Academy praises 'vindication' for hard work

A school previously placed in special measures with crumbling buildings, falling pupil numbers and teachers striking over a lack of resources is now the eighth most improved in the UK.

A recent progress report from the Department of Education put Whitehaven Academy, in Cumbria, in the top 10 most improved mainstream schools.

The school, once part of the much-criticised Bright Tribe Trust, came out of special measures under new sponsor Cumbria Education Trust in 2019.

Its headteacher, Nigel Youngman, who arrived in the same year, said it was "great news".

"To hear those results felt like a real vindication for the belief in the community, the hard work of the students in particular, and also my staff," he said.

"I'm incredibly lucky to have colleagues who are deeply committed to the young people being successful."

In 2016, the academy was rated inadequate by Ofsted, which criticised its leadership.

At the time, students wrote an open letter claiming their "futures were being destroyed".

Since then the school has been rebuilt, and is currently oversubscribed.

Pupils say they have benefitted from a change in culture and the commitment of staff to raise expectations and results.

Kayden Agnew, 16, started at the school in 2019.

"It's really different, it's more modern, it's got a very different style," he said.

Fellow 16-year-old Chloe Pennington said: "It was my first choice of secondary school because I saw that potential in it and I think it's really paid off."

Whitehaven Academy has had to overcome the doubts of local parents who were familiar with previous problems.

Colin Burns, whose daughter is at the school, said there had been a huge turnaround.

"Nobody wanted to send their children there because of what was going on, it was falling to pieces, it just wasn't a nice place to be," he said.

"But from what it was to what it is now is absolutely exceptional and a credit to the staff."

Mr Youngman said the school had diversified the curriculum, offering greater choice in both academic and sporting subjects.

For example, staff say, it is the only school in Cumbria with more than two trampolines.

"We're all learners," said Mr Youngman. "The better we can make the school, the more the students can thrive."

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