Little Hulton free school advances 

A 750-student facility off Longshaw Drive is to be built by Wates Construction, subject to planning approval. 

The six-acre Little Hulton site was previously occupied by Hulton High but has been vacant since 2009 when the school was demolished. 

Now, a new five-form entry school called Star Leadership Academy, Salford is proposed as part of the government’s Free Schools Programme. 

Free schools, established in 2010 by the coalition government at that time, are funded by the government but are not controlled by the local authority. 

The two-storey Little Hulton school would be operated by Star Academies, an exempt charity regulated by the Department for Education. The school would employ around 100 staff. 

An additional five forms of entry are likely to be required by 2023 due to rising population levels in the area. 

The school could open in 2023. Credit: via planning documents

A planning statement from consultant Avison Young said: “If the proposed new school were not established, the schools that currently serve the area would be over-subscribed and parents would be compelled to apply for places in neighbouring local authorities such as Bolton and Manchester.”  

The 62,000 sq ft school will only take in year sevens in its first year, with a new intake of year seven pupils annually. By the fifth year of occupation the school is expected to be operating at full capacity. 

Sheppard Robson is the architect for the project. Wates has been selected to build the school, one of six it will construct for the DfE. The contractor is already on site in Whitworth and Littleborough in Rochdale, as well as in Lytham.

A planning application for 177 homes on adjoining land previously used as school playing fields was submitted by Salford City Council in March. No decision has been made on those plans yet.