Simon Jupp supports the latest proposals.

Local campaigners are back at square one. – Owl

Philippa Davies www.sidmouthherald.co.uk 

A fresh debate has opened over the location of Tipton St John’s new primary school, after a site in Ottery St Mary was put forward as the preferred option.

The Department for Education (DfE) has assessed sites in Tipton and outside it, and recommended the Thorne Farm site off Exeter Road, near The King’s School. This site was rejected by East Devon District Council in 2021 because that plan also included a large housing development to help finance the school rebuild. Now that Tipton Primary is on the priority list for the Government’s School Rebuilding Programme, with a promise of funding, the housing is no longer needed.

The proposal to rebuild Tipton Primary in Ottery St Mary is being supported by the school governors, the Executive Headteacher of the Otter Valley Federation and the local MP Simon Jupp. They all agree that if the DfE didn’t think any sites in Tipton were suitable, it’s vital to go ahead with the Ottery recommendation so that the safe new school can be built as soon as possible.

But local councillors, who have also campaigned for the rebuild for many years, argue that Tipton Primary School should remain in Tipton as it is part of the community, and they’re asking for the DfE report to be made available to the public.

The recommendation for the Ottery site was announced by Simon Jupp MP on social media at the end of last week. He published a letter to Devon County Council’s Cabinet member for Schools, Cllr Andrew Leadbetter, urging the council to ‘progress decision making without delay’. The county council is responsible for providing a suitable site for the school.

His letter said: “As MP I must support the option that will achieve the earliest possible of a new safe school. While it is regrettable that the DfE did not recommend sites in Tipton St John to be suitable, the priority must be the safety and security of the school and its children and hard-working staff.”

The school’s Chair of Governors Sarah Walls and Executive Headteacher Amanda Fulford have also published a letter in support of the Ottery site. They point out that the DfE report is not a decision-making document, and ‘aims to focus on issues of project deliverability rather than to consider any local policy or strategy priorities of each site’. With the funding in place and a ‘slot’ in the School Rebuilding Programme, they are keen to move forward with the plans for a ‘deliverable’ site.

The county councillor for the Otter Valley, Cllr Jess Bailey, doesn’t agree. In a social media post she said: “This change in position by our MP came as a huge shock to me, and I would imagine to many residents of Tipton and the surrounding area.

“Of course the primary function of the school is education, but the school also lies at the heart of the Tipton community and has done for generations.

“As the Devon County Councillor for Tipton St John I have always believed that all avenues must be explored to try to retain the school in the village. I have arranged to meet with DCC senior officials and Cllr Andrew Leadbetter to discuss the contents of the DfE report later this week.

“As far as I am concerned it is essential that the DfE report is put in the public domain as a matter of urgency. I feel this is vital so that residents, parents and town councillors can consider its contents.”