Aston Academy
 | |
| Established | 1957 |
|---|---|
| Type | Academy |
| Headteacher | Eunice Newton |
| Chair of Governors | John Barton |
| Location |
Aughton Road Swallownest Sheffield South Yorkshire S26 4SF England Coordinates: 53°22′08″N 1°19′22″W / 53.3688°N 1.3227°W |
| Local authority | Sheffield |
| DfE URN | 136718 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports Pre-academy reports |
| Capacity | 1,673 |
| Students | 1,613 |
| Gender | Co-educational |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Houses | Darcy, Furnival, Melton, Verelst |
| Website | Aston Academy |
Aston Academy (formerly Aston Comprehensive School until 30 April 2011) is a secondary school with academy status located in the Aston/Aughton region of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England.
The age group for attendance at Aston is Y7 to Y11, and then Y12 to Y13 for Aston's sixth form. So the age group is from 11-16 and then from 16-18 for sixth form. Most pupils come from the Aston-cum-Aughton area but pupils from other nearby villages such as Beighton, Woodhouse and Treeton also attend the school.
History
The school first opened in 1957 as Swallownest County Secondary School with the original school buildings completed in 1957 and which still stand today. In 1962, as a result of the amalgamation of Swallownest County Secondary School and Woodhouse Grammar, the school changed its name to Aston Woodhouse High School with further buildings added in 1965 and in 1996. In 1974 the school was placed within the Rotherham Local Authority and became Aston Comprehensive School (now Aston Academy).
At the start of the 2011-year term, former basketball player and coach Peter Scantlebury was appointed as Y11 Pastoral Manager.
Previous headteachers have been Mr. Hoskins, Mr Woodlands, Mr Watson, Mr Lowe, Mr Light, Mr Neal. Eunice Newton is the current Principal who has worked in the senior management roles of church and state schools in the North West and South Yorkshire, including a small 11-16 Catholic School between 1997 and 2004.[1]
Community Education Trust
In 2011 Aston Comprehensive School was given permission to form the Aston Community Education Trust, breaking away from Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council to set up a state-maintained independent Academy school, which has control of its own budget, is able to source its services from private providers, and has flexibility of curriculum. The Trust is a registered limited company incorporated on 24 March 2011. The company is registered under Companies House (company no. 07577113). Carol Davidson and Patricia Graham were appointed directors at the date of incorporation but later resigned: Davidson on 11 November 2011, and Graham on 31 July 2011. On 19 December 2012, nine directors were terminated, leaving only six directors with the additional appointment of another.
On announcement of the governors' intention to convert, a joint NUT, NASUWT and ATL union meeting was convened and staff voted to oppose Academy status – a letter to this effect was addressed to the governors.
Changes to the Trust
On the month of the one year anniversary of Academy conversion (May 2012) the Academy directors annexed the trust’s Articles of Association document making amendments to the previous nature of the organisation as a Comprehensive School and a new Academy. This resolution increases the independence and autonomy of the trust and gives the directors greater powers, more in line with those of a conventional business. Some of the main powers include the ability to:
- Form private companies to carry on any trade or business for the purpose of raising funds for the Academy.
- To buy and sell property including existing school buildings and land.
- Offer scholarships to present and former students.
- To raise and borrow money.
- To invest school funds in other companies, private enterprises businesses and other investments.
In addition school property can be held in the name of a nominee private company acting under the control of the directors.
Recognition
Before converting to an academy Aston Comprehensive School was rated as 'Outstanding' by Ofsted in 2010. Since conversion Aston Academy has been downgraded to the lower 'Good' rating following an inspection in 2014. Data published by Ofsted in 2013 reports that 55% of children from disadvantaged backgrounds made expected progress compared to national standards.
Thurcroft Junior School
Thurcroft Junior school has recently converted to an Academy and is now administered by Aston Community Education Trust. The trust is presently advertising the opportunity for other state owned schools to convert to Academies with their support and become part of the family of schools.
Ofsted inspections
Since the commencement of Ofsted inspections in September 1993, the school has undergone many full inspections:
| Date of inspection | Outcome | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| ??–?? November 2010 | Outstanding | |
| 4–5 February 2014 | Good | Report |