The Academy at Shotton Hall

The Academy At Shotton Hall is a coeducational secondary school in Peterlee, County Durham, England. It is a school for 11- to 16-year-olds and is a specialist Performing Arts College it was renamed to Academy of Shotton Hall in February 2011. The school has recently given through major renovation work as part of the Government's Building Schools for the Future (BSF) program. The new facility was fully rebuilt in late 2010 and the former facility was demolished in mid 2011. The current head teacher at the school is Mrs Hook. Previous head teacher, Ian Mowbray, retired In July 2010.

1. History

Shotton Hall School was first opened in 1963 as a secondary modern school, but in 1973 it became a comprehensive school and it was extended with new buildings such as the B block, the Towers, Speed, Metcalfe and Nicholson house blocks, the art block, the music block and the sports hall. The school was granted Specialist Performing Arts College status in 2003. Recently, the school has applied for "Fast track academy" Status and on 1 February 2011, was renamed The Academy At Shotton Hall.

1. New School Development

Workers finished the construction work in December 2010, and as a result. The school Christmas holidays were extended by 2 weeks. The new schools features the same extensive performing arts equipment as there was in the old school, but most of it has either been replaced or improved in some way. The school was very lucky for the building of the new school to not have been scrapped, as many were as a result of the scrapping of the BSF project by the government. The old school buildings were demolished between May and July 2011.

1. Performance

GCSE results at the school have continued to improve and in 2009, 98% of students taking GCSEs achieved 5 or more grades A* to C, making it the second best performing school in County Durham and one of the 30 most improved schools nationally. Shotton Hall was also judged as an 'outstanding' school in its most recent OFSTED inspection (full inspection report can be read by clicking on the OFSTED number on the right). The school has a wide range of performing arts facilities including a hall with an extensive and professional lighting system, a dance studio, a drama studio and a professional recording studio. The school currently has a performing arts website which was launched on 1 January 2009.

1. Alumni

J. P. E. Harper-Scott, musicologist and professor at Royal Holloway, University of London attended the comprehensive school carnation. Courtney Hadwin, singer. Connor Lawson, actor of Alex Walker in The Dumping Ground and Billy Elliot in the West End fame. Chris Brown, football player also attended the school.

1. References

Nearby Places View Menu

Apollo Pavilion

The Apollo Pavilion, also known as the Pasmore Pavilion, is a work of public art in the new town of Peterlee in County Durham in the North East of England. Designed by British artist and architect Victor Pasmore, it was completed in 1969. In December 2011, English Heritage gave the Pavilion a Grade-II* listing.

Art Landmark

553 m

Shotton Hall

Shotton Hall is a former mansion in Peterlee, County Durham, England. It is Grade II listed and is now operated by Peterlee Town Council as offices and a conference centre. It lies in the west of the town of Peterlee, just east of the A19 road near the village of Old Shotton.

Government Landmark

863 m

Old Shotton

Old Shotton is a village in Peterlee, County Durham, England. The village once lay on the route of the A19, before its bypass to the west of the village. Although Old Shotton retains its own identity, and its own village sign, it now forms part of the town of Peterlee, and it has been described as "the only developed part of Peterlee to predate the new town." Following the foundation of Peterlee in 1948, the town spread westward, towards the A19, and so by the 1970s this small village had already begun to be encroached on. The village is home to two old pubs, "The Black Bull" and "The Royal George" which were both inns on the old A19. Nearby is Shotton Hall, home of Peterlee town council. Its ballroom is used for both private and public functions. Today, thanks to the redirection of the A19 in the 1970s, Old Shotton is now a quiet cul-de-sac. There are some 30 dwellings, most of which are post 1960s, and only about 10 which pre-date the 1950s. The village is not part of the civil parish of Shotton, which includes the village of Shotton Colliery, as the A19 road forms the eastern boundary of that parish.

Government Neighbourhood

1.0 km

St Bede's Catholic School, Peterlee

St Bede's Catholic School is a coeducational Roman Catholic secondary school and sixth form located in Peterlee, County Durham, England.

Church School