Mrs Kirstie Robinson has been appointed as Headteacher Designate of Higham Lane North Academy and will take up the post in January 2025.

Mrs Robinson is currently Deputy Headteacher at Higham Lane School, the partner school upon which Higham Lane North Academy will be modelled and where she is responsible for the curriculum and for delivering progress and attainment. Her achievements include securing the school’s highest-ever progress scores for the past two years, meaning that the school has achieved within the top 6% of all state-funded schools in the country.

Higham Lane School’s Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ rating in 2019 also recognised the quality of teaching and learning, the area that Mrs Robinson led on, as ‘Outstanding’. Mrs Robinson also spearheaded the successful bid in 2021 for the school to secure World Class status, an accreditation awarded to UK schools working beyond outstanding to improve student progress, aspiration and achievement to such an extent that their standards rival those of the best schools internationally.

As part of the initial team who were successful with the bid for the new free school and having led on all aspects of school delivery over a number of years, we are confident that Mrs Robinson’s vision for Higham Lane North Academy combined with her wealth of experience, sustained track record of excellence in educational leadership and her remarkable ability to inspire both students and staff, will drive our new school forward to a successful opening and beyond.

“I feel privileged to have this unique opportunity to establish and lead this brand new 11-16 secondary school and am tremendously excited to be in a position now where we are meeting prospective pupils and their families. Not only will an additional 900 pupils in the Nuneaton area be able to access the broad and balanced knowledge curriculum based on the proven Higham Lane School model but also an innovative education that will encompass digital media, computing, engineering, drama, music and art thanks to the cutting-edge facilities at our phenomenal site at the new Top Farm development.

At Higham Lane North Academy, all that we do will be rooted in excellence. I am a firm believer that high achievement always takes place in the framework of high expectations, and for the children that attend HLNA, this guarantees them the very excellence in their education that they deserve. HLNA holds a complete commitment to being fully inclusive. Regardless of each child’s starting points, our strong belief is that ‘everyone is included, everyone belongs,’ and every child will have a champion on their journey to excellence through secondary education. This supports our vision that ‘everyone will excel through hard work and high levels of care and support.’ With the privilege of leading our brand-new secondary school in Nuneaton, comes responsibility, and I take this very seriously in order to deliver what our young people deserve from their education. 

Beyond curriculum, and teaching and learning, I have led on all aspects of secondary leadership in areas such as behaviour and personal development and was responsible for Higham Lane School securing its World Class bid. A real passion of mine within education lies within the classroom; I still very much enjoy teaching English and supporting children beyond the classroom, always seeking to inspire others within education to fully recognise and utilise the impact that they have working with children.  

Being local, I am very passionate and invested in ensuring that our young people from Nuneaton receive the very best education that will enable them to lead fulfilling and successful lives.  I look forward now to developing a partnership between Higham Lane North Academy, our pupils and their families, and the wider community, to deliver an excellent education for them."