News Archives - Lord Lawson Academy

There was cause for celebration as students at Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy collected their GCSE results. Students performed well again this year, with three quarters of them gaining grade 4 or above in English and a similar proportion in Mathematics. This ensures that students can go on to their chosen courses and destinations

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There were outstanding performances from many individual students, some achieving the highest grades across all their subjects. Top performing students included Izzie Deng, Madeleine Jobe, Megan Sloan, Daniel Hulme, Saira Mathews, Alfreda Fragin, Chinzitere Uche-Anosike, Daniel Bell, Scarlet Macrae and Chengelo Nkonda.

As well as celebrating academic excellence, we are also proud of students who have made exceptional progress in their time with us. We have supported some of them in overcoming significant personal difficulties in recent years, and we are proud to celebrate their achievements with them and with their parents. Students who made particularly good progress included Daniel Armstrong, Jack Gibson, Hector Sadlowski and Bernard Mikolajczuk.

School leaders are delighted to see continued improved results across a wide range of subjects. Highest performing subjects included Religious Education, Sciences – Biology, Chemistry and Physics; German, Graphics, Drama, and Business Studies. The core subjects – Science, Mathematics and English – both Language and Literature – achieved very good results.
Dr Andrew Fowler, the school’s Principal, said, “I congratulate all our students who collected their results today. This has been a year group that faced challenges, including the effects of COVID during the last years of their primary schooling. Many of our students joined the school after year 7, including from different countries across the world, and we have worked hard with them to make sure that they all have benefited from the high quality of education and pastoral support we offer. We wish all our students well in the future, and we look forward to welcoming many of them back into our sixth form in a couple of weeks’ time. I know that our students will want to join me in thanking all their teachers, their parents and their friends for supporting them on their journey.”

Parents and children who are interested in finding out more about a place at Lord Lawson in 2027 are invited to the Open Evening on Thursday 24 September, beginning at 4:15 and 6:00pm.

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Students at Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy in Birtley have been celebrating as they collect their A level and vocational qualification results.

There were excellent results for many students, Top-performing students include Gabriel Halpin and Chloe Park (both A* AA), Chris Bijoy, Harry March and Seth Richardson (A* AB), Mia Mason and Ramsay McAuley (AAB) and Benjamin Spencer (A* AC). These students alongside many others, met their offer to study at prestigious local and national universities, including Oxford, Durham, Newcastle, Liverpool and York. Many students opted to remain in the local area, taking up offers of places at Northumbria, Sunderland and Teesside. Students who made particularly impressive progress included Luke Clark, Evan Currey, Maia Gibson and Robert Stirrup.

Lord Lawson students have also been successful in gaining apprenticeships with notable local employers, and Ruby Deng has accepted an apprenticeship with the Royal Navy. Vocational subjects performed particularly well at the school again this year, including Psychology, Science, and Health and Social Care.

Overall, results showed that the school continues to make good progress. Strong results were gained by students across a broad curriculum: leading subjects include Computing, Physics, Music, Mathematics, English Language and History.

Dr Andrew Fowler, the academy’s Principal, said, “I congratulate our students on their outstanding results. I know how hard they have worked for these grades, and how much their teachers and families have supported them, I am proud of our students, who have blossomed and developed into lovely individuals, and I have been thrilled to see their reactions as they received their results today. As a school, our mission is to offer education that transforms lives. These grades are our students’ passports to bright futures at university, and apprenticeships with local and national employers.”

Head of Sixth Form Jane Laidlaw said, “I am delighted to see that the commitment, dedication and hard work of our sixth form community has paid off. It is always the best part off my job seeing students accepted for their next steps after Lord Lawson Sixth Form, be it university places, apprenticeships or employment. Today is all about the individual and collective successes of our students. I could not be more proud of them.”

Students interested in joining Lord Lawson’s successful sixth form are encouraged to contact Mrs Laidlaw: [email protected]

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Lord Lawson invites you to join our Year 6 Open Evening on Thursday 25 September 2025 for those wishing to join us in September 2026.

Primary Schools times are as follows:

A – K: 4:15pm – 6:15pm

L – Z: 6:00pm – 8:00pm

Please arrive 15 minutes before those start times.

We look forward to welcoming you all!

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There was a real buzz as students at Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy collected their GCSE results. Students performed very well this year, with 77% of them gaining grade 4 or above in English and the same proportion in Mathematics. This ensures that students can go on to their chosen courses and destinations.

There were outstanding performances from many individual students, some achieving the highest grades across all their subjects. Emirhan Erkal, Matthew Handy and Sam Lawrence all achieved five grade 9s and at least two grade 8s. Erin Ward, who achieved Grade 9s in all her subjects, said, “I can’t believe it! I’m really pleased, and glad all my hard work paid off.”

As well as celebrating academic excellence, we are also proud of students who have made exceptional progress in their time with us. We have supported some of them in overcoming significant personal difficulties in recent years, and we are proud to celebrate their achievements with them and with their parents.

The school continues to show improved results across a wide range of subjects. French and German, RE, Dance and Drama all recorded excellent results. Science subjects continued to make good progress. The Art and Technology Faculty achieved spectacular results, with 3-D Design, Art, Graphical Design, Photography, Textiles, Child Development, Construction and Hospitality & Catering all producing excellent results. Miss Yvonne Murray, who leads the faculty, said, “We are incredibly proud of the outstanding achievements of our students. These results are testament to their creativity, talent, skill and determination, as well as the dedication of our teaching staff. Creative, practical and vocational subjects play a vital role in shaping confident and innovative thinkers who are ready to make meaningful contributions to the world. We look forward to their next steps!”

Dr Andrew Fowler, the school’s Principal, said, “It has been wonderful to be here with our students as they celebrate their achievements today. These students did not have the usual support during their transition from primary school, because of COVID, and their first years at secondary school were very disrupted. They have shown real grit and resilience. Having worked with our students over the past five years, we are proud of the lovely young people our students have become, and how well they have done in their examinations. We wish them all well for the future, and we look forward to seeing very many of them returning to our sixth form.” Last week, the school’s successful sixth form achieved its best-ever results.

Parents and children who are interested in finding out more about a place at Lord Lawson in 2026 are invited to the Open Evening on Thursday 25 September, beginning at 4:15 and 6:00pm.

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As Deputy Principals, we are delighted to recognise the achievement of our Principal, Andrew Fowler, who has recently been awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Durham University. At the start of this term, Mr Fowler has therefore become Dr Fowler. This change is reflected on the signs at the school entrance and on our new letterhead.

As you might expect, Dr Fowler’s research has been in education, specifically in finding out from students what makes examination questions in mathematics difficult for them. While there has been a substantial amount of research previously into difficulty in examination questions, almost all of this has been from the viewpoint of examiners: very few studies have sought out and analysed students’ views, and none have given students’ own words the prominence that Dr Fowler has.

Hearing the voices of students is vital for improving our understanding of teaching and learning. It is also a matter of fairness and social justice, values that have informed our Principal’s whole approach to education here at Lord Lawson. His insights into student voice and into teaching and learning have already helped to inform staff training and transform the education of children at this school. To have achieved such a high level of academic scholarship whilst also improving a large secondary school and steering our community through COVID shows impressive resilience! We are proud to recognise the example of hard work and scholarship that Dr Fowler has set us all.

Joe Dicocco and Ian Cooper, Deputy Principals

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Another successful careers fair at LLOB. Students enjoyed talking to professionals from a range of careers and further education. Our sixth form students got involved as well to give Y11 and Y10 students some insight into their studies at our sixth form.

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The school council would like to support the local community in run up to Christmas. Over the next four weeks we are accepting food donations. Follow the link below to find out more information:

Community Christmas Project

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Further to the messages from Mr Fowler and Mr Rayner in recent Parent Bulletins, I would like to take this opportunity to update parents and carers about the current situation regarding the scholars’ and public service buses.

Strike action looks likely to go on for the foreseeable future, but Go North East are continuing to ensure that our scholars’ buses are running, although this week we have experienced some delays. These delays were caused by striking Go North East staff picketing outside the bus depots, delaying bus departures. Unfortunately we do not receive ‘real time’ updates from the company so we do not always have this information to give to you, even if you contact school. If we are pre-notified of any delays, this information will appear on our website or on our social media pages.

Public bus services still pose an issue, for both students and staff, and we thank those parents and carers who have made alternative transport arrangements for their child, ensuring they arrive at school safely. A number of students are being collected by school staff in our mini bus.

As the weather is currently not the best, cold and wet, can I please ask you to ensure your child comes to school dressed appropriately, with a waterproof coat, especially if they are waiting for a bus that may be delayed.

Thank you for your continued patience and support.

Mr I Cooper

Deputy Principal

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Further to our message earlier this week, and Mr Fowler’s note in the Parent Bulletin, we have just been advised by Nexus that Go North East will be unable to guarantee the scholars’ services for a number of schools from Monday 16 October 2023 until Friday 20 October 2023. Unfortunately, the 873 afternoon only service from Lord Lawson is one of those affected.

We ask that parents and carers of students who use the 873 service make arrangements to ensure their children have alternative transport home next week.

As Mr Fowler has already asked in his letter in the Parent Bulletin, we appeal to any parent or carer who may be collecting their children and has space in their car to offer transport to other Lord Lawson students who may live in your neighbourhood. Your child may know someone who has difficulty getting to or from school next week, and this added complication will have an impact on even more students.

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