ACE School A New All Through School

ANDREW Simpson is very clear about the need for a change in school provision in Arundel. ‘Basically our children have to travel to secondary schools wherever they live. The nursery provision currently is excellent but not enough and I started to think about an ‘all through school’ that goes from nursery right through to 19. There are only 110 such state schools in the country and 230 private schools.’

Andrew has been at ACE for 16 years now and has seen at first hand how children have to leave Arundel and their friends and travel to go to secondary schools. ‘As a town we lose those children and they lose their sense of home. They spend a lot of time travelling and it’s not good from a green, educational or welfare perspective’. He believes that ‘this massive space we have here could be used so much better not just for an all-through school but also for adult education and recreational facilities.’

Through schools are proven in research to eliminate the dip that is found as children go between years 6 and 7. Unfamiliar surroundings and different routines unsettle children at that stage. A real advantage of all through schools is also the ability to have subject specialists teaching all the children throughout the school. ‘Facilities would also be improved because all levels could use sports and other facilities such as a gym and an all- weather pitch. They could also benefit everyone locally and would bring the town together. As well as a place for learning the curriculum, the school could become the hub for local sports teams, for learning and socialising.’

He continues: ‘There is clearly a need here if you just look at the number of children who have to travel to school by car and train. This increases the carbon footprint all the time too. There would need to be a consultation involving all the town and the local and regional councils. Both ACE and St Philip’s are Local Authority funded schools but the new school could either be a voluntary aided school or an academy backed by the government. There are quite a lot of big steps to be taken and it isn’t a quick win – it would be producing a school which is owned by the community. ACE was originally set up for the benefit of the town and this school would be the same – a real community centred school. It would be an education hub for the whole community. It could benefit many organisations in town – the churches’ choirs, the sporting centres like the Lido – would be able to come together at the school.’

It needs a champion who can see the broader benefits and take Andrew’s dream and make it work. He certainly has the backing of his current governors. He doesn’t envisage it becoming an enormous school – ACE is 210 now and at maximum capacity and ‘I’m thinking about just two classes at each level.’

Andy Mott, a retired GP and Governor, is very positive. ‘Some time ago, when Andrew and I were thinking strategically about ACE’s place in the wider community, we formulated the vision of an Arundel Community School, based on the current ACE site. Our children’s educational future was uppermost in our minds, born of the difficulty many were finding in securing a place at the secondary school of their first choice. Such a school based in Arundel and sharing the distinctive Christian ethos of both primary schools, would be a great gift, not just to Arundel children, but also to those of the surrounding neighbourhood (set to enlarge with planned development) and the wider community. Add to this a nursery, and the vision of one track, high quality education experienced in a distinctive environment, on Arundel’s doorstep, is complete and exciting.’

The idea is right in line with government policy to Build Back Better, Build Back Greener, Build Back Faster policy and also ticks all the emissions reduction boxes. Two of the children at ACE – Isaac and Chloe Searle- produced an impressive PowerPoint presentation of how this could all be achieved even down to architectural ideas of how the school would look. It is worth seeing on YouTube – just enter ‘ACE School Arundel’ into the search bar and watch the two films. Part 1 is about how to save our planet by people cycling, walking and scootering. Then the idea is to expand to include a Secondary school to improve education for Arundel. This would enable children to complete their education in Arundel without the need to transport hundreds of children to other towns with the resulting environmental damage. It also gives some ideas of what an expanded, environmentally friendly school could look like. Part 2 explains how to achieve this.

This dream has no chance of happening unless people get behind it believing it would be good for the town. What do you think? Could you help? If you have a view on this, please share it with The Bell and we will publish your letters. If you would like to get involved in the project, contact Andrew direct at reception@arundel.w-sussex.sch.uk