[1] The school is notable for its orchid project,[2] which has won numerous awards including a gold medal at the 2009 Chelsea Flower Show.

It is one of the few state schools to have its own non-compulsory Combined Cadet Force (CCF) with over 150 pupils involved from years 9 to 13.

In March 2017, the school received a "requires improvement" critical status rating from Ofsted.

It is designed to increase the capacity of the school to 1,300+ pupils and was due for completion in January 2010.

[5] The British Council for School Environments, an education charity which pioneers and supports the creation of effective and efficient learning environments, declared the Writhlington School project as Winner of the Excellence in Design for Teaching and Learning: Secondary New Build and Winner of the Badge in Excellence in Design for Virtual Learning.