Academy 360


 

 

Academy 360 opened in September 2008 as the amalgamation of a primary and secondary school in Pennywell, a very challenging inner-city area of Sunderland in the North East of England. There are 1040 pupils between the ages of 4 and 16 on roll. Most students are of White British heritage and there is a very small proportion from other ethnic groups. A well above average proportion of pupils are eligible for free school meals. The proportion identified as having special educational needs and/or disabilities is well above average. The academy also hosts a local authority provision for pupils with severe learning difficulties and other associated needs and as a result the proportion with a statement of special educational need is also well above average. 

In September 2009 we moved into our fantastic new building. We have a specialism in business and innovation and are on an exciting journey to re-imagine the art of learning. The progress we have made has been recently recognised by Ofsted, our national agency for educational standards. As part of our commitment as a learning organisation, a significant number of our staff are engaged in a Web 2.0 cutting edge research project with the University of Hull. We plan to extend this project developing international links and professional development with our Comenius partner schools using some of the latest technologies. This will help us to develop global, cross-curricular partnerships, supporting our business and enterprise specialism and developing our young peoples’ confidence, motivation and communication skills. It will form an important part of our Global Dimension development and have a positive, exciting impact on teaching and learning. We believe that the development of a cutting edge Comenius project will also help to raise aspirations and confidence amongst our young people, giving them the opportunity to experience life in the wider world and equipping them with valuable skills for further education, employment or training, and to make a positive contribution to their local community and to the wider world in which they live.