Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy

Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy (formerly Lord Lawson of Beamish Community School) is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form located in the town of Birtley in the Gateshead area of Tyne and Wear, England. It was first opened to pupils in the early 1970s and was rebuilt in September 2007. The new building was constructed by Sir Robert McAlpine.

Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy
Address
Birtley Lane

Chester-le-Street
,
County Durham
,
DH3 2LP

England
Coordinates54°53′34″N 1°34′14″W
Information
TypeAcademy
Motto'Each other...and our dreams'
Local authorityGateshead
Department for Education URN137942 Tables
OfstedReports
PrincipalMr Andrew Fowler
GenderCoeducational
Age11 to 18
Enrolment1,800
Websitehttp://www.lordlawson.org.uk/

Previously a community school administered by Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council, in March 2012 Lord Lawson of Beamish Community School converted to academy status and was renamed Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy.

The school's principal is Andrew Fowler who began his headship in June 2019.[1] It was most recently inspected by Ofsted in February 2017 where it was assigned a 'Requires Improvement' grading (or 3/5 stars) in all areas of the framework with the exception of 16-19 study programmes.[2]

Jack Lawson

The school is named after Jack Lawson, an influential British trade unionist and Labour politician, serving as Secretary of State for War during the 1940s. Consequently, the school has been associated with left-wing politics, particularly relating to its connections to the mining industry and trade unionism, as well as Lawson's refusal to join Ramsay MacDonald's National Government due to his reluctance to work alongside Conservatives. The school motto, "each other...and our dreams", is a quotation from Lawson's autobiography, A Man's Life.

Subjects and courses

Between year 7–9 students study a range non-optional subjects including, but not limited to: English, Mathematics, Science, History, IT, Geography, French, German and Art.

In year 10 students are given the opportunity to drop certain subjects and take on new subjects e.g. Psychology, whilst core-subjects such as Maths and English are still mandatory requirements.

In Sixth Form students are given the chance to study between 3 and 5 subjects which include ECDL courses.

School houses

The school is broken up into four house-blocks for years 7–11. Named after prominent areas in the North East, they are all assigned a colour and community space. Each house-block is led by a Head of House and a Deputy Head of House, with students selecting their own Head Boy, Head Girl and Prefects.

The house-blocks are:

  • Brookside (Blue)
  • Fleet (Yellow)
  • Talbot (Red)
  • Turner [formerly Grove] (Green)
  • Sixth Form (Purple)

Sixth form

The sixth form is led by a Head of Sixth Form, Mrs. Jordan and a Director of Post-15 Education, Miss. Nellist. Mrs. Jordan and Miss. Nellist. Furthermore, there are student-assigned Head Boy/Girl positions as well as a student council.

Ofsted noted in their most recent report that “The effectiveness of the Sixth Form is good and the vast majority of students go onto higher education, training, or employment.” They also reported that “Students are well known and the courses they take are well matched to their needs.” The sixth form was given a grade 'good' whilst the main school achieved a rating of 'requires improvement'

At the end of Year 13, a leaver's ball is usually held at Lumley Castle, attended by both pupils and staff.

Extension

An extension to Lord Lawson was completed in April 2014. It includes an independent learning centre, designed for sixth form students. The construction was carried out by Sir Robert McAlpine and Pinnacle Schools. The extension is expected to accommodate eight further class rooms.

Notable former pupils

References
  1. "Principal Appointment". Lord Lawson. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  2. https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection-reports/find-inspection-report/provider/ELS/137942
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