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Petition backs plans for new Peterborough free school
News from The Peterborough Evening Telegraph, www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk
PLANS for a new primary school in Peterborough were outlined last night as an organisation prepares to make a bid for the venue.
As previously reported in the ET, The Children’s Educational Trust (CET) intends to open a free school in Aldermans Drive, on the same site as one of the three day nurseries it operates in the city, The Cedars Day Nursery.
The organisation is about to launch its bid for government funding for the school and will find out in June this year whether the application has been successful.
If the bid gets the green light the school, which will be called The Cedars School, will open for its first intake in September 2013.
Last night the CET outlined their plans for the school at a public meeting at the Quaker Community Centre in Thorpe Road, Peterborough – although only a handful of people attended.
Bel Oomerjee, a director from CET, said: “We are putting everything together for the bid and hope to make the application very soon.
“We are currently consulting with the Department for Education and a number of community groups in Peterborough. We have done our research and know there is demand for the school.”
Brian Leeming, also a director for CET, added: “We have got about 130 signatures of parents in favour of the school. This means we have satisfied one set of criteria for funding in that we have demand for the reception and first year of the school.
“The bidding process in very competitive and we will be up against other proposed free schools from around the country.”
Free schools are state-funded schools and, like academies, they are independent of local government control.
However, unlike academies, applicants can come from a variety of sources including charities, universities, businesses, educational groups, teachers or parents.
Ms Oomerjee said the idea for a free school came from parents keen to have their children’s development continue beyond CET’s nurseries, the other two of which are based in Innovation Way, in Lynch Wood Business Park, and in Broadway.
The organisation’s research showed there would a growing demand for primary school places in the West Town area due to the birth rate, helping CET choose its prospective site.
Ms Oomerjee added: “Our research shows that by 2014/15 85 children will not have a primary school place in the West Town area - that’s a big concern for parents.
“We plan to hold further public meetings as the bidding process develops to let people know what stage we are at.”
Factfile on free schools
THE first free schools opened in September 2011, 15 months after the secretary of state Michael Gove invited proposals from interested groups.
Peterborough has yet to establish a free school but work is underway to create a new free secondary school at the former Hereward College site in Reeves Way, Eastfield, Peterborough.
Peterborough Community Education Trust (PCET) is also proposing to replace its girl-only, fee-paying Iqra Academy, in Enterprise Way, Bretton, with a free school to include segregated classes for boys and girls.
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Comments
There are 2 comments to this article
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Tell It Like It Is
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 01:53 PMYeah! This is great news - if you take into account all the other NEW failed schools - just what we need, another poorly run flop for the people of Peterborough and the kids - remember those PCC - the future tax payers...beggars belief...can't get the new schools already built to run properly and they want to start them even younger now...mind boggles, springs to mind.
Weevil
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 07:52 PMAs long as it caters for minority languages too (such as English).
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