New school for primary pupils in September
PRIMARY age youngsters in Almondbury can look forward to joining a new school on September 1.
Troubled Almondbury Community School (ACS) in Huddersfield was stripped of its secondary provision last summer by Kirklees Council.
The primary phase will reopen in September on the Greenside site as Hill View Academy.
The school will be run by the Impact Education Multi Academy Trust. It is expected to have around 210 pupils on roll.
The changes mean there will be two separate schools on the former ACS site.
Children up to Year 6 will be educated at Greenside. Year 7s will be situated in the Fernside building but it will be operated by neighbouring King James’s School.
Older pupils will transfer to the KJS campus.
King James’s is also receiving more than £5m to expand to accommodate 150 pupils from the former ACS.
The council is also spending £275,000 on improvements at Greenside.
Mick Kay, CEO of Impact Education Trust, thanked the council for investing in the school prior to it opening.
He said: “We are really excited to welcome staff, pupils, families and the community into our trust.
“Impact is on a mission to improve the life chances of all of the children in our care and we look forward to working with our headteacher, Kate Eastwood, who has been central to driving forward recent improvements at the school.
“Kate shares our vision and values and adopts a relentless approach to ensuring pupils feel safe and that standards are high.”
Local Conservative councillor Bernard McGuin, who played a key role in supporting parents who campaigned to save ACS, said it was time for a fresh start.
He commented: “The Impact trust are coming in at a difficult time to take over running of this new primary school.
“They are committed to the long haul of building a true community school in the Almondbury area.
“Personally I have committed to supporting Kate Eastwood and Mick Kay in making Hill View a success.
“For this school there will be little to be gained over going over what has happened in the past. They have a clean slate as far as I am concerned.
“I am particularly impressed by their educational aims to have outside play at the school. They will use the natural environment as a background to learning.
“There should be exciting times ahead for the school.”