Bede Academy
Encyclopedia
Bede Academy is an 3–18 academy located in Blyth
, Northumberland
, England
. Opened in 2009, it is run by the Emmanuel Schools Foundation
established by entrepreneur Sir Peter Vardy
. The ESF 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).
able Purpose, Humility
, Compassion
, Integrity
, Accountability
, Courage
and Determination.
For children in the primary years, this is simplified to "Be Good", "Be Humble", "Be Kind", "Be Honest", "Be Responsible" and "Be Brave and Determined".
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. 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 geo-thermal heating system with bores covering a large section of the car park.
cameras installed in all classrooms and corridors, a public address and lesson-change buzzer system and state-of-the-art safety and fire protection systems linked to its computerised building management system
.
It has invested significantly in information technology
infrastructure, with each teaching room including a teacher's personal computer
, interactive whiteboard
and ceiling-mounted audio system. Many rooms feature multiple computers and there are eight dedicated computer suites featuring thirty computers. Both sites have a wireless network enabling the use of laptop computers, smartphones and personal digital assistants.
There has also been major investment 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
.
From September 2009 to July 2010 Liz Clubbs, formerly Headteacher at South Beach First School, was the founding Principal of the primary years with Evans at that time leading the secondary years. It was announced in February 2010 that having overseen the transition from first school to primary school Clubbs would retire in July 2010. In May 2010 it was announced after a national recruitment search, Irene Watson, formerly Deputy Headteacher at South Beach First School and subsequently Vice Principal (Teaching and Learning) at Bede Academy was to be appointed Headteacher of Primary Years with Gwyneth Evans assuming responsibility as Principal for the whole Academy.
, talent shows, quizzes and cookery competitions. Its major productions have so far included a musical version of George Orwell
's Animal Farm
in June 2010 and Tim Rice
and Andrew Lloyd Webber
's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
in March 2011.
, 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.
Blyth, Northumberland
Blyth is a town and civil parish in southeast Northumberland, England. It lies on the coast, to the south of the River Blyth and is approximately 21 kilometres northeast of Newcastle upon Tyne...
, Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Opened in 2009, it is run by the Emmanuel Schools Foundation
Emmanuel Schools Foundation
The Emmanuel Schools Foundation is a charitable trust which has been involved in education since 1989.ESF sponsored four schools: Emmanuel City Technology College in Gateshead , The King's Academy in Middlesbrough , Trinity Academy in Thorne, Doncaster and Bede Academy in Blyth, Northumberland...
established by entrepreneur Sir Peter Vardy
Peter Vardy (businessman)
Sir Peter Vardy is a British businessman and philanthropist from Houghton-le-Spring in Durham. His business interests have been mainly in the automotive retail business...
. The ESF had previously opened three other schools: Emmanuel City Technology College
Emmanuel City Technology College
Emmanuel College is a secondary school based in Gateshead, England. It was founded in 1990 as a City Technology College, i.e. a secondary school which is partly funded by donations from business donors who remain involved in management of the college. Emmanuel now instructs up to 1,250 students...
in Gateshead
Gateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
(1990), The King's Academy
The King's Academy
The King's Academy is an 11–19 secondary school and academy located in Coulby Newham in the borough of Middlesbrough and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England, serving the community of South Middlesbrough. Established in 2003, it is run by the Emmanuel Schools Foundation...
in Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
(2003) and Trinity Academy
Trinity Academy, Thorne
Trinity Academy is a non-selective co-educational secondary school in the English Academy programme, at Thorne near Doncaster, South Yorkshire....
in Thorne, Doncaster
Doncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
(2005).
Ethos and values
The academy has a non-denominational Christian ethos. It promotes seven core values, namely: HonourHonour
Honour or honor is an abstract concept entailing a perceived quality of worthiness and respectability that affects both the social standing and the self-evaluation of an individual or corporate body such as a family, school, regiment or nation...
able Purpose, Humility
Humility
Humility is the quality of being modest, and respectful. Humility, in various interpretations, is widely seen as a virtue in many religious and philosophical traditions, being connected with notions of transcendent unity with the universe or the divine, and of egolessness.-Term:The term "humility"...
, Compassion
Compassion
Compassion is a virtue — one in which the emotional capacities of empathy and sympathy are regarded as a part of love itself, and a cornerstone of greater social interconnection and humanism — foundational to the highest principles in philosophy, society, and personhood.There is an aspect of...
, Integrity
Integrity
Integrity is a concept of consistency of actions, values, methods, measures, principles, expectations, and outcomes. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one's actions...
, Accountability
Accountability
Accountability is a concept in ethics and governance with several meanings. It is often used synonymously with such concepts as responsibility, answerability, blameworthiness, liability, and other terms associated with the expectation of account-giving...
, Courage
Courage
Courage is the ability to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation...
and Determination.
For children in the primary years, this is simplified to "Be Good", "Be Humble", "Be Kind", "Be Honest", "Be Responsible" and "Be Brave and Determined".
Building
The academy was purpose-built in 2009, designed by architects Howarth Litchfield Partnership and consulting engineers CundallCundall
Cundall is a hamlet in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. It is one of the Thankful Villages that suffered no fatalities during the Great War of 1914 to 1918....
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. 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 geo-thermal heating system with bores covering a large section of the car park.
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, as of March 2011, is being developed into a cricket pitch with pavilion along with a number of other sports facilities.Technology
The school has closed-circuit televisionClosed-circuit television
Closed-circuit television is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors....
cameras installed in all classrooms and corridors, a public address and lesson-change buzzer system and state-of-the-art safety and fire protection systems linked to its computerised building management system
Building Management System
A Building Management System is a computer-based control system installed in buildings that controls and monitors the building’s mechanical and electrical equipment such as ventilation, lighting, power systems, fire systems, and security systems...
.
It has invested significantly in information technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
infrastructure, with each teaching room including a teacher's personal computer
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
, interactive whiteboard
Interactive whiteboard
An interactive whiteboard , is a large interactive display that connects to a computer and projector. A projector projects the computer's desktop onto the board's surface where users control the computer using a pen, finger, stylus, or other device...
and ceiling-mounted audio system. Many rooms feature multiple computers and there are eight dedicated computer suites featuring thirty computers. Both sites have a wireless network enabling the use of laptop computers, smartphones and personal digital assistants.
There has also been major investment in audio visual equipment. The Lecture Theatre is equipped with a large high-definition video
High-definition video
High-definition video or HD video refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition video, and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1,280×720 pixels or 1,920×1,080 pixels...
screen, with multiple input vision mixing functionality, six channel surround sound
Surround sound
Surround sound encompasses a range of techniques such as for enriching the sound reproduction quality of an audio source with audio channels reproduced via additional, discrete speakers. Surround sound is characterized by a listener location or sweet spot where the audio effects work best, and...
, a 48 channel sound mixing console
Mixing console
In professional audio, a mixing console, or audio mixer, also called a sound board, mixing desk, or mixer is an electronic device for combining , routing, and changing the level, timbre and/or dynamics of audio signals. A mixer can mix analog or digital signals, depending on the type of mixer...
with ethernet
Ethernet
Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
-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
Pro Tools
Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation platform for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, developed and manufactured by Avid Technology. It is widely used by professionals throughout the audio industries for recording and editing in music production, film scoring, film, and television...
.
Leadership
The academy is led by Principal Gwyneth Evans, who was previously a Vice-Principal at sister school Emmanuel College, Gateshead.From September 2009 to July 2010 Liz Clubbs, formerly Headteacher at South Beach First School, was the founding Principal of the primary years with Evans at that time leading the secondary years. It was announced in February 2010 that having overseen the transition from first school to primary school Clubbs would retire in July 2010. In May 2010 it was announced after a national recruitment search, Irene Watson, formerly Deputy Headteacher at South Beach First School and subsequently Vice Principal (Teaching and Learning) at Bede Academy was to be appointed Headteacher of Primary Years with Gwyneth Evans assuming responsibility as Principal for the whole Academy.
Curriculum
The academy follows the National Curriculum and has academic specialists grouped into Maths, 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.Events
The academy regularly hosts events for students, parents and the local community. These have included concerts featuring the Reg Vardy BandReg Vardy Band
The Reg Vardy Band is a brass band based in North East England.-Craghead Colliery Band:The Band was formed in 1910 as the Craghead Colliery Band to provide recreational activity for the miners in the village of Craghead, County Durham. In the early early 1950s a young gentlman named Eric Cunningham...
, talent shows, quizzes and cookery competitions. Its major productions have so far included a musical version of George Orwell
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
's Animal Farm
Animal Farm
Animal Farm is an allegorical novella by George Orwell published in England on 17 August 1945. According to Orwell, the book reflects events leading up to and during the Stalin era before World War II...
in June 2010 and Tim Rice
Tim Rice
Sir Timothy Miles Bindon "Tim" Rice is an British lyricist and author.An Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Tony Award and Grammy Award-winning lyricist, Rice is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus...
and Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story is based on the "coat of many colors" story of Joseph from the Hebrew Bible's Book of Genesis. This was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice musical to be performed publicly...
in March 2011.
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 rugbyRugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
, netball
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
, cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, rowing
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
, fencing
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
and tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
. It has also hosted summer schools and weekly coaching sessions with Newcastle United Football Club and the Newcastle Eagles
Newcastle Eagles
Newcastle Eagles is a British Basketball League team from Newcastle upon Tyne. Since 2010 they have played all home games at the 3,000 capacity Sport Central arena at Northumbria University in the city...
basketball team.