Wellington College Yearbook 2010/2011 | Page 90

the wellington college year book 2010/2011 90 the wellington college year book 2010/2011 Year ?s getting ready to welcome Wellington College sta? to the Academy on launch day T he Wellington Academy opened its doors in September 2009 and the message from the Principal, Andy Schofield was ‘We’re Changing Lives’. This mark-one Academy came into being through the generosity of sponsors Tim and Sarah Bunting, Wellington College parents. The setting up of Academies was part of a strategy of government investment in failing schools by providing a £30 million new building after a sponsor had been found. The Wellington Academy is in Ludgershall, Wiltshire, opposite the Tidworth garrison. Its iconic new building, which stands out like a beacon, was opened on 26th April 2011 by Lord Andrew Adonis when the staff of the wellington academy Wellington College and The Wellington Academy came together for their second joint inset day. Lord Adonis challenged the College to sustain its partnership with the Academy via its support for boarding, the ccf, student collaboration and joint learning. This year, in addition to the whole-staff inset, 45 individual members of Common Room have visited the Academy. Some have completed the Graduate Training Programme there, others have visited their counterparts for consultation on a variety of issues or lesson observation. Still more have completed teacher exchanges. Staff have accompanied College students on visits to the Academy: a Politics question time session with a local mp; leading activities on European Languages Day; attending the school musical and much more. Academy students have visited us for Year 11 Maths workshops, Sixth Form lectures and seminars, our University Fair, as speakers in the Festival of Education, to the Leadership Conference, our Panto in December and a 1st xi football fixture to name just a few of our joint activities. 91