A BRAND new primary school and nursery is set to be built in North Swindon following the unanimous approval of councillors at a recent Cabinet meeting.

The new two-form entry primary at Tadpole Garden Village is part of the council’s plan to facilitate the building of two free secondary schools, a further secondary school and 12 primary schools to meet the needs of the town’s increasing population.

The proposal will be subject to a successful planning application and it is hoped an education provider will be sought to run the school by the autumn.

Councillor Fionuala Foley, Swindon Borough Council’s cabinet member for Children’s Services, said: “We have ensured there has been significant investment in our schools in recent years because we believe it is important our children have the very best facilities in order to enhance their learning.

“It is no secret that have a rapidly expanding population here in Swindon and that creates extra pressure on school places. We are, however, very lucky to have an excellent School Place Planning team who identify exactly where we need extra capacity and plan accordingly. It is why we match more than 90 per cent of pupils with their first choice of primary school year in, year out.

“When the Great Western Academy’s bid for the Tadpole Garden Village primary was unsuccessful we had to step in as it is our duty to ensure all our communities, especially our new ones, have the facilities they need.”

The council has had a number of new schools approved in recent years, ensuring that approximately £78m of external funding will be invested in new education facilities.

Plans for the new school will now be drawn up and a consultation with the local community will start later this month to identify the preferred location for the primary school.

The Council will also seek to appoint an education provider for the new free school. Funding for the new facility will come from contributions secured from housing developers, while an additional £2m will be provided from the Council’s Schools Capital Programme.

The opening of a new two-form entry school at Tadpole Garden Village will cover the majority of the extra places that would be needed from the large housing developments and an additional two-form school will also be required at Abbey Farm to meet further demand.