Organisation

Our purpose built accommodation has been specifically designed to create four 11 to 16 schools - each with their own identity, entrance, classrooms and playground area - and the post-16 school, Excelsior College.

Pupils remain on site throughout the school day including lunchtime. Our dining facilities enable all pupils in each of the four schools to sit down to eat lunch together, as a school. Our site is safe and secure at all times.

Our state-of-the-art facilities include high quality information and communications technology (ICT) provision which is available to all pupils.

Our overall specialism of Business Enterprise education and the skills of entrepreneurship is developed in all five schools. In addition each of the four 11 to 16 schools leads and develops a specialist area. The four school specialist areas are:

• Business and Economics

• Design, Construction and the Environment

• Creative and Performing Arts

• Health Related Studies

Each school also takes responsibility for an Academy activity, which will develop the business and enterprise capability of every pupil. Each of the four 11 to 16 schools has a total of 375 pupils, with 75 in each year group. We believe that there are great educational and social benefits for pupils through being in a smaller school unit. Each School Principal is responsible for the pupils and staff in their school, knows them individually and is accessible to them. All staff members are dedicated to a specific school to create a family feel. Each of the 11 to 16 schools has its own management and staffing team responsible for providing high quality teaching, learning and support for every individual pupil.

Excelsior College, for students over 16, is the fifth school and has 300 places. Each of the schools also has its own offices, staff work rooms, toilets and supported learning provision.

The five key elements in the success of this model are:

• personalised learning

• academic rigour

• pupil learning which includes enrichment and enhancement activities

• high standards of behaviour and discipline

• community partnerships which focus on improving pupils’ achievement

The Academy curriculum framework ensures that all four 11 to 16 schools and Excelsior College deliver an appropriate curriculum for all pupils. Personalised learning ensures academic challenge for all pupils including those who are gifted and talented and those with special and/or additional educational needs. Specialist assessment and teaching are offered to those pupils for whom English is an additional language.

Children with Special Educational Needs (SEN)

As well as meeting the needs of those children with a statement of SEN we are also committed to meeting the needs of other children with SEN within the resources that are available to us. The Governors will make sure the special needs of pupils are known to all who are likely to teach them, ensure teachers are aware of the importance of identifying and providing for those registered pupils who have SEN, and consult the local authority and the governing bodies of other schools in the area as necessary for co-ordinating provision for pupils with SEN. The Academy will have regard to the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice (2001) and any guidance issued by the Secretary of State for Schools and Families, relating to sections 316 and 316A of the Education Act 1996.

Learning and Discipline

Our emphasis is on promoting and rewarding positive attitudes and behaviour. We teach pupils the importance of managing their own learning behaviour by identifying what they need to do to be successful. We want them to be proud of their achievements.

Good attendance, punctuality, organisation and attentiveness are key. Respect for other learners, co-operation with teachers, trying hard, meeting deadlines and completing homework are also vital. While our emphasis is on rewarding positive Behaviour, appropriate sanctions will be applied to pupils who do not meet our expectations of behaviour. We reserve the right to exclude pupils as a last resort.

More details of our behaviour policy are available from the policies section of the website

The Academy Day

All pupils are expected to be in their school, ready to work by 8.30 am. Pupils can arrive at their schools from 8.00am. The Breakfast Club is available from 7.45 am.

The compulsory school day for all four 11 to 16 schools is as follows:

Monday 8.30 am until 3.45pm
Tuesday 8.30 am until 3.45pm
Wednesday 8.30 am until 3.45pm
Thursday 8 30 am until 3.45pm
Friday 8.30 am until 2.40pm

Lunch Time

Lunch is an integral part of the Academy’s learning day and pupils are not allowed to leave the premises during the lunch session. Each of the four 11 to 16 schools has a designated lunch break which all pupils will spend in one of the Academy dining rooms. Pupils may bring their own lunch or buy it from the selection of food the Academy provides. Our menus follow eating guidelines for schools and pupils staff and visitors tell us that Excelsior’s dining experience is excellent .

We operate a cashless system which does not differentiate between those pupils who pay for meals and those who are entitled to free school meals.

Find out more about Excelsior Academy

For further information about Excelsior Academy - including details of our charging policy, wearing of jewellery and our provision of physical education and sport and sex education and relationship education, and complaints procedure - please go to the policies section of our website.