Olympians, Museum Learning, Environmental Excellence and Science Converge
For New Academy In Slough

Rare artefacts in the classroom, a double Olympic gold medallist teaching rowing, and the most environmentally sophisticated building of its kind that not only saves energy but also helps in the teaching of environmental issues are all part of The Langley Academy, a new purpose built £23m school in Slough, officially opened by Sir Matthew Pinsent CBE, today.

The Langley Academy (www.langleyacademy.org), sponsored by the Arbib Foundation, provides a fresh start for children and adult learners in the area. It replaces the old Langleywood School that had formerly been placed in special measures and has now been demolished.

The Langley Academy teaches the International Baccalaureate Diploma and A Levels at post 16, specialises in science, aims to become a centre of excellence for sports, notably rowing and cricket, is the first school in the UK to focus on Museum Learning and has its own museum. Designed by internationally acclaimed architects Foster + Partners and situated in nine hectares (23 acres) of grounds the new Academy provides a worldclass learning resource for all.

• Building and facilities: At the heart of the three-storey building is an enclosed atrium, the assembly space for the 1,100 students. The atrium's most unusual feature is three yellow drums raised above the floor on circular columns. These two-storey pods house the Academy's 10 science laboratories, reinforcing the importance of science teaching. A dedicated sports and culture block contains specialist facilities for music and drama including a fully equipped theatre, a TV and sound recording studio, soundproofed practice rooms and a rehearsal space, sports hall and lecture theatre. Light and airy covered streets are lined with 38 classrooms. Environmental features save 20% in water consumption and approximately 150 tonnes of CO2 per year compared to a traditional Academy and are used in the teaching of science and environmental issues.
  
  
• Teaching and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme: The Academy's new building and teaching team allows an excellent teacher-student ratio of 1:14. Key Stage 4 class sizes are smaller than the national average. Students are taught the International Baccalaureate Diploma, a world-class qualification ranked higher than A levels by universities in the UK and abroad. The Academy's curriculum is innovative throughout, with a two-year Key Stage 3, compared with the standard three-year Key Stage 3; a choice of 31 qualifications at Key Stage 4; a wide range of AS, A Level and BTEC courses for Post 16 and a new Sixth Form Centre.
  
  
• Museum Learning and the Academy's Museum: The Langley Academy is the first school in the UK to provide Museum Learning across the curriculum and runs its own Museum. Museum Learning is a recognised learning model pioneered at the New York City Museum School, encapsulated through: extended observation, questioning and research, analysis and synthesis, presentation and reflection. Museum Learning is more than just museum visits. Ancient artefacts and objects are brought into the classroom to spark questions, debate, analysis and provide connections across all subjects. For example, an ancient oar blade is currently being used in Design and Technology, PE, English and History. By evoking stories and increasing understanding, objects and artefacts help bridge cultural divides and breakdown barriers - particularly powerful for the Academy's students, who are drawn from a wide range of cultural backgrounds and speak 28 languages between them. Museum Learning also provides unparalleled access to significant cultural institutions across the country and the Academy has run 12 museum visits so far this year, involving hundreds of students. The Academy Museum holds over 500 objects and is used daily for teaching. The Museum Learning Club, run by the students, is flourishing. The Academy's first Museum Exhibition Movement includes exhibits ranging from 200 year old oars through to the British Gold Medal winning boat from the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
  
  
• Science specialism: The Academy specialises in science. Its ten science labs, equipped with the very latest apparatus, are housed mainly in brightly coloured yellow drums raised off the floor in circular columns in the building's atrium [see attached pictures]. The labs provide practical opportunities for hands on learning and experiments. Over 630 modern Apple Mac and PC based computers are used for the teaching of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). In addition to lab based and ICT activity the Academy is building close relationships with science and engineering organisations, such as Thames Water, providing students with a wide range of work experience opportunities and enhancing employment prospects. The Academy has close links with the new STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) DCSF national programme and the Academy's Head of Science Faculty has been selected to become a STEM trainer for the local area.
  
  
• Setting the highest standard in environmental practice and teaching: The Langley Academy is one of the most environmentally friendly buildings of its kind in the UK, not only using state of the art technology to deliver a 20% reduction in water consumption and saving 150 tonnes of CO2 per year compared to a traditional Academy but also an active resource to enhance environmental teaching. Learning about sustainability is central to the Academy's science specialism and is incorporated across the curriculum. The building's features include; a sustainable woodchip bio-mass boiler using locally sourced wood; solar panels and soon to be installed reed-bed filtration systems, to name a few. All are used to provide students with a unique chance to see environmentally friendly technology in action and learn about issues of sustainability. Digital displays located around the building show how the building is consuming energy, saving water and the CO2 savings produced by the renewable systems.
  
  
• Sporting excellence: The Langley Academy will become a centre of excellence for sports, notably rowing and cricket. Double Olympic gold medallist Andy Holmes is developing the rowing coaching programme and Chris Ellison from Performance Cricket is leading the cricket coaching programme. The large new Sports Hall contains indoor cricket nets that will be used not only by its own students from the Academy but also those from Eton College. The Academy's partnership with Eton College has enabled rowing at Dorney Lake and the home cricket matches to be played at Messpots, Eton. The Academy has also introduced cricket for girls and Charlotte Edwards, the England Ladies Captain, will be coming in to coach the girls in autumn 2009.
  

Sir Matthew Pinsent CBE, said: “I am delighted to be opening The Langley Academy, it is a remarkable place and I am very excited for its future. I am particularly pleased to see the innovative way they are teaching rowing – inspiring children of all backgrounds and abilities to get involved, further opening up the sport up for all."

"Andy Holmes is not only Double Olympic Gold Medallist, but also a fantastic coach. To have him developing the rowing programme at The Academy is brilliant for the students. His skills combined with the first class facilities, the partnership with Eton College and access to Dorney Lake – where the rowing for 2012 Olympics are to be held, will build on the success the Students have already enjoyed. I look forward to hearing what The Academy has achieved and meeting the student rowing teams at regattas in the future.”

Sir Martyn Arbib, Sponsor and Governor of The Langley Academy and Trustee of The Arbib Foundation said: "This whole project has been one of team work and vision - it is a dream come true. We are thrilled with the end result, a superb building and dedicated staff providing an education that I hope current and future students will appreciate and benefit from for years to come."

Annabel Nicoll, Chair of Governors, The Langley Academy and Trustee of The Arbib Foundation said: "We are very proud of what our teaching team, staff and students have achieved so far in this spectacular new Academy, but this is only the beginning. The Academy will continue to develop and grow, offering the best possible opportunities to our students. We are all extremely excited about the future."

Chris Bowler, Principal, The Langley Academy, says: "I have been working in education for over 28 years and a headteacher for 13 years and have never had the privilege of working in such a remarkable and well resourced school as this. What The Langley Academy can provide is truly world class. A state of the art building, an outstanding staff team, together with Museum Learning, our science specialism, the International Baccalaureate Diploma and sporting excellence programme, provides students with the best possible education, the highest achievement for all - a welcoming, imaginative and creative environment that enriches the lives of all involved.

"We have achieved a huge amount in our first year, established very high standards and have highest expectations of our students. Science is at the heart of the Academy and the Academy's Science Team has already created an exciting and challenging environment. Students report that they love Science: this is most satisfying and shows that we're are on the right track!

"Over the next 12 months our Museum Learning and sporting excellence programmes will expand. Currently over 250 students have represented the Academy across 25 teams, and this will increase, especially as our Girls' Cricket initiative takes off. The installation of a new reed-bed will filter the Academy's grey water, enhancing our environmental stewardship and science teaching. This year we will increase the size of our Sixth Form welcoming over 140 new Year 12 students into our new Sixth Form Centre, preparing them for university and employment."

Paul Mainds, Governor, The Langley Academy; Member of The Langley Academy Museum Learning Advisory Group and Chief Executive and Trustee of the River & Rowing Museum said: "We are the first school in the country to make such a commitment to Museum Learning and I believe that we are bringing something very powerful to our students in Langley. Over the past 12 months we have established this hugely effective way of teaching across the curriculum, built links with regional and national museums, run 12 museums visits for hundreds of students, set up The Academy's own Museum, which is used every day by all subjects, and the student's Museum Club is flourishing.

"We are indebted to the work of the New York City Museum School and have drawn many ideas from it, including our core learning model of extended observation, questioning, research, analysis and synthesis, presentation and reflection.

"The Academy is committed to Museum Learning. This is the start of an exciting journey and we look forward to sharing our experiences and achievements with the wider education and museums world as our programme develops and grows."

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Museum Learning
A full briefing document on Museum Learning at Langley Academy accompanies this press release. CLICK HERE TO ACCESS.

Science Specialism
The focus of lessons has been hands on learning to engage the students, this links closely with the Academy focus on Museum Learning. The support of the dedicated laboratory technicians allows teachers to be creative in developing new activities which inspire the students to learn. This support, together with state of the art equipment, means that students are able to create experiments that would not be possible in many schools, such as:

• Fantastic plastics - students in Year 11 were introduced to plastics in a variety of forms such as magnetic liquids and liquids that can flow uphill.
  
  
• Solar ovens - students use the power of the sun to cook food.
  
  
• Wind turbines - Year 9 students created portable turbines and used them around the Academy to generate electricity.
  
  
• Recycled paper plant pots - Year 8 students recycled paper to create their own plant pots rather than purchasing plastic ones.

Science is the heart of the Academy in many ways, for example:

• 'Step up to Science' gave every student the opportunity to use a pedometer for the day to measure how many steps they took. This activity encouraged House Tutors to promote scientific enquiry and team-work.
  
  
• There are three science enrichment clubs including the 'Science of Beauty' and 'Explosions Club', which have growing numbers of students.
  
  
• The Langley Academy Cluedo: A whole Academy forensics investigation to solve the culprit of dastardly crime using fingerprints, chemical analysis, anatomical interpretation and other techniques to find the wrongdoer!

Science and Museum Learning

• The faculty has arranged stimulating off site activities for students including trips to The River & Rowing Museum, The Oxford Museums; The Royal Veterinary College; Wellington College and Greenwich University. The Academy has sought out and been invited to work with these centres of excellence and has enjoyed great success, for instance working with the Oxford Museums with all 180 Year 7 students on their annual animal adaptations exhibition.
  
  
• As part of The Academy's exhibition on Movement, a specially modified museum case was used to grow caterpillars. They were studied and cared for by the students before emerging as Painted Lady Butterflies in early July and released in to the Academy's nine hectare grounds.
  

Science and the Environment

• Science teaching incorporates the wide range of sustainability and energy saving measures in the Academy. The building itself helps in the teaching of sustainability, for example the Year 10 GCSE module on renewable resources which involves visits to the Plant Room, the Bio-Mass Boiler, and the roof.

Future developments

• The use of personal projects have enabled students to thrive and will be developed in the future. Personal projects range from classroom study through to themed homework activities.
  
  
• Creating and racing boats will be a major theme in 2010. Year 7 students will take part in a competition to design, build and race motorised rowing boats.
  
  
• Ongoing recruitment of excellent science teachers and lab technicians will increase the strength of the department and the teaching.
  
  
• As the Museum Learning programme develops, so the connections with Science will increase, both through the range of museums visited and the objects used in the classroom.

Environmental Excellence
The Langley Academy achieves one of the lowest carbon emissions ratings of any scheme built under the City Academies programme. The environment facilities, engineered by Buro Happold, are expected to deliver a 20% reduction in water consumption and 150 tonnes saving of CO2 per year compared to a traditional academy. From orientation and natural ventilation to solar panels and rainwater harvesting all the design aspects are driven by a commitment to sustainability. The examples listed below are all used for the teaching of environmental issues:

• Orientation - Reduces solar gain and delivers maximum natural ventilation and day lighting to internal spaces.
  
  
• Photovoltaic Cells - Produce electricity to offset lighting load external lighting.
  
  
• Grey Water Collection - Collects water from wash hand basins for recycling, which will be filtered through a reed bed and used for irrigating the plants and watering the lawns. Rainwater used to flush the toilets. The grey water collection programme is being run in conjunction with Thames Water, sharing excellence and providing opportunities for students to work with the organisation.
  
  
• Solar Collectors and Thermal Tubes - Integrated into south face cladding. Used to offset hot renewable source. Used to offset hot water load to changing rooms. 5000kg C02 saved.
  
  
• Biomass Boiler - Uses locally sourced woodchip and produces both heating and hot water. Delivers 122,000kg of C02 savings. Heat metering - display of energy and carbon saving.
  
  
• Ground Source Heat Pumps - Lies 90m below the surface. Extracts heat from deep under the school and uses it for underfloor heating in the restaurant and atrium spaces. 3,700kg C02 saving.
  
  
• Rainwater Harvesting - Roof designed so all rainwater is collected and stored in a central tank for re-use in the building.
  
  
• Timber Cladding - All timber cladding is sourced from a renewable source.

Sporting Excellence
Since opening over 250 students have represented the Academy across 25 teams, in 12 different activities. Access to Eton's Excelsior Rowing Club has further enhanced the development of the Academy's more able gifted and talented students. The aim for the 2009/2010 academic year is to become Amateur Rowing Association affiliated, create a boat club, increase the number of students rowing and to compete in a national competition. The dry rowing room at the Academy contains 10 Concept 2 machines: this facility has already enabled the Sixth Form girls to reach third place in the national dry rowing league. These superb facilities are complemented by large outside sports grounds and a multi-use games area within the Academy's nine hectare grounds. Cricket coaching has been in place through the holidays and a full compliment of fixtures for Academy teams provided. The Academy also ran a junior tour to Devon and formalised links with Datchet CC. The Slough Schools' Under 15 Able, Gifted and Talented Cricket Competition was run through the Academy this year. It involved eight teams playing at the Academy and at club grounds in and around the Slough area. The Academy will also be facilitating the Wexham Partnership A, G and T cricket programme for the academic year, 2009/10.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
The International Baccalaureate is an academically rigorous, internationally recognised diploma that promotes community cohesion and demands students remain wide in their knowledge. The IBDP has at its core Creativity Action and Service, a return to the traditional understanding that all people, young and old, have something to offer that will enrich our society. Preferred by the majority of top universities, the IBDP asks students to be self motivated and independent in their research; to ask questions, to think for themselves and be principled; and above all else to recognise that other people with their differences can also be right.

About The Arbib Foundation
The Arbib Foundation, set up in 1987, is a registered charity (number 296358) that supports some of the philanthropy of Sir Martyn Arbib, one of the trustees of The Langley Academy. In 1974, Sir Martyn founded the Henley-on-Thames based Perpetual Unit Trust business, which became a public company in 1987. Sir Martyn was chairman of Perpetual from 1974 to December 2000, when the company was taken over by Invesco. The Foundation provides charitable donations and financial support to organisations and causes around the UK, with a focus on the Thames Valley. Sir Martyn, through the Arbib Foundation, was the main benefactor and took a leading role in establishing the River & Rowing Museum in Henley on Thames that opened in 1998 and attracts over 100,000 visitors per year. The Arbib Foundation continues to be the main sponsor of the educational side of the museum.

The Arbib Foundation is the sponsor of The Langley Academy, created through the City Academies programme. Sir Martyn is a Governor, and Sir Martyn's elder daughter, Annabel Nicoll, is Chairman of Governors.

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