Kensington Aldridge Academy

ProposalThe new Kensington Aldridge Academy will:

• provide a mixed 11–18 school with places for 900 11–16 year olds• provide a sixth form for up to 240 students• be sponsored by the Aldridge Foundation and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea• be non-fee paying• open with the first group of 11 year olds in September 2014, with a second group starting the

following September • offer a first-class all-round curriculum, specialising in Entrepreneurship and Performing and

Creative Arts• have strong links with its main feeder primary schools• provide a Borough-wide resource centre for students on the autistic spectrum disorder

continuum• provide a community entrepreneurial hub• be developed on a site that has been identified as being part of a wider North Kensington

regeneration area, i.e. adjacent to the North Kensington Leisure Centre

The Vision

Our Vision is embodied in the concepts of Communication, Confidence and Creativity. The

Academy will create opportunities for each young person to grow into a confident, independent,

resourceful and successful adult, equipped with the skills and values to meet the challenges that they are

likely to face in their future.

High expectations will inspire all students regardless of background, learning needs and abilities, to enjoy

learning in an environment of mutual respect.

The SponsorsThe Aldridge Foundation

and The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

The Aldridge Foundation A charity that harnesses entrepreneurship as a catalyst

for social change, helping young people to reach their potential and improve their communities

www.aldridgefoundation.com

The Specialisms

Entrepreneurship and the Performing and Creative ArtsThe entrepreneurial attributes of passion, teamwork,

determination, creativity, problem-solving and risk-taking will be embedded in all areas of school life, through the

curriculum, teaching and learning and in social and extracurricular activities.

This approach fosters concentration and discipline, good decision-making, active participation, and supports the value

of partnership, self-reliance, team competitiveness, flexibility, and resilience.

Entrepreneurship and the Performing and Creative Arts

The Performing and Creative Arts help develop these same attributes in a different context. Creative education develops

young people’s capacities for original ideas and action, allowing self-expression through performance.

Performing and Creative Arts give a young person permission to excel and the ability to explore alternative perspectives, which in

turn builds self-confidence and high levels of achievement.

Creative attainment relies on a combination of knowledge, control of materials and command of ideas, blending a range of

learning styles and approaches, and cultivates the skills of imagination, purpose, originality and communication.

Progress to date

Successes to date• Developed vision and high level curriculum for the

Academy • Completed a public consultation – over 77% of

respondents in favour of the Academy• Funding Agreement approved by Secretary of State, thus

releasing £17.6m of capital funding from the Department of Education towards the build costs of the Academy

• Four Education Advisory Partners on board – Charterhouse Boys School ; Godolphin & Latymer Girls School ; Royal Academy of Dance ; London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art

Work in Progress• Design Team to be appointed in mid September ’11• Engagement of all local Primary Schools• Engagement of local community groups• Set up of Sponsor Partnership Group• Start of the build programme in July ‘12• Recruitment of Principal Designate to start in role in

September ’13

• Updates will be posted on our Academy website : www.kensingtonaldridgeacademy.co.uk

Your Academy, for your community

• Our Academies serve their community, play key role in the community’s life

• We also need your support and knowledge to make sure this Academy is genuinely a community resource

• We believe passionately that great schools glue communities together