July 2021 - The Brian Clarke Church of England Academy

A message from Allison – July 2021

Posted on July 27, 2021September 24, 2021 by kev cooper

It’s been a busy end of term for the new Brian Clarke Academy which opens the doors to year 7 in September 2022.

I have spent the last few weeks of my days as Deputy at Blue Coat visiting local primary schools to tell them about Brian Clarke and its offer for the children of Oldham. It was really exciting to be able to share our mission and vision and meet some year 5s and answer their questions.

A huge thank you to all those primaries that welcomed me and spent time with me – Mayfield Primary school, Royton Hall Primary School, Whitegate End, St Thomas’s Werneth, St Paul’s Royton and St Hilda’s. I’m really looking forward to meeting more local primary Heads in September.

Thursday 15th July was also the very first virtual open event. Thankfully the technology worked and having over 150 parents turn up on one of the hottest days of the year was really impressive. I received lots of important questions about the new school which have now all been replied to. Again it felt wonderful to be able to finally share some of the detail of the plans including the ‘birth’ of Brian Clarke, the curriculum, a virtual tour of the building, the uniform and admissions process. If you did not get a chance to attend the virtual event, you can now watch the presentation online. Please visit tinyurl.com/3rvm72cc

Summer will be busy too – we have already begun receiving applications for Brian Clarke for those students that will be entering year 7 in September 2022. Like the virtual event, we have been really happy with just how many of you have already applied and the interest the school is receiving. We continue to be available to answer any questions you have about our new school.

As we enter the next exciting chapter with Brian Clarke Academy, we ask you to follow us and show your support on Facebook and Twitter. This is where you will receive all the latest news and video updates from the school. We have so much to look forward to and we can not wait to share it with you.

Planning permission Granted – it’s full steam ahead!

Posted on July 23, 2021July 23, 2021 by kev cooper

We are pleased and excited to announce that we have been granted planning permission for our new school building!

The proposal was passed unanimously at an extraordinary meeting of the Council’s planning committee held yesterday.

As a reminder, our new school will be situated on an easily accessible, town centre site on Booth Street, formally occupied by a Sainsbury’s supermarket (now demolished).

In its place will rise a unique, high quality, light, airy and well-designed building, rich with colour, that will inspire the whole school community and lift aspirations.

It is our ambition that the building will include an original and unique stained-glass window, designed and produced by our patron Brian Clarke. This will celebrate our vision and values, shining light into our pupils’ learning and out into the community.

By providing an additional 240 places per year, which are open to and easily accessible for young people over a wide geographic area served by the current public transport network, we will provide parents with a new and exceptional choice of school in a high-achieving Trust which has a long-standing heritage of providing education in the town for over 180 years.

We are so pleased that planning permission for our new school has been granted. We will be working hard over the coming months to realise our vision and ambition for our building, making a unique and exceptional learning environment for our future students
The Headteacher designate for the school – Allison Ash

You can view the design and site plans and download a copy of the full architect “design and access statement” by visiting the Our Building page here.

And you will be able to attend an Open Event in September – make sure you sign up to receive more information. Click here to receive updates!

The Brian Clarke CE Academy to start life at The Blue Coat School!

Posted on July 16, 2021July 23, 2021 by John Brennan

We are pleased to announce that the Department for Education is applying for planning permission to site new, temporary accommodation on the site of The Blue Coat School to ensure The Brian Clarke CE Academy will open on schedule for Year 7 in September 2022. A move to our permanent home will then take place in the spring of 2023.

The accommodation will include all the necessary classrooms, science laboratories and IT infrastructure that will be required for the short stay on the Egerton Road site. The modular construction will be comprised of brand new, purpose-built units, often used by schools as a permanent solution but in this case will only be on site and in use for a short period of time.

The headteacher designate of The Brian Clarke CE Academy Alison Ash said:

“As a current Deputy Head at The Blue Coat School, it will be a real “home away from home” for me when we open here in September 2022! We have taken the upmost care in the planning of the temporary site to ensure that Brian Clarke CE Academy students get a brilliant start to their school lives.”

Julie Hollis, CEO of the Cranmer Education Trust, to which both The Blue Coat School and The Brian Clarke CE Academy belong, said;

“The Brian Clarke CE Academy will get the best possible start at The Blue Coat School site. The two schools will be separate entities, each with their own staff and facilities with students sharing just the restaurant at Blue Coat, with staggered dining times. We know that the parents, students and staff at Blue Coat will warmly welcome their new Cranmer Education Trust neighbours!”

The temporary solution is required due to delays in the original new school approval process brought about by the Covid19 pandemic and has the full support of Oldham Council leadership, ensuring that the borough has the much needed 240 new school places on time.

Prospective students and parents can join Mrs Ash on a virtual open event at 6.30pm on 15^th July – just click here to find out how to book your place!