New Chard primary school presents ‘incredible opportunity’ for local young people
Holyrood Academy's headteacher says the plan is about strengthening education for everyone in Chard.
Building a new primary school in the centre of Chard is an “incredible opportunity” to give young people the best possible start in life, the head teacher of Holyrood Academy has said.
The Chard eastern development area (CEDA), which lies between the A358 Tatworth Road and the A30 Crewkerne Road, was originally earmarked to deliver at least 2,700 new homes, along with 17 hectares of employment land and two new primary schools.
Following delays in new homes being delivered (partially due to the ongoing phosphates crisis), the council stated in mid-September that it would be delivering a new primary school next to the existing secondary school on Zembard Lane, close to the town centre.
The decision has created consternation from Chard’s existing primary schools, who have created a perceived lack of consultation by the council in an open letter.
Holyrood Academy headteacher Dave MacCormick has responded that he has “no desire” to undermine the existing schools, and said delivering a new school on part of Holyrood’s existing fields would help to “make the whole education offer across Chard is as strong as it can be”.
Speaking exclusively to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Mr MacCormick said Holyrood had become involved in discussions about a new primary school at a relatively late stage, dismissing any suggestions of a ‘power grab’ on the secondary school’s part.
He explained: “We became involved because there was a conversation between myself, the leadership of our multi-academy trust, and the commissioning officers at the council about the need for more primary school places in Chard – that conversation was initiated by the council, not by us.
“A key consideration for them was land for a new school – it was a question of having the space to do this.
“We had no knowledge of any other plans for where a potential primary school could go; we were only invited to the table at the point of Holyrood being considered as a site.”
Chard has recently seen the completion of the Blackdown Heights housing development (comprising 142 homes on Crimchard), with the Snowdon Grange development on the A358 Tatworth Road (comprising 200 homes) being in “the final stages of construction”.
Nearly 1,000 new homes are expended to be built across the town in the next ten years – creating the need for nearly 300 primary school places by September 2027.
The headteachers of Chard’s three existing primary schools (Avishayes, Manor Court and Redstart), along with their counterparts in Combe St. Nicholas and Tatworth, expressed their concerns about the Holyrood site in a letter to the council on October 20.
They said: “As professionals who lead existing primary schools in the area and who work tirelessly for the community, we were not spoken with beforehand and have had no opportunity to air potential issues or contribute our local insights.
“This lack of engagement is both disheartening and concerning, given the potential implications for our schools and the wider community.
“It is important for us to understand the rationale and process behind it, and to ensure that future decisions are made with both the correct levels of transparency and collaboration.
“We remain committed to constructive dialogue.”
Responding to this open letter, Mr MacCormick said: “We recognise the risks surrounding this project, and that my primary school colleagues have strong feelings about this.
“I remain committed to working in partnership with them to make sure the whole education offer across Chard is as strong as it can be.”
Holyrood Academy is part of the Blackdown Education Partnership multi-academy trust, which also runs Isambard Kingdom Brunel Primary School in Wellington and the recently completed Orchard Grove Primary School in Taunton.
The new primary school will have enough space for 210 primary pupils, along with a 40-place nursery.
Mr MacCormick said that three sites within the Holyrood Academy site were currently under consideration, with a decision on the design and location being taken by the council and its contractor in early-2026.
He said: “There are three main proposals at the moment. A tender process has concluded for a contractor to design the build and decide upon the most appropriate site.
“All of the proposed sites have challenges, whether it’s access, drainage or their suitability in relation to the secondary site.
“One site is behind the sixth form centre, one is at the bottom of the lower site field near Glynswood, and one is opposite the watercourse at the bottom of the lower site field.
“The Holyrood site is 43 acres. We’ve not yet had a precise figure from the council about the footprint of the primary school, and I don’t know at the moment what the design of this new school will look like.
“Although the tender process has been undertaken for this design, a final decision has to be made on the site and then a planning application has to go in.”
While the wider public will not be consulted on the preferred site for the school, they may be given an opportunity to express their views on admission arrangements and how the construction process can be mitigated to reduce disruption.
Whichever site is chosen, the new primary school will be built within the existing catchment area for Redstart Primary School – meaning that a change to the catchment maps may be required.
Mr MacCormick said: “We’ve got fantastic relationships with Redstart, Manor Court, Avishayes and the surrounding primary schools – it is not in anyone’s interest to be in competition or to do any damage to anyone else.
“We’ve got fantastic primary schools in Chard, and there is no desire from me to in any way affect that negatively.
“We have been told by the local authority that there is a need for primary school places coming; our only objective is to help resolve that problem.
“We’re not interested in taking children away from other primary schools in Chard. We will need to meet with the existing primary school headteachers, the CEOs of the respective trusts and the council and talk things through.
“It seems to me at the moment that the best way to do things might be for the school not to have a catchment area for the primary phase, and for the over-subscription criteria to be based on ‘nearest first’.”
Of the £7,750,000 set aside by the council for the new school, £1,880,000 has already been secured from contributions from local housing developers.
The remaining £5,870,000 will be initially funded through external borrowing, with the funds being recouped from future housing developments – such as the development of 236 homes on the A358 Tatworth Road, which will also deliver the first phase of the long-awaited eastern relief road (ERR).
Mr MacCormick said he was still expecting the new school to be completed and open by September 2027 – adding that it would allow Holyrood to build on its existing work within the community, benefiting pupils and parents alike.
He said: “For us, the attractive thing about this project is that it allows us to meet families at the very earliest stage and build positive relationships.
“The children in the secondary school and sixth form are our biggest asset, whether it’s in sport, art, music, drama or anything else.
“There are amazing opportunities for our older students not only to gain work experience by working with younger children, but also to be really positive role models – and for our younger children to learn from their older counterparts.”
“Right now, if someone finds out they’re pregnant, they are able to access antenatal education through the Chard Community Hub.
“If she needs a bit of extra support, there’s an enhanced midwifery and health visitor service that was piloted here in Chard because of the work that we’re doing and has now been rolled out across Somerset.
“That enables that mum and her baby to have a strong start in life – and she’ll have a choice as to whether their child goes to their local nursery or to Holyrood Nursery, giving them an opportunity to continue that relationship.
“We see that as a great privilege but also an incredible opportunity to work with families who might need a little bit of extra support right from the start, so that those children have a better run through the education system.”