Skegness Junior Academy - Greenwood Dale Foundation Trust

Skegness Junior AcademySponsored by theCONSULTATION

The ProposalsCreating an outstanding new Academy for the East CoastThis consultation document sets out details of the proposal to create a new Junior Academy in Skegnessfrom 1 September 2012, sponsored by the Greenwood Dale Foundation Trust (GDFT). This document isavailable to pupils, parents, staff and members of the local community.The new Academy will provide 7 - 11 education for 360 pupils and will open in September 2012 in theexisting buildings of the Skegness Junior School which will close.The Academy will serve the local community with pupils living closest to the Academy buildings havingpriority for places. Offering a full primary curriculum focusing on reading, writing and mathematicsdelivered through creative approaches, the Academy is designed for pupils of all abilities. A high level ofexamination success is expected of all.Priority for admission is based on the proximity of a pupil’s home to the Academy; those living closest willhave the best chance of a place.This consultation process concentrates on two questions:i) Should Skegness Junior School become an Academy; andIi)Should the Sponsor of this new Academy be the Greenwood Dale Foundation Trust?What is an Academy?An Academy is a publicly funded independent school, accountable to the Government, and providing freeeducation in the local community. Funding to run the Academy is on the same basis as for other schoolsand comes directly from the Government.The sponsor of this new Academy in Skegness is the Greenwood Dale Foundation Trust (GDFT). The GDFTis a not for profit charitable trust.The GDFT has a number of other Academies that are already open. They are:The 3-19 Nottingham Academy for 3600 pupils;The 11-19 Nottingham Girls’ Academy for 1080 pupils;The 11-19 Skegness Academy for 1300 pupils; andThe 11-19 Weston Favell Academy in Northampton for 1600 pupils.Instead of providing financial sponsorship, the Greenwood Dale Foundation Trust provides Educationalexperience and expertise. The Trust also has considerable experience in designing and managing newAcademy buildings. At present the Trust has responsibility for over £120m of capital building projects.The Greenwood Dale Foundation Trust is a multiple sponsor of Academies working on a range ofeducational projects, some of which are described in this consultation document.1

About the Sponsor . . .The Greenwood Dale Foundation Trust was formed by theGoverning Body of the outstanding Greenwood Dale Schoolin Nottingham. Greenwood Dale was one of the first twoschools in the country to be allowed to set up its ownFoundation to sponsor Academies.The Greenwood Dale Foundation Trust and the GreenwoodAcademies Trust is led by the Chief Executive, Barry DayOBE, who is responsible for the overall success of allAcademies, new opportunities, vision and all centralfunctions.Barry was the Headteacher of the Greenwood Dale Schooland now takes the professional lead on all the GDFT’s work.Barry Day was awarded the OBE in 2007 for services toeducation, was the East Midlands Headteacher of the Yearin 2006 and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate byNottingham Trent University in 2008. He has the status of aNational Leader of Education. He has been a teacher for 38years, including 19 years as a successful Headteacher. Hisvision for and oversight and management of the GDFT’sAcademy projects is highly regarded.Barry DayOBE, Hon DEd, MSc, BA2

The vision for the AcademyThere is no limit to what our pupils will achieveThe Skegness Junior Academy will carry on with the excellent work already inplace at the present school and work hard to ensure pupils reach their fullpotential, with no limit to what they can achieve. We are committed to the highestof standards. We will expect outstanding levels of achievement in all areas ofacademic and personal development and excellent behaviour.The Academy will promote high quality learning as an entitlement for all pupils.We will create exciting learning environments that stimulate and enrich pupils’learning.As an inclusive school, the Academy will generate among all learners a clearsense of global citizenship and an appreciation of the local community and thewider world.Individual pupils will develop a sense of personal responsibility so that they canmake a full contribution to their learning and to the community. The Academywill raise aspirations and actively challenge low expectations.The Academy will establish positive learning partnerships with parents and thelocal community and provide strong and effective welfare and guidance services,with individual mentoring, to support pupils’ academic progress and all-rounddevelopment.The Academy will offer high-quality curriculum opportunities through innovativeapproaches to learning. It will work with other education establishments toprovide a full range of opportunities to meet pupils’ needs.All our pupils matterWe want our pupils, no matter what their age or ability, to be proud to belongto the Academy and proud of their achievements. Whatever our pupils’ backgrounds,we want them to be in the best possible position to move on to asuccessful life in their secondary school of choice.3

Achieving the visionEducation on a smaller scaleSuccess in the Academy as a wholeParents will want to be assured that their children will be working in a safe andsecure environment at every stage of their education. The Skegness JuniorAcademy will ensure a supportive and nurturing culture.Teachers also need to establish positive working relationships with their classes.Building up these important relationships increases pupils’ confidence in theirlearning. Pupils respond best when the school values their contribution, both totheir school work and to the other activities in which they take part. This appliesparticularly to younger pupils, who especially need a secure learning environmentin which they can flourish.Senior Leaders within the Academy will know the pupils well so that, if necessary,interventions can be introduced quickly and good progress made by all.Supporting pupils with special educationalneedsThe Skegness Junior Academy is committed to being an inclusive school and pupilswith special educational needs will receive support to ensure they gain access tothe full curriculum. The Academy will work closely with the relevant externalagencies to ensure that pupils get the right specialist support. The Academy willalso make links with any local special schools to provide mutual support.4

How the Academy will be runEfficient leadership and management for the benefit of allThe new Academy will be part of the Greenwood Dale Foundation Trust Group of Academies.The Academy will be led and managed by a Principal,the present Headteacher, with a senior leadership teamof Deputy and Assistant Principals. The Principal isresponsible for the overall success of the Academy.The Principal of the new Academy will report directly toan Executive Principal, part of the GDFT structure, whohas previously been an outstanding Headteacher andwho will monitor a number of different Academieswithin the Trust to ensure the highest quality ofoperation. The Executive Principal reports directly tothe Chief Executive.The Greenwood Dale Foundation Trust focuses on theprofessional development of staff, including opportunitiesfor research, to ensure a highly trained, empoweredand stable workforce.The GDFT has an existing and very successful policy ofpromoting staff from within the organisation whenvacancies arise.This new Academy will have an Academy Council to provide local governance. This is the same model used in allother Greenwood Dale Foundation Trust Academies. The role of the Council is:To advise and act as a critical friend to the Principal of the Academy and to advise the Board of Directors ofthe Greenwood Dale Foundation Trust about local issues they need to consider that affect the Academy.To represent the interests of the Academy community in the running of the Academy and to represent theAcademy in its community.To provide support to the Principal in undertaking appropriate day to day procedures that are essential tothe life of the Academy, such as disciplinary and complaint procedures.5

Support for learningLiteracyLiteracy skills are essential to gain full access to the curriculum and to make rapid progress. Childrenare bombarded by a huge range of texts, in and out of school, on paper and on screen. The Academywill focus on developing literacy skills, planning activities that strengthen pupils’ literacy skills acrossthe whole of the curriculum. Our challenge is to identify and tackle any weaknesses quickly andeffectively through targeted support.Workplaces and universities demand fluent readers, able writers and confident speakers. For manypupils, their first taste of all these expectations is at school and it is crucial that they develop theseskills and confidence as quickly as possible. We will expect the majority of our pupils to be readingconfidently by the age of seven.Literacy lessons will underpin the development of well-rounded, able and assured pupils, more thanprepared to cope with school and their lives after school. Literacy will use interactive teaching thatinvolves stimulating and vibrant texts. Pupils will write for real audiences and engage in debate tosharpen their oral skills. They will apply the skills they gain to their wider studies and those with highlevelskills will be challenged to use them in real contexts to push standards even higher.Using ICT and digital mediaThe Sponsor has a superb track record for the high quality of its ICT facilities to support pupil learning.Today’s society is also saturated with sophisticated digital media technology. Young people are oftenat the forefront of experimenting with new devices as they become available. We will seek to harnesspupils’ enthusiasm and ICT skills.These superb ICT facilities will enable us to shape and develop even more innovative ways of learning.We will equip all our pupils with the skills and confidence they need to take full advantage of therapidly developing opportunities in ICT in the 21st century.6

Standards of dress at the AcademyAll pupils in Academies sponsored by the Greenwood Dale Foundation Trust wear a smart and affordableuniform.Pupils, staff and parents at the Skegness Junior Academy will be consulted over the next two or threemonths to decide what the uniform for the new Academy will be.We will ensure that parents are not financially disadvantaged due to the introduction of any new uniformthat arises from the consultation process.Some photographs of used in this consultation document are of pupils at the Nottingham Academy andthe uniform they are wearing may not reflect that chosen for this new Academy.8

How to get involvedWe want to hear your views about these proposalsThere are two key questions in this process:i) Should Skegness Junior School become an Academy; andIi)Should the Sponsor of this new Academy be the Greenwood Dale Foundation Trust?If you would like to let us know your views please send your written responses to the Chief Executive ofthe Greenwood Dale Foundation Trust, either by:a) dropping your letter into the Skegness Junior School office; orb) by posting it to:The Chief ExecutiveThe Greenwood Dale Foundation Trustc/o The Nottingham AcademyGreenwood RoadNottinghamNG3 7EBWe look forward to, and encourage your active involvement in this process.Consultation TimetableDateActivity10 February 2012 Consultation starts.Consultation document available to all stakeholders.9 March 2012 Consultation ends.All written responses should be received by now.10

Skegness Junior Academy