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Where now for the Southfield site?
03/09/2024
The council are exploring options to bring the site back into community use
Its back-to-school week, but one local primary school won’t be reopening this academic year.
Southfield Primary Academy in Brackley closed its doors for the final time at the end of July. The school’s governors announced in October last year that falling numbers of pupils – and predicted future falls – had led to the decision to close the school.
Despite a strong local campaign, supported by Brackley Town Council and the then MP, Dame Andrea Leadsom, all the Southfield children were transferred to other schools ahead of the new school year.
With the school now closed West Northamptonshire Council is exploring a range of opportunities to bring the site on Banbury Road back into community use.
Proposals include providing a flexible space for community groups to use, such as youth groups, for hosting meetings, and delivering productions.
Historically the school’s theatre space has been used by community groups like the Brackley Players. The Council says it has worked to ensure this space will continue to be available for volunteer organisations in order to deliver key community services.
Additional opportunities to support children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and their families are also being considered.
Councillor Fiona Baker is the Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Education at West Northamptonshire Council, the ward member for Brackley and also a Brackley Town Councillor. She said: “We are working hard to retain a dedicated community space to provide local organisations with the opportunity to deliver a wide range of key activities which will benefit people of all ages across Brackley and the wider area.
“We are pleased to be exploring opportunities to transform this empty school into a space for our community. Over the coming months we will confirm our plans to ensure that this vacant space is brought forward into a community hub for local residents, community groups and our SEND children and their families to use.”
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam