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West Sussex Council Council secures extra £2.1 million funding for Worthing academy

West Sussex County Council has secured an additional £2.1 million from the Department for Education (DfE) towards building a new academy in Worthing.

The money is on top of an overall investment in the region of £30 million in schools in the town and brings the total budget for the new academy alone to £16.7 million.

Planning permission for the new school buildings was granted by the County Council earlier this month and the contractor is due to start building works in the next few weeks.

The new 900-pupil academy is being provided because of a need for more school places in the town and as part of a project which will see a change in the age at which children transfer to secondary schools.

County Council Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, Jeremy Hunt, said: “This is the first project of its kind nationally where the DfE has recognised the need to give additional funding to any local authority for the Targeted Basic Need allocation.

“We are pleased that the DfE has been willing to look at the very real need for extra funding and have acknowledged that our contractor’s design and proposals represent good value for money.”

The new school, which will be sponsored by Bohunt Education Trust, is due to open in September 2015 in Broadwater, Worthing.

Neil Strowger, Chief Executive of Bohunt Education Trust, said: “We have been working hard over the last few weeks to secure additional funding. It will be essential for the delivery of innovative and exceptional education to even more young people in Worthing.

“The grant will be directly invested in the school site, helping us to develop modern science laboratories with the very best equipment, and a state-of-the-art dance studio. This will ensure students have the best possible facilities so they can flourish. We are very much looking forward to welcoming our first intake in September next year.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .