Wootton and Stewartby schools 'on track' to convert from three to two-tier system

At last night’s Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee (March 10), councillors heard that the transition is progressing, with Wootton Lower School officially becoming a primary school and expansion work on its Bedford Road site already under way.

However, officials acknowledged that the construction timeline is tight, and contingency plans are being considered in case the new facilities are not ready on time.

Chris Morris, chief officer for education, SEND and school infrastructure, said: “The first part of the process is to convert Wootton Lower into a primary school by September 2025.

“The current Year 4s who are in Wootton now will remain into Year 5 in September 2025.

“It’s formally changed its age range to become a primary school, and the first year of the phase transition will be 25/26, where the school will have year groups from Reception to Year 5, and in 2026/27 it will become a full primary with year groups from Reception to Year 6.”

Works to expand the school’s Bedford Road site to accommodate the Year 5 (and Year 6 in 2026/27) are “well under way” and set to complete in the summer of 2025.

“It is a tight schedule,” Mr Morris said. “We are still on track, but there are also conversations about mitigations in case there should be a risk that the build won’t be ready for exactly the start of September.”

“We’re looking at what can be done, but we’re hoping we can push that forward.”

Members also heard that Wootton Upper School has determined and published its Admissions Arrangements for 2026/27, which confirms a new intake at Year 7 and Year 8 alongside their traditional Year 9 intake.

Mr Morris said : “The admissions prioritise the children that we’re transferring from Marston Vale Middle School.”

Marston Vale Middle School has published its Admissions Arrangements for 2026/27, confirming a reduced intake to 60 in Year 5.

But prioritising children that will be transferring over from Broadmead Lower School.

Broadmead Lower School will maintain an intake of 60 places for children in Reception, and school will remain a full Lower School, with years Reception to Year 4 until it officially closes at the end of the Summer term 2027.

The council anticipates that the Wootton/Stewartby pyramid schools in Bedford borough will have fully transitioned to ‘two-tier’ with two primary schools (Stewartby Primary and Wootton Primary) and one Secondary (Wootton Academy) by 2027/28.

A report presented to the committee added that as children residing within Wootton and Stewartby villages will be able to attend primary and secondary education provision within Bedford borough this will “significantly reduce” the need for ‘home to school’ transport provision.

Mr Morris added: “We’ve been explicit everywhere we can, but just to say that actually any resident that elects to stay into Year 9 at Holywell [Cranfield] when it becomes a secondary, the local authority will not be providing transport.”