New construction approved at unsafe primary school

Buckton Fields Primary was ordered to close by the government in August 2023

Plans for a new state-of-the-art school building have been approved two years after pupils had to move out of the existing school due to structural safety concerns.

Buckton Fields Primary near Northampton was forced to close by the Department for Education (DfE) in August 2023.

West Northamptonshire Council has granted planning permission for the new facility in Boughton, with work due to begin this autumn.

Paul Watson, chief executive of the Preston Hedges Trust, which runs the school, said they were "delighted to have full approval for this impressive new school and facilities to be built at Buckton Fields and are excited to see construction start in the coming weeks".

The demolition of the school building was approved by West Northamptonshire Council in June

The school was one of three, including Sir Frederick Gibberd College in Harlow in Essex, that was closed by the DfE.

The schools shared the same building contractor, Caledonian Modular, which fell into administration in March 2022.

Following the closure, pupils initially had to travel six miles (10km) away to Pineham Barns school for six months, while temporary classrooms were built on the Buckton Fields playing field.

The new school will also feature a nursery and all-weather sports pitch.

Mr Watson said the local community had "really rallied around the school during this time, and it will now be gaining the new permanent school building and community facilities it so richly deserves".

The building work is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.