New secondary school being built on the edge of Northampton is now taking applications for next year

A brand new school being built in Northampton is now accepting applications for pupils wanting to join next year.

Northampton School, which is being built on land in Thorpeville, Moulton is taking application for students to join in September 2023.

The school for both boys and girls between the ages of 11 and 16 is being funded by the Government and run by Northampton School for Boys (NSB) Academy Trust, with no interference from the local authority, thus making it a 'free school'.

A Northampton School for Boys (NSB) Academy Trust spokesman said: "The new school will help meet the significant additional need in the area for secondary school places due to growth in the town's primary school population and to the extensive new housing being built in and around Northampton."

Northampton School headteacher designate, Matthew Edwards, said it is 'fantastic' news the plans are progressing.

Mr Edwards said: "It is fantastic that the Department for Education's plans are now sufficiently advanced for us to move to this stage so that we can finally share with the town's community the values, culture and ethos of the school. I know that parents and carers have been very keen to find out more about these aspects.

"The school will have linked specialisms in sport and the performing arts and students who are successful in gaining a place at Northampton School will automatically gain a place in the NSB sixth form, as long as the relevant sixth form academic entry criteria are met.''

Richard Bernard, headteacher of NSB, and CEO designate of The NSB Academy Trust said the new school will mirror the 'great success' NSB has had over the years.

Mr Bernard said: "The trust will ensure the core educational provision of Northampton School will support all students in maximising their academic and personal development in and out of the classroom, in the same way that NSB has consistently done with great success over many years.

"We will deliver a knowledge-rich curriculum that is rigorously academic and aspirational for all, regardless of background or need. We value the ambition of the English baccalaureate and believe that all students should have access to the best that has been thought and said so that they can be inspired by powerful knowledge of their subjects and the wider world."

The NSB Academy Trust is holding and information evening for students, parents, carers and other interested parties on Wednesday (December 14), which will be held at NSB in Billing Road - places can be booked through Eventbrite.

For more information, click here.

The Department for Education has been contacted for comment.

Background

Several sites were considered by the Department for Education but the 24-acre plot just off Thorpeville was deemed the most suitable.

Plans to build the school were approved by West Northamptonshire Council in February of this year despite 104 letters of objections to the plans and only 11 letters of support.

A WNC spokesman said: "Although there is conflict with the development plan with regards to the impact upon the highway network, the significant benefit of the school outweighs this harm. The benefits of the scheme justify granting permission."