THE new primary school planned for Soham will be overseen by a co-operative of local headteachers and schools, known as the Staploe Education Trust.

Cambridgeshire County Council this week received a letter from the Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove, giving his approval for Staploe Education Trust to sponsor the new primary school planned for north of the town.

The bid, which had been led by Soham Village College, was backed by the county council as well as several other schools around the south of the district, including St Andrew’s Primary School and Fordham Primary School.

In recent weeks, Kennett County Primary School converted to Academy Status and has added its name to the list of schools which have signed up to the trust.

Soham Village College principal, Dr Carin Taylor, who will lead the implementation team, said: “This school will play an important part in the creation of a new community in north Soham. We are determined that it will be a wonderful place for young people to learn and develop the confidence and skills that they will need for the rest of their lives.

“We will rely on our local primary colleagues for knowledge and expertise, and will make good use of bespoke primary consultancy where we need to. The village college will remain focused on its students and staff, and the drive for further improvement in teaching and learning, behaviour and achievement for all young people in our community will remain at the heart of all we do.”

With approval in place, the work can now begin to set up a temporary local governing body for the new Soham primary school, which, with thetTrust, will oversee all the key decisions.

Meetings with Cambridgeshire County Council in the next few weeks should determine the stages by which the new buildings can be opened and the staffing that will be required to open a pre-school and a reception class for September 2013.