At Bishop Young Academy it is our fundamental belief that all children have an entitlement to high-quality education in a supportive and caring environment. We are committed to providing excellent teaching and learning, pastoral care and additional opportunities for our students to enable them to flourish academically, socially, spiritually and emotionally. This was highlighted in our 2021 Ofsted inspection at which we were awarded a ‘good’ for personal development and a ‘good’ for behaviour and attitudes. The inspectors commented that ‘Pupils are proud to attend this school. They are eager to learn. They speak to each other and to members of staff openly and with respect.’
So much of what we do well at Bishop Young Academy stems from our Christian vision - which we like to think of as the roots and trunk of a tree. The branches that grow out from the tree are our Christian values and affirmations, our Character Curriculum, our pastoral care, our academic aspirations for our students and our approach to inclusion and support through The Ark and Dovecote.
Many of our students have tremendous abilities and we are passionate about ensuring that we nurture and empower them to reach their full potential. At Bishop Young we have provided young people and their families with a nurturing and academically rigorous learning environment. We have established an outstanding pastoral team which includes Counsellors, Family Support Workers, and an SEMH and Wellbeing Lead, who works alongside our Heads of Year to ensure that individual student needs are met. Our students thrive as a result of our innovative and forward thinking approach to therapeutic support, particularly around social, emotional and mental health (SEMH). This was recognised in 2020 when we became one of the first schools in the country to achieve the Carnegie Mental Health Award at Gold standard.
Bishop Young is a caring, calm, disciplined, inspiring and purposeful environment, stemming from our Christian ethos. One of the greatest strengths of the Academy is our focus on quality teaching and we are committed to ensuring that all our students achieve excellent results. We have high expectations of all our students and aim to equip them with the knowledge, skills and self-confidence they need to achieve life-long success. Our dedicated and forward-thinking staff focus on our culture of challenging and inspiring students, in an environment of mutual respect, where each child is recognised as unique and special.
This has been reflected in the Academy achieving our best ever GCSE result in Summer 2022, with 25% of our students achieving a grade 9-7 in English. We are also delighted to let you know that the number of students achieving grades 9-4 in English and Maths has improved tremendously over recent years. More pleasingly, our disadvantaged students and those with special educational needs also achieve well. This is as a result of the stand-out provision in place to support our most vulnerable learners.
Through a bespoke and tailored Character Education Programme, “The BISHOP Character”, we are committed to ensuring that our students are given opportunities to develop ‘soft skills’ such as perseverance and integrity, so that they are able to sustain success when they leave us and move on to Higher Education or work. Timetabled lessons run alongside a full and broad range of extra-curricular clubs and societies.
The BISHOP Character also links to our Christian Vision, with each character trait linked to a Christian value and affirmation. Our students and staff gather for collective worship, enabling them to explore what worship means for themself and others, and to foster in them an attitude characterised by feelings such as humility, awe, wonder, hope and joy.
Bishop Young is proud to be an ‘articulate academy’. Students can speak eloquently, articulate their ideas and thoughts, influence through talking, listen to others and have the confidence to express their views. We have recently been accredited as a Centre of Excellence for Oracy.
I look forward to welcoming you to Bishop Young C of E Academy.
