Parents across Bath are backing plans to open a new primary school – but more feedback is needed to turn the extra school places into a reality.
The New Bath Primary Trust hopes to open the new school in 2015
The new 420-pupil school specialising in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and enterprise has won overwhelming support from mums and dads.
So far 91 per cent of survey respondents have said that the school would be first choice for their child and 96 per cent agree that its curriculum focus will be helpful for the future success of children.
The New Bath Primary Trust has hosted a series of public consultation events for prospective parents to find out more about the plans, ask questions and give feedback.
But more feedback is needed to prove to the Department for Education that the school would be used by the local community.
An application is due to be submitted at the start of May with a decision due in July and the primary possibly opening as soon as September 2015.
Trust spokesman and City of Bath College Principal Matt Atkinson said they were grateful for the support from parents, politicians, local authority officers and community groups, but needed further evidence of parental demand to develop the proposal.
He said: “We have made significant progress on formulating our curriculum, education, governance and staffing plans for the school.
“Given that the most successful schools in Bath are oversubscribed and that in the next few years there will not be sufficient places to meet demand, it really is essential that we gain support and approval for the new school.
“We’re less than a month away from submitting the application to the Department for Education and to strengthen the application we need to keep the survey responses coming in.”
The school will focus on STEM and Enterprise but will cover a broad range of subjects including arts, sports, maths, literacy, IT, design and technology, and Spanish continuously from Reception to Year 6.
As it is expected to be in a central Bath location to meet the greatest need, the primary school will adopt a World Heritage City curriculum to give children a sense of where they live.
The school will be the city’s first primary out of local authority control and will also have a 20-place special education centre.
The New Bath Primary Trust is made up of City of Bath College and a group of schools, including Hayesfield, Beechen Cliff and Ralph Allen. Robin Phoenix Stone, a recently retired primary head teacher, has also been appointed as an advisor.
Bath MP Don Foster said: “This proposal comes at just the right time and complements the Council’s thinking about the need for more primary school places for Bath’s children.
“A new school, concentrating on the important areas of science, technology, engineering and maths, providing much needed additional special educational needs provision and run by a group of our local schools and the City of Bath College has all the makings of being a great asset to the city.”
To find out more or to complete the online parent questionnaire, go to www.newbathprimaryschool.com.
For the latest updates on the new primary school plans, follow New Bath Primary on Twitter or like New Bath Primary Trust on Facebook.
