SCHOOL PROFILE
Lighting fires
“There is nothing more
unequal than the equal
Ownership of their education
treatment of unequal
people.”
Thomas Jefferson
“In a completely rational
are on-site from 9am until 3:30pm. Both schools
society, the best of us
operate a half-hour lunch break.
It is hoped that the extra time will allow students
would aspire to be teachers
to follow a more personalised curriculum, and take
and the rest of us would
part in a broader range of curriculum activities.
This is particularly evident in the Lower have to settle for something
Academy’s approach to sport, which has been
radically overhauled to allow a greater range of
less, because passing
activities.
Mr Roach and Ms King take me through to the
civilization along from one
dedicated sports building, which contains an array
generation to the next
of rooms catering for straightforward basketball and
badminton, through to a fully equipped gym and a ought to be the highest
cycling suite.
In the latter, a year 9 class are pedalling their
honour and the highest
way through the streets of central London thanks to
a projection screen at the front of the class, while in
responsibility anyone could
an upstairs room, pupils are able to sample the world
have.”
of rock-climbing thanks to an innovative “climbing
wheel” that rotates as you get near the top.
Lee Iacocca
A third room bears more resemblance to a video
game arcade, as teams of year 7 girls compete
against each other using PlayStation Dance mats to
“Always forgive your
create a routine for Lady GaGa’s Poker Face.
enemies; nothing annoys
Ms King tells me: “Not everyone wants to play
football, although that is obviously part of what we
them so much.”
offer.
“But, a bit like the café area, we want to give
Oscar Wilde
students a good choice and a good range of activities
to get involved in, so that they are more likely to get
“The liberally educated
the most out of it.”
There have, of course, been difficulties for the person is one who is able
Basildon Academies in its opening six months, with
parents and teachers having to accept huge changes
to resist the easy and
to the way education in the area operates.
But the efforts of Mr Roach, Ms King and the rest
preferred answers not
of the school staff are slowly turning perceptions
because he is obstinate, but
around, and the coming years will reveal how
successful the new initiatives – from the college
because he knows others
system to the overhaul of school sport – have been.
worthy of consideration.”
Further information
Allan Bloom
www.basildonacademies.org.uk
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The new school launch, as daunting a process as so they are less likely to miss out on class time by
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it was, gave Mr Roach and his staff the opportunity travelling across what is quite a big campus.
to start afresh – with a completely blank canvas. “They all have their own key-cards as well, to get
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This included a new school uniform, two new in and out off their own college areas, so it feels like
principals to lead the campuses, and a new logo their own space.”
featuring a lion (courage), a scroll (academic Under the college system, each student is
excellence) and a torch (vitality and truth). Every allocated a “mentor group” of 12 pupils, allowing
detail has been analysed, including the food in the teachers to keep closer tabs on the progress being
canteen, which has been revolutionised with a new made.
“stealthy, not healthy” approach. Even the chocolate There are plans to introduce inter-college sports
cake has beetroot in the recipe to help ensure competitions in order to galvanise the college spirit,
students can get their five-a-day. and it is hoped that the smaller class sizes that the
“When we were discussing the possibility of system allows will help to boost academic results.
merging the two schools, we were insistent that it Although there are early signs of success, there is
became a hard federation, and one that we would no denying that establishing the Basildon Academies
have complete control over,” Mr Roach told me. – and implementing a two-campus system – has
“We wanted to do it our way, and although it is placed a huge amount of stress on both the teaching
a big ask, and it will take a while to settle down, we staff and the students.
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are very hopeful that the new school will see some At the start of this academic year, students who
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great improvements in results.” had previously been attending year 8 at the then
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One of the most ambitious changes that Mr Chalvedon School had to relocate to the Barstable
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Roach has introduced is the academies’ college site for year 9, and will return to the old Chalvedon
system.
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site next year.
The school is split into 15 colleges which, when Before the merger, Chalvedon consistently out-
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at capacity, will each contain 150 students. There performed Barstable in the school league tables.
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is also a 6th form that can take up to 500 post-16 Mr Roach said: “It is quite hard to break
learners. perceptions, and I think a lot of parents still view the
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Each college is allocated its own space within two sites in terms of the old schools, and they carry
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the school, and every lesson (with the exception of over some of their opinions. However, this was
8
PE and the expressive arts) takes place within this always going to be the case, and we are confident
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“mini-school”. that it won’t be a long-term thing.
The idea is to reduce the amount of movement “Teachers who have been with us for a while also
that students have to undertake between lessons, have to get into the routine of teaching across two A g 8 i Z k m g ^ k l a b i 8 p b m a
and give them a sense of belonging to a particular sites, which can also take some getting used to.”
college. Among the other changes brought in since the
Zoë King, principal of the Lower Academy, told federation launched are a longer school day.
me: “The students only have to leave their own Students at the Lower Academy start at 8:30am
schools if they want to take part in PE or drama, and finish at 3pm, while those in the Upper Academy
SecEd • March 11 2010 9
08-09 Confis.indd 9 8/3/10 16:35:16
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