A city school in a deprived area meets challenges with imagination and dynamism
The school: St Mary’s Catholic Academy is a large, voluntary-aided secondary in a deprived area of Blackpool. It has 1,200 pupils, the majority of whom are white British and an above-average number of whom receive free school meals. Built on the site of a nineteenth-century convent, Layton Hill, it recently completed a £22.5 million refurbishment, which was funded by Blackpool’s Building Schools for the Future strategy. As well as relocating Christ the King Primary School to the site in a brand new building and incorporating the parish church, the project refurbished most of the school, including St Mary’s Chapel, and installed a wind turbine while preserving the ancient convent front
23 October 2014, The Tablet
School report: St Mary’s Catholic Academy, Blackpool, Lancashire
Tablet Education
Get Instant Access
Continue Reading
Register for free to read this article in full
Subscribe for unlimited access
From just £30 quarterly
Complete access to all Tablet website content including all premium content.
The full weekly edition in print and digital including our 179 years archive.
PDF version to view on iPad, iPhone or computer.
Already a subscriber? Login