A New School for Okehampton

The new school for Okehampton, St James Church of England Primary and Nursery School, has been consulting on its plans.

Scheduled to open in September 2018, the new school aims to offer ‘the best possible education and experiences for every child’. It will make the most its natural environment by specialising in outdoor education and learning to develop character and resilience. Children can expect moor walks, kite flying, pond dipping, forest school and orienteering alongside the more traditional after school clubs. They will need a good pair of wellies!

The school will be sponsored by the Diocese of Exeter. As a Church of England School, St James will be underpinned by a strong Christian ethos in which every child is valued for his or her unique talents.

To enable to the school to benefit from local education expertise, St James will work in formal partnership with Okehampton Primary School and the wider Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust. It will initially offer  reception places for September 2018 and parents can apply - or amend their preferences - at any point until the end of the school summer holidays 2018. Provision for nursery and key stage one children is currently being considered.

Diocesan Director of Education John Searson said: ‘We are delighted to be moving forward with our plans for the new school and we have welcomed the opportunity to talk to local people about what they want to see. This is a very exciting project and Dartmoor provides the perfect backdrop for our unique focus on developing character through outdoor education and learning. I look forward to welcoming our first pupils.’

The Diocese of Exeter has been consulting the local community about its plans. The consultation closes on March 16th and the consultation report will be published on March 20th.

For more information, visit: www.dartmooracademy.org