King's Lynn Academy (formerly "the Park High School") is a 11-16 mixed

secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

in the West

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

town of

King's Lynn King's Lynn, known until 1537 as Bishop's Lynn and colloquially as Lynn, is a port and market town in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk in the county of Norfolk, England. It is north-east of Peterborough, north-north-east of Cambridg ...

, England. It is situated on Queen Mary Road in Gaywood; and is one of four schools serving the town and adjacent villages.

History

The school opened in 1939, originally with separate schools for boys and girls. Until 1997 it was known as ''Gaywood Park High School'' when it became ''the Park High School''. The school became an academy in 2017, sponsored by the CWA Academy Trust founded by the

College of West Anglia The College of West Anglia (often abbreviated to CoWA or CWA) is a four-campus college of further and higher education in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk, England. The college has three campuses, located in King's Lynn, Milton and Wisbech, Cambridg ...

in 2010, which was renamed the Eastern Multi-academy Trust (E-MAT].

Ofsted

In 2013, the school received its highest

GCSE The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a range of subjects taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, having been introduced in September 1986 and its first exams taken in 1988. State schools ...

results with 83% of pupils achieving five or more GCSEs at grades C or above and 45% of pupils achieving five good grades (A* - C) including English and Maths. Norfolk schools website
Retrieved 2010-10-02. In 2016,

Ofsted The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a non-ministerial department of His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament. Ofsted's role is to make sure that organisations providing education, training ...

put the school in

Special measures Special measures is a status applied by regulators of public services in Britain to providers who fall short of acceptable standards. In education (England and Wales) Ofsted, the schools inspection agency for England and some British Overseas Ter ...

, and an Interim Executive Board appointed: the school joined E-MAT. The monitoring inspection in October 2018 determined that it was out of measures and the visit was changed to a Section 5 Inspection (Full Inspection). It was graded as needing improvement.

Curriculum Entitlement

Under the intense scrutiny of the EMC, the school examined all its practices and evolved a new philosophy and from that built up a new spiral syllabus. Lesson presentation followed a standard format and pattern, and by 2018 had convinced Ofsted that the new structures were in place, though a couple of subjects needed extra help. Virtually all maintained schools and academies follow the

National Curriculum A national curriculum is a common programme of study in schools that is designed to ensure nationwide uniformity of content and standards in education. It is usually legislated by the national government, possibly in consultation with state or othe ...

, and are inspected by Ofsted on how well they succeed in delivering a 'broad and balanced curriculum'. The school has to decide whether

Key Stage 3 Key Stage 3 (commonly abbreviated as KS3) is the legal term for the three years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9, when pupils are aged between 11 and 14. In Northern Ireland the ...

contains years 7, 8 and 9- or whether year 9 should be in

Key Stage 4 Key Stage 4 (KS4) is the legal term for the two years of school education which incorporate GCSEs, and other examinations, in maintained schools in England normally known as Year 10 and Year 11, when pupils are aged between 14 and 16 by August 31 ...

and the students just study subjects that will be examined by the

exams at 16. The IEC decided that a three year Key Stage 3 was appropriate for this community.

Key Stage 3

In Years 7, 8, and 9 almost all pupils are expected to study the core academic subjects for all five years. They are supported by low-stakes formative testing.

Key Stage 4

The two year academic curriculum in Key Stage 4 is deliberate. It is what the government normally recommends. The majority of pupils study for the full

English Baccalaureate The English Baccalaureate (EBacc) is a school performance indicator in England linked to the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) results. It measures students' attainment by calculating an average score from specified subject grades. ...

suite of subjects. Option choices allow for all pupils to add other subjects from the realms of the arts, technical and physical subjects to this academic core. Planning ensures that it constantly builds on previous learning, with retention and unsupported recall prioritised for all students, including those who are gifted, disadvantaged or have additional needs. The success of the curriculum is monitored by the Academy Council and reported to parents on-line.

References

External links

King's Lynn Academy Photo Gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:King's Lynn Academy Academies in Norfolk Educational institutions established in 1939 King's Lynn Secondary schools in Norfolk 1939 establishments in England