Leigh Technology Academy

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Case study

Leigh Technology Academy is truly breathtaking, with its glass lifts, learning plazas and informal working areas set among palms and olive trees. Such design features are an integral part of the school’s vision for learning. Four small schools within a school, vertical tutoring, classes of 60 and break-out areas where older students support younger students combine to form the philosophy of learning that has led to the design of each element of this new school.

In this audio recording staff and pupils share their experience of the rebuilding project. A summary of the main elements are available below.

Key facts

Type of school: academy
Number on roll: 1,500
Age range: 11–18
Chief executive: Frank Green
Cost of redevelopment: £28 million
Date completed: 2008

Background

Research into small school developments in Australia and the United States influenced the design of the building. The new school was designed on a ‘small school’ theme, comprising four schools each with 400 students. Each school has its own team of teachers, support staff and administrators. The smaller schools mean that teachers know each student well and can monitor their progress closely. Large classroom areas are designed for 60 students working with at least three adults.

These arrangements transform teaching, with students having support readily to hand and adults able to spend longer with those who are learning a new concept or with those who learn more quickly. Presently the school is working to one-and-a-half hour lessons but teachers and students are requesting longer lesson periods and are soon to move to three-hour teaching blocks.

Vision

Chief executive Frank Green and student Louise Johnson discuss how the vision developed.

Stakeholders

Frank Green discusses getting stakeholders involved in and owning the vision, and how that inspired and drove the leadership.

Consultation

“Architects don’t understand schools any more than they did when they were there as students ... schools are unique organisations”, says Frank Green. Senior Project Manager Peter Vernon says the project benefited from the school already having a clear vision.

Transformational change

Team-teaching larger classes can create a student-to-teacher ratio as favourable as 10:1, and explore the extent to which it was possible to achieve transformational change. The ways in which new ideas were tested and tried in the old buildings prior to implementation in the new Leigh Technology Academy are discussed.

Lessons learned

Interview exploring how teachers can feel comfortable when working collaboratively.

Impact

Interviews looking at the effects of changes at the new Leigh Technology Academy.

Next steps

A discussion of future needs and options for Leigh Technology Academy.

Further information