Bermondsey’s Compass School will get a new name and move students into a “state-of-the art” building this September – as it joins a multi-academy trust.
The secondary school joins the Charter Schools Education Trust and will be renamed The Charter School Bermondsey.
Principal Marcus Huntley said joining the multi-academy trust would help students to connect with pupils from other Southwark schools and improve professional development opportunities for staff.
“We will have a new name, a fantastic new building, and be part of a wider family of schools, while our mission, values and sense of community will remain the same,” Mr Huntley said.
“The Charter Trust shares our values and is committed to the highest academic standards for pupils, enrichment and well-being.”
The long-awaited new school by the Bermondsey tube station will have modern classrooms, sports facilities, specialist performing arts areas, science labs and music rooms.
The old school site will be demolished to accommodate developer Greystar’s regeneration of the Bermondsey area, which includes 1,548 new homes, public spaces and retail.
Charter School Bermondsey will have the same admission arrangements with applications made through Southwark Council.
Cassie Buchanan, CEO of The Charter Schools Educational Trust, said: “We are delighted that Compass School will become The Charter School Bermondsey upon joining our family of schools.
“By adopting the trusted and successful Charter School name, we hope the pupils and staff will have a strong sense of belonging within our large educational community.
“The name change reflects the ethos shared by all the schools in the trust and will honour the unique identity of Compass School Southwark.”
Compass School, which was founded by a varied group of trustees in 2013, is already a standalone academy trust.
It will now join other Southwark schools already part of the trust, such as The Charter School East Dulwich, The Charter School North Dulwich and Charles Dickens Primary School in Borough.
Academies are state-funded schools that are not controlled by the local authority, but instead by not-for-profit charitable trusts.
They were first introduced under the 1997 to 2010 Labour government and have steadily expanded under successive coalition and Conservative governments.