News28th March 2013
Jerry Collins, principal designate of ARK John Keats Academy in Enfield, discusses the challenges and opportunities he faces opening a new school in a short video interview. “It’s not very often one gets the opportunity to work in a school that is starting from scratch,” says Mr Collins, “one that has a vision for children that is going to transform their lives.”
ARK John Keats Academy will be a new all through academy for children from 4 – 18. Its primary school will open in Bell Lane, Enfield in September 2013.
Mr Collins was the founding principal of Pimlico Academy which he has led since it became an academy in 2008, replacing Pimlico School. In just four years he has transformed the previously underperforming school, achieving outstanding status in just two and a half years with Ofsted citing his “outstanding vision and leadership” in their 2010 report. In that time Pimlico Academy has raised GCSE attainment (5 A*-Cs including English and mathematics) by 21 percentage points and A level attainment by 15 percentage points with 83% of 2012 year 13 students going on to university.