New Kidderminster Unity Academy set to open its doors

The £5.4 million Unity Academy will cater to 60 pupils aged four to 11 who have Social Emotional Mental Health (SEMH) needs.

Operated by The Rivers CofE Academy Trust, the school has eight classrooms, a large hall, and resource spaces.

Modular building expert Portakabin was appointed by the Department for Education to construct the academy on the former Sladen Middle School site.

Once open, the school will employ approximately 25 staff members and provide a much-needed educational resource for children with SEMH needs in the area.

Unity Academy will become the 16th school in The Rivers CofE Academy Trust family of schools.

The new school is set to open next month (Image: The Rivers CofE Academy Trust)

The school was also designed with environmental consciousness at its core, aligning with the Department for Education's guidelines and the trust's sustainability focus.

Russell Dalton, Operations Director at The Rivers CofE Academy Trust said: “Many of our schools already have solar panels, but not enough to cover energy consumption.

"We are currently working to reduce our electricity usage and become as energy efficient as can be, by installing LED lighting, new boilers and insulating roofs.

"Once we know the annual consumption for each school, we can then look to install enough solar panels to match the energy usage.”

Unity Academy will be officially opened on Tuesday, September 5 by International Education Consultant Barry Carpenter, who will be joined in attendance by members of Worcestershire Children’s First, headteachers from local Wyre Forest schools along with the Old Sladonians, ex-pupils of Sladen Middle School which previously occupied the site.