Buckton Fields Primary School building to be demolished

A primary school's virtually brand new building that shut suddenly before the new academic year due to structural concerns is to be demolished.

The building for Buckton Fields Primary School, near Northampton, only opened two years ago but was ordered to close by the government in August.

Pupils were relocated to Pineham Barns School, six miles (9.6km) away.

The Department for Education (DfE) confirmed the rebuild, with temporary classrooms opening in February.

Buckton Fields, in Boughton, was one of three schools, including Sir Frederick Gibberd College in Essex, closed by the DfE.

The schools shared the same building contractor, Caledonian Modular, which fell into administration in March 2022.

The DfE confirmed the news in a letter shared by Chris Heaton-Harris, the Conservative MP for Daventry.

In it, Baroness Barran, the minister for the school system and student finance, said the department would "begin the process of procuring a building contractor" to demolish the site and "undertake a new build".

The DfE also confirmed its funding would see Sir Frederick Gibberd College and Haygrove School, in Somerset, rebuilt.

It is hoped the new building will open in September 2026, subject to planning permission.

Preston Hedges Trust, which runs Buckton Fields, said it was "pleased" it now had "certainty" over the existing building and had a clear timeline for its new permanent home on the site.

The trust's chief executive, Paul Watson, said: "In December, our new interim buildings will begin to arrive for installation on a different area of the site and we are excited to begin working in them, to bring them alive and recognisable as the fun and creative environments we all know and love at Buckton Fields School. We will move into these buildings in February."

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