Learning Community Trust to run new Allscott primary school

The Learning Community Trust, which runs primary, secondary and specialist schools across Shropshire, has been selected to operate the new primary school being built on the former British Sugar site at Allscott.

The 150-pupil free school, which is due to open in September 2023, will join other local primary schools already under the LCT’s umbrella, including Wrekin View in Wellington, and Crudgington.

The Trust was formed in 2017 and has grown into a family of eight schools, responsible for more than 5,500 children and employing just over 1,000 people, spread across 11 different sites.

They include Hadley Learning Community, Ercall Wood and Charlton secondary school is Telford, plus specialist education centres such as Queensway in Telford, and Severndale in Shrewsbury.

Dr Gill Eatough, chief executive of the Trust, said: “We are honoured and delighted to have been chosen to launch this exciting new school at Allscott, which is at the heart of the major development of the former sugar beet factory site.

“We are passionate about our schools and on providing the very best education where children excel academically, are safe, happy, well cared for and grow up to understand respect and responsibility as young adults in our society.

“The curriculum is the absolute focus in all our schools, and we would design a strong, ambitious, creative, and stimulating curriculum with a focus on the history and geography of the local area, which is fascinating, and would create a sense of belonging in a new community.

“Our vision is for a new village school at the heart of the Allscott community, where the school becomes a focal point for the village and village life.”

She added: “We will be consulting with the community over the coming months – particularly with prospective parents and children - to hear their vision for the new school.

“We will be seeking their input into all of the aspects that are so important such as the name of the school, colour schemes, logos and uniform.

“Our vision is for schools to be at the heart of the community, which means that the community must have access to facilities and outdoor spaces during evening and weekends.

“We see this as critical to engaging with the community which is growing around the Allscott site.”

The new school will have six classrooms, a sports hall, kitchen, staff room, offices, storage rooms and various other rooms for one-to-one teaching, support and interviews.

There will also be a 1.1 acre sports field, hard-surfaced sports court, 40 bike parking spaces, and 18 parking spaces for staff and visitors – and there are plans to offer nursery provision on site.

Telford & Wrekin councillor Shirley Reynolds, cabinet member for children, young people and families, said: “We are delighted that Learning Community Trust, a well-established and successful local education provider, has been chosen, at our recommendation.

“We are looking forward to working together with the builder (SJ Roberts) and Learning Community Trust for the opening of this new, modern and spacious primary school in Allscott in September next year.”

Mike Sambrook, managing director of SJ Roberts Construction Ltd, added: “We are really excited to create a high quality, modern primary school for the Allscott community and are working closely on this with Telford & Wrekin Council.

“We are aiming to keep to minimum disruption in the area while the building work takes place.”