All of us within GORSE were delighted that the Secretary of State gave his approval for the school’s conversion to academy status as a part of GORSE in September 2018. It was to the enormous credit of the school’s long standing Principal, Christopher Walsh, that this process was managed so successfully and it is a fitting tribute to Christopher that he retired at the end of the Autumn term of 2019 knowing that he had set Boston Spa Academy on such an exciting journey of improvement.

The school is now being led by the formidable Peter Hollywood supported by a team of highly experienced senior leaders. Under Peter’s leadership the academy has pushed forward in its determination to become an exceptional school. The results achieved by students at GCSE and A-Level, since the academy’s conversion, have been on a remarkable trajectory of improvement and hundreds of students are now enjoying a plethora of extra-curricular activities each week. This includes participation in the trust’s Big 3: rowing, volleyball and karate as well as the more traditional sports and enrichment opportunities. The academy’s new state of the art Performing Arts Space which includes a brand new Lecture and Performance Auditorium is due to open in November 2022 and follows the previous multi-million pound investment from the trust which saw the transformation of: Post-16 education; the social areas; the catering facilities and toilets.

Boston Spa Academy was recognised as one of the highest performing school in the country at its OFSTED inspection of March 2023.