Press release

BT, Mossbourne Academy and the Harris Federation named among sponsors of new academies

The government has announced the sponsors of new academies being built as part of the Targeted Basic Need Programme.

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government
Classroom answering a question

Top businesses and schools, including BT, Mossbourne Academy and the Harris Federation, are among the sponsors of 39 new academies being built under the government’s Targeted Basic Need Programme (TBNP), Schools Minister David Laws announced today.

The new academies, first announced in July 2013 and due to be completed in 2015, will provide around 19,000 new school places in councils with the greatest need.

The TBNP was launched in March this year. It gave councils facing pressure on school places the chance to bid for additional money to build new schools or expand existing good ones.

The funding for the TBNP is part of the government’s £5 billion expenditure on creating new school places over the current spending review period up to 2015. This is more than double the amount spent by the last government over an equivalent 4-year period.

Forty-one new schools and 331 expansions will be funded under the programme, at a cost of around £820 million. The programme will create more than 70,000 additional school places by 2015.

Announcing the sponsors today, Schools Minister David Laws said:

Today’s announcement is a key milestone in our multi-billion pound plan to ensure there are enough high-quality school places around the country.

The sponsors we have announced today are top-performing organisations that will use their expertise and know-how to ensure young people receive the high-quality education they deserve.

Councils that successfully bid for new schools invited proposals to establish the new schools and provided the government with a list of potential sponsors. Sponsors for 39 of the new academies have been announced today. Two councils are still working with the department to finalise their plans and will be confirmed shortly.

The sponsors include:

The Harris Federation in London

The Harris Federation is an education charity with almost 25 years’ experience of running schools in and around London. It currently sponsors 27 academies. Nine of its 12 inspected secondary academies have been rated by Ofsted as ‘outstanding’ and the other 3 are rated ‘good’. Its primary academies, which are generally newer, improved performance between 2012 and 2013 on every measure that is assessed. Its aim is to provide a happy and successful education for the children and teenagers in its academies.

Harris will sponsor a new primary academy in South Croydon.

Mossbourne Community Academy Trust in London

This trust was established by the Mossbourne Community Academy in Hackney. Mossbourne transformed the predecessor school - Hackney Downs School - from being one of the worst schools in the country to one of the best after it became an academy in 2004. It now wants to extend this expertise and track record to other schools in London.

Mossbourne is sponsoring a new academy in Hackney.

Durrington High School in Worthing

Durrington is an academy converter in Worthing with a strong track record locally for supporting other schools to improve. It will work with the Livingstone Foundation. The Livingstone Foundation is being set up by the Executive Chairman of Eidos Interactive - developers of the Tomb Raider series - Ian Livingstone, to open free schools and academies that will focus on coding and computer science.

Durrington is sponsoring a new academy in Worthing.

BT

BT is a global leader in telecommunications. It provides first-class business strategic management expertise to academies in Manchester, Sussex and Hackney, ensuring they are supported and challenged to run good schools.

BT is sponsoring a new academy in Manchester.

There are 5 new sponsors among those announced - Educate Together in Bristol, Newbridge Academy in Oldham, Carillion in Tameside, Floreat in Wandsworth and Durrington High School in West Sussex.

Councils will now choose contractors to build the new academies. The new sponsors will make preparations to open their new academies, designing curriculums, hiring staff and securing a funding agreement with the department. All new academies should be open by 2015.

Notes to editors

A list of new academies and their sponsors is below:

Local authority Project Phase Sponsor
Bradford Douglas Road - BD4 8QW Secondary Bradford Diocesan Academies Trust
Bristol Avonvale Road - BS5 9RH Primary Educate Together
Bristol Markesbury - BS3 5JL Primary Oasis Community Learning
Bristol Fairlawn Road - BS6 5JL Primary Colston’s Girls’ School Trust
Cambridgeshire Ely - CB6 2WH Primary Active Learning Trust
Croydon Segas - CR0 1YL Primary Oasis Community Learning
Croydon South Croydon - CR2 6HS Primary Harris Federation
Croydon South Norwood - SE25 4QL Secondary Oasis Community Learning
Croydon Westways - CR0 2UR Primary GLF Schools
Croydon Spices Yard - CR0 2AN Primary STEP Academy Trust
Doncaster Grady Road  DN4 5UB Primary Wakefield City Academies Trust
East Sussex Newhaven - BN9 9JL Primary Lilac Sky Academy Trust
East Sussex Hailsham - BN27 3NW Primary Lilac Sky Academy Trust
Essex Braiswick - CO4 5UB Primary The Learning Pathways Academy Trust
Essex Harlow - CM20 1NW Primary REAch2 Academy Trust
Hackney East Wick - E5 8JY Primary Mossbourne Community Academy Trust
Hillingdon Uxbridge - St Andrews Road Primary Elliot Foundation
Hillingdon Hayes - UB3 1JA Primary The Park Federation Academy Trust
Hillingdon Yiewsley - UB7 9AE Primary LDBS Frays Academy Trust
Kent Isle of Sheppey - ME12 3GN Primary Oasis Community Learning
Kent London Road - ME19 5AT Primary Valley Invicta Academies Trust
Kent Snodland - ME6 5PD Primary Valley Invicta Academies Trust
Kent Kings Hill - ME19 4QG Primary Valley Invicta Academies Trust
Kent Folkestone - CT19 6DT Primary Lilac Sky Academy Trust
Lincolnshire Gainsborough - DN21 1PY Primary Tall Oaks Academy Trust
Manchester Harpurhey - M40 7US Primary British Telecom
Medway Chatham - ME4 6NT Primary RGS/AFS Thinking Schools Academy Trust with First Eduation Alliance and Marmox UK Ltd
Oldham Hollinwood Avenue - OL9 8EE or Rock Street - OL1 3US Special New Bridge Academy
Plymouth Derriford - PL6 5AA Primary Diocese of Exeter
Poole Fourways - BH14 0PZ Primary Aspirations Academies Trust
Reading Hodsall Road - RG1 7HL Primary REAch2 Academy Trust
Rotherham Eastwood - S65 1TF Primary Central Learning Partnership Trust
Sheffield Attercliffe - S9 3TL Primary Oasis Community Learning
Staffordshire West Midlands - ST18 0DD Primary REAch2 Academy Trust
Swindon Tadpole Farm - SN26 8DZ Primary Diocese of Bristol Academies Trust (DBAT)
Tameside Ashton under Lyne - O16 9SD Primary Carillion Academies Trust
Tameside Hattersley - SK14 3JZ Primary Carillion Academies Trust
Wandsworth Earlsfield Ward - SW18 3BU Primary Floreat Education Academies Trust (FEAT)
West Sussex Worthing - BN14 8HJ Secondary Durrington High School

The Targeted Basic Need Programme was announced in March 2013.

The successful bids were announced in July 2013.

Forty-five new academies and 333 expansions were due to be completed by 2015, at a total cost of around £820 million. However, councils have decided to open a free school in 3 instances, and one new academy plan has been withdrawn. Two expansions have also been withdrawn. This means the programme will now deliver 41 new academies and 331 expansions.

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Published 12 December 2013