Better by design

The Academy’s specialism of Design and the Built Environment will be used to improve the life chances of young people by raising aspirations and achievement.

Opportunities for all

Provision at 14-19 will include high quality opportunities in the professional aspects of the specialism. This will prepare learners for careers in architecture, design, engineering, surveying, planning and regeneration, land management, and other related professions, thus conveying the message to learners and the wider community that this is an Academy that aspires to, and achieves, high quality outcomes.

We also recognise that some learners will choose to follow careers in trades associated with the specialism. They will be actively supported and encouraged through our partnership with the local FE College and other providers. Learning in the younger years will also recognise the importance of skilled crafts such as plumbing and joinery and the importance of design and environmental impact by developing project based learning.

State-of-the-art

While the specialism will be included in teaching and learning across the whole curriculum and across the culture of the Academy, key aspects will be located in a purpose-built Design Centre at the heart of the Academy. All learners will have access to this at some time in their learning programme. A state-of-the-art facility, the Design Centre aims to provide an authentic context for learning about all aspects of design and the built environment.

Skills and employment

The specialism should provide the framework for developing the employability skills that learners need to move with ease from the world of learning to the world of work. Work related learning opportunities, particularly those facilitated through the networks opened up through the involvement of Northumberland Estates, will provide a real and motivating context for developing these skills.

Nowhere will this be more evident than in the planning and preparation for the new build and refurbishment required on the Academy sites. Thematic approaches to learning will enable learners of all ages to be actively engaged in the development of their new learning environment.