Councillor Martin Potter was invited to have a first look around the new Leigh Academy in Rainham alongside the Trust CEO, leadership and the new Principal Ms Millward. The brand new facility provides the much needed additional local school places for this September and the building is on track to be finalised in July ahead of the new school year.
The sports hall and main hall have been designed with community use in mind. This means that visitors can access to these two areas without disturbing the rest of the school building. The vast open area, which hosts the canteen, will be a central social area for the school community.
Eco-status is of high importance to the school and the design has taken account of this at every opportunity. The field/pitches are currently undergoing work to return a majority of the site to green space, there are solar panels on the roof of the school which will be the source of energy in the building and a vast majority of children attending the school will live in the immediate area (due to oversubscription distance criteria), therefore this will make it easy to encourage pupils and teachers to walk and cycle to and from school.
The school aims to be a key part of the local community and a place where children feel happy and inspired to fulfil their potential. Councillor Potter is looking forward to visiting the new schools planned for elsewhere in Medway which represent significant investment in local education.
