Jack Brereton, Member of Parliament for Stoke-on-Trent South, has urged the government to support Trentham Academy in their bid for funds through the School Rebuilding Programme.
The government’s School Rebuilding Programme carries out major refurbishment and rebuilding projects on schools, with buildings being prioritised based on their condition.
In total, 161 schools have been chosen in three separate rounds since 2021, the latest third set of 61 schools being announced in July 2022. A further round of successful schools is likely to be announced before the end of the year.
Trentham Academy in Stoke-on-Trent has identified numerous major issues with their building and have submitted a bid for the next round of schools. Jack Brereton MP has outlined his support to see Trentham Academy successful in their bid and recently asked in the House of Commons for the Secretary of State and the Schools Minister to Support the schools bid.
Thanks to recent efforts by both students and staff, Trentham Academy is a high performing school receiving a very good Ofsted report with several outstanding features. However, despite its recent success, urgent repairs and investment are needed on the academy’s building.
Jack Brereton MP has said:
“I have been working closely with Trentham Academy’s Headteacher, Mike Whittingham, who has shown me the issues that students and staff are facing on a daily basis. It is totally unfair to ask pupils to learn in an environment which is not fit for purpose and is in serious need of investment. I know that the current state of the building is also a great concern for staff at the school who want to give the best learning experience to their students.
My goal is to deliver the best possible education for all our young people in Stoke-on-Trent. I will continue to push for government support towards Trentham Academy and I can assure residents that I will not stop working to get the attention they need from government, until pupils and staff have the school they deserve.”
Mike Whittingham, Trentham Academy Headteacher, said:
"We very much want to deliver the improved school building which Trentham Academy needs and deserves. Our school is now one of the highest performing secondary schools in Stoke-on-Trent and we are incredibly proud of what our staff and pupils are achieving, however we desperately need to see the investment in the facilities of our school. We have been grateful of the support we have received from our local MP and Cllrs, and we are hopeful we will be successful in being included as part of the Government School Rebuilding Programme."
In response to Jack’s question in the House of Commons the Schools Minister, Nick Gibb said:
"Thanks to my hon. Friend, I am very aware of the serious issues affecting the condition of the Trentham Academy building, and as always he continues to make representations on behalf of the schools in his constituency. We plan to confirm further schools for the school rebuilding programme later this year."
Trentham Academy is the only Stoke-on-Trent secondary school not to benefit from much investment from the Building Schools for the Future Programme, the lowest of all schools in Stoke-on-Trent and was thankfully saved by the local community. Since then, the journey of significant improvement has seen the school become oversubscribe with a significant demand on places at Trentham Academy. The condition of the building remains a serious problem and Jack Brereton MP is supporting the school in calling on the Government to ensure Trentham Academy receives investment similar to that of other secondary schools in the city.
Jack has also visited Mike Whittingham at Trentham Academy to congratulate him on the academy's recent success winning Secondary School of the Year 2022 at the Education Today Awards.
Both Jack and Mike enjoyed the opportunity to talk about the successes of the academy, and the positive impact Mike's leadership has had to make it one of the best places for young people to learn and develop in Stoke-on-Trent.
