Consultation on a proposed expansion of Co-op Academy Delius
Dear Parents, Staff and wider community
Consultation on a proposed expansion of Co-op Academy Delius
Co-op Academy Delius and Co-op Academy Princeville schools submitted a proposal to Bradford Local Authority (LA) in the autumn term with a view to expanding the Published Admissions number (PAN) at Delius using part of Princeville’s building to do so. The LA support the proposal and now we are consulting with stakeholders.
Rationale
This proposal is motivated by the following factors:
1. As a trust, we are keen to work with the local authority to ensure pupils with SEND in Bradford have the best possible education. We understand that the city is facing increasing sufficiency challenges due to the growing number of pupils requiring specialist provision. We would like to be a part of the solution. Although investment will be needed to expand Delius, this will be far more cost effective than sending pupils out of the area. We believe that the expansion of Co-op Academy Delius is the best solution for us as a trust, the local authority and, most importantly, the children of Bradford.
2. Co-op Academy Delius is a high performing school. We were inspected in September 2023 (section 8, ungraded) and the school was judged to remain Good. We are confident that additional pupils would benefit from an excellent offer at Delius.
3. Increasing demand for places at Co-op Academy Delius has led to a high volume of tribunals for school leaders to respond to.Tribunals frequently result in the direction for leaders to take pupils with immediate effect, resulting in Delius having much higher numbers on role than PAN, which, in turn could compromise the educational offer. A planned expansion would provide increased places for pupils in an excellent primary specialist setting.
4. Co-op Academy Princeville once had three forms of entry. When the current school building was built, the number on roll was much bigger than it is now. This means that there is the potential to allocate space within the building to Co-op Academy Delius.
5. Co-op Academy Delius is already co-located on the site of Co-op Academy Princeville, 38 pupils are educated in what was previously a Children’s Centre. Delius already have senior leaders, a site team and administrators on site and are used to working across their BD3 and BD7 sites.
Proposal
It is Co-op Academies Trust’s proposal that for September 2025, due to the reduced roll at Co-op Academy Princeville there is an expansion of Co-op Academy Delius. We propose that, with refurbishment, Co-op Academy Delius would increase the pupil roll by an additional 40 pupils across 5 classrooms with additional space for provision/sensory spaces etc.
The proposal, if it went ahead, would see the Resource Provision currently housed at Co-op Academy Princeville close, to give Co-op Academy Delius room to expand their current provision. Co-op Delius are currently located within the school site of Co-op Academy Princeville and share facilities at the school. The proposal will see the Resourced Provision moved to a neighbouring school Lidget Green. As the local authority, staff and manage this provision, all staff will move over to the Lidget Green School to ensure continuity for the children.
Staggered start
To enable a smooth transition and necessary recruitment, we are proposing a staggered increase of pupil numbers resulting in an additional 40 pupils being on roll by Summer 2026.
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Today we held an opening day to introduce the exciting plans we have for the year ahead! 
Lower Primary - Minibeasts: Which minibeasts live in Bradford? 
Upper Primary - Habitats: Why do animals like to live in Bradford? 
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