Emmanuel College, Gateshead

Admission into Year 7

The published admission number for Year 7 entry is 240 pupils.^[13]

The school non-selectively^[1] admits pupils. To facilitate this, all applicants entering Year 7 are invited to sit a non-verbal reasoning test provided by GL Assessment, with the results used from the test to place each applicant into one of nine ability "bands". The ability bands range from highest to lowest ability. The number of places for each band is determined by the national spread of abilities; more places are available in the middle bands compared to the highest and lowest ability bands.^[13]

Admission into Year 12 (Sixth Form)

Existing Year 11 pupils from Emmanuel College and Grace College who wish to continue their education at the "associated sixth form" will transfer into Year 12 if they meet the entry requirements for their chosen courses.^[13]

The published admission number for external applicants entering Year 12 is 20 pupils. Once places for internal and external applicants have been allocated, more external candidates may be admitted until capacity is reached.^[13]

Creationism

In 2002, the school was at the centre of protests from scientists and educationalists when it was revealed that some members of the management team, including both the principal and the head of science,^[14] were sympathetic to Young Earth creationism. The school had allowed its hall to be rented by Answers in Genesis, an organisation which promotes such views. The school includes evolutionary science in its curriculum, but presents evolution as a theory complemented by the theory of creationism (taught in religious education lessons). This led to allegations by Richard Dawkins, John Polkinghorne, and others that the school taught creationism in science lessons.^[12][14][15] The Liberal Democrat MP Jenny Tonge asked Prime Minister Tony Blair if he was "happy to allow the teaching of creationism alongside Darwin's theory of evolution in state schools". Blair replied that he supported a "diverse school system", and praised the teachers at Emmanuel College for their commitments to "deliver[ing] better results for our children".^[16]

After re-inspecting the material used to teach science at Emmanuel College, Ofsted decided that the matter did not need to be pursued further.^[17] The next Ofsted inspection in 2006 described the school as "Outstanding" and found no problem with its science provision.^[18]

Some allegations centred on the school's former head of science, Steven Layfield, who had, prior to his taking up the post, publicly advocated the teaching of Intelligent Design in schools in 2000.^[19]

Gross misconduct allegation

In the academic year 2013–2014, former teacher of history Mr Daniel McQuoid (son of former principal Mr Nigel McQuoid) engaged in gross misconduct with an 18-year-old student who had left the school; as a result, he resigned in 2014.^[20] It was subsequently investigated by both the police and the National College for Teaching and Leadership, which found that there was no evidence of matters serious enough for either police prosecution or for him having any limitations on his ability to teach again.

Authoritarian ethos

In 2003, former teacher of music Cormack O'Duffy painted a negative picture of the school during a discussion with TES journalist Michael Shaw. O'Duffy was discharged of his position for disobeying an order from the then principal Nigel McQuoid for vocally voicing his concerns about the school. However, O'Duffy's union provided legal support and the case against him was dropped. During the interview, O'Duffy described the school as a place of "eerie silence" and an institution of immense regulation: "With its quiet atmosphere, you might easily think you had entered the set of a James Bond movie where all the workers at the plant are focused on a task and have no time for frivolity." Furthermore, O'Duffy raised concerns about the nature of the Christian ethos claiming an over-emphasis on hell.^[21]