Plans to deliver a new school in Liverpool are approaching a significant milestone as proposals for the site are submitted to the Department for Education.
Eden Girls’ Leadership Academy, Liverpool, to be operated by Star Academies, was approved in August 2023 by the DfE under the Free Schools Programme, in response to rising demand for secondary school places in the city. The proposed site for the school is on land bordered by Mulgrave Street and Selborne Street.
Initial proposals, approved by the council’s Cabinet in March 2025, included plans that would impact on the footprint of the African Caribbean Centre and were not considered acceptable to the centre’s trustees and the wider community.
After discussions with the African Caribbean Centre’s trustees and local ward councillors, the Cabinet has now pledged to preserve the centre’s building and surrounding land, which holds historic importance for the community.
The proposal submitted to the DfE now ensures that the land surrounding the community centre building will remain untouched, while still providing a site for the flagship school development.
The secondary school places that will be provided at Eden Girls’ Leadership Academy, Liverpool, are vital to school-place planning so that the council can fulfil its statutory requirement to provide school places for Liverpool’s young people.
Leader of Liverpool City Council Cllr Liam Robinson said: “We have been working hard with all stakeholders, to ensure that we identify a suitable site which is acceptable to the local community. We are now hopeful that the Department for Education will support the proposals enabling us all to progress to the next stage of the project.
“In particular, I would like to thank the trustees of the African Caribbean Centre who have engaged constructively with the council, ward councillors, and the local MP Kim Johnson over the last few months so that we can all move forward and work towards bringing this long-campaigned for school into the community.
“Star Academies have also been hugely supportive and deeply committed to working with us to deliver a school of which everyone can be proud. They have an outstanding track record of running high-performing schools, and we look forward to welcoming them to Liverpool 8.
“As the project develops and moves through the statutory planning process, there will be further engagement with stakeholders, including the wider community.”
Councillor Lucille Harvey, of Princes Park ward, said: “I’m pleased that this project has reached a stage where we can move forward positively.
“I appreciate that the council has listened to the trustees of the African Caribbean Centre and responded to their concerns. The centre has been at the heart of the L8 community for decades, and its place in people’s lives should not be underestimated, so it is great news that it will retain its current site.
“I thank the trustees for their dedication and relentless commitment to protecting the African Caribbean Centre and the surrounding land.
“We know that our communities are strongest when they work together. A new school and a thriving community centre will bring real benefits to the L8 community for many years to come.”