New Corby secondary school will be in rural location

The new academy, run by the Cambridge Meridian Academies Trust (CMAT), is proposed for a site off the A427 Oundle Road about a quarter of a mile outside Weldon.

Although planning permission is yet to be granted, the school could be built in fields opposite the Bakersfield Airfield with the closest homes at Weldon Park. A new community of 1,500 homes is already planned for the former Deenethorpe Airfield to the East of the site.

The new trust is hoping to involve local people in naming the school.

It had originally been expected the new school might be built at the new Midlands Logistic Park in Geddington Road, Corby.

We revealed, back in 2016, that the county needed six new sceondary schools by 2022 to fill an extra 10,000 places. The CMAT school in Corby had due to open in 2019 but problems with confirming a site have led to a delay.

There is already pressure on secondary places in Corby with many years full and only a handful of spare year seven spaces available this year.

If plans for the school building are approved, the school aims to open its doors to its first set of year seven students in September 2020, potentially through phased completion of the building.

When it is fully open in 2024, it will have 1,500 places, making it by far Corby borough’s largest secondary. It is anticipated that many students will need to be bussed-in.

The academy was among 111 free schools outlined by former education secretary, Justine Greening, in April 2017.

Mark Woods, Chief Executive of CMAT, said: “We are thrilled that a proposed site has been allocated for the new Corby secondary school and to have confirmation that the school will aim to open to students in September 2020.

“CMAT has a strong track record in improving standards, achievement and attainment across schools in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, and the immediate surrounding areas.

“We will be working hard to ensure our successful vision and values are at the heart of the new school from the very beginning so that we can secure the best possible learning environment for every child.

“We are looking forward to working with the local community to decide the new name and brand for the school. We want the children of Corby to feel a part of this exciting development and can stamp their own mark on the school to confirm it is one which they can

feel proud of.”

Leader of Corby Borough Council, Cllr Tom Beattie, said: “Corby is continuing to regenerate and with this we need high quality infrastructure to support its growth. This new school is a welcome addition to our Borough and will provide our young people with a further high-quality place of education in which they can learn, progress and thrive.”

The school will become the eighth secondary school to join the Trust which already runs secondary schools in Peterborough and Stamford – Nene Park Academy and Stamford Welland Academy.

The Trust, which was founded by the governors of Swavesey Village College – a school regarded as being outstanding in all respects – has a history of delivering rapid improvements in standards and achievement. Nene Park Academy, North Cambridge Academy, Stamford Welland Academy and Sawtry Village Academy have all seen their GCSE results and Ofsted grades improve since joining the trust.