A NEW academy will provide a fresh start and a Christian education for families living around Shanklin.

The chairman of governors at Shanklin C of E Primary, Cllr Richard Priest, with (left to right) Steph Douglas-Robson and her son Ellis, Francesca Janzemin and her daughter Miguel Bray, and Shirley Barry and her daughter Kacey.

Shanklin C of E Primary School is set to close this summer and re-open in September as St Blasius C of E Primary Academy. It will take its new name from the local parish church, and teach 200 pupils aged between four and 11 years old.

It will also have new uniforms and a new logo, as well as some small improvements to the school building.
 
The academy is also seeking a new principal. Until that person is appointed, Sandra Matthews, from the “outstanding” Milford on Sea C of E Primary School in Lymington, will be executive headteacher. She will be at the school two days a week from September.
 
The academy’s ethos will be rooted in the Christian faith, teaching the importance of love, respect and forgiveness. It will urge pupils to play a full part in the local community, and it will try to fulfil the God-given potential of all its pupils, of all faiths or none.

It will be run by the Multi-Academy Trust set up by the education team serving Portsmouth and Winchester dioceses, and will have strong links with St Blasius Church. It will retain the school’s current admissions policy.

The government has now given the trust the green light to open the new academy. This means that from September, it will no longer be run by the Isle of Wight Council. Academy status gives it the chance to be more flexible in many areas.

It will be the third academy run by the trust, which also sponsors St Columba C of E Primary Academy in Fareham. Since it opened almost a year ago, there have been improvements in attainment in Years 5 and 6, and in teaching standards across the school.
 
The new St Blasius Academy will be linked to Bransgore C of E Primary Academy in the New Forest, which Ofsted also deemed to be “outstanding”. The headteacher at Bransgore will support the academy, and provide mentoring and coaching for classroom teachers.
 
The chair of governors at Shanklin C of E Primary, Cllr Richard Priest, said: “This is a chance for the school to make a new start in a way that has worked in other places.  We want to use this opportunity to improve the quality of teaching, improve attainment and provide the best education for our pupils.”
 
“We value the Christian ethos of the current school and would like to see that strengthen. Being run by the local Church of England dioceses and strengthening links with the local parish church makes that possible. Parents can see their children educated in an environment firmly grounded in Christian principles, and there will be regular special services at St Blasius Church.”
 
The priest-in-charge of St Blasius Church, the Rev Victor Standing, said: “I’m delighted that the new academy is taking its name from the church. That really symbolises the new links between church and school.”
 
And Francesca Janzemin, whose daughter Miguel Bray attends the school, said: “I think it’s a good idea to make it an academy. It’s good that teachers who may be struggling are given some help to push the school in the right direction.”
 
The new academy will embrace a slightly different curriculum – the International Primary Curriculum – which is used in Bransgore Academy. The aim is that every student who experiences the new curriculum should exceed national averages in English and maths by the time they leave the school.
 
Details of what children are studying will be given to parents at the start of each unit, and parents and carers will be told what they can do help children at home with their learning.
 
For more details and answers to some frequently-asked questions, please see: www.theproposedshanklinacademy.org.