Bede Academy, Blyth
| Bede Academy | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
Sixth Avenue , , NE24 2SY | |
| Information | |
| Type | Academy |
| Motto | Veritas vos liberabit (Latin) The Truth Shall Set You Free[5] |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Christian |
| Established | 1 Sept 2009[1] |
| Founder | Sir Peter Vardy |
| Local authority | Northumberland |
| Specialist | Engineering and Enterprise[2] |
| Department for Education URN | 135619 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Principal of Secondary Years | Andrew Thelwell[3] |
| Principal of Primary Years | Bethan Harding MBE[4] |
| Age | 3 to 18 |
| Website | http://www.bedeacademy.org.uk |
Bede Academy is a 3–18 academy in Blyth, Northumberland, England. Opened in September 2009, it is run by the Emmanuel Schools Foundation.[6]
Governance
The Emmanuel Schools Foundation (ESF), established by entrepreneur Sir Peter Vardy, had previously opened three other schools: Emmanuel City Technology College in Gateshead (1990), The King's Academy in Middlesbrough (2003) and Trinity Academy in Thorne, Doncaster (2005).
In October 2010, Vardy announced his retirement as sponsor of the group and its transition to the United Learning Trust. After exploring the integration of the ESF schools into the ULT, it was later announced in February 2012 that the Department for Education had agreed in principle to the four schools returning to their own independent governance, as a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT).
Vardy had originally planned to establish seven schools, and in 2019, ESF adopted Grace College, Gateshead, and Christ's College, Sunderland, into the MAT.
Ethos and values
The academy has a non-denominational Christian ethos. Originally, it promoted the seven core values of ESF, namely: Honourable Purpose, Humility, Compassion, Integrity, Accountability, Courage and Determination. For children in the primary years, these were simplified to "Be Good", "Be Humble", "Be Kind", "Be Honest", "Be Responsible" and "Be Brave and Determined".[5]
The core values were subsequently changed to seven core virtues: Humility, Wisdom, Integrity, Fairness, Love, Self-Control, and Courage.
Facilities
Buildings
The academy buildings were purpose-built in 2009, designed by architects Howarth Litchfield Partnership with consulting engineers Cundall, and constructed by Surgo Construction.
The "North" site housing the secondary school was built on the site of the former Ridley High School and the "South" primary school on the site of the former South Beach First School.[7] Its secondary accommodation comprises over 50 classrooms, a main hall (seating 500), lecture theatre (seating 200), a large sports hall, a dance studio, fitness suite, learning resource centre, sixth form study area, drama studio, recording studio, specialist engineering rooms, restaurant and multi-use games area (MUGA). The building features natural air circulation systems, augmented by air conditioning in key rooms and has a substantial ground-source heat pump-based heating system with bores covering a large section of the car park.
For the 2012 academic year, the former Sixth Form block of Ridley High School, which had avoided demolition with the rest of the former high school as it served as the site office and base for the academic and administrative staff developing the new Academy, was redeveloped to house the Sixth Form. Two large rooms with numerous computers named Study Centres, a common room, a careers office and an additional classroom were opened on the ground floor. The Emmanuel Schools Foundation central services staff, previously at Aykley Heads, Durham, moved shortly afterward to the first floor of the newly named Trinity House.
Sports
In addition to the sports facilities on the North and South sites, the academy also owns the land of the former Delaval Middle School site which was developed into a cricket pitch with pavilion along with a number of other sports facilities.
Technology
The school has invested significantly in audio visual equipment. The Lecture Theatre is equipped with a large high-definition video screen, with multiple input vision mixing functionality, six-channel surround sound, a 48 channel sound mixing console with ethernet-based connectivity and high end loudspeakers. The Main Hall has a large, motorised lighting rig, lighting console, high-definition video screen, 48 channel sound mixing console, theatre-style technical communications system and pre-wired audio, visual, lighting control and ethernet connectivity. The Recording Studio is based around an Avid C|24 control surface and personal computer running Pro Tools.[citation needed]
Leadership
During the school's initial development, Nigel McQuoid, former Principal of Emmanuel College, Gateshead and subsequently ESF's Director of Schools, was the Executive Principal of Bede Academy to whom the Principals of the Primary and Secondary Years reported. McQuoid left the organisation a few months prior to the completion of the building and the school's opening.
From 2009 to 2010 Liz Clubbs, formerly Headteacher at South Beach First School, was the founding Principal of the primary years with Gwyneth Evans, who was previously a Vice-Principal at sister school Emmanuel College, Gateshead, leading the secondary years. Gwyneth Evans then became Principal with Irene Watson and subsequently Bethan Harding MBE serving as the headteacher of the primary years site.[4] In June 2018, Gwyneth Evans announced she was to leave at the end of the academic year. Andrew Thelwell joined as the Principal (Secondary Years) in April 2019, Bethan Harding having been made Principal (Primary Years).
In 2013, ESF reorganised its senior management structures with the result that Jonathan Winch, Principal of Emmanuel College, was appointed Executive Principal of Bede Academy. He subsequently left the organisation.
| Dates | Executive Principal | Principal | Principal (Secondary) | Principal (Primary) | Head of Primary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-2009 | Nigel McQuoid | None | Gwyneth Evans | Liz Clubbs | None |
| 2009-2010 | None | ||||
| 2010-2011 | Gwyneth Evans | None | None | Irene Watson | |
| 2011-2012 | |||||
| 2012-2013 | |||||
| 2013-2014 | Jonathan Winch | ||||
| 2014-2015 | |||||
| 2015-2016 | |||||
| 2016-2017 | Bethan Harding | ||||
| 2017-2018 | |||||
| 2018-2019 | Julie Roberts
[Acting Principal] | ||||
| 2019-2020 | None | None | Andrew Thelwell | Bethan Harding | None |
| 2020-2021 |
School Life
Curriculum
The academy follows the National Curriculum and has academic specialists grouped into Mathematics, English, Science (including physics, chemistry and biology specialists), Engineering, Sport, Modern Foreign Languages (teaching French and German but running clubs for Spanish and Italian), History, Geography, Music, Drama and Philosophy, Theology and Ethics (encompassing religious, personal and social education) departments.
Publications
The academy publishes a newsletter, Bede Chronicle,[8] once per term and an annual Year Book[9] each autumn.
Events and Performing Arts
The academy regularly hosts events for students, parents and the local community. These have included concerts featuring the students, as well as the Reg Vardy Band[10] and pianist Francesco Attesti, talent shows, quizzes, cookery competitions and tea parties for local residents.
Its major productions have so far included a musical version of Animal Farm in June 2010, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in March 2011, Oliver! in March 2012, Romeo and Juliet in March 2013, The Phantom of the Opera in December 2013, Annie in March 2015, Les Misérables in October 2016, The Sound of Music in October 2017, and Evita in July 2019. The school also hosts an annual singing competition based on The X Factor.
Sport
The academy has a major focus on sporting activities and runs teams for a number of different sports, many of which have won local and regional titles. It competes in rugby, hockey, netball, cricket, rowing, fencing, and tennis. It has also hosted summer schools and weekly coaching sessions with Newcastle United Football Club and the Newcastle Eagles basketball team.
The schools of the Emmanuel Schools Foundation also host the annual ESF Olympics, in which students participate against their peers from the other schools in the group.
Houses
The academy operates a house system, a key for pastoral organisation, as well as inter-school competitions and sports matches.[11] The three houses are named after Christian saints with a connection to the North East of England:
- Aidan
- Cuthbert
- Oswald
The houses compete for the House Cup, awarded at the annual Presentation Day each summer.
Other Emmanuel Schools
| School | Location |
|---|---|
| Emmanuel College |  Gateshead
|
| The King's Academy | Middlesbrough
|
| Trinity Academy | Doncaster
|
| Grace College | Gateshead
|
| Christ's College | Sunderland
|
References
- ↑ *DCSF EduBase details for Bede Academy
- ↑ Specialisms, "Engineering and Enterprise" Archived 29 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine, Bede Academy website, Retrieved 2 December 2019
- ↑ Current Principals "Meet the principals page" Archived 30 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine, Bede Academy website. Retrieved 2 December 2019
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Bethan Harding, the head of primary years at Bede Academy in Blyth, 'Northumberland folk receive Queens Birthday Honours', [1], Northumberland gazette, Blyth, 19 June 2017, Retrieved 2 December 2019
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Motto and ethos, "Mission statement ethos and core values" Archived 30 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine, Bede Academy website, Retrieved 2 December 2019
- ↑ Charity Commission. Emmanuel Schools Foundation, registered charity no. 1093739. Search this book on
- ↑ "Construction starts on Bede Academy". Faithful+Gould. 9 July 2008. Archived from the original on 8 December 2013.
- ↑ "Bede chronicle archive" Archived 16 May 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved 2 December 2019
- ↑ List of year books "Year book archive" Archived 16 May 2016 at the Wayback Machine Bede Academy Website, Retrieved 2 December 2019
- ↑ Reg vardy band 2014, Page 8 of "Bede Chronicle May 2014"[permanent dead link], Bede Academy website. Retrieved 3 December 2019
- ↑ House system information,"House competitions page" Archived 14 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine, Bede Academy website. Retrieved 2 December 2019
External links
Coordinates: 55°07′01″N 1°31′14″W / 55.11695°N 1.52058°W
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