Virtual information evening with Ian Livingstone for parents to learn about his new Bournemouth Livingstone Academy

Games Workshop co-founder Ian Livingstone CBE will be available to answer questions from parents about his new free school in Bournemouth on Monday September 7th.

The entrepreneur and author is hosting a virtual information evening for anyone interested in sending their children to the new Livingstone Academy which will officially open its doors in September 2021.

Full planning permission has now been granted for the new academy in the centre of Bournemouth.

Work will start in the coming weeks to redevelop the former police station and court buildings in Madeira and Strafford roads into a school which will hold 1,500 pupils.

It is expected to open in September 2021 with 150 Year 7 students and 60 reception pupils.

The curriculum of the academy will be rooted in science, technology, engineering, arts and maths (Steam).

The Livingstone Academy is the brainchild of Mr Livingstone who is best-known as the co-founder of Games Workshop, which became one of the world’s biggest games companies, and also as the former CEO and President of British publisher of Edios, which brought the world Lara Croft.

The school will open under the Aspirations Academies Trust and is inspired by the Next Gen Skills Review, an extensive report Mr Livingstone co-authored in 2011 to recommend how the Government could improve education in a way that better prepared children for an increasingly digital world. The report led to changes to the national curriculum back in 2014.

Steve and Paula Kenning, CEOs of Aspirations, will co-host the virtual meeting which will take place Monday September 7^th at 6pm.

Touching upon the ethos of the school and the importance of the information meeting, Mr Livingstone told the Bournemouth Echo: “In the post-Covid networked world, digital businesses will be vital to the growth of the UK economy. It is important that children are in the driver’s seat rather than the passenger seat of technology, to create as well as consume digital content.

‘’The Livingstone Academy will help equip children with the necessary skills for the digital maker generation. We are looking to meeting parents to explain and discuss our vision for the future.”

Steve & Paula Kenning said they were looking forward to answering questions from parents: ‘’With Livingstone Academy Bournemouth opening in September 2021 we are now about to embark on pupil recruitment for reception age and Year 7 age pupils in September 2021. There will be an online meeting on September 7^th. We are also now busily finalising the curriculum and we are working with a number of digital companies to ensure we are delivering the knowledge and skills required for success in the digital era.’’

The Livingstone Academy application will see the conversion of the magistrates’ court and Grade II-Listed coroner’s court buildings into a primary school and sixth form centre respectively.

Alongside this, the police station would be cleared to make way for a five-storey secondary school building and play areas. The school is expected to create 150 new jobs.

Aspirations Academies Trust currently runs 15 schools across the south of the country, including three in Bournemouth and four in Dorset.

Anyone interested in attending the virtual Livingstone Academy information meeting should email Maxhowick@aspirationsacademies.org.

ENDS