|
Attendance was terrible, 40 percent of the teaching staff were supply teachers and the sixth form was dwindling. Evelyn had to be turned round and even an acceptance into the Government’s Academy programme, providing a £26 million investment, was threatened by a poor performance. With just 18 months before the re-structured Stockley Academy was due to be opened, the Design Consultancy Aricot Vert was tasked with reinvigorating the visual image of the school, both inside and out.
The Design
Aricot Vert created a new identity for the school, covering every aspect of school life, including the logo, website, uniform, lapel pins, hoardings, certificates, signage, banners and newsletters. This new identity was rolled out gradually. The new name has positive associations with nearby Stockley Business Park, a local award-winning office development, and the sporty, modern ‘tail plane’ logo evokes nearby Heathrow. Care was taken to ‘move on’ from the past: the red and black colours of the logo and uniform were deliberately different from Evelyn’s blue, and the forthcoming new uniforms will be attractive but also affordable – 40 percent of current pupil’s families are categorised as being ‘’below moderate means’’.
The Results
Stockley Academy is no longer a ‘Special Measures’ school, perhaps the best indication of the reversal of its fortunes and self-image. Attendance is up by 30 percent, the sixth form has increased by 400 percent, supply teachers are a thing of the past and teachers are even being lured from other schools. These changes had all taken place before the official re-opening as Stockley Academy in September 2004. Given that the Academy existed only as the identity during the difficult first 18 months, these figures illustrate a great start to what is a remarkable turnaround.
Judges’ Comments
‘Stockley Academy is a great success story for transforming a run down and failing school into a pioneering learning environment’, said Stuart Cosgrove, Channel 4. ‘Design played a transformational role, changing the look of the school logo to the uniform and beyond. It was an inspiring winner’. Martina King said it was a ‘wonderful entry, worthy winner and terrific to see design being used to such positive effect’. Martin Raven, UK Trade & Investment noted that Aricot Vert had made a ‘very good and compelling entry – changing round a school in this way is an astonishing achievement’.
|
 |
