Council provide update on new Liverpool secondary school hit by delays
Liverpool City Council’s planning committee has approved the use of purpose-built temporary classrooms to enable the opening of the new King’s Leadership Academy site in Wavertree.
King's Leadership Academy Wavertree opened with its first cohort of 210 year 7 students in September, and will eventually provide 1050 places for students aged 11 to 16.
The institution is the fifth secondary school in the Great Schools Trust, alongside the likes of King’s Leadership Academy Liverpool and King’s Leadership Academy Hawthornes.
It was initially earmarked to open in September 2024 but was delayed due to funding issues and issues securing planning permission. The Department for Education officially signed a funding agreement with The Great Schools Trust earlier this year.
The temporary classrooms are modern, constructed to a high standard, and fully equipped to support teaching and learning from day one. These temporary facilities will be used while longer-term arrangements are progressed and will provide immediate capacity and high-quality accommodation for pupils and staff.
Long-term plans, still to be confirmed, are for a permanent school building to be delivered on land currently occupied by unused office blocks, with the temporary buildings remaining in place only until the permanent campus is completed.
The council is set to deliver targeted highway and junction improvements near the site to upgrade a nearby road junction and improve pedestrian and vehicle access to the school. It says this will ensure safe and efficient access for pupils, staff, and the local community,
Cllr Nick Small, Cabinet Member for Growth and Economy, said: “There has been a need to increase school places in this area of the city, so getting the King’s Leadership Academy established in Wavertree is really important.
“Obviously, the long-term key is getting the permanent school buildings onto the site.
“We will continue to work closely with the Department for Education, the Great Schools Trust, and local partners to oversee and progress planning for the permanent building, and coordinate the necessary public realm and highway works to integrate the school into the Wavertree neighbourhood.”