St Michael’s Church of England Academy, a brand-new primary academy in Paignton which is part of the Learning Academy Partnership (LAP), has opened its doors to the first cohort of pupils.
After many years of meticulous planning and preparation, the academy has welcomed its first nursery and reception children into their early years’ classrooms. The academy’s early years provision is designed to promote confidence and independence with a focus on developing the children’s communication, language and early reading skills.
Throughout their first few weeks, the children have really enjoyed making new friends, being creative and reading stories together. The children have had the opportunity to explore the academy’s new facilities and discover the areas inside and outside.
The academy has already begun to build meaningful links with the local community including with their local churches. Both staff and pupils are looking forward to organising community projects and being able to fully explore the area.
As part of the academy’s commitment to building connections with their local community they have named the classes after beaches in the Paignton area; reception class is called ‘Elberry Cove’ while the nursery class is named ‘Fairy Cove’. The academy is also planning an exciting trip to visit the Fairy Cove in Paignton soon.
St Michael’s is the newest primary school within the Learning Academy Partnership, which now has ten primary schools and nurseries based in Devon. The Learning Academy Partnership is a high performing Trust of academies which provides an exceptional education to pupils across the South West.
Emma Bone, Director of Education at the Learning Academy Partnership, said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with the families, church and local community of Paignton. We believe that by working together we can create a truly exceptional academy which will not only be central in the local community but will also benefit from being part of our Learning Academy Partnership family.”
Tracey Cleverly, Trust Lead (CEO) for the Learning Academy Partnership, said: “The journey of the academy began in 2014 as an application on paper. To now see children and teachers flourishing in a wonderful environment is such a privilege. Our Trust is proud to be serving the community of Paignton and the future generation of children.”
Julie Edwards, Head of Academy at St Michael’s, said: “We are so proud to have opened our new academy in Paignton. It is such a wonderful opportunity to open a brand-new academy and build it year on year; the children and families who have joined us will be the ones who help shape the way it develops for future generations. Our vision is to provide a happy, loving and nurturing environment where all have the confidence to fulfil their hopes and aspirations. We believe our children’s future is created every day, and every moment counts.”