The new Bluecoat Trent Academy (BTA), Archway Learning Trust’s Free School is due to open in August 2021.
An eight form entry secondary school, the Bluecoat Trent Academy will be located on the edge of Forest Fields close to Mapperley Park and will be built on the former site of Clarendon College.
This will involve a demolition and a building project, due to be completed for September 2023. Whilst the new academy is being constructed, the Academy will be based in its own building on the site of Bluecoat Aspley Academy on Aspley Lane for the first two years.
The Archway Learning Trust is passionately committed to raising aspirations and improving life chances of the young people of Nottingham and the new school will be underpinned by the values and ethos of all the Archway academies, as well as the school’s core values of Care, Aspiration, Respect and Excellence (CARE).
Applications are now open for Year 7 entry to Bluecoat Trent Academy and will remain open until the end of February. For more information and to apply, please visit: bluecoattrent.co.uk
Claire McManus, Principal of Bluecoat Trent said:
“The Archway Learning Trust has a long history of serving the children of Nottingham, so we are delighted to be opening Bluecoat Trent Academy this September. We are working hard to ensure that the skills and expertise from across our already good and outstanding schools informs the curriculum and culture at Bluecoat Trent Academy. Bluecoat Trent Academy will be committed to excellence for all; no matter what the starting point, each individual will be supported in reaching their academic potential and striving to meet their goals. I believe this is an amazing opportunity for families to be a part of our founding cohort of Year 7 pupils; their children will shape Bluecoat Trent for future generations.”
Sian Hampton, CEO Archway Learning Trust said:
“Archway Learning Trust is about ‘working together to transform lives’. This is a proud moment in our history when we can reach out to more children and engage them in the transformational work that outstanding education brings.”
Councillor David Mellen, Leader of Nottingham City Council and Portfolio Holder for Schools, said:
“This is excellent news and will provide vital additional secondary school places to meet significant growing demand. The Clarendon site is well located to serve areas of the city where this pressure is greatest, and is highly accessible with good public transport links. It is a significant investment in educational provision in Nottingham and an exciting development for 2021.
Archway Learning Trust has a strong track record of school improvement. It provides a high standard of education for pupils aged from three up to 19 through its five existing Nottingham schools, which are all Ofsted rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’. We have been working with them and the Department for Education for a number of months on these plans.
Together with educational providers across the city, we are ensuring more school places in a way which offers parents a choice of good-quality education and maximises the number of pupils securing their first preference school. It’s a significant step forward in Nottingham’s 10-year strategic plan for schools, which strives to deliver the best possible education for every child and young person in Nottingham.”
Bluecoat Trent Academy will also build on the partnership the Trust already has with Nottingham Trent University. The university will be involved with mentoring and supporting students through their outreach programme as well as being actively involved in the governance of the school.
Edward Peck, Vice Chancellor of Nottingham Trent University commented:
“As part of our commitment to local schools and communities in Nottingham City and County, NTU is pleased to be able to support Archway Learning Trust in the development of a new Free School. We believe that universities have a responsibility to improve life chances of young people through education, helping them to succeed, regardless of background. Our partnership with Archway Learning Trust will help to provide life-changing opportunities for our local children through an innovative learning experience at Bluecoat Trent Academy. We look forward to working with the Trust and welcoming the first pupils in September.”
Nottingham College CEO, John van de Laarschot, also commented:
“News that our Clarendon site is to continue being used as a site for education is fantastic. Clarendon is much loved by our current and former students, going back many years, and it’s great that it will have a positive impact on young people in Nottingham for years to come. Archway Learning Trust’s new Free School will be a real positive addition to the area and for the local community and I lend my full support to the project.”
