Welcome to WMG Academy for Young Engineers, Coventry
We are looking forward to welcoming you to WMG Academy Coventry for your visit. We are very proud of our academy and will be delighted to show you around. Our senior team will be on hand during your visit. Please reach out to us if there is anything we can do to support you.
Key Personnel
Mr Stewart Tait
Chief Executive Officer and WMG Academy Trust Leadership Mentor
[email protected]
Mr Fiesal Mahroof
Associate Principal
[email protected]
Mr Dan Thomson
Assistant Principal
[email protected]
Mr Gareth Clarke
Director of Pastoral and Additional Needs
[email protected]
Mrs Caroline Hickman
Director of Inclusion
[email protected]
Find out more about the WMG Academy Coventry staff here.
Find out more about the WMG Academy Trust staff here.
Governance
WMG Academy for Young Engineers is overseen by the WMG Academy Trust. The Trust is made up members from industry and the University of Warwick who have led the development of WMG Academy and oversee its running from a strategic perspective. The Trust Board is complemented by a Local Governing Body (LGB).
The Local Governing Body is chaired by Mr James Morgan.
You can find out more about the Local Governing Body here.
You can find out more about the Trust Board here.
WMG Academy Coventry statutory information is available here.
WMG Academy Trust company information is available here.
We are proud of our academy
Student Destinations
WMG Academy has outstanding student destinations. Through a network of engaged employer partners, a Russell Group university sponsor and a local plethora of apprenticeship, apprenticeship, further and higher education providers, all students go on to leading destinations. In 2021, WMG Academy had 0% NEETs at KS4 and KS5 exit points.
You can find out more about the WMG Academy Careers Strategy here.
| Destinations | 2021 Leavers | 2020 Leavers |
| Key Stage 4 | ||
| % remain in WMGA Sixth Form | 50% | 64% |
| % continue education at other school, college or sixth form | 41% | 26% |
| % apprenticeships L2/3 | 9% | 5% |
| % NEET | 0% | 5% |
| Key Stage 5 | ||
| % university | 65% | 45% |
| % employment | 2% | 8% |
| % apprenticeship L2/3 | 1% | 5% |
| % apprenticeship L3+ | 13% | 13% |
| % FE | 3% | 7% |
| % gap year | 8% | 3% |
| % resit | 3% | 1% |
| % undergoing recruitment processes | 5% | 15% |
| % NEET | 0% | 3% |
Employer Partners
WMG Academy is ‘business like, business led’ and we are proud to have a significant number of small, medium and large employer partners who work with us and support our students in multiple ways. Our students work with our partners throughout their time at WMG Academy, working on real-life projects and learning valuable life skills from professionals with a wealth of experience.
These include technical skills, interview and communication skills and broader employability skills, including business behaviours. Our business partners, along with our education partner, the University of Warwick, offer visits, placements and learning experiences to WMG Academy students. We aim to provide our students with a high level of interaction with businesses to give them insight into different career destinations and knowledge of STEM-related roles.
Employers can support WMG Academy by:
- offering talks to students interested in a particular sector or area of industry
- delivering an assembly to students on a particular sector or area of industry to inform students about the world of work
- Keeping us informed of any apprenticeship opportunities which might be relevant to our students.
- offering interview experience to sixth formers and younger year groups
- offering work experience
- linking with a relevant Head of Subject in school and allowing visits to the workplace for a class, to link with a topic being studied, or coming in to speak to a class to bring real world context to a particular topic
Our partners include: Jaguar Land Rover, Aston Martin, Rolls-Royce, Balfour Beatty, Pinset Masons, Bosch, Arup, Cummins, Triumph, National Grid, Prodrive, Tata and Squires Gears to name but a few.
You can find out more about our student success and employer engagement on our website and in our newsletters!
Academic Results
Please note – Progress 8 is not a valid calculation for WMG Academy.
Some schools start educating pupils partway through the 5-year period covered by Progress 8, which should be taken into account when comparing their results with schools that start at Key Stage 3. Progress 8 is not the most appropriate performance measure for university technical colleges, studio schools and some further education colleges. These establishments typically start educating pupils at age 14, with a focus on preparing pupils for their future careers by providing an integrated academic and professional education. Other headline measures, particularly pupil destinations, are more important for these establishments.
The government’s ambition for all mainstream secondary schools is for 75% of pupils nationally to be entered for the EBacc by 2022. However, this ambition specifically does not apply to university technical colleges (UTCs) and studio schools because they provide a specialist technical and professional education. – School Inspection Handbook, s364 (accessed 12th March 2022)
You can find out more about WMG Academy’s academic success here:
Key Stage 2 Attainment for Current Students
Enrichment and Employability
WMG Academy is proud that our students leave us after two or four years “ready for life in modern Britain” (Ofsted 2017). In addition to outstanding careers advice, information and guidance, WMG Academy offers a suite of extracurricular activities designed to build student confidence, develop employability skills and enhance technical skills.
On a Thursday afternoon, students can take part in a range of activities, which have included the following:
- European Space Agency CanSat competition
- Football
- Rugby
- Table Tennis
- Debating and Public Speaking
- F1 in Schools
- Greenpower
- Go Karting
- Robotics
- Art Club
- Engineering Club
- Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
- Coding
- Action Tutoring (academic intervention)
- Academic and pastoral mentoring
New activities include:
- YEAR 10 ROBOTICS – Desktop Robotics is offered for Year 10 students. This is a highly practical approach to design and building fun robots. Initially, this entailed building a robot footballer with two electric motors, providing skid steer and playing with ping pong footballs. This developed into robot SUMO where constructing teams converted their robots with extra features such as arms, tails and spikes to ‘engage’ with each other and push their opponent out of the DOJO. Designing and building hovercraft models powered by supercapacitors has followee, followed by infra-red controlled racers using a hand controller, receiver and FET driver to power a single electric motor.
- DIGITAL ART – Art and Digital Photography is another new topic, with an emphasis on students taking digital images and using proprietary software (e.g. ADOBE) to enhance image management techniques and manipulate images to create unique and effective artwork pieces using camera phones and academy software.
- STEM AMBASSADOR – Bosch, a previous WMG partner and their STEM Ambassador team joined our Electronics Year 10 students this year to set a challenge looking at BEV vs. FCEV (electric vehicles). The UK government is due to ban the sales of PCs with ICE from 2030; CVs from 2040. Some of the questions that will be explored include: Is BEV technology a sustainable solution, for all use cases? Is there a use case for Fuel Cell EV? Why use Hydrogen? What is a Hydrogen FC? The winning team will present their work at Hydrogen for life at the Science Museum, London.
- JEWELLERY Workshop – Year 10s and 11s have the option to join a jewellery design-and-make workshop, looking at developing design and make skills. Starting with simple sketching and rendering techniques, students realise ideas using copper/pewter and enamelling to create bespoke attractive earrings, bracelets, rings and amulets. The ultimate outcome is to present work as a final portfolio.
- YR 12 Robotics – This after-school club for programmable robotics includes a Mission to Mars robotic project to coincide with new NASA mission objectives. The club has started with a small Year 12 group and will focus on designing and programming a legged or wheeled explorer to remotely and independently explore a created ‘alien’ terrain. Additionally, we will build in feelers and optical inputs to establish some limited AI (artificial intelligence).
Safeguarding and Pastoral Support
WMG Academy recognises that safeguarding and child protection is an essential part of our duty of care to all students and all staff have a responsibility to provide a safe environment in which children can learn. The Academy understands that safeguarding, child protection and promoting the welfare of all children is everyone’s responsibility and everyone has a role to play in protecting students. WMG Academy recognise that our academy is part of a wider safeguarding system for children and work closely with other agencies to promote the welfare of children. The academy maintains an attitude of ‘it could happen here’ and will consider the wishes of and, at all times, what is in the best interests of each child.
You can find out more about safeguarding, pastoral support and mental health awareness at WMG Academy here.
Changes Since Your Previous Visit
WMG Academy Coventry has changed since your last visit in March 2017.
- Number of students on role has increased from 364 in 2017 to 493 in 2022.
- Number of female students on role has increased from 61 in 2017 to 105 in 2022.
- Number of SEN students on role has decreased from 53 in 2017 to 33 in 2022.
- Number of Pupil Premium students on role has increased from 32 in 2017 to 59 in 2022.
- Number of Free School Meals students on role has increased from 22 in 2017 to 68 in 2022.
You can find out more about demographic changes at WMG Academy here.
Key Documents
- WMG Academy Coventry SEF (Summary)
- WMG Academy Coventry SEF
- WMG Academy Coventry Academy Development Plan
- WMG Academy Trust External Governance Review
- WMG Academy Policies
Information for Inspectors
WMG Academy Coventry is located on Mitchell Avenue, Canley, Coventry, CV4 8DY. The academy shares a site with neighbouring Westwood Academy. On arrival, inspectors can contact reception using the call point to the right hand side of the gate. Reception will direct visitors to car parking by following the driveway to the left. Some parking, including disabled spaces, is available on the right hand side next to the bike sheds. Additional parking is available directly ahead to the left hand side of the main building.
There are no planned fire alarms during the inspection; however, should the alarm sound, inspectors should use the emergency staircases at each end of the building and congregate on the lawn at the front of the building.
Catering is available at the WMG Academy Canteen, which is shared with Westwood Academy. The canteen accepts contactless card and Apple Pay payments. A lunchtime meal deal is £2.50 and includes a main course, dessert and a drink.
The academy is situated near to the University of Warwick campus with good road connections to the A45, A46 and M6. Rail connections are available at Coventry, Canley and Tile Hill Stations.