Archbishop Holgate's is to have Leading Edge status from September 2004. Leading Edge status replaces Beacon Status, and has been given to Archbishop Holgate's in recognition of the quality of the school's achievement, staff development, and leadership and management.

The Leading Edge programme has been established to identify, extend and spread innovation and excellence in the secondary sector, so that standards of teaching and learning continue to improve in schools across the country. Lead schools are therefore those already seen as being at the leading edge of secondary school development, reform, and the raising of achievement. Leading Edge status provides opportunities to work collaboratively with other schools. The award of Leading Edge status therefore gives national recognition to the quality of what the school already does, as well as what it can offer to others, and is something of which the school community as a whole can be justifiably proud.

To be selected as a Leading Edge Lead School involves being judged to be 'at the cutting edge of innovation and collaboration' and 'among the country's best schools'. Leading Edge schools take a lead in promoting the development of quality provision in secondary education by working collaboratively with staff from other schools to spread innovation and excellence in the secondary sector. We shall in this new venture be working with Huntington School in finding new ways of further improving the quality of teaching, learning and achievement in our two schools, then, in turn, working with the staff of other schools, locally and further afield, and so play our part in raising achievement in other parts of the educational community.

Around 100 schools were designated as Leading Edge schools in the first round. Around 100 more have been chosen in this second round, making us one of some 200 schools nationally with this new status. Coming as it does in the same year as our 'top 20 nationally' placement for added value in the new Key Stage 3 league tables, and our 'top 10 nationally' placement for improvement in the Key Stage 4 league tables, and coinciding with our move to Voluntary Aided status, this is an exciting time for the school’s continuing development.

From Newsletter to Parents, April 2004