We are a very popular 11-18 Academy within the Maltby Learning Trust with over 1900 students on roll, including over 400 students in the Sixth Form. I believe Wath Academy has the potential to be one of the best schools in the country and I genuinely believe it can become a beacon of education excellence.

our Vision 

Our vision is clear: ‘Delivering exceptional learning experiences which enable all young people to thrive in a competitive world and lead successful and fulfilling lives’. We are passionate about supporting all our students in their pursuit of success and happiness and we firmly believe that this is achieved through a relentless commitment to demonstrating our 7 key drivers:

These aspirational and inspirational core principles are central to everything that we do and were jointly created by students and staff to drive the academy forward. At Wath Academy, we live and breathe these key drivers with an unwavering passion and determination to ensure that our students receive the best education; we will not settle for anything but the best, and will not rest until the academy is truly great in all areas.

Wath Academy is an inclusive school within which everyone is valued. Diversity is celebrated and we warmly welcome everybody into our community. We have a rich 98-year history of academic and sporting achievement. Long-standing traditions - such as the house system, which was formed in 1923, and the school’s newspaper, The Torch - provide a traditional feel in our modern learning environment. Despite our size, we pride ourselves on our supportive and caring community. We work hard to ensure that we create a disciplined environment which is rooted in the highest expectations, providing a platform for our students to showcase their ability, talents, and enthusiasm.

We firmly believe that with the combination of a growth mindset and world class learning every lesson, every day, there are no limits on what our students can achieve. The new addition of integrity to our key drivers encapsulates what we want to achieve via our curriculum intent. Here at Wath Academy, we do things for the right reasons. We don’t take shortcuts and we ensure everything we do is ethically and morally correct. We deliver on promises and walk the talk.

Curriculum Intent

Our ambition to become a beacon of educational excellence sees us providing a holistic educational experience. We believe in providing students with an academic passport that allows them to have a range of choices when leaving the academy, whilst also remaining committed to developing the whole child, ensuring they have good character with which they can positively contribute to society. We aim to instil a never give up, no excuses culture amongst our students, which we believe will develop resilient, solution focused individuals. Therefore, we place an emphasis on character education, taking part in enrichment activities and attending events and trips that broaden students’ horizons. Our newly designed curriculum intent encapsulates all of this.  

        

World-Class Teaching and Learning

We are truly passionate about Teaching and Learning and this is central to everything that we do. We firmly believe that when every teacher:

• Is passionate about changing life chances of young people
• Is passionate about Teaching and Learning
• Truly loves their subject
• Makes learning interesting, fun and relevant
• Knows the detail and nuances of the exam specifications
• Forges excellent relationships with all students
• Is strict but fair
• Is proven and knows how to deliver top notch results
• Is passionate about delivering outstanding learning (every lesson, every day)
• Has a true growth mind-set

then genuine sustainable school improvement takes place. We are passionate about ensuring every classroom in our academy is filled with this type of teacher.

Staff CPD

To ensure that all staff can deliver World-Class Learning we provide an extensive CPD programme with four main elements:

CPD Sessions
Staff attend weekly CPD sessions which are meticulously planned based on the needs of our staff and our very own T&L standard. Each session is delivered by an exceptional teacher who forms part of our central teaching and learning group.

Staff Reading
We are passionate about engaging with impactful, evidence-based T&L strategies. Each member of staff is provided with a specific teaching and learning book which has been hand selected to align with our needs and T&L standard. The chosen book will be reviewed in CPD sessions to generate discussion and debate whilst also informing best practice.

IRIS
We use IRIS technology as a self and peer reflection tool. The technology is a fundamental part of our CPD programme, giving us the opportunity to reflect on current practice whilst also widely sharing best practice.

Drop Ins
We have an open-door policy through which staff receive regular high quality, insightful feedback following low stake drop ins. We see great value in facilitating regular conversations around T&L with a view to these conversations being purely developmental.

House System

We are very proud of our competition-based house system. The house system was launched when the school opened in 1923. All games and academic endeavours were celebrated as a house, not as individuals. The aim of the house system remains to build teamwork, confidence and community through competition. We see the house system as an ‘activator’, a vehicle to motivate and encourage students to push themselves outside of their comfort zone. There are six houses:

Every student, and every member of staff, is affiliated to one of the houses and they compete to earn points for their house. Students and staff earn points by entering house competitions such as: photography, dance, cookery, poetry, chess, talent shows and sports day to name but a few. We have a wide range of competitions to ensure that everybody can be involved. We want every student to gain the confidence and belief to compete and experience what it feels like to be part of a successful team. The house system also exposes our students to team camaraderie, team spirit and having a united mission/goal.

Sport and Extra Curricular

We pride ourselves on the extensive enrichment programme we provide for all students. We recognise that school is about generating memories that last a lifetime and activities and experiences beyond the classroom play a large part in this. Please see below our enrichment brochures.

 

             

Visits

Finally, the best way to see a school is to visit it during a normal school day, to see the school in action. We are so confident that you will be impressed by our day-to-day provision that we would encourage you to just arrive at our reception, at a time and date that suits you, request a tour and I or another member of our senior team will be more than happy to provide you with a comprehensive tour of our academy.

This is an incredibly exciting time to be a part of our academy. We are due to celebrate our centenary year in 2023 and the realisation of becoming a beacon of educational excellence during this year will be a fitting tribute to the history of the school and the community.

I hope you find what you are looking for, however, please don’t hesitate in contacting us should you require any additional information.
 

Mr Ransome - Principal

If you require further information or a discussion about your individual requirements please in the first instance contact our reception on 01709 760222 or via email enquiries@wathacademy.com