First pupils start at Marine Academy Primary

Marine Academy Primary (MAP2), a primary free school set up by the Marine Academy Trust, will open its doors for the first time this week.

Headed up by Aaron Meredith from Ernesettle Primary school, MAP2 was first proposed in December 2011 with the core aims to provide much needed places and to raise achievement, especially in English and Maths, and raise aspirations amongst its community, inspiring pupils to fulfil their potential.

The Trust also wanted to create an all-through school for Plymouth. This means that children can start at MAP’s Shining Stars nursery as babies, then onto MAP2 at Reception age and then move through to Marine Academy Plymouth (MAP) and the Academy’s 6th Form, creating a 0 to 19-years+ school.

Mr Meredith said; “We’ve been working hard over the summer to get everything ready for our new arrivals, and I must say that I am absolutely delighted with the progress we’ve made.

“We have staggered our pupils’ arrival from the 4th through to the 11th of September when all pupils will be in and ready to go.

“MAP2 will make a huge difference to this area, its such an opportunity. We have a huge amount of support from our community and sponsors and we have created an exciting an innovative curriculum.

“The MAP2 curriculum is broken down into four main stages. These stages reflect the key stages of the National Curriculum and encompass the marine theme as an organising principle.

“Plymouth's past and present is intimately connected with the sea and has been the departure for some of history's greatest adventures, the sailing of the Mayflower and founding of the New World, Sir Francis Drake's defeat of the Spanish Armada and Captain Cook's search round unmapped territory.

“We are using the pupils’ own heritage and the enterprising themes of exploration and discovery as a basis for curriculum innovation.”

MAP2’s Key Stages are known as the following -

Creators - Foundation Stage (Reception)
Discoverers – Key Stage 1 (Y1 and Y2)
Explorers - Lower Key Stage 2 (Y3 and Y4)
Pioneers - Upper Key Stage 2 (Y5 and Y6)

Nick Ward, principal of Marine Academy said: “It feels like its taken a long time to get to this stage, we’ve really been looking forward to having little creators and discoverers filling these new classrooms, and now they’re here! It’s a delight to see them.

“We never stand still for long at MAP and we’re now looking forward to the brand new MAP2 building opening early next year.”

Free schools are all-ability, state-funded schools set up in response to demand. These schools have the same legal requirements as academies and enjoy the same freedoms and flexibilities to help them deliver education with a remit to drive up standards. The new primary school has opened on Marine Academy Plymouth’s site in St Budeaux.

Serving northwest Plymouth, the 420-place school will eventually offer education from Reception to Year 6.