Academy Information - Balaam Wood Academy

Welcome to King Edward VI Balaam Wood Academy

My name is Damian McGarvey and I am proud to be the Headteacher of King Edward VI Balaam Wood Academy. Our academy has been on a journey of continued improvement and development over recent years. The school has served its local community for over 40 years. Although we sit in the same building, it is not the same educational experience that it used to be. The academy is currently re-defining itself to ensure that we provide the quality of education that our pupils and their families demand from us. It is my hope that through our website, prospectus, social media and visits to the academy that you will see the impact of these developments.

We joined the King Edward VI Academy Trust Birmingham in September 2019 and as such, we enjoy the advantages of being part of an Academy Trust which has schools spread across the city of Birmingham. Each of these schools are unique but they all share the same mission: to make Birmingham the best place to be educated in the United Kingdom. At King Edward VI Balaam Wood Academy, we are proud to be playing our part in achieving this joint goal.

We are a relatively small school and we enjoy the advantages that this brings:

We know and understand our pupils well, including their social, emotional, mental health and academic needs;
Pupils know their teachers well leading to strong and positive relationships founded on mutual respect;
That, as an academy, we have the highest of expectations which underpin high aspirations for all.

We have invested heavily to ensure our pupils have the best of educational opportunities. We have recruited the best of teachers who are experts in their subject specialisms. Our teachers themselves never stop learning and are always challenged to improve upon their practice. All of our staff have strong connections with other schools within and beyond the Trust to ensure that expertise can be developed and shared. We offer a curriculum that is broad, balanced and reflects the needs of our learners. We ensure that all pupils have access to a range of arts, sports and technical courses alongside their studies in Maths, English, Science and Humanities. All classrooms have the latest educational technology to support our staff in delivering engaging and challenging learning experiences. We have recently refitted and updated our Design Technology and Music departments. We run a wide range of clubs and enrichment activities, including sports, academic and afterschool homework clubs. Pupils also have access to a growing range of educational trips and visits, including a Year 7 residential trip to welcome our new intake.

Our work at King Edward VI Balaam Wood Academy is founded on four core values:

Bold

Being confident and being courageous
Taking risks with our learning and with our teaching to ensure that we challenge ourselves at every opportunity
Being prepared to make mistakes and to learn from these mistakes accepting that getting things wrong is a key part of the learning process and of life

Ambitious

Having a strong desire and determination to succeed and to be the very best that we can be
Demanding much of ourselves as individuals and our school community as a collective
To have the highest aspirations for our futures and a belief in ourselves.

Collaborative

Pupils helping and encouraging each other to achieve their goals
Staff sharing best practice and supporting colleagues to help pupils succeed
Key relationships within and outside of the community from parents/carers, governors, external agencies to protect and guide our young people towards bright futures.

Kind

Looking out for each other and looking after each other
Understanding we are all on our individual and collective journeys and supporting each other through them
To be a fully inclusive community.

We are confident that King Edward VI Balaam Wood Academy will support our young people in preparing them for life in the 21^st century world. We hope that you share that confidence and that you take the time to consider how you can play your part in being part of our journey.