Bluecoat Trent Academy, a new free school in Nottingham, has opened its doors on a brand new site hailed as a beacon of collaboration for lifelong learning and education partnerships.
Part of Archway Learning Trust, Bluecoat Trent Academy has been constructed on the former Clarendon College site on Mansfield Road (Pelham Avenue) and will offer up to 1200 school places to Nottingham students (once all year groups are present).
The school first opened in temporary accommodation in September 2021 for Year 7 pupils. Its first Ofsted inspection in January 2024 rated the school Good overall and as Outstanding for Personal Development.
The new buildings, on the edge of Forest Fields close to Mapperley Park, were officially opened on Tuesday 3rd September with multiple partners represented at the event, including Professor Edward Peck, Vice Chancellor of NTU (Nottingham Trent University) and Nick Rubins, The High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire; Carole McCulloch, The Lord Mayor of Nottingham; and Professor, Veronica Pickering, Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire, representatives from Nottingham City Council.
Bluecoat Trent Academy builds on the partnership Archway Learning Trust already has with Nottingham Trent University, who are involved with mentoring and supporting students through an outreach programme.
Funding for the new school was agreed by Nottingham City Council in 2021 with just over £5million Government funding secured to purchase and develop the Clarendon College site in order for much needed provision for secondary school places in city, primarily serving the Sherwood, Mapperley, Forest Fields and Hyson Green areas.
A total of £30m has been invested in Bluecoat Trent Academy which includes a state-of-the-art Sports hall, gym/dance studio, 2 x MUGA pitches, drama studio and a lecture theatre alongside specialist classrooms, science labs and DT workshops as well as dark rooms for photography.
Whilst the build programme was underway, the initial cohorts of students have been taught at a temporary site on the grounds of Bluecoat Aspley Academy, another Archway Learning Trust school. Now all cohorts including 660 moving from Aspley have been joined by a new Year 7 intake of 240 – all coming together in the purpose-built new school.
Sian Hampton, Chief Executive Officer of Archway Learning Trust, said the new academy was born from a vision for collaborative learning between two of Nottingham’s most highly regarded educational institutions. She said:
“We are very privileged to be able to open this new school in the heart of the city and it has been so encouraging to receive such widespread support from our communities. This is home ground for us, and we have recognised the need for this provision for some time.
“We are passionately committed to raising aspirations and improving life chances of the young people of Nottingham and Derbyshire and to be able to work in collaboration with our partners at Nottingham Trent University to achieve this is really something very special for the young people of Nottingham, our global citizens of tomorrow.”
Professor Edward Peck, Vice-Chancellor and President of Nottingham Trent University, said:
“This new site is the realisation of our partnership with Archway Learning Trust, and evidence of our commitment to creating opportunities for young people in Nottingham, helping them to succeed through education. This partnership will bring benefits for pupils and staff at Bluecoat Trent Academy through comprehensive support and expertise from NTU, whilst our students will benefit from work experience and placement opportunities. The opening of this building is the first of many milestones for our continuing collaboration, and we are excited to continue working together for our community.”
Claire McManus is the Principal at Bluecoat Trent Academy, who added that the new site would be the home for inspirational achievements for children of all backgrounds. She said:
“We are delighted to welcome all our current and new pupils to our new school. It’s fantastic for us all to see all the plans come to fruition and the teaching staff are all very excited to be providing the highest quality learning in this new state of the art facility. Our new school will be underpinned by our core values of Citizenship, Aspiration, Respect and Excellence (CARE), nurturing each and every young person who joins us to achieve their potential at all stages of their learning journey.”
Posted on 10 September 2024
