Academy News
3 September 2008
RSA Academy opens its doors
The RSA Academy opened its doors to 1100 students today. These are the first students to experience what will be an innovative teaching and learning environment as this is the first Academy to be planned around the RSA’s Opening Minds curriculum framework. It will be two years until the new building is ready but in order to bridge the gap the existing premises on Bilston Road have had a £750,000 facelift over the summer.
The Principal, Michael Gernon, commented, 'It’s brilliant to see the students arriving. The last few months have been incredibly busy to make sure everything was ready for them.'
2 June 2008
RSA Academy gets the green light
The RSA Academy has passed its final milestone with flying colours. On Monday 2 June the Principal, Michael Gernon, and the Executive Vice Principal, Sally Weale, attended their ‘Sign-off’ meeting with officials at the Department of Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). This meeting is crucial because it is where the officials decide whether or not they can recommend to Ministers that an Academy is ‘fit to open’.
The format is that the Principal makes a detailed presentation which covers everything from Governance to Strategy and Learning and Organisation to Student Wellbeing. This is followed by a rigorous question and answer session at the end of which DCSF officials use a traffic-light system to judge whether or not an Academy is ready to open in September. Mick and Sally got a full set of 8 green lights. This is unusual as there is often one element of the detailed and wide-ranging planning that requires a little more work and therefore may be given an amber light. Officials will now recommend to Ministers that the RSA Academy is in good shape and is ready to open on schedule on 1 September 2008.
The RSA Academy team was the first of the 50 Academies due to open in September to get the go-ahead.
Designing the uniform at our new school
A dozen teenagers from Willingsworth High School, together with Margaret Howell RDI, develop the uniform for the RSA Academy.
The RSA's remarkable resources of talented individuals have already proved useful to the RSA Academy in Tipton. In January 2008, Margaret Howell RDI and two of her senior designers (Helen Clarke and Toby Clark) stimulated a fascinating discussion with 12 students currently at Willingsworth High School. Margaret and her colleagues began by asking the students what they wanted from the Academy uniform.
'Make us look smart'
The students struck three key notes: the uniform must be comfortable, make us look smart, and give us an identity. They like ties, blazers (with plenty of pockets) and trousers; but the girls would also like us to think about an alternative to ties - perhaps a scarf? They don't mind wearing exactly the same uniform as the boys, but perhaps a bit of variety could be added: maybe the option of wearing a skirt?
Margaret asked them to think about fabric, its texture, weight and comfort. Given a range of fabric samples to consider, the students picked out the natural fabrics as being more comfortable and harder wearing, but were concerned about cost. Margaret suggested that if some items were plain then more money could be spent on items such as sweaters and blazers.
On sports kit, everyone agreed that confidence was important when competing against other schools. "Something with the Academy name on it please," was the request that came through loud and clear.
Standing out
The illustrations show the students working with Margaret, Helen and Toby, looking at how colours work together, how the RSA logo might be used as a badge. Their suggestions will now go to the School Council for consideration before the Academy Principal, Michael Gernon, places the orders for the first batch of uniforms for the RSA Academy.
Uniform matters to these students. Their final message was that they will be proud to attend the RSA Academy and they want their uniform to stand out from the crowd.
Lesley James, RSA Education
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