North Liverpool Academy / Heyworth Street, Liverpool L5

[Portobello Red]

Website

[Portobello Red]

Student's view of the North Liverpool Academy

[Paul D]

I quite like that building,it's good too see a bit of variety being built.

[Chris B]

Thanks for posting those, I haven't seen it before. Although it does look a bit like someone's dropped the fuselage of an aeroplane onto a slightly above-average looking office building, when viewed as a whole it's not bad.

[Portobello Red]

North Liverpool Academy

Arch Technik

Contractor: Waites Construction

Structural Engineers: Billington Structures

Year: 2008

The North Liverpool Academy is a state-of-the-art sixth form education centre. The £40 million pound development is a breathtaking glimpse of how schools of the future may look.

The futuristic design consists of over 100 ThermConX thermal break connections, ensuring no heat loss through cold bridging and no risk of intersistial condensation or mould formation for the life of the building.

The building effortlessly combines the latest technologies with eco-friendly and cutting edge design detail to create a relaxed and comfortable learning environment where the students are able to really enjoy and make the most of their learning experience.

[thecityofgold]

I walk past this occasionally and it has been great to see it getting built. Much rather something of interesting design like this than the prefab shite that used to pass for school buildings. Hopefully some students will be inspired by it.

[eyeam]

Photos from Liverpool Suburbia & comedy_nose on flickr

image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr

[Portobello Red]

image hosted on flickr

tommypatto

[Awayo]

[yoshef]

arf!


Reminds me of Mr Bump

[Portobello Red]

...or The Mummy

[Damon]

The actual source of inspiration, of course, was this:

[Splendidineogh]

Originally Posted by Portobello Red

image hosted on flickr

tommypatto

Was this cheap, nasty bit of attention-grabbing rubbish really necessary? It looks ghastly. They haven't even achieved a decent finish on the grey bits.

The rest of the building however looks ok. Conservative and sensible, apart from the air con units on the roof, which just seems so lazy and poorly judged.

The real shame is the ugly, mutant, bandaged monster thing at the front. No doubt the PFI brief (agreed by a Nu Labour stakeholder strategy meeting of 20 officials, the PTA, and 2 pupils with behavioural disorders) was: "something weird that will make kids think school is great".

:wankers:

[openlyJane]

Originally Posted by Splendidineogh

Was this cheap, nasty bit of attention-grabbing rubbish really necessary? It looks ghastly. They haven't even achieved a decent finish on the grey bits.

The rest of the building however looks very nice. Just a shame about the ugly, mutant, bandaged monster thing at the front. No doubt the PFI brief (agreed by a Nu Labour stakeholder strategy meeting) was: "something weird that will make kids think school is great".

:wankers:

Having a 'great' building and superb facilities did not impact on the culture at Parklands in Speke - it was/is like a 'lock-down' facility.

[Splendidineogh]

Originally Posted by openlyJane

Having a 'great' building and superb facilities did not impact on the culture at Parklands in Speke - it was/is like a 'lock-down' facility.

Hi, I edited my post so could you change the quote? Thanks!

Also, I'm not sure what you're getting at.. Do you think this monstrosity is a decent building or not?

[openlyJane]

Originally Posted by Splendidineogh

Hi, I edited my post so could you change the quote? Thanks!

Also, I'm not sure what you're getting at.. Do you think this monstrosity is a decent building or not?

I've no fixed opinion on it - but I can envisage how it has impacted on the layout and facilities inside, having experience of Parklands in Speke.

[buggedboy]

I quite like it in the flesh. The facilities too are very impressive.

As to Parklands. No, improved facilites don't automatically equate to improved performance, but they do help. I'm sure that Parklands also got significantly improved results this year, though the contribution of the emergency measures and parachuted Bluecoat governance added to that.

I went to that Dobbies exhibition in the Parkalnds school and the inside is brilliant. A high tech lecture theatre Liverpool Uni would bite your hands off to have.

[openlyJane]

Originally Posted by buggedboy

I quite like it in the flesh. The facilities too are very impressive.

As to Parklands. No, improved facilites don't automatically equate to improved performance, but they do help. I'm sure that Parklands also got significantly improved results this year, though the contribution of the emergency measures and parachuted Bluecoat governance added to that.

I went to that Dobbies exhibition in the Parkalnds school and the inside is brilliant. A high tech lecture theatre Liverpool Uni would bite your hands off to have.

No, improved facilities make no real and lasting difference, apart from the initial novelty value.

Having taught at The Bluecoat when these new 'measures' were thrust upon the school - in exchange for money for building improvements - I can say that, as ever, the results and stats are relentlessly massaged.

There was no enthusiasm at all from Bluecoat staff for this arrangement - it was enforced; plus, it was really patronising towards the Parklands staff and head.

Besides, the Bluecoat governors are a little self-serving cabal of vested interests - they could not turn around the fortunes of any school.

Parklands was supposed to provide 'community facilities' but I read today that these have been axed as a cost-cutting measure.

[Babaloo]

I guess The Bluecoat must be the best school in the city by a wide margin despite the incompetence of its governors.

Who'd have thought it - magic happens!

There are still too many incompetent teachers teaching in Liverpool's schools who lack ambition for the kids they teach and are milking their third class degree for all its worth until they can bag a pension at the earliest opportunity!

There are still too many kids who because of their family background and local subculture have their lives mapped out for them the moment they draw their first breath.

In a place like Speke both worlds collide with predictable consequences.

[openlyJane]

Originally Posted by Babaloo

I guess The Bluecoat must be the best school in the city by a wide margin despite the incompetence of its governors.

Who'd have thought it - magic happens!

There are still too many incompetent teachers teaching in Liverpool's schools who lack ambition for the kids they teach and are milking their third class degree for all its worth until they can bag a pension at the earliest opportunity!

There are still too many kids who because of their family background and local subculture have their lives mapped out for them the moment they draw their first breath.

In a place like Speke both worlds collide with predictable consequences.

You are pretty much right - to some degree, about two worlds colliding. However, there are some fantastic teachers who work really well with such kids - I've seen many over the years at some 'challenging' schools. Personally, I prefer to work with really bright pupils; who are not essentially alienated from academic work and culture. Give me an A-Level class at The Bluecoat anyday!! But that does not necessarily make me a better teacher - it makes me a certain kind of teacher, who works best with certain types of kids and in certain types of schools. A lot of teachers do not like working with really bright, middle-class kids, because they lack the confidence in their subject at higher levels, and are not academic themselves by nature. However, they love working with younger pupils and lower ability pupils, who they tend to see as 'characters'.

What has made The Bluecoat a success, is down to the 'intake', parental support and expectation, plus a culture of academic teachers and teaching - although that is changing quite rapidly at present - in favour of more 'trendy' approaches and a never-ending supply of cheap newly qualified teachers, at the expense of older, more traditionally academic staff.

If only you knew what went on behind the scenes, with the governors and senior management team, you would be surprised and shocked.