Lincoln Castle Academy
Lincoln Castle Academy is a secondary school with academy status located on the north side of the historic city of Lincoln in Lincolnshire, England. It is situated a couple of miles due north of Lincoln Castle, and just west of the Ermine Street Roman road heading north out of Lincoln towards the River Humber. History. Lincoln Castle Academy was established on 1 April 2011, after the former Yarborough School was granted academy status. Yarborough School. Although the first Headteacher, Eric Wilson, was recruited in September 1970, students began attending from 7 January 1971. Yarborough School officially opened  on the Riseholme Road site on 27 March 1971. It was a mixed comprehensive education school for students aged 11 and over, replacing the previous Rosemary Secondary Modern for Boys and Spring Hill Secondary Modern for Girls schools. The majority of the original staff also transferred from those schools. A Phase II building programme, which included the Gymnasium and a Craft block for wood and metal work, opened in September 1973. A devastating fire was started on the night of 5 September 1975 at the end of the first week of term, which destroyed the original ‘East Block’ building. Within  a fortnight the first of 11 temporary classrooms had arrived, with lessons also taking place at Bishop Grosseteste University, Lincoln's Drill Hall and Riseholme College of Agriculture. Staff organised a morale-boosting party on 20 September but the fire-ravaged scene was devastating, with over £600,000 worth of damage. What books were salvaged from the library were moved to a temporary home in the school's main reception. A local man was convicted of arson on 3 December 1975 and sentenced to six years' imprisonment. Yarborough School developed a reputation for its sporting prowess during the 1970s, assisted  by it having access to the adjoining Yarborough Leisure Centre during academic hours. Yarborough Leisure Centre was first used by the public on 26 April 1976 but the official opening, by then Lincoln City FC manager, Graham Taylor, was on 18 June 1976. With its facilities, playing fields and running track, Yarborough School was frequently the host of county-wide sporting competitions. A new Sixth Form centre, now Lincoln Castle Academy's Resource Centre, opened on 7 January 1977 and by 7 September a new Art, Needlework and Home Economics block had opened near the existing Technology and Craft buildings . On 17 January 1978, after a longer than normal Christmas break to save money due to the expense of heating oil, the current 'East Block' was opened, with a new Music building completing the construction programme. In September 1989 a number of students joined Yarborough School from South Park High School, Lincoln and Sturton by Stow Secondary Modern School, both of which officially closed in August 1989. South Park's languages laboratory also moved to Yarborough after the closure. January 1991 marked Yarborough's 20th anniversary; remarkably eight members of the original teaching staff were still there. A year later , on 1 January 1992, the school, like many others across the country, gained Grant Maintained Status. Two new Science laboratories were opened on 14 July 1993 at the far end of 'West Block', an area of the school still known as the 'Science Bungalow'. On the event of Yarborough School's 25th anniversary the RAF's Red Arrows, which are based in Lincolnshire, gave a special aerobatic display. Yarborough School became a Business and Enterprise Specialist School in 2003, the legacy of which continues today, with students studying Business from Year 9 onwards, as well as being a lead centre  for delivering Enterprise education and piloting new entrepreneurial initiatives. By September 2004, funding from the specialist status allowed a number of refurbishments which included three new Business classrooms replacing the old library in 'East Block', the library becoming the Resource Centre, and relocating where the Sixth Form area was with Year 12 and 13 students moving to the stand-alone building previously occupied by Music. Lincoln Castle Academy. In April 2011 Yarborough School officially became Lincoln Castle Academy, adopting a new identity immediately with a turreted castle tower and a Fleur de Lys from the City of Lincoln’s own  coat of arms featuring on the new design. From September 2011 the new uniform was introduced, featuring a navy blazer with royal blue trim and a blue tie with a diagonal stripe pattern. Coinciding with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee in 2012 was Headteacher Rob Boothroyd's 60th birthday. Students and staff organised a summer gala at the Academy for the Double Diamond Jubilee, with traditional stalls, games and entertainment acts for the public to see. Lincoln's Member of Parliament, Karl McCartney and Hollywood actor Colin McFarlane were invited as special guests. Summer 2012 marked a  further special occasion for Lincoln Castle Academy when the school site played host to the Lincoln stopover on Day 40 of the Olympic Torch Relay. Student Bo Haywood ran one of the legs with the torch, whilst at the London Games a group of students from Lincoln Castle Academy formed a guard of honour for Guam as that nation's athletes entered the Olympic Stadium. Mr Phil Cooke, Head of Year 7 (& Transition), is Lincoln Castle Academy's longest-serving current member of teaching staff, having joined in September 1982. Mr Cooke will be sadly retiring from Lincoln Castle Academy  at the end of this academic year after nearly 33 years of service to the LCA's (formerly Yarborough School) students. Headteachers. The following Headteachers have led Lincoln Castle Academy and the previous Yarborough School over the years: Subjects. In Years 10 and 11 (Key Stage 4) the following subjects are offered: Core subjects: Business Studies, English, English Literature, Ethics and Religion, ICT, Mathematics, Science and Work Skills. Optional subjects: Art & Design, Design & Technology, Drama, Geography, Hair Services, Health & Social Care, History, Media, Modern Languages, Music, Performing Arts, Photography, Public Services, Sports Studies and Travel & Tourism. In Sixth Form (Key  Stage 5) the following subjects are offered: Optional subjects: Applied Science, Art & Design, Biology, Business Studies, Chemistry, Childcare, Countryside Management, Creative Media Production, Drama & Theatre Studies, Engineering, English Language, English Literature, Geography, Hair Services, Health & Social Care, History, Hospitality Management, ICT, Mathematics, Music, Performing Arts, Photography, Physics, Psychology, Public Services, Religious Studies, Resistant Materials, Sociology, Sports Studies, Textiles and Travel & Tourism. Academic Performance. Lincoln Castle Academy’s GCSE performance for summer 2012: Its A-level performance for summer 2012: Enterprise Education. Since gaining Business and Enterprise Specialist Status in 2003, Lincoln Castle Academy has continued to forge a path as  being a lead centre for enterprising education. The three main strands of enterprise education – enterprise capability, financial capability and economic understanding – are interwoven across the Academy’s curriculum. Successes brought about in Enterprise at Lincoln Castle Academy include: