Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet is set to consider a report that will set in motion the development of a new girls’ secondary school in Toxteth, as well as identifying new community facilities for the African Caribbean community.
The report, that will be discussed at next week’s cabinet, Tuesday 25 February, is asking that five council-owned parcels of land be made available for the Eden Girls’ Leadership Academy which is part of the Star Academies Multi-Academy Trust (MAT).
Three parcels of land, bordered by Upper Parliament Street, Mulgrave Street and Selborne Street, are currently occupied by the much-loved African Caribbean Centre, and the report further recommends that new facilities are developed to support the community.
Discussions have already been held with the centre’s leaders and consultation will begin to determine how the community’s needs will be met and where the new facilities will be located, either on the existing site or nearby.
A further plot is leased to Liverpool Women’s Hospital as an overflow car park with the final plot currently standing vacant.
Liverpool faces significant pressure to increase the number of secondary school places and Eden Girls’ Leadership Academy will eventually bring a further 600 places to Liverpool.
The school will have a Muslim faith designation, with potentially up to half of its pupils being Muslim, whilst pupils of all other faiths and none will also be welcomed into the school.
The school was approved under the Department for Education’s Free Schools programme and Liverpool City Council is required to find a suitable site.
Cllr Nick Small, Cabinet Member for Growth and Economy, said: “Finding sites for new schools in Liverpool has been very difficult. Not only does a set of criteria set out by the Department for Education have to be met, we also need to find sites which support safe travel to school, and accessible to communities where the demand is highest. Star Academies MAT has a proven track record of providing high performing schools and we look forward to welcoming them to the city.”
Cllr Lila Bennett, Cabinet Member for Employment, Educational Attainment and Skills, said: “In our meetings with the African Caribbean Centre’s leaders, we have reinforced our commitment to providing improved modern facilities which meet the community’s needs.
“The current centre has provided vital support in the heart of Toxteth, and we want to ensure that support can be provided for many decades to come. We will now step up our engagement with the community to ensure we co-design new facilities to meet the local need.”
