Plans take shape for new Banbury primary school

Outline proposals for a new Primary School at Southam Road in Banbury have been approved by Oxfordshire County Council.

The council has agreed a specification for the new school, which will cater for a growing population associated with local housing development. It will be a ‘one-form-entry’ school for pupils aged 3-11, with an admission number of 30 children per year group and a 26-place nursery. It will also reserve six places for children with special communication, physical or sensory needs.

The proposed catchment area for the school will take in the immediate Southam Road development area - where an additional 600 homes are planned – but would also cover a wider area to meet growing demand in the north of Banbury.

The council will now invite expressions of interest from academy providers to run the school, with a proposed opening date of September 2019 or 2020 – dependent on the progress of local housing development. The school will be funded entirely by developer contributions.

School place planning

Oxfordshire County Council’s Schools Organisation and Planning Manager Roy Leach said: “Alongside a number of other parts of the county, the Banbury area is undergoing significant housing growth, and through our planning work, we are ensuring local school places continue to be available for every Oxfordshire child who needs one.

“We are well-placed to meet this challenge, both through our work with existing schools to identify expansion opportunities, or in this case, delivering entirely new schools where local housing growth demands their provision.”