Funding finally agreed for a primary school on Rugby's Gateway Development

Parents on a new Rugby estate will be celebrating after funding was finally agreed for a primary school which was originally given the green light more than four years ago.
File image.File image.
File image.

The decision to build the new school on the Gateway Development to the north of the town was one of seven projects to receive funds as part of the education capital programme agreed at this week’s (December 17) full council meeting of Warwickshire County Council.

The schemes will cost more than £15m and are spread across the county from Bedworth in the north to Brailes in the south.

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Rugby-based Cllr Jill Simpson-Vince (Con Brownsover and Coton Park) said: “There is a wow factor in this report for my division because we are getting a brand new school.

“The report says it was approved by cabinet nearly four and a half years ago which was down to developer and landowner disagreement.

Parents have been desperate for this school to be up and running and they were delighted that Lawrence Sheriff School Academy Trust will be sponsoring this school.

“The one question I get from the residents of Eden Park - it says Rugby Gateway here [in the report] but it is known as Eden Park, is ‘when is the school opening?’ So this is brilliant news that we can now say funding has been all sorted out.”

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A report explained to councillors that costs had spiralled since the original funding of £3.15m was allocated in July 2015 with the new school now coming in at £5.41m.

The extra money was unanimously approved by councillors so that work on the school, which will have a capacity for 249 children, can start.

Improvements at another Rugby school were also agreed with £130,000 being earmarked for St Gabriel’s CofE Academy for the provision of an on-site pre-school classroom.

In total, £15,694,411 will be spent on the schemes with just over half of this being funded by developers as part of their planning commitments.

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Cllr Adrian Warwick (Con Fosse) added: “Like Cllr Simpson-Vince, I welcome the new school in Rugby and I also welcome the hard work to get these developer contributions in.

“I think this council does a great job to make sure developers pay what is due so that we can work with them and invest.”