ACADEMY TRANSFORMATION TRUST
Pool Hayes Academy is part of the Academy Transformation Trust family of academies.
We believe every child matters and deserves a first class education. Our team knows first-hand how to make education better for schools, pupils and their teachers. For us, the future of UK education relies upon schools working closely together to share best practices, giving every child the best chance in life.
We set up ATT to make this vision a reality. As a not for profit trust, we work with our growing family of primary and secondary academies and further education providers in the Midlands, East of England and South East. Our mission is to provide the very best education for all pupils and the highest level of support for our staff to ensure every child leaves our academies with everything they need to reach their full potential.
Find out more by visiting www.academytransformationtrust.co.uk
Our Vision
We have one core purpose:
To have the biggest positive impact in the varied communities we serve through ensuring top drawer education for our learners. #TransformingLives
How do we ensure this across our trust?
In all we do we are:
1. Ethical to the core, ensuring that education is always front and centre
2. Futures focused system leaders – never simply followers
3. Collaborative in every endeavour
4. Resolutely learner centred.
Education
We are:
1. Ruthlessly ambitious for all who learn and work with us
2. Unwaveringly inclusive – determined on eradicating barriers to educational success
3. Committed to excellent teaching
4. Determined upon academic excellence for all in our communities
5. Compassionate, ethical and caring advocates for all in our communities
6. Outwardly facing and globally conscious
Welcome to Pool Hayes Academy
DEAR PARENTS, CARERS AND FUTURE STUDENTS,
It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to our #PHAmily. A vibrant and inclusive learning community where we are committed to helping every student thrive – academically, socially, and personally.
At Pool Hayes Academy, we believe that education is about more than just exam results – it’s about developing confident, competent, and capable young people who are ready to make their mark on the world. We set high expectations for every student, and we provide the support and encouragement they need to unlock their full potential.
Our dedicated staff work tirelessly to deliver engaging lessons, create a safe and supportive environment, and offer a rich array of opportunities beyond the classroom – from sports and the arts, to leadership, enrichment, and community involvement.
We are proud of our academy’s strong values, our culture of kindness, respect and aspiration, and the close partnerships we build with families. Whether your child is passionate about science, the arts, technology, languages, or sport, they will find a place to grow and shine here.
I warmly invite you to explore what makes Pool Hayes Academy such a special place, and I look forward to welcoming you into our #PHAmily.
Mrs L Macey Head of Academy
Our Mission Statement
Our mission is to unlock the full potential of every student by creating a warm, inclusive environment where kindness and belonging are at the heart of all we do. We are committed to nurturing academic excellence, aspirational growth, and social responsibility, empowering students to become compassionate, resilient, and respectful individuals ready to make a positive impact in the world.
Vision and Values
At Pool Hayes Academy we have a very clear and ambitious vision for our academy. We believe in “Unlocking your Potential - Empowering through Success”. Our vision guides our decisions and actions across Pool Hayes Academy and means that any student, regardless of circumstance can fulfil their potential at our academy. Furthermore, we believe that educational success leads to empowerment for our young people and the freedom to make more choices over their future.
Underpinning our vision are our values. These values clearly set out the behaviours and qualities we expect and instil in our young people. They are:
Aspiration: We work hard consistently to fulfil our ambitions and achieve our potential.
Respect: We show pride in celebrating diversity, keeping each other safe and accepting everyone in our community.
Excellence: We have high expectations of our conduct and lead by example at all times.
Resilience: We embrace challenge, take risks and grow confidently from our mistakes.
Teaching and Learning
At Pool Hayes Academy, we believe that every young person deserves an exceptional education that inspires, challenges, and prepares them for their future. Our mission is clear: to deliver a powerful curriculum through world-class teaching, ensuring that every student has the opportunity to thrive.
As an Academy Transformation Trust (ATT) academy, our approach to teaching and learning is rooted in a set of shared Pedagogical Principles. These principles reflect the latest insights from cognitive science and educational research, helping us understand how our students learn best. By staying at the forefront of evidence-informed practice, we provide teaching that is consistent, inclusive, and effective for all of our learners across all of our subjects. This consistent approach to teaching across the academy means that our students benefit from high-quality teaching that builds powerful knowledge over time, supports memory and recall, and equips them to apply their learning with confidence.
We place a strong emphasis on the development of our staff at Pool Hayes Academy. Our staff are committed to refining and improving their teaching practice, engaging in regular highquality professional learning so that they can deliver the very best education to our students.
We are also deeply committed to fostering independence in our learners. Our goal is for every student to take ownership of their education, think critically, and develop the resilience to tackle challenges both inside and outside the classroom. By nurturing these skills, we ensure our young people are not only academically successful but also ready to contribute positively to their communities and the wider world.
Through excellent pedagogy, an ambitious curriculum, and a culture of inclusion, we create the conditions for every child to know more, remember more, and do more — unlocking their potential and empowering them to succeed.
Curriculum
At Pool Hayes Academy, we believe that every child deserves access to the powerful knowledge that helps them understand the world, think deeply, and take advantage of future opportunities—no matter their background.
Our curriculum is carefully planned so that students don’t just learn facts but develop a strong understanding of each subject. Over time, they build knowledge step by step, so that what they learn makes sense, sticks with them, and gives them confidence. We want all our students to be able to ask big questions, explain their ideas clearly, and solve problems with confidence.
We teach subjects in a way that reflects how they work in the real world—so that students learn to think like scientists, historians, writers, artists, and more. This helps them not only do well in exams, but also become curious, informed, and thoughtful young people.
Our curriculum also helps students understand the wider world by introducing them to important ideas, events, books, and cultures that shape the society we live in. We believe this kind of cultural knowledge opens doors—it gives students the language, awareness, and confidence they need to thrive in life beyond school.
We are ambitious for every child and believe that a strong education, built on knowledge, is the most powerful way we can support their success—now and in the future.
Key Stage 3
At Key Stage 3, our curriculum is broad and balanced with all students having access to the full range of subjects offered. We ensure that students experience a wide range of subjects including the core of English, Maths and Science, alongside Spanish, humanities, performance, and STEM related subjects. This is from years 7 through to 9. This Key Stage 3 curriculum allows students to experience a wide range of subjects before they begin their journey to Key Stage 4.
Key Stage 4
In year 10, students study a more focused range of subjects on a curriculum that is bespoke to their needs. We encourage students to access a range of challenging qualifications that will support them in securing their ambitions. We offer a range of GCSEs, BTECs and OCR National Qualifications at Key Stage 4.
Key Stage 5
Upon entry into year 12, students will have chosen from a range of A Level, BTEC Level 3, and OCR National Level 3 Qualifications. Whilst most students choose three qualifications at A Level, we support students who wish to access a wider range, or those who have varied interests beyond our usual curriculum with our enrichment programme.
For more curriculum information, please see our website.
At Pool Hayes Academy, we believe that education extends beyond the classroom, which is why we offer valuable enrichment opportunities to help our students develop skills, spark curiosity, discover new passions and nurture talent. From music and sport to art and languages, there is something on offer for everyone!
Enrichment is a fundamental part of our academy, providing a space for our students to grow as individuals and gain real skills that will help to develop them into valuable members of society and unlock their potential.
Enrichment
At Pool Hayes we also offer many opportunities to explore the wider world, whether that be to local sports events, theatre trips, participating in the prestigious Duke of Edinburgh award, experiencing a week away in Bryntysilio or even exploring the world beyond the West Midlands in London, New York, Spain, Iceland or Greece.
Every student has the opportunity to join one of our fantastic sports teams, representing our academy in sporting fixtures both locally and nationally. We encourage every student to get involved and try something new.
SEND and Inclusion
At Pool Hayes Academy, we believe that every student deserves the opportunity to thrive, achieve and feel valued.
Our SEND and Inclusion provision is central to our academy ethos, ensuring that all learners - regardless of their starting point or need - are supported to succeed academically, socially and emotionally.
We are proud to offer dedicated facilities to enhance our inclusive provision. Our SEN Base provides a safe and welcoming area where students can receive support, while our Sensory Room offers a calming environment to regulate emotions and develop independence. These spaces are designed to encourage resilience, confidence and social interaction.
Our SEND and Inclusion team includes specialist staff who provide targeted interventions in literacy, numeracy, social skills and emotional well-being. We also work in partnership with external agencies to ensure students receive the right support at the right time.
At Pool Hayes Academy, inclusion is not an add-on - it is embedded into everything we do. We are proud of the achievements of our SEND students and are committed to celebrating every success, big or small.
Safeguarding
The way in which we nurture and care for our young people is intrinsic to their success. Highly effective systems support achievement, self- belief and inspiration.
At Pool Hayes Academy we have a welfare system led by a team of highly skilled Year Leaders, each responsible for a year group and are specialists in pastoral care. Priority is focused around support, care and ensuring our young people have a platform to learn and succeed.
At Pool Hayes Academy, safeguarding is prioritised and is fully embedded into our curriculum Staff receive ongoing, effective training to help them recognise pupils who are at risk of harm. Staff act quickly if they have a concern, no matter how small. Leaders are resolute and follow through all concerns raised and make sure that pupils receive the support they need to stay as safe as possible.
Pool Hayes Academy offers an environment where students feel warmly supported and valued. Personal strengths are developed by praise and encouragement, not pressure. We pride ourselves on positive parental engagement and parents and carers are included in all aspects of education and welfare.
Professional partners have a place within our academy and students soon become familiar with our academy police officers, school nurse, inclusion support and children’s services. We continue to develop a bank of support services for students, parents and staff to access and engage with during difficult times.
We promote an ethos of kindness and humility where young people are encouraged to support each other and contribute to a safe and happy environment.
Mental Health
In the current climate of mental health awareness and the need for more resources we’re proud to announce the launch of our mental health and well-being initiative.
Identifying and supporting young people with mental health issues, promoting emotional health and wellbeing is a priority.
Some members of our team hold a mental health and wellbeing qualification. A school counselling service is also available for scheduled and drop in sessions for all students.
Post-16
Here at Pool Hayes Academy we are extremely proud of our thriving Sixth Form Centre as we have a wide range of courses from A-Levels to BTECs which provide appropriate pathways to all students. Whether you are looking to move onto university or start a higher level apprenticeship, Pool Hayes Academy Sixth Form will cater for all of your needs.
Pool Hayes Academy ensures that students are fully prepared for the world of work. Throughout the two-year journey, there is an extensive extra-curricular programme which includes links with employers and higher education providers. Employability is also strengthened through a work experience placement in Year 12 with one of our professional partners.
The academy also hosts a range of professional lectures presented by motivational speakers that provide students with a deep insight into potential pathways after Post 16 study.
We are very proud that in our OFSTED inspection, Leadership, teaching and outcomes in the sixth form were found to be a strength of the school and the 16-19 study programmes were judged to be ‘Good’. This externally validates the high quality learning experience that all Post 16 students receive at Pool Hayes Academy.
As a consequence, in recent years, all of the Post 16 students have gone on to education, employment or training due to the effective careers advice and quality guidance given in addition to a tenacious focus on teaching and pastoral care.
Careers
At Pool Hayes Academy, we deliver a robust and inclusive careers programme that engages students across all key stages. Our aim is to inspire every learner, fostering positive attitudes towards education and future success.
Students benefit from a wide range of work-related learning experiences, including university visits, apprenticeship information events and employer engagement activities. These opportunities support informed decision-making and help students explore diverse career pathways.
Our dedicated careers team ensures that all students have access to high-quality guidance and support. We are committed to achieving Careers Hub Academy status and the Careers Charter Mark, aligning our provision with the Gatsby Career Benchmarks to deliver world-class careers education.
To further enhance our careers offer, we use the Unifrog careers platform across all year groups. This powerful tool helps students research career options, build their profiles, and stay up-to-date with the evolving demands of the modern job market. Unifrog empowers students to make informed choices and track their progress throughout their educational journey.
Pool Hayes Academy, Castle Drive, Willenhall, West Midlands, WV12 4QZ 01902 368147 pha-office@attrust.org.uk poolhayes.attrust.org.uk
@poolhayesacad @poolhayesacad @poolhayesacademy
