Two into one does go at Clacton Coastal Academy (From Gazette)

Two into one does go at Clacton Coastal Academy

8:00pm Thursday 26th August 2010 in Education

ACADEMIES made political headlines earlier this year when the new Government announced it expected most schools to adopt the system.

But, while politicians debated the rights and wrongs, in Tendring, teachers and pupils simply got on with the day-to-day life.

The Clacton Coastal Academy was established last September, by merging the under-achieving Colbayns High School with the struggling Bishops Park College, which had come out of special measures just weeks earlier.

Executive principal Stephen Chamberlain is pleased with the progress that has been made over the course of the year.

He says: “For our first year we have got the results we want to be looking at, but there is always more to be done.

“We have made very strong links and are part of a good partnership across Clacton.

“The students are getting higher marks, have better behaviour, better aspirations, and we have been listening to what they think. They have had quite a big say in how we run things, in what equipment we use and the structures of the school, and so on. We have a lot more to do with parents and the community.

“Parents are often very caring and aspirational, but they don’t know how to help out all of the time. We asked the parents of the new Year 7 what their worries were and discussed with them what they could expect.”

Working with the community may be the answer, but although one year may be a very long time in politics, it is a very short period in which to turn round not just one, but two struggling schools.

“The speed has been quite frightening to people at times,” says Mr Chamberlain. “But we have a duty to the pupils who are here now. It is about doing our best, not just in the future, but now and for every child.

“We have 320 staff and it’s hard for staff who have been in two different schools to feel as part of one academy. But I am delighted with the way they have dealt with everything thrown at them, including a new principal demanding ever higher and higher standards from them, and they have responded wonderfully.”

The Clacton Coastal Academy is run by the Academies Enterprise Trust, established two years ago, which oversees the finances for five academies, including four in Essex, and will shortly have two more.

Mr Chamberlain explains how resources and expertise are shared. He says: “At the student level, we have a joint student council between the four Essex academies and we have had inter-academy competitions, which will be increasing next year.

“As for teachers, we have joint training programmes, all provided as part of the wider group.”

Thus, Clacton Coastal Academy, which has more than 1,800 pupils and community centres at both its campuses, has made giant strides towards an even better year to come.

“I have really enjoyed the first year, and we have made huge progress with what we have done,” concludes Mr Chamberlain.

“We are starting to develop some good systems now and we need to build on that.

“I have met some of the most intelligent, vibrant and exciting people in this last year, and we need to develop future opportunities for young people in our area.”