Six new academies prepare to open

EACT is set to welcome 6,000 students and almost 900 staff with the opening of six new academies across the UK in September.

And students from EACT’s first project, Trent Valley Academy, Gainsborough, which opened in 2008, start their new term on September 7 in a new £35 million purpose-built academy.

The six new EACT academies opening in September are:

• Crest Boys’ Academy, Brent
• Crest Girls’ Academy, Brent
• Shenley Academy, Birmingham
• Heartlands Academy, Birmingham
• Leeds West Academy, Leeds
• Parkwood Academy, Sheffield

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. We aim to achieve very high standards of education and learning across the board. Academies offer a huge opportunity to really make a difference as well as providing excellent new facilities for the future which will benefit students and communities for decades to come.”

The new academies have opened in existing school buildings and EACT is overseeing a multi-million-pound programme to develop new academy buildings at each of the locations, providing state-of-the-art facilities and helping regenerate communities.

Two further EACT academies are scheduled to open in Birmingham and Oldham in 2010.