OKEHAMPTON parents have just a few more days to share their views with the Diocese of Exeter on the town’s new school.

The public consultation on St James’ Church of England Primary and Nursery School is open until 5pm on Friday, March 16. It was announced in December 2017 that the Diocese of Exeter will sponsor the new school in close partnership with Okehampton Primary School and Okehampton College.

Residents can take part by reviewing the documents held at Okehampton Primary School and Okehampton Library, by visiting the website www.dartmooracademy.org or by attending one of the information and consultation open meetings.

The fourth and final open meeting will be held at 9am at Okehampton Primary School on Monday, March 5.

A spokesperson from the Diocese of Exeter said: ‘We have been delighted with the response to the consultation so far, and it’s great that so many local residents have taken the time to find out about our plans and feed in their views.

‘We’re already revisiting some of our proposals as a result of feedback received. Our message to local people is very much that the consultation is still open and we’re still listening.’

The new Church of England School will be sponsored by the Diocese of Exeter and will work in close partnership with Okehampton Primary School and the wider Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust.

It will welcome its first intake of reception children in September, who will initially be taught in classrooms set aside at the existing primary school while the new building is constructed. It will have places for 210 children initially with potential to accommodate 440 children as more housing is built.

Okehampton Primary School headteacher Hazel Fox has been appointed executive headteacher of both schools and is now working on plans for the new school one day a week.

The Diocese has stressed that the school ‘will be a community school in the widest sense and faith will play no part in the admissions process’ of the free school academy. Applications are now open for places at the school.

The final consultation report will be published online shortly after the consultation closes.