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News Release to Local Media
9am - Tuesday 16 December
£23.3million for new Academy
Additional funding from the government holds out the prospect of a new-build Academy in Cheltenham, which is good news for 1,150 young people in the town.
The proposed All Saints’ Academy, Cheltenham, is now likely to be a completely new building as opposed to part new-build, part refurbishment of existing facilities. In recent months, the Sponsors and Gloucestershire County Council have been pressing for an increase in the initial funding allocation to ensure that the new Academy would transform facilities on the existing Cheltenham Kingsmead site. Their arguments have been accepted and total funding for the Academy has been increased from £19.6m to £23.3m, the maximum allocated for this size of school. This news was confirmed in a letter to the Sponsors and the County Council from Partnership for Schools (PfS), the government’s funding agency. If the project is approved by all of the key stakeholders, it will go to the Minister for approval, probably early in 2009.
Canon Phil Metcalf, Academy Project Manager, said: “It has been a long and complex process but this news is just what was needed to bring the project closer to reality.”
Public strongly in favour
The public consultation on the proposed Catholic/Anglican Academy for Cheltenham has also ended. 82% of respondents were in favour of the proposal and 17% against. These results are similar to the informal consultation in the summer when 88% were in favour of the Academy. One of the most interesting aspects of the consultation was the 236 responses from students who sent in their views on the Academy. 84% of the students were in favour of the proposal. Many of the comments of those in favour were very positive about the impact the Academy could make. After her son had read the young people’s consultation document, designed in comic book format, one respondent said: “He has just read ‘An Anticipated Day in the Life at the New Academy’ with me and we are completely bowled over by it. I think the new Academy is a brilliant idea, the community needs this 21st Century facility and my family and I welcome it with open arms.”
Name chosen
Bishop Declan of Clifton Diocese and Bishop Michael of Gloucester Diocese have decided that the new Academy should be called “All Saints’ Academy, Cheltenham.” Bishop Michael said: “All Saints’ Academy was chosen as the name by both Bishops because it celebrates the whole company of the heroes and holy women and men of the Christian faith over the centuries and through to the present day.”
Peter Bradshaw, Assistant Project Manager, said: “We are delighted with the very positive response to the consultation and with the name chosen for the Academy. We are now waiting for the final elements of the feasibility stage to be completed before the Sponsors, the Catholic Diocese of Clifton and the Anglican Diocese of Gloucester, decide whether to proceed to the implementation stage. A decision is expected in the new year,” he added.
There are still some technical and legal issues that need resolving but the group responsible for the new Academy’s design is meeting regularly to develop the plans and keep the project on track for the building to open for students in September 2011.
Background note: It is planned to build All Saints’ Academy on the site of the current Cheltenham Kingsmead School following its closure in 2009. Christ College, in Arle Road, would close in August 2011 with all the pupils on its roll at that time transferring to the new Academy.
The Formal Consultation Booklet, containing the information on the proposal and what it means for Christ College Catholic and Church of England Sports College, is available here.
Press Release:
WEST CHELTENHAM MAKE THEIR VIEWS KNOWN ON THE PROPOSED NEW ACADEMY
Press Release:
PUBLIC MEETINGS: YOU ARE WARMLY INVITED TO COME AND FIND OUT ABOUT THE PROPOSED CATHOLIC/ANGLICAN ACADEMY FOR CHELTENHAM
Press release:
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF …….. THE NEW ACADEMY PROPOSED FOR CHELTENHAM
