New free school plan cancelled by government

Plans to build a new secondary school have been dropped by the government.

The Department for Education has decided not to go ahead with Dallington Park School in Northampton, which would have created up to 900 places and helped meet demand from new housing in the area, including the Dallington Grange development of 3,000 homes.

The free school would have added 180 places in 2027, eventually growing to 900, and had already begun preparing to open by taking registrations of interest from parents.

A spokesperson from West Northamptonshire Council said it was "committed to ensuring there are enough good‑quality school places" for children.

The council said it was told by the Department for Education in December 2025 that the project would not go ahead after a national review.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, council officers said the project would have cost £30m and that no extra funding had been given to replace it.

The government was instead putting more money into creating more places for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), rather than building some planned mainstream schools.

The council spokesperson added: "Although this particular school will not go ahead, we are expecting more housing in West Northamptonshire in the coming years, which will increase demand for school places."

Officers forecast a surplus of more than 3,000 school places in rural areas over the next decade, but a deficit of about 8,500 in urban centres such as Northampton and Daventry.

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