First day back ...to the future

Come on in… principal Colette Burgess welcomes students to the Academy

OLDHAM’S historic first academy opened its doors today — marking the start of an overhaul of secondary education.

Oldham Academy North welcomed around 780 pupils on the first day of term.

Improvements have been carried out during the summer to the former Grange School building in Rochdale Road. These include a new school sign, remodelled reception, a new student support area and brightly-painted walls.

It is the first of three academies run by sponsors in Oldham.

Principal Colette Burgess said: “It wasn’t until Grange School closed for the end of term that the painters and building contractors could come in. They have worked solidly for five weeks.

“It’s about giving the building a lift, showing things are different. Pupils will be surprised because it looks very different.”

Oasis Academy Oldham, a merger of Kaskenmoor and South Chadderton, will open on Thursday and Waterhead Academy, which replaces Breeze Hill and Counthill schools, opens on Monday. All three will operate on the existing sites before moving into new schools in 2012/13.

The academies were part of Oldham’s £266million proposals to refurbish or replace all of its secondary schools. These were shattered when the new Government halted the £55billion Building School’s for the Future programme, axing hundreds of projects around the country.

A new Saddleworth School and improvements to others in the borough were cut but the academies, a new Roman Catholic High school and extensive rebuilding at North Chadderton survived.

Eager pupils at Oldham Academy North — run by the education charitable trust E-ACT — arrived in their new uniforms with school’s logo which they helped to design.

This year, 37 per cent of Grange pupils achieved at least five A* to C GCSEs, including English and maths.

Mrs Burgess added: “Our target is 47 per cent. That’s the minimum I will accept and students and staff are capable of doing that.”