Plans for Worthing free school scrapped
Education bosses say the 420-child site is no longer needed
Plans to build a 420-place free school in Worthing have been scrapped by the Department for Education.
One year ago, New Horizons Academy Trust received permission from Worthing Borough Council to build Bluebell Primary to the south of Peony Grove in West Durrington.
But the DfE chose not to go ahead due to a surplus of school places in the area.
West Sussex County Council is in the middle of a public consultation seeking people’s views on proposals to cut almost 1,000 primary school places.
A DfE spokesman said: “In the last few years Worthing has seen a significant reduction in basic need required for school admissions, and this is a trend that is projected to continue.
“This means that there are a growing number of surplus places available across the town.”
New Horizons had its application to build a free school supported by the DfE in 2017.
It was to have included a 32-space nursery.
The spokesman said: “The department is grateful to the trust for the commitment and professionalism they have shown throughout this process.
“However, the DfE recognises that local circumstances have changed since the project was approved in April 2017, and that they should no longer proceed with the opening of the school.”
Opinions are about the idea of opening a free school were divided.
Supporters felt Bluebell Primary would have given parents more choice when it came to selecting their children’s school, while opponents were worried that opening a new school when there was already a surplus of spaces could lead to the closure of existing schools.
A county council spokesman said: “We welcome the Department for Education’s decision not to proceed with plans to create this new primary school in the Worthing area.
“The DfE has acknowledged that the school is no longer needed in light of the large number of empty primary school places across Worthing and Durrington and the increasing number of schools in the area recognised by Ofsted as being good.
“We believe local school leaders will also welcome this news.”
The DfE spokesman added: “The department will carefully consider future options for the site and will communicate with the site owner and local stakeholders on this.”
To take part in the council’s consultation, log on here.