Cabinet set to approve academy trusts for two new Suffolk primary schools

The schools, which are both due to open in 2028, will be built at the North Felixstowe Garden Neighbourhood and the Brightwell Lakes development on the eastern edge of Ipswich. Together, they will provide hundreds of new school places for families moving into the developments.

Cabinet members will be asked to approve recommendations to appoint Unity Schools Partnership as the preferred academy trust to run the new primary school in North Felixstowe, and Children’s Endeavour Trust as the preferred trust to run the new school at Brightwell Lakes.

The recommendations follow a competitive process to identify academy trusts with the experience and capacity to establish and run the new schools. Eleven applications were received, with three trusts shortlisted and interviewed in July 2025 by a panel of council officers and local councillors.

Subject to Cabinet approval, the council will submit its recommendations to the Secretary of State for Education, who will make the final decision through the Department for Education’s Regional Director.

The Brightwell Lakes primary school will be a two-form entry school, providing up to 420 places, including early years provision, with the ability to expand as the development grows.

The North Felixstowe school will initially be a one-form entry school, providing up to 210 places, also including early years provision, and is expected to be the first of two primary schools planned for the wider garden neighbourhood in Trelawny Place.

Cllr Andrew Reid, Cabinet Member for Education and SEND at Suffolk County Council, said:

“We were pleased at the level of interest we received for these two new Suffolk schools and the high number of applications to run them.

“We hope that the appointment of academy trusts at this stage will allow them to be involved in the final phases of school design and operational planning, helping to ensure the schools are ready to open on time and deliver high-quality education from the outset.”

Both schools will be designed to be carbon neutral, with strong walking and cycling links to nearby homes, outdoor sports facilities, and will offer use of facilities to the community. Locating schools within the new developments will help families access education locally while reducing the need for additional home-to-school transport.