Shireland Collegiate Academy is a
coeducational
Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...
secondary school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...
and
sixth form
In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...
in the English
academy
An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy ...
programme, located in
Smethwick
Smethwick () is an industrial town in Sandwell, West Midlands, England. It lies west of Birmingham city centre. Historically it was in Staffordshire.
In 2019, the ward of Smethwick had an estimated population of 15,246, while the wider bu ...
,
West Midlands
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, built during the early 20th century. Originally called Shireland High School, and later Shireland Language College, the school re-named as Shireland Collegiate Academy in 2007.
The Academy, and its predecessor schools were run by Sir
Mark Grundy
Sir Mark Grundy is an English educationalist. He is the CEO and former headteacher of Shireland Collegiate Academy in Smethwick, England. He was knighted in 2006 for his work at both Shireland and George Salter Academy in West Bromwich
We ...
since 1997 who was knighted for his services to education for his work within the school and its partner Academy, before David Irish took over. Shireland Collegiate Academy were in a partnership with George Salter until September 2011 when George Salter decided to join the
Ormiston Academies Trust
Ormiston Trust is a charitable trust based in London, England. It is a grant-making trust that chiefly assists schools and organisations supporting children and young people.
The trust was established in the memory of Fiona Ormiston Murray who d ...
and Shireland became a stand-alone Academy. The Academy is fully sponsored by Microsoft. The Academy gained 'Teaching School' status in March 2013.
Sir Mark Grundy is now the CEO of Shireland Collegiate Trust, whose headquarters are based at the Academy
The Academy was rated as Outstanding in 2011 and again following a no-notice inspection in 2013.
Inspections
In the most recent inspection the Academy gained an Outstanding rating overall and in each of the four assessed areas under the new Ofsted framework:
* Achievement of Pupils
* Quality of Teaching
* Behaviour and Safety of Pupils
* Leadership and Management
The report leads with "This is an exceptional academy, which has maintained and built upon the very high standards seen at the last inspection."
----
In the previous inspection, the Academy was granted an Outstanding rating by Paul Brooker, Lead Inspector for Academies. The Academy gained outstanding judgments for the following areas:
* Overall Judgement
* Quality of pupils' learning and their progress
* The extent to which students feel safe
* The extent to which pupils contribute to the school and wider community
* Pupils' attendance
* The quality of teaching
* The use of assessment to support learning
* The effectiveness of care, guidance and support
* The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement
* The effectiveness of the school's engagement with parents and carers
* The effectiveness of partnerships in promoting learning and well-being
* The effectiveness with which the school promotes equality of opportunity and tackles discrimination
* The effectiveness of safeguarding procedures
* The effectiveness with which the school promotes community cohesion
* Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage
The Academy is notable for being the only school to go from 'Special Measures' (the lowest possible rating) to 'Outstanding" (the highest possible rating) in one step.
Examination results
In 2012/13, the Academy posted the following results:
* 58% of students at the end of Year 11 obtained 5 or more A*-C
GCSE
The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a particular subject, taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. Private sc ...
grades including English and Mathematics.
* 87% of students at the end of Year 11 obtained 5 or more A*-C GCSE grades not including English and Mathematics.
* At Post-16 97% of students obtained an
A-Level
The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational aut ...
pass at E grade or above.
* 79% of students made 3 levels of expected progress in Mathematics and 82% in English.
In 2011/12, the Academy posted the following results:
* 47% of students at the end of Year 11 obtained 5 or more A*-C GCSE grades including English and Mathematics.
* 90% of students at the end of Year 11 obtained 5 or more A*-C GCSE grades not including English and Mathematics.
* At Post-16 92% of students obtained an A-Level pass at E grade or above.
In 2011/12 the overall Academy attendance figure was 94.6%.
Curriculum
The Academy operates an unusual curriculum at Key Stage 3. Students are taught for 17 hours with the same teacher in Year 7, 13 hours in Year 8 and 8 hours in Year 9. These groups are taught under the badge of Literacy for Life (L4L) a competency based curriculum taught in a number of thematic units. This methodology is based on the Re-inventing Schools Coalition (RISC) work pioneered in Alaska.
There is a heavy focus on the use of technology, with over 600 students having their own personal netbook. The Academy is part of the CDI Apps for Good programme and was named school of the year in 2012.
E-learning and school based company
The Academy has a School Based Company Shireland Learning which provides e-learning support and consultancy. They are responsible for the creation of the Shireland Learning Gateway, a virtual learning environment and management tool based on
Microsoft Sharepoint
SharePoint is a web-based collaborative platform that integrates natively with Microsoft Office. Launched in 2001, SharePoint is primarily sold as a document management and storage system, but the product is highly configurable and its usage v ...
technology. The gateway has been used by as many as 130 schools both within and beyond the United Kingdom. This work was used as the focal point of the opening of the
BETT
Bett or The Bett Show (formerly known as the British Educational Training and Technology Show) is a global series of education shows organised by Hyve Group marketing information technology in education. The flagship show is located in the UK, w ...
show in 2010 and in the main address by the Schools Minister, Lord
Jim Knight
James Philip Knight, Baron Knight of Weymouth, (born 6 March 1965) is a British politician who served as Minister for the South West and Minister of State for Employment and Welfare Reform from 2009 to 2010. A member of the Labour Party an ...
.
Composition
The Department of Education School Level Census 2010 lists the composition of the Academy as follows:
Total Pupils on Roll: 1260
Significant Ethnic Populations:
Gender Split:
The Academy also has an onsite nursery.
References
External links
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Academies in Sandwell
Smethwick
Secondary schools in Sandwell