“Throughout the planning process for Waterside Primary Academy, the Trust has been in regular contact with the Department for Education (DfE) and Nottingham City Council. In recent conversations, it has become apparent that, with surplus primary places in the area there is not sufficient demand for this school to fulfil the rigorous criteria for meeting place planning needs and that the DfE would not, therefore, put in place a funding agreement to open the school. As a result, the Trust made the difficult decision to reluctantly withdraw as the prospective operator of the school.

“As a Trust, we are dedicated to supporting our communities and we will continue to work closely alongside local partners to uphold this commitment. This includes recommending an alternate use for the site which will benefit the educational landscape of the area and we will be sharing more details of this proposal in due course.”