Leigh Technology Academy

The Leigh Technology Academy is a privately funded Academy for the Dartford area of Kent, England.

Mr Frank Green is now the CEO of The Leigh Technology Academy and was the Principal in its previous incarnation from 1997-2007. Under his leadership it has become known for its academic achievements and innovation with regards to the learning environment.Fact|date=February 2007 In September 2007 the organisation became an Academy and changes were implemented, affecting the structure of the day and the management system.

In January 2008 building work on the Academy's new site was completed and on 21st January 2008 staff and students moved in. The new buildings are designed to be light, airy and modern. The new facilities allow staff and students to build on the exceptional reputation that the academy already has.

The academy is split into four colleges: Brunel, Da Vinci, Darwin and Chaucer. Each college has its own Principal and senior management. This structure is intended to create smaller, closer-knit communities. Each community has its own Principal and Vice Principal. This is helpful to students wishing to change the way in which staff and students communicate.

Changes have been made to the teaching at the academy: for example, many classes are taught to groups of 60 and students are taught within their college instead of classes of mixed colleges. The intention is that much of the teaching at The Leigh Technology Academy will be structured around independent learning to help students prepare for life after leaving school.

The The Leigh Technology Academy was formerly named the Leigh City Technology College, one of several schools set up in the UK to house modern ideas of learning and innovation, and this philosophy continues in the Academy. The Leigh Technology Academy occupies the site of the former secondary modern school The Downs.

The Leigh City Technology College was one of the first places in the UK to house a Cisco Regional Academy. The facility remains in The Leigh Technology Academy and is run by Caroline Cheverton. It has offered the CCNA course for a little over 8 years now and has set landmarks for the CCNA course within the UK. Additional courses such as Red Hat qualifications are taught and examined at the academy as well as the individual elements (MCP’s) of the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer. The academy also has a close affiliation with a nearby centre in the borough of Swanscombe. The Spark IT centre aims to decrease the digital divide of the people of Swanscombe and surrounding areas.

Since The Leigh City Technology College became The Leigh Technology Academy many new programmes have been introduced, including Talmos and the Sun Golbal Desktop (SGD). Talmos enables staff to set work that is accessible over the internet and is completed using the internet. Results of each student's work are available for staff to view on their Talmos accounts. The Sun Global Desktop enables students to use the basic and specialist programs available at school over the internet, free of charge.

After just a few weeks of operation the Academy began to attract criticism from parents who were concerned about noise levels in the 60 strong classes. There were also concerns that many children were not getting the attention they required in such large classes.

These concerns were exacerbated when the 2007 Key Stage 4 performance data for England was published. This showed that on 24% of the Academy’s students gained five A* to C grades GCSEs including English and Maths. The students in this cohort had all been taught in large groups.

The official opening of the adademy took place on the 23rd June 2008. Many high-profile guests came to see the new building and the students within the academy and special events took place for different colleges within the academy.

The Leigh Technology Academy is currently spearheading the conversion of a neighbouring comprehensive school into an Academy. Axton Chase School in Longfield is due to re-open as Axtane Academy in September 2008. This proposal has met with fierce opposition from staff, students and parents at Axton Chase. Many are concerned at the prospect of students being taught in large classes.

Update In September 2007, The Leigh CTC became The Leigh Technology Academy.

External links

* [http://www.leighacademy.org.uk School Website]
* [http://www.dartford.gov.uk/sparkit/index.htm Spark IT]
* [http://www.assertis.co.uk Assertis - Website design agency for The Leigh Technology Academy]