Lydiard Park Academy
| Lydiard Park Academy | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
 | |
Grange Park Way , , SN5 6HN England | |
| Information | |
| Type | Academy |
| Established | 1986 |
| Specialist | Maths and Computing College, Sports College |
| Department for Education URN | 137264 Tables |
| Executive Principal | Mr C Zimmerman |
| Operational Principal | Mr G Pearson |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Age | 11 to 18 |
| Enrollment | 1120 |
| Colour(s) | Navy & Gold |
| Website | http://www.lydiardparkacademy.org.uk/ |
Lydiard Park Academy, formerly known as Greendown Community School, is a mixed sex comprehensive secondary school for students aged between 11 and 18 years. It is situated in the Grange Park area of Swindon, England, adjacent to Lydiard Country Park. The school has been awarded dual specialist status as a Sports College and Maths and Computing College. As of January 2016[update], there were 1120 students enrolled at the school.[1] It changed to an Academy in September 2011.
From September 2014 the Academy introduced a Sixth Form which was awarded on the back of some fantastic GCSE results. In 2015 the Academy achieved the highest results in the Swindon area with 67% gaining 5 A* - C (including English and Maths). In 2016 the Academy continued its trend of achieving great results with 68.5% gaining 5 A* - C (including English and Maths). However the new measure of progress 8 stood at +0.19 which gave it 2nd place in the Swindon league table. This put it in the top 20% of all schools nationally.
Lydiard Park Academy is the founding member of The Park Academies Trust which was formed in August 2016. From the 31st October 2016 another local Swindon secondary school, Isambard Community School, joined the trust.
Uniform
The uniform of the school consists of a blazer with a white shirt and a gold/navy striped clip-on tie. Currently there is a consultation taking place through the school leadership council to investigate whether the upper school should have a plain gold clip-on tie. A navy v-neck jumper with the school logo is optional.
History
The school opened in 1986, along with the area being built. In the late 1990s the school was getting more pupils and so it needed some extra accommodation. This led to a prefabricated humanities block and a prefabricated music block. Later the former humanities block was done up. The walls were thickened, the lino became carpet and air conditioning was added. In 2003 the school was getting more pupils and so a second sports hall was added and new maths classrooms were built. In 2010 the school added an ASD Centre (see main section below).
ASC Centre
The school was the second in Swindon to gain a unit for children with forms of Autism, the first being Kingsdown. Work started in the summer of 2010 and it finally opened on November 5, 2010. Before this it was held in a room which has now been converted into an ordinary classroom.
Specialist status
The school was awarded specialist status in 2007 back when it was still known as Greendown, it is now a specialist college in Sport, Maths, and Computing. With the grant that was awarded, a School Gym was brought, a new astroturf was built, all computers in the school were upgraded and every mathematics classrooms were introduced with interactive whiteboards.
Qualifications
Lydiard Park Academy teaches a range of GCSEs and BTEC:
- Mathematics and Further Mathematics (KS3, 4 and 5)
- English Language, English Literature and Media Studies (KS3, 4 and 5)
- Science - Physics, Biology, Chemistry (KS3, 4 and 5)
- Physical Education (GCSE and BTEC)
- GCSE Business and A-level Economics and Business
- Geography/History/Religious Studies/Philosophy and Ethics/Law Sociology
- Drama/Art Textiles/Art/Music/Music Technology
- Spanish/French/Italian (Other minor languages are studied by few pupils.)
- Engineering/Home Economics/Catering
- Health and Social Care
- ICT
References
- ^ "Establishment: Greendown Community School". Edubase. Department for Education. Retrieved 21 January 2012.