Freeston Academy
| Motto | Making the Difference in the Business of Learning |
|---|---|
| Established | 1592 |
| Type | State school |
| Headteacher | Mike Tarr |
| Location |
Favell Avenue Normanton West Yorkshire WF6 1HZ England 53°36′29″N 1°47′02″W / 53.608°N 1.784°WCoordinates: 53°36′29″N 1°47′02″W / 53.608°N 1.784°W |
| Local authority | City of Wakefield |
| DfE URN | 137655 Tables |
| Ages | 11–16 |
| Publication | The Freeston Academy |
| Website |
www |
The Freeston Academy (known locally as just Freeston), formerly the Freeston Business and Enterprise College, is a state run, coeducational high school situated in Normanton, West Yorkshire near the city of Wakefield. It is a Business and Enterprise specialist school.
History
The academy was founded in 1592 by John Freeston of Altofts and built as a local grammar school, which was later moved to its current location in the 1950s, where only a chimney remains in the original location. The school has experienced much success over recent years with results improving consistently. In 2006, the school provided the highest number of pupils gaining five A-C GCSE grades in its history with 50% of students reaching five A-Cs, an improvement from 33% in 2004. The school has witnessed a recent injection of investment, becoming a Business and Enterprise College in 2003.
Since the start of 2003, most classrooms were given electronic whiteboards with touchscreens (as opposed to the earlier use of overhead projectors), personal laptops for teachers, a new science block and a sports centre.
The school was previously undergoing plans of demolishing, re-designing and re-building Freeston within the grounds, with a school expected to be built around 2011. Unfortunately, due to cutbacks by the Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition government, most school-redesign projects were called off.
The school has recently been noticed by the British public after Head of Business Ed Vickerman won 'The SSAT Award for Outstanding New Teacher of the Year' at the Teaching awards 2009.
Along with a number of other secondary schools, Freeston changed itself to an academy status in 2011 following cutbacks by the Conservative/LibDem coalition to the Education sector.
On 20 August 2015 the academy library and ICT lab caught fire and burnt down as a result of maintenance work being carried out on the roof. As this was during the school holidays there were no classes, however it was the same day that GCSE results were released, and pupils had to collect their results later in the day and from the sports hall. The academy reopened for the start of term on Wednesday 2 September as planned.[1][2]
Academics
The last Ofsted report in September 2007 concluded that Freeston provides a sound education for its students, supported by a strong governing body and providing support for students and parents alike.[3] The school has Enterprise Hub Status and works successfully with nine West Yorkshire schools.
Notable features
- Six ICT rooms (With 20+ PC units in each)
- Modern Maths block - Renovated summer 2013
- Over 70 classrooms
- Outdoor tennis courts, rugby, football and cricket fields and an all-weather pitch
- Community centre and sports hall providing numerous facilities for the public in and out of school hours