Maths School on Mill Road?

Eastern Learning Alliance intends to open a new free school, Cambridge Maths School, a specialist sixth form centre catering for students across the whole of East Anglia.

This would be in the former premises of the Regent Language School, 119 Mill Road, Cambridge CB1 2AZ, at the western foot of Mill Road bridge.

Unfortunately, this came to our attention only recently, and well after the public consultation event on Wednesday 22nd June, at the Old School Hall, St Barnabas Church, Mill Road, Cambridge, CB1 2BD. We are, however, in time to inform you about the Section 10 Statutory Consultation, which ends on 29th July 2022.

Cambridge Maths School
Section 10
Statutory Consultation Summer 2022
Consultation ends 29th July
Click the image above to read/download the 6-page PDF

The Cambridge Maths School is set to open in September 2023 under the Eastern Learning Alliance, a Multi Academy Trust that is currently comprised of Impington Village College, Chesterton Community College, Witchford Village College, Downham Market Academy, The Cavendish School and Girton Glebe Primary School.

An initial site for the school has been identified on Mill Road in the centre of Cambridge. This is a repurposed language school, with science labs added to the already well-established school. The school will be open to 80 students across years 12 and 13.

It is the intention to eventually secure a larger site for the school to allow for up to 200 students. This site will also be in central Cambridge with similar excellent transport connections. Details will be made available as soon as a suitable site has been secured.

Cambridge Maths School consultation PDF

Mill Road Bridges sees advantages in new specialist facilities for sixth form students, however, there would cause for concern if parents were to be ferrying students to and from the Maths School by car. Whether or not new traffic restrictions are introduced on Mill Road bridge, an additional (say) 40 car movements in and out of the restricted access to this site, would amount to 160 additional vehicle movements each school day.

The academy trust refers to “excellent transport connections” and says:

Because CMS is a sixth form school, students will travel to the school in the same way they would be expected to travel to any other post- sixteen provision they would otherwise choose to attend. The location of the school provides excellent transport links for students travelling to the CMS from across the whole of East Anglia, being only 5 minutes from the Cambridge Station, and so students and staff will be expected to travel by public transport, cycling or walking and will not add any traffic to the area.

Cambridge Maths School consultation PDF
Note that the trust says “students and staff will be expected to travel by public transport, cycling or walking”. This is far from being an assurance that this expectation will be written into staff contracts, nor into the school rules for students.

You can respond to this consultation online, here. Note that the questions are identical to those in the PDF which you can read/download, above.

In the view of Mill Road Bridges, the most important section is the box: If you have any other comments or queries, please list them here. The online box appears to be able to expand to take an extended narrative comment.

You are also welcome to comment (politely) below. Yes, we are aware that an Education Minister recently gave a middle finger gesture to a crowd. We will not permit the equivalent on this website.

Please also note that any comments made here will not necessarily be seen by the Eastern Learning Alliance.

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5 Comments (Don't forget to scroll down to subscribe to website updates.)
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Sage
Sage
Guest
13 July 2022 10:23

Is there anything to back up the 40 students travelling by car? I would have thought sixth formers are not ferried in to school by parents generally speaking (certainly not something I shall be doing when my child reaches that age), but perhaps there is data from comparable schools, such as Hills Road.
It seems unrealistic to be wanting stuff written into contracts about how people get to school? More likely you will control this by no car parking spaces, closing the road, or whatever.
Can I make the (polite) suggestion that this site is a really good idea, and while many things that happen nationally may strike us with horror, they are irrelevant to this matter so let’s try to keep the overtly political comments out of it.
I like the idea of this school, though I have doubts about its viability (and its success will no doubt depend on being really high quality), but these are concerns for those setting up the school rather than me.

Sheila
Sheila
Guest
12 July 2022 19:42

Why can’t the students cycle or get the number 2 bus? There is no need for them to be ferried around in cars surely.

Loki Bedlington
Loki Bedlington
Guest
11 July 2022 22:53

I think it’s a very good idea, to educate serious young people and involve them in the lifestyle of Mill Road. Keep the area alive in other, deeper ways than just cafes. If the bridge closure is successful, then the school’s traffic won’t be a problem by definition.

Edward Jenkins
Guest
11 July 2022 19:10

Notwithstanding the fact that in every planning meeting relating to development projects in that particular part of Mill Road, emphasis has been made of the ensuing difficulties of increased traffic to and from, particularly at the commuting periods of morning and early evening, we now have a proposed development heavily dependent on the need for private transport particularly at these busy times of day!! Surely sense will prevail to prevent this proposal going ahead?

Should a traffic filter system be installed on Mill Road Bridge, as seems to be increasingly probable, the children from distance would supposedly have to be driven to school either through the city at its busiest times of day, or alternately dropped off in Romsey, necessitating them having to walk over the bridge…goodness gratious!

Perhaps however, most children attending this establishment, could cycle, scooter or even walk there from home, even if living a distance away!? There’s also a Park & Ride service available!

Immy
Immy
Guest
11 July 2022 15:27

Interesting lovely idea to build a maths school but before it is open they are already looking for another site as not big enough for predicted expansion and nos.
I have a Language School in my area with a large car park and other areas to drop off and pick up, the Head is fantastic and manages this effectively.
What cannot be controlled is the turn over of students and constantly needing to reiterate a road with double yellow lines in not for waiting, idling or parking this is not just students, it is also their family members and also private car vehicles and hackney carriages.
The knock on effect of this is when cars are in the vicinity for the school others not to do with the school come to wait, idle and park so it has a negative ripple effect this affects safety on the pavement and roads plus pollution impacting on health and noise too.
One ends up not knowing why people are parking and in our area and it has also attracted in suspicious, anti social and criminal behaviours.

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