Greenacre Academy (formerly Greenacre School and before that Walderslade Boys School), is a boys'

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) ...

with shared

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 ...

located in

Walderslade Walderslade is a large suburb in Kent to the south of Chatham split between the unitary authority of Medway and the boroughs of Maidstone and Tonbridge & Malling in South East England. It was, until 1998, fully part of Kent and is still ceremo ...

in the

English county The counties of England are areas used for different purposes, which include administrative, geographical, cultural and political demarcation. The term "county" is defined in several ways and can apply to similar or the same areas used by each ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

History

The school was designed by Richard Sheppard, Robson & Partners and opened in the late 1950s.Pevsner West Kent & Weald, page 591.

Medway Medway is a unitary authority district and conurbation in Kent, South East England. It had a population of 278,016 in 2019. The unitary authority was formed in 1998 when Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with the Borough of Gillingham to for ...

, as a former part of Kent retains selection, so Walderslade Boys School opened as a

Secondary Modern A secondary modern school is a type of secondary school that existed throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland from 1944 until the 1970s under the Tripartite System. Schools of this type continue in Northern Ireland, where they are usually ...

. It had the status of an 11-18 community school school converted to academy status on 1 April 2012 and was renamed Greenacre Academy.

Governance

It was previously a community school administered by

Medway Council Medway Council is the local authority of Medway in Kent, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. The council was created on 1 April 1998 and replaced Rochester-upon-Med ...

; the school converted to academy status on 1 April 2012 and was renamed Greenacre Academy. The school continues to coordinate with Medway Council for admissions. It is part of the Skills for life trust, which contains: Greenacre Academy, Walderslade Girls School, Warren Wood Primary Academy, Chantry Community Academy, Hilltop Primary Academy, Kloisters Kindergarten and Pre-School, PGW Sixth Form and Greenacre Sports Partnership.

Academics

Ofsted rated this as a Good School in 2014 and 2018, but lowered to an inadequate in 2023. The school is strong in establishing good behaviour as one of its 'Skills for Life'. Pupils enter the school with lower than average literacy skills which are targeted. The school offers a three-year

Key Stage 3 Key Stage 3 (commonly abbreviated as KS3) is the legal term for the three years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9, when pupils are aged between 11 and 14. In Northern Ireland the ...

where the core subjects of the National Curriculum are taught. At

Key Stage 4 Key Stage 4 (KS4) is the legal term for the two years of school education which incorporate GCSEs, and other examinations, in maintained schools in England normally known as Year 10 and Year 11, when pupils are aged between 14 and 16 by August 31. ...

, the academy offers

GCSEs 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 ...

, BTECs,

OCR Nationals OCR Nationals are vocationally related qualifications which were officially launched by the OCR Board in September 2004. The qualifications are designed to meet the needs of those seeking vocational education in place of the traditional, theory-i ...

and

NVQs National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) are practical work-based awards in England, Wales and Northern Ireland that are achieved through assessment and training. The regulatory framework supporting NVQs was withdrawn in 2015 and replaced by the ...

as programmes of study for pupils. The subjects are English (Literature and Language), Maths, Science and Skills for Life. Students may study the English Baccalaureate as they are offered options of: Modern Foreign Languages, Computing and Humanities (History and Geography). Further choices are available to selected student. Ofsted considers the rate of progress for students at the lower end is good, but the higher ability pupils underperform. The school also operates a sixth form provision in partnership with Walderslade Girls' School, with students having the option to study from a range of

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 aut ...

and further BTECs.

References

External links

Greenacre Academy Trust official website
{{authority control Secondary schools in Medway Boys' schools in Kent Academies in Medway