Trust wins bid to sponsor primary schools
Two new primary free schools in North East Lincolnshire are to be sponsored by Lincolnshire Gateway Academies Trust.
Cllr Margaret Cracknell, Portfolio Holder for Children and Education at North East Lincolnshire Council, with (left to right) Lincolnshire Gateway Academies Trust Executive Principal Andy Clark, Chair Philip Bond and Chief Executive Officer Martin Brown.
It was selected by North East Lincolnshire Council - and supported by the Department for Education - to run the new academies in Scartho and Waltham after a competitive tendering process.
The schools will be built off Matthew Telford Park, next to the Aldi superstore, and on land set aside years ago for education purposes on Sunningdale in Waltham.
North East Lincolnshire Council ran a public consultation on the proposals in September after plans for the two new schools were approved by its Cabinet last March.
The build cost is being funded by the council, the DfE and Section 106 money, received from housing developers.
Work is due to start in Autumn with intended openings in September, 2024.
The land behind the Aldi superstore on which the new school in Scartho will be built.
Lincolnshire Gateway Academies Trust (LGAT) is responsible for three primary schools and four secondaries in the area, including Reynolds, Pilgrim, Waltham Toll Bar and Cleethorpes Academies.
Chief Executive Officer Martin Brown said: “We are delighted to have been asked to sponsor the new free schools.
“It is an exciting step forward for the Trust and we are grateful for the confidence shown in us to deliver two much-needed schools.
“We are now working with our partners at North East Lincolnshire Council and the Department for Education to get the builds underway as quickly as possible.
“We are committed to keeping the communities in Scartho and Waltham engaged and informed at every step of the way.”
Chair of the Board of Trustees Philip Bond said the expansion was part of a strategy to grow LGAT.
“We have evolved over a number of years,” he said. “Our renamed Trust is responsible for 5000 students and 725 staff across northern Lincolnshire.
“The new schools at Scartho and Waltham are part of our plans to grow those numbers.
“Our ambition is to work with partners to make our area a place where education is bespoke, child-centred and exciting.”
Executive Principal at the Trust responsible for its primary schools, Andrew Clark, is focused on delivering top quality education.
“We have outstanding practice across our three primary schools and we will ensure the new schools in Scartho and Waltham match those high standards,” he said.
“I am looking forward to leading a team that delivers first class teaching and learning environments for families in Scartho and Waltham.”
Both pockets of land on which the schools are to be built are owned by the council and have been earmarked as sites for education provision for some time.
New housing developments have meant there is an increased demand for the school places. Each academy will eventually offer 210 places for children.
Cllr Margaret Cracknell, Portfolio Holder for Children and Education at North East Lincolnshire Council, said: “I welcome the Department for Education’s announcement today that Lincolnshire Gateway Academies Trust has been selected to run two new primary schools in Waltham and Scartho.
“Over the coming years as housing in the local area increases, so too will our need for primary school places, and these new schools will offer parents even more choice over their child’s education.
“Ensuring our children have access to a good quality education is vitally important in helping them to reach their potential, and I’m confident that Lincolnshire Gateway Academies Trust will be able to encourage and nurture our children.”
For more details about LGAT, go to www.lincolnshiregateway.co.uk or email enquries@lincolnshiregateway.co.uk