NLL Academies

The two new line learning academies were opened on their existing sites in record time. The opening really marks the beginning of a process that will see both Cornwallis Academy and New Line Learning Academy rebuilt on the Cornwallis and Oldborough sites respectively by September 2010. This coming academic year we will be focusing as usual on raising standards. Beyond that, working closely with the academies unit at the DCSF and the local authority we will be focusing on:

1. Planning the merger of the old Senacre and Oldborough schools onto the Oldborough site. We aim to undertake this by September 2008 and will keep parents and students informed of progress.
2. Complete an outline business case for the new buildings in order to run a design and build competition for contractors to start building in the early autumn 2008. When we have details of what the buildings will look like, we will be publishing them and consulting. At the moment we do not have these. The total cost of the scheme for both schools currently stands at £57 million, so it represents a significant investment in the educational infrastructure of Maidstone.
3. Embedding the ethos of academies within our existing schools: this is essentially about looking at what additional curriculum, sporting and other options we might offer. We plan to publish more on this later this term.
4. Governance: the governing body is currently being constituted. We will be holding elections for parent governors this term, one to represent New Line Learning Academy and one to represent Cornwallis Academy. A letter will be published on our website and sent out in the first week or so of term detailing this process.

In summary, our academy offers opportunities to improve outcomes for students attending our schools. Many of these will emerge over the coming years as the project gains momentum. The central focus is to improve opportunities by a greater emphasis on responding to individual need. Some of that is currently in place, but more will emerge over the coming months and years.

Most people today shop in supermarkets because they provide a wide range of choice and quality products under one roof. Education, on the other hand, is still mainly provided by individual schools that run themselves.

Given that, perhaps we should not be surprised if education standards vary according to the success or otherwise of individual schools.

So is there a better way for schools? At New Line Learning we believe there is.

Three secondary schools in South Maidstone have joined together under one governing body to provide greater educational choice and improved standards for all children in our care.

We have re-branded ourselves as ‘New Line Learning’ to reflect our fresh approach to secondary education. Our logo has been designed in consultation with our students across the schools and reflects the new direction we wish to take your child’s education.

Approach

Our approach is simple. We want children to enjoy school and we believe that all young people can be successful and fulfilled if we share the resources and talents of three schools.

To ensure that this happens, we have introduced a common curriculum across the three schools and a number of innovations that will benefit your child:

• All Year 7 pupils to be equipped with portable computers to aid their learning
• An integrated Humanities course in years 7 and 8 that teaches pupils how to learn and study independently
• Key Stage 3 completed in two years, with SATs being taken in Year 8
• Key Stage 4 commencing in Year 9 with GCSE examinations taken in Year 10
• Early entry into the Sixth Form in Year 11
• Reporting to parents on each pupil’s progress every 7 weeks
• Encouraging pupils to have a voice, which contributes to the direction of the schools
• A modern curriculum with an emphasis on project based learning, IT enabled learning and vocational courses

Values

At New Line Learning we believe in: honesty, respect and care for each other. Through discussion with staff and pupils we have decided these will be the core values at NLL.

Care

At the heart of the education programme is a model of care that seeks to ensure that pupils are emotionally happy and well balanced within school. We have common pastoral programmes and procedures plus a common set of values. We are also working with Yale University and University College London to develop pupils’ emotional maturity via emotional intelligence programmes.

Progression

SMS - South Maidstone Sixth - now has over 300 students and offers over 40 different subjects at vocational and A level. It is both popular and successful, with increasing numbers of students going to university every year.

If you wish to find out more about our sixth form, please visit: www.southmaidstonesixth.com

The Future

We can only guess what the future holds for our children. One thing we can say, is that in an ever changing world nothing will remain static.

New Line Learning, with its commitment to high standards and continuous innovation, helps develop young people to cope successfully with an uncharted future.

In Addition

To see how we manage ourselves here at NewLineLearning use the link to below to see a schematic of our organisational structure.

Management Structure