Alfreton’s secondary school has started a new chapter in its long history with a new name, a new sponsor, a new Headteacher, a new uniform and a brand new school building under construction for 850 children.
The ‘David Nieper Educational Trust’ is one of Derbyshire’s most ambitious and innovative educational ventures and one of Britain’s few privately sponsored Academy Trusts.
Faced with the near extinction of British textile skills and its local school ranked amongst the weakest 2% of all British secondary schools, this 55 year-old family company decided to help.
David Nieper Ltd. is a family business, an International fashion brand and one of Alfreton’s largest and longest standing employers. It is one of very few fashion companies to remain loyal to British skills for over 5 decades and has never followed the trend in manufacturing overseas.
The vision of the Trust is to transform this failing secondary school, described by Ofsted as “woeful”. The Trust’s aim is to build a community school where local employers and educators work together. It will offer first class academic support and give children a privileged connection with local employers and a career enriched curriculum intended to lead to jobs, apprenticeships or a head-start in further education at college or University.
The new ‘David Nieper Academy’ opened this term but in January will move into a brand new £15M, state-of-the-art school building with capacity to accommodate 850 students with superb new facilities and equipment.
The newly appointed Headteacher Dr. Kathryn Hobbs, brings National experience from an extensive career in many excellent British schools. Dr. Hobbs commented:
“This is an exciting time to be joining the school; it is a brand new start with fantastic opportunities for both students and teaching staff. GCSE results for 2016 have already picked up and the mood amongst staff and children is excellent”
Christopher Nieper, Chair of Trustees and founder of the David Nieper Education Trust commented:
“Our company is hugely privileged to be sponsoring this school and its deserving children. Our aim is to create a good or outstanding school of which the community can be proud, and for the David Nieper Academy to be a National exemplar in employer school partnerships.”
ENDS
For further information contact
David Nieper Press Office
Lauraine Jordan 07904 257687
