| Company type | Multi-academy trust |
|---|---|
| Industry | Free Schools |
| Founded | 2012 |
Number of locations | Seven preparatory Free Schools across London and the South-East |
Key people | Mark Greatrex (CEO), Simon Ward (Operations Director) |
| Website | Official website |
Bellevue Place Education Trust (BPET) is a multi-academy trust formed in 2012 to operate primary free schools in London and South East. It is jointly operated by Bellevue Education and Place Group. [1] [2] The Free Schools are financed on a non-profit basis via a master funding agreement with the Department for Education. [3] [4]
In 2012, Bellevue Place Education Trust was formed as a partnership between Bellevue Education and Place Group. [1] [2] It is a "private company limited by guarantee"
The following year the trust opened its first state-funded free school, Rutherford House in Balham. [5] It was reported to be partnering with philosopher AC Grayling on another free school project, [6] but that bid was unsuccessful. [7]
The trust opened two more free schools in 2014: Braywick Court School in Maidenhead and Whitehall Park School in Islington. [8]
Later in 2014 the Bellevue Place Education Trust obtained Government "pre-approval" to open four more free schools in London in 2015: Richmond Bridge Primary, [9] Kilburn Grange, [10] Halley House, [11] and Watling Park. [12] However, the trust was unable to secure a site in the Richmond Bridge area, so the proposed Richmond Bridge Primary School was renamed to Deer Park School. [13]
The establishment of Whitehall Park on the former site of Ashmount School was controversial, being opposed by the local council and some local residents, [14] [15] [16] [17] and criticised over the cost of refurbishing the school building. [18]
The proposed location of Deer Park School led to opposition from some local residents who question the suitability of the chosen site. [19]
The site chosen for Braywick Court School was also controversial with some of its local residents. [20]