Sheffield Springs Academy 3.99

The Sheffield Springs Academy in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, is one of three Academies in the city, alongside Sheffield Park Academy and Parkwood Academy. Sheffield Springs Academy (which replaced the former Myrtle Springs School) has over 1,125 students aged 11 - 18, and opened in September 2006. All three Sheffield Academies have replaced local authority schools.ManagementSheffield Springs Academy and Sheffield Park Academy are run by United Learning, a religious organisation. Sheffield Springs Academy opened in September 2006 with a new headteacher, Gordon Inglis, who took on the job of improving the failing school, but later resigned. He was replaced by the executive director of both academies, David Lewis.New buildingA new building is complete and is being used by the school, and the previous buildings have been demolished. The new building opened in February 2008 and houses a 6th form as well as the Academy, which specializes in performing arts.StandardsFollowing an Ofsted inspection in May 2009, the school was described as "inadequate" by inspectors and issued with an official notice to improve. Governors were criticised for not being aware of the scale of problems at the school. Andrew Sangar, the cabinet member for children's services at Sheffield City Council, told BBC News that "Myrtle Springs, when it was run by the council, had challenges; this just reminds us that some of those challenges remain."Predecessor schoolMyrtle Springs School was described as "the second-worst school in Sheffield", due to its poor attendance levels and behavioural quality as well as the low standard of GCSE results. Myrtle Springs school hit national headlines when student Shanni Naylor was slashed in the face with a pencil sharpener blade by another student during an English lesson.