Leaders of the future - itslearning

A FAMILY OF SCHOOLS EMBRACING THE PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTORS
WINTER 2010
Blue Skies
Leaders of
the future
Pinsent Masons
and Manchester
Academy case
study
Ashford School
named Independent
School of the Year

His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales visiting The King’s Academy, Middlesbrough
In this issue:
3 n Emmanuel Schools Foundation joins the group
3 n First Cambridge entrants form ULT Cambridge Association
4 n Leaders of the future
7 n Ashford School named Independent School of the Year
8 n News
10 n Pinsent Masons and Manchester Academy case study
12 n Investing in the future: raising standards across our schools
14 n Developing futures: careers and skills training
15 n Leading innovation: business and enterprise
16 n Accrington Academy eco-classroom project stuns world conference
18 n Fostering creativity: arts
19 n Some of the most inspiring young people I have ever met
Blue Skies – a United Church Schools Trust / United Learning Trust publication
Editor: Mia Iwama
Design: Yeomans
Contributors: Gareth Long, Shola Rashford, Charlotte Rendle-Short,
Ennelyn Schmidt-Roberts, Martin Whittaker
Registered Office: 23-25 Chapel Street, Titchmarsh, Northamptonshire NN14 3DA
Editorial queries/comments to mia.iwama@ult.org.uk
All text and images Copyright © United Church Schools Trust 2010 except for
reprinted material
On the cover: Academy student and Olympic hopeful chosen as a Lloyds TSB Local Hero
Adelle Tracey, a Sixth Former at Midhurst Rother College and an internationally ranked runner, has been selected
to participate in the Lloyds TSB’s Local Heroes programme, which supports promising athletes on their journey to
London 2012.
The programme, which is part of Lloyds TSB’s London 2012 Olympic Games sponsorship activity, provides funding,
guidance and mentoring with Olympic athletes.
Images courtesy of Nour-Eddine El Ghoumari (cover) and Lloyds TSB (left)
2

A growing family
Emmanuel Schools Foundation joins the group
The past few months have been momentous indeed. We have
been given the wonderful opportunity of the Emmanuel Schools
Foundation joining our group, thereby expanding our family to
20 academies, 1 City Technology College and 11 independent
schools. Their four schools are situated in the North East and are
centred around Emmanuel College, which was one of the first City
Technology Colleges. It was founded in 1990 and has received
four consecutive ‘Outstanding’ judgments from Ofsted. It is one of
the most distinguished schools ever to have joined the group.
This also means that we welcome more people with experience
in raising standards and aspirations for young people in seriously
deprived communities. Sir Peter Vardy and his brother David have
given the schools enormous attention and commitment, devoting
themselves to the improvement of education in the North East.
Theirs must be one of the finest examples of private engagement
in public sector education.
The schools are outstanding places, impeccably built and
maintained by David Vardy and his team, as well as giving that
mixture of discipline, purpose and happiness which is a sure sign
of a successful school. I look forward to seeing them further
strengthen and enrich our group, as we continue to lead the
way in innovation and to bring out the best in more than 30,000
young people.
First Cambridge entrants form ULT Cambridge
Association
Jenny and I were thrilled to host a lunch for our three ULT
academy leavers who have recently started as undergraduates at
Cambridge University. We wanted to recognise the significance
of their groundbreaking achievement as the first ULT academy
students to gain places at Cambridge.
We spent a lovely afternoon with Holly Murray from Stockport
Academy, Dixy Shah from Northampton Academy and Helen
Creighton from William Hulme’s Grammar School. Holly is reading
Biological Natural Sciences at Trinity Hall, Dixy Natural Sciences at
Churchill College and Helen Economics at Emmanuel College.
Sir Ewan and Lady Harper with Helen, Dixy and Holly
alumni from our academies, boards and central office are also
being invited to join, so that they can share their collective
experience and act as mentors for current undergraduates and
recent alumni.
We wish Holly, Dixy and Helen flourishing careers at Cambridge
and beyond. We hope that these trailblazers will inspire a
generation of young people to reach for their dreams and fulfil
their potential.
As we approach Christmas, we do so with gratitude for all the
support and encouragement we receive from our growing circle
of sponsors and friends. Many of you give huge amounts of time
and experience to our schools and academies on local governing
bodies and by helping with finance, outings and events. We are
very dependent on you: thank you.
Advent is a period of preparation and one of reflection on all
that Christmas, Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, will mean for us. We
are all aware of those families for whom this will be the first
Christmas without a cherished member there; for others there is
the joy of family reassembled and even a new member there for
the first time. The carol sums it up so well: “and He feeleth for
our sadness and He shareth in our gladness”.
May we wish you every blessing this Christmas and in 2011.
They agreed to be the founding members of the ULT Cambridge
Association, which seeks to provide fellowship and a supportive
network for ULT academy students at Cambridge. They will also
visit our academies to speak to students about their Cambridge
experience, serving as a source of inspiration and advice. Cambridge
Sir Ewan Harper CBE
Chief Executive
United Church Schools Trust / United Learning Trust

Article
Leaders of the future
By Ennelyn Schmidt-Roberts
Jonathan Scheele, Head of European Commission Representation in the UK, with Ennelyn Schmidt-Roberts and Lambeth Academy students
At Lambeth Academy, we empower young
people with an international outlook and
prepare them to compete and excel in a global
economy. We encourage them to develop skills
for success in an increasingly connected world.
They learn to believe they have the potential to
make an extraordinary impact on the world.
We celebrate internationalism and multiculturalism every
day. We are proud of our global ethos and seek a myriad of
opportunities to expose our students to innovative and inspiring
projects and events that will expand their horizons, aspirations
and perspectives.
Igniting the Olympic spirit
Since the start of the academic year in September, we have
had numerous global events. Following in the footsteps of
Swindon Academy, we launched Be the Best You Can Be. This
is a programme developed by 21st Century Legacy, a charity
established by Olympian David Hemery CBE, to inspire and
empower young people. Founded on the Olympian principles of
respect, friendship and excellence and supported by talks from
Olympians and Paralympians, the programme seeks to raise
young people’s aspirations and help them realise their potential.
It allows our students to develop valuable skills such as peer
coaching, goal-setting, teamwork and self-managed leadership.
Olympian Anna Hemmings MBE visited the academy on 13
September to celebrate the launch. The two-time Olympian and
six-time World Champion canoeist met our incoming Year 7
students. She delivered a dynamic and inspirational presentation
about her life and her childhood dreams of achieving success, and
the effect on our students was powerful.
They watched video clips with her competing in her sport and
listened with rapt attention to her talk about the importance of
friendship and respect amongst athletes from different countries.
Our students were truly amazed to see the footage of her wearing
the Beijing 2008 team outfit.
Lambeth Academy is now also officially registered with the 2012
Olympics. Our students are currently designing versions of the
Olympic mascots to represent the cultural diversity of our school
community. We will enter these for a competition to win tickets to
the Games in 2012.

Article
Promoting an international outlook amongst
the ULT family and beyond
Towards the end of September, we celebrated the academy’s
cultural diversity by asking our students with a different
mother tongue to teach their language on the European Day
of Languages and to provide information about their countries
to their peers. Five local primary schools were invited and after
sessions with our students, they taught Years 5 and 6. Our young
guests sampled a variety of Chinese sweets before returning to
their schools to share what they had learnt.
Working with the SSAT and London South Bank
University
In October, we also received the exciting news that our academy
has been awarded ‘Confucius Classroom’ status. Our academy
is the first UK school to hold a dual status, as we are working on
the teaching and learning side with the Specialist Schools and
Academies Trust (SSAT) and on the wellbeing side with London
South Bank University. We are extremely proud of this and are
now looking forward to our upcoming opening ceremony.
On 6 October, the academy hosted the annual International
Youth Conference, which foremost was a chance to welcome
Sixth Formers from our German partner school – Gesamtschule
Velbert – again. This has become a strong link over the last
five years and the conference, now in its fourth year, has been
growing steadily. This year was extremely exciting because
we were joined by other ULT students from North Oxfordshire
Academy and Walthamstow Academy and students from Epsom
College and Blythe Bridge High School in Stoke.
The conference was opened by the Mayor of Lambeth, Councillor
Patil, and Councillor Columba Blango. Our young people were
able to work closely with them throughout the day, which was
a fantastic experience for them. Both emphasised global issues,
respect for different nations and cultures and the importance of
global understanding. They stressed the importance of preparing
for the global world of work in which technology brings people
together across nations, traditions and languages.
“They are learning that they can reach out to
the whole world from their school, through
the internet and with established links with
schools from Germany to China.”
- John O’Farrell
Chair, Lambeth Academy Local Governing Body

Article
Our voluntary teachers from China have arrived and already
our students feel the buzz of exploring innovative activities led
by these colleagues. These teachers will be shared with other
schools so that other pupils can benefit from their language and
cultural expertise. These language skills will equip our students
to meet the demands of a global economy.
Bringing learning to life
We seek opportunities that bring learning to life for our
students, foster skills for employability and let them experience
the potential for positive, global change. For the second year
running Lambeth Academy won a place amongst 28 other UK
schools to participate in the Foreign and Commonwealth and
British Council Mock European Council in November. We were
delighted that two of our Sixth Formers, Stephanie Medhurst
and Sarina Lee, represented the General Secretariat, which gave
them a chance to debate real EU issues and to meet Minister
for Europe David Lidington and Jonathan Scheele, Head of
the European Commission Representation in the UK. This was
an invaluable experience for our students to develop their
diplomacy, debating and analytical skills.
In November, we also welcomed a teacher from a secondary
school in Germany for two weeks of job shadowing. The teacher
is part of a steering group to lead innovation in her school
and has been actively involved in teaching and learning at the
academy, working closely with students to gain insights from
their experience. Our students studying German had a chance to
meet her and learn about school life in Germany. In the future, we
plan to send members of our staff to schools in other countries
to further ideas for innovation and comparative analysis.
Connecting across borders with technology
One of the most impressive aspects of education today is the
way in which technology breaks down borders and enables our
students to link with schools across the world without leaving
the classroom. We are currently starting our own podcast and
will invite primary schools to participate in this exciting initiative.
We hope that we can reach our partner schools across the UK
and overseas through this project and to share our international
outlook with a wide audience.
We are hoping to include more delegates at next year’s
International Conference via video link. We encourage our
students to embrace these technologies that will be an integral
part of their future careers.
John O’Farrell, Chair of our academy’s Local Governing Body, has
a very keen interest in our global outreach. He said: “Lambeth
Academy students are discovering that people from all over the
world make up their local community, learning some phrases
of each other’s languages, and hearing about each other’s
countries as they did on European Language Day. But they are
also learning that they can reach
out to the whole world from their
school, through the internet and
with established links with schools
from Germany to China. Our
students really do have the whole
world in their hands!”
Being a student at Lambeth
Academy or working here as a
member of staff is a fascinating
journey with an international
perspective. It enables us all to
participate in the world around
us and to realise that we have
the power to effect positive global
change.
Ennelyn Schmidt-Roberts is
Assistant Principal of Lambeth
Academy.
For more information and
updates about the academy’s
international programmes, visit
www.lambeth-academy.org

News
Ashford School named
Independent School of the Year
Ashford School was awarded the
coveted title of ‘Independent School
of the Year’ at the Independent
School Awards in November. Ashford
triumphed amongst a field of leading
independent schools from across the
country.
The Independent School Awards commend
excellence in the strategic and financial management
of independent schools. The distinguished panel of
judges was chaired by Shane Rutter-Jerome, a
former general secretary of the Association of
Governing Bodies of Independent Schools, and
included Christine Ryan, Chief Inspector and CEO
of the Independent Schools Inspectorate; Graham
Able, former Chair of HMC and former Master of
Dulwich College; and Professor Malcolm McDonald
former Professor of Marketing and Deputy Director
of the Cranfield University School of Management.
Mike Buchanan, Head of Ashford School, said: “We
are absolutely delighted to be named Independent
School of the Year. The effective strategic and
financial management of the school has played an
integral role in raising pupil engagement and
attainment as illustrated this summer when we
achieved our best ever A level results with 79% of
students gaining A*-B grades and with nearly a
quarter at A*.”
“These awards would not have been achieved
without the United Church Schools Trust, which
offers vital management support and capital
funding. This means that we can focus on delivering
an outstanding education for our pupils.”
Shane Rutter-Jerome said: “The judges were all impressed with
the bold nature of the Ashford School strategy and the highly
successful outcome. We were unanimous in selecting Ashford
as winners in both the Strategic Initiative category and as the
overall winner.”
Charlotte Rendle-Short, Deputy Chief Executive of UCST, said:
“I congratulate Mike and his staff on this achievement which
they so thoroughly deserve. Ashford School has embarked on a
number of ambitious projects in the past few years and has
excelled at each one, securing a strong, stable and vibrant
future for itself.”

News
Hampshire Collegiate School pupils raised more than £600
for locally-based charity Woofability. They presented a cheque
to charity founder Jenny Clarke on 29 November to help train
assistance dogs for the disabled.
Manchester Academy wins
‘Academy of the Year’ and SSAT
National Literacy Award
Manchester Academy won the award for ‘Academy of the Year’
at the Education Investor Awards in London in November. The
Education Investor Awards, sponsored by Sovereign Capital,
seek to recognise the education industry’s achievements and
are judged by a panel of experts, including Susan Anderson,
Director of Public Services at CBI, Michael Clark of McKinsey &
Company and Sir Bruce Liddington, Director General of E-ACT
and former schools commissioner.
The award follows news in September that the academy had
won the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) Literacy
Award in recognition of the academy’s sustainable system for
improving students’ literacy levels.
The SSAT judge commented: “They have a proven track-record of
raising students’ literacy levels, resulting in raising achievement
and providing students with the opportunities to succeed in life.”
Kathy August, Deputy Chief Executive of ULT and Principal
of Manchester Academy, said: “We are doing many things to
improve the life chances of our students and to ensure our
students enjoy school, achieve their very best and leave us with
bright futures.”
North Oxfordshire Academy
hosts Chinese Ministerial
Delegation
North Oxfordshire Academy
welcomed a prestigious
group of Chinese politicians
and government officials on
30 September. The academy
was one of only two in
the country visited by the
Ministerial delegation. It
was chosen based on its
outperformance of national
rates of improvement and
its mix of academic and
vocational learning. The event
was organised in partnership
with the Education Section
of the Chinese Embassy in
London as part of a three
country visit to examine
education in Europe.
The delegation, headed by Mme Lu Xin, the Chinese Vice-
Minister of Education, was greeted by Ruth Robinson, Principal,
and by students and staff. Hampshire Collegiate School pupils
Kenneth Lu and Patrick Huang assisted as interpreters.
Guildford High School achieves
spectacular A Level results
Guildford High School’s superb A Level results placed it second
nationally in The Times’ league table. 44.5% of the A Levels
awarded were at the new A* grade, and a staggering 88% of
all A Levels awarded were A* or A grade.
Fiona Bolton, Headmistress of Guildford High School, said:
“These results are a testament to outstanding teaching and the
enthusiasm of our pupils.”

News
Deputy Prime Minister
congratulates Paddington
Academy students
Two Paddington Academy students, Shafik Ali and Julia Kaseem,
were invited to celebrate their impressive GCSE results at
Downing Street, where they were part of an exclusive reception
hosted by the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.
Over the past two years, Shafik and Julia have participated in the
talent development programme Success for Life run by Arrival
Education. Shafik was chosen by Arrival Education to introduce
Mr Clegg to the other students and to present him with an
Arrival Education badge. Following the reception, Shafik visited
the BBC Studios, where he was interviewed by Huw Edwards for
the evening news.
ULT academies celebrate dramatic
improvements in GCSE results
All ULT academies have broken through the National Challenge
threshold with outstanding results. With an average improvement
rate of 8% in 5+ A*-C GCSE grades including English and
maths, ULT academies have outperformed the national rate
of improvement.
n Barnsley Academy’s results rose from 19% to 51%
Its predecessor school’s final year (2006) results: 6%
n Paddington Academy’s results rose from 34% to 62%
Its predecessor school’s final year (2006) results: 18%
n Stockport Academy’s results doubled from 25% to 51%
Its predecessor school’s final year (2007) results: 14%
n Walthamstow Academy’s results rose from 31% to 49%
Its predecessor school’s final year (2006) results: 15%
n North Oxfordshire Academy’s results rose from 25% to 38%
Its predecessor school’s final year (2007) results: 12%
William Hulme’s Grammar School
meets Christian Malcolm
As part of the Team Superschools
Challenge which pledges to
visit 2012 schools by July 2012,
international athlete Christian
Malcolm visited the academy.
The academy’s two young sports
ambassadors, Bisi Adeniji and Ali
Derragia, signed a flag which will
be presented to Team GB at the
2012 Olympics.
Surbiton High School ski teams victorious at
British Schools Championships
After competing against nearly 200 young skiers from schools
across the country at the British Schools Artificial Slop Ski
Championships in November, both Surbiton teams finished with
the fastest times, placing them first and second respectively.

Article Case study
Law firm goes back to school:
Pinsent Masons and Manchester
Academy case study
By Martin Whittaker, Education and
Employers Taskforce
10

Article Case study
An award-winning partnership between
international law firm Pinsent Masons and
Manchester Academy not only helps raise
young people’s aspirations and academic
achievement – it also brings tangible benefits
for the company.
Pinsent Masons has run mentoring and reading and maths
support programmes at the academy since 2007 as part of
a firm-wide community investment programme focused on
‘Inspiring Young Lives’. Staff from across the firm have shared
their experiences and built partnerships with schools in the
communities close to each of the firm’s offices.
Last year the partnership won Pinsent Masons the Bank of
America Merrill Lynch Education Award at the Business in
the Community Awards for Excellence. Almost a third of the
staff in the company’s Manchester office have taken part in
the mentoring programme at the Moss Side school. Since the
scheme started, it has given more than 60 students valuable
one-to-one support.
Staff from all departments and at all levels are encouraged to
participate. Under the mentoring scheme, employees are paired
up with students for the academic year. They offer support
through a combination of visits to the school and sessions at
Pinsent Masons’ offices. Volunteers also attend the Moss Side
school each week during term time to support students with
reading and maths.
Surveys show that employees’ pride in the firm has increased
steadily since 2005. And there are definite benefits for the
company and the employees who take part, says Partner and
Manchester CR Leader, Howard Gill. “The Manchester
programme is linked in with our learning and development team,
to make sure it fits with employees’ continuing professional
development,” he says.
“There are opportunities for staff to develop new skills, and
extend existing ones, for example in communication, team
working and time management.
“The partnership also helps us meet our HR objectives in terms
of recruitment and retention. Staff turnover has reduced, and
while there are undoubtedly a number of factors, the Manchester
Academy partnership has definitely helped.”
Reprinted with kind permission from the Education and
Employers Taskforce
The Education and Employers Taskforce was launched as
an independent charity in October 2009. Its aim is to ensure
that every school and college has an effective partnership with
employers which provides young people with the inspiration,
motivation, knowledge, skills and opportunities they need to
help them achieve their potential, and so secure our national
prosperity.
The Taskforce’s Partnership Board comprises the leaders of
the main representative organisations from education and
employment. Visit www.educationandemployers.org
The Taskforce has created free one-stop-shop online guides to
education and employer engagement. Visit www.teachersguide.org
and www.employers-guide.org
11

Article
Investing in the future: raising
standards across our schools
By Charlotte Rendle-Short
Last year the United Church Schools Trust
(UCST) Board allocated up to a quarter of
a million pounds to support research and
development projects in our independent
schools. The objective of this bold initiative is
to raise standards, to identify ground-breaking
methodology and to uncover further ways in
which school improvement can be spread
across our family of independent schools and
academies.
Over the summer UCST schools were given the opportunity
to bid for a grant. After considering the bids, a panel of Board
members approved 11 projects from 7 UCST schools with a value
totalling £216,000. This investment has given these schools
the opportunity to make positive changes through an exciting
range of innovative programmes. The measure of success will
be the extent to which the research can clearly demonstrate
how standards can be raised both within individual schools and
across the group.
The first interim report gives a flavour of the enthusiasm with
which this pioneering initiative has been received.
Harnessing technology to promote literacy
At Ashford School, a whole school project is focusing on reading
and spelling. Pupils are taking part in engaging online quizzes
based on a wide variety of fiction and nonfiction books. Parents
are involved and their enthusiasm for motivating their children
to read and take an interest in books is proving vital. Findings
already suggest a positive impact on the attitude of boys to
reading, which is an excellent indication of how successful
this scheme can be. The responses being gathered will be of
immense value to the school and the UCST/ULT group.
Learning outside the classroom
12
Hampshire Collegiate School is seeking to raise standards
by increasing pupil engagement, interest and achievement
through the development of learning outside the classroom.
Taking advantage of its wonderfully stimulating setting, the
school is advancing its long-term aim of building a classroom in
the grounds. The first steps are to develop individual proposals,
such as setting up a science nature trail, and to secure the
necessary resources, such as data logging equipment, a
weather station and webcams to place in different habitats.
The aim is to create links across several areas of the curriculum,
bringing about positive changes in attitudes, feelings and
behaviour and extending the quality of learning for all. As the
research becomes embedded, the school plans to explore how
the principles underpinning these ideas can be adapted and
applied within one of our highly urban ULT academies.

Article
Using voice recognition software to support
pupils with learning difficulties
At Sunderland High School, teachers are using voice
recognition software to support pupils with specific
learning difficulties. Three pupils have been chosen to
help pilot the software. All three have previously used
an amanuensis during lessons and examinations. The
research team anticipates that the pupils may respond
positively to the voice recognition technique, which can be
operated during external examinations, coursework and
controlled assessment production and homework, thereby
overcoming the restrictions often associated with the use of
a scribe.
Sharing best practice across the group
All these projects have immense potential and are well
supported by all staff. Even at this early stage it is clear that
children and teachers are enthused by this innovative approach.
The opportunity for other UCST schools and ULT academies to
share these ideas is already evident; this is the main aim and it
is marvellously encouraging to sense the possibilities which will
emerge as schools gain confidence in growing their research
and development skills to raise standards and enable pupils to
fulfil their potential.
Charlotte Rendle-Short is Deputy Chief Executive of the
United Church Schools Trust (UCST).
13

Careers and skills training
Arnold School pupil works with
local MP
Whilst most pupils were on holiday, Jack McGuinness, a Sixth
Former at Arnold School, spent half term working with Mark
Menzies, his local MP for Fylde, both in his constituency and in
Westminster.
Jack said: “I gained a better
understanding of politics
and discovered the work that
MPs do on our behalf. I also
sat in on Prime Minister’s
Questions and Deputy
Prime Minister’s Questions
and took part in parliamentary research to help constituents.”
Developing futures
Ex-SAS Author Chris Ryan
visits Salford City Academy
Year 9 and 10 students at Salford City Academy welcomed
Chris Ryan, former British Special Air Services soldier turned
novelist, in November. He gripped the students with actionpacked
tales of his time in the SAS in a bid to motivate students
to enjoy writing and reading.
The sessions brought literacy to life for the students, as Chris
spent time relating his real-life adventures, such as escaping
from the notorious Bravo Two Zero mission during the Gulf
War. He also spent time talking individually to students and
staff and signing copies of his books.
Martin Moseley, a Year 10 librarian at the academy, was chosen
to assist on the day. He said: “The sessions went really well
and inspired both year groups. I really enjoyed the opportunity
to meet Chris and have my photo taken with him!”
Rowan Preparatory School links with the world: As part
of the British Council’s Comenius Project, Rowan Preparatory
School has been partnered with five other European countries,
which has enabled international visits and friendships.
Hull Collegiate School Sixth
Former shadows mental health
doctors
Mahum Naeem, a Year 13 pupil at Hull Collegiate School,
embarked on a challenging summer work experience programme,
shadowing consultants, nurses and other clinicians working in
mental health.
Mahum was one of two applicants chosen from a highly
competitive pool of aspiring doctors. She spent three weeks
in different clinical areas learning about all aspects of mental
healthcare.
Mahum said: “I had quite a lot of contact with patients, which
was great, and I did some home visits with a CPN. I spent time
with the crisis team and got an overview of different mental
health conditions. The whole experience has been absolutely
brilliant.”
14

Leading innovation
Business and enterprise
Barnsley Academy advances to Coca-Cola Real Business
Challenge regional final
A group of Year 10
business studies
students from Barnsley
Academy triumphed
in the first phase of
a competition set by
Coca-Cola Enterprises.
The challenge aims
to enable students to
understand how their
skills relate to the
wider world and gain
insights into business
that will give them a
competitive edge in
the job market.
The first stage of the competition invited students to design
a new drink in June to tie in with the World Cup. Barnsley’s
team designed a unique bottle in the shape of a vuvuzela,
which could be used as a trumpet by fans once emptied. The
team defeated schools from the Yorkshire and Humber region
to earn a place in the top 10 to compete in the regional final
in November before a panel of judges including senior Coca-
Cola executives.
Salford City Academy works with Salford Business
Education Partnership
Salford City Academy Year 9 students took part in a Young
Enterprise Day in conjunction with the Salford Business
Education Partnership and iFlourish, a local design company.
The challenge was to form design teams for a large shoe
manufacturer and to generate the best idea for a new brand
of plimsolls.
Students assumed roles as marketing managers, design
managers, researchers, brand managers and financial
managers. Each had personal tasks to complete to prepare the
group’s pitch at the end of the day. They also worked with Rob
Lenihan and Frankie O’Brien, Directors of iFlourish, who helped
drive the students’ business decisions and improve their skills
in problem-solving, communication, budgeting, teamwork,
initiative and creativity.
Rob Leinham said: “The task was all about helping them
understand the whole product design process from research,
costings and marketing. We’ve spotted some real bright sparks
today with great ideas.”
ULT academies gather for
challenge set by RAF Shawbury
In November, all ULT academies gathered for a challenge set
and hosted by RAF Shawbury. The task was set around the
theme ‘an international incident’ and divided the students
into 17 teams to develop team-building, leadership and
problem-solving skills and to encourage friendships across
the group.
15

Article
Accrington Academy eco-classroom
project stuns world conference
By Gareth Long
Four young students from Accrington
Academy not only made history in
September, but also dominated the
main stage at the start of the CEFPI
(Council of Education Facilities
Planners International) world
conference in San Jose, California,
receiving the only standing ovation
of the day from several hundred
delegates.
It has been fairly unusual for young people to be
included in this annual conference, and when they
do, they have normally featured in side seminar
sessions. For the Accrington Academy youngsters to
be a formal part of the official opening presentations
and to speak with real authority and clarity on some fairly
sophisticated design concepts is a first for as long as I have
been attending this conference. And boy, did the delegates just
love them!
They spoke with real passion on their engagement in developing
ideas for a new eco-friendly, sustainable building for their new
school, setting up their own group called ‘Roots’, challenging
the community to get involved and very positively leaving a
legacy for future students and people of East Lancashire.
It is, frankly, rare to hear students discuss the ‘zero carbon
pyramid’, aiming for a carbon positive building, identifying the
reasons behind their choice of wood and recycled materials to
create a building that will reduce water and energy consultation,
aiming to collect all energy data for analysis, educating learners
and friends, reasons for the attenuation pond, straw bale
insulation, wind turbines, green roof and only using locally
sourced products (including collecting tyres for use by rolling
them – not getting a truck!), creating a green travel plan and so
much more.
This was not just a list of key words or jargon being reeled out
– they clearly knew what they were talking about. Some of
them had been engaged with the project for three years, and so
impressed their local area councillors that they are considering
using young people in some other council projects. How wise of
them, I suggest.
16
Supported by the inspirational company Class of Your Own, who
have been deeply involved with this project, these learners just
captivated the hundreds of architects, builders and education
representatives. The ongoing exceptionally active Twitter stream
was so positive that people following it from outside the hall
stopped what they were doing and joined the other delegates.

Article
with world-renowned technology consultants Richard
Scoble and Ewan McIntosh and presentations at Autodesk’s
headquarters in San Francisco.
Special recognition for them and this project includes CEFPI
– Special Recognition for Outstanding Accomplishment (USA)
and Lancashire Business Environment Award (UK) – Highly
Commended. They are currently shortlisted for other Community
Responsibility and Environmental Champion competitions.
This is what learning should be about: a project with value
and relevance that has really engaged the team, collaborative
working with other young people and adults, ambition, student
led learning, aspiration and global links. There is no doubt
that the experiences that these young people have gained on
this project will have a major impact on them personally, their
confidence and their plans for the future.
This level of student engagement is relatively rare in the
US, although some of that is beginning to change. But even
then, the discussions do not achieve this level of detail and
understanding. The fact is that our young people really do have
very clear views, high aspirations and some really good ideas.
They have challenged their staff, construction partners and the
community.
This really is how it should be in every project. Everyone in this
project has learnt a lot - and this should translate into ongoing
continuous improvement on future projects and ambitions.
There were many people in the audience who agreed with the
CEFPI president’s closing comments that started with “Wow”
but ended with wondering if there were several hundred people
in the room that wanted to offer the team jobs straight away.
Most decided that maybe she wasn’t joking!
I have seen a lot of versions of student engagement - this is
the best example of real meaningful engagement that I have
seen and will be hard to beat. Just a massive well done to the
students and staff of Accrington Academy and Class of Your
Own who supported them.
Class of Your Own is a company specialising in projects and
workshop concerning sustainability, construction and industry
issues. Workshops with schools enable learners and their
teachers to address sustainability in a very practical way. Judging
by this work, they are really succeeding.
The presentation was only the start. For the next two days the
young people manned a small exhibition describing the plans in
detail. This allowed hundreds of professionals to talk, question,
probe and explore the project in real detail with the team - they
certainly held their own and impressed everyone.
These students are used
to success. Whilst on this
trip of a lifetime, they
were also moving on to
San Francisco to work
with companies there.
Their itinerary included
breakfast with Pulitzer
Prize winner Thomas
Friedman, conversations
Reprinted with kind permission from Gareth Long
Gareth Long is a freelance consultant with major experience in
the UK and abroad working on transformation and new school
design. He has advised foreign governments on education and
works with international experts on design. As a secondary
head, he was dedicated to improving failing schools. Read his
blog at blog.garethl.com and visit www.garethl.com
17

Arts
Lincoln Minster School finalist in
BBC’s Choir of the Year
The Chamber Choir at Lincoln Minster School was declared a
finalist in the BBC’s Choir of the Year competition. Defeating
competition from 150 choirs of all ages and types, the choir first
performed at the Sheldonian Theatre. Following success in the
second round, the choir proceeded to the finals at Symphony
Hall in Birmingham where the group narrowly missed winning
the coveted title. However, the pupils received superb feedback
from national judges and were featured twice on BBC Radio 3.
James Wafer, a baritone in the choir, said: “It was just awesome.
Birmingham Symphony Hall makes Lincoln Cathedral seem like
a small venue!”
Arnold School pupil joins the
National Youth Orchestra
Arnold School Sixth Former Alex Card has been awarded a place
in the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. The talented
clarinetist received notification following a grueling auditions
process, competing for a place amongst the nation’s top musical
talent.
As a member, Alex will attend residential courses throughout
the country and perform at major venues and festivals, including
the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester and the nationally televised
BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall.
Fostering creativity
Walthamstow Academy marks
Black History Month with cultural
evening
On 10 November, Walthamstow Academy invited students,
parents, staff and friends to celebrate Black History Month and
the diverse heritage of the academy and its local community.
Students explored the theme of ‘My roots’ through displays,
speech, dance, drama and song. Author Wilfred L Fraser spoke
about his childhood in Grenada and his autobiographical novel
The Brotherhood of the Unicorn.
Guests were encouraged to attend the evening in cultural dress,
to sample cuisine from around the world and to see displays of
student talent. Visit www.walthamstow-academy.org to
watch footage from the event.
Lincoln Minster School pupil wins national prize
Following an outstanding performance, Rosanna Cooper
was presented with the Catherine Lambert Junior
Recital Prize by the Association of English Singers and
Speakers.
18

I joined Manchester Academy in 2008, having
taught in a Performing Arts Community College
in Tameside for nine years. The perception that
my colleagues had on hearing that I was going
to teach at an academy in Moss Side was the
total opposite of what I found on my initial
visit. In short, I was hugely impressed by the
academy.
Students were appreciative of their teachers and support
staff. There was no shade of grey in terms of expectations of
behaviour, uniform and respect for each other. It was clear that
teachers were valued for their subject knowledge. I overheard a
member of the senior leadership team reminding a student that
they had an important responsibility as a learner.
I decided then and there that this was the academy for me.
Developing leaders in education
Some of the most inspiring
young people I have ever met
By Shola Rashford
Since joining the academy, I have benefited from teaching
some of the most inspiring young people I have ever met in my
teaching career and from being a member of a team that shares
the same objective: to bring out the best in everyone. The senior
leadership team promotes respect for all teachers and support
staff. This affects the way in which students respond to you in
the classroom. I feel that our individual strengths as teachers
are recognised, and we are encouraged to know and work to
our strengths. This, in itself, promotes sharing best practice.
In September 2010, I became Key Stage 3 Director. My role is
to guide and monitor students’ progress across the Key Stage,
as well as to play a vital role in ensuring that students are
supported pastorally. The academy’s belief that we should grow
and develop our experience has enhanced my new role.
Manchester Academy has translated its ambition to grow
leaders by encouraging my professional development. I have
been able to work alongside specialists in our Deaf Unit at the
academy and am presently studying British Sign Language (BSL)
NVQ Level 3, which will lead to my achieving a Level 4 NVQ in
Interpreting (BSL/English). It is wonderfully satisfying to be able
to communicate mathematics as a subject to my deaf students.
This is a testament to the academy’s insistence that there should
be no barriers to students’ learning. This year I have embarked
upon an MA in Educational Leadership and Innovation at
Warwick University; the programme is offered through ULT as
part of its commitment to CPD.
A belief that students can and will achieve, a policy of ‘no
excuses’, hard work from teachers and support from parent,
carers and leadership have led to the academy being declared
‘outstanding’ by Ofsted last year. I know that if I hadn’t joined
Manchester Academy, I probably never would have had the
opportunity to contribute to an outstanding school and to give so
many young people hope to achieve their greatest ambitions.
Shola Rashford is Key Stage 3 Director at Manchester
Academy.
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Thanks to the vision of our founders and the support and
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Rowan Preparatory School
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The Jubilee Fund was established to enable us
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We will continue widening contacts amongst other UK
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ULT City Technology College
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The Jubilee Fund
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With your help, we can enrich the lives of thousands of children.
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Help us bring out the best in everyone.
What is an academy?
An academy is an independently managed and governed
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at the same level as a specialist comprehensive school in
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Please contact Jonathan Allen on 020 7920 6407 or
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Discover how we bring out the best in our
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