1. Admissions Talk
for entry in
September 2010
It is my very great pleasure to welcome you
to
The Leigh Technology
Academy
Chief Executive, Leigh
Academies Trust
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2. Admissions Talk
• Introduction and
Purpose
• Background
• Philosophy
• Achievements
• Admissions
Procedure
• Next steps
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3. Background
• Opened in 1990 as The Leigh CTC
• Independent of Local Authority (Kent)
• Funded directly by government
• “To find new ways to raise standards”
• 2007 becomes The Leigh Technology
Academy
• 2008 Leigh Academies Trust established that
now governs The Leigh and Longfield
Academies
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4. Now
• Leigh Academies Trust runs two schools
– The Leigh Technology Academy
– Longfield Academy (formerly Axton Chase)
• One Board of Governors
• Principals/Headteachers at each Academy
• Frank Green – CEO of Trust
– Executive Principal of both Academies
• 240 Students in Y7 at The Leigh 1500 total
• 180 Students in Y7 at Longfield 1150 total
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5. The Leigh Technology
Academy
Four Colleges as One Academy
To balance smallness with breadth of opportunity, we have created
four small colleges. Each College has around 375 students.
The Leigh Technology Academy is divided into
Brunel College Mr Tony Ryan
Chaucer College Mr Pete Finnegan
Darwin College Mr Mark Poulter
Da Vinci College Ms Maggie Leah-Wilkinson
• Our specialisms are Technology, Sport and Business
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7. Culture
• Education through Technology
• Enhanced Technology, Sport,
Business
• Vocational and Academic Learning
• Responsibility,
• Commitment
• Confidence
• Standards and Expectations
• Innovation
• Highly qualified and gifted teachers
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8. Standards and
Expectations
• Behaviour and
Manners
• Motivation and Self
Belief
• Discipline and Self
Control
• Achievement and
Expectation
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9. The Leigh ‘keys’
• Modular culture: 6 equal units of learning a
year, 6 assessments, 6 reports
• 4 Schools within the Academy: human scale
education
• Vertical Tutor groups across whole Academy
• Vertical Curriculum: 2 Year KS3, 2/3year KS4,
2/3year KS5
• Vocational programmes as entitlement for all in
KS4
• Industrial links in all areas of Learning
• Leadership capacity: All senior staff are
involved in working with other schools and
organisations
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10. Modular Learning
• Half term units
• Regular assessments
• Regular reports
• Target setting
• Discussion of
methods
• Negotiated grades
• Ownership
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11. The Leigh Technology Academy
Learning and Teaching
• Varied Learning spaces
– normal classrooms
– double size classrooms
– learning resource plazas
• Classes of 20 students per teacher
working individually or combined,
depending on circumstance
• Varied sessions from 60 minutes to 3hours
• 60 – 70% of lessons will be within their
College in Years 7-11
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12. Vertical Structures
• Vertical Curriculum
– 2 years for Key Stage 3
– Up to 3 years for Key Stage 4
– Up to 3 years for Sixth Form studies
• Vertical Tutoring
– Tutor groups contain students of all
ages
– From 11 to 19
– Creates a sense of family
– Provides support
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13. Achievements
• 96% of Y11 students gained
5 A*-C grades at GCSE in
2009
• 43% including English and
Mathematics
• A-level results:
533 points per candidate
• 60+ students to University
each year
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14. Achievements
• More vocational
courses than most
other schools
• More work related
learning
– Industrial/Business
focus in all areas of
curriculum
– WRL activities from Y8
– Overseas placements
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15. Some of our High Achievers
• Justin Langford, David Pickersgill, Barry Hunt,
Sukdeep Mato, Stacy Rowan, Robin Williams,
Alistair Goss, Graham Linfield
– First Class Honours degrees
• Julie Dunkley
– Women’s Shot Putt Champion
• Glen Johnson, Ben May, Matthew Read
– Footballers in the Premiership and Championship
• Nikki Waterman
– Sports scholarship to USA university
• Mark Heather
– World Junior Sailing Champion
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16. Additional Facilities
• GOALS Soccer Centre
• 11 all weather pitches
• Community use, evenings
and week-ends
• Kent and Medway Training
Consortium of 17 schools
• 70 teachers a year are
trained here
• Ofsted grade 1 - Excellent
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21. Admissions Procedure
• The Academy is part of the Common
Admission Framework
• Applications in by 6 November 2009
– CAF to Kent or Bexley
• 4 preferences for Kent, 6 in London
– Supplementary form to The Leigh
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22. Admissions Procedure
• Ability Tests carried out at The Academy
on Saturday 28 November to place all
applicants into one of 5 ability groups
• 1 March 2010 letters go out to parents with
offers.
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23. Admissions Procedure
Who gets in?
• All those looked after children and those with
Statements, that we have agreed should
name The College/Academy, are taken from
the total and will be offered places
• The remainder are divided into 5 ability
bands of equal numbers of applicants in
each, from which equal numbers of places
are allocated.
• The oversubscription criteria are then
applied if there are more applicants than
places.
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24. Admissions Procedure
Who gets in?
When oversubscribed, Admission criteria will
be applied in the following order:
1. Special consideration for social, medical
grounds
2. Siblings, elder sibling must be at the
Academy on 1 September 2010 to count
– Random allocation – remaining applicants in
each band listed alphabetically and selected
by random number generator until places are
filled.
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25. Admissions Procedure
• All applicants must be resident in the
catchment area: DA1 – 11, DA13, DA14,
BR8 and TN15 in West Kingsdown
• In total 168 places are allocated to the inner
catchment: Children who attend
– Brent, Craylands, Darenth, Fleetdown,
Gateway, Knockhall, Oakfield lane, St.
Anselms, Stone St. Mary’s, Sutton at
Hone, Manor Community, Temple Hill,
Wentworth, Westgate, West Hill, York
Road schools
• 72 places are allocated to the outer
catchment
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26. Admissions Procedure
• Last year - 900 applications were received by
the deadline
• 240 students admitted
• 59 Appeals were heard and 3 places were
offered
• This year 240 places are available at The Leigh
and 180 places Longfield
• Need to apply to be considered
• …….. chances of a place are a little better than
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27. Evidence
• Talk to the students
• Talk to the staff
• Look at the website:
www.leighacademy.org.uk
• Talk to other parents
• Prospectus
• Ofsted Report, DfES audit, Investors In
People report.
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28. DfES audit report, 2006
• “The College is led by an inspirational Principal
who has established a culture of rigorous self-
evaluation and continuous improvement”
• “The College is a powerful, confident and
successful institution which has improved
steadily since its inception and which has the
capacity to go on improving”
• “A striking feature of the audit was the support
given by students to the values and ethos of the
College”
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29. DfES audit report, 2006
• “Particularly impressive are the pace of change
and sustained improvement over a long period,
the willingness to tackle underperformance, and
the ambition to go on improving”
• “The College is calm and purposeful. Its links
with other educational institutions, especially
primary schools and higher education, are of a
very high quality.”
• “Students of all ages spoke of pride in their
College and all described a safe environment
which celebrates success and encourages
learning and achievement.”
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30. Ofsted Letter 2009
• “The progress made by students over Years 7 to 11, as
seen in the 2008 examination results, was high overall
and reflects the academy’s care to ensure that students
take courses that meet their needs and abilities.”
• “Staff and students speak about recent changes with real
enthusiasm and pride. The academy’s core values
emphasise enterprise, partnership, achievement and
respect and are having a positive impact on students’
lives.”
• “Students are confident, polite and welcoming and show
a good sense of independence because the academy
encourages this. They show great respect for the
buildings and the high quality facilities available to them.”
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31. Investors In People report 2009
• “The Leigh Technology Academy is a centre of educational
excellence serving the whole community of Dartford. Students
meet and work together in a well-ordered and harmonious
community.
The Academy is a high-performing organisation which takes
students of all abilities.
Its success is built on the traditional values of pride, respect
and hard work in a modern, hi-tech learning environment ”
• “The Academy is a remarkable community of people and the
culture underpinning the Investors in People Standard remains
embedded, indeed, the Academy is clearly an example of good
practice and this is something that other organisations can
learn from.”
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32. Investors in People report 2009
• “The Academy is a remarkably innovative organisation
and has a very clear vision for its future success which is
openly shared and understood by everyone. People
work together well and associate strongly with their
respective Colleges and teams, and there is a clear
sense of belonging.”
• “There is great energy within the Academy and people
have a strong desire to perform well in everything they
do, people at all levels are innovative and share a
common vision for success, everyone is very proud of
the local and national recognition of the Academy’s
achievements.”
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33. Longfield Academy
Achieving Excellence Together
• Part of Leigh Academies Trust
• Will grow to 1150 students
• Embedding the Leigh ‘keys’ underway
• 3 Colleges, 3 Principals
• New building about to begin and ready in
2010/11 school year
• 180 intake to Year 7
• Freedom pass makes travel affordable
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34. Longfield Academy
Achieving Excellence Together
• Examination results 2009
– 50% of Y11 students gained 5A*-C grades
– 35% gained 5A*-C grades including English
and Mathematics
• Admissions
– 180 places in Y7 (140 Sept 2009)
– Distance will be main criterion when
oversubscribed
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38. It is not the strongest of the
species that survive, nor the
most intelligent, but the one
most responsive to change.
- Charles Darwin
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39. “We are what
we repeatedly
do. Excellence
then is not an
act, but a habit”
Aristotle, 384 – 322BC
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40. The Leigh Technology Academy
Thank you,
and
please remember that
5.00pm, 6 November
2009
is the closing date for
applications.
Web: www.leighacademy.org.uk
e-mail: info@leighacademy.org.uk
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