Background and Vision

Background

Droylsden Academy replaces Droylsden School, Mathematics and Computing College for Girls and Littlemoss High School for Boys with a new co-educational Academy on the Droylsden School site, building on the existing strengths and capacity for improvement of the two schools. The Academy will have places for 1,200 students (8 form entry) plus post-16 provision for 200 students, opening in existing buildings in 2009 and aiming for new build completion in 2011.

Sponsorship

Tameside College will sponsor the Academy and will work in partnership to raise levels of attainment and aspirations of all students.  As sponsor, Tameside College is very well placed to create a unique institution characterised by high achievement and success.  The College has a national reputation for excellence and has a solid track record of partnership working with employers, universities and local schools.

The Ashton Regeneration and Community Strategies have highlighted the need for an Academy in Droylsden. The Sponsor is committed to leading a process of educational transformation which will support and contribute to the regeneration of the local area. The Sponsor recognises the urgent need to retain young people in education and training post-16 and to respond to the national government agenda by reducing the number of NEETs in Droylsden and improving access to higher education generally.  The development of an Academy will create clear new opportunities for young people as well as the wider local community.

The benefits that Tameside College will bring will be immense, adding their expertise and ideas as well as opening up life-enhancing opportunities to all in Droylsden.  An additional encouraging factor is the rapid growth of employment opportunities in the local area, as the East Manchester corridor begins to benefit from significant inward investment, relocation of businesses and numerous regeneration initiatives.

Vision

Droylsden Academy will be an outstanding facility for learning and a significant community landmark providing a range of services to local people and promoting the regeneration of the Droylsden community.  It will be world-class building with presence.  It will feel light, airy, spacious and a daily inspiration to all users and visitors alike.  The Academy will be highly regarded for its cutting edge provision and known locally, nationally and internationally for the excellence of the all-round education it provides.  It will offer the young people of Droylsden real and tangible opportunities to follow learning routes that will genuinely transform their lives.  It will, in every case, deliver the outcomes of Every Child Matters and will extend the outcomes so that in Droylsden Academy Every Person Matters and everyone’s contribution is valued equally. 

The key to the Academy's success will be the development of a shared vision, effective and transformational leadership and management, robust partnership arrangements, innovative and creative teaching, dynamic curriculum and assessment methods, first class buildings and facilities, and the freedom to operate within an agreed framework as part of the Tameside Campus.

Curriculum

The curriculum will enable all young people to become:

"Successful learners who enjoy learning, make progress and achieve"

This means students will:

• have the essential learning skills of literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology
• be creative, resourceful and able to solve problems
• have enquiring minds and think for themselves to process information, reason, question and evaluate
• communicate well in a range of ways
• understand how they learn and learn from their mistakes
• be able to learn independently and with others
• know about big ideas and events that shape our world
• enjoy learning and are motivated to achieve the best they can now and in the future
• are able to critique, weigh evidence and make judgements.

This means that students will:

• have a sense of self-worth and personal identity
• relate well to others and form good relationships
• be self-aware and deal well with their emotions
• make informed and ethical judgements
• become increasingly independent, be able to take the initiative and organise themselves
• make healthy lifestyle choices
• be physically competent and confident
• take managed risks and stay safe
• recognise their talents and have ambitions
• be willing to try new things and make the most of opportunities
• be open to the excitement and inspiration offered by the natural world and human achievements

 This means that students will:

• be well prepared for life and work
• be enterprising
• be able to work cooperatively with others
• respect others and act with integrity
• understand own and others’ cultures and traditions and have a strong sense of their own place in the world
• appreciate the benefits of diversity
• challenge injustice, be committed to human rights and strive to live peaceably with others
• sustain and improve the environment, locally and globally
• take account of the needs of present future generations in the choices they make
• be able to change things for the better be able to handle the conflicting values they encounter in society.