I am delighted to be the Headteacher of Walton Le Dale High School and welcome you to explore everything our unique school has to offer your child. We believe that our school is a welcoming and nurturing environment with high quality information and support, and we hope that the information contained on our website is clear, comprehensive and informative.
As a mother of a child at secondary school and as someone who has worked in the education system my entire career, I understand how important it is for children to be part of a first-class school that supports them both educationally and pastorally, regardless of their skills or ability. I am passionate about developing the whole person and providing a multitude of enrichment opportunities for our students, which promote excellent mental and physical health and wellbeing.
In our school we value children of all abilities and we offer a fully inclusive environment where they can fulfill their potential. We have a Vertical House System to ensure the best pastoral care for all of our students; this means there are children from each year group in our tutor groups. Please see the Care And Support section of our website for further details of vertical tutoring. We aim to provide an environment where all students are nurtured to become resilient, hard-working and reflective in all areas of school life and to ensure that all our students become responsible, confident and articulate young adults the wider community can be proud of.
In our community we believe that every child matters and is seen and treated as an individual. We have high expectations of all our students and we provide a safe and well-structured learning environment where aspiration and ambition are encouraged.
To achieve such an environment we have introduced Ready, Respect, Safe:
Ready for learning, ready to take part, ready to be the best we can.
Respect is shown to everyone - to your peers, to adults, to their environment, and to themselves.
Safe in their learning environment, safe with others around them and safe in the activities they're doing.
This works best when every stakeholder is engaged with and working towards the same goals, and here at Walton Le Dale that’s exactly what we intend to do. We will communicate regularly with you and if there’s anything you need from us, please ask. The first port of call for families should be their House Achievement Leader (or HAL). We are here to help you and your child and we want you all to become part of our WLD family.
Mrs V Ardern