The Priory Academy LSST

The Priory Academy LSST

The Priory LSST Quad, as seen from the Science Section of the School. This is the original part of the School (once South Park Girls School), showing the Languages Department (first floor) and Mathematics Department (bottom floor).
Motto	Sic Itur Ad Astra (Federation Motto)
Established	1992
Type	Academy
Headmaster	Ian Jones
Chairman	David Knowles
Location	Cross O'Cliff Hill Lincoln Lincolnshire LN5 8PW England Coordinates: 53°12′31″N 0°32′46″W / 53.2085°N 0.5460°W / 53.2085; -0.5460
DfE number	925/6907
DfE URN	135565 Tables
Ofsted	Reports
Staff	approx. 200
Students	1,900 students
Gender	Coeducational
Ages	11–19
Houses	Sempringham, Castille, Alexandria and Avalon
Colours	Navy Blue, Purple
Website	The Priory Academy LSST

The Priory Academy, Lincoln School of Science and Technology is a co-educational, partially-selective academy school situated on Cross O'Cliff Hill, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England.

The school's Headmaster is Ian Jones, who is also the Chief Executive of The Priory Federation of Academies Trust.

History

The school is on the site of South Park Girls' Grammar School which had originally opened in May 1922 as an all-girls school and was closed in August 1989. It was reopened as The Lincoln School of Science and Technology in September 1992, admitting only year seven pupils in its first year, growing in size each year as a new year group joined. Its name changed at the end of 1999 after it was felt that the original name made it unclear that the school catered for all subjects. South Park had been originally intended for 200 pupils, however, by the time it closed its size had reached 900. Since reopening the school has grown further with the inclusion of former gas works office building in 1998, and in recent years the addition of separate blocks for the reception, music, geography, history, religious education, and a chapel. New buildings are currently being constructed.

In 2008 The Priory LSST became part of The Lincolnshire Schools Academies project with Joseph Ruston School (previously Ancaster High School; now The Priory Witham Academy), Usher Junior school (now part of The Priory Witham Academy), and two schools based in Grantham which are now The Priory Ruskin Academy. The ethos of the school (as with all these Academies) is based on the 'Priory Way'.

In March 2012 an Education Department audit uncovered widespread financial irregularities within the Priory Federation centered around Chief Executive Richard Gilliland and Financial Director Stephen Davies.^[1] Concerns raised included unauthorised payments to Mr Gilliland's son, the cost of providing private flats in school properties, the use of a school credit card to purchase items of a sexual nature and Headteacher Ian Jones decision to pay Mr Gilliland's daughter £868 to travel to Bali. The report stated "The financial management of the Federation has not been of a standard necessary for an organisation of its current size. Regularity and transparency in the use of public funds has not been demonstrated". Mr Gilliland resigned in 2012 ^[2] and faced trial for fraud. A Lincoln Crown Court jury delivered a verdict of not guilty in January 2016.

School site

Lincoln

The School Campus consist of twelve main buildings. Two buildings lie at the main entrance and exit of the school which act as the school reception and Academies' administration offices. One is known as "the house" while the other has been named "St Catherine's" in remembrance of the Priory that once stood near the site. The Main School block has rooms for Mathematics, Information Technology (IT), Languages (French, German and Spanish), Science and Technology. A covered walkway to the 6th Form centre (that is also used for English, Art, Drama and contains the Examinations Hall (AKA the 'New Hall') passes recently built buildings including the "Jackson Swimming Pool", the Boathouse (storing P.E. equipment and canoes and kayaks for use in the swimming pool), the Fitness Gym, the Pavilion (changing rooms for outdoor sporting activities as well as 6th Form study areas), the Chapel, the R.E. block, the History block, the "Rawson Geography Centre" and the Music block. In the 6th Form Centre there are areas specifically for 6th form students, including a common room, study areas and a canteen. The school also has green areas for sport as well as hard-surfaced areas for tennis, netball and hockey amongst others. Each block has its own garden with access for pupils.

Newton Centre

Officially opened on 29 June 2011, the Newton Centre is a Sixth Form Science centre on the school campus. The centre is named after one of Lincolnshire's most famous scientists, Isaac Newton. The facility includes a Debating Chamber, Research Area, laboratories and Planetarium. Built as part of the nationwide Faraday Project, the Newton Centre is used as the East Midlands hub for scientific education.

The Priory Sports Centre

The school has recently constructed a new Sport Centre, at a cost of about £8 million. It is now used for PE sessions and extracurricular activities. A 400 m synthetic Olympic-standard running track is outside the sport centre. In addition, there is a 60m indoor running track which is next to a multipurpose sports hall. There are also classrooms and a state of the art gymnasium, available for use by students during PE lessons and outside school hours at a cost through Priory Leisure. On 15 October 2013 The Priory Sports Centre was officially opened by Sir Matthew Pinsent CBE.^[3]

Robert de Cheney Boarding House

Alongside the sport centre sits The Robert de Cheney Boarding House. The House is a new state-of-the-art building with boarding provision exclusively for male and female Sixth Form pupils from the UK, British passport holders living overseas, and pupils with an EU passport. The accommodation contains single ensuite study bedrooms, on single-sex floors within the House.

The Centre des Étoiles, Normandy

Opened in 2009, the Centre des Étoiles (translated from French as the 'Centre of Stars', taken from the Federation logo and motto) is an activity centre in Lower Normandy, France, close to the town of Bayeux. The centre, owned by the Federation, not the school itself, was bought at an initial purchase price of £400,000 and underwent a three-year £1,400,000 development programme.

All schools within the federation sends new Year 7 pupils to the centre. The Priory Academy LSST also uses the centre for its Year 8 Dual Linguist pupils, a year 9 History trip to the battlefields and war graves of northern France, Combined Cadet Force and A Level French pupils. The school uses it as part of their Sixth Form Induction Programme and both The Priory City of Lincoln Academy and The Priory Witham Academy uses the centre as part of its intervention programme. The centre has also been used for a range of Federation Conferences including: the Oxbridge Conference, the Lincolnshire Leadership Conference and the University Guide for First Generation Students Conference. The Priory Lions squad has used the centre as a training camp. The Federation's CCF has used it as part of their development programme. The Academies' History departments worked on a rewrite of the History National Curriclum at the centre and staff have used the centre as a base for their ECDL training.

Visits have been to the Bayeux Tapestry and Cathedral, The 'Gold' D-Day beach at Arromanches-les-Bains, and La Cité de la Mer in Cherbourg. While on visits, pupils are attached to their Federation Houses, which override individual Academy Houses. They are Szabo, Bonaparte, Rollo and D'Arc. House badges are displayed on pupils' lapels when back at their respective Academies.

Laughton Manor, Sleaford

The Priory Federation Laughton Manor is an Equestrian Centre set in 90 acres (0.4 km²) of land, near Sleaford, Lincolnshire. The centre has an indoor and outdoor school with parking for events. The centre has recently become part of The Priory Federation of Academies. It is expected to be renovated and added to over the coming years.

Curriculum

It admits approximately 270 pupils each year, with up to 10% being chosen through a Technology and Science Aptitude Assessment, and currently has approximately 1900 pupils, 500 of whom are in the Sixth Form.

Years 7 to 11 pupils are split into 9 forms each, containing approximately 30 pupils. In Years 7 and 8, the forms are split into three bands. From the beginning of Year 7 pupils are split into three Mathematics sets; they initially study Science and English, and Modern Foreign Languages, which varies between French and German. Pupils study Religious Education, Geography, History, Drama, Music and Art in their form groups. Year 7 pupils also study Moral Thinking, Psychology and Classical Civilisations. Year 8 pupils study Emotional Intelligence, Business Studies and Latin. Students are allotted ICT and Technology groups of 15 to 20 pupils. Other subjects studied under OTC are Electronics, Textiles, Resistant Materials, Graphic Design, Food Technology and Computer Programming.

Year 9 is a transition period to Key Stage 4, with pupils beginning GCSEs in subjects including Mathematics, Science, English, Religious Education and Modern Foreign Languages. Extra lesson in Science are taken. A two-band system adds pupils to a second form in which they study Art, Music, Drama, History and Geography, and Religious Education. Pupils work towards GCSEs in Mathematics, English, English Literature and Religious Education, and begin qualifications in Science.

Science, and additional Science is continued in Years 10 and 11, with some pupils working towards GCSEs in Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Most students choose a Modern Foreign Language. Some pupils work towards the OCR National First Award in ICT while dual Linguist pupils take GCSEs in both languages. Year 10 and 11 pupils study primarily for GCSEs, with lessons in Technology, Art, Drama, Music. Year 10 and 11 pupils compulsorily study History or Geography towards the English Baccalaureate qualification. Optional subject are Art and Design, Business Studies, Child Development, Computing, Dance, Drama, Economics, Electronics, Food Technology, Geography, History, Graphic Products, OCR Cambridge National Diploma in ICT, Latin, Leisure and Tourism, Music, PE, Psychology, Resistant Materials, Separate Science, Spanish or Textiles. Year 11 pupils study to higher GCSE levels.

Recognition

The school's reputation was badly affected when Priory Chief Executive Richard Gilliland was accused of a range of abuses including six charges of fraud ^[4] and employing his son to work for the Priory Federation, despite his record of drug abuse and convictions for exposure and masturbating in front of a 14-year-old girl. ^[5] During the trial, financial practices were described as 'cavalier' and 'chaotic'. ^[6]

The school's GCSE and English Baccalaureate results have fallen for the last three years. ^[7]

Every year, the school is oversubscribed. Its size of almost 1,900 pupils makes it the largest school in Lincoln as well as a significant employer. The school and its federation has led to the school being looked upon as elitist and out of touch. The school holds a number of events, including the "Oxbridge Conference", a conference attended by prospective pupils for the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge from across Lincolnshire that are currently in Sixth Form. Every year the school holds a Careers and Higher Education Fair for its Key Stage 4 and 5 pupils, which is attended by British companies that hold talks for pupils interested in certain career paths.

An Ofsted inspection in November 2010^[8] rated the school as Grade 1 (outstanding) overall and in most areas. However, the inspection report stated that the school should promote community cohesion and improve the use of assessment in teaching; both areas were rated Grade 2 (good).^[9]

In 2015 the Department for Education stated that the school had an 89% GCSE A*-C pass rate, a fall of 10% from 2013 (including English and Maths).^[10] This made it the 15th most successful school at GCSE level in the Lincolnshire Learning Authority.^[11]

The school is both a Technology College and Training School. It has been awarded an Artsmark and Sportsmark accreditation, and received an "International School Award (Intermediate and Full Awards)" in 2005 and 2006 respectively.

House system

In 2001 the Academy introduced a House System with competitions and events. The four houses are Sempringham (yellow), Avalon (green), Alexandria (red) and Castille (blue).^[12] Each pupil walks the school Labyrinth, outside the Chapel, and receives a House badge, displayed on their left lapel, showing the colour and initial of the house team. Pupils are encouraged to take part in house events by house assemblies which take place once a month. The largest participatory annual house event is 'Sports Day'.

See also

• Priory City of Lincoln Academy
• The Priory Ruskin Academy
• Priory Witham Academy
• St. Catherines Priory, Lincoln

References

External links

• Priory LSST website
• BBC News information page on The Priory LSST