14 Oct JACKIE DOYLE-PRICE OFFICIALLY OPENS HARRIS ACADEMY MAYFLOWER
Four years ago MP Jackie Doyle-Price asked Harris Academies to work with her to establish a new Primary Free School in Chafford Hundred, following years of school place shortages which had seen parents unable to get their child into a local school. The school bid was approved by the Government and is now in its third year of entry. Last week the MP officially opened the new school building. The launch was attended by Lord Harris of Peckham and featured a performance by the children.
The campaign for the new primary free school was launched by Jackie Doyle-Price in 2012 after 23 parents in Chafford failed to secure school places for their children.
Harris now run 41 schools in total. They run the two Chafford Academies as well as Mayflower.
The new Secondary school Riverside will open in sept 2017 in the Mayflower building before moving to brand new accommodation in Purfleet. It had been intended to build the new school at Fiddlers Reach but the land was bought by Procter and Gamble for the purposes of building the biomass plant. That has held up the school for two years. It is now down to the Council and Harris to make sure that the building is delivered on time.
Jackie said, “It now seems like a long time ago that there was a shortage of school places in Chafford. I am pleased to formally open this fantastic new building. All praise goes to Harris and the teaching staff for making a success of the school to date. I am very proud that I have brought Harris to the Borough and that they are now a firm feature of the educational establishment here in Thurrock. I am pleased that progress is being made with the new secondary school that was approved two years ago. The school will open next year at Mayflower whilst Harris work with Thurrock Council and the Education Funding Agency to complete the building by September 2019”.
