Academy in Preston, Lancashire, Lancashire, England
| Penwortham Priory Academy |
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Crow Hills Road
Preston, Lancashire , , PR1 0JE
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| Coordinates | 53°45′00″N 2°44′30″W / 53.74993°N 2.74177°W / 53.74993; -2.74177 |
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| Type | Academy |
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| Religious affiliation(s) | None |
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| Local authority | Lancashire |
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| Department for Education URN | 138948 Tables |
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| Ofsted | Reports |
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| Headteacher | Matt Eastham |
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| Gender | Coeducational |
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| Age | 11 to 16 |
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| Houses | Calder, Hodder, Douglas, Ribble |
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| Colour(s) | Black, White, Blue, Green, Yellow, Red |
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| Website | http://www.priory.lancs.sch.uk/ |
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Penwortham Priory Academy is a coeducational secondary school located in Penwortham in the English county of Lancashire.[1]
Previously a community school administered by Lancashire County Council, Priory Sports and Technology College converted to academy status on 1 November 2012 and was renamed Penwortham Priory Academy. However the school continues to coordinate with Lancashire County Council for admissions.
Penwortham Priory Academy offers GCSEs as programmes of study for pupils. The school also offers some vocational courses in conjunction with Myerscough College and Runshaw College.
History
Priory was first a Benedictine Priory dedicated to St. Mary until its lands were sold to the Fleetwood family at a price of £3,088. The Fleetwood family then built a mansion in its place which became known as Penwortham Priory and lived there until 1749. The Rawstorne family lived at the Priory from 1783 until it was demolished in 1925.[2]
The school was opened as a secondary modern in 1953, built to serve the children and families of Penwortham's local community. In 1977, the school had transitioned to a reorganised comprehensive school. It was this reorganisation that prompted work to start on the building of the science labs but also the Sports Hall and Squash courts, as part of a dual use agreement between the school and the local borough council. Later, this agreement saw the building of the swimming pool and the Astroturf facilities.
In 2000, Priory was awarded Specialist Technology College status, and became Priory Technology College. Two purpose built, innovative ICT rooms were developed to integrate the new media age in school.
Following this, in 2003, the science facilities were increased to include three new purpose-built laboratories and one room devoted to the use of ICT in science.
Priory gained further credit in 2005, by becoming the first school in Lancashire to gain a second specialism in sport. In recognition of this, the school changed its name to Priory Sports and Technology College in order to reflect the dual specialist status. From this development came the linking of the school Sports Hall to a new PE and School Sport Independent Study Centre, to allow students, as part of their lessons, to make the connection between the practical and theoretical aspects of sport more easily.
2008 saw the next step in the development of the facilities at Priory. A brand new multimillion-pound Technology block was created, alongside the development of the Maths and English classrooms. All were enlarged, re-equipped and changed to produce modern creative learning spaces with the latest relevant technologies. The dining room also had a complete overhaul at this time to improve eating facilities.
In 2010, there was a complete change to the resource centre area with the creation of the Accessible Resource Centre - the 'ARC'. With new, redesigned rooms and corridors, the ARC is an advice and guidance area in the school, designed to be accessible to all students, particularly in supporting them through the difficult choice processes for their post 16 learning.[3]
