Plans to open new primary school

A bid to open a new primary school in Haywards Heath will be submitted to the Department for Education in September.
Jonathan MorrisJonathan Morris
Jonathan Morris

The Sussex Learning Trust, which runs Warden Park Academy and Primary Academy has announced plans to open and run a school in the Hurstwood Lane area of town.

Development plans for the area include a site for a school to meet a predicted shortfall of place by 2018/19. The Trust plans to open the school by that date, depending upon the speed of housing development in the town.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Warden Park Primary Academy was rated ‘good’ by Ofsted in 2015 – an improvement on it’s previous rating – and headteacher Jonathan Morris said demand for places had never been higher.

He added: “Our hope is that we can repeat the success of the current primary but also increase our opportunities to collaborate with other schools.

“Research shows that when school’s work together they are more successful and this underpins the vision of the Trust.”

The Trust’s plan would be to largely replicate the curriculum and approach to schooling in place at Warden Park.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Mr Morris added: “Unusually for a primary school, the vision is built around science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and will include specialist facilities to deliver this exciting curriculum.”

The Trust should find out early in the new year if its bid has been accepted.

As well as the Hurstwood Lane bid, the Trust is still working on its proposal to take over the Haywards Heath campus of Central Sussex College, when it closes in September 2017.

Mr Morris said: “We’re doing a huge amount of work with specialist consultants around what the curriculum might look like and around the funding; because the funding for the sixth-form is quite challenging.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We need to make sure we have all the ‘i’s dotted and all the ‘t’s crossed.”

The Trust’s bid for the college site will be submitted in March.

Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live.

Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

1) Make our website your homepage at www.midsussextimes.co.uk

2) Like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/midsussextimes

3) Follow us on Twitter @midsussex_times

4) Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here.

And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out!

The Mid Sussex Times - always the first with your local news.

Be part of it.

Related topics: