Plans for a new two-form entry primary school and a 52-place nursery on the eastern fringe of Cambridge have received final planning consent. Marleigh Primary Academy will be a vital component of the new Marleigh development on Newmarket Road built by partners Marshall and Hill. The school will have capacity for up to 420 primary and nursery aged children and is part of Anglian Learning, a multi-academy educational trust.

Cambridgeshire County Council unanimously approved the plans for the state-of-the-art premises for Marleigh Primary Academy. Offering education for children from age three through to eleven, it is scheduled to open to children across all year groups from September 2022.

The school will have a particular teaching focus on STEM subjects – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – reflecting Cambridge’s excellence in these areas. Anglian Learning has been involved in this project since the outset working with the designers, architects RH Partnerships and constructors Morgan Sindall. The layout provides generous interior space with two classrooms for each year group set around a shared learning area. It will also have extensive facilities for sports and outdoor learning including a multi sports all-weather pitch, as well as green spaces, a vegetable garden and a woodland area for outdoor learning provision. The innovative curriculum will include a focus on arts subjects to support children’s cognitive skills and excitement in learning as well as improving their achievements. Anglian Learning has a formal Memorandum of Understanding with Arts Council England demonstrating their commitment and ambition to embed arts and culture across all of their academies.

02 Aerial View from Morley Street Dec 2020.jpg

Jonathan Culpin, CEO of Anglian Learning said:” The overarching aim of Anglian Learning is to ensure the best possible educational outcomes and experiences for all of our pupils, their families and their communities through innovative and outward facing schools.  We will meet this aim by providing a high-quality learning environment and our curriculum will open up exciting new opportunities for pupils.  We are looking forward to Marleigh Primary Academy joining our Trust family.”    

Marleigh Primary Academy will be the fourteenth school to join Anglian Learning. Formed in 2016 of four secondary schools, the trust has grown successfully and now operates six secondary schools and eight primary schools across Cambridge, Suffolk and Essex. The new school will have a governing body comprising members of Anglian Learning, members of the local community and parents.

Prue Rayner, Director of Primary Education of Anglian Leaning said: “We are delighted to get the go ahead to bring the wonderful plans for the Marleigh Primary Academy to life. The new school and nursery will offer an outstanding environment both indoors and outdoors to excite and engage children in their learning. We are hoping to offer a vertical entry system so that on opening, children of all ages from the Marleigh community will be able to join the school. We look forward to working collaboratively with other community organisations to create a new, vibrant and successful community. We will ensure facilities within the school are available for a range of uses and occasions. We look forward to welcoming families, and wider community members to our school and we invite anyone interested in finding out more to get in touch.”

Andy Hill of Hill Marshall LLP said: “Marleigh Primary Academy has been carefully designed to offer children an inspiring and fun setting from early years all through their primary years. It will become the heart of the new Marleigh community being brought to Cambridge by Marshall and Hill, both for families and users of the new facilities it offers. We are looking forward to the school opening in autumn next year.”

03 Aerial View across Market Square Dec 2020.jpg

The new primary school and nursery will be at the heart of the Marleigh neighbourhood, where 1,300 new homes are under construction. The properties come in a range of designs from one to five-bedrooms to suit a range of residents and lifestyles. The new community is carefully designed to fit seamlessly as an extension to Cambridge while retaining its own unique identity. In addition to the school and homes, a wide range of new amenities including outdoor spaces, parks, playgrounds, cycle and walking routes will make this a place where families will flourish. 

To find out more about the Marleigh Primary Academy, please visit: https://anglianlearning.org/ and to register interest in places at the school, get in touch via enquiries@anglianlearning.org