A group of parents has been given permission to open a new village school.
The villagers of Bolnore in West Sussex are the first parents in England to win the right to open their own school.
The primary school, with sufficient places for 210 pupils, will be built in woodland near Haywards Heath.
Children from the village currently have to travel to over 20 different schools, most of them several miles away.
The need for a school was recognised by West Sussex County Council last year, with the population of Bolnore creeping upwards. Due to Government legislation the authority had to put the proposal for the new site out to tender.
It is the first time parents have succeeded in a competitive bid to run a primary school, but it is not the first parent-led state school.
Bolnore School Group chairman Julia Bunting Thring said: "We're incredibly excited to be given the opportunity to create a new school that will meet the needs of all our children, our families and our community.
"Our proposal is about partnership. It's about bringing together the best people to ensure that every child can flourish and reach their full potential."
Jim Knight, Minister for Schools, said: "This shows that our policy of increasing choice and diversity for parents and pupils is really working. We want new and distinctive groups to get involved in education where this has the support of the local community and will help to raise standards.
"This could include other schools, local colleges and universities and other institutions with a presence in the area, perhaps in a shared trust.
"And we particularly welcome the involvement of parents and local residents themselves who know the needs of the children and the area. I congratulate the Bolnore School's Group on their success, and wish them all the best for the future."
The new foundation school will open in September 2009. To begin with it will operate in shared primary school accommodation in Haywards Heath, moving to new buildings the following year.
The villagers of Bolnore in West Sussex are the first parents in England to win the right to open their own school.
The primary school, with sufficient places for 210 pupils, will be built in woodland near Haywards Heath.
Children from the village currently have to travel to over 20 different schools, most of them several miles away.
The need for a school was recognised by West Sussex County Council last year, with the population of Bolnore creeping upwards. Due to Government legislation the authority had to put the proposal for the new site out to tender.
It is the first time parents have succeeded in a competitive bid to run a primary school, but it is not the first parent-led state school.
Bolnore School Group chairman Julia Bunting Thring said: "We're incredibly excited to be given the opportunity to create a new school that will meet the needs of all our children, our families and our community.
"Our proposal is about partnership. It's about bringing together the best people to ensure that every child can flourish and reach their full potential."
Jim Knight, Minister for Schools, said: "This shows that our policy of increasing choice and diversity for parents and pupils is really working. We want new and distinctive groups to get involved in education where this has the support of the local community and will help to raise standards.
"This could include other schools, local colleges and universities and other institutions with a presence in the area, perhaps in a shared trust.
"And we particularly welcome the involvement of parents and local residents themselves who know the needs of the children and the area. I congratulate the Bolnore School's Group on their success, and wish them all the best for the future."
The new foundation school will open in September 2009. To begin with it will operate in shared primary school accommodation in Haywards Heath, moving to new buildings the following year.
