Enfield News
St Andrew the Apostle Greek Orthodox School bid to be submitted to Department for Education
2:20pm Wednesday 22nd February 2012
A group bidding to set up a Greek free school in Trent Park will submit its proposal to the Government this week.
Plans for the St Andrew the Apostle Greek Orthodox School are due to be handed to ministers for consideration today or tomorrow, with the Middlesex University campus in the park the preferred site.
The university is due to move all of its students to its Hendon campus at the end of the academic year, after plans to redevelop the Trent Park site were twice rejected by Enfield Council because of environmental concerns.
The bid has been backed by the Classical Education Trust (CET), the Russell Education Trust, Enfield Southgate MP David Burrowes and senior figures within the Greek Orthodox community.
CET chairman Yiannis Pareas said: “St Andrew the Apostle is based on the ethos and Christian beliefs of the Orthodox Church and is open to families of all faiths and none.
“We’ve been thrilled by the level of interest coming from parents in primary schools all over Barnet and Enfield who, like us, want another outstanding secondary school in this area.”
The group has also won the backing of leaders of the Campaign for Cat Hill, who are trying to stop another former Middlesex University site being turned into houses and apartments.
An application to open a school in the borough last year was rejected by the Government and organisers were told to iron out some problems and return with a fresh bid.
The new school would take in pupils aged 11 to 18 predominantly from Enfield and Barnet from September 2013, with up to 50 per cent being from a Greek Orthodox background, and pupils of other religions or no faith also accepted.
Free schools are schools run by groups of parents, teachers, charities, trusts, religious and voluntary groups.
They are set up as academies and funded directly by the Government.
The idea was a key platform of the Conservative manifesto during the build-up to the General Election, but academies have been criticised for being expensive and diverting funding from existing schools.