Trust wins bid to sponsor new Worksop primary school

The new primary school called Whipman Woods Flying High Academy in Gateford, Worksop is to be sponsored by The Flying High Partnership.

The multi-academy trust was selected by the Department for Education, and supported by Nottinghamshire County Council, to run the new academy after a tendering process.

The new 210 place primary free school is set to open in September 2024 on Harlequin Drive on land adjacent to Gatekeeper Way in Gateford. It will eventually have the capacity for 315 primary places plus a 26-place nursery.

Chris Wheatley is the CEO of The Flying High Partnership and he said, “We are once again honoured to be working in partnership with Nottinghamshire County Council to create a brand-new school, this time in Worksop.

“At the Flying High Partnership, we are passionate about education and providing the best opportunities for children to flourish. We know that developing a new school from scratch is both exciting and challenging, and it is something we have successfully achieved twice before, initially at Hucknall Flying High Academy, and then at Rivendell Flying High Academy in Colwick, Nottingham. Both of those schools are thriving, and all of our experience will be utilised to make Whipman Woods Flying High Academy an outstanding school for its children and a source of pride within the community.

“We look forward to welcoming our first cohort into school in September 2024 and providing children with a flying start to their educational journey.”

Deputy CEO, Paul Goodman, will be overseeing the pre-opening phase of the school. “We are incredibly excited to be opening this brand-new school in Worksop. We have not yet had the opportunity to work within this area and look forward to engaging with families, and community stakeholders over the coming weeks and months. We will be running a range of meetings, events and developing communication channels to ensure that we work together to deliver a school that we can all be proud of”.

The Flying High Partnership has 33 schools across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.The first community consultation meeting will take place on Wednesday February 21 from 6pm to 7 pm, at Oakwood Academy Portland, Netherton Road