Church of England Academy Services

Church of England Academy Services
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Sarum Academy – The proposed West Salisbury Academy is named

 

The name chosen for the academy provides a strong link to the history of Salisbury.  Chosen after consultation with pupils, staff and the local community, it reflects many centuries of a Christian presence and commitment to education in the area together with a willingness to respond to new possibilities and achieve spectacular results.

Sarum was originally an Iron Age hill fort at the junction of two trade routes and was later the site of a Roman military station.  A Norman motte and bailey castle in mentioned in The Domesday Book as Sarisburia, from which both Sarum and Salisbury are derived.  A cathedral and bishop’s palace were built between 1075 and 1092, but relations between church and state were always difficult in the limited space on the hill top.  In spite of the work that had gone into the existing cathedral, the decision was made to relocate and in 1219 work began on the current Salisbury Cathedral, one of the glories of Early English architecture. This relocation led to the decline of the Sarum settlement and the growth of New Sarum, which later became known as Salisbury.

Just as the new cathedral drew on the experience and knowledge of the original foundation at Sarum, so the academy will build on the strengths of its predecessor schools and be rooted in the expertise of its sponsors: Salisbury diocese, Bryanston School, Wiltshire Council and its recently announced fourth sponsor, Bath Spa University.  Like the builders of the new cathedral, the academy will have a new approach and aim to achieve exceptional results.

The history and geography of the city is also reflected in the decision to have five “schools” in the academy, similar to a “house” system, which will mean that every student will be supported and known personally in a family grouping within the wider academy.  Five is a significant number for Salisbury as it is situated at the confluence of five rivers and has five gates in its city walls, four of which date back to the 14th century and one to the 19th century to give access to the Cathedral Close.