Welcome from the Principal
Welland Park Academy is a vibrant, popular, high achieving 11 – 16 Community College serving Market Harborough and South Leicestershire.
I have the privilege of working with a well-established, highly invested group of staff and governors who strive for the best outcomes for all of our young people. We build upon the hard work of our colleagues in primary schools to secure excellent progress at the end of Key Stage 4. This is achieved through effective relationships established early with our students and the highly qualified group of specialist staff who deliver a broad and balanced curriculum. We ensure that students realise their academic, physical and social potential with 28 different GCSE qualifications available to include 4 different languages. These staff inspire and guide students for 5 years ensuring they are fully aware of, and ready for, the many opportunities available to them post 16 and beyond. This investment in our young people means the staff know them well as individuals and can support and guide them through the GCSE qualifications and the wide array of post-16 opportunities to ensure the best possible futures. This is reflected in our academic results and student progress with the highest grades persistently achieved across all subject areas.
The ambition of teaching staff is reflected in their work as senior examiners, their completion of Masters level degree courses, Specialist Leaders of Education or Sports Coaches for high achieving teams including Leicester Tigers. In addition to being excellent teachers focusing in 2 Key Stages, a number participate in our active teaching and learning group who research the latest pedagogy and share this practice with peers and colleagues from other schools. These new approaches to teaching and learning support colleagues to ensure the best possible classroom practice for youngsters.
Many of our learning support staff are graduates or former members of other professions e.g. the police. Our work to educate to a deep level and provide a global perspective is recognised in our international relations and retention of the International School Award.
Our motto is ‘Learning for Life’ and this is embodied in our delivery of Careers Education. All students complete 2 practice interviews with business professionals, the opportunity to complete Work Experience, personal careers advice, a bi – ennial careers fair. All of this has been recognised in our Gold Career Mark, a national award recognising great careers education. Many students go on to study ‘A’ level with a variety of different providers in addition to exciting vocational courses and highly regarded local and national apprenticeships.
Student voice is important to us here at Welland Park Academy and students are involved in many areas of school life to support their own range of life experiences and opportunities. These include student panels when we interview for staff, delivering assemblies to all year groups, and organising and supporting with events at school. Students belong to one of four houses and this house system enables our youngsters to work with students from other years as well as competing in sporting events, organising activities and raising funds for charity. These leadership skills and sense of belonging and loyalty are tremendously important life skills.
The outstanding work of our pastoral team was recognised by OfSTED 20219 and students have welcomed working with this diligent group of staff to include safeguarding leads, digital leaders for e safety, support workers, counsellors, mental health first aiders and specialists to support with emotional literacy and developing resilience. We believe the best skills we can teach our youngsters are the character traits that are intrinsic to a successful education and life, such as determination, resilience, kindness, perseverance, inclusiveness, confidence, and problem solving. We have 22 different character traits that we reward our young people for as we recognise that school is about developing the whole young person to be a good citizen with a bright future.
We welcome the opportunity to share our school in action with you. Please contact Mrs Burgess, PA to the Principal to arrange a tour around our school during the working day.