Funding approved for change of age range at three schools in Woburn Sands area
Thursday, 6 May 2021
We've approved £9.37 million to fund the expansion and transition of three schools in Woburn Sands and surrounding villages from the three-tier to the primary/secondary model of education.
As part of the Schools for the Future programme, this long-term plan will ensure the right schools, in the right locations, delivering the best education. It will see Aspley Guise Lower School (one form of entry) and Swallowfield Lower School (two forms of entry) become primary schools in September 2022.
Fulbrook Middle School will become an extended secondary school in September 2022 (year 5 to year 11). This will change to a four forms of entry secondary school when all of the lower schools in what is known locally as the Fulbrook pyramid have moved to a primary/secondary model of education in 2024. As an academy, this is subject to approval from the Regional Schools Commissioner.
Councillor Sue Clark, our Executive Member for Families, Education and Children, said:
We're delighted to have approved this funding which will ensure these three schools can make the transition they wanted to the primary/secondary model of education.
This change of age range means these schools will align with the rest of the country and this will help to improve educational attainment for children and young people, plus aid the school’s ability to recruit and retain their teaching workforce. It will also provide pupils and parents with more choice and the option to attend both a primary and secondary school closer to where they live.
Each school project will now progress through to detailed design, planning and construction stages, with further consultation as part of the planning application for the expansion of the schools.