Huntingdon Academy is an Outstanding School, located in the heart of Nottingham. We are committed to and driven by our vision for ‘Individual Growth and Empowerment for All’.
Every decision that is taken at Huntingdon Academy is made in the best interests of both children and colleagues. We have the highest of expectations of the children and provide a continuous learning journey for children from three to eleven years old which responds to the their developing and changing needs as they move through the school.
As a result of our high expectations, our children make at least good progress from their starting points and achieve well. The impact of our ambitious curriculum and focus on our children’s personal development results in our children achieving above the national average for Key Stage 2 outcomes. Children leave Huntingdon with the essential skills to enable them to be successful in the next phase of their academic career and in life.
We deliver a curriculum based on important skills in literacy and numeracy, to provide the secure foundation for learning in a wide range of situations. Our curriculum is built for thinking. We understand that being curious is an essential life skill and we craft our curriculum and our lesson design make learning interesting and engaging. Our children enjoy school and have a real enthusiasm for learning. We are an Voice 21 Oracy National Hub School which shows our commitment to the our school value of communication.
Please watch our showcase video to find out what life at Huntingdon is really like.
Purpose and Mission
Our purpose is to lead the way with best practice in education to enable Huntingdon pupils to aim high, overcome obstacles and achieve their goals. Our children deserve the very best and we will relentlessly pursue excellence for them.
Our Mission is to have an academy where:
- Teaching and learning empowers children and develops curious minds
- There is a curriculum that develops the whole child and provides outstanding outcomes
- All children and adults understand the role they play in creating a mentally healthy culture and climate in that enables success
- Quality professional development results in outstanding practitioners who are specialists in their field
- Pupils actively think and discuss topics and issues that impact on either themselves, their school or society
- Children are equipped with academic and emotional resilience to succeed in the next step of their academic career
Vision, Values and Curriculum Drivers
Our Vision
‘Individual Growth. Empowerment for All’
At Huntingdon Academy we believe in creating an enabling working environment which allows all of the school community to grow and be the best version of themselves; including pupils, staff, parents, governors – everyone. Empowerment is central to our academy vision. As soon as our children step through our doors, they are taught that their voice matters. This happens through a carefully designed curriculum and through well planned lessons but more than this, it is part of our ethos and can be found in every interaction between colleagues and children.
Our Values
As a school, we have identified four key values that run through all aspects of our school like golden threads. Our values are linked to our behaviour system and children are recognised for developing skills in line with the academy’s values. Huntingdon Academy’s values are: listening, thinking, communication and collaboration.
Applying these values to our behaviours will enable people to have the emotional intelligence needed to be a well functioning human being. To understand how to communicate and collaborate with others enables people to be responsible members of society and be successful at work as well as in their personal life. For more detail about the ethos behind our values, please continue reading.
Listening
We believe that listening is an important aspect of interpersonal relationships. We understand that when people feel listened to, they are often able to gain a deeper understanding of who they are. We believe in teaching our children the active, disciplined kind of listening that helps us as humans to examine and challenge the information we hear in order to improve its quality and quantity and thereby improve our decision making. Litening to other people’s point of view and perspective helps to create citizens that understand that we all don’t share the same beliefs and values and that we respect the values, ideas and beliefs of others whilst not imposing our own others.
Thinking
We value thinking as we believe it is the most important thing that people can do. It is our capacity for thinking that defines us as humans and sets us apart from other animals, plants and living organisms. Specifically, it is our capacity for conceptual thought, which is our ability to discern similarities and differences between real-life things and create mental categories in our mind. Thinking is the way we figure things out and make sense of the world and is a necessary step before establishing goals, values and strategies for achieving. Thinking is the only way to achieve knowledge and therefore know what to do and how to live. Developing skills in thinking, is necessary to adapt in situations and think critically about how to overcome obstacles. Developing skills in thinking helps us to have initiative and develop resilience.
Communicating
We value communication and believe that being able to effectively communicate is perhaps one of the most important of all life skills. It is what enables us to pass information to other people, and to understand what is said to us. By teaching our pupils to become more effective speakers, we empower them to better understand themselves, each other and the world around them. Good communication is an essential tool in achieving productivity and maintaining strong relationships at all levels. Developing effective speaking skills is a route to social mobility and empowers people to find their voice to succeed in life. We teach our children how to talk so people listen.
Collaborating
We value collaboration as when a group of people come together and contribute their expertise it is for the benefit of a shared objective, project or mission. We believe that collaborative learning develops higher-level thinking skills and boosts confidence and self-esteem. Through collaborative working, our pupils will learn how to work with various types of learners and develop their leadership skills.
Our Curriculum Drivers
Our curriculum drivers are based on the seven survival skills from The Global Achievement Gap by Wagner, T. (2008). Our curriculum drivers are:
- Critical thinking and problem solving
- Collaboration
- Agility and adaptability
- Initiative and entrepreneurialism
- Effective oral and written communication
- Accessing and analysing information
- Curiosity and imagination.
Our school values compliment our curriculum drivers and combining the two, enable our children to develop the skills necessary to be succesful in the 21st century.
Meet our Team
Extended Leadership Team
Header text
Executive Headteacher: Ross Middleton
Head of School: Rebecca Riley
Deputy Headteacher: Rebecca Want (Maternity Leave)
Deputy Headteacher: Hazel Vaughan (Secondment)
Business Manager: Kim Barker
Leader of Inclusion and Welfare: Louise Yarnell
Assessment and Standards Lead: Louise Wraight
Year 1 / 2 Phase Leader: Rianna Forrest
Year 3 / 4 Phase Leader: Polly Lees-Collier
Year 5 / 6 Phase Leader: Sarah Lees
Inclusion Team
Leader of Inclusion and Welfare: Louise Yarnell
Behaviour Lead: Rebecca Riley
SENDCO: Amie Bennett
Attendance and Medical Officer: Sally King
Medical / EAL Support: Natasha Leigh
Curriculum Leadership Team
All staff contribute towards the curriculum, however these are the leads of specific subjects.
Curriculum Leaders: Hazel Vaughan and Sarah Lees
English: Rebecca Want (maternity) & Hazel Vaughan
Oracy: Rebecca Want (maternity) & Debbie Towse
Modern Foreign Languages (French): Lizzie Carrette
Science: Emma Appleby
Maths: Rianna Forrest
Computing: Charlotte Andrew
Design Technology: Katie Breakwell
Religious Education: Lucy Cousins
History: Megan Webb
Geography: Megan Webb
Art: Alice Lindsey
Music: Lizzie Carrette
Physical Education: Polly Lees-Collier
PSHE: Amie Bennett
Teaching Team
Foundation 1: Lizzie Carrette
Foundation 2: Alice Lindsey
Foundation 2: Charlotte Andrew
Year 1: Niamh Gilmour
Year 1: Katie Breakwell
Year 2: Cerys Newman Morley
Year 2: Rianna Forrest (Phase Leader)
Year 3: Megan Webb
Year 3: Lucy Cousins
Year 4: Chloe Kent
Year 4: Polly Lees-Collier (Phase Leader)
Year 5: Ryan Lord
Year 5: Joe O’Donnell
Year 6: Emma Appleby
Year 6: Sarah Lees (Phase Leader)
Year 6: Louise Hall (Intervention)
PPA: Debbie Towse
PPA: Jane Sullivan
Learning Support Team
Teaching Assistant: Dawn Rowbottom
Teaching Assistant: Victoria Murphy
Teaching Assistant: Fasiha Syed
Teaching Assistant: Karen Hall
Teaching Assistant: Camille Beardsley
Teaching Assistant: Ernestine Gerald
Teaching Assistant: Louise Dunne
Teaching Assistant: Andrea Walsh
Teaching Assistant: Laura Doyle
Teaching Assistant: Tradina Morris
Teaching Assistant: Nicola Fell
Teaching Assistant: Anita Goodman
Teaching Assistant: Courtney Hunt
Teaching Assistant: Ashley Jenkins
Teaching Assistant: Madeleine Lilley
Teaching Assistant: Natasha Leigh
Teaching Assistant: Sarah Martin
Teaching Assistant: Nasrin Rahim-Amin
Teaching Assistant: Rebecca Thompson
Teaching Assistant: Rosie Ryan
Teaching Assistant: Monica Tucker
Teaching Assistant: Leia Ward
Teaching Assistant: Aleysha Watson
Apprentice Teaching Assistant: Subhan Rehman
Apprentice Teaching Assistant: Claire Brown
Apprentice Teaching Assistant: Stephanie Sanderson
Academic Mentor: Emily Manley
Office Team
Business Manager: Kim Barker
Office Manager: Alyson Lambert
School Receptionist: Danna Gatland
Breakfast / Lunch Team
Breakfast Club Leads: Ashley Jenkins and Madeleine Lilley
Chef Manager: Ben Collington
Assistant Cook: Sarah Plater
Catering Assistant: Tracey Clark
Catering Assistant: Karen Plater
Midday Supervisor: Tracey Varley
Midday Supervisor: Ruddi Lockhart
Midday Supervisor: Emma McBride
Midday Supervisor: Kayleigh Topham
Midday Supervisor: Ramou Faye
Midday Supervisor: Mickayla Cantrill
Midday Supervisor: Lorraine Healy
Midday Supervisor: Awat Haje
Site Team
Site Manager: Ian Coates
Cleaning Supervisor: Tracy Connellan
Cleaner: Emma McBride
Cleaner: Ruddi Lockhart
Cleaner: Ann Hampson
Cleaner: Mickayla Cantrill
Cleaner: Kayleigh Topham
Typical school day at Huntingdon Academy
Please refer to up to date Newsletters regarding the school day, timings and assemblies for the week. Our day starts for nearly all the children at at 8:45am and finishes at 3:00pm. During the day, children will take in a broad and balanced curriculum (updates regarding our curriculum are sent through class, subject and Executive Head / Head of School newsletters) which challenges and provides the building blocks for life. To find out more about the Curriculum at our academy please click here.