FAQ

The JCB Academy is sponsored by JCB and, alongside other businesses including Bentley Motors, Network Rail and Rolls-Royce, they form our Core Challenge Partners who together develop our unique curriculum and learning techniques.

All learners leaving The JCB Academy have the same pathways as any other school: further education, apprenticeship or employment. We believe that our learners are educated in such a unique way that they are appealing to businesses, and JCB are just one of the many businesses that we have established links with.

No – The JCB Academy is a free school that is funded by the Department of Education.

Yes – we have 12 transport routes dedicated to our learners, these are part subsidised by the academy. For further information please visit our Transport page here.

Yes – we have an 18 mile radius catchment area from ST14 5JX. However, we do take applications from outside the catchment area but these would be placed on a waiting list if we are over-subscribed. You can check if you’re within our catchment by clicking here.

Yes – we are co-educational with an ever growing intake of girls year on year.

We have an 18 mile radius catchment area from ST14 5JX. We do take applications from outside the catchment area but these would be placed on a waiting list if we are over-subscribed. You can check if you’re within our catchment by clicking here. All applicants have to sit a cognitive ability test in order to be eligible for selection.

All applicants have to sit a cognitive ability test to become eligible for selection. Please note that this test is not means-tested.

The JCB Academy follows the core subjects of English, mathematics and science but we tailor the remaining curriculum around engineering and business. See our Year 9 curriculum & Year 10/11 curriculum.

We teach a number of engineering subjects that all fit together into our 10-12 week challenge programme (we break the year into engineering challenge sections that have a specific point of learning).

For example, when learners arrive in Y9 they spend around eight weeks working alongside Harper Adams University studying steering systems, suspension systems and different chassis configurations. As part of this, and working in teams, learners go on to design and manufacture their own remote control, off road vehicle, using their learned knowledge.

In Year 10 learners then work with employees from JCB, where they study many principles of engineering, how things work the way they do and how we keep them working through regular service. Learners then go on to researching basic hydraulics and pneumatics, electronics, gear ratios, etc. We continue this throughout the learners time in Year 10 with another one of the academy partners, Rolls-Royce. In Year 11 learners work on engineering manufacture with another academy partner, Toyota. See our Year 9 curriculum & Year 10/11 curriculum for further information on our subjects.

Yes – The JCB Academy Sixth Form also specialisies in engineering and business and is open to external learners as well as our own learners.

Yes – we hold an annual open day for the academy and sixth form which generally falls in the first week of October for the following years intake. We also hold several open days/evenings for the sixth form but only one annual event for the academy.