Derby City Council has secured Government funding to rebuild a Derby school. Pear Tree Infant School is expected to move into its brand-new home in 2026.
The project has been made possible by the Council’s successful bid to the Government’s School Rebuilding Programme. The new building will be able to accommodate not only pupils from Pear Tree Infant School, but also the nearby Walbrook Nursery School.
The two maintained schools currently operate together, sharing the same headteacher and governing body, but are located on different sites. It has been a long-standing wish of the Pear Tree and Walbrook Nursery Federation that the two school be merged.
The rebuild project means that wish will now become a reality, with all pupils to be based at the newly rebuilt school. It will provide modern, high-quality nursery accommodation, and out-door play space, designed specifically to meet the needs of the nursery children at the school and modern curriculum requirements.
It is anticipated that combining the two school will mean children will benefit from the potential of a wider range of resources and improved staff development, as well as a smoother transition from nursery to infant school.
The Department for Education (DfE) is leading on the project, working together in close partnership with Pear Tree Infant School and the Council. Based on current projections, new school building may be ready to open in January 2026.
The governing body of the Pear Tree and Walbrook Nursery Federation approached the Council with a request to consider formally merging the infant and nursery school, to create a single school for children aged two to seven, within the brand-new Pear Tree Infant School building.
If the proposal is approved by Derby City Council’s Cabinet, children attending Walbrook Nursery School would relocate to the newly built Pear Tree Infant School on its completion. There would be no change in the number of places available.
A six-week consultation of parents, staff and other interested parties took place during September and October. An overwhelming majority of responses (153 of 157) supported the proposal.
Cabinet members will receive an update on the process at their upcoming meeting on Wednesday, 6 December. Subject to their approval, the process will proceed to its next stage which includes the publication of a statutory notice and a further four-week representation period. It is anticipated that a final decision will be taken on the merger proposal in March 2024.