As students and staff settle back into school life after the summer, Wellspring Academy Trust has reached a significant milestone in its growth trajectory thanks to two new schools joining its community.
The addition of Parkside School, a mainstream secondary based in Bradford, and Trent View College, a new 60-place post 16 special school in Scunthorpe which opened to students this week, has meant that Wellspring has reached – and surpassed – the key marker of 30 schools. There are now 31 schools that make up the Wellspring school community, ranging from mainstream primaries and secondaries to SEND and AP settings. Its schools span eight local authorities and cover Yorkshire and Humberside, and Lincolnshire.
Mark Wilson, CEO at Wellspring said: “There is something significant about reaching the number 30 and this is a very proud moment for everyone involved in Wellspring. Growing to a community of 31 schools is clear testimony to our approach and the support we offer all our schools.
“Parkside joining Wellspring is an incredibly exciting development. It becomes our second mainstream secondary school, after Beacon Academy in Cleethorpes, and our largest school by pupil numbers so far. Trent View College is our sixth free school to be completed and is a superb showcase of what can be achieved with smart thinking and a commitment to delivering the very best learning environments for all pupils.
“With two new free schools in progress and more schools than ever expressing interest in joining Wellspring, we are looking forward to making a difference for more and more children and young people and their communities. Wellspring is clear about its approach – long term strategic thinking and careful financial management alongside an unwavering focus on compassion, inclusivity and empathy and creative, engaging curricula. That approach is proving highly appealing to many in the education sector.”
Wellspring Academy Trust was founded in 2012 and has gone from strength to strength since then. Whilst supported by Wellspring, 22 schools have been inspected by Ofsted and 11 have improved in grade, with seven moving from Inadequate to Good or Outstanding and four moving to Good from Requires Improvement.
Image used with kind permission from Gleeds, 2023
