Greensward Academy is a co-educational 11-19 comprehensive independent Academy with DCSF designated Specialist School status.
There are approximately 1550 students and 200 staff, including 110 teaching staff. It is organised as follows:
Key Stage 3 - Years 7, 8 and 9
Key Stage 4 - Years 10 and 11
Key Stage 5 - Years 12 and 13
Number of students on roll in September 2007: 1530
Indicated admission number for Academic Year 2009/2010: 268
Published admission number for September 2009: 270
Holiday and Term Dates
2009/10 2010/11
Teaching and Learning
Greensward Academy’s approach is based on delivering excellence in teaching and learning. We will encourage creative, responsive and effective approaches to learning and teaching for all students. This will ensure a continuous and consistent focus on student achievement and development in all areas.
We will drive innovation in education ensuring Greensward is able to respond to a changing world and that the skills, learning and aspirations of our students are developed and enhanced through creative personalised learning and excellence in teaching.
Academy Specialisms
Science
As a Science Academy we aim to create a challenging environment which will raise standards of achievement and the quality of learning and teaching in science and mathematics for all students, leading to whole school improvements in performance.
We aim to create a challenging environment which will raise standards of achievement and the quality of learning and teaching in science and mathematics for all students, leading to whole school improvements in performance.
We will provide a centre of excellence in science and mathematics beyond the age of 16 and provide students with appropriate learning pathways so that they develop the skills needed to be active citizens within an increasingly scientific world and to progress into employment, further training and higher education according to their individual abilities, aptitudes and ambitions.
Applied Learning Status
As a high performing school, Greensward was redesignated with Applied Learning Status for September 2008. The additional funding that this specialism attracts is dedicated to developing an ethos of achievement within a vocational framework. We are improving all students’ access to quality vocational qualifications and work relating learning, delivering BTEC in subjects as diverse as Retail and Bricklaying, NVQs in Salon Services and Beauty and Applied GCSEs in Business and OCR National Diplomas in Applied Science. We seek to promote the benefits of vocational education to all learners regardless of their academic background and ensure the highest quality of professional development for all staff so that the benefits of vocational education can raise students’ attainment across the curriculum.
Leading Edge Status
The Leading Edge Partnership programme has been established to identify, extend and spread innovation and excellence in the secondary sector so that standards of learning and teaching continue to improve in schools across the country.
Schools in the programme, of which Greensward Academy is one, are at the forefront of the drive to reform secondary education. Schools working within the programme will lead the way, helping to transform the face of education in their local areas. It is this drive to transform education and teaching practice that has inspired us to sponsor the new federation of Academies. This will enable us to continue to be an active contributor to local and national developments in science and mathematics, to share resources and disseminate good practice among local families of schools and their communities.
Training School Status
Training School status supports the development and extension of all teacher training activities, enabling us, in particular, to promote the employment based route into teaching, through the Graduate Training Programme. It enables the Academy to recruit and retain good quality teachers and ensure that our students are taught by competent and inspiring teachers.
The key aspect of our Training School initiative is the use of new technologies in the training programme, whereby the setting up of ‘virtual classrooms’ will enable trainees to observe outstanding lessons, taught by skilled, experienced teachers. At the same time these, and lessons taught by trainees, will be recorded for future use as training materials.
More information about teacher training opportunities at Greensward may be found by contacting the academy. Greensward is a member of the Mid Essex SCITT Consortium and works in collaboration with eight other schools in our area to train new teachers in subjects such as English, Mathematics, Science, ICT and Modern Foreign Languages.