Sandown Bay Academy

Sandown Bay Academy
Motto To make our best better
Established 2011 (as Sandown Bay Academy)
Type Academy
Executive Principal Claire Charlemagne
Chair of Governors Peter Harris
Location The Fairway
Sandown
Isle of Wight
PO36 9JH
England
Coordinates: 50°39′29″N 1°09′58″W / 50.658°N 1.166°W / 50.658; -1.166
DfE URN 136751 Tables
Ofsted Reports Pre-academy reports
Students 2,100
Gender Co-educational
Ages 11–19
Houses 4
Colours 4
Website www.sandownbayacademy.org

Sandown Bay Academy, formerly Sandown High School, is an academy status secondary school located in Sandown on the Isle of Wight, England. Since 2012 it has been sponsored by the Academies Enterprise Trust

History

The main school was established in 1970[1] when the former Sandown Grammar and Fairway Secondary Modern schools merged to form Sandown High School. In 2005, it gained status as a sports college.[2]

As part of the reorganisation of the education system on the Isle of Wight, Academies Enterprise Trust was successful in their bid against Innovative Schools and East Wight Educational Trust to take over the school. Sandown Bay Academy was formed in 2011 on the main school site and the site of former Sandham Middle School, which was then called North School. The age range was extended so that the Academy became a 11-18 school.

The last headteacher of Sandown High School and first Principal of Sandown Bay Academy was John Bradshaw.[3] The Principal of Sandown Bay Academy from Sept 2012 until November 2013 was Shaheen Khan Jones. She was replaced by Eric Jackson[4] who was Principal until Sept 2015, when Claire Charlemagne took over.[5]

Academic standards

5GCSES A-C (including English and Maths) taken from School and College Performance Tables accurate as of December 2015[6]
Academy Name Joined AET Left AET 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 OFSTED Grade DfE Warning or Pre Warning
Sandown Bay Academy Sep 2012 NA 40% 47% 42% 47%[7]Requires Improvement[8]21 Mar 2013[9]
National Maintained Schools 59% 59% 60% 57% 56%

In an OFSTED inspection on 17 Jan 2013 Sandown Bay Academy was placed in Special Measures due to inadequate standards.[8] On the 21st March 2013 the Department for Education wrote to the Academies Enterprise Trust complaining about the "unacceptably low" academic standards at Sandown Bay Academy.[10] A spokesman for AET responded to Lord Nash's concern's by stating “We have full confidence that with the new leadership arrangements, and the continued efforts and commitment of staff and students, Sandown Bay Academy will move to a higher level"[11]

However OFSTED then went on to conclude that the Academy was not making fast enough progress in Oct 2013[12] and there was a change of Principal. David Fuller, speaking on behalf of Academies Enterprise Trust said that Mr Eric Jackson had been appointed as a new Principal to raise standards, and that

This is an improving school, with some encouraging results in the summer. But, there have been a number of challenges we have faced that have required attention. The pace of change has not been what we would have wanted, which is why we have taken the action we have...[10]

The MP Andrew Turner said "I have had a lot of parents coming to me and complaining, worrying what the future holds for their children," he said. "Lots are applying to a particular school on the island, but that school won't have enough room for them all."[10]

By 19 Jan 2015 the Academy had improved its GCSE standards and OFSTED graded it as 'requires improvement.[8] However the GCSE results in 2015 were still lower than the results achieved by the predecessor school in 2010. In that year the school achieved 48% 5 GCSEs A-C (including English and Maths) which was only 6% lower than the national average for England as a whole at that time.[13] As a result, in the November 2015 inspection, OFSTED concluded that the school was "not taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement" [8]

OFSTED in November 2015 expressed concerns about Sixth Form teaching, stating

A-level results for 2015 in Years 12 and 13 were disappointing in some subjects, including some unexpected ‘U’ grades for mathematics in Year 12. You have analysed the results and identified that weak teaching and curriculum planning led to gaps in pupils’ knowledge and preparation for their A-level examinations[8]

The following table indicates the way that A level results have declined year on year as follows

Proportion of Sixth Form achieving 3A-E grades[6]
Academy Name 2012 2013 2014
Sandown Bay Academy 74%[14] 66%[15] 59%[16]

OFSTED initially spoke positively about the improvements in the Academy under the leadership of Eric Jackson during 2014 and early 2015[17] but by November 2015 it was being stated by the OFSTED inspector that "The pace of improvement in the academy has been too slow. Recommendations made at the previous positive monitoring inspection visit in January 2015 have not been acted on urgently or sharply enough"[8]

The role of the Sponsor

Academies Enterprise Trust support for Academies at the local level is led by the AET Regional Director of Education (known as a RDE). The 2014 OFSTED report about AET explained that ‘some academy leaders said that there was too much variability in the support and challenge offered by Regional Directors employed by AET.'[18] AET as a whole was criticised because “too many pupils in the Trust are not receiving a good enough education.”[19] Focusing specifically upon Sandown Bay Academy, OFSTED stated in November 2015

The trust has usefully commissioned an associate senior leader to support the academy with teaching and learning,...However... Trust leaders have an overgenerous view of the performance of the academy and the pace of improvement...There are crucial gaps in the support provided for the academy, including strategies to improve the management of behaviour and reduce the number of fixed-term exclusions[8]

At the time of the 2015 OFSTED inspections, the AET Regional Director of Education for Sandown Bay Academy was Elizabeth (Libby) Nicholas.[20] At that time Beverley Perin was chairing the management board to raise standards at Sandown Bay Academy.[21] Beverley Perin was a senior executive of AET and as Director of Challenge and Intervention she was responsible for leading the team of AET staff who intervene to support Academies across the Academies Enterprise Trust network.[22] Responding to OFSTED's concerns about the pace of improvement at Sandown Bay Academy Beverely Perin stated “The Trust will continue to support the academy.”[23]


The 1973 box office hit That'll Be the Day, starring David Essex, Rosemary Leach and Ringo Starr, was filmed on the Isle of Wight, particularly at Sandown High School, Shanklin beach and in Wroxall.

Notable alumni

References

  1. http://www.sgs.gs/history.html
  2. 1 2 "Isle of Wight County Press - "Golden touch for school switch"". www.iwcp.co.uk. Retrieved 2008-10-21.
  3. Perry, Simon (6 Jul 2012). "Ex-Carisbrooke Head To Take Over At Sandown Bay Academy". On The Wight. Retrieved 10 Dec 2015.
  4. Perry, Simon (15 Nov 2013). "Here's the letter that went to Sandown Bay Academy parents today". On The Wight. Retrieved 10 Dec 2015.
  5. Perry, Simon (10 Dec 2015). "Principal's commitment praised, but school not improving fast enough says Ofsted". On The Wight. Retrieved 10 Dec 2015.
  6. 1 2 "School and College Performance Tables". School and College Performance Tables. Department for Education. Retrieved 27 Nov 2015.
  7. "Sandown Bay Academy Results". School and College Performance Tables. Department for Education. Retrieved 28 Nov 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Sandown Bay Academy Inspection Reports". OFSTED. OFSTED. Retrieved 28 Nov 2015.
  9. "Pre Warning Notice to the AET in relation to Sandown Bay Academy". Pre Warning Notice. Department for Education. Retrieved 28 Nov 2015.
  10. 1 2 3 "Sandown Bay Academy firm gets intervention threat". BBC. 26 Nov 2013. Retrieved 3 Dec 2015.
  11. Perry, Simon (27 Nov 2013). "Government has written to AET over 'unacceptably low standards' (updated)". On The Wight. Retrieved 10 Dec 2015.
  12. "Sandown Bay Academy Inspection Reports". OFSTED. OFSTED. Retrieved 28 Nov 2015.
  13. "Sandown High School". School Performance Tables (2010). Department for Education. Retrieved 3 Dec 2015.
  14. "Sandown Bay Academy". School and College Performance Tables 2012. Department for Education. Retrieved 3 Dec 2015.
  15. "Sandown Bay Academy". School and College Performance Tables 2013. Department for Education. Retrieved 3 Dec 2015.
  16. "School and College Performance Tables 2014". School and College Performance Tables. Department for Education. Retrieved 27 Nov 2015.
  17. "Sandown Bay Academy: Further praise for head teacher". On The Wight. On The Wight. Retrieved 10 Dec 2015.
  18. "Inspections of academies within the Academies Enterprise Trust, a MultiAcademy Trust" (PDF). Gov.Uk. Department for Education. Retrieved 27 Nov 2015.
  19. Perry, Simon (2 Sep 2014). "AET: Trust running two IW secondary schools criticised by Ofsted". On The Wight. Retrieved 10 Dec 2015.
  20. "Letter re Mrs Charlemagne" (PDF). Sandown Bay Academy. Academies Enterprise Trust. Retrieved 10 Dec 2015.
  21. "Management Board". Sandown Bay Academy. Academies Enterprise Trust. Retrieved 10 Dec 2015.
  22. "Beverley Perin: Director of Challenge and Intervention". Academies Enterprise Trust. Academies Enterprise Trust. Retrieved 10 Dec 2015.
  23. "Principal's commitment praised, but school not improving fast enough says Ofsted". On The Wight. On The Wight. Retrieved 10 Dec 2015.
  24. "Myspace". Retrieved 2009-01-15.
  25. "iwbeacon.com". Retrieved 2009-01-15.
  26. "Rio 2016: Jess Andrews 'still shocked' by Olympic 10,000m qualification". Retrieved 19 July 2016.
  27. "Why DO Brits get gooey over Salad Cream?". Retrieved 30 November 2016.
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