Christian-based chain will open secondary school
A Christian-based academy chain is set to open a new free secondary school in Wimbledon, the Government announced today (October 1).
The Chapel Street chain will open 1,200 place Trinity High School across three sites in Wimbledon in September 2016.
There has been no announcement about where in Wimbledon the school sites will be. The Government's statement said it will have 900 secondary places and 300 post-16 places.
The announcement continued: "This Christian-designated school will follow the national curriculum with an emphasis on project based learning, a key theme in the trust’s existing schools. It will provide a strong emphasis on a personalised pathway for every child, high levels of family engagement in learning and school life and regular interaction and application of education within family life."
The academy chain, which set up its first school - the Atherton Community School - in Wigan, last month opened a 12-place primary school in a former Salvation Army building in Morden.
A statement from Chapel Street said each of the three sites would have its own specialism - science and innovation, business and enterprise and the arts.
Chapel Street Chief Executive, Dr Russell Rook, said: "The first students of Trinity High will graduate university in 2025. While few of us can predict what the world of work or study will look like by then Chapel St will provide a dynamic and innovative education that will equip children to thrive in their fast-changing world.
"It is not often that a community gets the chance to start a school from scratch. Trinity High School will have the community at its heart and I would wholeheartedly encourage parents, children and the wider community to join us in making the most of the opportunity that opening Merton’s newest school presents."
Councillor James Holmes, Conservative Education Spokesman in Merton, said: "This is great news for local families for two reasons. Firstly Chapel Street have a proven track record both here in Merton and at schools elsewhere in the country. And secondly a new free school means significant savings for local taxpayers."
October 1, 2014