Oakley Grove All Through School
Oakley Grove is a new All Through School with education provision for children aged three to sixteen. It is the biggest and most expensive school we have ever commissioned. We will regularly update this page as the project develops ahead of anticipated opening in September 2024.
Delays
New school projects are often challenging initiatives and even more so when tied in with residential facilities and a country park. It is a complex project to bring all parties together and achieve a land transfer and this means that the school will not open in a new building from September 2023.
We hope to begin work on site in early 2023.
Activity taking place on the Oakley Grove site during summer and autumn 2022
Prior to planning consent and the construction of the school building, there are a number of surveys that have to be conducted on the land. This is standard practice for any major construction and it will mean that you may see lots of large machinery and people on the site from time to time. However, construction of the main school cannot commence until full planning consent has been granted (anticipated October 2022).
Additional provision - Secondary
School places
We have discussed with a range local primary schools in the area opportunities to provide additional reception places for September 2023. Please note a maximum class size for Reception will be 30 places.
Reception aged children and local schools
Funding has been approved to create an additional 30 places for Reception aged children at Bishops Tachbrook Primary School from September 2023. A further 30 places will be created at Briar Hill Infants for Reception 2023. An additional 30 places will be delivered at St. Margaret's Junior School in preparation for when this cohort transitions to Year 3 in September 2023.
For Reception aged pupils, children would attend those schools for the duration of their primary education.
In all cases, parents are advised to apply for the primary school they would like their child to attend in their local area. The window for primary applications starts on 15 November 2022 and parents are advised to make more than one preference of school as popular schools can be oversubscribed. Visit our applying for a reception school place for more information.
Other schools
We have pursued a range of solutions for Year 7 pupils. The option at Myton School ensures that pupils will have a custom made education facility. Funding is being invested in a permanent educational provision that will eventually become a sixth form and the pupils will also be able to access wider facilities at the school. This option ensures that pupils can move to the new building as Oakley Grove pupils when the new facility is ready.
Furthermore, due to tight timescales involved in building this new education facility, there is also an opportunity to create a temporary school site for Year 7 pupils using portacabin facilities to provide greater certainty of places.
Consideration for an onsite education facility on the Oakley Grove site
Options around either the partial opening of the new building or temporary accommodation on the site have been considered. However, the options do provide a risk further of delays to opening an interim solution for September 2023 and the new building in time for September 2024.
Funding
Any funding that is provided will not result in a reduction of funding to the new Oakley Grove All Through School project.
Other year groups
There are enough spaces in existing schools to accommodate children of other year groups.
Onsite residential and leisure facilities
The residential development is separate to the school and not within our control. Enhanced sports facilities for community use are part of the school and therefore will be completed in line with the new build.
Running of the school
We are currently undertaking a ‘free school presumption’ process. The Education Act 2011 changed the arrangements for establishing new schools and introduced section 6A (the ‘free school presumption’) of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 which requires that, where a local authority identifies the need for a new school in its area, it must seek proposals to establish an academy (free school). As part of the process we are inviting applications from Academy Trusts who are interested in running the new school.
This is a competitive exercise to determine the most appropriate Trust for the new school. We will then make a recommendation to the Regional Schools Commissioner who makes the final decision on the appointed Trust. We anticipate a decision will be made by August 2022.
Headteacher appointment
We anticipate a headteacher will be in place by spring 2023 but the exact timing will be a decision for Stowe Valley Trust.
Opening the school a year group at a time
This is an approach that councils adopt when opening new schools so places fill steadily and other locality schools are not de-stabilised. This approach also enables the organisation running the provision to put in place staffing, resources and grow the ethos of the school.
Parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
All mainstream schools are expected to operate inclusively and meet the needs of children with SEND. However, we know that some children require further support and additional arrangements to meet their needs. Parents who require further support and information to meet their child’s special educational needs are advised to contact SENDIASS in Warwickshire.
Number of pupils
The number of places planned are as follows:
- Early years provision (50 places)
- Two full time (FE) equivalent (420 place/60 per year group) primary school
- Six FE (900 place/180 per year group) secondary school
Special Educational Needs resource provision attached to both the secondary and primary provision (eight places at primary and 10 to 14 places at secondary for children with social emotional and mental health needs).
The school will feature all the facilities you would expect from a new state of the art all through school, including sports pitches.
Planning has incorporated pupil figures into the development to ensure parking and access requirements are fit for purpose.
Admissions
Applications to Oakley Grove School will be through the usual admissions process. Detail of Warwickshire's admission process can be found on our admissions webpages.
Applications to start at secondary school in year 7 in September 2023 can be made between 1 September 2022 and 31 October 2022.
Oakley Grove School will only be offering places for year 7 for the 2023/2024 academic year.
Details of the admissions arrangements, including over subscription criteria and the priority area, for Oakley Grove School will be developed by Stowe Valley Trust in due course and as such are not available at this time.
School name
Oakley Grove School is only the temporary working name of this new school, the permanent official name of the new school will be decided by the successful multi-academy trust in due course.