The Winsford Academy

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220px
Motto 'Succeed, Aspire, Learn Together'
Established 1895 (as Verdin Technical School)
1906 (as Verdin Higher Elementary School)
1920 (as Verdin Central School)
1925 (as Verdin County Secondary School)
1935 (as Verdin County Grammar School)
1970 (as Verdin County Comprehensive School)
1971 (Woodford Lodge County Comprehensive School was established)
1987 (as Verdin County High School)
1991 (as Verdin High School)
2008 (as Winsford High School Federation)
2010 (as The Winsford E-ACT Academy)
2014 (as The Winsford Academy)
Type Academy
Principal Mr D Christian (Acting Principal)
Mr R Hicks (Acting Co-Principal)
Chair Governor Ms Joanne Watkins
Founders Amalgamation
Location Grange Lane
Winsford
Cheshire
CW7 2BT
England England
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Local authority Cheshire West and Chester
DfE number 896/6906
DfE URN 136184 Tables
Ofsted Reports
Capacity 1,700
Students 1,144
Gender Mixed
Ages 11–18
Houses Britten, Purcell, Elgar, Sullivan
Colours      Blue

     Red

     Green

     Yellow
Publication Newsletters & Bulletins
Telephone 01606 592300
Fax 01606 863562
Website www.WinsfordAcademy.org.uk

The Winsford Academy (simply referred to as 'Winsford Academy' and formerly The Winsford E-ACT Academy) is an 11-18 mixed Secondary School and Sixth Form with Academy Status in Winsford, Cheshire, England. It was established in September 2010 following the amalgamation of the two predecessor schools; Verdin High School and Woodford Lodge High School. It is located on the campus of the former Verdin High School on Grange Lane that was established in 1970 and was initially one component of a two-campus school, with history spanning from its original founding as Verdin Technical School in 1895.[1]

In September 2013, the Academy moved into a new, £20 million purpose-built school which includes 60 classrooms with flexible learning spaces; a 400-seat theatre in the Performing Arts Centre; Learning Resource Centre; sports facilities; science labs; drama and dance studios; music rehearsal rooms; media suites; art studios; technology workshops; and a Sixth Form Centre. In addition to this, the Academy has spent £1.7 million on ICT.

History

The Winsford Academy was established in September 2010 following the amalgamation of the two predecessor schools; Verdin High School and Woodford Lodge High School. Its history dates back to 1895, overseeing a series of name changes as well as changes to its education and buildings.

Verdin Era – 1895 to 2008

The Verdin Era spans from 1895 to 2008 and partially to 2010 - all name changes to the school retained the term 'Verdin' from its original founders; The Verdin Family. The school was initially known to residents of Winsford as the 'Tec', but later, the term 'Verdin' had been used to refer to the school, rather than the family which founded it.[1]

Origins

During the 1890s, there was a growing demand for technical education and an attempt was made by Mr William Henry Verdin, of Darnhall Hall, Darnhall to convert Darnhall School into a Science and Technical School, but was rejected in 1893.[2] However, the demand for a new type of education was there and to achieve this, money and individual initiative was all that was required. The money was provided by the activities of Mr (later Sir) Joseph Verdin, Bart, of The Brockhurst, Northwich.

Sir Joseph Verdin and his brothers, Robert and William ran a family salt business known as Joseph Verdin & Sons (formerly Joseph and Richard Verdin), co-founded by their father, Joseph and his brother, Richard. They owned six salt plants in various locations throughout Cheshire, employed over 1,000 people and produced approximately 353,000 tons of salt annually; it was the largest salt manufacturer in the United Kingdom by 1881. Having few descendants, they used their wealth to benefit the local community; they gave the Institute in Moulton which "provided facilities for the education of their workforce", the Victoria Infirmary (presented by Robert) and Verdin Park in Northwich. In Winsford, they provided the Albert Infirmary (formerly Highfield House, the home of The Verdin Family) which was presented by William and the first public swimming baths known as Verdin Baths; built to commemorate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887 and was funded by Joseph and William.[3][4][5]

During the 1880s, salt production was thriving, but due to the increased pumping of brine from beneath the ground led to huge problems of subsidence, particularly in Winsford and Northwich. Fields sank, roads cracked and houses slipped leading to costly repairs. People whose property was affected sought compensation, but the difficulty arose in identifying who was to blame, as pumping can affect an area several miles away.

File:Portrait of Sir Joseph Verdin.jpg
Sir Joseph Verdin, founder of Verdin Technical School

In 1889, The Verdin Trust was established by Sir Joseph Verdin to compensate people for subsidence caused by brine pumping. However, in 1891 the Brine Pumping (Compensation for Subsidence) Act was introduced to provide compensation for owners of property, thereby rendering the Trust redundant. As a result, Sir Joseph Verdin decided to use the money in other ways which includes the construction and development of the Verdin Technical Schools in Winsford and Northwich - the one in Winsford which is known as Verdin Technical School was a prototype for a second and larger one in Northwich, that eventually opened in 1897 as Verdin Technical Schools & Gymnasium (latterly in use as Cheshire School of Art and Design, which closed in 2012).[6]

The building of the Verdin Technical School in Winsford began with the foundation stone being laid down on 4 August 1894 by Mr William Henry Verdin, Joseph’s brother. On 8 August 1895, the building was officially opened by the Duke and Duchess of Westminster. The foundation stone and an inscription marking the opening ceremony can still be seen at the front of the building.[1]

Verdin Technical School – 1895 to 1906

The new Verdin Technical School opened its doors on 9 September 1895 enrolling 43 students on the first day. The school provided a "day school, evening classes, gymnasium and a laundry along with a small number of students but with high hopes. It grew slowly at first before gaining a reputation throughout the years as one of the most enterprising in Cheshire".[1]

Woodford Lodge – 1971 to 2008

File:Woodford Lodge High School - Aerial View & Site Outline.jpg
Aerial view of former Woodford Lodge High School with outline of its 30-acre site.

Woodford Lodge High School (initially Woodford Lodge County Comprehensive School and Woodford Lodge County High School) was established in 1971 on a 30-acre site in the outskirts of Winsford, when it was a developing town with an increasing population. Its name remained until 2008 and partially to 2010.[7][8]

Federation – 2008 to 2010

In the United Kingdom, many schools have become part of a 'Federation' which consists of a group of schools federated together. There are many benefits associated with a Federation such as being able to share resources and specialities whilst retaining their own identity, and its “strategic and financial advantages of a Federation have provided schools with different models of leadership allowing schools to run more efficiently”.[9]

The former Local Authority, Cheshire County Council undertook an extensive review of educational provision and surplus places during 2007 under the Transforming Learning Communities Programme. The outcome of the review resulted in the decision to Federate Verdin High School and Woodford Lodge High School that was officially completed in January 2008, under the name ‘Winsford High School Federation’. The Federation was lead and managed by a Principal and a single Governing Body of 21 Governors. Both schools had a site headteacher and senior managers were appointed to the Federation, however, most aspects of provision were managed on one site.

The Federation was established in preparation for another proposal, the establishment of an all-through school in Winsford by 2012. The proposal would bring together primary, secondary and special provision in Winsford as one educational establishment with hopes it would be supported by Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. However, due to central government uncertainties, there has been a delay in the entry of 19 local authorities into the programme, including Cheshire West and Chester Council. As a result, funding has not been available for the all-through proposal.[10]

On 19 April 2008, it was announced that Mr Martin Howlett was appointed as Principal of the Winsford High School Federation, and the two site headteachers appointed were Mr Paul Harrington for Verdin High School and Mr John Foreman for Woodford Lodge High School.[11]

Both Verdin High School and Woodford Lodge High School retained their names under the Winsford High School Federation when it was established in January 2008, and its uniforms remained the same. However, officially, Verdin High School was known as ‘Verdin Site’ and Woodford Lodge High School was known as ‘Woodford Site’ under the Federation. In addition, the Federation had its own logo as well as two identical logos with the site names underneath to represent both schools. The websites for both schools (www.verdin.cheshire.sch.uk and www.woodford.cheshire.sch.uk) were taken offline and incorporated into the new Federation website (www.wsf.cheshire.sch.uk), which had two segments to represent and provide information for both schools respectively.

Proposed Academy

On 3 March 2010, it was announced that the two Federated schools would close to make way for an Academy by as early as September 2010. There would also be a new £20 million school building that will accommodate 1,700 students and is expected to be built on a site behind the Verdin Exchange. The site was once earmarked for former Local Authority, Cheshire County Council's original plan of a £73 million all-through school, which was ruled out due to a lack of available central funding. The proposed Academy would initially run from the two existing school sites and Cheshire West and Chester Council are still hoping that "the Academy could still be the first stage of an eventual ‘all-through education concept’, which will include special schools and special needs pupils".[12]

Academy – September 2010 to present

Motto

The Winsford Academy's motto is 'Succeed, Aspire, Learn Together' and its acronym makes the word 'SALT', which is based upon the towns mining heritage and The Verdin Family who founded the Verdin Technical School in 1895 that developed into the present Academy. They owned six salt plants in various locations throughout Cheshire and was the largest salt manufacturer in the United Kingdom by 1881.

Curriculum

The Winsford Academy's subjects include syllabuses for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4:

Leadership

A comprehensive restructure and rightsizing of the teaching and support staff was completed in August 2015 and a new organisation model was introduced to simplify the school structure and increase accountability for subject leadership. The leadership group comprises a Principal; two Vice Principals (Curriculum & Standards and Care, Support & Guidance) and seven Assistant Principals (Science & Technology, English, Maths, Achievement & Intervention, Sixth Form, Enrichment & Engagement, Humanities & SMSC). There are 60 teaching staff, including the leadership team.

Pastoral System

The Winsford Academy has a Pastoral System which consists of five Year Heads and four Progress Managers. Through the Heads of Year team, students are provided with pastoral care and support with services such as child welfare, attendance support, mentoring and counselling all being available throughout the Academy day. Students also have access to their Coach, Head of Year and Progress Manager. The Progress Managers are responsible for progress tracking, engagement and enrichment, and competition of the House System.

House System

The Winsford Academy has a House System consisting of four 'Houses', which, as a specialism of Performing Arts and a Specialist Music School, are named after English composers; Britten (Benjamin Britten), Purcell (Henry Purcell), Elgar (Edward Elgar) and Sullivan (Arthur Sullivan). Depending on what House each student is in determines the colour of their tie and blazer trim for prefects. Britten are recognised in blue; Purcell red; Elgar green; and Sullivan yellow.

Each House is structured vertically to include coaching groups from all years 7 to 13. Within each coaching group all pupils belong to the same House. Coaches are placed in the same House as their coaching group. Teachers without coaching responsibilities will also belong to a House team. The Coach is the key point of contact between the Academy and parents, and will stay with the coaching group as the student's progress through the Academy.

House Awards

The four Houses compete against each other every year to win a trophy or more at the annual 'House Awards'; an end of Academic Year Celebration Assembly, and a competition that drives the House System at The Winsford Academy.

Sports Day

A 'Sports Day' is held every Academic Year during the summer and sees all four Houses compete against each other on this day, through an array of sports activities.

Specialist School

The specialist school programme helps schools, in partnership with private sector sponsors, and supported by additional government funding, to establish distinctive identities through their chosen specialisations, and achieve their targets to raise standards.

Specialist schools have a focus on those subjects relating to their chosen specialisations, but must also meet the National Curriculum requirements, and deliver a broad and balanced education to all students.

Performing Arts is the main specialism of The Winsford Academy, in addition to being a Specialist Music School. The two predecessor schools; Verdin High School had a specialism in technology, and Woodford Lodge High School had no specialism.

The Winsford Academy was sponsored by E-ACT; a charitable company limited by guarantee and registered in England and Wales. E-ACT are an independent Academy sponsor who manages, maintains and develops academies.[13]

On 25 February 2014, it was announced that the Academy is among ten Academies to be handed back to the Government amid concerns over the E-ACT chain’s standards.[14]

On 27 February 2014, it was confirmed that the Academy is one of ten Academies who will no longer be sponsored by E-ACT. The Department for Education (DfE) is now brokering with other Academy chains to set up the Academy with a new sponsor.[15][16][17]

On 9 July 2014, it was confirmed that the Academy's new sponsor, with effect from 1 September 2014, will be The Fallibroome Multi-Academy Trust in Macclesfield. E-ACT will cease to be the Academy’s sponsor from 31 August 2014. This follows the decision of the E-ACT Academy chain to divest itself of ten of its Academies following intervention from the Department for Education (DfE) in January 2014. As a result, only minor changes were made with the removal of the word 'E-ACT' from the school name and logo.[18][19]

Governing Body

The Winsford Academy has a Governing Body and its Committees meet at least three times per half-term and convene as ad hoc Committees dealing with a wide range of Academy business, and are a regular presence in the Academy.[20]

Facilities

The Winsford Academy moved into a new, £20 million purpose-built school in September 2013. From the very outset of designing the new build, the Academy are committed to creating a space which serves the whole community, before and after the traditional school day and during the weekends. The Academy's new build features facilities which may be of interest to a range of community groups such as sporting groups, keep-fit enthusiasts, drama groups, dance troupes, adult educators, film enthusiasts, art & craft groups, reading circles, community forums and rehearsing musicians.

The interior of the build features a monochrome design with vivid, industrial splashes of colour throughout and comprises a large and spacious central corridor area with glass-fronted classrooms on either side. Open spaces, balconies and a ‘café-culture’ canteen also feature. The Academy’s approach to outdoor learning sees a garden, orchard, allotment and natural habitat zones.[21]

The Facilities include:

Awards

The Winsford Academy has achieved a range of awards. These are:

Partnerships

The Winsford Academy has established a range of partnerships. These are:

References

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  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ The Winsford Academy - Governing Body
  21. ↑ The Winsford E-ACT Academy - Use Of Facilities 2013/14

Further reading

External links

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