Meridian Trust has launched its last consultation in relation to new Free School, Weldon Village Academy.
As part of the process of opening a new school, Meridian Trust is legally required to hold a consultation (under Section 10 of the Academies Act 2010) to determine whether the Trust should enter into a funding agreement with the Secretary of State to set up a free school, namely the Weldon Village Academy.
Weldon Village Academy, a co-educational secondary school which is due to open in September 2023, will be run by Meridian Trust and located on land off the A427 Weldon in the village near Corby. This consultation is one of the final stages the Trust needs to complete before the new school can open.
The school will serve students from across the whole of Corby and surrounding villages. Once complete, it will be an 8 Form Entry Secondary School and 6th Form. The school will provide a total of 1,500 school places, including 300 students within the 6th Form. The first intake is for Year 7 from September 2023.
The consultation will run from Friday 16th September until 5pm Monday 31st October 2022. It will operate online through an online survey, as well as through public consultation events on 22nd and 29th September at Weldon Church of England Primary School from 5pm to 5.45pm.
Sarah Wilson, Executive Principal at Meridian Trust, said: “We are thrilled to be nearing the final stages of our journey to open Weldon Village Academy. This consultation will allow parents, carers, pupils, local residents and any other interested parties to learn more about Weldon Village Academy, the wider Meridian Trust, and to share their views.
“This is an exciting time for us all as we embark upon this journey to open a brand-new school and forge links with our new community. The consultation will provide opportunities to build on the strengths and experiences of our community in collaboration with other schools in the trust. We are looking forward to hearing their views through our online consultation and public events.”
The new three-storey school building will feature two teaching wings stemming from the main building spine, creating a protected courtyard. Also within the site will be sports and recreation facilities that will include a sports hall, a four court multi-use games area, two full-sized football pitches and three five-a-side pitches.
The build is being undertaken in partnership with the Department for Education (DfE), BAM Construct UK, the Contractor, and Mott MacDonald, the Technical Advisor. Work has progressed well over the summer with many buildings on the site beginning to take shape with windows, external walls and roofing in place.