Plans for Thetford Academy move to the next stage
Plans for a new Academy high school in Thetford took a step forward this week, as the Government gave the thumbs up to an Expression of Interest outlining a vision to transform learning in the town. Academies are independent, state-funded secondary schools, run by sponsors with skills, knowledge and resources to transform how and what young people learn. The sponsors of the proposal for Thetford are Wymondham College (lead sponsor), Norfolk County Council, Easton College and West Suffolk College. They want to open a single multi-million pound Academy for 11-19 year olds this September, to replace the two existing high schools, Charles Burrell and Rosemary Musker. The Academy would be on three sites - where the two existing schools are now and at a new building, the Thetford Forum, in the town centre.
Now that the Expression of Interest has been accepted, the County Council can move on to the next stage in the process - a formal public consultation about whether to close both schools and replace them immediately with an Academy. At the same time, the sponsors will be carrying out a feasiblity study which will look closely at
how the whole project could be achieved. Janet Murphy, Norfolk County Council's Deputy Cabinet Member for Education, said: "This is great news for Thetford - and a huge opportunity. We are ambitious for Norfolk's young people and want to help create an Academy in Thetford because Academies bring a lot of resources and can make a big difference in a short time. Staff at Charles Burrell and Rosemary Musker have been working extremely hard to help pupils do the best they can. We now want to build on that improvement and transform learning in the town."
Melvyn Roffe, Principal of Wymondham College, said: "I am absolutely delighted that our Expression of Interest has been accepted. This is about giving young people in Thetford the best possible secondary education and also, very importantly, about giving exciting new facilities and opporutnities to everyone in Thetford, whatever their age. It's very exciting." The formal consultation period starts this week and ends on 24 March. Children at all
schools in Thetford will be given a copy of the consultation questionnaire to take home and the document is available online at www.norfolk.gov.uk/schoolorganisation. The County Council is also sending copies to Thetford Town Council, doctors' surgeries, post offices and the library. You can also email schoolreview@norfolk.gov.uk to ask for a copy.
After the consultation ends, County Council Cabinet will decide on 6 April whether to issue a public notice to close the schools so they could be replaced with one Academy - and subject to final agreement by the Government. County Council Cabinet would then make the final decision on 14 June.
The proposal is supported by the Thetford Learning Group, a sub-group of the Moving Thetford Forward Partnership. Moving Thetford Forward is a partnership to support the growth and development of Thetford and consists of Breckland District Council, Norfolk County Council, Thetford Town Council and a wide range of other local organisations. Norfolk County Council appointed Councillor Jenny Chamberlin as Education Champion for
Thetford and she chairs the Thetford Learning Group.
For political comment
Cllr Janet Murphy (Cons), Deputy Cabinet Member for Education, 01553 811407
Cllr Mervyn Scutter (Lib Dem), 01603 454841
Cllr Richard Bearman (Green, 01603 504124
Cllr Bert Bremner (Lab), 01603 471134
Chair of Thetford Learning Group, Cllr Jenny Chamberlin (Cons), 01379 642740
Local county councillors:
Thetford East: Cllr Marion Chapman-Allen (Cons), 01842 750700
Thetford West: Cllr Mike Brindle (Lib Dem), 07920 286604
For information about the Academy: Melvyn Roffe, Principal of Wymondham College, 01953
609001
For further information please contact:
Marion Forsyth, Communications Officer, Children's Services, Norfolk County Council.
Tel: 01603 224277
Email: marion.forsyth@norfolk.gov.uk
To read the Expression of Interest document please click the link on the right.
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