Academy Design
A pioneering design
The RSA Academy will open in September 2008 in the old school buildings of Willingsworth High School. At the same time work will begin on the construction of a new building, located on the same site. This new building has been designed with the Opening Minds curriculum firmly in mind and with the input of students. It will open in 2010.
Opening Minds: the new Academy building
The new building which will be located at Bilston Road, Gospel Oak, will be situated in the middle of the site, much more visible from the road, carefully avoiding mine shafts which are a relic of the site's earlier use as a colliery.
The building has been designed to be light, airy and spacious, and to stimulate learning. The first thing that visitors will see when they enter will be the two-storey Learning Resource Centre. Our architects, the John McAslan Partnership, have designed a building with few corridors and with maximum flexibility. Most of the specialist classrooms will be located in the building's 'spine' and the 3 "fingers" will house the general classrooms.
The general classrooms have been designed to provide maximum flexibility of use. They can be opened up so that teachers can work with different numbers of students. This function complements the Opening Minds curriculum; some work is done in large groups with more than one member of staff, whilst at other times students may work in small groups of up to half a dozen.
The "fingers" of the building design will enable the school to organise itself into 3 "houses" with vertical tutor grouping and emphasis on cross-curricular teaching and learning, especially in KS3.
Students have their say
In 2007, the students of Willingsworth High School had the chance to work with the Sorrell Foundation's joinedupdesignforschools initiative. Through this project they were able to share their views on what kind of building they would like to be taught in.
Students raised a number of preferences. They didn't want corridors. They wanted the outside space used more effectively as a teaching resource. And they wanted an overall feeling of light and space. We feel that the new building will achieve many of their aspirations.
Healthy attitudes
The Academy specialises in teaching Health, and we aim to continue Willingsworth High School's emphasis on healthy eating.
There will be a full kitchen for the catering staff to use to prepare the students' food, as well as an additional kitchen, equipped to full catering standard, for use during the day and outside of school hours.
Post-16 provision will be included and we plan to offer a wide range of courses and qualifications which will appeal to the students, encouraging them to stay on at the Academy to complete their Level 3 qualifications. This is important as these older students will become role models and mentors to the younger students at the Academy.
