Dear Parents/Carers,
At their meeting in December 2023, Directors of Leigh Academies Trust (LAT) decided unanimously that now is an appropriate time to rename our academies. This programme is being phased in from September 2024. The decision has followed extensive discussions with our local board governors, Academy Leadership Teams, Founding Sponsor, Sir Geoffrey Leigh, and livery company partners.
Since its foundation in 2018, The Halley Academy has benefited immensely from the support and expertise of the Leigh Academies Trust. Consisting of over 30 different primary, secondary and special schools in Greenwich, Kent and Medway, LAT is one of the most successful Multi-Academy Trusts in the country. We are very proud to be part of this partnership of schools who are united in our shared mission of providing education for a better world.
Consequently, from 1st September 2024, The Halley Academy will change its name to Leigh Academy Halley.
The renaming of our Academy will benefit our learning community in a number of ways. Many current and prospective parents/carers are unaware of the very strong links between ourselves and other highly successful secondary schools in Greenwich – Leigh Academy Blackheath and Stationers’ Crown Woods Academy. A clearer brand identity will reinforce that we are one learning community, and we can use this to attract more students and staff to be part of the Leigh Academies Trust network. We have seen firsthand how excellent new teachers and leaders want to join our Academy because we are part of a Trust synonymous with providing a world-class education. The LAT name has built instant recognition and positive change with families in Greenwich, Bexley, Medway and Tonbridge. As a proudly outward-looking, collaborative and excellence-driven Academy, we look forward to continuing to play an active role in this network of Academies. Other schools in future will also gain a similar boost from this explicit recognition of this partnership.
As you will see, we have proposed a naming convention that mixes a common framework with identity naming that incorporates existing wording. Four of our existing academies already follow this convention: Leigh Academy Blackheath; Leigh Academy Rainham; Leigh Academy Bexley; and Leigh Academy Tonbridge. One of the great and unique strengths of Leigh Academies Trust is that we have a shared vision and values across our schools, whilst each Academy has its own unique character and ethos. Leigh Academy Halley will remain an aspirational, disciplined and inclusive learning community, where human-scale education, a dynamic curriculum, and excellent teaching and pastoral care maximises the achievement of all students. Our belief in the potential of every student remains steadfast. We will continue to work hard to ensure that every student feels empowered and supported to be the best version of themselves. Our core values – respect, achievement, collaboration, integrity and resilience – will continue to permeate everything we do.
With our new name, we have taken the opportunity to refresh and modernise our Academy branding, which will include student uniform. We appreciate, particularly in the context of the current economic climate, that this might create apprehension from parents/carers about any accompanying additional costs. Firstly, no Academy themselves in LAT will be expected to make any financial contributions towards the branding changes. Secondly, all existing uniform items currently in circulation can continue to be worn into the new academic year and beyond. Any and all uniform items that are ordered after the 1st June 2024 will feature our new Academy logo. Our uniform providers will remain the same, as will the processes for purchasing uniforms. If your child is likely going to need a new uniform for the next academic year, we would encourage you to wait to order this until after the May half-term break, so that these items will feature our new logo and branding.
We are really excited to become Leigh Academy Halley from September 2024; this change will enhance our position as part of a very confident and successful group of schools keen to use its wider capacity for the benefit of current and future students, families and partners.
If you have any questions about this change, please contact us at admin@thehalleyacademy.org.uk.
Thank you for your continued support of all our work at the Academy.
Yours faithfully,
Ben Russell
Principal