Member Article

Double celebration for new Calderdale college as students flock to sign up

A new college in Halifax has been given the go ahead to open next month and has also clinched a prestigious award.

The Maltings College in Fountain Head Village has been given Government-backing to open its doors on Monday September 2nd following approval from Michael Gove MP, Secretary of State for Education, and having received its formal funding agreement.

In addition, the college has already been presented with an award for its entrepreneurial methods of encouraging links between young people and local businesses. The award comes weeks before the college has even opened and was presented by the Independent Academies Association.

The Maltings is part of a family of schools, the Inspired Learning Trust Academy which was established by Hipperholme and Lightcliffe High School (HLHS), and has taken over the site of the former Fountain Head Brewery which was once home to Webster’s beers.

The college is a completely new concept for the area and is one of over 100 free schools across the country which were given the go-ahead by the Government last year.

Anthony Smith, executive head of HLHS and The Maltings College, said: “We are thrilled to have won such a prestigious award. We have put a lot of hard work into getting The Maltings College off the ground but this award proves we are on the right track and we can’t wait to open our doors in September. We are over capacity on numbers so know students are crying out for employer led courses that model the modern workplace.”

The Maltings will offer industry-led vocational courses for 16 to 19 year olds to prepare them for work in local business such as Saks Hair and Beauty, Dews Motor Group, Hays Recruitment and The Cooking School at Dean Clough, all of which are already working with the college.

Julian Dowson, The Maltings College acting principle, added: “We are thrilled the Secretary of State for Education is backing us and believes in our abilities. We are also over the moon that we are already full for our opening next month.”

As a free school, The Maltings College can set its own curriculum, teaching hours and term times as well as managing its own budget.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Anna Addison .