Education & Skills

Objective:

To encourage education and skills development in all sections of society by putting education, training and lifelong learning at the heart of the community, linking education directly to employment opportunities and enabling the development of a regional centre of excellence in education for sustainable development.

Response:

High-quality education provision will be a key element in the overall success of the eco-town.  Education will be open to all with an emphasis on developing a well-qualified and skilled workforce.  Schools in the eco-town will promote community cohesion and educational attainment.

Summary of strategies under consideration:

• Two secondary schools (with around 1,100 places) and seven, 420-place primary schools.
• Adequate school capacity from day one.
• Use of ICT to enable students to download lessons at home, enabling remote learning for adult learners.
• At least one of the secondary schools will serve as an academy for sustainable technology.  All schools in the eco-town to be federated in order to share an optimised use of resources.  Links with other schools in the region, local universities and / or further education institutions and provision for a further / higher education facility.
• Development of a regional centre of excellence in education for sustainable development.
• Zero carbon heat and power generated on site.
• Concept and information centre includes experiential learning for all ages on sustainability.

 

The Masterplan