Trust in charge of The Priory set to run new school in Shrewsbury

The 3-18 Education Trust was selected out of six applicants to operate the new school in Bowbrook, west Shrewsbury.

The appointment was agreed by Shropshire Council's cabinet on Monday and is now subject to a meeting of the regional Headteacher Board on Thursday.

The new free school will be co-located with a new special school and it’s hoped that both will open in September 2022.

Shropshire Council is to fund the construction of the primary school, with the special school being funded by the Department for Education.

The land has been given to the council by developers who are building homes around the site, with nearby schools already at capacity.

The multi-academy trust already runs The Priory School and Coleham Primary School in Shrewsbury, St Martins School near Oswestry and Thomas Adams School in Wem.

William Brookes School in Much Wenlock is looking to join the Trust early in 2021, subject to DfE approval.

Michael Barratt, CEO of The 3-18 Education Trust, said: “This is a very exciting project to be invited to sponsor. The 3-18 Education Trust has two schools already in Shrewsbury and we are therefore very familiar with the catchment area, the students, parents/carers and local community who are likely to attend the new school. We are looking forward to a close partnership with the local authority, in building the ethos and values of the school, and to working with all those involved in it to make it an excellent school at the centre of its community.”

Gary Turner, chair of trustees, said: “Our board feels that this school will be an excellent fit with the ethos and strategy of our trust as an inclusive provider of education. We look forward to working with the local authority, Department for Education and local residents to provide an outstanding school for this area. We are privileged to have been recommended and look forward, once selected as the provider, to bring the new school into existence.”

Councillor Ed Potter, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for children’s services, said: “These two new schools are an important and exciting development as we look to meet the ever-growing demand for school places in that area of Shrewsbury – but this really is good news for the whole of Shropshire.

“Approval of the operator for the primary school is a vital step towards its opening. Having completed the application process The 3-18 Education Trust has emerged as the preferred choice.

“The process for choosing the operator of the new special school is still underway, but with the number of pupils with SEND requirements – both in Shropshire and nationally – rising steadily, this is a chance to build a school catering for those pupils which would complement provision already in place in the county.”