School trust approved for new Houghton Regis secondary
Thursday, 1 October 2020
The Regional Schools Commissioner has approved Advantage Schools as the trust that will run the new secondary school to be built on the Kingsland campus in Houghton Regis.
After a strong round of applications, the multi-academy trust was our preferred choice of provider. The new school opens in September 2022, for 900 pupils aged 11 to 16 and 220 sixth-form students aged 16 to 18.
Advantage Schools currently operates two free schools in Bedfordshire:
- Bedford Free School, a secondary school which opened in Bedford in September 2012
- Elstow School, a primary school in Elstow, which was a founding member of Advantage Schools when it joined with Bedford Free School in April 2017
Councillor Sue Clark, our Executive Member for Families, Education and Children, said:
We are delighted that the Regional Schools Commissioner approved our recommendation for Advantage Schools to run the new secondary school in Houghton Regis.
This is an exciting time, as we continue working to deliver an excellent new and modern school for the children of Houghton Regis. We look forward to working with Advantage Schools to help young people in the area get the most out of their education.
Stuart Lock, CEO of Advantage Schools, said:
We are delighted to have been chosen to run this new school in Houghton Regis. During the process, we heard many families tell us they were eager for an excellent new local school, and that is what we are determined to deliver.
Our outstanding-rated secondary free school in Bedford provides a model for high expectations of conduct and achievement for all pupils. That is what the our executive team and the Advantage Schools trustees are determined to deliver. We can’t wait to get started.
We're currently conducting a planning consultation for the new secondary school, having submitted a planning application last week, while Advantage Schools will consult residents about the school’s governance before it opens in 2022.