£13.7m rebuild of Taunton school “paused” by Somerset Council
Staff and pupils at Wellsprings Primary School are currently unable to use their assembly hall after the concrete used in the construction left it “at significant risk of collapse”
Somerset Council has “paused” a planned £13.7m of a Taunton primary school in a bid to secure funding from central government.
Staff and pupils at Wellsprings Primary School, which lies on Crowcombe Road in the north of the town, are currently unable to use their assembly hall after the concrete used in the construction left it “at significant risk of collapse”.
The council recently signed off on plans to build a new modular hall on the school’s playground, at a cost of around £500,000, and had built a major rebuild or refurbishment of the wider school into its capital for the next few years.
But this latter project has now been put on hold in light of the council’s precarious financial position, with officers seeking to secure funding direct from the Department for Education (DfE) to deliver the improvements.
Under the Education Act 1996, the council is legally bound to ensure Somerset school-children can learn in “safe and well-maintained buildings” within walking distance of their home address – with the DfE providing annual grants to cover ongoing maintenance work or repairs.
The existing hall was built using the Orlit construction method – a form of prefabricated reinforced concrete used extensively in school buildings between the 1950s and 1970s.
While the condition of academies is the responsibility of their respective multi-academy trusts, Wellsprings remains under the direct control of the local authority – meaning the council must foot the bill for any repairs.
The council’s capital programme (which was approved by the full council in early-March as part of its annual budget setting) includes a commitment to spending £13,726,000 on the “Wellsprings Primary rebuild” between April 2026 and March 2030 – with around £5m being committed for the current financial year.
The decision to delay the scheme was including within a wider report on the capital programme published before the council’s executive committee met in Taunton on Wednesday (August 5).
A spokesperson said: “The Wellsprings School major project within the school condition programme has been paused.
“This is due to a submission for funding being made to the DfE’s school rebuilding programme. A final decision from the DfE is not expected until
the spring of 2027.”
The same report revealed that two new primary schools – one in Chard and one on the Wilstock housing estate near Bridgwater – had been delayed due to rising costs (along with other factors).
The council has subsequently clarified that the new modular hall will still be delivered, and that the full scope of any subsequent work would depend on the outcome of the DfE bid.
A spokesperson said: “The projects are related but they are to be delivered and funded independently.
“The provision of the relocatable modular building is to provide interim accommodation for the current loss of hall space at the school, until such time a permanent solution can be put in place.
“There are no plans to demolish the school hall at this early stage.
“We will await the outcome of the school rebuilding programme bid submission and continue to monitor the structure in the intervening period. Any required structural support works will be undertaken where necessary.
“If the bid is successful, the full scope of the project will be determined at this time. This is because the DfE will largely determine what will and will not be funded, and therefore what can be considered in and out of scope.”