The school’s proposed plans are to update and revitalise the Sixth Form block for current and future students in St Neots to study A Level and BTEC courses at post-16 level. This follows on from the refurbishment of the Sixth Form at St Ivo Academy in St Ives, last year, which saw an investment from Astrea Academy Trust to create a modern, purpose-built space for students.

A total of £700k will be invested by Astrea Academy Trust into the Sixth Form to provide improved facilities such as a café and spaces for learning and socialising.

This work is part of a wider £1m renovation project for the school, which includes: an upgraded school reception; staff room; admin office area and bathroom facilities. Plans for other developments will be shared in the new year.

The work will be completed in phases during 2026, aiming to be completed in time for the start of the new academic year in September 2026.

Francis Bray, Executive Principal at Longsands Academy said: 

“I am delighted to share these exciting plans with our school community. This investment will create a vibrant, modern Sixth Form centre that our scholars truly deserve.

We aim to complete the work during the summer holidays to avoid any disruption to learning, and I can’t wait to see our new space in action. It will be a fantastic place for young people to study, socialise and prepare for their future.”

Rowena Hackwood, CEO at Astrea Academy Trust said: 

“I am very pleased that we are able to commit funds to upgrade Longsands’ facilities and to help revitalise the Sixth Form so that it gives excellent provision for our students, now and in the future. This is part of a wider renovation project, which we look forward to sharing as it develops.”

Applications for Longsands Sixth Form close on Friday 30th January.

To enquire about making an application please contact the school on enquiries@astrea-longsands.org.

Below are artistic impressions:

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They were at the school to offer advice and experience to the current Sixth Form students.

Subjects for discussion ranged from university options to apprenticeships and immediate employment.

Every Year 13 Sixth Form student attended a ‘mock’ interview with Rotary Clubs of St Neots members.

Students were asked competency-based interview questions, giving them a taste of real-world job interviews.

They received feedback and tips on what might work in future interviews, key words they should use, and suggestions for their CVs.

Sixth-formers Abrielle G and Lucas F reflected on how beneficial this experience was.

Lucas said: “The Sixth Form team has been really supportive throughout my time here. They are always there to support us with university and apprenticeship applications, and we’re given lots of opportunities to develop so this session has been really useful.”

Abrielle added: “The support I’ve received during my time at Longsands Sixth Form has helped build my confidence and made me feel ready to take my next steps with university applications, and mock interviews really help us to focus on what we want in the future.”

Mike Simpson, head of Sixth Form, said: “Longsands Sixth Form prides itself on supporting our young people to develop the key employability skills to be successful in the world of work.

“I would like to thank the Rotary Clubs of St Neots very much for their help and experience, and volunteering their time to come in and speak to every single one of our students to offer feedback and invaluable life skills.”

The mutual admiration was echoed by Bob Silverthorne, a member of the Rotary Clubs of St Neots.

He said: “The communication skills of all the students were amazing, each of them were articulate with what they were saying.”

The Hunts Post Article

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On Tuesday, November 11, students and staff at Longsands Academy in St Neots gathered to mark Armistice Day with a ceremony at the school’s World War One memorial.

Sixth formers laid a wreath on behalf of the school and members of the House Council placed crosses in memory of the fallen.

The ceremony included readings, a two-minute silence, and a performance of The Last Post.

The Act of Remembrance

Year 12 student Isabelle G read the Exhortation, which begins with the words “They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old,” while Jonas P recited the Epitaph: “When you go home, tell them of us and say, For your tomorrow, we gave our today.”

Francis Bray, executive principal at Longsands Academy, said: “Our students understand the importance of Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day, and their participation in these ceremonies is a reflection of our school’s commitment to honouring the past.

“It was incredibly moving to see our young people show such respect and dignity as they remembered those who gave so much for our freedom.

“Marking this day is not just about looking back; it’s about understanding the impact of the past on our present and future.

“Our students engaged deeply with this message, and we are proud of the way they represented our school.”

Longsands Academy, which is part of the Astrea Academy Trust, has said it will continue to mark Armistice Day each year.

The trust runs 26 schools across South Yorkshire and Cambridgeshire, all of which are currently rated ‘good’ by Ofsted.

Longsands Academy has a longstanding tradition of honouring those who served in the armed forces and aims to ensure that their legacy is never forgotten.

The Hunts Post Article

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Teenagers across the country are celebrating as they receive their results from exams they took earlier this year in May and June. Young people have had many challenges to face, but despite this, across the country, 15 and 16 year olds have recorded excellent achievements at GCSE, with the students of Longsands no exception. 

Staff at Longsands have gone above and beyond to ensure their students were as prepared as possible for their GCSEs. In particular, the school provided holiday and after school revision sessions, breakfast warm-up sessions, support tutorials and subject clinics.

The extra support paid off with many students achieving excellent results allowing them to stay on at Longsands to continue their studies in Sixth Form. 

Among the high performers were: 

Riley C who achieved Grade 9 in English Literature, mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, history, Latin and computer science and a Grade 8 in English Language.

Emma U who achieved Grade 9 in English Literature, mathematics, history, RE, biology, chemistry, physics and Grade 8 in English Language, French and Further mathematics.

Felicity C who achieved Grade 9 in mathematics, history, further mathematics, French, biology, chemistry, physics and business studies as well as a Grade 8 English Literature and a Grade 7 in English Language.

Oliver H who achieved Grade 9 in English Language, mathematics, history, computer science, French, chemistry, physics; a Grade 8 in biology and Grade 7 in further mathematics and English Literature.

William J who achieved Grade 9 in mathematics, history, Latin, computer science, biology, chemistry, physics; a Grade 7 in English Literature and Grade 6 in English Language.

A special mention must go to Viktoriia L who has overcome many challenges to achieve a great set of results including Grades 8 in combined sciences, Grade 7 in mathematics, Grade 6 in English Literature and history and Grade 5 in English Language and French. Viktoriia started at Longsands in June 2022, having only recently arrived in the country, without any family, speaking no English and having escaped the war in Ukraine. We are incredibly proud of what she has achieved in just three years. 

Jo Myhill-Johnson, interim Principal at Longsands and Regional Education Director, said,

“Well done to our amazing students who have put in so much effort into their examinations.

“This is another set of fantastic results from our young people and I have really enjoyed seeing so many happy, smiling faces in our school today. We are incredibly proud of what they have achieved.

“They absolutely deserve the grades they have received, and we wish them the very best of luck for the future. We look forward to welcoming back so many of them in September to continue their studies at Longsands in the sixth form.” 

Rowena Hackwood, CEO for Astrea Academy Trust, said:

“Many congratulations to all of our young people who are receiving their GCSE results today. I know they have worked so hard to get to this point and should feel very proud of what they have achieved, alongside the support from their families and the whole school community.

“Special thanks too, to Jo Myhill-Johnson and the staff team at Longsands who have supported our students with their studies.”

Hunts Post Article

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Scholars and staff at Longsands Academy, part of Astrea Academy Trust, celebrate with scholars on another set of fantastic A Level/BTEC results in 2025. 

Teenagers across the country are celebrating as they receive their results from exams they took earlier this year in May and June. Young people have had many challenges to face and despite this, across the country, sixth formers have recorded excellent achievements at A Level, with the scholars of Longsands adding to this success.

Staff at Longsands have worked incredibly hard to ensure their scholars were as prepared as possible for their A Levels. In particular, the school offered after school and holiday revision and support classes as well as subject clinics.

The extra support paid off, with many scholars achieving excellent results. Thanks to the hard work of both scholars and staff, there is lots to celebrate, with many scholars going on to take up places at university, or on an apprenticeship, as well as those who are entering the workplace.

Among the high performers at Longsands, special mentions include:

• Vinnie H: A* in maths, further maths and physics and an A in chemistry. He is going to Warwick University to study physics.
• Mia F: A* in biology and chemistry and an A in maths. She is going to Oxford University to study biochemistry.
• Bethany W: A* in biology and PE and an A in maths. She is going to Brunel University to study physiotherapy.
• Megan C: three A grades in maths, biology and chemistry. She is going to Lancaster to study medicine.
• Daniel S: three A grades in computer science, history and maths. He is going to Sheffield to study computer science.
• Eva H: three Bs in biology, chemistry and PE. She is going to Sheffield Hallam to study physical education.

Interim Principal at Longsands Academy, Jo Myhill-Johnson said:

“Well done to all our Year 13s who have achieved a fantastic set of results once again. We are absolutely delighted for our brilliant scholars, who have worked so hard to get the results they deserve.

“A special mention also goes to our team of staff, who have been such a support to the scholars. We have had some excellent results, which have secured some outstanding destinations as our scholars take their next steps on their academic and career pathways.  I hope they are very proud of what they have achieved. We wish them the very best of luck for the future.”

Rowena Hackwood, CEO of Astrea Academy Trust, said: 

“Very many congratulations to everyone at Longsands on another year of achieving great things. Scholars and staff have all worked so hard to get here and should be so proud of the results we have seen today.

“We are committed to giving our scholars a brilliant education at Astrea and these results today definitely reflect this.

“We all want to wish our young people the very best in whatever they choose to do next, whether it’s higher education, taking up an apprenticeship or starting their career.”

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Helen Sharman CMG OBE, astronaut and the first Briton and Western European woman in space, met students and teachers at Longsands Academy in St Neots this week. Helen visited the school in her capacity as Imperial College London’s UK Outreach Ambassador, to speak about her experience in space, her career in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and to talk about potential careers in STEM and university life. 

Helen became Britain’s first astronaut on 18th May 1991, when she launched into space for an eight day mission, living and working on the Mir space station orbiting the Earth. Since her return to Earth, Helen Sharman has been committed to sharing her experiences and inspiring young people. As Imperial’s UK Outreach Ambassador, she is involved in a wide range of outreach activities, advocating the power of STEM to solve complex global problems. She talked to students about the benefits of studying STEM subjects and the sorts of jobs available to them if they were to choose a scientific degree. 

Students at Longsands who spoke to Helen said: 

“It was really amazing to meet someone who had actually been in space – Helen was really inspiring and made us think about our future choices. We all wanted to know what she did in space – did she have any free time and what the food was like.”

“Helen told us that the food isn’t that great in space and also because of feeling weightless, your body ends up being taller! On Earth the weight of our heads compresses our spine and makes us shorter. I have learnt something new today!”

Elizabeth Sparrow, STEM co-ordinator and science teacher at Longsands Academy said: 

“We were absolutely delighted to welcome Helen Sharman to Longsands Academy. Our students were completely engaged in her talk, from her advice and knowledge about STEM subjects and the pathways it can provide, to her experiences in space. It was a fascinating and inspirational session and we would like to thank her very much for coming to visit us.”

Dr Helen Sharman, astronaut, scientist and Outreach Ambassador at Imperial College London said: 

“I really enjoyed marking the 50th anniversary of outreach at Imperial College London by visiting Longsands Academy in St Neots today. Young people are always fascinated by space and asked some really intelligent and interesting questions. I feel very strongly about supporting young people to reach their potential and realise their aspirations regardless of background. We had some excellent conversations about the benefits of studying STEM and the wide variety of choices and options open to students.”

Helen also gave students tips and information about university, including funding options available to them, including bursaries and scholarships and student loans. STEM subjects are very popular subjects for students in Sixth Form at Longsands. 

Key links:

Imperial College London – Schools Outreach

Imperial College London – Helen Sharman

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Organised by Queen’s College, Oxford, the annual event celebrates young translators inspired by renowned English translator Anthea Bell.

Year 9 student Penelope received a commendation for her translation of the 1838 French poem “Les Colombes” by Théophile Gautier.

The judges were so impressed by the quality of her translation that they awarded her a special commendation.

Penelope said: “I am very happy to be recognised by the Anthea Bell judges and am very proud to have taken part.”

A spokesperson for the school, said: “A team of Oxford undergraduates and professional translators judged the entries to the competition and considered Penelope’s translation worthy of a commendation.

“Judges were looking for translations which strike a balance between creativity and accuracy and Penelope’s did just this.

“Bravo Penelope!”

Regional director and interim principal at Longsands, Jo Myhill-Johnson, said: “Congratulations to Penelope, this is an incredible achievement.”

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He said: “I am thrilled to be joining the Longsands Academy team and the wider Cambridgeshire community as executive principal.

“I am passionate about working alongside scholars, parents, staff, and wider partners to ensure every scholar at Longsands Academy has the highest aspirations and access to the very best educational opportunities.

“I look forward to what we will achieve together.”

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