Critics invited on to academy group

Dec 26 2007 by Dave Black, The Journal

PEOPLE who opposed plans to create Northumberland’s first city academy on their doorsteps are being offered the chance to get fully involved in the development of the school.

Two residents’ liaison groups are to be set up for neighbours of Blyth’s £30m, all-age Bede Academy, due to open in September 2009.

One will cover the 1,150-student senior academy to be built at the former Ridley High School site and the other will oversee the 630-pupil junior academy in South Beach.

The controversial Emmanuel Schools Foundation (ESF) project was finally granted planning approval a month ago, after failing to win the backing of county councillors on two previous occasions.

Hundreds of local people objected to the ESF proposals, saying the schools would worsen traffic congestion and parking problems in surrounding streets and overlook their homes. Now objectors are being invited to join the residents’ groups, to be established early next year.

People on Blyth’s South Beach and Avenues estates and close to Delaval Middle School can join the groups, both of which will have 12 residents as members.

The ESF says it is setting up the groups to ensure local people are kept informed, can have their questions answered and have the opportunity to make suggestions as the buildings develop.

Playing fields and sports facilities at Delaval will form part of the Bede Academy complex after the middle School closes. David Vardy, project director of the Blyth academy, who will chair the groups, said: “We will be building in residential neighbourhoods, so it is very important that neighbours are kept informed and have a method by which they can ask questions and find out any other information they want to know about the academy.”

He said people had already expressed an interest in being involved. “We have begun contacting people who have said they would like to be involved after the turn of the year. The aim is very much for the group members to be contact points, both to pass on questions to us and to pass on information after meetings.’’

A similar group has been set up for parents of academy pupils. Anyone else interested in joining should email residentsgroup@bedeacademy.org.uk