Excelsior Academy

This article is about the school in Newcastle-on-Tyne. For the school in Hackney, North London, see The Excelsior Academy.

Excelsior Academy is a mixed all-through school and sixth form. It was opened in September 2008 as a replacement for the Westgate Community College^[1][2] and is situated in the west end of Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.^[3]

Excelsior Academy Newcastle
Address
Denton Road Newcastle Upon Tyne , Tyne and Wear , NE15 6AF United Kingdom
Coordinates	54.97487°N 1.69021°W / 54.97487; -1.69021
Information
Type	Academy
Motto	Think Differently
Religious affiliation(s)	None
Established	1 September 2008 (2008-09-01)
Closed	Saturday and Sunday
Local authority	Newcastle
Department for Education URN	135423 Tables
Ofsted	Reports
Executive Principal	James Andriot
Gender	Mixed
Age	3 to 19
Colour(s)	Grey (main colour), Blue (logo), Dark Green (Hadrian), Burgundy (Milburn), Purple (Collingwood), Light Green (College)
Website	excelsioracademy.laidlawschoolstrust.com

The academy was originally for secondary school pupils aged 11 to 18 including a sixth form. It had four sections to the school, which were Jefferson, Milburn, Hadrian and Armstrong.

In mid-2013, Armstrong and Jefferson merged into one large school named Collingwood. In 2012 it was announced that the school would create a primary school called Rainbird, and have an age range of 3 to 19.^[4]

The three main secondary schools are based on their own specialist subjects individually:^[5]

Schools	Date	Specialism	Headteacher(s)[6]
Milburn	2008–Present	Health and Fitness	Claire Goodwill (2018–Present) David Hughes (2008 - 2018)
Hadrian	2008–Present	Environment and Technology	Kirsty Ruffle (2016–Present) Craig Taylor (2008 - 2016)
Collingwood	2013–Present	Art and Creativity	Michael Connolly (2013–Present)
Rainbird	2013–Present	N/A	Charlotte De Oliveira (2013–2023)
College	2012–Present	N/A	Sara Massingham (2018–Present) Deon Krishnan (Acting, 2018) Claire Goodwill (2015 - 2018) Martin Farrar (Former) Lynn Aitchison (Former)
Former Schools	Date	Specialism	Headteacher(s)
Jefferson	2008 - 2013	Dance and Performing Arts	Michael Connolly (2008 - 2013)
Armstrong	2008 - 2013	Business and Enterprise	Lynn Aitchison (2008 - 2013)

The school is currently part of the Laidlaw Schools Trust^[7][8] and is sponsored by Lord Laidlaw.^{[9][10][circular reference][11]}

The academy has also been listed in the 200 most improved schools nationally identified by the Department for Education.^[12]

Logo from 2008-2015

Notable people

• Irvine Laidlaw, Baron Laidlaw – founder and sponsor^[13]

Alumni

• Michael Hoganson - professional footballer for Newcastle United and Derby County.^[14]
• Kema Sikazwe - Actor in I, Daniel Blake^[15]