Deneia Primary Academy
Jonathan Culpin, CEO of Anglian Learning and Caroline Foster, Project Director at Urban&Civic
Trustees and leaders at Anglian Learning are delighted to be the sponsors for Deneia Primary Academy, a 630 place, 3 form entry academy. The academy will have extensive grounds and will serve as the heart of the community at Waterbeach New Town; a thriving, diverse community in a sustainable and well-connected location in Cambridgeshire. Provision of a nursery will be available on the site.
We are working with partners from Urban&Civic, Van Heyningen & Haward Architects, Cambridgeshire County Council, DfE and the constructors of the school, RG Carter. The school will be built as part of Urban&Civic’s Waterbeach development and, subject to successful final planning permission, will offer education for children from age four through to eleven.
Why Deneia Primary Academy? Deneia (De-ney-a) is one of the earliest forms of naming of Denny Abbey. The place-name “Denny” is first attested in Templar records of 1176 as Daneyar and Deneia. The proximity of Denny Abbey to the new school lends this identity and roots the academy in local history.
There has been careful consideration to the integration of the academy into the wider development, providing nearby woodland play areas and a car free zone, so the children can walk, cycle and scoot safely to school. It will also have a shared public square in front of the school for parents to meet and the community to come together. Making provision for new families is central to the aims of the Academy as it will seek to support and enhance social cohesion within a fledgling community.
Sustainability and efficiency are at the core of the design, minimising whole life carbon emissions and achieving a nearly net zero energy building. These focuses will ensure that the entire grounds are resilient in the face of climate change.
The triumphant eco-credentials will significantly influence our curriculum. For example, the extensive grounds, including mature woodland, pond and wildlife area will provide the opportunity for outdoor learning through our Forest School whilst the orchard, with heritage fruit trees, will provide pupils with the experience of growing their own food and will be incorporated in lessons on cookery and nutrition.
We are committed to establishing and maintaining a state of the art, purpose-built environment which will flex to meet the needs of 21C education. All pupils at Deneia Primary Academy will be able to enjoy and learn the competencies they need to be successful citizens. This is achieved through an innovative and balanced education which fulfils and extends the National Curriculum, focussing on core literacy and numeracy skills, enhanced by embedded learning in the creative arts; the curriculum will serve the needs of all learners. Our young people will learn the skills they need to progress on to the next stage of their education, and to become successful citizens to their community.
CGI’s of the proposed designs for Deneia Primary Academy
Initial curriculum planning will facilitate the establishment of Waterbeach New Town and the Deneia Primary Academy community. It will take as its focus ‘A Sense of Place’ over the first two years. Detail is under development and will focus on foundation subjects being taught with direct relevance to the Waterbeach New Town local area. For example: geography – relating to the unique environment of the Fens. A whole-school approach to key elements of this curriculum will also include events that involve parents, both in participation, such as through focussed science weeks linked to local STEM companies, and through showcase events.
Provision for each year group at the school will be created using linked classrooms and shared breakout spaces to facilitate flexible and creative approaches to learning. The academy has additional facilities to provide bespoke provision for children with special educational needs.
The classroom environment will provide pupils with stimulating and varied learning opportunities that engage and motivate them. Outside the classroom, pupils will feel safe, happy, and secure as they create and learn from the natural environment. Pupils will be inspired and supported to develop independence in their learning in all environments and learning scenarios.
As an Anglian Learning school, there will be a strong focus on the arts, due to the formal Memorandum of Understanding that the Trust has with Arts Council England and our commitment to embed arts and culture within all of our academies.
The development will be delivered in phases with each phase containing the facilities, amenities and services the new community needs – from homes and schools through to green space, play areas, sports facilities, shops, eateries and community spaces, all connected by an extensive network of footpaths and cycleways.
To register an interest please email enquiries@deneiaprimary.org
