Consultation event on Newton Poppleford school rebuild plans

Parents and residents are being consulted on plans to rebuild the 140-year-old Newton Poppleford Primary School.

The Education Funding Agency is set to pay for the replacement of the school’s existing seven classrooms, hall and kitchen, and allow the village’s pre-school to be incorporated.

The cost of rebuilding the school was estimated at between £2.5million and £3million in 2014.

A consultation event postponed from April has been rescheduled for today (Monday).

An information letter says: “Newton Poppleford Primary School has been allocated funding to build a much-needed new school building. Design proposals are being drawn up that meet the needs of the school and our community and will replace the current school buildings with a new, purpose-built school.”

Headmaster Stuart Vaughan and Julia Bramble, who chairs the school’s governing body, said in April: “The whole school community is excited by the prospect of a new school for Newton Poppleford. The project is part of the Priority School Buildings Programme and as such is funded by the Government through the Education Funding Agency. The proposal will see a new eight-class school, with a modern, purpose-built hall and kitchen, which will allow the incorporation of Little Popples Pre-school into the new building.

“It will see the removal of the temporary buildings along with the much-altered main Victorian building.”

Mr Vaughan told the Herald in 2014 that the work would likely take 12 months, but it would not impact on children’s learning.

He said there is pressure on pupil places, but the project is not intended to increase capacity.

The plans for the rebuild will be exhibited in the school hall from 3pm to 7pm with a chance to ask questions.