All of you living in the local area will have seen development of homes on the rise, but it is important that alongside those homes, infrastructure is also put in place to support residents living in and near to the development.
That's why I was so pleased to attend the opening of Anker Valley Primary Academy, the first newly built primary school in Tamworth for over 40 years!
The academy on Brooklime Way was built as part of the new housing developments off Chestnut Walk, Oaklands and Barley Fields. I was pleased to be invited for the ribbon cutting, to hand out commemorative awards and see the new pupils.
The new headteacher Natalie Horlor was keen to thank all involved with the new build and hard work behind the scenes which made opening the school possible. She reminded all of the Eleanor Roosevelt line "the future belongs to those who believe in their dreams." I had the opportunity to look around the school. You get a sense of spaciousness and light which I think make it a much more inviting place to learn and work but also play. There is a lot of space outside as well, this is not a small footprint.
The school is one of many ran by the Fierte Academy Trust, I think it is a really good addition to the town and I hope the kids here really enjoy their opportunities. The important thing is that the school has been built early in the cycle of new developments because people are always concerned about significant new development on their doorstep, everybody understands that, but if good new infrastructure, GP surgeries, play areas or in this case a brand new state of the art primary school, is provided right up front people get bang for their buck.
I really enjoyed coming here. It is always great to interact with our future generation. They obviously love their new school and making new friends and this is a great facility for them. We have probably got a few entrepreneurs, sports personalities and, dare I say, MPs of the future!
If you live locally and want to learn more about the school visit https://www.ankervalley.org/