8:24am Tuesday 7th September 2010
AN NHS-sponsored academy opened its doors to pupils yesterday.
The North Shore Health Academy replaces Blakeston School Community Sports College and Norton School Humanities College, in Stockton.
The academy will see students taught at the Blakeston campus, in Junction Road, Stockton, until the 1,050-place building, in Norton Road, opens in 2013.
Stockton College Consortium, involving Stockton Sixth Form College and Stockton Riverside College, is co-sponsor, along with Stockton Borough Council.
The NHS plans to invest £500,000 into the academy. It is the first time a primary care trust has been the lead sponsor of such an initiative.
It will have a health, wellbeing and sport theme, and will be the only school in Stockton to make physical education and health and social care a compulsory part of the curriculum up to the age of 16.
Principal Chris Coady said: “Everyone has worked very hard to get this up and running in time.
“Obviously we have had to patch up this Sixties building and we still have hopes of getting into a new building in 2013 but this has been a great start.
“We are confident we can make this work.”
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