Major advances have been made in plans set in motion last year to build a brand new Primary School for Somerton, it was announced today by David Warburton, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Somerton and Frome.
After months of negotiations with the Department for Education, Somerset County Council, the diocese, school governors, local councillors, parents, residents, planners and feasibility experts, the development of a new school could now forge ahead.
The scheme, originally proposed last year, is to combine Somerton Infants and Monteclefe Junior Schools on a new site to create a brand new Primary School for the town.
After significant ground work by Dean Ruddle, County Councillor for Somerton, and David Norton, Head of Somerton Infants School and Monteclefe Junior School, David Warburton convened a meeting last May at County Hall to discuss funding for a feasibility study to build the new school.
Joining David at the meeting were Dean Ruddle, Julia Ridge (County’s Education Strategic Commissioning Manager), Frances Nicholson (Cabinet Member for Children and Families) and David Norton. It was agreed that some funding would be made available for a feasibility study. This was added to by funds secured from the Town Council and the diocese.
David Warburton approached the then Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove MP, to seek the department’s approval of the scheme. Michael Gove met with David and David Norton to discuss, and was in broad agreement with the scheme.
Between County Council, the Town Council, the diocese and the school governors, the required funding was raised for the feasibility study, which is now complete. A suitable 6.5 acre site was found, with a purchase price agreed by all sides, with considerable assistance from Cllr Dean Ruddle.
An application has recently been made to the Department for Education for £3m towards building the new school.
The bulk of the remaining sum needed would have to be secured locally through Somerset County Council, via a proposal to restore the assets of the existing two schools – worth about £3.5m - to SCC in return for that sum being provided in advance for building the new school. The final balance would be raised from Section 106 housing development funds, Grants for Growth and other local grants made by the Council.
Last week, David Warburton met with John Osman, Leader of Somerset County Council, and Pat Flaherty, Chief Exec of SCC to agree this proposal. David then convened a meeting with Dean Ruddle, John Osman, Pat Flaherty, David Norton (Head of Somerton Infants and Monteclefe schools) and representatives from Ridge (www.ridge.co.uk), the company tasked with the feasibility study and building the new school
David said, “I’m delighted to announce that John Osman is completely behind the scheme for a new Primary School for Somerton. John confirmed that he will make sure County officers provide as much support as possible to now get the project underway immediately. This is a major step forward for Somerton.”
The new school can be built in a ‘modular’ way, meaning that as each building is completed, it can be used immediately, with further school buildings being added as an on-going process while the school remains fully functional.
The next – and last remaining – step is to persuade the DfE to provide the bulk of the remaining funds needed to reach the £7m cost of the new school. David Warburton has written to the department in order to push for this grant, and will now be meeting ministers to press the case for Somerton.
The target date for completion of the new school is September 2016.