Another Step Forward for an Academy in Crayford and Barnes Cray School
Local residents, parents and teachers and pupils are being invited to tell the London Borough of Bexley what they think about the exciting prospect of a new academy in Crayford.
The proposal is for an all age academy incorporating Barnes Cray Primary School offering fully integrated provision on one site. The academy would be sponsored by the Haberdashers' Aske's Federation with the Temple Grove Trust.
"This part of the borough has long suffered from a lack of choice when it comes to secondary education with many students having to travel long distances to school every day," says Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Schools, Adult Education and Schools, Cllr Simon Windle.
"An academy with new buildings, equipment and sponsored by the experienced and very successful Haberdashers’ Aske’s Federation is an extremely exciting prospect for our young people.”
Consultation into the proposals will include a public meeting at Barnes Cray Primary School on 8 October at 7.30pm, where there will a chance to put questions to the sponsors, Councillors and London Borough of Bexley representatives.
Consultation leaflets will also be given to children at Barnes Cray Primary School and all the neighbouring schools, sent to local residents and will be available in libraries. Consultation documents will also be available on the Council's website during the consultation period which will end on 17 October. The Council's will announce its decision in February next year.
The Council's leaflet focuses on the transfer of the Barnes Cray Primary School to the new academy. The sponsors will also be issuing consultation documents setting out in more detail their proposals for the academy itself.
Cllr Windle continues: “We have a great opportunity to provide an all age academy complete with specialist teaching and facilities for primary aged pupils and support for transition from year 6 to year 7. It is an exciting time for education in Bexley, but residents can rest assured that any plans for buildings for the academy would have to go through the same rigorous planning procedure as any other works of this scale.”
The London Borough of Bexley received ministerial approval for the project to move on to the next stage earlier this year. The approval gave the go ahead for further detailed feasibility studies into the possibility of a new academy in Crayford. The consultation forms part of this feasibility phase.
