The expansion and relocation of Campton Academy is not taking place as planned.

In October 2022, Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) gave the go-ahead for a £14.1m project which would have seen our school move to a new site on Hitchin Road, Shefford.

We would also have increased in size to two forms of entry, taking our capacity from 120 to 420 pupils.

The relocation was planned to be ready by September 2024, ahead of our transition from a lower school to a primary as part of CBC’s Schools for the Future programme in 2025.

However, in 2023 CBC paused the programme in the Shefford and Stotfold area – including the halting of progress on our proposed new site.

In an Autumn Announcement dated 8 November 2023, CBC stated: “The relocation of Campton Academy will not take place as planned in September 2024, as there is no pressure for school places.

“The future relocation and planned expansion of Campton Academy will need to be considered as part of the wider two-tier planning for the Shefford and Stotfold to provide the best solution for our children’s education.”

There is currently no date set for two-tier transition in this area, but CBC has confirmed it will not take place until at least 2027.

We await further news from CBC.

* CBC now refers to Schools for the Future as "the programme formerly known as Schools for the Future" on its website. Read the council's latest information on school changes from three-tier to two-tier.