Northampton Academy

Northampton Academy is a mixed secondary school and sixth form in Northampton, Northamptonshire for students aged 11 to 18. Since September 2004, it has been an Academy.The school is annexed to the Lings Forum leisure centre. It is part of United Learning, a subsidiary of the United Church Schools Trust, a large education charity which owns and operates a group of 11 independent schools. It claims to be fully inclusive and both welcome and respect students and staff of all faiths and none. From an aerial view, the school outline is supposed to resemble a fish, to represent the school's Christian ethos.HousesThere are five houses at the Academy, named after influential figures with local ties. Malcolm Arnold, born in Northampton, was an English composer. In 2010, he lent his name to the Malcolm Arnold Academy. Philip Doddridge, born in London, a hymnwriter who was pastor of the former Castle Hill Congregational Chapel in Doddridge Street, after whom it is named. John Dryden, born near Thrapston, was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who was made Poet Laureate in 1668. Dryden Road is named after him. Cynthia Spencer of Althorp, paternal grandmother of Diana, Princess of Wales, after whom Spencer House in Spencer Parade are named. Walter Tull, an inside forward for Tottenham Hotspur and Northampton Town, and the first Black commissioned infantry officer to serve in the British Army. Walter Tull Way is named after him.