A NEW secondary school is set to open its doors in Basildon next year.

The Cordium School, which will cater for 11 to 16 year-olds, is the brainwave of Erica Barnett, headteacher of Briscoe Primary School, in Felmores End, Pitsea, and her deputies Rebecca McCutcheon and Lee Farris.

The Department for Education is processing the application and will then find a suitable site in the town.

The waiting list for the school, which will have 100 places, is already full.

Cordium will be part of the Hearts Academy Trust, which was set up in 2011 to enable the outstanding Wickford Church of England Infant School to support other local primaries, including Briscoe, Stambridge Primary School and Waterman Primary School, in Rochford.

Its teaching day will take place from 10am until 4.30pm, although free before and after schools clubs will be available.

Mrs Barnett said: “Children in Basildon deserve a good school.

This is about getting them the right qualifications and ultimatley getting them employed when they leave.

“Because it’s small, all of the teachers will know all of the children. It will be run much more like a primary school and we will concentrate on the key subjects. It’s about having high academic standards.”

The team behind Cordium are currently hosting information sessions at primary schools across the borough in a bid to spread the word and get support.

It is hoped the secondary, which will be made up of four form-style classes, will be up and running in time for September 2016.

The proposals come as primary schools in the town are improving, thanks to the Basildon Excellence Panel, a group of experts dedicated to improving local education.

Phil Turner, leader of Basildon Council, said: “This is not an initiative youwould enter into lightly, and I wish the team luck.

“If they keep the school small and focused then I think it will be successful. A lot of pupils thrive on that.

“We have done a lot of work on primary schools and there is now not one which requires special attention, when about a year ago we had eight. Our focus now is moving on to secondary schools.”

Drive to improve standards is working

THE Basildon Excellence Panel was set up at the beginning of 2014 to drive up standards at primary schools.

It was given £100,000 by Essex County Council to get on its feet, and started to get results within months.

Basildon schools have long turned in below-average results, but the panel aims to see all 18 primaries rated “good” or “outstanding”

by the summer of 2016.

Chairman Sir Mike Tomlinson, a former Ofsted head, leads a crack team of borough and county councillors, headteachers and business people.

Greensted Junior School, in Kirby Road, Basildon, Lincewood Primary School, in Berry Lane, Langdon Hills, and Kingswood Junior School, in Clayhill Road, Basildon, are among those which have been praised by Ofsted for rapidly improving.

The panel, which includes Patrick White, from Basildon Education Services Trust, has now started to look at secondary schools as well.

Mr White said the biggest challenge was encouraging pupils to continue their education in the town after leaving primary school.

He added: “Forty per cent of children leaving Basildon primary schools go on to secondaries outside of the town, for example inWickford, Billericay, or Castle Point.

“That figure is very high and we want to do what we can to keep pupils in the town.”