Gosforth Academy Sixth Form College
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Gosforth Academy (formerly Gosforth High School) is an English
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) ...
in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne. As well as having a sixth form department it is a
specialist Specialist may refer to: Occupations * Specialist (rank), a military rank ** Specialist (Singapore) * Specialist (arena football) * Specialist degree, in academia * Specialty (medicine) * Designated market maker, in the American stock market * ...
Language College. Many of its mainstream students come from three large feeder middle schools: Gosforth Central Middle School, Gosforth East Middle School and Gosforth Junior High Academy. It also houses a large sixth form college, where the majority of the lower school students continue their studies. There is a Special education centre within the school to aid students who need it. The school houses 'Gosforth Community Education', which provides courses for adults within the local community. The school is also a regional centre for young people with visual impairment. Both Gosforth Academy and Gosforth Junior High Academy are managed under a single company, Gosforth Federated Academies Limited, incorporated 5 November 2010.


History

The school was founded in 1973 through the merger of two local comprehensive schools with Gosforth Grammar School.


1921–1944

In 1921 Gosforth Secondary School opened. The first permanent buildings were built in the late 1920s. The site was on the opposite side of the Great North Road, to the current site.


1944–1973

Due to the
Education Act 1944 The Education Act 1944 (7 and 8 Geo 6 c. 31) made major changes in the provision and governance of secondary schools in England and Wales. It is also known as the "Butler Act" after the President of the Board of Education, R. A. Butler. Historians ...
the school became Gosforth Grammar School in 1944. In the early 1960s the current site of the School began to be used.


1973–2000

In 1973 the local council adopted the three-tier education system. Following this, the Grammar school was combined with Gosforth County Secondary School and Gosforth East County Secondary School, and Gosforth High School was born. The high school moved permanently to the 1960s site. The site on which Gosforth Grammar stood is now used by Gosforth Central Middle School. The Grammar School building was used by Central Middle, until it was replaced in 2004.


2000–2010

Between 2000 and 2002 the school buildings were renovated, and the new facilities were opened by the prime minister Tony Blair on 29 November 2002. This visit took place at the time of strike action by
firefighter A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...
s, who jeered Blair outside the school, gaining media attention. This new building cost a total of £9 million, of which £6.3 million came from a government grant, "New Deal for Schools", £1.85 million from "Newcastle Great Park" and £800,000 from Newcastle City Council. After the completion of the new buildings, which bear a striking resemblance to airport architecture, the old 'West Wing' was demolished in 2004. Keith Nancekievill left the school to take up the head teachers post at
Hinchingbrooke School Hinchingbrooke School is a large secondary school situated on the outskirts of Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire, historically in Huntingdonshire. Originally all of the surrounding land—including what is now Huntingdon Town—comprised the grounds ...
, Cambridgeshire, in February 2003 after being head at Gosforth for 15 years. Nancekievill was succeeded by Hugh Robinson who served as head teacher/principal between 2003 and 2020. In September 2006, a new discipline system was introduced, known as the 'PRAISE Code' (Perform, Reward, Achieve, Inspire, Succeed, Excel).


Junior School

In September 2006, Gosforth High took over the administration duties of ''
Gosforth West Middle School Gosforth Junior High Academy, formerly known as Gosforth West Middle School is a middle school in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the Junior School of Gosforth Academy. It is one of three middle schools where students usually tr ...
'', in a Federation style agreement. The Federation came into action on 1 January 2007 and Gosforth West was later renamed ''Gosforth Junior High School'' after the 2007 Easter break.


The future as an Academy

In December 2010, the high school became an academy, known as ''Gosforth Academy'', as did the Junior School, now Gosforth Junior High Academy. The Junior Academy building was replaced with a new building which opened in September 2011, replacing the 1930s buildings. The Academy also opened its long anticipated sports facilities. In 2015 the academy unveiled a bid to build an additional 1,200-place secondary school in
Newcastle Great Park Newcastle Great Park is a new suburb in the north of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Much of Newcastle Great Park is still under development and is sandwiched in between older areas of Newcastle, namely Gosforth, Fawdon and Kingston Park to the so ...
as potential plan to meet the demand for school places from the expanding residential community in the area that is adjacent to Gosforth. In 2018 Seaton Burn College became part of Gosforth Federated Academies and was renamed
North Gosforth Academy North Gosforth Academy is a co-educational secondary school located in Seaton Burn, Tyne and Wear, England. It has a specialism in business and enterprise. In 2018 it became a member of Gosforth Federated Academies. North Gosforth Academy o ...
. In November 2020 Preit Chahal succeeded Hugh Robinson as Principal; Robinson remains as CEO of the Academy.


Achievements

The academy is a designated ambassador school for the
National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth The National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth (NAGTY) was based at the University of Warwick and was founded in 2002 by a government (DfES) initiative for high-achieving secondary students in England. It closed in August 2007, after Warwick U ...
, in addition to becoming a beacon school in 2001. Gosforth Academy is currently the only school with DFES "Training School" status in Newcastle and has been a specialist Language College since 1996. In 1999, the school gained
Investors in People Investors in People is a standard for people management, offering accreditation to organisations that adhere to the Investors in People Standard. From 1991 to January 2017, Investors in People was owned by the UK government. As of 1 February 20 ...
accreditation. In 2008 at the first gathering of the High Performing Schools group, Gosforth High School was recognised as being ranked in the top 10% of schools nationally and the highest performing school in Newcastle. In March 2008,
Ofsted The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a Non-ministerial government department, non-ministerial department of Government of the United Kingdom, His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament of the U ...
inspected the school and rated it 'outstanding'. Coupled with the improved 2008 exam results the school has been classified as a high performing specialist school for the next four years.


Emblem

The school's emblem has 3 main parts: the tree of growth and knowledge, the badge of Newcastle city and the Northumberland coat of arms. For a period of time the school's motto had been "High Achievers".


Facilities

Gosforth Academy has a wide range of quality of facilities. Some areas are in desperate need of modernisation whilst some are up-to-date. Much of the original 1960s building of the then High School no longer exists. Gosforth Academy's present building is actually 2 buildings; one building has 2 floors and the other 3 and a half floors (the half being a Mezzanine Level which is currently used as an art gallery and a computer suite). This difference in buildings can be clearly seen when you are crossing between the two via stairs. The room numbers for the bottom floor begin with a zero; the middle floor room numbers begin with a one; and the top floor room numbers begin with two. The 2002 building cost a total of £9 million. Companies that assisted with the construction of the 2002 building included Newcastle City Design Department, Multicare and Desco. Desco handled the Mechanical and Electrical services for Phase 3, costing £3 million. The school is also part of the "
Building Schools for the Future Building Schools for the Future (BSF) was the name given to the British government's investment programme in secondary school buildings in England in the 2000s. The programme was ambitious in its costs, timescales and objectives, with politicia ...
" Initiative. In 2009 plans to extend the back of the school with a new sports hall were accepted. Building commenced soon after, and was unaffected by the change in the Building Schools for the Future policy. A multimillion-pound gym full of P.E. equipment was built ready for use by September 2011. This is accompanied by a 9-court sports hall.


Facility list

The school has: * 15 Science laboratories * 12 ICT rooms (some assigned to a particular subject) * 2 large libraries (Goodfellow and Cousins) * A large art department * A sixth form
common room A common room is a type of shared lounge, most often found in halls of residence or dormitories, at (for example) universities, colleges, military bases, hospitals, rest homes, hostels, and even minimum-security prisons. They are generally con ...
* A smaller year 11 common room * A fully equipped Drama studio * 3 small Music practice rooms * A dance studio * One Gym * One Indoor Sports Court ( badminton, basketball &
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
) * One Indoor 9 court Sports Hall ( badminton, basketball, hockey &
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
) * 2 Outdoor Sports Courts ( tennis, hockey, basketball, netball, football) * One Weight-Training room. * A Student Support Base, which also contains a police base for the area. The school also has facilities for young people with visual impairment. The two libraries are the Cousins Library, a new library which opened on 8 September 2008 a library for years 9, 10 and 11, and the Old Library, known as the Learning Resource Centre or LRC for sixth form. The school is able to teach many languages; their mainstream teaching for Modern European languages is concentrated in
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
,
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
, Italian and Spanish.


Computer facilities

There are over 50 computers in total in the libraries and 12 dedicated computer rooms. Most of the classrooms have interactive whiteboards (most of which ar
Promethean ACTIVboards
. A combination of wired and wireless networks allowing teachers to use their laptops anywhere. The register in the school is taken via computer, using a
Student information system A student information system (SIS), student management system, school administration software or student administration system is a management information system for education sector establishments used to manage student data. It integrates student ...
, called SIMS.net, which uses the main PC system. The school also utilises a Virtual learning environment, under the Frog platform. In the past the school had used a
Bromcom Bromcom Computers plc is a British technology company. It provides schools and colleges with a Management Information System and handheld data capture devices to record and track pupil performance. History Bromcom Computers plc (Bromcom) was ...
hand-held student information system for taking register and had computer workstations provided by
Elonex Elonex is a British computer hardware and related IT services company that develops eBook Readers, Android eTouch Tablets, and other consumer electronics. History Elonex was founded in Finchley, London in 1986 by the German-born Israel Wetri ...
Systems.


Sports department

The current Sport@Gosforth building was officially opened by former students
Alan Shearer Alan Shearer CBE DL (born 13 August 1970) is an English football pundit and retired football player and manager who played as a striker. Widely regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation and one of the greatest players in Premie ...
and
Kathryn Tickell Kathryn Tickell, OBE, DL (born 8 June 1967) is an English musician, noted for playing the Northumbrian smallpipes and fiddle. Music career Early life Kathryn Tickell was born in Walsall, then in Staffordshire, to parents who originated from N ...
on 3 October 2011. The school had been planning to replace the previous indoor sports courts with a modern sports facility for many years. The previous indoor sports courts which had earned the nickname "The Shed" by students and teachers alike in the school was demolished in early 2010. Some of the plans were to have 8 new sports courts within the new building and provision for "all-weather pitches". The current building is a 2-storey sports hall, activities suite and classroom extension to south and west elevation to existing school, with a synthetic turf pitch and 6 × 15 m high lighting columns. The planning application was submitted on 25 November 2008 by AURA Ltd, a local education partnership company in which the council has a 10% share, and was conditionally granted on 5 March 2009. Building work by contractors Sir Robert McAlpine commenced late in the summer of 2009, on the all-weather pitch, and the all-new sports facilities were completed by summer 2011. The synthetic turf pitch was first used on 2 December 2009, and is available for lettings out of school hours. In total the new facilities include a 6 court Sports Hall, new changing rooms, a Fitness Suite, a Climbing wall, a master classroom and a large flexible learning space. These new facilities have now been opened as a state-of-the-art sports centre which facilitates the needs of the pupils and the community. It has been given the name Sport@Gosforth. The Newcastle Falcons rugby team and their Academy have linked up with the School in an apprenticeship scheme; in 2007 eight students joined the rugby academy for two years. England and Newcastle Falcons player Jamie Blamire was a product of this scheme. In 2012, the Year 9 squash team won the national championship for squash, with the football team winning the City Cup.


Post-16 sixth form

Rated as one of the best 6th form colleges in the Newcastle upon Tyne area, Gosforth Academy's Sixth Form College offers a larger array of subjects, which its students can study. Not only can students study traditional AS and A-Level subjects, but the 6th form also offers newer qualifications such as BTEC First Diplomas, BTEC National Certificates and
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 ...
re-sits.


Location

Gosforth Academy is located on Knightsbridge, connecting to a section of the Great North Road in the Parklands electoral ward. The school is opposite the Asda Gosforth superstore (formerly a multi-use stadium), near a small M&S store and the Regent Centre business complex. Between the school and Regent Centre Metro Station there is a modern apartment block (formerly a Territorial Army centre) and on the other side of the front field there are a set of shops, including BP petrol station. Many students use the local
metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...
and bus systems to travel to the school, due to the proximity of Regent Centre transport Interchange to the school. The school field also runs parallel to the metro line, including a short platform used for reversing the direction of Metro trains going out of service. The edge of the back field, next to the 'West Wing' is the location of Grange First School.


Results

In 2013, the school achieved the highest GCSE results in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. 78% of its students achieved the Goldmark 5 GCSE Passes (A*-C) including English and Maths. The GCSE Goldmark and A-Level results score by year for 2006 to 2011 are listed below:


Ofsted report 2008

In March 2008, Gosforth High School was rated as outstanding by Ofsted. Ofsted noted that "students of all backgrounds often make outstanding progress in all aspects of their development because they are exceptionally well cared for and supported". Guidance at key points in their school career and with health, social or personal problems was seen to be very good, particularly the personal and academic were seen as excellent. The management and leadership were noted as being outstanding. Ofsted also highlighted that the behaviour within the school, both in and out of class was excellent, enabling a safe environment. The overall teaching quality was marked as "usually good" with some "inspirational" lessons. The school was deemed to have made good progress since the last inspection. Ofsted outlined two main items needed to be improved in the future which were that lesson observations had to focus on the effectiveness of learning and that work given was matched better to the ability of the student. In April 2011, Ofsted conducted an interim assessment on the school. This was because, as part of the 2011 Education Bill, schools previously assessed to be outstanding, were inspected to ensure they had maintained their standard. If they had done so, they would no longer be inspected, until Ofsted received any concerning information. Gosforth Academy was deemed to have maintained the "outstanding" rating previously given in March 2008.


Feeder schools

There are three middle schools in Gosforth, one of which is federated with the Academy (High School), that act as feeder schools to the Academy (High School): *
Gosforth Central Middle School Gosforth is a suburb of the city and metropolitan borough of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It constituted a separate Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland), urban district from 1895 until 1974 before officially merging with the city of New ...
* Gosforth East Middle School * Gosforth Junior High Academy


Notable alumni

:''See :People educated at Gosforth Academy''


Gosforth Grammar School


Gosforth High School


Gosforth Academy


References


External links


Gosforth Federated Academies

Gosforth Academy Main School

Gosforth Academy Sixth Form

Sport@Gosforth

School information
at Newcastle City Council {{authority control Educational institutions established in 1921 Academies in Newcastle upon Tyne Upper schools in Newcastle upon Tyne 1921 establishments in England