Who We Are
Established in September 2007, Shireland Collegiate Academy is situated in Smethwick, West Midlands in the Borough of Sandwell.
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How we structure and organise our Academy is designed not only to support and monitor student progress and achievement, but also to help us develop close relationships with our families, keeping them informed and involved in their children’s educational development. We pride ourselves in our relationships with families and the local community and are constantly finding new ways to keep families informed about what happens in the Academy. We are currently working towards achieving the Leading Parent Partnership Award. |
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We aim to give students as many opportunities as possible to become involved in projects and activities both within school time and outside of school hours which help to develop their wider skills. These can be offered as part of the core curriculum or through our extensive Extended Schools Programme. The annual school Performance, sporting activities, programmes such as Apps for Good and Duke of Edinburgh, competitions and social events are all available to our students. |
We are committed to working closely with our community. Partnerships are in place between the Academy and many local community agencies to provide additional and specifically focused support where necessary for our students and their families. We have dedicated staff who work closely with local partners and a Family Communications Manager who is contactable via phone, email, the Learning Gateway or in person making it easy for our families to get in touch and find the right person to talk to. |
As part of our governance structure, we have a Community Board where community groups, students and family members meet to advise the Academy and act as our critical friends. This has helped guide and shape our emphases throughout the last few years. |
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We have a national reputation for the use of technology in education and are one of a handful of schools in the UK to be supported by Microsoft. We understand the importance that technology now plays in our society and know how important it is to equip our students to be able to use it effectively.
We are very lucky to have such a well-resourced school with regards to technology. In Years 7, 8 and 9 every student has their own netbook.
There are also over 600 desk top PCs, a further 100 lap-tops and each classroom has an Interactive Whiteboard. There also sets of
i-pads, i-pods, Play stations, DSIs and 2 Microsoft Surface tables. |
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Over the last year we have developed a comprehensive whole school strategy with regards to e-safety. We know that it is just as important to educate our students in how to use technology wisely and responsibly as it is to teach them how to use it to help with their learning. |
The driving force of our school is our Learning Platform, the Shireland Learning Gateway. It is one of the most advanced online school communities in this country and is designed specifically for our own students, families and staff. It provides access to on-line areas and resources designed to support and enhance learning for our young people. Student utilities include access to on-line homework, teacher and commercial resources, tutor-time and student voice activities, such as our Digital Council online magazine. Staff and students are increasingly using the Gateway as the main vehicle for teaching and learning as it is convenient and accessible both at the Academy and at home. Our families also have their own area where they can access information and ask us questions when they need to. The Family Portal was built specifically to enable families to know how well their students are doing. It provides our families with a "window into their children’s classrooms" where they will be able to see not only grades, attendance and punctuality, but also see what the children are working on, on a day to day basis. (INSERT Quote from Mrs Gill) |
