Highfield Leadership Academy

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Highfield Leadership Academy
Address
Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap
Highfield Road Blackpool , Lancashire , FY4 3JZ England
Coordinates	53°47′17″N 3°01′44″W / 53.7880°N 3.0290°W / 53.7880; -3.0290Coordinates: 53°47′17″N 3°01′44″W / 53.7880°N 3.0290°W / 53.7880; -3.0290
Information
Type	Academy
Established	1933
Local authority	Blackpool
Trust	Star Academies
Department for Education URN	142469 Tables
Ofsted	Reports
Principal	Mr Andrew Galbraith
Gender	Co-educational
Age	11 to 16
Enrolment	1,130
Website	http://www.highfieldleadershipacademy.com/

Highfield Leadership Academy is a co-educational secondary school located in Marton, Blackpool, Lancashire, England.

History[]

It was originally known as Highfield High School. In 2004 the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) awarded the school specialist school status as a Humanities College,^[1] focusing on the teaching and study of History, Geography and Religious Education. The school was subsequently renamed Highfield Humanities College.

In 2007 the school featured in the DCSF list of schools that had made the best sustained improvements in their GCSE results over the last four years.^[2]

In August/September 2012 the school moved into a new building on the old playing field. The old school building, which stood for nearly eighty years, was demolished shortly after.

Previously a community school administered by Blackpool Borough Council, in April 2016 Highfield Humanities College closed and converted to academy status and was renamed Highfield Leadership Academy. The school is now part of Star Academies.

Academics[]

Highfield Leadership Academy offers GCSEs as programmes of study for pupils.

Unlike other schools in the area, the academy is notable for the number of subjects it offers and expects of its pupils. Whilst most pupils of British secondary schools only study around 6 GCSEs, those at HLA study up to 13. All pupils must study the mandatory subjects (English, Maths, Science etc.) as well as at least one language, a humanities subject (RE, Geography, History) and a computer-based subject. Art subjects remain optional.

This method is not uncommon among struggling schools, as it is usually viewed as an attempt to raise the academy’s success rate. Most pupils study a smaller number of subjects, until their final year, where extra qualifications are made mandatory.

Governance and OFSTED[]

The Academy has had a complicated history with regards to its leadership. During its time as 'Highfield Humanities College', its philosophy was a more liberal one, hence the name 'college'. During this period, it was considered to be a mid-tier secondary school for the area. This was until 2014, where it was rated 'inadequate' by OFSTED. As such, it was ordered to become an academy, and was put in the hands of TET 'Tauheedul Education Trust', which is now .

Prior to the takeover, the school was afflicted by a huge public relations disaster, stemming from a damning report from local papers, telling of an apparent student riot.^[3] The headline ran '‘The kids have the power and they know it’ claims insider after ‘riot’ in Blackpool school'. The headmistress at the time bared witness to the incident and compared it to the Hillsborough Disaster. In the same year, there was also a case of arson from two pupils ^[4] where the entire student body was evacuated and the building flooded due to sprinklers. The headmistress would soon resign.

As a result of this, her successor, an employee of STAR Academies, Helen McKenzie, worked with the corporation to completely reorganise the regime of the academy in response to consistent poor behaviour. Rules were tightened, staff were shuffled and there was a harsh crackdown on all misdeeds, with harsh punishments from minor offenses such as lateness to more serious ones such as bullying. Despite this, not much seemed to improve in the hearts and minds of parents. The year after, policy would completely shuffle again.

The school's negative reputation peaked in December 2018 where the academy was threatened with special measures, once again being declared by OFSTED as inadequate on all fronts to an alarming degree.^[5] With reports of discrimination, failure to tackle bullying, failure to safeguard pupils and an apparent 'overly generous view of the school's success'. As such, under the Leadership of the current headmaster, Andrew Galbraith, drastic action was taken to transform the school. Many new staff and education executives were brought in from further afield, in some cases from as far away as London. There was also another new set of rules; stricter than ever before, with absolutely no tolerance for disruption. This remains the case to this day, with joining the cadets now being mandatory for pupils.

In September 2019, OFSTED stated that the academy had much improved.^[6] And again in February 2020. "Since the last monitoring inspection, more pupils are benefiting from high-quality teaching. Many teachers present subject matter in a way that helps pupils to develop their knowledge and understanding." Although, OFSTED have still identified areas for improvement, the academy stands today as a good school, albeit a strict one.^[7]

Controversy[]

After the title of ‘Highfield Humanities College’ was relinquished in 2015, much controversy was sparked over the move to Star Academies. The education trust specialises in Islamic faith schools, and HLA was the first of its partners to be secular. This became a newsworthy event, and it was speculated on as to what this would look like.

As such, many in the local community expressed concern that the Academy would become a faith school. In response, Academy officials launched a campaign both on and offline to dispel the rumour as quickly as possible to stifle the withdrawal of pupils.

Subsequently, the academy saw a rise in its population of ethnic minorities despite the lack of religious teaching in the school. Therefore, its governance upped its efforts to tackle racist sentiment among the student body.

Notable former pupils[]

This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. Please by removing names that do not have independent reliable sources showing they merit inclusion in this article AND are alumni, or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriate citations. (February 2021)

• Joe Bullock, rugby league player
• Steven Croft, cricketer
• Anna Jobarteh, actor
• David Thewlis, actor
• Shelly Woods, paralympian
• James Cahill, snooker player

References[]

External links[]

• Highfield Leadership Academy official website
• Department for Children, Schools and Families Performance Tables (GCSE and equivalent)