THE boss of the Bournemouth Town Centre BID said the new Livingstone Academy will “add to the regeneration” of the area.

Livingstone Academy Bournemouth (LAB) is the vision of Games Workshop entrepreneur Ian Livingstone CBE and a collaboration with Aspirations Academies Trust.

The curriculum of the free school will be rooted in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and maths) and it will open in September 2021 to reception and Year 7 students.

The school’s credentials make it the perfect complement to Bournemouth’s booming digital economy and a valuable asset to further grow this sector, according to Paul Kinvig, chief operating officer of the BID.

He said: “The digital economy remains one of the key focal points and drivers for the future growth and prosperity of the town. Anything that can contribute to that and build on the talent pool in Bournemouth is another piece of the jigsaw and welcome.’’

The school’s location in the Lansdowne area of Bournemouth, which has a digital creative hub, means it will play a key role in the regeneration of this part of the town, Mr Kinvig said.

“The school is a support service and an infrastructure that is vital for people living and working in Bournemouth’s town centre,” he added.

“The school adds to the regeneration of the area, it’s all about looking to the future. It’s understanding that you need the infrastructure to drive that change. The school centres on the strength of Bournemouth and an area that will be an ongoing strength of Bournemouth.”

Mr Livingstone said he believes LAB will encourage students to become the job makers of the future.

He said: “We want the children to be ‘world-ready’ and ‘work-ready’.

“Robots and Artificial Intelligence are going to do the jobs which involve repetition so there’s no point in teaching children like robots as they won’t be able to compete with the real thing.

“We need to teach children how to think and give them problem-solving, critical thinking and creativity skills.

“If we encourage creativity and diverse thinking in children and give them an entrepreneurial mind-set, they could become job makers rather than job seekers.”

Steve and Paula Kenning , CEOs of Aspirations Academies Trust said: “LAB will ensure that young people take more responsibility for their own learning, developing key skills for the world of work such as critical thinking, problem solving and creativity.

“Students leaving school today need not only the highest qualifications possible but also a portfolio of evidence of the skills they have developed throughout their education and the way that they have learned to apply these skills in a range of contexts.”

Anyone interested in applying for a place at the school should email office@livingstone-aspirations.org