Birmingham: city’s third EACT academy opens its doors

PUPILS from the former College High School in Erdington, Birmingham, will start 2010 as students of the new North Birmingham Academy, which opens its doors on January 6.

The academy, the third sponsored by EACT in Birmingham, will be based in the existing school buildings but will move to new purpose-built accommodation in 2012. Extensive improvement works have been carried out to maintain the school while designs for the new building take place.

Multi-academy sponsor EACT now manages eight academies across England, with more opening in 2010.  

North Birmingham Academy Principal Kim Popratnjak said: “I’m delighted to be opening as a new academy. We have worked hard during the last 12 months to prepare for implementing the new step changes. This is an opportunity for us to provide an exceptional learning experience for all our students.”

Students will mark the opening of the academy with a distinctive new school uniform, including the new academy logo which the students helped to design. Students, staff and the local community will be working closely with the design and development of the new academy building, which is scheduled to open in 2012.

Sir Bruce Liddington, Director General of EACT, and the former Schools Commissioner for England said: “North Birmingham will join our other academies focusing on our vision of delivering educational excellence for all. At NBA, we aim to achieve very high standards of education and learning, and to provide opportunities for all students to enter further and higher education and employment. Developing a new academy will make a real difference to the future of the students, as well as providing excellent new facilities to benefit the students and the wider community for decades to come.”

North Birmingham, which has more than 900 students on roll, and over 170 staff, will join seven other new EACT-sponsored academies across England. EACT’s first academy, Trent Valley in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, moved to its new £33 million purpose-built academy building in September 2009.