Academy gets government approval

A new academy proposed for west Cumbria is to open a year early after being approved by the government.

The super-school will now open its doors in North Copeland in September 2008, Cumbria County Council revealed.

A spokesman said the early opening of the academy would help kick-start plans to regenerate the area.

The location of the super-school has yet to be decided, but Wyndham and Ehenside schools will close. The academy will have 1,150 pupils.

The plan was approved by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), Minister Andrew Adonis.

Supporters of the scheme include the county council, the University of Central Lancashire, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and Sellafield Ltd.

Positive step

Jim Gibson, capability director of Sellafield Ltd, said: "Everyone involved in the project is keen that the academy provides first-class educational opportunities for the young people of North Copeland and we are all focussed in achieving this."

Jim Buchanan, the county council's cabinet member for children's services, said: "There's a lot of work still to do and we will soon know where the new academy will finally be located.

"In the meantime, gaining academy status a year earlier means a new, innovative curriculum can be taught even earlier."

Janet Simpson, head teacher at both Wyndham and Ehenside Schools said the approval was a "positive step forward".