City to vote on new 420-place school

A new 420-place school for the Great Haddon township on the outskirts of Peterborough is referred for approval on 11 March

Planners are to vote on creating a new 420-place primary school at an upcoming township in Peterborough.

Work is under way building the Great Haddon development, to the south of Peterborough between the A1(M) and Hampton, with the first set of homes available from the spring.

It is expected to provide 5,350 homes, four schools, sports facilities and three shopping centres.

The city council's cabinet meets on 11 March and needs to agree to a project budget and the process of finding a developer and and an academy trust to run the new school.

The final decision on the academy trust will be taken by the government's secretary of state for education.

'First-class environment'

Ray Bisby, the council's cabinet member for children’s services, said: "Peterborough is a growing city and as we build more homes we need to make sure we have the facilities there for our communities to thrive.

"We have a legal duty to provide a school place for every child whose parents want their children to be state-educated.

“I very much look forward to being involved in these plans as they progress to ensure children who move to, or who are born in Great Haddon, have the opportunity to learn in a first-class educational environment."

This new school will be the first school the city council will deliver via the free school presumption route.

The council said all new schools established through the presumption process are classified as free schools which are state-funded academy schools independent of local authority control.

Once built, free schools receive their funding directly from the government.

It is proposed the area will have another two primary schools and a secondary school.