraduates, apprentices and employees who are both numerate and literate, as well as collaborative and questioning. They are well-rounded, curious citizens able to apply quantitative skills in real settings, write with clarity, interrogate information and lead with empathy. These qualities underlined recently in a talk given by young Stannite Fizzy Rawlinson to the Senior School. Now training to be a doctor, she not only had many happy times at Windermere, she credits the IB with her success in doing so well at Kings College, London – a top 5 university in the UK.
Kind regards,
Frank Thompson
Head of Windermere School
LATEST NEWS
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Thursday 16 October – Half Term begins, 5.30pm
Monday 3 November – Half Term ends, 8.25am
Thursday 6 November – Year 11 Sixth Form taster day
Friday 7 November – Head’s Winter Drinks, 5pm – book here
School of Rock tickets available now – book your seats here!
STANNITE NEWS
Stannite Spotlight: Jennifer Potter (Class of 1966)
Known to many as “Potty”, Jennifer joined St Anne’s (as it then was) aged 10 in the summer of 1960. After a term at Elleray – when pupils walked each day to Browhead for lessons – she moved up to the Senior School, where she remained until 1966, taking A Levels in English, French and German.
After six months in Paris (what we’d now call a gap year!) and a degree in French from Bristol University, Jennifer went on to become the author of eleven books – and her newest, Looking for Mr Schwitters, is her most personal yet.
The book draws inspiration from her schooldays at Windermere, when Headmistress Miss Crampton (“Muff”) took a small group of Sixth Formers to Abbot Hall Art Gallery in Kendal to see the work of German refugee artist Kurt Schwitters. His collages – made from humble materials like sweet wrappers and bus tickets — sparked a lifelong fascination that shaped Jennifer’s creative path.
Looking for Mr Schwitters will be published next spring by Little Toller Books, capturing the spirit of the Lake District through text and image.
Stannite Spotlight: Fizzy Returns to Windermere!
Recently, we were delighted to welcome back Fizzy, from the Class of 2020, who returned to Windermere School to deliver a Reflection to our Senior pupils.
Fizzy spoke beautifully about how her time at Windermere shaped her life – giving her the confidence and skills to go on to university, achieve a First Class degree and now study Graduate Medicine at King’s College London.
She reflected on how the IB and Windermere experience prepared her for life beyond school -teaching her vital skills such as time management, independent learning, working with others and thinking creatively.
It was truly inspiring to hear how the foundations built here continue to empower our Stannite’s long after they leave.
