Weston’s Winterstoke Hundred Academy has marked the new year by throwing open the doors to North Somerset’s first net zero school – while also confirming the appointment of a new Principal.
Winterstoke Hundred first opened in Beaufighter Road in 2020, but work has been taking place over the past two years to build a 900-pupil second campus at Locking Parklands.
That work – carried out by contractor Kier, to specifications set out by North Somerset Council and the Cabot Learning Federation, which Winterstoke Hundred is part of – is now complete, with students moving into their new classrooms this week.
The three-storey building has been carefully designed to meet rigorous environmental standards – making it the first fully carbon neutral school in the area.
Solar panels covering the roof will generate electricity inside classrooms and send power to the national grid, providing green energy for the school, as well as the wider community.
The 80,000sqm building also boasts a much-sought BREEAM ‘excellent’ rating for energy efficiency and 10% biodiversity net gain, which will protect and promote plants and wildlife.
Heidi Clement, Cabot Learning Federation Head of Projects and Estates, said:
“The expansion of Winterstoke Hundred Academy is a major development and a huge financial investment that further enables our trust to meet the educational needs of young people and provide them with a fantastic environment to learn in.
“This project has been a four-year partnership between Keir, North Somerset Council and AtkinsRéalis, and I would like to thank them for their dedication and hard work throughout.
“The buildings and finish look amazing and will leave a lasting legacy for all those involved.”
Tony Searle, Executive Principal with the Cabot Learning Federation, said:
“We have worked tirelessly alongside our North Somerset Council partners to deliver an exceptional building on behalf of our community.
“With pupils now moving into the new buildings, we are excited about the educational opportunities that we will be able to afford our current cohort, and those who join the academy for decades to come.
“This investment in high-quality facilities and appointments reinforces our commitment to deliver the best possible education for our students.”
Councillor Catherine Gibbons, Deputy Leader of North Somerset Council and Executive Member for Children’s Services, Families and Life Long Learning, said:
“Winterstoke Hundred Academy’s new building is designed to achieve some of the highest standards of sustainability, raising the bar for what can be delivered in our region. The quality of construction is clear just from looking at the school and we’re immensely proud of what we have been able to accomplish alongside our partners at CLF and Kier.
“Funded through Homes England’s Housing Infrastructure Fund, the Winterstoke Hundred Academy expansion provides new school places and facilities, meeting the needs of growing local communities. We look forward to celebrating the completed school building alongside pupils at a grand opening event later in the term.”
However, the new term marked a fresh start in more ways that one for Winterstoke Hundred Academy, with a new Principal taking up the reins.
Matthew Randle (pictured above) has previously taught at large secondary schools in Leicestershire, Somerset and Bristol.
Most recently, he held the position of Vice Principal with CLF Post 16 in Bristol, where he built significant experience in safeguarding and leading the quality of education.
Executive Principal Tony Searle added:
“Matthew Randle has been appointed following a rigorous national recruitment process. He was the standout candidate from a strong field of internal and external applicants.
“He excelled throughout the process, and the decision to appoint him was unanimous after he impressed panels with his technical expertise, strong moral purpose and commitment to ensuring a strong educational experience for all within the Winterstoke Hundred community.”
Matthew Randle, new Principal at Winterstoke Hundred Academy, said:
“I’m very excited to be starting my role as Principal of Winterstoke Hundred Academy. I’ve been really looking forward to welcoming our students into the new building and starting to work with the local community.
“It’s an incredible building and we feel very lucky to be moving in to our second site. This is a significant investment in education in North Somerset which will enable us to build on our curriculum and really excel in many specialist areas as we work towards a full capacity in September. Our existing site on Beaufighter Road has only been in operation since 2016, so
all students from Year 7 to Year 13 will be able to experience excellent learning in state-of-the art facilities.
“We’re really looking forward to growing our links with the community over the next few years, and if people would like to come and see what we do at Winterstoke, and how we do it, they will be very welcome to visit our buildings and see the school in action.”
Bristol’s Summerhill Academy has topped the city’s performance tables in the latest SATs – and secured a place among the top 50 schools in the country.
The Key Stage 2 Performance Tables reflects Summerhill’s consistent pursuit of educational excellence and the positive impact it has on the academic success of its pupils.
Summerhill outperformed thousands of schools across the country to achieve a remarkable 49th position nationally.
The achievement in the KS2 Performance Tables underscores Summerhill’s ongoing efforts to create a positive and enriching learning environment for pupils throughout the academy.
School leaders say they are now looking forward to building on this success in the coming academic years, as it aims to maintain its position among the top-performing schools in the country.
Academy Principal Chris Barratt said: “We are so proud of our amazing children who have achieved so well. We have a great team here in school who work incredibly hard to provide pupils with the best life chances possible. We serve a fantastic community and look forward to continuing our work into the future.”
Proposals to build North Somerset’s first specialist school for students with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs have won unanimous support from planners.
North Somerset Council’s Planning and Regulatory Committee voted today (Wednesday) to approve an application to build the new Lime Hills Academy at Ladymead Lane in Langford.
It will be the district’s first permanent SEMH school, as the current Lime Hills Academy is operating from temporary buildings in Nailsea – and is struggling to meet the ‘urgent’ demand for its specialist provision from across North Somerset.
The new site will enable Lime Hills – part of the Cabot Learning Federation – to more than double its capacity from 29 to 65 students, aged 5-16. For many, this will mean a welcome end to hours-long daily journeys to specialist schools outside of the district.
Lis Jolley, Headteacher of Lime Hills Academy, said: “Lime Hills urgently needs a permanent home which will allow an increase in student numbers.
“At present, vulnerable children can find themselves ‘stuck’ in inappropriate provision or travelling hours every day to school because places at Lime Hills cannot be made available.
“But every child deserves the opportunity to be taught appropriately and to reach their potential within their own community, in a safe environment suitable to their needs. Without this, children can feel misunderstood and rejected by the system and excluded from their communities.
“This multi-million-pound Department for Education investment will provide a purpose-built, modern and welcoming school with impressive sustainability credentials for the communities of Churchill and Langford to share and use.
“By working together, it is possible to deliver a school and a site the local community can be truly proud of.”
The two-storey development will include specially-designed teaching rooms, plus sports and dining halls. The site will also feature sports pitches, outdoor play space, and dedicated parking and drop-off areas to minimise traffic impact on nearby roads.
North Somerset Council planning officers said: “A lack of SEND school facilities and places both locally and nationally means the need for a new SEND SEMH school is substantial.
“There is currently a significant shortfall in SEND provision in North Somerset, which means the local authority is required to send children to neighbouring districts to meet their special education needs. The length of journeys and absence of local provision can have a negative impact on behaviour, anxiety, and outcomes for the pupils concerned.
“The proposed SEND school will allow the children to be educated locally, reducing travel costs and improving educational and social outcomes.”
The application was supported by others throughout the district’s education community.
Justin Humphreys, Chair of Secondary Heads in North Somerset (SHINs), was among those to log formal statements of support with the planning authority.
He said: “The Lime Hills Academy is an essential component within education delivery in North Somerset.
“The number of students within secondary schools in North Somerset reporting significant SEMH needs continues to increase, with a number of cases beyond the resources and environment of current schools.
“The specialist provision provides much-needed support for those with acute SEMH needs and we look forward to celebrating the success of the students attending Lime Hills Academy in the future.”
A curry and quiz fundraiser evening at Broadoak Academy has been staged by the academy’s hospitality and catering students to raised money for a very worthy charity.
This is the second year the academy has run the charity night. Staged in Broadoak’s main hall, the event raised a grand total of £138.50 for the Weston-super-Mare Foodbank.
Danny McGilloway, Principal of Broadoak Academy, was the eloquent quizmaster for the evening. Danny’s favourite round asked ‘are you smarter than a Broadoak student?’ and featured questions set by students from Years 7-11.
Naomi Aves, Broadoak’s Head of Creative, said: “This event was the perfect opportunity for our students to experience a taste of working in the catering industry, from preparing food, serving guests and clearing up after. They did a brilliant job.
“Our guests were particularly impressed by the handmade naan breads which served as the perfect accompaniment to the delicious chicken curry and sweet potato curry. The whole evening was a great success.”
Broadoak’s maths teachers – aptly named ‘The Mathia’ – emerged victorious and claimed the prize of a bottle of wine and a gift voucher, both gifted by Indian restaurant Panache.
Staff and students at Bristol Metropolitan Academy will be turning a much-loved Christmas tradition on its head this year in aid of a charity which supports the city’s homeless.
The Fishponds school will be running a reverse advent calendar this December in aid of the Julian Trust.
How the reverse advent calendar works is a very simple idea. The calendar has the same 24 gift days as a traditional advent calendar, but instead of opening a window and receiving a gift or chocolate, you donate whatever is pictured in that window. This will include items such as clothing, personal hygiene items, food and sleeping bags. At the end of the calendar, all collated items will be delivered to the Julian Trust.
The Julian Trust has been welcoming and accommodating homeless people and rough sleepers in Bristol since 1986. The independent charity, which is entirely run by volunteers, offers people in need a hot meal, a bed for the night and a warm welcome.
Cameron Shaw, Principal of Bristol Metropolitan Academy, said: “We are pleased to be able to support this local charity that supports some of the most vulnerable in our community when they need it. The idea was brought to my attention by Donna Whitcliffe, one of our Heads of Houses, who felt that our students, staff and families would really like to support a charity that operates so close to home.”
Beth Cottle, who went to Broadoak Academy and Weston College, was named 2023 Young Volunteer of the Year at the Somerset County FA Awards.
To read the full story on the Weston Mercury website please click here.
CLF academies feature in the December edition of the Voice Newspapers, including a front page! Scroll down the page to find out more.
Bristol’s Begbrook Primary Academy has been rated as ‘Good’ in all areas by education watchdog Ofsted after impressing inspectors with its ‘rich’ curriculum and ‘inclusive’ ethos.
The judgment follows a detailed analysis by four Ofsted inspectors, who spoke with staff and parents, observed lessons and carried out a ‘deep dive’ into a number of subject areas.
One very talented student from King’s Oak Academy in Kingswood spent the day at the Future Lionesses Goalkeeper Training Day.
Pupils at Frome Vale Academy (FVA) can now spend Penguin Pounds – school money designed by Year 5 teacher Ross Fossard and featuring the academy mascot.
The smash hit West End musical and global phenomenon School of Rock was performed by an extremely talented cast of students at Bristol Metropolitan Academy for their annual production.
There was such huge demand for this blockbuster show that all tickets for the six performances were snapped up in less than a week.
A rapturous reception from these sell-out audiences was fitting reward for more than 100 students from Years 7-11 who spent 10 months of preparation and rehearsals fine-tuning their talents.
School of Rock tells the story of the overly-enthusiastic guitarist Dewey Finn (played by Year 10 students Ben Beighton-Horne and Luke Elliott) who gets thrown out of his bar band and finds himself in desperate need of work. Posing as a substitute music teacher at an elite private elementary school, he exposes his students to the hard rock gods he idolises and emulates – much to the consternation of the uptight principal. As he gets his privileged and precocious charges in touch with their inner rock ‘n’ roll animals, he imagines redemption at a local battle of the bands.
This production involved an enormous amount of cross curricular support from art and design & technology teams who constructed the set and props. Other members of staff from across the Fishponds academy have supported the hectic schedule of rehearsals.
Matinee performances were also staged for Cabot Learning Federation primary and secondary schools.
MET Productions Director & Programme Leader of Drama, Meesh Vince, said: “This show has created a huge sense of belonging and camaraderie between staff and students. Thank you to Dave Vince, DT teacher and the Artistic Director who created and designed a fantastic stage set, props and technical elements for the show. Thank you to Lucie Morrish, drama teacher, who has been the vocal coach and choreographer. I would also like to thank everyone else involved for making this amazing show possible, thank you.”
A Taunton secondary school has embarked upon an important new chapter in its long history by becoming an academy, joining a successful schools trust – and unveiling a brand new name.
The former Heathfield Community School has today (Friday) achieved academy status and become Monkton Wood Academy – a name chosen after consultation between school leaders, staff and students, and designed to reflect its location and semi-rural environment.
Additionally, Monkton Wood has today formally joined the Cabot Learning Federation, a trust with a strong track record of delivering improvements to schools throughout the South West.
The impact of close collaboration with the CLF has already been seen in a recent Ofsted monitoring visit, which heralded an ‘ambitious vision and clear plan’ for school development which has already led to improved student attendance and behaviour.
Hannah Jones, Principal at Monkton Wood Academy, said:
“We are immensely proud of our school and the positive way it has impacted lives throughout this community over many years. It is now time to begin a new phase in the school’s journey, and we are hugely excited about our next chapter.
“Our new name has been chosen after consultation throughout our school community. We feel it continues to respect our history, and reflects our location and environment. I am pleased the change has been so warmly welcomed.
“Looking ahead, we are delighted to be working within the Cabot Learning Federation family of schools as we continue to build upon the improvements noted by Ofsted during their recent visit.”
Picture caption: Monkton Wood Academy Principal Hannah Jones unveils the school’s new name and logo with students (from left) Maisie Durman, Noah Day-Hitchen, Bethel Chitambira and Aretha Agere.
Admissions authorities are required to consult on their admission arrangements whenever changes to the arrangements are proposed, or if no changes are proposed, every 7 years. As such the Cabot Learning Federation is consulting on the admissions arrangements for the academies shown below, for students joining from September 2025.
To see a copy of the full draft policy please visit the relevant academy website at the following addresses:
Any comments on or objections to the proposals can be made during the stated period to Elizabeth Tincknell, Head of Governance for the Cabot Learning Federation. The email address for correspondence is [email protected] or in writing to Elizabeth Tincknell, Federation House, King’s Oak Academy, Brook Road, Bristol, BS15 4JT.
Liz Tincknell,
Head of Governance
Cabot Learning Federation
