A new digital free school is to be built in Bournemouth by the man behind one of the world's biggest games companies.

Ian Livingstone, who co-founded Games Workshop, is to found a school that will give students the latest in technology and creative thinking.

The Livingstone Academy Bournemouth will open in 2017 with a curriculum 'centred on computer science and creative thinking'. 

Mr Livingstone said:“The arts and sciences should no longer be a question of either or – and to further this I’m delighted to be opening two free schools to embed digital creativity in future generations of our society.

“It is the combination of computer programming skills and creativity by which today’s world-changing companies are built. I encourage other digital entrepreneurs to seize the opportunity offered by the Free Schools programme in helping to give children an authentic education for the jobs and challenges of the future digital world.”

The school will be the result of a partnership between Mr Livingstone and the Aspirations Academies Trust, which already runs Magna, Jewel and Ocean Academies in Poole.

Steve Kenning, Chief Executive of the Aspirations Academies Trust said: "Today’s young people live in a digitally-connected world surrounded by computers at school and in the home. They run their lives through mobile devices which are their primary window for information and news as they immerse themselves in social media and screen entertainment.

"In a world that has become exponentially reliant on technology, it is important that all young people not only know how to consume technology but are given the knowledge, insight and the relevant skills to create their own technology as digital operators.

"This new school will have a curriculum which ensures the Creative Application of Science and Maths (CASM) with a view to fully prepare our students with success in today’s world.

"This will also involve a creative and innovative approach to teaching and learning in order to develop the range of skills that many employers consider are currently lacking in school leavers: experience, initiative, enthusiasm, verbal communication, ability to fit in, reliability, and basic literacy." 

The Livingstone Academy will be a mixed school that will serve 1,570 age 4-19 students when full. It is among 23 new free school applications to be approved by the Department for Education (DfE) today.

The location of the new school is yet to be finalised, the trust says, but parents can register an interest in year R or year 7.

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