Parents and councillors attend Little Harrowden Primary School's 'transparent' open day discussing Glenvale Park expression of interest

Following its formal expression of interest to move to the new facility in Wellingborough’s Glenvale Park development, Little Harrowden Community Primary School held two drop-in sessions on July 13 to give parents and carers the opportunity to speak directly with the school and local councillors.

People attended the first at 8.30am, eager to air their concerns following a petition that began making the rounds not long after the school made parents aware that it was exploring a potential move.

One mother of a Little Harrowden Primary student said: “Parents’ views are being distorted to enhance their application being considered.

“How are we going to prepare our children for a change we don’t know about?”

They conceded that they ‘don’t disagree that there aren’t advantages of a new school,’ however they compared the Glenvale Park facility to ‘walking through a concrete jungle,’ and another said the application is ‘not a true reflection’ of what parents and carers think.

In a letter sent to parents on July 3, the school outlined the reasons for its expression of interest.

It said: "The current school site was built for education in a different time.

"The facilities are poorer than you would expect to find in most English primary schools.

“We are striving to exceed expectations and prepare pupils for life in modern Britain, at a site designed for education in the 19th century."

At the July 13 drop-in session, Beth Renshaw, headteacher of Little Harrowden Community Primary School emphasised this by saying: “We want to make sure we can be transparent.

“We do think the building is letting us down a bit, we want to do the best for your children.”

While Little Harrowden Community Primary had 189 pupils on record at the time of its Ofsted inspection in January, the Glenvale Park has the capacity to comfortably accommodate 420 pupils, with more specialised facilities for SEND students.

Also in attendance at the morning drop-in session were the village’s North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) representatives, Scott Brown, Clive Hallam and Lora Lawman.

Cllr Lawman ‘sympathized’ with parents, and said: “We would support the best interests of the school, but we can understand some hesitation.

"So far I’ve only heard arguments against.”

On the topic of what would happen to the existing building should Little Harrowden’s application be successful, she said it ‘will need to be very carefully discussed.’

Another point of contention in the July 3 letter was parking, as the school is situated in a narrow street.

It reads: “Currently, the vast majority of our pupils travel into the village by car.

"This causes high levels of congestion at peak times, and parking can be a problem.

"This results in dangerous conditions at the beginning and end of the day."

However, parents challenged this, adding: “The only time parking has been an issue is now.”

“The village would rather have the school than the ease of parking at Glenvale Park.”

A panel will now be established by NNC to review and assess if the application should be recommended to move forward with the relocation.