Workington Academy

Workington Academy is a mixed secondary school in Workington, Cumbria that was formed in September 2015 as a result of the merger of Southfield Technology College and Stainburn School and Science College.[1]

Workington Academy
Location
Workington
,
Cumbria

England
Coordinates54.6417°N 3.5328°W / 54.6417; -3.5328
Information
TypeAcademy
MottoBe the best you can be!
Established2015
Local authorityCumberland Council
TrustCumbria Education Trust
Department for Education URN141499 Tables
OfstedReports
Executive HeadMr D Bird
HeadteacherMr M Bedford
GenderMixed
Age11 to 18
Enrolment1010
HousesBessemer, Curwen, Risman, Thompson
Website/www.workingtonacademy.org/
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History

The former school, Stainburn School and Science College, was an average sized secondary school with shared sixth form located to the north of Workington in Cumbria. The students come from both the town and several of the surrounding villages. The school had specialist status for science from 2003. The proportion of students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities(LDD) was well above average; though the proportion of students with SEN statements was is broadly average. Demographically the majority of students are White British.[2] It was closed requiring improvement in 2015, and the student transferred into the new academy.[3]

The school was helped through the transition period by seconded staff from William Howard Trust, and subsequently they joined that trust.[4] The trust was renamed Cumbria Education Trust.

New building

The academy was first situated in the same Stainburn School and Science College building. It relocated to the new building, located at the same site, in March 2017. Workington Academy's new building was officially opened on Tuesday 26 September 2017 by Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Gloucester.[5] As of 2018, both the Southfield Technology College building and the Stainburn School and Science College building have been demolished. Workington is small isolated community where change happens slowly, 84 miles (135 km) from Lancaster, 90 miles (140 km) from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and 136 miles (219 km) from Manchester.[6]

Cumbria Education Trust

The academy is part of the Cumbria Education Trust[7] multi-academy trust. The trust's Chief Executive Officer is Mrs Lorrayne Hughes. [8]

Academics

The 2018 Ofsted Report identified that the current headteacher is showing leadership, and is supported by the parents and children. It identifies that the school was not meeting government floor standards previously, and the principal problem for most pupils is raising their literacy and numeracy standards to an age appropriate level. It acknowledges that some children level cannot control their behaviour in the corridors and social areas and in some cases the classroom. Ofsted calls them 'a small disruptive minority', some teachers are targeted leading to variable quality of learning. The head has put strategies in place, and year on year the results are improving.[8]

The Cumbria Education Trust has broadly the same curriculum in its three secondary schools, based on the principle that each child is entitled to receive the education described in the UK governments National Curriculum - the trusts plans to exceed it.[9]

2020 Sixth form

In September 2020 a new level of co-operation starts with the initiation of the West Coast Sixth Form. Students from Whitehaven Academy and Workington wanting to enter one of the three pathways of sixth-form education (Academic, Vocational and Other), will study in a combined sixthform. There will be a free bus service between the two sites[10]

Workington Academy Radio

Workington Academy Radio is the student radio station of Workington Academy.[11]

They were nominated for secondary school station of the year at the Young Audio Awards in 2019[12] and 2020[13] respectively.

In 2020 the students interviewed BBC Radio 1 DJ Greg James.[14]

Negative publicity

In July 2017, the school received negative publicity after parents and pupils reported of poor teaching on a local Facebook page, with people claiming that there were a large amount of supply teachers and pupils being allowed to play on mobile phones. The interim headteacher, Colette Macklin, promptly hit back at the claims in an interview with local newspaper News and Star.[15]

Headteachers
  • Mr Jonathan Logan (2015–2016)[16]
  • Mrs Colette Macklin (Interim, 2016–2017)[17]
  • Mr Des Bird (2018–present)[18]

Notable former pupils

Workington Grammar School

Stainburn School

References
  1. "Workington Academy given go ahead". BBC News.
  2. "Ofsted Report Slaidburn 2008". ofsted.gov.uk. Retrieved 29 March 2020. This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright
  3. "Ofsted Closed school". ofsted.gov.uk. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  4. "Ofsted Monitoring Letter 2015". ofsted.gov.uk. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  5. "Official opening". Workingtonacademy.org.
  6. "Road to Lancaster and the South". Google Maps. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  7. "Workington Academy". cumbriaeducationtrust.org.
  8. "Ofsted Report 2018". ofsted.gov.uk. Retrieved 28 March 2020. This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright
  9. "Curriculum Overview". Workington Academy. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  10. "New sixth form launches for students in West Cumbria". West Coast Sixth Form. Cumbria Education Trust. 4 December 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  11. "Workington Academy Radio". Workington Academy. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  12. "Young ARIAS nominations 2019". Young Audio Awards. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  13. "Virtual Young Audio Awards to be streamed live". RadioToday. 29 April 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  14. Academy, Workington (15 July 2020). "Exclusive Interview With BBC Radio One's Greg James". Workington Academy. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  15. "Cumbrian headteacher hits back after claims children told to "play on phones" because of teacher shortage | News & Star". www.newsandstar.co.uk. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  16. "New Cumbria academy appoints head". BBC. 12 March 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  17. "Temporary head to stay at academy until end of school year". Timesandstar.co.uk. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  18. "New headteacher to take over at Workington Academy". Timesandstar.co.uk. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
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