A Kirkby secondary school has started a new life.

Outwood Academy Kirkby, formerly Kirkby College, officially opened its doors to students as part of Outwood Grange Academies Trust for the first time at the start of the new term.

The Tennyson Street-based school was rated inadequate by Ofsted following an inspection in November 2021, which led to its transfer to Outwood.

Outwood Academy Kirkby is being led by Mark Golden, who was headteacher at Kirkby College. Mark will work alongside Outwood’s Julie Slater, chief executive principal secondary, and lead principal Steve Roberts.

Mark said: “With a proven track record of providing first-class education, support for all learners, and innovations in teaching and learning, I am confident that joining the trust will bring rapid transformation for our school and that the students and the community of Kirkby will thrive as we begin this new chapter.”

Plans are under way to transform the current buildings and build new state-of-the-art classrooms and facilities that will benefit the whole community, with an aim for completion in September 2024.

Julie added: “We are looking forward to working with all stakeholders to rapidly improve the school to ensure it delivers a high-quality education for all students, which will transform their life chances, putting Outwood Academy Kirkby on the map for all the right reasons.

“The community deserves a school that they can be proud of. We are excited to work with families and primary schools to really make a difference and we welcome the support we have received so far.

“We ask all stakeholders to work with us. We have very high expectations and we are fully committed to making a huge difference.”

Steve said: “We are all excited to bring about the rapid transformation to the academy that the students want.

“Whilst improvements in academic outcomes are our priority, we know that there is so much more to being at school in terms of opportunities for enrichment, enhancement and memories to be made.

“We can’t wait to see these develop and flourish. Exciting times lie ahead.”