Queen Katharine Academy

The development of The Voyager School began in September 2003 when consultation began on the £100 million transformation of secondary schools in Peterborough. Four schools were planned for the city and seven schools would be refurbished or expanded.{{cite press release |title=Consultation Begins on Propose £100 Million Transformation Of City's Schools |date=2003-09-09 |publisher=Peterborough City Council |url=http://www.peterborough.gov.uk/page-3188 |access-date=2 August 2007 |archive-date=26 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926231529/http://www.peterborough.gov.uk/page-3188 |url-status=live }}

In 2004, the decision to create these new schools and to close both Walton Community School and Bretton Woods Community School was made. Both schools were to be merged to form The Voyager School, with £26 million of investment.{{cite press release |title=Green light for £100 Million School reorganisation |date=2004-01-30 |publisher=Peterborough City Council |url=http://www.peterborough.gov.uk/page-3243 |access-date=2 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926232004/http://www.peterborough.gov.uk/page-3243 |archive-date=26 September 2007 |url-status=dead}}

In January 2005, the headteacher of TVS was announced, Hugh Howe. He would oversee the development and then become the headteacher when the school opened in September 2007. He was known for having improved new and failing schools.{{cite press release |title=Students Meet New Headteacher |date=2005-01-28 |publisher=Peterborough City Council |url=http://www.peterborough.gov.uk/page-3745 |access-date=2 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926231853/http://www.peterborough.gov.uk/page-3745 |archive-date=26 September 2007 |url-status=dead}}

In February 2005, the building contractor for what was then called North School was debated. The city decided on Bouygues Education/Mills group, a French company, well known for its educational building project, to begin construction in March 2006.{{cite press release |title=Construction Begins on City's new schools |date=2006-03-14 |publisher=Peterborough City Council |url=http://www.peterborough.gov.uk/page-6162 |access-date=12 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071020131414/http://www.peterborough.gov.uk/page-6162 |archive-date=20 October 2007 |url-status=dead}}

In March 2006 the Voyager School launched its bid to become Peterborough's first Media Arts College. The bid offered local businesses the opportunity of helping the school achieve the £50,000 sponsorship necessary to draw on government funding of £1 million.{{cite press release |title=Voyagers Media Arts Bid Begins |date=2006-03-30 |publisher=Peterborough City Council |url=http://www.peterborough.gov.uk/page-6315 |access-date=12 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071020131251/http://www.peterborough.gov.uk/page-6315 |archive-date=20 October 2007 |url-status=dead}}

The predecessor schools held transition events to promote team building, leadership and innovate skills. The first of these in February 2007 was used to create the Voyager School Senior Executive Group (SEG), a form of student leadership within the school where a group of six students would work to create and manage the leadership scheme of The Voyager with Deputy Headteacher, Jane Mullan.{{cite press release |title=Voyager students embark on 'mission impossible' leadership challenge |date=2007-01-30 |publisher=Peterborough City Council |url=http://www.peterborough.gov.uk/page-10470 |access-date=12 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071020131117/http://www.peterborough.gov.uk/page-10470 |archive-date=20 October 2007 |url-status=dead}}

The Voyager School achieved Media Arts Status in January–February 2007 following an application to the Department for Education and Skills.{{cite press release |title=Voyager School achieves media arts status |date=2007-02-01 |publisher=Peterborough City Council |url=http://www.peterborough.gov.uk/page-10530 |access-date=12 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071020131015/http://www.peterborough.gov.uk/page-10530 |archive-date=20 October 2007 |url-status=dead}}{{cite web |title=Specialist Status Information |publisher=The Voyager School |url=http://www.thevoyagerschool.com/specialistStatus.php |access-date=12 October 2007 |archive-date=23 July 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723221018/http://www.thevoyagerschool.com/specialistStatus.php |url-status=live }}

In the summer of 2016, the school partnered with the Thomas Deacon Academy to form the Thomas Deacon Academy Education Trust.{{cite web |title=Voyager Academy taken over by Thomas Deacon Academy Trust |url=http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/education/voyager-academy-taken-over-by-thomas-deacon-academy-trust-1-7759543 |website=www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk |publisher=Peterborough Telegraph |access-date=8 February 2017 |language=en |date=5 January 2017 |archive-date=11 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211080101/http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/education/voyager-academy-taken-over-by-thomas-deacon-academy-trust-1-7759543 |url-status=live }} In 2017, the school announced a name change to Queen Katharine Academy.

In 2008 the school received its first sets of results. The A-Level results were good, but only 23% of students achieved the benchmark of 5 GCSE passes at A*–C including English and mathematics.{{cite web |title=The Voyager Academy |work=GCE Achievement and attainment tables |year=2008 |publisher=Department for Children, Schools and Families |url=http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/cgi-bin/performancetables/school_08.pl?Mode=Z&No=8744083&Type=LA&Begin=s&Num=874&Phase=2&Year=08&Base=a |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120908060747/http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/cgi-bin/performancetables/school_08.pl?Mode=Z&No=8744083&Type=LA&Begin=s&Num=874&Phase=2&Year=08&Base=a |url-status=dead |archive-date=8 September 2012 |access-date=2009-06-03}}{{cite web |title=The Voyager School |work=GCSE Achievement and attainment tables |year=2008 |publisher=Department for Children, Schools and Families |url=http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/cgi-bin/performancetables/school_08.pl?Mode=Z&Type=LA&No=8744083&Phase=1&Begin=2&Year=08&Num=874&Base=c&s2s=1 |access-date =2009-06-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url =http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20091018144100/http%3A//www.dcsf.gov.uk/cgi%2Dbin/performancetables/school_08.pl?Mode%3DZ%26Type%3DLA%26No%3D8744083%26Phase%3D1%26Begin%3D2%26Year%3D08%26Num%3D874%26Base%3Dc%26s2s%3D1 |archive-date=18 October 2009 |df=dmy-all}} A report in the Evening Telegraph suggested the school had been given 12 months to improve.{{cite news |title=Struggling Voyager given 12 months to improve |first=Asha |last=Mehta |work=The Evening Telegraph |date=2008-08-23 |url=http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/Struggling-Voyager-given-12-months.4420558.jp |access-date=2009-06-03 |archive-date=24 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080924062208/http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/Struggling-Voyager-given-12-months.4420558.jp |url-status=live }}

However, the school's first Ofsted inspection in November 2008 noted several good features of the school, and stated that the school had created the effective management needed to overcome a legacy of low achievement at the predecessor schools.{{ofsted|130389|The Voyager School}}, Office for Standards in Education.

{{alumni|date=November 2022}}

Notable people who studied at The Voyager school (and those merged to form it) include:

• Paul Blades - footballer (Walton School)[http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/sport/french-on-friday/those_were_the_days_local_sporting_highlights_from_this_week_in_years_gone_by_1_91452 THOSE WERE THE DAYS...Local sporting highlights from this week in years gone by - French On Friday - Peterborough Evening Telegraph]{{Dead link|date=May 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
• Mark Noyce - actor, writer, director and producer (Walton School){{cn|date=November 2022}}
• Luke Pasqualino - actor (Walton School){{Cite web |last=Hill |first=Rose |date=2017-10-31 |title=Luke Pasqualino has returned to Our Girl series 3 - here's all you need to know |url=http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/who-luke-pasqualino-you-need-11321106 |access-date=2023-05-24 |website=mirror |language=en}}

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.thevoyager.co.uk School website]
• [http://www.thomasdeaconacademy.com/_site/data/files/documents/Statutory%20Accounts/394BD49B8567D6E67E202C2397BD0891.pdf Trust Financial Statement]

{{Peterborough}}

{{Schools in Cambridgeshire}}

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Category:Secondary schools in Peterborough

Category:Educational institutions established in 2007

Category:Academies in Peterborough

Category:2007 establishments in England