Plans unveiled for giant free school in city centre

The Leeds Academy would be located in the “city centre south” with around 1,500 students aged three to 19.

If approved, the project is expected to be a catalyst for the regeneration of the area.

The plans have been drawn up by Leeds Sustainable Development Group (LSDG), in partnership with the Gorse Academies Trust which oversees the Morley and Farnley Academies in Leeds.

The scheme, which would include a post-16 centre of excellence in maths and applied maths in partnership with a local university, will be submitted to the Department for Education next month for approval, with the aim of opening in 2014.

LSDG co-ordinator David Lumb said: “There is already a shortage of school places in Leeds and by providing a new, centrally located, outstanding school, our aim is to kickstart development which will entice families to move back to this highly accessible area and encourage young families and city dwellers in their twenties and thirties to remain within the urban core.”