Hethersett Academy opens extra places after village outcry

Hethersett Academy will welcome 40 more pupils than usual in its next cohort, following a furore involving one of its traditional feeder schools.

In March, parents at Mulbarton Primary School were left shocked after four in 10 of its leavers missed out on their first choice of secondary school.

The majority of these had hoped to attend Hethersett Academy, which is run by the Inspiration Trust and rated outstanding by Ofsted.

However, many were instead offered places at Hewett Academy in Norwich, which is run by the same academy trust but traditionally performs worse academically.

Parents prepared themselves to lodge appeals against the allocations - just as 294 did across the county - with school governors backing their pleas.

But following increased pressure from villages, the Inspiration Trust instead opened 40 additional places for the upcoming school year.

Guy Rushworth, whose son will be attending Hethersett Academy. Picture: Guy Rushworth (Image: Guy Rushworth)

Guy Rushworth was among the parents who were preparing to appeal after his son was offered a place at the Hewett - despite having an older sibling at Hethersett.

He said: "I always tell my children that if something isn't right; fight - don't be afraid to challenge.

"The school's governors were a massive support to all of us parents who challenged the offer and it just goes to show that if you make enough of a stink you can make things happen.

A spokeswoman for the trust, which was last week criticised for asking parents to sign agreements restricting their social media usage, said: "Inspiration Trust worked very hard with Norfolk County Council to ensure as many children as possible have the opportunity to attend Norfolk's premier secondary school. 

"As a result of these discussions, an additional 40 places have been offered to those families on the waiting list."