Reigate Priory Junior School move to go ahead

By Emily Dalton, Local Democracy Reporter, 28 Jan 2026

Years of uncertainty over the future of a Surrey school have finally come to an end as plans to relocate Reigate Priory Junior School to a new site in Woodhatch have finally been given the green-light.

Cabinet members voted to press ahead with building a new five-form entry junior school at a Surrey County Council meeting on 27 January.

They argued the current Priory Park site is no longer fit for modern education and that delays risk losing more than £10m in government funding.

The decision follows a long-running debate over whether the school could be rebuilt or adapted on its existing Grade I listed site.

Council officers and the Department for Education (DfE) concluded that heritage restrictions, space limitations and safeguarding concerns mean a modern, compliant school building cannot realistically be delivered there. Planning permission for the school was agreed in July last year.

The new school could open in September 2028, some five years after the first application was put forward, if work begins soon. The project is expected to be funded through a combination of School Basic Need capital funding and £10.7m already allocated by the DfE under the Priority Schools Building Programme. Council leaders warned that further delays could put that government funding at risk.

Speaking at the meeting, the school’s headteacher Mr Moses said staff felt “great relief” that a final decision was being made after years of uncertainty.

He said the move had originally been expected years ago and that ongoing delays had become “another existential threat” to the school’s ability to deliver high-quality education.

He told councillors that long-standing issues around safeguarding, health and safety, inclusion for pupils with special educational needs, budget pressures and staff wellbeing had all worsened over the years. “Time is of the essence,” he said, urging the council to “get the spade in the ground”.

But the decision was not without strong opposition. Cllr Victor Lewanski challenged the urgency of the scheme, arguing: “If the school is so unsafe, the children should have moved out of the school several years ago.”

The independent Reigate councillor said he had received more than 700 emails about the plans and questioned whether it made sense to move a primary-age school further south. He highlighted steep walking routes, traffic pressures and limited parking near the proposed site, arguing that too many questions remained unanswered.

Other members acknowledged those worries but said the condition of the existing building left little choice. Cllr Helyn Clack described Reigate Priory as a “well-loved and highly regarded school” but said pupils and staff deserved a modern learning environment.

Council leader Tim Oliver said the decision had not been straightforward and accepted that relocation was “not ideal” for some families. But he stressed that pupil numbers are falling locally and nationally, making long-term planning difficult, and that failing to act now could mean losing vital funding.

To address access concerns, the council said feeder school arrangements would remain the same, admissions distances would still be measured to the current Priory site, and a shuttle bus and highway improvements would be introduced if the move goes ahead.

Jonathan Hulley, Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Lifelong Learning, said: “Today’s decision ensures that children in Reigate will continue to benefit from modern, inclusive education.

“Alongside this, our investment in safer roads and sustainable travel is designed to support families and the wider community. While Cabinet has taken the decision to relocate Reigate Priory Junior School, this does not rule out any future consideration of wider school organisational changes, which could later be explored by academy trusts or the new East Surrey unitary authority.”

While wider reorganisation of local schools could still be considered in future, councillors agreed that relocating Reigate Priory Junior School is the most deliverable solution to secure its future.

Links

• Surrey County Council cabinet report (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)

• Surrey County Council agenda, minutes and webcast (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)

Reigate.uk is regulated by Impress, the independent monitor of the press. Details of our corrections and complaints procedure is here (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre).