Academy plan welcomed; Schools chief says lives will be changed.

Byline: Dave Black 

PLANS to create Northumberland's second academy school at a cost of pounds 48m were yesterday hailed as the stepchange needed to improve poor exam results and give local youngsters a better chance in life.

A new report sets out final proposals for the schools shake-up in the Hirst area of Ashington - including an all-age, 2,700-student academy on five separate sites in three neighbouring communities.

Sponsored by the Church of England and the Duke of Northumberland, the academy will educate youngsters aged from three to 18 at new and refurbished buildings in Ashington, Newbigginby-the-Sea and Lynemouth.

The final model, which follows nine months of consultations and statutory notices, is due to be approved by the county council's executive next week.

The Government is expected to give the funding arrangements the green light shortly after that.

The reorganisation involves the closure of 10 schools in the partnership - Hirst High and Seaton Hirst Middle in Ashington; Newbiggin Middle; Alexandra, Coulson Park, Hawthorn and Welbeck First Schools in Ashington; Lynemouth First and Windsor and Moorside First Schools in Newbiggin. They would reopen as an all-age academy in September 2009 with a specialism in design and the built environment, originally from all of the existing buildings but reducing to five sites by 2011.

There will be a main academy for almost 2,000 students on the Hirst High site, including secondary, primary and special educational needs elements.

In addition, there will be four separate primary academies at the Alexandra and Hawthorn First Schools, Lynemouth First and in Newbiggin.

The academy plan seeks to improve educational attainment in the deprived Hirst area, where overall standards and outcomes are below expectations.

In 2007, only 21% of pupils achieved the equivalent of five GCSEs at grades A* to C, including English and maths - significantly below the Government's target of 30%.

In addition, 16% of 16 to 18-year-olds are not in education, employment or training.

Yesterday Trevor Doughty, Northumberland's executive director of children's services, said: "We believe these proposals represent the step-change needed to significantly improve the life chances of young people in Hirst.

"We are recommending a model for Hirst that provides significant opportunities for parents to apply for places at a school which we believe will deliver improved standards through full key stage accountability and no school transfers.

"Once pupils join the school at age three or four, they would move right through the same school to GCSE or to sixth form, moving physically only once to the secondary site at age 11."