Paddington Academy
Encyclopedia
Paddington Academy is a non-selective co-educational secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...

 and academy
Academy (England)
In the education system of England, an academy is a school that is directly funded by central government and independent of control by local government in England. An academy may receive additional support from personal or corporate sponsors, either financially or in kind...

 located in Maida Vale
Maida Vale
Maida Vale is a residential district in West London between St John's Wood and Kilburn. It is part of the City of Westminster. The area is mostly residential, and mainly affluent, consisting of many large late Victorian and Edwardian blocks of mansion flats...

 in the borough of Westminster
City of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...

 and the ceremonial county of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, 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...

. Established in September 2006, it is run by the United Learning Trust
United Learning Trust
The United Learning Trust is an education charity and the largest single sponsor of academies in the UK with 20 academies and one City Technology College currently open. ULT's objective is to bring out "the best in everyone", driving educational improvement across its family of academies and...

, a subsidiary of the United Church Schools Trust
United Church Schools Trust
The United Church Schools Trust is a large education charity in the United Kingdom which owns and operates a group of 11 independent schools.-History:...

. The school has a curriculum specialism in Media and Performing Arts
Arts College
Arts Colleges were introduced in 1997 as part of the now defunct Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enabled secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, the performing, visual and/or media arts...

 and Business and Enterprise
Business and Enterprise College
Business and Enterprise Colleges were introduced in 2002 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields...

. It was officially opened by The Princess Royal
Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...

 on 19 March 2009.

History

Paddington Academy opened in September 2006 as one of two new academies (along with Westminster Academy
Westminster Academy (London)
Westminster Academy, is an Academy located in London, England.It is a co-educational school for 11+ years that specialized in International Business and Enterprise...

) established to replace North Westminster Community School. According to the government, North Wesminster Community School was apparently failing since just 25% of pupils were leaving with 5 A*-C grade GCSEs. The initial plan was for the school to move to an older building located on North Wharf Road for its first term of opening and then move into a brand new building located on Marylands Road. However, work on the new building was severely delayed a number of times which forced the school to stay situated on North Wharf Road for a year before finally being able to move to the new and current site in 2007.

Academics

In the academy's first Ofsted report in 2007 it was described as "[an] academy [that] rightly judges that standards remain low and that achievement is inadequate." The academy's second Ofsted report and first full inspection in 2009 showed that there was an improvement in the grades of students however, there was a lack of consistency within the subjects. However, overall the school was described as "[an] academy which provides a satisfactory quality of education."

In 2007, GCSE results showed that only 25% of students managed to get 5 or more A*–C grades including English and Maths. The following year that figure reached up 41%, a 16% increase. This then fell again to only 34% including English and Maths in 2009, a 7% decrease in the amount of students managing to reach the sufficient grades. However, in 2010 the number of students achieving 5 or more A*–C GCSE grades including English and Maths jumped to 62% and in total, 94% of students managed to achieve 5 or more A*–C grades, up from 86% the year before. As of 2011, the results show that figure has manage to rise again to 68% with a total of 99% of students managing to achieve 5 or more A*–C GSCEs, a 5% increase from last year.

In 2010, Paddington Academy became the second most improved academy in England, was ranked the 5th best school in the country and was ranked 2nd for the most student progress. As of 2011, it receioved the 3rd highest amount of students receiving 5 or more A*-C GCSEs in Westminster and was ranked the 4th best school in England.

In 2011 Mohammed Said Noor became the first ever student to gain a place at Oxbridge
Oxbridge
Oxbridge is a portmanteau of the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge in England, and the term is now used to refer to them collectively, often with implications of perceived superior social status...

 from Paddington Academy. Mohammed received 3A*s and 1A in his A-levels and will be studying Medicine at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...

.

External links

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