Basildon Academies

The Basildon Academies
Motto Aspire-Believe-Achieve
Established 2009
Type Academy
Headteacher Gary Smith
Deputy Headteachers April Guinea, Vicky Oddy, Louise Sherman
Assistant Headteacher Keystage 5 Laura Hayers
Location Basildon
Essex
England
Local authority Essex
DfE URN 115316 Tables
Ofsted Reports
Staff ~300
Students ~2500
Gender Mixed
Ages 11–19
Website www.basildonacademies.org.uk

The Basildon Academies is an 11-19 comprehensive school located in Basildon, Essex, UK.

The Academies

The Academies are situated across two sites: the Lower Academy (for 11- to 14-year-olds) and the Upper Academy (for 14- to 19-year-olds). There is a Sixth Form on the Upper Academy site. The Academies opened in 2009, under the sponsorship of The Stanton Lane Educational Trust. Both Academies are housed in modern buildings.[1]

Curriculum and exam results

Since 2012, The Basildon Academies curriculum has been expanded to cater for a wider range of interests and competences. This includes the introduction of Latin,[2] along with a number of vocational courses at both GCSE and A Level. In 2012 Basildon Academies received a Warning Letter from Lord Hill at the Department for Education because of the "unacceptably low" standards.[3] The Upper Academy’s GCSE results for 2013 continued a four-year trend of improvement, with the proportion of students achieving 5 or more A*-C grades (including English and Maths) rising to 46%, demonstrating an increase of 25 percentage points since 2009.[4] This confirmed the Academies as the second best-performing school in Basildon at that point in time.[5] To put the GCSE results into perspective, the data trend for the government league table measure of 5 GCSE's at A*-C grades including English and Maths has been as follows:

Year 5 GCSEs (A*-C) including English and Maths
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
28%
32%
45%
46%
28%
33%
48%[6]

In 2012 there was an increase in demand for Sixth Form places.[7] A Level results in 2013 also showed improvement on the previous year: the percentage of students gaining 3 or more A Levels (including equivalent BTEC qualifications), with all students securing 3 or more A Levels being offered a place at their first-choice university. In 2015 A level results showed that the 35 A level students obtained an average of a D grade.[8]

Ofsted

In November 2015, both the Lower and Upper Academies were inspected by Ofsted. Recognising the improvements made since the previous visits, inspectors rated both Academies ‘Good’ for leadership and management and behaviour and safety of students, and removed both Lower and Upper from special measures.[9][10] They noted that achievement has shown continued progression, with ambitious targets ensuring that these improvements will be sustained over the coming years.[11][12]

Sixth Form

The Sixth Form is located on the Upper Academy site, and provides both academic and vocational qualifications to students. Dedicated Sixth Form facilities provide students with their own space within the Upper Academy building, and the sponsor provides work experience opportunities and visits to universities.

References

  1. ↑ Green light for 'super school' The Echo, 11 July 2007, retrieved 20 November 2011
  2. ↑ Struggling school's Latin lessons to lift standards The Echo, 7 August 2012, retrieved October 2012/
  3. ↑ Warning Notice to the Basildon Academies, 2012, p1 retrieved 5 Nov 2015
  4. ↑ Upper Academy Department for Education performance tables
  5. ↑ Basildon Academies tops league table for GCSE results in town Thurrock Gazette 26 January 2013, retrieved 13 March 2014
  6. ↑ DfE Performance and Attainment Tables, retrieved 5 Nov 2015
  7. ↑ Four-hour queue at Basildon Academies for Sixth Form places The Echo, 31 August 2012, retrieved 27 October 2012
  8. ↑ Basildon Academies 16-18 Performance Tables retrieved 5 Nov 2015
  9. ↑ Troubled academies turning the corner The Echo, 2 January 2014, retrieved 13 March 2014
  10. ↑ Academy taken out of special measures The Echo, 6 February 2014, retrieved 13 March 2014
  11. ↑ Lower Academy Ofsted report, October 2013
  12. ↑ Upper Academy Ofsted report, December 2013

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