New school will not open due to low demand

Residents have voiced their disappointment after it was confirmed a new Nottinghamshire school would not open.

The newly-built Waterside Primary School was due to serve 350 homes constructed on the nearby Trent Basin development.

But the Department for Education (DfE) has withdrawn funding for the school due to low pupil demand and the Greenwood Academies Trust, which was set to run the centre, said it had reluctantly also pulled out of the agreement.

The DfE added it was now working with Nottingham City Council to find an alternative "educational use" for the building and if that proved impossible, it would try to find a way for it to be used by a different public organisation.

The school was due to open with spaces for up to 210 pupils in September last year, but residents were then told it would be put on hold until the 2025-26 academic year.

The DfE then withdrew the funding for the project in December as the demand for places had "not materialised at the rate expected in Nottingham City Council's basic need forecasts".

A DfE spokesperson said: "The building is still within the contractual defects period and the department is responsible for all maintenance and security whilst it remains vacant.

"If an alternative educational use for the site cannot be identified, we then look to see if the site can be reused within the public realm i.e. by a statutory body.

"If the site remains surplus after these investigations, then the department will dispose of the site on the market for best value."

Dave Da Silva Anes, a resident of Trent Basin, said it was "disappointing" as his family had moved to the area expecting the school to open.

"My oldest daughter is four, so she started reception in September, and when we had to put down the names of schools last year, this was one of the ones that we applied for," he added.

Mr Da Silva Anes says he now has to drive his daughter to a school in West Bridgford.

Another resident of three years, Jo Worthington, said the decision not to open the school would put off families who wanted to move to the area.

"We've had a few families move out because there's no provision for schools within a walking distance, and there's really not that much infrastructure [here] to be fair," she added.

Catarina Chiofalo, 34, added: "It's really disappointing because we thought this development would be more than housing.

"It was one of the reasons we moved here, because it was a sign something was going to be done to create a new community."

Nottingham City Council said far fewer families with children of school age had moved into the new homes, which were built as part of ongoing regeneration plans for the area.

A council spokesperson added: "The formula used to project potential demand for school places from a new development is always subject to the caveat that the profile of house purchasers can't always be anticipated.

"In this case, and at this point, fewer families with school age children have opted to move into the development."

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