The Thomas Deacon Academy is a mixed gender academy complex in the north of

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the ...

, comprising the Thomas Deacon Academy Secondary School 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 ...

and The Junior Academy for Key Stage 2 students.

Thomas Deacon Academy

The Thomas Deacon Academy is an

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 philosop ...

located in

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 by contractors Laing O'Rourke to a design by

Foster and Partners Foster + Partners is a British architectural, engineering, and integrated design practice founded in 1967 as Foster Associates by Norman Foster. It is the largest architectural firm in the UK with over 1,500 employees in 13 studios worldwide ...

and Buro Happold, the academy's construction began in June 2005, and it opened to students in September 2007. The academy houses approximately 2,200 students ranging from ages 11–19 and was built on the site of

Deacon's School Deacon's School was located in Dogsthorpe, Peterborough, England. In 2007, the school was demolished and replaced by the Thomas Deacon Academy. History The school opened in 1721 as Mr. Deacon's Charity School in Cowgate. In his will, Thomas D ...

in Queen's Gardens, Dogsthorpe. In the summer of 2016, it partnered with The Voyager Academy, eventually forming the Thomas Deacon Academy Education Trust. The total cost of the Thomas Deacon Academy is estimated at £46.4 million. The ''

Peterborough Evening Telegraph The ''Peterborough Telegraph'', or ''PT'' as it is known locally (formerly the ''Peterborough Evening Telegraph'' or ''ET''), is the local newspaper for the city of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, in the United Kingdom. It is based at New Priestga ...

'' has reported that this had risen to £50 million. Contributors to the academy include Peterborough City Council, Perkins Engines and Deacon's School Trust, a charity created by the will of

Thomas Deacon Thomas Deacon (2 September 1697 – 16 February 1753) was an English non-juror bishop, liturgical scholar and physician. He was born to William and Cecelia Deacon. After his mother married the nonjuror bishop Jeremy Collier, the young Deacon ...

in 1721. The teaching and student bodies combined the students and staff of three local schools:

John Mansfield School John Mansfield School was located in the Dogsthorpe area of Peterborough, England. The school opened in 1957, when the estate had just been completed, and was originally an all-girls school for those who failed the 11+. In 1981, it became a mixe ...

and Hereward Community College, all of which closed in July 2007. Thus allowing The academy to open in September of the same year. The academy initially offered the

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a two-year educational programme primarily aimed at 16-to-19-year-olds in 140 countries around the world. The programme provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into ...

to its

students as an alternative to

A-Levels 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 au ...

, but abandoned it in 2009 due to the IB being not cost-effective for the small number of students who choose to do it. An average day at the Academy starts at 8.45am and finishes at 3pm, but students may also attend after-school activities and additional lessons. The extra lessons can extend for a maximum of 2 hours after the end of the school day and are only scheduled for pupils in Key Stages 4 and 5. The school attracted controversy because it lacked a playground and no outside breaks were planned.

Junior College

The Junior College opened in September 2014. Functioning as a

junior school A Junior school is a type of school which provides primary education to children, often in the age range from 8 and 13, following attendance at Infant school which covers the age range 5–7. (As both Infant and Junior schools are giving Primary ...

, it accepts students between the ages of 7 to 11, within four separate, age grouped, 'school years' in accordance with the standard within the U.K. system, currently Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6, or the entirety of Key Stage 2. This cost of this new building is estimated to be around £7.2 million. The current head teacher of this school is Lucy Burks and the deputy head teacher is Emma Gowers. Other senior staff members include Andrew Carles and Natalie Armitage.

References

External links

School WebsiteHereward Community CollegePerkinsPeterborough City Council
{{authority control Educational institutions established in 2007 Academies in Peterborough 2007 establishments in England Secondary schools in Peterborough Primary schools in Peterborough