The Archer Academy is a school created by the community, for the community. So we encourage our students to support and engage with the people who work and live around them, as well as inviting local residents to come and be part of our school.
Mentoring primary school students
Our students regularly visit our core primary schools, acting as playground monitors, supporting reading projects and running sports days. They also lead e-safety workshops for primary students, using their insights and experiences of social media to help them get ready for secondary school.
More recently our students have begun running an enrichment programme on Wednesdays for Year 1s from a nearby primary school. Both our students and the younger children gain a great deal from the time they spend together.
Sharing our facilities
As part of our commitment to our wider community, our 3G pitch, outdoor courts, sports hall, dining room, dance studio, music rooms and classrooms are available for hire outside of school hours.
Bookings are reasonably priced and can be for regular sports and social activities or one-off events such as weddings and parties. Please contact Schools Plus, our facilities management company, to find out more.
Creating a community garden
Thanks to a grant from Grange Big Local, we have created a community garden at Lower School. It’s a calm, relaxing space for our students, particularly those with extra needs; it is also available for use by local community groups (such as for people with special needs or elderly residents).
The garden is maintained by a team of brilliant volunteers, the Green Arrows, and they are keen to welcome other members. If you would like to get involved, please get in touch.
Entertaining elderly residents
We have developed a tradition of visiting our local care home and putting on a show; we also invite residents into school for our annual Archer Gold party. We also regularly host our students’ elderly relatives for a Grandparents Day.
Welcoming reading volunteers
As part of our focus on literacy, we have a team of volunteers who come in and support students who find reading more challenging than their peers. If you have some time to spare and would be willing to support this programme, please get in touch.
Supporting local charities
We regularly ask our students to collect food and other household essentials for our local foodbank, delivering several car boots-full each time. We have also built strong links with other local organisations including the Asylum Seekers project.