| Established | 1 Sept 2009[1] |
|---|---|
| Type | Academy |
| Religion | Christian |
| Principal | Gwyneth Evans |
| Location | Blyth Northumberland NE24 2SY England |
| Local authority | Northumberland |
| DfE URN | 135619 |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Ages | 3–18 |
| Website | bedeacademy.org.uk |
Bede Academy is an 3–18 academy located in Blyth, Northumberland, England. Opened in 2009, it is run by the Emmanuel Schools Foundation[2] established by entrepreneur Sir Peter Vardy. The ESF had previously opened three other schools: Emmanuel City Technology College in Gateshead (1990), The King's Academy in Middlesbrough (2003) and Trinity Academy in Thorne, Doncaster (2005).
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The academy has a non-denominational Christian ethos. It promotes seven core values, namely: Honourable Purpose, Humility, Compassion, Integrity, Accountability, Courage and Determination.
For children in the primary years, this is simplified to "Be Good", "Be Humble", "Be Kind", "Be Honest", "Be Responsible" and "Be Brave and Determined".
The academy was purpose-built in 2009, designed by architects Howarth Litchfield Partnership and consulting engineers Cundall and constructed by Surgo Construction. The "North" site housing the secondary school was built on the site of the former Ridley High School and the "South" primary school on the site of the former South Beach First School. Its secondary accommodation comprises over 50 classrooms, a main hall (seating 500), lecture theatre (seating 200), a large sports hall, a dance studio, fitness suite, learning resource centre, sixth form study area, drama studio, recording studio, specialist engineering rooms, restaurant and multi-use games area (MUGA). The building features natural air circulation systems, augmented by air conditioning in key rooms and has a substantial geo-thermal heating system with bores covering a large section of the car park.
In addition to the sports facilities on the North and South sites, the academy also owns the land of the former Delaval Middle School site which, as of March 2011, is being developed into a cricket pitch with pavilion along with a number of other sports facilities.
The school has closed-circuit television cameras installed in all classrooms and corridors, a public address and lesson-change buzzer system and state-of-the-art safety and fire protection systems linked to its computerised building management system.
It has invested significantly in information technology infrastructure, with each teaching room including a teacher's personal computer, interactive whiteboard and ceiling-mounted audio system. Many rooms feature multiple computers and there are eight dedicated computer suites featuring thirty computers. Both sites have a wireless network enabling the use of laptop computers, smartphones and personal digital assistants.
There has also been major investment in audio visual equipment. The Lecture Theatre is equipped with a large high-definition video screen, with multiple input vision mixing functionality, six channel surround sound, a 48 channel sound mixing console with ethernet-based connectivity and high end loudspeakers. The Main Hall has a large, motorised lighting rig, lighting console, high-definition video screen, 48 channel sound mixing console, theatre-style technical communications system and pre-wired audio, visual, lighting control and ethernet connectivity. The Recording Studio is based around an Avid C|24 control surface and personal computer running Pro Tools.
The academy is led by Principal Gwyneth Evans, who was previously a Vice-Principal at sister school Emmanuel College, Gateshead.
From September 2009 to July 2010 Liz Clubbs, formerly Headteacher at South Beach First School, was the founding Principal of the primary years with Evans at that time leading the secondary years. It was announced in February 2010 that having overseen the transition from first school to primary school Clubbs would retire in July 2010. In May 2010 it was announced after a national recruitment search, Irene Watson, formerly Deputy Headteacher at South Beach First School and subsequently Vice Principal (Teaching and Learning) at Bede Academy was to be appointed Headteacher of Primary Years with Gwyneth Evans assuming responsibility as Principal for the whole Academy.
The academy follows the National Curriculum and has academic specialists grouped into Maths, English, Science (including physics, chemistry and biology specialists), Engineering, Sport, Modern Foreign Languages (teaching French and German but running clubs for Spanish and Italian), History, Geography, Music, Drama and Philosophy, Theology and Ethics (encompassing religious, personal and social education) departments.
The academy publishes a newsletter, Bede Chronicle, once per term.
The academy regularly hosts events for students, parents and the local community. These have included concerts featuring the Reg Vardy Band, talent shows, quizzes and cookery competitions. Its major productions have so far included a musical version of George Orwell's Animal Farm in June 2010 and Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in March 2011.
The academy has a major focus on sporting activities and runs teams for a number of different sports, many of which have won local and regional titles. It competes in rugby, netball, cricket, rowing, fencing and tennis. It has also hosted summer schools and weekly coaching sessions with Newcastle United Football Club and the Newcastle Eagles basketball team.