Government agrees funding for new buildings at Whitehaven Academy

Cumbria Education Trust (CET), which took over the running of Whitehaven Academy last year, has announced funding has been secured from the Department for Education to build a new school on the academy's current site.

The Chief Executive of CET, Lorrayne Hughes, told the Whitehaven News that:

"This is the best possible news we could have hoped for, not just for the students and staff who attend this academy - but for the community of Whitehaven too, who are getting a fantastic new academy which will allow access to an excellent range of facilities. 

"The run-down condition of the existing buildings has proved to be detrimental and disruptive to teaching and learning and we are delighted that the new school will provide additional capacity and a modern inspirational place to learn. This will have enormous benefit for both current and future generations of Whitehaven children as well as members of the community who will also be able to use some of the facilities. 

"We believe our students deserve the very best environment to enjoy their education and we will be working closely with the architects to ensure that we are providing classrooms and high-quality facilities which are conducive to learning and which create a positive learning environment."

It is expected that work on the new building will start in spring 2020 and the opening is scheduled for Easter 2021.

This announcement represents a tremendous win for local MP Trudy Harrison who has worked with parents and campaigned to remove Bright Tribe and get a better future for the school.

The buildings have been in urgent need of replacement for many years. In the last decade while the school was still called Whitehaven School the last Labour government suggested that it might receive money but did not deliver this before leaving office.

Lord Theodore Agnew, academies Minister, said:

"It is fantastic news that the Whitehaven Academy will have an entirely new academy building, offering a fresh start for the school – this is the best use of resources to provide a much improved learning environment for pupils and staff. The building will not only help provide the children with the education that they deserve, but will also benefit the wider Whitehaven Community. 

"It is great to see Cumbria Education Trust (CET) helping to drive improvement by taking on schools with significant challenges."

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