Kensington Aldridge Academy (KAA) is a brand new school based in North Kensington and is led by head teacher David Benson.
Designed and built by Bouygues UK, KAA welcomed its first Year 7 intake on September 15th 2014 and will be adding a New Year 7 cohort year by year. Currently there are 180 students who attend KAA, which will grow to 1250 when at capacity.
KAA is served by head teacher David Benson, who has successfully transformed several schools, to include Burlington Danes Academy, a turnaround school, and then Ark Academy in Wembley, a start-up school which also opened with initially just Year 7.
At Ark Academy Wembley David implemented a recruitment model of systems and structures that has since been recognised as a model of best practice and has now been implemented across all ARK schools (and in some others). David has co-authored a book about the leadership and management of teaching & learning and assessment, ‘Creating Outstanding Classrooms’ (Routledge 2013), and edited a set of case studies which describe the process of opening a new school and leading it to outstanding
KAA’s school motto is ‘Intrepidus’; a Latin word meaning ‘fearless,’ ‘undaunted,’ or ‘bold’. KAA has a mission statement which has at its core the pursuit of the very highest standards in education, both inside the classroom and beyond it. We believe all children can exceed their expectations, no matter what their prior attainment and experiences. At our school no child will be labelled; we will treat them all as intelligent and individual. Through our ethos, our extended curriculum and our entrepreneurial approach we will develop students into confident, rounded individuals, equipped for anything that life throws at them. Our motto – INTREPIDUS – will help us to realise our ambition.
The Academy is sponsored by The Aldridge Foundation, an educational charity set up to help young people reach their potential – through education and through support for community regeneration. The school also works in partnership with Godolphin & Latimer, Charterhouse, LAMDA and RAD.
For more information on the school please visit the Kensington Aldridge Academy website at http://www.kensingtonaldridgeacademy.co.uk/