NEW VILLAGE SCHOOL MOVES CLOSER

The new school will have improved facilities including a hall and playing field, and will take 150 pupils, similar to the existing school.

The site, at the junction of South Road and Hundred Acre Lane, is also centrally located in the village with dramatically improved facilities including a hall and playing field.

The present school, which is 150 years old, has three mobile classrooms and relies on renting an adjacent field and church hall.

"This is a prime opportunity to provide 21st century facilities for local children, helping to raise educational achievement and providing greater opportunities for local people," said Councillor Rupert Simmons, Lead Member for Learning and School Effectiveness. "It is a mark of the County Council's commitment to provide a modern learning environment and invest in our rural communities."

The school will be funded through a mix of East Sussex Council Council's budget for capital development, Department for Education and Skills money for modernising schools, and proceeds from the sale of the existing school.

The land was transferred to the Council following the conclusion of negotiations with The Burgoyne Trust.

A planning application for the new school will be submitted shortly with the aim of opening for the start of the new school year in September 2007.