Easington Academy facts for kids

Easington Academy is a secondary school for students aged 11 to 16. It is located in the village of Easington, in County Durham, England. As an academy, it is a type of school that receives funding directly from the government.

School History and Changes

Easington Academy first opened its doors in 1978. It was created by combining two older schools: Easington Secondary Modern School and Murton Secondary Modern School. At that time, it was known as Easington Comprehensive School.

Over the years, the school's name changed a few times. It became Easington Community School, and then Easington Community Science College in January 2007. This change happened because it became a specialist college focusing on science. Later, the school officially became an academy and was renamed Easington Academy.

In 2019, Easington Academy joined a group of schools called the North East Learning Trust.

Understanding the House System

The school uses a house system to encourage teamwork and friendly competition among students. Points are given out during school assemblies and for good performance in various activities.

The original house names were chosen to remember families greatly affected by the 1951 Easington Colliery pit disaster. These names were:

• Brenkley     
• Dryden     
• Porter     
• Seymour     
• Wallace     

As of June 2021, the house names were updated to reflect different values. The new house names are:

• Evolution     
• Ambition     
• Integrity     
• Synergy     

School Buildings and Areas

Easington Academy has five main buildings where most of the teaching takes place:

• The Main Building: This is where students learn Music, Science, and Technology.
• H-Block North: Here you'll find classes for Geography, History, Religious Studies, and Mathematics.
• H-Block South: This building is used for English, ICT (Information and Communication Technology), and Modern Foreign Languages.
• Art Studio: This is the creative space for Art and Photography lessons.
• Sports Hall: This building is dedicated to Sports Studies and Physical Education (PE).

Some optional subjects, like Health & Social Care or Travel & Tourism, might be taught in different buildings depending on the timetable. They do not have one fixed classroom area.

Subjects You Can Study

Students in Year 7, Year 8, and Year 9 study a range of core subjects. These include:

• English
• Maths
• Science
• French
• Geography
• History
• Religious Education (RE)
• PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic education), which is called "World Ready" at the school
• Music
• Drama
• ICT (Information and Communication Technology)
• Physical Education (PE)

Choosing Your GCSE Options

In Year 9, students get to choose up to four GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) subjects. These are subjects they will study until Year 11.

• If students are doing well in French, or are close to their targets, they usually need to take GCSE French. This helps the school meet guidelines for the English Baccalaureate.
• To meet these same guidelines, all students must also choose either GCSE Geography or GCSE History.
• After these choices, students can pick two more optional subjects. If a student is not required to take French, they might get to choose three additional options instead.

Well-Known Former Students

Many former students of Easington Academy have gone on to achieve great things. These include:

• Carl Joyce, a documentary filmmaker.
• Several professional footballers, such as Newcastle goalkeeper Steve Harper, Paul Kitson, Chris Brass, Paul Smith, Richard Ord, Stuart Brightwell, and Adam Johnson.