St Regis Church of England Academy to open September 2023

Three Spires Trust are delighted to announce that from September the school formerly known as The King’s CE School in Wolverhampton will open to current and new students as St Regis Church of England Academy. This is a big step forward, for when a school changes to being an academy, a lot of extra support becomes available – which leads to significant improvement.

Following a successful transition into the Trust at the start of the summer term, the academy will mark the beginning of the next phase of its journey with the Trust under a version of its original Latin name, St Regis.

John Francis Regis, commonly known as Saint Regis is celebrated across the world as a preacher from 17^th century France who worked tirelessly supporting women and children and bringing those in hard to reach areas to faith. As a designated school of sanctuary, where children and families of all faiths and none are celebrated as one community, St Regis Church of England Academy will continue to live out our Christian values, working closely with its sister school St Peter’s Collegiate Academy.

The new name also clearly makes a strong link with the school’s history having previously being named Regis from its opening in 1955 until 1998. Historically, Regis School was one of the first comprehensive schools to open in the country and held a positive and prestigious reputation within the city.

A new school badge celebrates the tree which originally appeared on the initial Regis school badge. The badge features the cross which appears on the City’s coat of arms, a crown to signal our continuing link to ‘The King’ and the cross keys of St Peter, the academy’s sister school. Importantly, the badge also makes clear reference to the parable from the Gospel’s of the mustard seed:

“As a tiny mustard seed grows to become a great tree of life, at St Regis we strive to create an environment where our young people grow into happy and successful adults.”

To support the transition St Regis, Three Spires Trust are launching a multi-million-pound investment programme this summer into the academy infrastructure that will enhance the building and teaching and learning spaces – something that was out of reach whilst The King’s was a ‘stand-alone’ school. Following significant defects in the roof that has caused issues for over ten years, work will commence on a new roof along with replacement furniture and equipment and an overhaul of the academy ICT and digital facilities. These changes together will provide the best possible environment for our students and staff to achieve their God given potential.

Chair of Trustees, The Venerable Dr David Lee commented “Three Spires Trust are very happy to welcome St Regis into the Trust family. We thank those who believed and worked to deliver a better future for the school – now that new chapter is beginning. With hard work, lots of collaboration and prayer, St Regis will become a blessing to many more young people across Wolverhampton.”

The Trust is pleased to announce that from September, Mr Edward Parry will become the Principal of the academy. Many families will have already met Mr Parry since he joined the academy in January this year and will have sensed his passion and determination to serve the children of Wolverhampton and surrounding areas and we are delighted with his appointment.

Upon his appointment, Mr Parry said, “This is an exciting time in the life of the academy, and I am thrilled to become the first Principal at St Regis Church of England Academy. We will aim to re-establish the excellent reputation of the former Regis School and to become a City-leading provider of education together with our partners across Three Spires Trust.”