“WE are not driven by league tables. What matters is that all youngsters leave here with the best qualifications for them.”

Gill Blanshard is passionate in her belief that every child can achieve at school.

And with 97 per cent of students leaving with at least five good GCSEs this year, she must be doing something right.

The figure is considerably higher than the national average despite a wide range of ability at the Duck Lane school.

Formerly known as Oakmead College of Technology, the newly-named Oak Academy is part of a Federation of Academies which includes a primary academy and a new studio school, which has a strong vocational focus.

But despite the name changes and the range of educational establishments involved, Oak Academy remains a good secondary school at the heart of the local community.

Government inspectors last visited in March this year and said: “The key strength is the effective and flexible approach taken to ensure that all of the widely diverse student population are included in a positive and productive learning environment.”

Students join the school at the age of 11 and levels of attainment on entry are low.

From that point staff do their best to devise a learning programme for each child which will give them the best chance to succeed in life.

This summer, 97 per cent of students obtained at least five GCSEs at grades A*-C, with 50 per cent of those results including English and maths, a five per cent increase on last year.

Students also participate in a wide range of extra-curricular activities and were hugely successful in this year’s Rock Challenge event.

They won through to national finals in Milton Keynes after winning heats in Bournemouth and a regional final.

The LeAF Campus

  • LeAF Campus, Duck Lane, Kinson, BH11 9JJ
  • From December the campus will include a Federation of Academies to consist of the Oak Academy (formerly Oakmead College of Technology), the Elm Academy (formerly Elmrise primary school) and the new Studio School.
  • Approx 1,000 students in Oak, 300 in Elm and 350 in the Studio School
  • Executive principal of LeAF: Dr Annetta Minard
  • Head of school at Oak: Gill Blanshard