Leeds: new academy opens its doors

PUPILS from the former Intake High School in Bramley, Leeds, will start the academic year as students of the new Leeds West Academy, which  opens its doors on September 7.

The academy, sponsored by EACT (Edutrust Academies Charitable Trust), is based in the existing school buildings but will move to new purpose-built accommodation in 2011. Meanwhile improvement work has been carried out to maintain the school while design and planning  for the new building takes place.

Multi-academy sponsor EACT is opening six academies –  independently-sponsored schools within the state sector – in Birmingham, Sheffield, Leeds and London. 

Leeds West Academy Principal Annette Hall said: “I’m delighted to be opening as a new academy. We have worked hard in the last 12 months to prepare for a step change as the former school transfers to the academy under a new sponsor. We have exciting plans for the future and I hope all our students will enjoy the experiences and opportunities they can look forward to at Leeds West.”

Students have marked the transformation with a distinctive new school uniform, including the academy’s logo. Students, staff and the local community will be closely involved in helping develop the design of the new academy building.

Sir Bruce Liddington, the former Schools Commissioner for England and Director General of EACT said: “We have a clear vision for our academies and that is to deliver educational excellence for all. At Leeds West we aim to achieve very high standards of education and learning. Developing a new academy is a huge opportunity to really make a difference as well as providing excellent new facilities for the future which will benefit students and the wider community for decades to come.”

Leeds West, which has 750 students on roll, and about 130 staff, will join five other new EACT-sponsored academies opening in September. EACT’s first academy, Trent Valley in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, is this month moving into a new £33 million purpose-built academy building.