Next steps agreed for new primary school in Towcester

The new school will be built as part of the Sustainable Urban Extension (SUE) at Towcester South, a large housing expansion close to the racecourse which will have 2,750 homes when completed.

The primary school is being built to serve the first phases of housing, with a second primary school scheduled to be built as further houses are completed.

The SUE is expected to create demand for more than 800 primary pupils once complete, and as of June there were just 35 places available at the two current primary schools in the town.

Northamptonshire County Council’s cabinet noted last Tuesday (July 14) that a planning application is expected to be submitted for the £7.7 million school later this month, while the process of appointing a sponsor for the academy is expected to be complete by December.

The cabinet agreed to authorise the necessary contract awards and proceed with the construction of the new school, with a proposed opening date of September 2021.

It also approved the financial and governance arrangements associated with the scheme; and delegated authority to the Director of Children First Northamptonshire to authorise all necessary legal, property and financial agreements to facilitate the scheme.

Councillor Fiona Baker, cabinet member for education, said: “This will eventually be served by two new primary schools. This proposal will bring forward the first of these new primary schools to the area.

“The section 106 agreement [funding for the school from the developers of the SUE] legally requires that the school be open by the September following the occupation of the 400th dwelling on the development. This will be by September 2021 and they have currently completed 350 dwellings.

“We have robust costings for the school which show the school can be delivered within budget. The timeframe for delivery is tight, but we feel it is achievable. However a significant delay may be impacted by the COVID situation, but we do need to deliver this school on time to fit in with the section 106 agreement.”

The school will start with a reception class only and will be ‘built from the bottom up as demand arises’.