New Houghton Regis primary school plans move forward to support growing community
Wednesday, 27 May 2026
Plans to deliver a new primary school in Houghton Regis are moving forward as we respond to increasing demand for school places in Houghton Regis and the surrounding area.
The proposed new school would open in September 2029 and support families living in Bidwell West, Linmere and neighbouring communities, helping ensure more children can attend a local school close to home as the area continues to grow.
The Bidwell West Primary School, Nursery and Additionally Resourced Provision, Houghton Regis report (PDF), published ahead of being presented to our Executive Committee on 2 June 2026, sets out the latest position and explains the school place planning that has determined the need for the additional places in the area.
As part of regular review of school place planning, we continually assess admissions and forecast data to understand local need. The latest information shows growing demand for primary school places in Houghton Regis and neighbouring communities, and the recommendation reflects that updated picture.
Our latest admissions data for September 2026 shows that all primary schools in Houghton Regis were full at the point of initial allocations in April this year. At the same time, thousands of new homes are still due to be completed across the wider area, adding further neeed to develop new school places.
The updated data, ongoing housing growth and changing pupil movement patterns across Central Bedfordshire, Luton and neighbouring communities have all contributed to the decision to progress plans for the new school.
Councillor Gareth Mackey, our Executive Member for Children and Families, said:
Families rightly want confidence that there will be good quality local school places available for their children as communities grow.
We know how important the Bidwell West school is for local residents and we are pleased to be moving these plans forward.
Houghton Regis and the surrounding area continue to see significant housing growth and the latest admissions information shows that demand for places is increasing.
This proposed new school would not only help meet that demand, it would also create modern facilities for children and families and support the long-term future of education in the area.
We want to continue working closely with schools, local communities, ward councillors and stakeholders as the plans progress.
The report also explains that additional factors affecting demand include children being allocated places in Houghton Regis from neighbouring planning areas and outside Central Bedfordshire.