A part of Norwich's Hewett Academy is to be turned into a 'curriculum centre' for teacher training.

Having moved much of its teaching into the main school building, the Inspiration Trust has confirmed plans to develop part of the south site into the curriculum centre, which will see subject leaders host training courses for teachers employed both in and out of the trust.

The centre will be housed in an existing building on the Cecil Road site, which will be refurbished.

The trust said it was currently halfway through its first programme of training, with teachers from more than 50 schools attending to hear from educationalists around the country.

Courses, which will cost from £15 up to £100, will be held in Norwich and Thetford, with the Hewett serving as the base for Norwich courses.

James Goffin, spokesman for the Inspiration Trust, said: 'When the Hewett Academy joined the trust it became clear that much of the site wasn't being used in a sensible way, with students wasting time travelling across the sites to change lessons.'

He said more than £1m had been invested in improving the site, including new science labs, refurbished classrooms and an upgraded fire alarm system.

'These have allowed us to bring the majority of school activities together on the main site, which works better for students and staff,' he said.

'This has also freed up part of the south site to be used as a curriculum centre for the trust. We are recruiting a team of subject experts to work across our schools and develop our curriculum and teaching, and having them on site at the Hewett Academy will directly benefit the school.

'The centre will also host training courses for teachers both inside and outside the trust to help the children of Norfolk get the best possible education.'

In April, a new sports centre was announced for the campus, with building work expected to begin in autumn.

When the trust took over the school, questions over what would happen to the sizeable Hewett grounds were a key concern for parents, with some worrying parts would be sold off.

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