Edgar Wood Academy confirmed to open September 2021 at temporary Hopwood Hall site

Marcin Kojder, Headteacher, Edgar Wood Academy and Richard Ronksley, CEO of Altus Education Partnership

Middleton’s new forthcoming high school, Edgar Wood Academy, will open to students in September 2021 at a temporary site at Hopwood Hall’s Middleton campus.

The planning permission for both the temporary site at Hopwood Hall, Middleton campus, and the permanent site have been approved and the contractors will shortly be breaking ground and starting work.
 

Read more: Temporary classrooms to be built on Middleton's greenbelt "due to significant and immediate need" for school placesPublished: 15 April 2021

The funding agreement for Edgar Wood Academy has been signed by the Secretary of State for Education, marking significant progress in the pre-opening phase of the academy secondary school.

Marcin Kojder, Headteacher of Edgar Wood Academy, said: “The confirmation of the funding agreement and planning permission for both the temporary and permanent site is fantastic news.

“The team and I are focused on ensuring that every child who will form part of our first year 7 feels supported in their transition to secondary school and will become ambassadors for future year groups.

“We are committed to ensuring that the opening of Edgar Wood Academy in September 2021 is smooth, and above all, successful.”

The new Edgar Wood Academy will be an 11-16 state-funded secondary school operated by Altus Education partnership, which is also responsible for Rochdale Sixth Form College.

It will open in temporary accommodation in September 2021 at Hopwood Hall College's Middleton campus, once building works are complete the new, permanent school will open in September 2022 and will provide 900 places when it is at full capacity.

The permanent site will be a new modern building with state-of-the-art facilities, located on land at Bowlee, accessed off Heywood Old Road.
 

Read more: Plans for new 900-place secondary school in Middleton given the green lightPublished: 14 October 2020

Richard Ronksley, Altus Education Partnership CEO, said: “Altus Education Partnership is committed to inspiring the young people of Rochdale.

“The opening of Edgar Wood Academy this September marks a significant moment in the history of the Altus Education Partnership as we continue to shape an educational model that will raise and help realise the aspirations of our students, and as demonstrated at Rochdale Sixth Form College, deliver first-rate results whilst instilling a love of learning.”