Blessed Carlo Acutis Catholic and Church of England Academy Academy will rebrand following a consultation, marking the start of a new era for the school and community.
The Bishop of Chester and the Bishop of Shrewsbury gave their blessing to the name change last week. Blessed Carlo Acutis will be born, with a new spirit, ethos and mission.
Blessed Carlo Acutis Catholic and Church of England Academy Academy has served the community of Runcorn as the only faith school since 1976. During that time, it has experienced many highs and lows, reaching an Ofsted ‘Good’ rating with ‘Outstanding’ features and being oversubscribed. The past ten years have been more unstable with a number of heads and uncertainty over its future.
In March 2022, Blessed Carlo Acutis joined the St Joseph Catholic Multi Academy Trust and in January 2023, a new head, Miss Alicia Freeman joined the team. Since then, the school has strengthened in all areas with a clearer vision and direction. A new uniform was introduced in September after consultation with the students, which marked the next phase of the improvement journey – this came after the academy saw its best GCSE results in 8 years.
The name and rebrand are the start of the second phase, which will be followed by the third phase in September 2024, when a ‘minimum offer’ will be introduced. This will include a commitment to all Year 7 students receiving music tuition amongst other enriching opportunities.
Blessed Carlo Acutis died young, at the age of 15, of Leukaemia. He was born in London and came from a modern family with roots all over the globe. This, along with the fact that he was passionate about computing and gaming, was the reason for the staff and students to select him to become the beacon of the future for the community of Runcorn.
Miss Freeman, Head of Blessed Carlo Acutis says, “I am proud to be part of the exciting journey we have ahead of us. Since January, we have made huge strides in our culture, belonging and educational standards. In October we will open our new library, which is another stride towards giving our students the tools to be the best versions of themselves. We look forward to welcoming the Bishop of Chester and the Bishop of Shrewsbury to officially mark the change in name and our next chapter”.
