In September 2021 we introduced a small-school model of education, there are three Colleges in The Hundred of Hoo Academy. In September 2024 this was increased to five colleges; four for Key Stage 3 and 4, and a dedicated fifth college, Atlas, for our Sixth Form cohort. Each college is based on department locations and are assigned a colour as part of their College but continue to wear a coloured tie representing the year they started. The Academy colleges provides a small school pastoral model within which pupils receive pastoral support and their pastoral curriculum. Additionally in year 7 and 8 the class they are taught in will be with pupils from their College.
Colleges will be of equal ability and fully comprehensive, some subjects in year 7 and 8 may choose to set the pupils within their College classes based on ability. To encourage social confidence and to give pupils more opportunities to build friendships and have role models within a College they will not be in year group forms instead they are in vertical forms, consisting of 6-7 pupils from each of years 7-9. Years 10-11 and 12-13 have their own form groups as they have specialist sessions as they prepare for their examinations. They attend a College Assembly once a week, with a celebration assembly each term, which are led by the Heads of College outlined below.
Our Colleges
Athena College
Named after the Greek Goddess of Wisdom and sponsor of arts and strategy. Athena was always depicted with the ‘owl of Athena’, which was her source of knowledge. This Goddess was picked as it links to our ‘knowledge rich’ curriculum.
Forseti College
Named after the god of justice and reconciliation in Norse mythology. This God links well with our IB learner profile attributes in developing principled and self-regulated pupils.
Neptune College
Named after the Roman God of the Sea, this is poignant to our community as the Hoo peninsula is surrounded by The River Thames and Medway. He also had the ability to speak with all sea creatures which links to the language acquisition within the MYP, which provides pupils with the opportunity to develop insights into the features, processes and craft of language and the concept of culture.
Salus College
Our new college is named ‘Salus College’, with the name originating from Roman mythology as the Goddess of Safety and Wellbeing. This college will be symbolised with a green colouring that will form the outline of the blazer badge. Salus was often depicted holding sheaths of corn, which reflects our rural area, and links to local farms.
Atlas College
The 2024-25 Academic Year will be the inaugural year of the Sixth Form Atlas College, all Sixth Form students will now be placed in our year on year growing Sixth Form, and as such this means that we will be a collective community known as Atlas College. Atlas, a figure from Greek mythology, is renowned for bearing the weight of the heavens on his shoulders. Naming ourselves after him embodies the aspiration for students to carry the weight of knowledge and responsibility with grace and strength.
By invoking the imagery of Atlas, we emphasise the journey of self-improvement and the pursuit of excellence, encapsulated in the line “becoming the best version of yourself.” Just as Atlas supported the celestial realm, we aim to support and nurture students as they navigate their academic and personal development, preparing them to shoulder the challenges of the future with resilience and determination.
This approach has several advantages. It ensures that younger secondary-age pupils belong to smaller units where they become known as individuals within a strong family-like environment. This is more akin to what they have been used to at primary level. However, at the same time they enjoy access to the full range of resources and facilities available in dynamic secondary environments such as science laboratories, art and design workshops and sports halls.
Teachers and some support staff also belong to each college and provide pastoral care through tutor groups which are sometimes organised by year group and at other times vertically structured depending on the individual academy context. Each college enjoys its own facilities and designated set of classrooms which are located adjacent to one another.
Each college is led by a Head of College who is also a Vice Principal across the whole academy with strategic responsibilities. The Head of College leads the team of college staff and takes responsibility for the welfare and achievement of all pupils within the college. They in turn report directly to the Principal.
Each college has a dedicated team of administration and pastoral staff who act as the first port of call for parents and pupils. They ensure that issues and concerns are dealt with quickly so that pupils’ needs are met and their focus can be turned to their studies as much as possible.
Pupils are given leadership responsibilities within their college. Older pupils are encouraged to play the part of older siblings, providing excellent role models for younger pupils as they progress through their education. College communities also compete positively with one another in a range of extra-curricular events across the whole academy.