New Huthwaite primary school 'one step closer'

Members of the Children and Young People’s Committee also agreed to consult on changing the admission arrangements which formally link All Saints CE Infant School and Woodland View Primary School.

The demand for more school places in the Huthwaite area will see a growing shortage of places from September 2020 which becomes severe from September 2021.

As a result the council has said it has become "clear" that this demand cannot be supported by the existing schools, All Saints Infants and Woodland View Primary.

The proposal which has been given the green light will see a change to the age range of All Saints CE Infant School, reconfigure the existing provision at this school and at the All Saints Centre and consult on modifying the admissions arrangements with respect to All Saints CE Infant and Woodland View Primary schools.

The resultant school would be All Saints Primary School with the County Council providing land adjacent to the school to provide playing fields and car parking facilities.

Councillor Philip Owen, chairman of the Children and Young People’s Committee said: “To begin with the infant school would grow incrementally such that after four years it would have all seven primary year groups which would create 120 additional places.

“All Saints also currently feeds Woodland View at infant to junior transfer and this arrangement would stop subject to consultation approval.”

Councillor Owen also commented that although modifications to existing facilities would need to be carried out at All Saints, Woodland View and the All Saints Centre, these would be considerably below the costs of building from new.

He added: “The main benefits with this proposal are the creation of urgently needed school places and that the area around Huthwaite will retain a valuable community facility at the All Saints Centre.”

The proposal has the support of the governing bodies of both schools, the management committee of the All Saints Centre and the Southwell Doicese.