The forecasts have shown that the school age population is rising and that there is a continuing need to increase the number of places in Worcester secondary schools.

In order to meet this increase, we have worked with existing schools in Worcester to use their surplus capacity and add new places to existing local schools. It is not possible to expand these schools indefinitely.

The school will open initially to Year 7 children and will grow over time as it will take a new cohort of Year 7 children each September.

The delivery of a new school in Worcester will ensure sufficient places across the City and ensure an element of surplus which will ensure:

• families have an element of choice and increase the likelihood that families receive one of their top two preferences
• all children who move into the City during the school year are offered provision within 20 days; and
• all children who want to access a place in their local community are able to do so, reducing school travel times

The delivery of a new school provides an opportunity to build on the existing ‘Good’ secondary school provision in Worcester and offers more choice of schools which is important to support our children and young people in achieving good attainment and realising their full potential.

The requirement for a new school and alternative options were considered by Cabinet in February 2021, for more information see Agenda and minutes.

The delivery of a new school will ensure children can access a secondary school place within their local community in a growing City. The need for a new secondary school in Worcester goes hand in hand with the approval of large housing developments around the City, and also improves choice and access for families.

A further 5,000 homes are planned as part of two major Worcester urban expansions. Based on historic developments, new housing tends to attract families with an average of approximately 20 secondary school age pupils per 100 dwellings.

A progress report on the delivery of the new Worcester City Secondary School was presented to Council Cabinet on 28 March 2024.

The report noted that opening the school in September 2026 can no longer be achieved.

Due to the overall significant financial pressures this major project needs to align with an overall affordable capital programme for Worcestershire and therefore there is a need to programme the project over a longer period. It was approved that the new secondary school be delivered for September 2028.

Read the Cabinet report in full 

A joint hybrid planning application has been submitted by Worcestershire County Council and specialist healthcare property developer Prime plc to continue progress of a new Worcester City Secondary School and new car parking facilities adjacent to Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

The application will also focus on the associated highway works in the form of a new access and exit road onto the A4440 Nunnery Way which will allow entry to, and exit from, the new car park and create the potential for a new blue light route for emergency vehicles to reach and leave the hospital. It will also include a new access road off Newtown Road to service the school specifically.

By pursuing a hybrid application for the school, the access roads and the multi-storey car park jointly it enables a more strategic, comprehensive approach and solution to traffic users of the hospital, school and local residents, whilst providing a biodiversity net gain on the site.

The planning reference for this application is 24/000020/REG3. To view and comment on the live application, please visit our planning portal.

There are currently no open engagement or consultations on the new secondary school for Worcester.

Public Engagement 11 May to 11 June 2021

This engagement marked the first opportunity to have a say about what is important in the delivery of a new secondary school.

A total of 595 responses were received and the results of this survey will allow the Council at the very earliest stage to ensure a new school will meet the needs of current residents, as well as communities for generations to come.

Download:

• Worcestershire Secondary School engagement results (PDF)

Public Consultation 29 November 2021 to 23 January 2022

Following feedback from the public engagement event, the Council sought views on the proposals for the new school. 

These include:

• pupil age range
• size of the school
• location
• values
• build principles

238 people responded to the consultation alongside 55 primary school children who took part in workshops with the results used to finalise the specification and guide future decision making in the delivery of the new school.

Download:

• Consultation Document (PDF)
• Background Information and School Specification (PDF)
• Consultation key results and findings (PDF)

Public Consultation 12 June to 12 July 2023

The Council hosted a public consultation event on Monday 12 June 2023 to provide more information and an opportunity to ask questions about plans for the new school. Views on the plans for the new school were also captured via an online survey.

60 people attended the public consultation event and 267 responses were received to the online survey.

Download: Public consultation information on new secondary school for Worcester (PDF)

Stage one: establishing the need for a new school - completed February 2021

Stage two: engagement with stakeholders and residents – May to June 2021, completed

Stage three: consideration of site - November 2021, completed

Stage four: consultation on site and school specification - December 2021 to January 2022, completed

Stage five: academy sponsor competition - March to May 2022, completed

Stage six: planning application submission. Application went live on 3 October 2024

Stage seven: construction commences. Enabling works begin in April 2025 with construction of the school to begin in February 2027

Stage eight: academy pre-opening phase and consultation. I’m not sure on the new timeline for this one, will update again once known

Stage nine: school opens - September 2028

Following a rigorous selection process, the multi-academy trust Oasis Community Learning was confirmed by the Department for Education in November 2022 as the preferred sponsor for the new Worcester City Secondary School.

Oasis Community Learning is a multi-academy trust with 52 academies across the country including 18 secondary schools and Oasis Academy Warndon, a Worcester primary school, rated by Ofsted as an 'Outstanding’ school in 2022.

The Trust has local understanding and knowledge in addition to offering a broad curriculum and range of support for children and young people and their families. Oasis have demonstrated their ability to achieve positive outcomes for pupils and equip them for further education, training and employment. 

For more information about Oasis Community Learning.

For all enquiries about Oasis Community Learning please email: Education.enquiries@oasisuk.org

Frequently asked questions about the new secondary school in Worcester.