The Link Academy is led by Emma Edwards-Morgan, a former learner of the school herself. She is locally raised and rightly proud of her journey back to The Link! She and her strong Senior Leadership Team are determined to regain an outstanding status and are committed to changing lives among the young people of Netherton and the surrounding area. Now that the academy has been judged ‘Good’ in all areas, parents can be assured that The Link Academy gives every child the best possible opportunities to progress.

The Principal summarises the approach at The Link Academy as follows, “We build on areas of strength to improve outcomes for all learners, quickly identifying and dealing with any areas of weakness and accelerating learner attainment.”

“We have steadily increased the levels of outstanding teaching in the academy and have placed a strong emphasis on the English and Mathematics skills that underpin every subject. A £100,000 grant from the Wolfson foundation for the refurbishment of Science and Design Technology facilities had enabled us to make even greater strides forward in these subjects.”

A key part of the recipe is raising learner confidence, developing their future career aspirations and increasing their knowledge of career options. Understanding what they are aiming for in the future motivates learners and helps them to dream big about what they can achieve in life. Learners are rewarded for their efforts to realise their ambitions on a daily basis! They are also rewarded for acts of kindness and helpfulness and for anything that upholds the academy’s values.

The Link has excellent sporting and performing arts facilities that support a broad range of extra-curricular clubs, teams and other activities. As Ofsted said, learners access “a wide and rich set of experiences” as well as “high quality careers advice and guidance”. In the words of the principal – “We are very confident that our academy has a great future.”