Local MP, Maria Miller, returned to Basingstoke’s newest school, The Austen Academy, one year after it first began admitting students.
Maria said: “I am delighted to come back to The Austen Academy, and meet with the Headteacher Liz Cooper, and Chair of Governors, Laura Preston, to discuss the progress being made at the school one year on from first opening its doors to students.
As a specialist provider for autism, we know the Austen Academy will be in high demand for places. It is important that the school is enabled to grow at the right pace, so as to ensure its children are fully supported and can flourish in this dedicated environment. I am grateful to Liz and Laura for speaking with me about their strategic growth plan and their vision for the school going forward.”
The Austen Academy is a new, purpose built Special Educational Needs (SEN) school, providing personalised academic and therapeutic programmes to learners from Year 1 to Year 11, whose needs cannot be met within a mainstream environment. It is a £10 million, Government funded project, delivered on time despite the pandemic, to support and improve specialist provision alongside mainstream education in Basingstoke. Although officially opened in October 2021, the school’s first pupils were admitted from April 2021. The Austen Academy has an agreed growth plan with the Department for Education as it expands to a full capacity of 128 pupils.
