I am delighted to write as Principal Designate for Great Park Academy and would like to thank you if you have applied for a place, for your child at this school, for September. The Gosforth Group is determined to secure the best possible learning experiences and outcomes for all children and, with the passage of time, I am confident that you will be sure that you have made the right choice of school.
This is the first of a number of communications from me with a short update regarding the progress we have made towards the opening of Great Park Academy. As you will be aware, the accommodation for September 2021 is built and ready and provides a safe, modern and comfortable learning environment, for your children, on the Gosforth Academy site. In time, we will move to our new, purpose-built school at Great Park and I am pleased to inform you that planning and preparation for this building is well underway. We are extremely close to finalising a Funding Agreement with the Secretary of State for Education, and once completed, we will be in a position to advertise for staff for Great Park Academy. We are hoping to begin this process in March and, by the end of May, will have a team of committed and talented staff ready to welcome children in September.
I am sure that you will have many questions relating to procedures, protocols and systems and, in order to answer these questions, I will be updating you, regularly, once September places have been confirmed. I will be working closely with local schools, in the coming months, to ensure a smooth transition process for children coming to Great Park Academy. This year, the pandemic may impose some constraints on traditional transition processes but we already have plans in place to overcome these possible issues.
I am honoured and privileged to have been appointed to the position of Great Park Principal Designate and I look forward to working closely with you, and your children, in the near future.