Primary School Provision at The Steadings
On 3 November 2025, Bathurst Development (BDL), the master developer for The Steadings in Cirencester, submitted an application to Cotswold District Council (CDC) to modify an obligation within the Section 106 planning agreement. The Deed of Variation request relates specifically to changing the timing of the construction and opening of the on-site primary school within the new neighbourhood – located in future phases that have not yet been built or serviced.
The new primary school at The Steadings remains an integral part of the plans, and will be constructed when it is needed, but we are seeking to defer the trigger for that requirement from 500 to 1000 dwellings. This request is being made in the full knowledge that birth rates are at a record low for the third consecutive year; that there are over 400 unfilled school places within the local area; and the new school building at Siddington, that has already been constructed and funded by BDL, is not being used to host the new school on a temporary basis, due to insufficient need or demand now, and this is expected to be the case for several years.
The new building at Siddington delivered by BDL and opened in April 2025. It was built to host The Steadings Primary School in the first few years.
The Steadings Primary School at Siddington.
In April 2025, the official opening took place of the new building at Siddington C of E Primary School which was intended to host The Steadings primary school on a temporary basis. The article about the opening, posted at the time, can be viewed on our website (click here).
The new education facilities at Siddington were funded and delivered by BDL as part of the s106 agreement. The total cost of designing and delivering the new building was c.£2.2m, including construction and fees.
The new building is currently being enjoyed and used by the Siddington pupils and staff, but The Steadings temporary school is yet to be attended by children from The Steadings due to the very low levels of pupil numbers. This is mainly due to the low and falling birth rates and the excess capacity in existing schools in the local area.
Interior photos of the new building at Siddington delivered by BDL to accommodate The Steadings Primary School on a temporary basis.
The Cirencester area has 440 reception and school places available in 2025/26.
At the time of writing there are circa 440 reception and school places available in 2025/26 within the local area. That surplus figure is equivalent to more than the capacity of a whole two-form entry primary school (which would have 420 school places). Therefore, there is sufficient capacity for pupils who move to homes within The Steadings in the short to medium term to attend existing schools until the permanent on-site school is built.
Within agreements to invest in infrastructure for a new development there are ‘trigger’ points for each stage of the investment, related to occupancy rates of the new homes. The original planning application for The Steadings was submitted in 2016 and approved in 2019, in 2025 the projected figures for primary school age children have reduced significantly.
Falling fertility rates and the local picture.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) Births in England and Wales: 2024 (refreshed populations) report (which can be viewed here) states total fertility rates are 1.41 children per woman, this represents the lowest on record for the third year in a row and is part of a long-term national trend. The local trend is similar with an equivalent figure of 1.43 children per woman within the Cotswolds and showing long term decline.
Source: GCC School Places Strategy: Primary and Secondary Schools. Click here for more info.
The housing trajectory for The Steadings is monitored and updated twice a year along with a review of the pupil numbers. BDL is working closely with the Education Liaison Group (ELG) which includes representatives of the key stakeholders, such as Gloucestershire County Council (GCC), Corinium Education Trust and BDL, to ensure school places are provided to meet the needs generated by the development, but the forecast demand has not materialised.
It is accepted by the ELG stakeholders that the 500-home occupancy ‘trigger’ for the new school needs to be moved to reflect the lower current forecasts for future pupil numbers. And it is likely that the earliest the permanent on-site primary school will be required at The Steadings is 2032.
The modification application submitted by BDL to the Local Planning Authority on 3 November 2025 contained a background note that justifies the requested change. Unfortunately, this note was not released to the Planning Portal for public view. Had this been shared, at the time, it would have provided context for the reasons for the application to align the opening of the on-site school with the pupil forecast figures of when it will be needed; this may have alleviated some of the concerns and objections logged by the community on the Planning Portal.
Bathurst Development continued commitment to investment in Cirencester.
BDL continues to be committed to investment in primary, secondary and tertiary education in the Cirencester area, and to deliver the new on-site primary school as an integral part of The Steadings when required, but we are unable to invest in a new building that could stand empty and unused for a considerable time. These investments into new educational facilities sit alongside other significant payments for secondary and sixth form education and investment in infrastructure within the new neighbourhood and more widely in Cirencester, including off-site infrastructure works, i.e. footpaths, cycleways, roads and community and sport facilities and other amenities.
Further examples of BDL investment in improvements to off-site key infrastructure in Cirencester include: Stow Road/Burford Road/Cherrytree Lane junction (click here to view) and the Fire Station Roundabout (click here to view).
We at Bathurst Development, place strong emphasis on our stewardship role over the land, the surrounding communities and most pertinently, the legacy of the future community at The Steadings and Cirencester more widely.