Berwick Academy Update
David Smith MP welcomes progress on the Berwick Academy rebuild but asks for clarity over funding confusion.
North Northumberland MP welcomes progress on new Berwick Academy
David Smith MP has welcomed progress towards a new Berwick Academy, with spades in the ground promised later this year and doors set to open to pupils in late 2028.
Plans for the long‑awaited rebuild are moving forward as the project enters the formal planning stage.
Northumberland County Council first pledged to build a new school in 2021 and confirmed it would fully fund the £51m rebuild when it published its business case in September 2025.
Commenting, David Smith MP said:
“I’m pleased that progress is being made for the sake of the staff, parents, carers and children this impacts. Berwick has waited a long time for a new high school, and it’s important now that momentum continues and the town finally gets the high-quality school that its young people deserve.”
The MP also addressed recent commentary regarding funding from the Department for Education, with the council seeking meetings and a £13m contribution.
The Government’s School Rebuilding Programme – the main route to secure funding – launched in 2021, with applications opening to local authorities and academy trusts in early 2022. However, Berwick Academy did not apply, with the first formal bid for funding only submitted in April 2026.
‘The Academy did not apply for Government support when the opportunity arose. I don’t know why, but had an application been made in 2022, we would already know the result‘
-David Smith MP
David added: “The Academy did not apply for Government support when the opportunity arose. I don’t know why, but had an application been made in 2022, we would already know the result.
“Government funding is not allocated on an ad hoc basis – there are established routes, and Berwick is now, very late in the day, in that process.
“My focus is on securing the best possible outcome for the town and local families and school staff that need and deserve a wonderful school. I will continue working constructively with all partners and making the strongest case for investment with Ministers and the Department for Education.
“Crucially, the project itself is progressing. The council has committed to delivering the new Academy, and we are now seeing real movement on delivery. That’s good news for Berwick.”