St George's Academy
Sleaford , Lincolnshire England
Information
Type	Academy
Motto	aiming high to achieve excellence for all
Established	1908
Founder	H. H. Godfrey, 1908[citation needed]
Department for Education URN	136044 Tables
Ofsted	Reports
Governor	Graham Arnold
Principal	Wayne Birks
Staff	327 (19 September 2011)
Gender	Mixed
Age	11 to 18
Enrollment	1,888 (19 September 2011)
Houses	Godfrey, Rooksby, Phipps, Logan, Lovell, Lindsey, Kesteven, Holland
Website	http://www.st-georges-academy.org

St George's Academy is an secondary school in Sleaford, Lincolnshire, England.^[1] Founded in 1908, after a number of name and status changes the School has evolved to Academy Status and teaches over 1,800 pupils. St George's is one of the largest schools in Lincolnshire.^[2]

St George's school opened on 4 May 1908 as Sleaford New Council Schools, and was built on Church Lane. Boys and girls were taught separately.^[3][4] The school later became Sleaford County Secondary School. In 1946 it opened a series of new buildings at Westholme Park as Sleaford Secondary Modern School.^[5]

The School was the first in Sleaford to admit both male and female students; Kesteven and Sleaford High School took only girls and Carre's Grammar School, only boys. St George's remains the only secondary school in Sleaford accepting both male and female pupils from the age of 11 until 18.^{[citation needed]}

Being in rural Lincolnshire, and with livestock being kept on the site, there were many lessons on agriculture. In 1984 the Church Lane site was demolished and a new infants' school built. The school changed its name to St George's Technology School, with its logo showing the dragon of St George. Agricultural lessons were dropped and the school became one of only twelve Technology Colleges (a specialist school) in England in February 1994.^[6] The Stable Blocks originally used for keeping horses still exist.

In 1994 the School gained specialist schools status as a Technology College.^[6]

Previously called St Georges College of Technology, in January 2010 the School combined with Ruskington's Coteland's School and Billingboough's Aveland School to become St George's Academy, an academy school.

St George's plans to form an academy began in 2008. The school is now merged with the Avelands School, in Billingborough, and Cotelands School, in Ruskington.^[7] It received Academy status on 1 January 2010.^[8] In September 2012 the Billingborough site was closed and the remaining students were transferred to either the Sleaford or Ruskington sites. The Academy now controls other schools, including a primary school in Ruskington. Pupils' school careers at the Academy could span 16 years, from primary level age 2½ years, to 19 years. The school has links with the William Alvey CE primary school.^{[citation needed]}

The School sports hall was opened in January 2001 by the Bishop of Grantham and a new science block and construction academy opened in 2005.^{[citation needed]}

In the 2007–08 academic year, the school made local news when there was a minor leak of Sulphur Dioxide in the science block, leaving several students needing medical attention after collapsing.^[9]

St George's, on 'Westholme' off Westgate, in the town of Sleaford, has a school site of 32-acre (13 ha). The school grounds include a playing field with eight tennis courts, The Brealey Languages Centre, a library and resource centre, a sports hall, a science and a construction block.

Opened in 1985, The Brealey Language Centre was constructed using school funds. The centre had a satellite dish fitted that could pick up signals from Russia. The Centre has a laboratory within the block. When established, the laboratory contained 30 BBC computers with audio stations, and a hub for teachers to monitor classes. The computers were networked, but not to the rest of the school. At the time St George's received its Specialist Status the Language Centre was networked to the main school, and now houses the school's main server. Microsoft Windows was installed in the 1990s. The hub no longer exists and the main laboratory is divided into two, with flat screen monitors and using the Windows 7 operating system.^[10] During the early 1990s A-level computing for the whole of Sleaford Sixth Form was based at the Brealey Centre.^{[citation needed]}

Facilities include a childcare centre that was opened in June 2008.^[11]

The School is on the site of Westholme house, a 19th-century Gothic building, which is said to be haunted.^[12]

In 2007, 54% of pupils gained five grades A-C including English and Maths.^{[citation needed]} Currently it receives the second best GCSE results in North Kesteven.^{[citation needed]}

St George's two-year lower and upper sixth form is part of a Joint Sixth Form, shared with Carres Grammar school and Kesteven and Sleaford High School.^[13] At A level, pupils transfer either to grammar school or are taught at the Sleaford Joint Sixth Form.^[14]

The School is a Specialist Schools Trust with Technology Status in teaching mathematics, science, design technology, and information and communication technology (ICT)^[6] It is also a Specialist School Trust for Applied Learning, and is part of the Leading Edge Partnership Programme. In May 2008 the School gained Fairtrade School status and sells and encourages the sale of Fairtrade products. The School supports an initiative for Sleaford to become a Fairtrade Town,^[15][16] and is part of the Healthy Schools Programme.^{[citation needed]}

St George's has received a Grade 1 (outstanding) rating in its Ofsted report.^{[17][failed verification]} and an Artsmark Award from the Arts Council of England.^{[citation needed]}

1. Mr. H.H. Godfrey (1908-1932)
2. Mr. Arthur Richard Newton Rooksby FRHS (1932-1952)^[18]
3. Mr. F.A. Speechley JP (1952-1973)^[19]
4. Mr. John C. Hodgson BA (1973-1998)^[20][21][22]
5. Mr. Paul F. Watson BA (Hons) MA NPQH (1998-2014)^[23]
6. Mr. Wayne Birks BA (Hons) MA (2014-present)^[24][25]

• School website
• Westholme House