Special school to expand into empty village primary

The old Wilby Primary School will become part of Rowan Gate special school

Plans have been agreed to expand a special school by converting a primary school building that was due to close.

Rowan Gate Primary will take over the old school site in Wilby near Wellingborough, Northamptonshire.

North Northamptonshire Council said the conversion should be completed in time for the start of term in September.

Wilby Primary School will be moving to a housing estate, following a decision to which many parents objected.

Wilby Church of England Primary School will open in September at a new site on the Glenvale Park estate in Wellingborough.

The estate was originally supposed to have a school of its own, but officials decided it would not be needed until 2025.

Instead, existing schools were invited to express an interest in relocating to Glenvale Park.

Wilby's governors decided a new building would be better for the children, but parents started a petition against the move and said that they wanted their offspring to carry on attending a small village school.

Despite their efforts, the move is going ahead, at cost of about £1.3m.

Claire Fitzhugh and Ruth Pritchard were two of the parents who did not want Wilby School to move

Rowan Gate Primary School already has four sites in Wellingborough and Rushden.

It caters for children from the age of four who have learning difficulties or autistic spectrum disorder.

The Wilby site will initially accommodate up to 30 pupils in Reception and Year One.

Rowan Gate school currently has four sites in Wellingborough and Rushden

Scott Edwards, the council's executive member for education, said: "With the severe shortage of Send (special educational needs and disabilities) school places in North Northants at the forefront of our minds, an assessment of the Wilby School building was undertaken to determine its suitability to occupy children with special educational needs.

“Now it has been given the go ahead, the council will acquire the freehold of the Wilby School site from the Archdeacon of Northampton who represents the Church of England Diocese and effectively swap the Glenvale and Wilby school sites. "