Council set to approve £1.2m funding package for school on new Wellingborough estate ahead of pupils' relocation

A Northamptonshire council is set to give the green light to £1.2m of Government funding to furnish an empty school on a new estate, ahead of its opening this September.

The proposed budget for final works on Glenvale Park, Wellingborough, will go to North Northamptonshire Council’s (NNC) executive panel later this week (May 16) for approval.

At the end of last year, NNC backed plans to move Wilby CE Primary to the new school facility in Glenvale Park. The move was agreed upon after the council found there was insufficient demand for school places in the area.

The major urban extension is due to provide an additional 3,000 homes to the north of Wellingborough, but not enough families will have moved in to fill the school for the 2024 academic year. As a result, the site looked like it wouldn’t be able to open due to a lack of funding from the Department for Education (DfE).

With the transfer of pupils over from Wilby CE Primary School, Glenvale Park will be able to welcome its first cohort of students. There were 82 children recorded on the village primary’s academic roll in September 2023.

Investment is now required to install furniture for both inside and outside play areas and to contribute to fittings and equipment for Glenvale Park. This will be allocated from the DfE’s Basic Needs Grant.

The new school is about three miles away from the village of Wilby. NNC has noted that it may have to foot additional transport costs for two years to assist in relocating pupils.

Despite initial pushback from parents and guardians at the school who started a petition against the move, 63 per cent of people questioned by the council said they agreed the relocation was a good idea.

Following the move of the village school, further capital investment will be required to repurpose the old Wilby site and address condition issues. The council has indicated that it intends to use the building to deliver additional SEND or alternative provision places.

A separate report detailing the necessary funding and specific plans for the old site will be brought forward in due course.

The capital investment of £1,278,260 into Glenvale Park will be discussed at the executive meeting on Thursday, May 16.