New £29m school for children aged five to 16 is announced for Milton Keynes

The 'all through' school' will be at Glebe Farm at Wavendon - the site of hundreds of new houses.

It will take 1,530 pupils from the ages of five to 16, but the pupils will have to move elsewhere for a sixth from.

There will also be a nursery with the equivalent of 39 full time places.

The school will be open to families living in Glebe Farm for children in reception to Year 6. But the catchment are will be extended to Eagle Farm, Woburn Sands and Wavendon Village for children in Year 7 to Year 11.

It is expected to be open from September 2022 in several phases according to local demand.

Development of the school will take place on a 95,000m2 site - an area larger than 13 football pitches - off Burney Drive in Glebe Farm. This will include sports facilities such as an artificial grass pitch which will be made available to the local community.

Councillor Zoe Nolan, Cabinet member for children and families said: “This school will provide places for many children throughout their full-time education. They will not have to make the transition from primary into secondary school. They will be able to stay put and that will help them to focus on doing their best. We are delighted that the design process will be underway soon and look forward to sharing those plans. As Milton Keynes continues to grow, we will continue to invest in and prioritise our network of high quality schools.”

The new school will be funded from a combination of Basic Need Government funding, Section 106 grant funding and MK Council borrowing.

The design and planning phase is due to start next month and construction will begin in January next year. Details of who will run the school when it is finished are not yet available.

By 2026, it is expected that the population of Milton Keynes will have risen by 40,000 to almost 300,000. Milton Keynes Council says it is committed to ensuring there is a "good" school place ready for every child.