Parkfield School site will be transferred to government if school closes

THE Parkfield School site will be transferred over to the government, if the school closes.

As reported, Reach South Academy Trust announced plans to close the all-through school by Bournemouth Airport, in June.

This closure is subject to a listening period, after which the Department for Education will make its final decision on whether the school will shut.

The school site is, at the moment, owned freehold by the trust.

However, should the school close, it would be transferred to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, following the termination of its funding agreement.

The department will then aim to recover assets and identify alternative educational uses for the site.

If this is not possible, it will retain the option to sell the site for a commercial return, with the department’s accounts explaining which assets that were written off because they could not be reused or recovered.

An FOI by the Daily Echo in 2021 showed the school owed £20million to the government.

Any funds owed to the Education and Skills Funding Agency, and any repayment terms, will be finalised once a final decision has been made on whether the school will close.